Purly

Moving House/Blog

2011-03-01T12:19:00.000-06:00

If you are reading this, it is time to change your feed/bookmark. As of 1 March 2011 I will blog at kathleendames.blogspot.com, so be sure to join me over there. Thanks and happy knitting!

FO: Emily 2 shawl

2011-02-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

I knit this shawl up over Christmas break and finally got around to photographing it (playing around with my camera remote and tripod). This is Emily 2 by Kieran Foley, and I knit it with some beautiful Madeline Tosh lace in the Baltic colorway and a bunch of seed beads that matched perfectly, which is probably why you can't see them in the picture. This was my first time working with beads, and it was a little bit of an adventure, what with the kids and cats in my life. It turned out nicely, and I don't think I lost too many beads in the process. I didn't block it severely, so it's not nearly as open as Kieran's. I may re-block at some point.

This version of Emily is knit from the top-center down, like many triangular shawls. The other version of Emily is knit from the bottom up and starts with a jillion stitches, so when I saw that Kieran had come up with a top-down version in December, I snatched up a copy. The beads kept my attention from wandering too much - this is a garter stitch shawl after all, and the only serious lace action comes at the end.

In other news I've decided to move the blog. I've been working on a redesign of my other blog and will abandon good ol' Purly here on March 1st. There will be a redirect post here, then, but you can go check it out now at kathleendames.blogspot.com. I have to figure out what to do with the Purly content but will probably just leave it here, as is, and continue on from March 1st at the "new" place. I'm thinking about a little contest and giveaway, too, since I've never done that before. I will, of course, keep you posted. More FO's and patterns to come, too!

Identity

2011-02-21T12:52:00.000-06:00

So, I have this dilemma. I blog here (sporadically) as "Purly", which is my Ravelry ID. But the blog is "Purly-Gloucester", and I no longer live in Gloucester (with all the pluses and minuses that go along with that). I also have a blog under my (new-ish - it has been over two years since we got married) name, Kathleen Dames, where I post my pattern pages, as well as samples of my graphic design work.

I've been working to consolidate my identity in the "real world", especially after losing my driver's license some time between passing through security at O'Hare after Thanksgiving and leaving for the airport for Christmas break. It's probably somewhere in the house, batted by cats under something like the refrigerator or piano, but that didn't help me, nor did my expired passport, which I managed to travel on anyway because the security folk could see that I was a harried mother of three, not someone intent on doing something horrible on a plane. Anyway, I renewed my passport and was even able to change my name there in the process. Now, it's just Social Security and then figuring out what to do about the DMV (I should be able to get a copy of my driver's license from Massachusetts, otherwise I guess I'll have to take the test here in New York).

But it's such a hassle, isn't it? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be Kathleen Dames. Thrilled! But it's a pain getting things all consolidated. And it's freaky when you suddenly realize that you don't have your driver's license. It's one of those things that only comes out of my wallet at an airport. Then I had a really hard time giving up my (expired) passport, since it was the only form of government-issued ID I possessed. But now I've got a shiny new one with my proper name and a whizzy security chip and everything.

So, is it time to get all shiny blog-wise, too? I'm thinking it's time to consolidate over on Kathleen Dames and be done. Except that I now have new readers arriving here from Knitty (yay!). I guess there is never really a good time to make the switch. I will keep you posted!

FO: Pipit for Isobel

2011-02-15T17:21:00.000-06:00

At some point recently it became embarassing that Isobel didn't have a sweater knit by mom. Mittens, hat, cowl, her own little In the Shallows (in bubble gum pink, no less), but no sweater. So, some time on Ravelry, a stash dive, a few skeins of bulky yarn reclaimed from a never-finished shrug, and a trip to M&J Trimming yielded this Pipit. She'll only get the rest of the winter/spring out of it, but then Penelope should have a long ride with it. As you can see, the model/recipient loves it (and the camera). She's worn it for at least part of the last four days. Ravelry details here.

There are more FOs that haven't been photographed yet, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, did you hear that cry of anguish Sunday afternoon followed by a blue streak of swearing? George (my little, orange terrorist cat) got his paws on my Perseid Shower Pi Shawl that I'd finally decided to work the edging on. The little stinker then dragged it across the room with me swearing up a storm behind him. I've spent far too much time untangling the yarn:

Hopefully, I'll get back on track tonight and finish this shawl up soon. My refusal to cut out the snarl is testament to my grandmother's stubbornness - this is the shawl that I didn't get to finish for her last summer.

Craft

2011-02-09T19:18:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about this a lot - the difference between art and craft, and where knitting and knitwear design fall. There are some people who think what we do it art, some say it is "just" craft, but I see it a little differently.

I see my design work (and that of others) as craft, but the highest level of craft, say, artisanal, rather than "crafty", if you know what I mean. Both the knitting and the designing require a high level of skill, attention to detail, appreciation of materials, and creativity. At the end of the day we have created another sweater/shawl/pair of socks, just as a master woodworker has created another bowl on her lathe. I really love working within the confines of knitting; it's rather like a sonnet. There are strict rules controlling the structure, but within those confines, the artisan is free to unleash her creativity.

When I designed books all day, every day, I always enjoyed creating something useful and beautiful that could be reproduced in quantity at a reasonable cost. To some extent a book is a book is a book. But as we all know, books are judged by their covers because we are visual creatures. There are "rules" for what makes a book (bound on one side, loose on the other sides to allow it to open, usually with a cover and spine conveying the basic information of what's inside), but within that we have Goodnight Moon, Knitter's Almanac, and The Cheese Monkeys. Really, it's what we do within the confines of the form.

Richard Rutt in A History of Hand Knitting (so excited to have gotten my own copy of this pivotal work, regardless of its biases and limitations) asks the question "Art or craft?" early on. "Unhappily it [the distinction between art and craft] is coloured by intellectual snobbery, as though art were in some way intrinsically higher, greater, or better than craft." He goes into a little more depth on the differences and concludes:

Knitting is best called a craft. It serves life and is relatively ephemeral. It gets worn and wears out (hence museum collections are sparse). It can be expensive, but is almost never precious. Its structure is more limiting than the structures of tapestry and embroidery. Therefore knitting is widely practised by non-professionals and tends to be a people's craft. Therein lies much of its interest and the fascination of knitting history.

I appreciate the fact that Rutt notices the "cult of 'artistic impsiration'" that sprang up around fine arts in the 18th century and that he sees craft as having its own value. And it is interesting to be reminded how fleeting the knitted item is. Just the other day I wore through the tip of one of my glove fingers. Now I have to decide whether to fix it (I do have more of the yarn) or knit something new. (I know, obnoxious problem, isn't it?) Either way, knitting doesn't last forever, and it isn't economically precious, no matter how skillfully worked, except perhaps those vestment gloves in the Spence collection (I've blogged about them before) worked with gold and silver threads. Of course, it is precious to those of us who spend long hours designing and/or knitting the thing. Let's consider it "dear", economically speaking, when we consider the time and effort that goes into what we create, as well as the dearness of some of our chosen materials - quiviut, anyone?

What do you think? I know Robin asked a similar question on her blog recently. Her readers seemed to come down on the side of art. And what we do is artistic. But is it art? I think of art as unique, though you could argue that every Turn of the Glass or Ishbel (of which there are 8868 projects on Ravelry) is unique, a combination of yarn choice, individual gauge, personal preferences as to size, blocking style, and so forth. But when I (or any other designer) write a pattern, it is so that the item in question can be recreated by someone else's hands (or my hands again).

I think one of the things people object to on "craft" is that the word has been sullied, commodified, dumbed-down. There are crafters (artisans) who take their craft to a very high level, to the point where their creations approach art. I own a Nantucket Basket by Martin Brown, and I don't want to tell you what it cost. It is on display on my dresser, and I would probably grab it if the building were on fire. It is completely different from the "thing" I made in summer school basket weaving at Washburne in sixth grade. I suppose that is a function of experience, skill, and, yes, artistry.

There are also those crafters who make things to pass the time, who don't look at what they do as Craft-with-a-capital-c. Not all of them pursue their craft beyond the basics, but that is really what distinguishes the crafter from the artisan: persistence, passion, and a drive for perfection.

I agree with Reverend Rutt. Knitting, for me, is Craft. And I'm very proud of my craft. You should be, too.

VKL! recap

2011-02-04T11:18:00.000-06:00

OK, so it really did warrant an exclamation point. At the inaugural Vogue Knitting Live! I was lucky enough to take classes with Franklin Habit, Fiona Ellis, Debbie Bliss, Merike Saarnit, Meg Swansen & Amy Detjen, and Leslye Solomon, as well as attend lectures by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Mr. Habit, and hear a panel discussion with Trisha Malcolm (Vogue Knitting editor-in-chief, Stacy Charles (owner, Takhi Stacy Charles), Debbie Bliss (her very own cottage/mansion industry), Melanie Fallick (former chief of Interweave Knits and editor of her own imprint at Stewart, Tabori & Chang), and Brett Bara (former editor of Crochet Today). There was a cocktail party, a dinner, and a big, busy marketplace. And there were tons of like-minded folk hanging out together for three days in Midtown.

If you're friends with me on Flickr, you've already seen this picture, but meeting and taking a class with Meg Swansen was the highlight of my weekend.

And I've kicked myself for not getting a picture with Meg's partner-in-crime Amy Detjen who was just as funny (if not more so) and knowledgeable as Meg. My new goal is to get to Knitting Camp.
But I started the three-day weekend hustling to Midtown, after tossing the kids at Nick, to get to class with Franklin. It was an intimate group (a dozen of us?) in a hotel room - a real hotel room from which they had removed the beds - pawing Franklin's handknit samples while he talked about the history of lace knitting, focusing on Orenburg, Shetland, and Estonian lace. Franklin is a funny, charming man, and, having taken a couple of classes with him over the years, he is very good at imparting a lot of information without your feeling like you've been lectured *at*. I just wish I could have gotten in to his lace edging class!

Instead, I had a class with cable queen Fiona Ellis, which I've already put to good use in a proposal. Unfortunately for me I was whipped by Friday afternoon. After Franklin's class there was Stephanie's lecture on Your Brain on Knitting, which was very entertaining and enlightening. Then a quick scramble for some lunch (N.B. folks who stood in that crazy Starbucks line in the hotel, there is another Starbucks just across the street - you could probably even run over there without putting on a coat), and a chance meeting with a Massachusetts/Maine knitter. I really didn't even think I could make it to the cocktail party. But I stuck it out, spent some quality time at the marketplace, which was really nice, spread out over two floors with seating areas and a couple of fashion show setups. Unfortunately, there wasn't any prosecco at the Purls and Prosecco reception, at least while I was there, and I was really beyond tired by then so had a quick drink (and a super-yummy mini cheeseburger appetizer) and headed home.

Saturday started with the lovely Debbie Bliss and a class on shaping with cables, which set my brain abuzzing. Debbie was also generous enough to give us all a copy of her kids' book Essential Knits for Kids: 20 Fresh, New Looks for Children Two to Five, which was very lovely of her. She was gracious and entertaining, signing books and talking about how she got to where she is today. No lecture for me that day, so I had time to check out the marketplace some more when it was in full buzz. My afternoon class was Merike Saarnit's Nupps, Buds, and Bobbles, which was fun and educational. Goodness, are there a lot of ways to make those little bumps! And that night was the big Mohair dinner and fashion show. Everyone I sat with was very nice (they're knitters, how could they not be?), including one of the finalists for the mohair contest. I wore my finished Grés (pictures to come), and aside from the eggplant in the first course (I'm allergic), the food was good. However, the speeches and such seemed more like an industry gathering, which this sort of was, although most people in the audience were knitters rather than folks who work in the industry. I had to zip out of there after the mohair show to attend a dear friend's birthday party in Brooklyn and was flattered to be carded (hehe) but even more flattered that some other party attendees really liked my sweater.

[Pardon me. Nick is having a wrapping emergency. Today is Stephen's 8th birthday. The Red Velvet Cake has been baked, and now some presents need to be wrapped. Frosting to come...]

Sunday broke far too cold and early but was so worth it when I attended Meg & Amy's class on EPS. Oh, this was such an awesome class! Meg and Amy are a comedy duo. I loved their Midwestern down-to-earth-y-ness. And the samples they brought to show were beautiful. EZ's knits don't travel any more (and with good reason), but there were lots of recent Meg knits and even more talk about EPS. Though I've read the books numerous times, it was so much fun to go over it all again in person. Some day I'm going to Knitting Camp (and then Retreat); Annie and I have made a pact! But I think we're going to wait until the kids are a little older (and I have some disposable income - it is far away from everything). After my awesome time with Meg & Amy, I was able to attend Franklin's lecture, B is for Purl, on the fun and insanity of deciphering antique knitting patterns. Loved it!

My afternoon class was not quite as entertaining. Leslye Solomon is knowledgeable, but she's more of a knit-it-in-pieces type (when Knitty has just published my largely seamless pattern), and her style of teaching didn't quite work for me. I should have known I wasn't going to have quite the amazing experience of the morning when I mentioned to the woman sitting next to me that I had been in Meg's class in the morning, and she gave me a blank look. But it was a good reminder for me that there are so many different kinds of knitters in the world, and there is room for all of us at the table.

Somewhere in there I attended the panel discussion on the role of independent designers in the handknitting industry (or something like that), which was ... interesting. When the panelists include the heads of two large yarn companies, a craft book editor, the former editor of a popular crochet magazine, and the editor of one of the biggest knitting magazines, the deck seems kind of stacked against actual, independent knitwear designers. Or maybe that's just me. There were some technical issues with the microphones that made it difficult for the panelists to get into a rhythm. And there was a lot of stress placed on professionalism (meeting deadlines and such) that seemed obvious to me, but maybe it was a wake-up call to others. I was surprised (as was the knitter next to me - another Massachusetts lady) by the edge to the whole thing. Maybe it's because I worked in the publishing industry for a long time, but I wanted to remind these industry leaders that without knitters and independent knitwear designers, they wouldn't have much to do. Just as I always had to remember that without those pesky authors I wouldn't have had many covers to design or books to paginate. Especially these days with the methods of the delivery of information constantly changing, we all need to remember that being the publisher can be in anyone's hands. Granted, the bigger publishers have a more visible platform, most of the time. But even that is changing. None of this is to say that you can get away with being unprofessional for long in this industry (it is small, and word gets around), but I think the industry needs to remember that they wouldn't have much to do without knitters.

And somewhere else in there I met Beth Hahn of the charming Miss Flitt series, was recognized by my Turn of the Glass on Friday (and saw Teva Durham wearing her Knitty sweater, Lady Lovelace), caught sight various knitting luminaries at the Market, including la Harlot, Mr. Brooklyn Tweed, and Ms. Go Knit In Your Hat. I know there were others, and I had fun meeting people, myself.

So, that's my wrap up of VKL. Sorry for the delay on that, but things are very busy chez Purly. More on that soon.

Turn of the Glass FAQ

2011-02-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

First of all, thanks to all of you who liked Turn of the Glass. I hope those of you who knit it like yours as much as I like mine (wearing it again today). Since its publication I've received some questions and thought I would reiterate my answers here in case other knitters had similar questions. But if I haven't answered yours, please ask.

Q. What other yarns might work?

A. Not everyone can use madeline tosh DK for whatever reason. If you are looking for a similar hand/kettle-dyed yarn, Malabrigo Rios would be a good choice and is also superwash. A knitter has already worked up the sweater in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, which must feel dreamy, but it certainly pills - the tradeoff you must accept when working with this yarn. Since tosh DK is something of a light worsted, Cascade 220 (regular or superwash) would work, as would Berocco's Vintage or Plymouth Encore. Goodness, there are lots of yarns in this range!

Q. Wait! I thought the yarn you used was a DK-weight, but you're talking about Worsted-weight. Which is it? And under materials it is listed as 50g/skein, but on Ravelry it looks like tosh DK is sold in 100g skeins.

A. It is a little confusing, but tosh DK is a heavy DK or light worsted yarn. It used to be called tosh Worsted, but the company renamed it to align some other yarn names. Tosh Worsted is now a single-ply yarn, and the yarn used to knit this sweater (tosh DK) is a multiple ply, which will make it a little sturdier. The yarn comes in 100g skeins; the listing of 50g/skein is a typo.

Q. I'm having trouble getting started with the chart. Do I have to worry about mirroring the cables on the other half? Any advice?

A. Although these look like cables, technically they are twisted ribs; you don't need to use a cable needle to work them, since they only involve two stitches. The twisted ribs are set up so that you don't have to worry about mirroring. By working an odd number of ribs and adding a pair at each increase, all you have to do is remember which rib to work next.

Let's call Little Hourglass Rib "A" and Twisted Cross-Stitch Rib "B". In the first row of ribbing, after working Seed Stitch and Stockinette, work the ribs as follows: B, A, B, A, B. After working four rows bookend these ribs with a pair of A's.

For those who have trouble with charts, here are the rib patterns written out:

Little Hourglass Rib

Row 1 (WS): K2, *p2, k2; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: P2, *k2tog-b, then k2tog the same stitches again through the front loops, p2; repeat from * to end.

Row 3: K2, *p1, yo, p1, k2; repeat from * to end.

Row 4: P2, *ssk, k1, p2; repeat from * to end.

Reverse Cross-Stitch Rib

Row 1 (WS): K2, *p 2nd stitch and leave on left needle, p 1st stitch and slip both stitches to right needle, k2; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: P2, *k2, p2; repeat from * to end.

Q. How do I choose a size?

A. That depends upon your measurements, but it's probably best to go by your chest measurement, since the ribs are more elastic. The ribbed section can stretch quite a bit without looking stretched out and still, through the play of light and shadow on the purl and twisted sections of the ribs, give the illusion of a curvier figure than you may have. Can you tell that I'm a classic apple shape?

I'm sure there will be more questions, so I will add to this post or post another.

Pattern: In the Shallows

2011-01-25T13:34:00.000-06:00

In the not-so-distant past I started a basic triangular shawl (or so I thought), but I wasn't paying attention to my increases and, suddenly, I had In the Shallows. It worked out so well I tried some variations, so there are plain and fancy versions. It makes for a cozy bit of color popping out of your coat collar this winter or an added bit of flair when spring comes.

What's that? You have more sock yarn? You're in luck! In the Shallows will allow you to use up just about every last yard in a cozy shawl to be tossed casually around your neck like a scarf, work bandit style, or gently draped across your shoulders for modesty or warmth--the shallowness of the triangle makes long ends that can be tied, if you like. And the fabric choice is yours: Plain (garter) or Fancy (eyelet).

The pattern is available here on Ravelry or you can purchase it immediately using the button below.

Vogue Knitting Live!*

2011-01-20T19:18:00.000-06:00

*I don't know why the exclamation point was necessary, either, but maybe it will be that exciting.

I'm off to VKL tomorrow morning (early). My first class, with the charming Franklin Habit, begins at 8:30. Here's to hoping tonight's snow doesn't mess anything up in our carefully choreographed morning hand-off (Nick has to go get his son in Queens for school here in Morningside Heights, and I will meet him there with Isobel, whose school it also is, and Penelope, who is not really up for a class on lace). After that it's Stephanie's lecture, the first of two cable classes this weekend (the second is with someone named Debbie Bliss), then a marketplace preview before hitting the Purls and Prosecco reception. Yippee! I'll be wearing Turn of the Glass - if you see me/her (girl sweaters are always her, aren't they?), be sure to say hi.

Saturday, after Ms. Bliss's class, I'm going to learn about Estonian Nupps and such, attend the panel on Designing for the Hand-Knitting Market, and enjoy the dinner and Marvelous Mohair fashion show before heading to Williamsburg for a friend's 40th birthday party at a place called Barcade where they have a ton of old arcade games. Let's see if I remember how to play Ms. Pac-Man. And I'll be sporting my newest sweater, Grés, which wasn't completed in time to enter the Marvelous Mohair competition, but that's OK.

Sunday I get to attend a class with Meg (yes, that one, Mrs. Swansen to you and me) on EPS, Franklin's lecture on the history of lace knitting patterns, and when I'm completely exhausted a class on designing your own knitting patterns. Not sure what I'll wear that day, probably my PJs, since I'll be extremely tired from all the knitting excitement topped by a late night in Brooklyn.

I'm very excited for all my classes and looking forward to the marketplace and seeing all sorts of people. Have a great weekend, and I'll try to take pictures and post them on Monday.

Twitter Sweater, week 2

2011-01-18T13:42:00.000-06:00

Okay, it's not really week two of Grés, at least not sequentially, but it is the second week I'm really working on it. You've made both of your sleeves, right? Now it's time to work the bodice!

BODY Provisionally CO 152, join, k 1". Inc 19 sts evenly over half (front). K 7", join sleeves to body, decrease @ raglans every other row.

Can't decide on yoke for gres sweater: round or raglan?

Ended up choosing a round yoke here, so ignore that bit about "decrease[ing] @ raglans every other row."

Yoke: Set aside 8sts ea from sleeve sts & both sides of body. Join sleeves and body, mark EOR, and work even in the round for 2".

K3, k2tog 1rd. K 2". K2, k2tog 1rd. K 2". K1, k2tog. K 1", p 1rd, k 1". Fold @ p rd. Sew live sts from ndl 6r below p rd.

See what happens when you design on the needles? ...

Small yoke change: k add'l 1" before p rd then k1 k2tog around. Work hem facing back&forth. Feed elastic through slit if needed.

Body: pick up sts from prov CO & k 1". K25, m1, k1, m1, k25, m1, k1, m1, k25, m1; rpt. K 2". Inc again. K desired length. P rd.

Pattern: Turn of the Glass

2011-01-15T17:14:00.000-06:00

Last summer I fell in love with some madelinetosh dk yarn in Mourning Dove at Purl Diva, and I decided to turn it into a cardigan. But not just any cardigan, of course! I started to think about different methods of shaping knit fabric and wanted something that shaped the waist without traditional waist-shaping. And I really wanted to try out seamless set-in sleeves. So, armed with some interesting ribbing patterns and my interpretation of EZ's über-cleverness, Turn of the Glass was born.

Where did the name come from? One of the rib patterns is Little Hourglass Rib (the other is Reverse Cross-Stitch Rib - not quite as poetic). Mash that up with my focus on shaping and penchant for all things nautical, and Turn of the Glass just seemed to fit. I hope you like it - I wore mine again yesterday and am looking forward to wearing it next weekend at Vogue Knitting Live! Maybe I'll see you there.

The pictures here are from the first photo shoot (see the Flickr set here), showing the sweater with one of Leslie Wind's beautiful "C" pins, which is the way I wear it most of the time. However, we wanted to show it worn open on Knitty (and looking more wintry), hence, the photo that shows me with some faux snow at Thanksgiving, though it sure was cold enough for the real thing. Apparently, they were shooting Contagion at one of the grade schools in my hometown (and I missed my chance to meet Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, etc. - shoot!). We were driving by and managed to snap some shots before the Teamsters pulled up the white tarps and carried off the polyfill batting.

Falala 2010 Pattern #25: Aino & Sidecar Mittens

2010-12-30T11:24:00.000-06:00

Better late than never (just like our flight back to New York, switched from Monday to Friday) are two last patterns, and I'm glad I waited! Therese Lestander's Aino mittens are an elegant pair with simple adornment - a Latvian braid and pretty stranded pattern on the cuff. And then there is Thea Colman's Sidecar Mittens with lacey cuffs and a clever ribbed cuff in fingering weight yarn to peek through. Both mittens are worked up in DK weight yarn, so they will go quickly. Why not knit yourself a pair in January, since mittens have quickly become THE item to knit in January. [Aino: Ravelry | Sidecar Mittens: Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #24: Winterland/Vinterland

2010-12-26T11:02:00.000-06:00

(Apologies for the delay on the last two posts in my series - the holidays get a little crazy, don't they?)

These stranded mittens are perfect for Christmas Eve, especially for folks attending Midnight services. Wenche Roald's pattern, inspired by Norwegian winter nights and an embroidered wall hanging, is a beautiful star-lit scene in fingering-weight yarn. One finished project shows the year on the inside of the thumb! Pattern is written in both English and Norwegian. Wenche also has mitten patterns with a Dala horse and a quilt sampler - lovely, clever, and just a little different. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #23: Fred+Ginger Cardigan

2010-12-23T16:38:00.000-06:00

At this time of year I want to curl up and watch Astaire & Rogers movies (I'm watching The Gay Divorcee right now!), so Laura Chau's lovely little cardigan seemed the perfect choice for today. With set-in, three-quarter sleeves and ruffled hems, this is a lovely little cardigan that will fit in perfectly to most any wardrobe. This sweater is knit in sport-weight yarn, and the ruffles are cashmere/silk laceweight. [Ravelry]

P.S. Kieran Foley has just issued a new, top-down version of his Emily Dickinson shawl, Emily 2. And guess who just came home with a skein of madeline tosh lace in Baltic and a couple of wee boxes of seed beads that match from Loopy Yarns? Merry Christmas to me!

Falala 2010 Pattern #22: Owen

2010-12-23T11:10:00.000-06:00

In addition to being a crazy doll lady, I am something of a teddy bear connoisseur, and Jane Watling's Owen is a very special bear, perfect for children of all ages. Go take a look at that face! Not only does he sport classic teddy looks, but he's is worked up in the round in DK-weight yarn (try Aran-weight to make a big lovey, though he is already over a foot high) and is button-jointed. 50% of the £4 price benefits the New Lanark Trust, an historic Scottish mill now spinning organic wool. Printed copies of the pattern are available directly from New Lanark Trust for £4.50, which includes postage. [Ravelry | New Lanark Trust]

Falala 2010 Pattern #21: Elphaba Pullover

2010-12-22T08:34:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you need a little, fitted knit. Mary Anarella's Elphaba Pullover is a perfect example, and she has even included a horizontal bust dart tutorial for a perfect fit for those of us with curves up top. Written in nine sizes in two-inch increments and worked in fingering-weight yarn, it starts at the top and ends with some lovely Japanese feather lace. Be sure to check out her Inaugural Sweater, too - a jacket in Malabrigo Merino Worsted. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #20: Billington Bag

2010-12-21T17:09:00.000-06:00

Ready for some felting? Snowden Becker's adorable Billington Bag just might fit the bill. Neat twisted-stitch pattern and clever details (button feet!) make for a fun project in worsted-weight yarn. Comes in two sizes. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #19: Virna

2010-12-19T08:12:00.000-06:00

I'm on a hat kick - they're usually quick knits and are so useful for keeping you warm now that winter is upon us. Today's hat is unabashedly feminine with a little slouch and a lovely crocheted flower accent. My friend Jenn asked for a pattern suggestion today for a woman's hat with attached flower, and this was one of the many I found on Ravelry (that pattern search tool is amazing!). I have Jatta Sauko's Zetor Scarf, a beautiful triangle shawl, in my queue and just saw that she has some other great hats. Patterns are in Finnish and English. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #18: Ripley

2010-12-19T07:40:00.000-06:00

Ysolda Teague's Ripley has been my go-to hat ever since I knit it up, and not just because I worked it up in Lobster Pot Cashmere. Clever construction in Aran-weight yarn (Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted is the called-for yarn, but there are plenty of good subs, including Malabrigo Twist) makes for a quick and satisfying knit. Plus there are "boy" and "girl" versions (garter stitch and lace headbands, respectively). While you're at it, splurge on the whole booklet, Whimsical Little Knits 2, rather than just Ripley, including the beautiful Veyla mitts and a hedgehog toy! [Ravelry | Ysolda: Whimsical Little Knits 2]

Falala 2010 Pattern #17: Damask

2010-12-17T15:49:00.000-06:00

So maybe you don't feel up to knitting with "thread" but still feel like some lace. Give Kitman Figueroa's gorgeous Damask a go. All of her patterns are beautiful, but Damask is the one that's in my queue, and it is knit with Malabrigo Sock yarn (or any other fingering-weight yarn). Comes in three sizes, using one to two skeins of yarn. [Ravelry | Etsy]

Falala 2010 Pattern #16: Emily Dickinson

2010-12-16T20:35:00.001-06:00

As the year draws to a close and time to knit up any more presents for loved ones runs out, I start to think about what I want in my knitted wardrobe (and what I want to knit "for fun"). And it's time for lace. Though I've never been one for beads on my knitting, Kieran Foley has made me reconsider with his beautiful little Emily Dickinson shawl - so pretty and ethereal. Just one skein of cobweb, and he starts at the bottom, which is an unusual construction for triangle shawls these days. Those beads are like dewdrops. Time to comb through my laceweight stash and choose some yarn! [Ravelry | knit/lab]

Falala 2010 Pattern #15: Brynja

2010-12-15T19:34:00.000-06:00

I'm still in a Nordic* mood, probably because of the cold snap here in New York. Who am I kidding? I am often in a Nordic mood, spending time every summer in Door County, Wisconsin, where folks are from Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc. That's where I first saw Poetry in Stitches and bought Poems of Color, Norwegian Handknits, and Northern Knits (all lovely books I highly recommend).

And just in case you haven't yet discovered The Icelandic Knitter, go take a look at Brynja. Isn't that a pretty sweater? I love the original color combination (and the ribbon-lined placket). Kits are available, but if you are stash-diving, Lett-Lopi is an Aran weight yarn, so, mmmm, Malabrigo might be an interesting substitute, or perhaps Shelter, which is very lofty like Lopi. [Ravelry | The Icelandic Knitter]

P.S. I'm so in love with Theodóra, The Icelandic Knitter doll!

*Do you consider Iceland to be Nordic? If not, why not, and what more-general term would you use for these European countries of the Far North? Totally curious and

Falala 2010 Pattern #14: Santa Lucia doll

2010-12-15T19:03:00.000-06:00

I missed Santa Lucia Day (December 13th), but we can get ready for next year by making this adorable Alan Dart doll now. And Starboy comes along, too! [Ravelry | Alan Dart]

If you want to be Santa Lucia yourself, try this lovely candle crown (much safer than the real thing!), free from Sara Swärd. [Ravelry] It would also look great as a centerpiece.

Falala 2010 Pattern #13: Modern Garden Cardigan

2010-12-13T15:05:00.000-06:00

If you are a moderately speedy knitter, I bet you could knock out one of Veera Välimäki's adorable Modern Garden Cardigans before the holidays. I love her modern, minimalist sensibility, and the cardigan cleverly has all shaping in the lace motifs. Knit in bulky yarn, and coming in five sizes, this is a great pattern for gifting (or keeping for yourself - what about working it up with two strands of Dream in Color Starry for some New Year's bling?). [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #12: Elise mitten

2010-12-12T12:09:00.000-06:00

With the rain and the wind roaring outside today, it seems a perfect time to think about stranded mittens. And Johanne Landin's Elise mittens are so pretty! I have one (1) almost-finished Selbu-style mitten almost finished, but it may have to stay in UFOland a while longer, once I choose two yarn colors. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #11: The Miss Flitt series

2010-12-12T10:22:00.000-06:00

Beth Hahn has written and illustrated three of the four planned books of her Miss Flitt series, a 19th-century mystery with knitting patterns. Her watercolors are lovely, and I hope to collect them all soon (there are both PDF downloads and printed books). I love the whole shebang and am having a hard time selecting just one knit for you. For a quick project? The Annabel Lee Neck Cozy or the Amity Capelet. And for something that will keep you busy a little longer, perhaps the worsted-weight Emma Cardigan. [Ravelry | Miss Flitt]

Falala 2010 Pattern #10: Izzy Wellington

2010-12-10T12:54:00.000-06:00

I have a thing for knitted toys (see Matryoshka Japonais) and for dressing up dolls. Thank goodness I have two girls! And Anita Wheeless's Izzy Wellington is just such a doll. At 18" high, with dress and dancing slippers (all felted), she is ready to be admired and played with - just like dolls are meant to be. [Ravelry | blog]

Falala 2010 Pattern #9: Kimono Wrap Cardigan

2010-12-10T12:34:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure when I started reading Hilary Smith Callis's blog, The Yarniad, but I've been reading it long enough to know that when the Giants won the World Series, she would be over the moon. And I'm pretty sure I've been reading it long enough to have seen her simple, elegant Kimono Wrap Cardigan when it was something she just knit up. These days she is designing lovely knits for KnitPicks's Independent Designer Program and Tess Designer Yarn, as well as the lovely (and popular) Citron on Knitty (another great knit you should add to your queue). Sized from XS-3XL and worked in a Worsted weight yarn, you might be able to squeak this one through before Christmas.[Ravelry | KnitPicks | blog]

Falala 2010 Pattern #8: Brigade

2010-12-10T11:39:00.000-06:00

Something for the guys, you say? How about Brigade by the talented Todd Gocken*. Knit up in Cascade 220 (sooo many color possibilities!), this would be a handsome sweater for any man in your life. And what about that handsome model? [Ravelry | blog]

*I had the pleasure of attending Franklin Habit's Photographing Your Knitting class with Todd some time ago.

Falala 2010 Pattern #7: Last-minute Stockings

2010-12-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

Ysolda is such a wonder: talented and adorable, she creates knits everyone wants. Why not knit up some of her last-minute stockings so Santa has some place to put all that yarn? [Ravelry | blog]

Falala 2010 Pattern #6: Cascade (children's sweater)

2010-12-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

Do you have a little person in your life? Check out the sweet little sweater (sized 3 months to age 6) published in the online magazine Petite Purls. Designed by Raya Budrevich, Cascade (a cascade of lacy leaves down the placket of the cardigan) uses madeline tosh Vintage (one of my favorite yarns). [Ravelry | Petite Purls]
P.S. Apologies for the delay - I've been prepping for the kids' school craft fair, and the last few days have been crazy as a result. Catching up now...

Falala 2010 Pattern #5: Lady Jane Gloves

2010-12-05T14:25:00.000-06:00

I guess it's the Anglophile in me that just swoons over these fingerless gloves with their puffs and bows by Beth Wolden. The Lady Jane gloves would look great layered over plain gloves for a little extra warmth and outfit oomph this winter. [Ravelry | Knit Picks | Cotton Gin and Tonic]

Falala 2010 Pattern #4: Egg Nog

2010-12-05T14:13:00.000-06:00

From one of my favorite knitting peeps comes this great little cardi to throw on over just about anything. Egg Nog is written for sizes small to extra-large and works up quickly (short sleeves = no sleeve island to get trapped on) in Berocco's Ultra Alpaca, a dreamy and well-priced yarn, though I bet it would look great in just about any worsted-weight yarn. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #3: Chanukah Dreidel

2010-12-03T16:37:00.000-06:00

How about a lovely felted dreidel as the festival of lights gets under way? Amanda Kaffka has one that is uuick to knit in super bulky yarn. She also has some cute Christmas stockings on her designer page. [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #2: Where the Wild Things Are pullover

2010-12-02T21:37:00.001-06:00

Ms. Tiny Owl Knits has such a wonderful (and literary) imagination! Last year I recommended her Amy March slippers, and this year I've discovered her Where the Wild Things Are pullover, complete with hood and crown. Let the wild rumpus begin with this quick-to-knit-in-bulky-yarn pullover! [Ravelry]

Falala 2010 Pattern #1: Snowbird

2010-12-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year again! I'm not going to limit myself to free patterns this year (in fact, I hope to emphasize independent knitwear designers but don't want to hamper my searches), so for the next 25 days you will find suggestions of fun patterns to knit/queue. Some will be quickies that you could make for a holiday gift and some will be longer-term projects. Happy holidays!

First up, Heidi Kirrmaier's (PipiBird on Ravelry) Snowbird, a perfectly named, cozy, drapey cardigan. I must confess that I own this pattern, though have yet to knit it up. And I have the yarn (Jo Sharp/Kathmandu Tweed) in my stash! Perhaps I'll get to it once the holidays are over, since this is one I'm sure I would wear a lot. All Heidi's patterns have a simple elegance to them without their being boring. Snowbird is $6.50 and is sized from XS to 3XL. [Ravelry]

Wish List, Winter 2010

2010-11-29T13:32:00.000-06:00

Sorry for being offline for so long, but I've been busy knitting stuff for the kids' school craft fair, throwing Isobel's birthday party, traveling to Chicago for Thanksgiving, and the usual parenting duties. I'm hoping to get back to the Twitter sweater, but it's definitely not happening for the Marvelous Mohair competition, which kind of takes a load off my back.

It's that time of year again, time to answer all those people wanting to shower you with gifts. Hehe. But, seriously, I always have fun thinking about the lovely things that are out in the world. Here are a few I'm hoping for...

Knitpicks Options Zephyr set [link]
madeline tosh yarn (ANY kind, ANY color, ANY amount!) or the Magnolia Society yarn club (hopefully sign-ups for the next go-round will open soon - which color family? how to choose?! probably jewels, but they are all gorgeous) or a gift certificate to an LYS (Loopy Yarns in Chicago, Three Bags Full in Northbrook, Knitty City in Manhattan, and Purl Diva in Brunswick all carry tosh yarns - hint hint) [link]
Cloak Bag for my DSLR, which will encourage me to take it out more (I hope) [link]
Anthology: Living with Substance & Style - a new PRINT magazine! There are so few good ones left (I still miss you, Domino and Blueprint!), that I'd love to support this new one [link]
Some Spun-Outs, especially SO5 Bohus Yoke Sweater; SO7 Sweaters, Neck-down; SO49 Saddle-Shoulder Aran Sweater; and SO29 Bavarian Jacket [link]
Ork Posters (screen prints for preference), especially Manhattan on orange butcher paper, Boston Blue [link]
Jo Malone cologne set or 154 [link or link]
lots of stuff on my Amazon Wish List [link]
and, of course, my Etsy Favorites List - crafters of the world, unite! [link]

Twitter Sweater, week 1

2010-10-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

Two skeins Blue Moon Fiber Arts Geisha in Downpour (1990yds) US6 circ ndl Stitch markers 1/2 yd elastic 18st/26r over 4" st st

CO40sts provisionally. Work flat: Purl row, knit row, p row, k 3 rows, pm, join to work in rd & k 3 rows; pick up prov sts & ktog w/next rd.

Cont sleeve: dbl sts every other rd 3x. Work even over 160 sts for 3". K1, k2tog, k to last 2, ssk. K rd. Rpt 2 rds til 66 sts remain.

Work sleeve even until measures 20" from decreases. Set aside. Work 2nd sleeve same as 1st. #kdsweater

I may have to set the Twitter Sweater project aside for a little while, since I'm going to have a table at the kids' school Craft Fair in December.

I'm in!

2010-10-27T11:18:00.001-05:00

Yes, a sweater design of mine will appear in the Deep Winter issue of Knitty! As you might imagine, I am beyond thrilled. Details will have to remain under wraps until January, but I hope it is well received and leads to more good things.

Speaking of online knitting magazines, have you seen Tangled? They're bi-craftual (knitting and crochet). Good-looking patterns, some free; sweaters look to come in four sizes and cost $6.50; accessories are $5. Neat stuff with yarn made from t-shirts called "Tarn". I thought the skirt pattern in knit or crochet was pretty interesting.

If that weren't enough, Ennea Collective also recently joined the interwebs. Their focus is on knitting, spinning, and weaving, really on using handspun in knitting and weaving projects, and they are based in Canada, so prices are $CAD. Beautiful shawls are $7.50, accessories are $4 (mitts, cowl), and there is a free phone cozy pattern. Interesting articles about spinning and fiber, as well as a weaving calculator. Their second issue is coming in December, so it looks like they will be a quarterly. E.T.A. Whoops! They publish bi-monthly.

I'm really happy to see more online publications join Knitty and Twist Collective and thrilled to see more patterns offered for sale. Free patterns are all well and good, but if our craft is to progress, we need to start supporting the creatives. Self-serving? Perhaps, but I'm pretty sure I'd still be upset by the way some publications treat their talent, even if I weren't designing. It's a complicated issue, no?

In other news, I'm working on the Twitter sweater and think I've gotten the sleeve volume I'm looking for. Not as voluminous as the original, since I'd like to wear this more than once, but still, I think the inspiration will come across. Once I finish the sleeve I'll snap a shot, so you can see, too. ... Just realized that I didn't tag some tweets with the #kdsweater tag, so I have to figure out what to do about that. I plan to gather the sweater tweets once a week and make a blog post, so they'll be easier to find in the future (when I'm famous, ha).

And I've got to see about another skein of Berocco Vintage for my new nephew's gift.

The kitteh-ns are settling in nicely. Little George slept next to me most of the night rather than under the couch. And Henry waits to catch my eye for a shoulder cuddle - he's not a lap cat but a shoulder cat.

Twitter Sweater: Body Construction

2010-10-25T08:01:00.001-05:00

One more thought on sleeve volume that I forgot to mention yesterday: increasing the sleeves by *also* increasing the needle size, progressively. I'm more into this idea than I would have thought. Sometimes changing needle size to change the garment size seems like a cop-out from a design point of view; however, I've been pondering sheer vs. solid fabric for this project, so opening up the stitches for a portion of the garment would add an airiness to the sleeves that may be desirable.

But back to today's topic! The more I think about this project, the more I am sure I want to work it in the round, sleeves and body. Going with flat for part and in-the-round for another could cause gauge problems. with the body of the sweater, since I am going to work in the round, there really are only two options, either top-down or bottom-up.

I'm most comfortable doing a raglan-style yoke when working top-down. I know that you can do other seamless yokes from the top, but I haven't tried that yet, so I'm not sure this is the time to experiment with that. Raglan lines would be OK, though the original dress has set-in sleeves; however, that's because it's dress-making, sewn fabric, whereas, I am making the garment while making the fabric, so I can do things a little differently. I'm still not sure how high I want the neckline - if this is for me, I want it a little more scooped. Having a bust, the high crewneck the dress has would not be particularly flattering. Again, the dress is to be inspiration not a rigid pattern to copy in knitted fabric.

Since I have done seamless yokes from the bottom-up in a few different ways (raglan, saddle, and set-in), I feel more comfortable working that way. Holy guacamole, working a seamless set-in sleeve was fun! Almost as magical as the first time I worked a cable. Anyway, I'm still not sure which yoke style is best for this project; it may be that a traditional round yoke, usually used for sweaters with stranded colorwork in the yokes. The round yoke would be the subtlest, the style that would distract the least from the sleeves.

Well, there is a third option, which is to cast on provisionally at an appropriate spot (right under the bust, I think), work up through the bodice and then pick up those stitches and work down, probably until the yarn runs out.

I like option #3! Of course, I still have to solidify a yoke style decision, but I'm getting there, I think. It really is helpful to write this down.

Twitter Sweater: Sleeve notions

2010-10-22T14:05:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the delay on posting, but we brought home a couple of kittens Sunday, who are adorable and wonderful, but carrying their crates home and then getting Penelope out of her crib wrenched my back. And then my newest nephew was born on Monday night, so I've been working on something for him, while trying to take it a little easy on the ol' vertebrae.

So, sleeves. This sweater is all about the sleeves, isn't it? The most obvious choice is to work them in the round, increasing, perhaps pi-wise from the cuff, until the circumference is big enough, then continue to work up, decreasing at an appropriate rate towards the armscye. Another in-the-round option is to pick up around the armscye and work downwards towards the cuff. Of course, either of these could be worked flat instead and then seamed, though working in the round tends to go more quickly, just because you keep going 'round and 'round rather than back-and-forth.

Now for the crazy option: short rows! Wait, it's not *that* crazy. This would be another way to incorporate the necessary volume in the sleeves. This would require the sleeves to be worked flat, but I'd be working back and forth from armscye to cuff, incorporating longer and shorter short rows to create the shape. This would be a cool option because it's more *interesting* technically, and it would turn the direction of the fabric sideways, which is also interesting.

However, would that interesting element distract from the overall effect? When you look at Mme. Grès's gown, you don't look at the fabric, you look at the shape, the dramatic volume. But does that mean that a knitter (a.k.a, fabric creator) should ignore the fabric? I really like the way Geisha looks in stockinette, so that is the fabric I will create. Perhaps it's time to swatch some short rows to see how that works.

No pictures of the sweater today, but I bet you'd like to meet the kitteh-ns in case you haven't seen them on Facebook or Twitter (and if you're on either of those, friend/follow me!):

George and Henry

Twitter Sweater: Yarn Choice

2010-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Geisha in Downpour from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
I had a long debate with myself about yarn choice for this sweater, obsessing over Louet's Kidlin Pixie/Laceweight before realizing I had some beautiful Geisha in my stash.

Kidlin is a "traditional" mohair yarn with a twist - in addition to the usual nylon binder thread, which holds the mohair fibers in a twist, there is a thread of linen. This linen takes the dye differently than the mohair fiber, giving the yarn a dimensionality that traditional mohair yarns don't have. Mohair takes dye beautifully, soaking it all up and glowing with it (see Kidsilk Haze, which uses silk instead of nylon for even more sheen - that link does not do the yarn justice). Linen doesn't seem to absorb dye evenly, so it ends up mottled and lighter than the mohair. All this to say it has a depth and ... rusticity that can really add to a project.

With the Kidlin I had been having a hard time deciding what color to work with. Something close to the inspiration dress (All Spice or Amber), a shade that just spoke to me (Flag Blue, Regimental Red), or whatever was available at the OYS (Doeskin, Smoky Grape), since no LYS near me stocked the yarn? In the midst of my obsessing, I reorganized my stash (many thanks to Nick for all his hard work moving the Expedit in question) and reacquainted myself with some hidden gems, including two big skeins of Geisha (64% Kidmo (kid mohair), 20% Mulberry silk, 16% nylon; 995 yards, each) in the subtle yet intriguing Downpour colorway. This one varies from a dusty brown to silver with some taupe and peachy tones in the mix, all very subdued yet shiny from the silk and mohair, really beautiful and subtle.

Could this work? The inspiration is so over-the-top, design-wise, yet the color Mme. Grès chose was quiet, letting the beautifully impractical sleeves shine in all their silk paper taffeta glory. Now, I love a variegated yarn, perhaps more than the next knitter and, after a few years of knitting, I know the drawbacks of those colorful skeins - flashing, pooling, stripy-ness. But in my swatch these subdued shades seemed to flicker, shimmer, not mix but mingle. So, we're going to give it a go.

The swatch you might be able to see at the bottom of the photo (from my phone, hence the lower quality) is worked in stockinette with garter stitch borders on US6 needles. This yarn is classified as a fingering weight, with a suggested gauge of 28 stitches over four inches; however, most knitters use it for lace, and I'm getting 18 stitches over four inches here, which I think will work for the body of the sweater. I don't want a tight gauge, since I want room for the mohair's halo to get in on the action, plus mohair is just so warm that a tight gauge would make for a little hot box. Since my skin is so sensitive, I plan to wear this with a camisole underneath anyway, so a loose gauge isn't a problem from a modesty perspective. I am wearing the swatch under my shirt at the moment without any discomfort, just to see what I might be in for.

Tomorrow: Ideas on sleeve construction.
Last night: Really enjoyed the color class with Amy Hendrix, and a skein of Merino Light in the Van Dyke Brown colorway may have come home with me. The fingering-weight superwash single-ply yarn is really interesting, and I have a sweater that just needs some finishing touches in another colorway of this yarn. So, yeah, I'm sure I needed more.

Twitter Sweater

2010-10-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

As you may know, Vogue Knitting is sponsoring the Magic of Mohair design competition. Designs will be shown in a fashion show at Vogue Knitting LIVE in January. I've been going back and forth, round and round, trying to decide what I think about this competition. The exposure for the winning design would be invaluable, but the designer gives up all rights to their design - it becomes the property of VK, as does the knitted sample. As a self-publishing designer, I don't want to give up my rights (and I don't want to give up a sweater I've worked so hard on, either). All that's assuming I win or "place", hehe

While I'm making up my mind about submitting, I thought I'd start tweeting about my design process. I'll probably cover some of the same ground in a little more depth here on the blog. If you want to follow, be sure to check out my Twitter feed, and I'll be using the tag #kdsweater.

First question: What to design? An "original ... women's fashion garment". I've got a ton of ideas for ladies' sweaters, and my visit to the Brooklyn Museum at the beginning of the summer added even more. Especially, an amazing silk paper taffeta evening dress by Madame Grès (on the right).

Not the greatest picture, but the dress is amazing. The volume of the sleeves is crazy, in a good way. And inspiring. Isn't mohair the perfect fiber for creating that kind of volume? Tomorrow we'll talk about the yarn I'm using.

P.S. I'm going to a color workshop at Knitty City tonight with Amy Hendrix of Madeline Tosh. Time to sharpen my colored pencils!

You Know You're a Knitter (part 1)

2010-10-03T14:56:00.001-05:00

... when you see a television listing for "Twisted Sisters" and you immediately think of Twisted Sisters Knitting, not the lady wrestling thing that it apparently is. Thanks, MSNBC, for getting my hopes up.

In more exciting news, I've submitted patterns to Knitty and Twist Collective in the past month, so am keeping my "pointy sticks" crossed. If they aren't accepted, I will publish them myself. And then I have some other designs I'm working on.

For now I'm taking a wee break now to knit up a special request: a Hap-style blanket (variation on Ysolda's from Whimsical Little Knits 1, doing the center panel on the diagonal) for my stepson. I'd made one for Nick for Father's Day, and Stevie wants his own. Nick's uses some of this natural, cream-colored Lopi with Manos del Uruguay in this fiery red for contrast. Stevie's uses the same Lopi (I have a LOT of it) with two strands of this gorgeous blue from Wellspring Woolens (thanks, Annie!). This Poppi's Worsted Plus is an icelandic wool from the Minnesota River area, so it's a perfect complement to the Lopi. It's all a little too itchy for me to think of having next to my skin, but Stephen is always snagging his Dad's blanket, so I know he'll like it. And it's nice to work with. Sometimes you just want some good ol' wool, you know?

Speaking of "sensitive skin", it turns out that I am allergic to Propylene Glycol, which is in SO MANY THINGS, Gallate Esters, which luckily are not as common, "fragrance" (seriously?! even things that are unscented often have masking fragrances in them), and dust mites. At least I know what to avoid, even if some of those things are virtually unavoidable. Hopefully, I can avoid the horrible eye area rash of this past spring in the future (or I'll have to start hiring models to photograph my knits on, which is not in the budget :)

Darn! I thought I had some photos to share of Thursday night's book signing at Knitty City, but, having just checked (and deleted) them, my camera did a terrible job of capturing Julie Turjoman, author of Brave New Knits. I had seen an advance of the book at Purl Diva in August so was excited to meet Julie and snag my very own copy. It's a book I'm really looking forward to reading, as well as to knitting some of the patterns. Happily, I ran into the Subway Knitter herself, as well as Connie Chang Chinchio, Kristen Kapur, and Melissa Wehrle, who are profiled in the book. I had hoped that Mr. Brooklyn Tweed might make his way uptown for this, but as he was announcing his new yarn line, Shelter, the next day, I guess it makes sense that he wasn't there. Still, his photographs are lovely.

I know there's more to catch up on (new yarn stashed, an adjustment to the home of the stash, and a raft of other books to talk about), but this will have to suffice. Hope you had a great weekend!

In Memorium: Riley

2010-09-25T09:03:00.000-05:00

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or are a friend on Facebook know, my sweet cat Riley died at the end of last month. He was such a sweet boy, patient with the kids, soft as a kitten, and well-behaved around yarn. Every night after the children went to bed, he'd roost behind my head, me on the couch, him on the table. At bedtime he'd curl up next to me, effectively pinning me into one sleeping position. We all miss him. Soon we will bring home a new ball of fur, but we needed a little mourning time.

I realized that I'd avoided blogging the past few weeks, except for the new scarf pattern, because I knew I needed to blog about Riley. I even avoided putting birthday wish list together (something I usually enjoy immensely) or acknowledging this blog's fourth anniversary (I've babbled about knitting for FOUR years?!). Losing my grandmother and Riley in the same month has done a number on me, but it's time to pull myself together (all the way - I've gone part of the way getting the kids back in school and all). So, there will be more blogging, more pictures, and some new patterns coming down the pike. I might even have a contest, so, please, keep reading. And give your pets an extra hug for me.

Pattern: Captain Austen's Scarf

2010-09-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the blog silence - I've been, alternately, very busy and getting away from it all, but that's for a different post. I have a new pattern!

I've had an idea for a red captain's scarf for quite some time (think "Captain Jack Sparrow", if you've seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). Then, one day I walked into Yarntopia and saw this Malabrigo Twist yarn in Ravelry Red - perfect color for what I had in mind and, oh my, what a yarn! All the softness and richness of color that you love in Malabrigo Worsted with multiple plies to keep pilling at bay.

A cozy scarf is a must for walking the deck of your ship, and what better way to dress it up than with a little of Frank Austen’s fringe? He worked the very same fringe (on some curtains) while on shore leave with his sister Jane. Luscious, bulky Malabrigo Twist makes for a quick knit, and the reversible Seaweed stitch pattern will keep your interest until it’s time to tie that fringe and board your ship.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry, or you can purchase it directly using the button below.

Nick took the photographs for the pattern, as usual, this time at Conservatory Water in Central Park. I thought you might enjoy this outtake. I LOVED sailing the boats, but I don't think Isobel really appreciated that :)

In Memorium: Kathryn Amelia Wilson

2010-08-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

After an amazingly full life of 94 years 356 days, my darling grandmother passed away earlier this month. Since this August 15th was to have been her 95th birthday (a milestone any way you look at it), we planned a celebration for her in Freeport, Illinois - her hometown for all of those years. In addition to the little partay the family planned, I designed a shawl for her - a pi (circular) shawl to be named Perseid Shower in her honor, since her birthday always comes at the end of the annual meteor shower of the same name. It has a variety of leafy and starry motifs that take you out from under the shelter of a tree to a starry, meteor-filled sky.

So, this shawl. I cast on at the beginning of July (once we were up in Maine) and immediately had problems. My second chart was wrong, but I didn't realize this until I completed the second repeat. I got frustrated, put the shawl in timeout, knowing I had lots of time until mid-August, and cast on a sweater (more on that later). Fast-forward a couple of weeks, and I know I need to get this show on the road. The charts are revised, and I'm ready to go. Things go pretty well until just after the last increase, when I discover that I'm off by a stitch at the end of the round. Ack! This is when I have 576 stitches on the needle. Five hundred seventy-six. And the yarn is the super-thin and super-duper sproingy Jade Sapphire Lacy Lamb. And the stitches to be tinked alternate between sl1-k2tog-psso and sl2-k1-p2sso. Impossible. Just maddeningly, frighteningly impossible. If you manage to discern the slipped stitch(es), it might work. But the yarn is so fine and sproingy that you're more likely to have stitches slip off the needles and bounce out of the row below. Suddenly you have runners into some pretty complicated lace.

Did I use lifelines? Of course not, because I'm an idiot. But after tinking back what seemed like hours, leaving a raft of coil-less safety pins in dropped stitches in my wake (and only a small fraction of the stitches tinked), I knew something had to be done. So, I bought a gigantic cone of crochet cotton, laid the poor shawl out, stretching it onto two needles, and wove the thread through the last two increase rounds (the inner round was for "insurance" in case something went horribly wrong again). It didn't take as long as I thought it might, and I started to feel better immediately. I also realized that my plan for which lace pattern to use after the last increase needed to change - this whole thing had been Fate/God/Karma/What-You-Will's way of saying I'd made the wrong decision when waffling over the plan at the 576 stage. OK, OK, I'm listening!

That was Wednesday, August 4th, and I spent that Knit Night ripping back to the lifeline and putting the stitches back on the needle. And I have to say I'm pretty proud of my lifeline weaving - I managed to weave all the stitches in the correct row (it helps that it was the increase row: yo, k1 all the way around). I started the new lace plan on those stitches and persevered, knowing I had a car ride from Maine to NYC to put a big dent in the last section before the border and then a few more days for border knitting before blocking needed to happen; I knew such fine yarn would block in a matter of hours.

Unfortunately, that Friday was a flurry of phone calls and messages about my grandmother. She was short of breath and taken to the emergency room. She was admitted to the hospital with fluid in her lungs. They had eased that situation and she was resting, then sleeping, then restless. And, suddenly, she was gone.

Honestly, we were all surprised. She had pulled through many things before; she was a tiny lady by the end of her days (under five feet, though she was half a foot taller in the prime of life - eat your yogurt and take your calcium, ladies), suffering through fractured vertebrae due to osteoporosis, but she was so strong, such a force to be reckoned with that I think we thought she would always conquer whatever health problems arose.

She was gone, and we had to get back from Maine to New York and then out to Northwest Illinois to say goodbye. I worked some more on the shawl on the drive back to New York, thinking I would give it to my aunt or just hold onto it. But the wind had gone out of my sails. It sat in my bag on the plane, and in the car, and on our annual family trip to Wisconsin. It's sitting in there, still. I'll take it out at some point, but it's going to be a while, I think.

There's more going on knitting-wise, and I promise to blog about that "real soon now". In the meantime, if you still have your grandparents in your life, give them a call or stop by if you're lucky enough to live close.

Three out of four generations of Wilson women (Christmas 2009)

FO: Matryoshkas (Pink/Blue and Red/Purple)

2010-07-27T07:06:00.000-05:00

My former roomies have two cuties, one of whom arrived this winter. Since you can't give the baby a present without something for the big sister (in the interest of continuing family harmony), it took me a little while to decide what to do (why, when it was obvious what I could knit for two little girls?) and get it done with my own two running around.

I really liked knitting these with colors that are close in saturation - it gave them an almost damask feel. As you can see I changed things up here and there. My laz y daisies were too lazy to contemplate, so the babies are in unadorned clothes. I also knit these on US4s and achieved a denser fabric, which is better for stuffies.

I tried to weigh them as I went along to determine how much of each yarn I used, but I wasn't as diligent as I hoped. However, each main color used less than half a skein per set of dolls and mere scraps of the hair/eye/lips/cheek yarns.

BTW, what do we think of my new camera phone? Far better than my old camera phone, though still not replacing my DSLR. It's a Palm Pre, and I really like it. There was no way we would get iPhones with AT&T's abysmal coverage in NYC. And the Pre can also serve as a mobile hotspot, which is perfect for our time up in Maine, since we don't want to subscribe to a service when we are here so sporadically. Plus going back and forth between the Pre's interface and my iPod Touch keeps me mentally on my toes.

ARAN KNITTING!!!!!!

2010-07-21T07:41:00.000-05:00

Did you hear me? Aran Knitting!!! Alice Starmore's beautiful book of cables is being republished by the wonderful people at Dover. Due out 16 September 2010, just a few days after my birthday - what a perfect present to myself :) I've been pondering "keeping" the copy from my parents' public library for years, but now I can be a good girl.

Pre-order yours NOW!

A morning in Brooklyn

2010-06-30T18:35:00.000-05:00

There are pictures to upload from today, but we're in the process of packing up to head to Maine tomorrow. However, I just wanted to say that I had a super-inspiring morning visiting American High Style at the Brooklyn Museum (Worth, Schiaparelli, Mme. Gres, Charles James - swoon to Mr. James! - amazing architectural, engineered gowns). They've recently gifted their massive clothing collection to the Met and have some sort of reciprocal arrangement. Anyway, I had to get over there before leaving town, since the show ends 1 August 2010, and I'm so glad I did. Hopefully I'll be able to hit the "sister" show at the Met before we head to Wisconsin in August, since that one doesn't close until 15 August. If you have a chance and are in New York, don't miss! [link]
P.S. Thanks, sweetie, for watching the girls!

Interweave to publish eMags

2010-06-30T06:58:00.000-05:00

Interweave is getting into "eMag" publishing. First, they're coming out with a quilting publication. But for the knitters the more interesting news is that they are going to publish a sock magazine online, Sockupied. [link]

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T16:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day, Dad (and Nick, of course)!

Doesn't he look great in his Dennis tie? It's not too late to buy a copy of the pattern, though it is too late to knit one for him today. It's quick, but it's not that quick a pattern.

I hope you're having a great Father's Day.

2wksweater Challenge: Wench

2010-06-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

So, I decided to follow Kate Gilbert on her two-week sweater challenge (she had to knit up a sample sweater in two weeks for a Twist Collective photo shoot deadline). And between that and work and the kids' school years coming to an end, I haven't had time to blog.

I've had three hanks of Louet Euroflax in my stash since ... 2007? 2006? Quite some time, anyway, and those skeins had fully matured. Originally I had planned to knit the Lacy Skirt with Bows by Kat Coyle out of that yarn, but when I'd swatched on US4s, I actually broke one of my Bryspun needles (they are plastic, so it happens, especially when working with such an inflexible yarn).

But I'd come around to the idea of a sweater (and Kat's skirt is still in my queue awaiting the appropriate yarn - love the combination of lace and ribbon) with this linen yarn, at a larger gauge. With US8 aluminum HiyaHiya needles, I cast on my idea for a drawstring-neck sweater (the sleeve to be precise), and away we went.

Because the linen produces such a drapey fabric, I decided not to include any shaping in this one, so it's really just three straight tubes (in two different circumferences) with eyelets thrown in here and there for drawstrings and raglan lines.

I fell for the picot point cast-off recently while swatching for another project and decided they would add the perfect feminine touch to the edges of this sweater, as well as add a little extra weight to the hem. Right now I have i-cords for the drawstrings but may need to find some pretty ribbon instead.

Here's a quick shot on me. I had just finished the i-cords, so this is pre-blocking, and I hadn't woven in the ends yet. Though the body and one sleeve are washed, the other sleeve, body hem, and yoke were unwashed and still very ... crinkly.

What interested me most was the change in the fabric after washing and drying in the machine (love the low-maintenance sweater!), which you can see in the pictures: one sleeve and the yoke are straight off the skein and the body and other sleeve have been through the machine once. I got a little nervous at one point and decided to wash what I'd knit to make sure my calculations were correct. Now, it wasn't so much that the gauge changed (it did, but only slightly), it's that the fabric completely changed, plumped up, in fact, and smoothed out.

Next time I work with this yarn, I think I'll wash the skeins before I begin to make it more pleasant to work with (lots of dust and dirt that aggravated my allergies). And check out how much lint just half of the sweater generated:

The other interesting thing I learned about linen yarn in my obsessive Ravelry research, knitting, and shopping (J.Crew has a pretty, "dip-dyed" linen sweater) is that this yarn in a stockinette fabric biases a lot. That J.Crew sweater? It was knit up in pieces and seamed; when I tried it on, one of the seams ended up swinging itself across half my torso. Not flattering to this mummy tummy. So, beware the bias, or just embrace it. The little picots at the bottom of the sweater give a little weight to the hem, helping the drape of the fabric.

Pattern and final pictures to come...

Interview with Robin Hunter

2010-05-28T19:29:00.001-05:00

Robin was gracious enough to interview me (via email) for her blog today. I really enjoyed thinking about her questions, as well as reading her interviews with many other knitwear designers along with all her other informative posts. I'm pleasurably embarrassed to be in such virtual company. Thanks, Robin! [link]

Gore Place Festival (long overdue)

2010-05-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

Fiber Tent (Bartlett on the left, Lucy's great selection of yarns from her shop Mind's Eye Yarns on the right of this photo; lots more further inside the tent)

Sheep waiting to be shorn

Fleece from sheep shorn with electric clippers (hand-shearing was in the other tent)

Some shorn sheep

And some goodies that came home with me...

Holiday Yarns Bubblegum Pink sock yarn (so pretty and cheery), 3 skeins of sock yarn from The Fiber Denn in Celestite (is that my color or what?), and this beautiful sweater toggle from Leslie Wind (I'll photograph my C-pin soon, promise!)

The Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival was great! Lots to see: hand and electric shearing tents, sheep dog display, Gore Place's livestock, reenactors in period dress, the marketplace tents, as well as the Fiber Tent. Yummy food: Christina's ice cream, kettle corn, the awesome Polish truck, Persian food, and Scottish shortbread at the kilt vendor tent. And, of course, great company in my former roomies and their adorable little girls, plus meeting Leslie (finally!) who I first met online back when I was living in Gloucester.

This was my second year attending the Festival, and it was even more fun this time. It seemed like there were more people there - lots of families with children getting to see first-hand where wool comes from. I hope to make this an annual visit.

Free Pattern Friday: Annis

2010-05-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

Did you get the Knitty Surprise email yesterday? Both patterns are lovely, but I went a little crazy for Annis, the crescent-shaped shawlette with nupps. Perhaps it's because Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia is one of the newer books in my collection or because The Haapsalu Shawl is on my mental wish list. I've already queued it up, despite a long list of pattern ideas I want to work on (never mind all the actual work on my plate), and plan to use some Malabrigo Lace for mine. [Pattern | Ravelry]

WIP Wednesday: Blankie

2010-05-27T10:33:00.000-05:00

On the off chance that someone [Dad] actually reads this blog (though I'm doubtful, since he once called me on the phone to ask if I could send him an email so he could write me back), I'm not including pictures. But I am knitting up a new blanket for my dad for his birthday tomorrow. Since inspiration didn't strike until a few days ago, it will be late, but I think it will be worth it.

Yes, he already has a Hemlock Blanket that I knit him last year, but I thought a new blanket to take up to the lake house might be nice. And I finally realized what to do with a lovely pile of alpaca my brother and sister-in-law gave me a few years ago. I know it should probably be something for me, but a nice Hap-style blanket seems the perfect use for this blue-on-blue hand-painted worsted weight alpaca. All that garter stitch breaks up the runs of light blue, dark blue, and blue grey, as will the Old Shale of the border. I'm doing the center on the diagonal and have finished the first skein increasing every row. Next I'll decrease with the second skein back down to a three-stitch point. Then it will be border time! And I plan to work until I run out of the other two skeins of this softness (Misti Alpaca Worsted Hand-dye, to be exact).

I've also knit up some Matryoshkas for friends' kids - way overdue - and have to get some more yarn (and fill) for another one for someone born Tuesday.

Oops! Forgot to hit "Publish Post" last night. Off to the grindstone...,

WIP Wednesday: Cap'n's Scarf

2010-05-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

Actually, it's pretty much finished. A cozy scarf with tied fringe a la Frank Austen worked in Malabrigo's awesome Twist yarn (why did I resist you?). I'd had this idea for a scarf reminiscent of Captain Jack Sparrow's red scarf in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies for quite a while. Then Frank Austen's fringe appeared. And finally I encountered a couple of skeins of Twist at Yarntopia last week in Ravelry Red, which was the perfect color.

This yarn is luscious! And all those plies mean the usual Malabrigo Worsted pilling problem isn't a problem at all. If you need an Aran weight (4spi) yarn, be sure to check out Twist. NAYY. But I sure am glad Dona had a swatch knitted up at the store.

I still have to snap pictures of this one, as well as Aphros, so there will be two, count 'em, two patterns coming soon.

Etsy Treasury: On the High Seas

2010-05-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

Jennifer of Laughing Rat Studios scored a Treasury on Etsy (you get to play curator with all the amazing items Etsy has to offer, selecting your own perfect, little exhibition) and was sweet enough to include my On the High Seas shawlette pattern in her Sheep to Shawl collection! [link] Thanks, Jennifer!

Frank Austen's fringe

2010-05-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

Apparently, when Jane Austen's brother was home on leave, he would work fringe. [link]

(I don't want to lose this link - some day all will be clear.)

Free Pattern Friday: Cabled Beret (there's a contest, too)

2010-05-14T12:06:00.000-05:00

The talented Veronik Avery's new book Knitting 24/7 is out now, and there's a pretty little beret pattern to celebrate. Be sure to check out Twist Collective's page for details on entering the contest. [Twist blog | PDF]

WIP Wednesday: I've got nothing

2010-05-13T09:04:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but I've hardly knit a stitch since finishing Aphros last week. My allergies have been awful. Now they're under control, but the aftermath is ugly (the skin around my eyes is so irritated, since I seem to rub them in my sleep - ugh). So, I've been avoiding the outside world except to visit the doctor on Monday, and Mother's Day was decidedly low-key this year.

But the postal worker helped. In an overflow bin (oops - we hadn't checked the mail in a few days) were a package from the talented Leslie Wind with one of her beatiful, silver C-pins (based on the Celtic penannular brooch), which I may feature in the Aphros photos, as well as a set of Briggs & Little sample cards from the lovely Elizabeth. So many lovely colors in a number of different yarns. Oh, the possibilities!

More on Leslie in another post, as I actually got to meet her at the Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival a few weeks ago. But now I have lots of work to catch up on (when you wake up itchy throughout the night, it's difficult to focus during the day).

Free Pattern Friday: Raspberry Bed Socks

2010-05-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day is just a couple of days away. If you're quick, you could knit mom a pair of Mel Clark's Raspberry Bed Socks with pretty little bobbles and i-cord drawstrings. [Ravelry link | Pattern link]

And my face is finally calming down from the horrible allergies (apparently, I rub my eyes in my sleep, and it looked like I'd been in a brawl or something), so there should be an Aphros photo shoot soon, followed by a pattern release!

WIP Wednesday: Aphros is complete

2010-05-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

I even blocked the additional portion of the stole this afternoon, but the tree pollen is conspiring to make me as un-photogenic as possible, so you will have to wait a few days before Aphros and I smile for the camera.

This time I worked the edging from my chart, rather than the original written instructions, and it went much faster. I do love charts; however, I know not everyone likes charts (and some people look at them and just get gobbledeygook in their minds), so the edging will also be written out in the pattern.

In the picture below you can see the difference blocking makes. We have egg carton on the right and smooth, blocked out waves of seafoam on the left.

Tonight and tomorrow I have "real work" to do, but I hope to have the Aphros pattern ready to go on Friday.

WIP Wednesday (Thursday edition): The stole has a name

2010-04-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

Henceforth the stole will be called Aphros. And for those of you not winding up your Spring Semester of Ancient Greek today, aphros means "sea foam" in Greek. I kept thinking about the notion of Aphrodite (the goddess who arose from the foam of the sea), but this stole isn't really about a goddess, even if you feel like one wrapped up in it. More about the tracks left in the sand by those little waves near the shore and the delicate, trailing seaweed; the beauty found at the water's edge, if you will.

Right now the stole is blocking with only one edge knitted on. I wanted to make sure I liked the edging (I do!) before knitting on the second. The Seafoam pattern is so lovely I was tempted to make the stole just one giant seafoam swatch, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to include something a little lacier at the short edges, to have something more than just a rectangle. There's nothing wrong with those purely rectangular stoles, just this isn't one of them.

As you will see when I release the pattern, the body stitch is amazingly simple, so this will be a perfect summer travel project (in July a little pile of lace in your lap is bearable, a sweater's worth of wool is not). And the lace edging, while more complex, is something you can do if you know how to increase (and at the end of the body of this stole you will be a yarnover champ), decrease (you know you can k2tog!), and cast off (just for a few stitches every eight rows).

Here are a few blocking shots of what I have now. Hopefully, I'll have time to write up the pattern and get the edging done on the other end in the next few days, so that when Nick returns from his shmancy conference we can get some good snaps.

Aphros blocking (note the action figures supervising)

Aphros edging - sorry for the blurry shot

Aphros body

WIP Wednesday: Seafoam stole (in search of better name)

2010-04-21T19:47:00.000-05:00

Until now I've preferred blogging finished projects and not covering things so much in process; however, this one is taking a long time. It's a stole shape in the brilliant (and brilliantly simple) Seafoam pattern. Though much further along than in these snaps, it's pretty much the same thing. I'm working with Madeline Tosh's Superwash Merino Lace yarn (Kelp colorway from Knitty City). I have a swatch all done up in this pattern with an edging that I like, so I know exactly where I'm going; I'm just not sure I've gotten there yet (as far as knitting the body goes), though I think I'm close. And then this lovely is going to need a name...

Perhaps I'll block it "as is" before heading up to Boston for the weekend and assess upon return.

But that would mean getting something else on the needles... While Miss Charlotte and her lovely sister Henrietta deserve some knitterly gifties for hosting me and Isobel this weekend, I've run out of time for working anything up before the weekend (Isobel and I are going to the Bronx Zoo with her classroom tomorrow - lions will make an appearance here, or at the very least on my Flickr, soon), though I am pretty sure I know what I'm going to work up for them (hmm, what pattern have I created that's perfect for little ones?).

Well, as you know knitters spend more time making yarn decisions than clothing ones when packing for a trip. I'll let you know what I decide to pack tomorrow night. And maybe I'll see you at Gore Place Saturday?

Pattern: On the High Seas

2010-04-16T16:19:00.002-05:00

This year for my sister's birthday I bought some yarn that seemed very her (Malabrigo Sock in Lettuce) and gave her the option of either receiving the yarn and some pattern options or having me knit something out of it for her. Since she was busy making the world a better place in Afghanistan, she opted for my doing the "work". Thus, the first iteration of On the High Seas came to be.

I just thought this last picture was funny - clearly the shy shawlette is trying to evade being photographed

I had a hard time sending it overseas and so worked up my own in Laughing Rat's beautiful sock yarn in the Pacific colorway [link to the skein I bought in case you want to special order one from Jennifer], perfecting the pattern numbers and working on the chart. Now, I'm ready to share it with you.

On the High Seas

Sometimes it’s a little chilly at the helm of your ship. Or perhaps you want to drape a little something across your shoulders (for modesty?) to greet that boarding party. A shawlette is just the thing. This one uses your favorite sock yarn and the beautiful Crest of the Wave lace pattern, which has enough “lace action” to keep you interested without being so complex that you can’t keep an eye on the horizon. Pattern includes chart and written-out instructions for lace.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry or you can purchase it directly using the button below.

Piece of Emancipation History

2010-04-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

Be sure to check out the beautiful silk shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria and now residing with the Smithsonian. There's a little talk of reverse engineering a pattern on the Laceknitters list. I wonder if there are any photographs of it being worn. [link]

Free Pattern Friday: Kiddie Cadet

2010-04-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Now that Spring has sprung and we are into the baseball season, consider making a Kiddie Cadet for your kiddo. I particularly love this one that looks like a baseball. Knit in worsted-weight yarn and sized for baby, toddler, and child, surely there's a small fry in your life in need of a new hat for spring. [Ravelry | Blog | PDF] And the designer Alice Schnebly also has an adult version called Hawkeye available for $5. [Ravelry | Blog]

And I know it's Saturday, so your free pattern is a day late, but we've been running full-tilt this week chez Purly. I've been working on some graphic design projects, knitting up a new pattern, figuring out how I want to knit another new pattern (charts are my friend), digging out the summer clothes for the recent heat wave, battling the evil pollen of NYC without retreating to a sealed room with an air purifier, and all the usual parenting/housework stuff. Whew! I didn't realize how much I'd been up to until I wrote that.

And here's a sneak peek at my next pattern. This was an in-progress shot. The item is now finished and blocked, pattern written and charted, but the original was knit for my sister (the one in the photo is for me). Once it arrives in Germany, I'll share the whole thing with you. Suffice it to say it's my new favorite knit. The yarn is fingering-weight from Laughing Rat Studio in the colorway Pacific that has been marinating in the stash since summer 2007. I'd say it had aged "just right".

Free Pattern Friday: Eierbaretjes (Egg Tams)

2010-04-02T05:48:00.001-06:00

I wanted to find a pattern for an egg cozy for this Friday's pattern because it was the first thing I learned to knit long ago. My maternal grandmother taught me to knit with bright yellow acrylic yarn. I can still see her front porch where I seem to remember my knitting lesson taking place and the tulip tree blooming in the yard. It was a little garter-stitch pocket (I imagine she sewed up the seams) that could hold a hard-boiled egg, decoratively, and somehow looking like a little chicken.

Sadly, for me, knitting didn't take back then, and it wasn't until after my grandmother was gone that I took up a pair of needles again. But now I can't put them down!

And you should pick yours up to make at least one of these adorable egg tams, pattern courtesy of José Gralike. Come on, berets for your boiled eggs! Could anything be more wonderful? Well, I love them anyway. [Ravelry link | Blog link | PDF link]

Happy Easter for those of you celebrating that one. Blessed Passover for those of you celebrating that one. And, yay, Spring for everyone in the Northern Hemisphere!

Free Pattern Friday: Elisa Nest Tote

2010-03-26T11:56:00.000-06:00

Spring has sprung/The grass is ris... And the farmer's markets are starting back up. Are you still buying your ramps in plastic bags from your farmers? It's time to work down your stash and work up some market bags. I've checked out a bunch of them and really like the looks of this one, particularly the i-cord handle. Great tutorial from the Purl Bee. The farmer's market awaits! [Ravelry link | Blog link | PDF link]

P.S. Be sure to check out the blog link for the great picture of, presumably, Elisa with her tote and a bun in the oven.
P.P.S. Apologies for not posting a free pattern link last Friday, Penelope had Roseola while we were in Chicago. All better now!

Pattern: Vines

2010-03-24T20:36:00.000-06:00

You've seen the preview, now you can buy the pattern. Apologies for taking so long -- the schematic intimidated me, since I'm a designer, not an illustrator. You'll laugh when you see how simple it is, and I knew it would be.

Anyway, I hope you like it! My test knitters (thanks, ladies -- you rock!) were enthusiastic and, happily for me, tried it in different kinds of yarn. Should you want to use an inelastic yarn (silk or cotton), you'll want to lean more towards two inches of negative ease rather than four for a stretchier yarn.

I've graded this piece for sizes XS, S, M, L, and XL. The lace pattern is both charted and written out (and it's a really straightforward lace pattern), so you have no excuses! You need a spring layering piece, don't you? The sun is out here in New York City, but it's still brisk.

The pattern is available here on Ravelry or you can purchase it directly using the button below.

Free Pattern Friday: Shamrocks (twofer)

2010-03-12T16:45:00.000-06:00

Time to get your Irish on, if you're that sort. Two little shamrock patterns, one from Vickie Howell's blog for Mitered Leaf Shamrocks (also some bedazzlement, if you're so inclined), and another from Laura Brown called Cloverly, originally published in MagKnits. Happy St. Patrick's Day (early) from this Irish lassie! [Mitered Leaf Shamrocks: Ravelry link / blog link; Cloverly: Ravelry link]

Now on Twitter

2010-03-05T12:29:00.000-06:00

You can find me at kathleendames on Twitter now. No promises that I will post regularly (or scintillatingly), but it seemed wise to stake my claim. Sadly, "purly" was already taken.

Free Pattern Friday: Deirdre

2010-03-05T09:03:00.000-06:00

I knew when I saw this one in the new patterns on Ravelry earlier this week that it would be today's FPF. Deirdre is another one of those great little sock yarn shawlettes - this one from Linden Heflin. Much as a love complicated lace, sometimes something a little sparer works too. Check your sock yarn stash! [Ravelry link / Blog link]

Knits in Action: The Sartorialist

2010-03-04T10:47:00.002-06:00

Just had to share this snap I saw yesterday on The Sartorialist's blog. Is that an Einstein Jacket, perhaps? It's nice to see knits appreciated in the wild.

Knitting Magazines (print)

2010-03-02T12:25:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to write this post in my head for weeks now and keep getting stuck, largely because it feels like I'd just be ragging on the knitting magazines without offering a constructive alternative. I should also state that style is, to some extent, subjective ("Everyone thinks they have good taste and a sense of humor but they couldn't possibly all have good taste." Name that movie!*) So, here goes...

For most knitters there are two print magazines offering creative patterns and informative articles: Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting. They each offer (or offered**) "sister" magazines that are billed as more progressive/modern - Knitscene and Knit.1, respectively. Yes, there are other knitting magazines out there, but these two are the biggies in my experience. (And I'll get to the online publications another day.)

There is a lot to like about both of these magazines. For one thing, they're both still publishing! These days every other mag seems to have decided to throw in the towel rather than figure out ways to weather the recession storm. I know it's often better to bow out while you're ahead of the game, but that has left many of us Domino- and Blueprint-less, to name two of my favorite, now-defunct mags. And since many knitters are ... well, I'd rather not use the word hoarders ... let's say "stashers", most of us love having the actual printed magazines in our hot little hands or tucked away for safekeeping and future use. I know there have been plenty of patterns that I've flipped right by only to come back to later with a passion thanks to seeing purty FOs on Ravelry and "the blogs" or just to a change in personal style. Or a technique that you get interested in as you become a more proficient knitter -- for me it's lace, which I was intimidated by when I first started knitting and buying knitting magazines, but now I want to know everything!

For another thing they are both making efforts to have useful online presences, offering patterns for sale online*** [Interweave Knits Pattern Store / Vogue Knitting Pattern Store], making sure pattern previews make it to Ravelry [Interweave Knits / Vogue Knitting] and/or Facebook [Vogue Knitting - doing a great job of getting their FB fans involved with sneak peeks, polls, relevant news items, etc.], and offering added value online: VK360 is a cool tool that allows you to examine the knitted projects from all angles, though I, personally, could do without the music, but I'm a web curmudgeon, preferring words and images to video and audio. And Knitting Daily from IK is busy with forums, blogs, and the Knitting Daily Galleries showing different IK staffers wearing the same garment and getting their feedback, so you can get an idea of what a project might look like on your body type.

But I feel that for all their plusses -- and let's not forget about Clara Parkes's reviews, Meg Swansen's articles from the EZ "vaults", contributions from TechKnitter, BrooklynTweed, and many more, collaborations with Project Runway participants (though not always my style), ANTM models, etc. -- both magazines don't always keep up with the times, style-wise.

I find IK's styling a little on the crunchy-no-makeup side. Yet they're the ones who published the Cocktail Capelet (six to eight skeins of $18/skein pure cashmere?!). While VK's models seem overly-made-up to me, the stories are often shot in spaces with lots of stuff, and the models have lots of clothes and jewelry adding to the visual "noise", so it's difficult to tell necessarily if you want to knit the pattern. Yet when they departed from that for the cover story in the last winter issue with the model in front of some grey photographer's paper, it kind of got weird. And there are issues with VK's sizing standards -- some garments are only offered in one or two sizes. Oddly, IK's aforementioned Cocktail Capelet came in three sizes.

Now, I know you can't please everyone all the time. And post-EZ, we are liberated knitters who can adjust patterns to work for us, so not every pattern needs to be offered in fifteen graded sizes. And different people have different budgets, so yarn substitutions can make a good pattern in a magazine a great one for you. But ...

I guess I just feel like there isn't really a knitting magazine out there for me. Even though I wear jeans and a t-shirt/sweater most every day, I follow the collections, watch the "stylish" reality shows (OK, I watched Jersey Shore, too, but Project Runway wasn't on), and had a favorite supermodel back when there were only a handful of them (Christy Turlington, if you must know) rather than the hordes of them running around today with such titles -- there I go being curmudgeonly again. And, yes, I am a medium, so sizing usually isn't an issue.

Funnily, I saw some comments on FB about the new VK issue that the scarves were craziness given that this is the Spring/Summer issue. Ladies complained about hot flashes making such items unnecessary. Yet, you would be hard-pressed to walk around NYC, even on the hottest day of the year, and not see pretty young things with scarves wrapped around their necks like the pretty young things in the Neck and Next story. But the styling on that story did not work for me, though at least the backgrounds were less distracting so I could focus on the knitted projects.

As knitters I think we sometimes forget about style when faced with a gorgeous yarn (beautiful in the skein doesn't always make for a pretty knitted fabric) or cool technique (entrelac, I'm looking at you). Knitters sometimes complain about or look sheepish when knitting stockinette, but my favorite sweaters are often the simplest (OK, that is my style -- see jeans and t-shirt, above). Just because you can do a triple-flip (cables! and lace! in variegated yarn!), doesn't mean you always should.

A little design note from the unemployed art director: I do not like that IK moved the patterns to the back of the book, separating them from their "big" pictures, but I do like their new page at the very back with small pictures of all the projects in the issue -- something I think every knitwear publication should do somewhere. VK has always had their patterns at the back of the book without any images, so that's their thing, even if I prefer otherwise, but the problem for me is the numbering system, which is not so memorable, especially when they don't include thumbnail images of projects with the patterns. Things can get confusing: you could start the instructions for #12 and then accidentally turn two pages and find yourself knitting project #23.

And I wish they would publish their charts in the magazine. I know that may add two pages to the book and it's difficult to fit everything and have enough ad pages to support your editorial content, but what if I've taken my magazine, yarn, needles, and stitch markers on vacation to get away from it all, only to discover that I can't do more than cast on because the charts have to be downloaded, but it's Sunday and the nearest computer is at the island library an hour away on foot and only open Fridays from 9-noon anyway. So much for that vacation knitting! Yes, we should all check our patterns for everything before we head off, but still.

So, I've thought about giving up on knitting magazines. But there are those technique articles, and even if I don't like projects now, I may later, though I am working on designing my own projects rather than knitting other people's patterns. And I think we should support those publications that are bringing new designers to public attention and putting stuff out there and making an effort. These days that is a brave thing to do, when everyone (including me) is a critic

Maybe I'll start posting more "style" research as I come across it, not just highlighting knits in the collections, but applying new styles from the collections (those I like, anyway) to knitting.

What do you think? Are you happy with the two big knitting magazines? Is there another "book" I don't know about? Are you a pattern follower, an adventurous knitter, someone who just likes yarn, or ???

*When Harry Met Sally
**Knit.1's last published issue was Spring/Summer 2009.
***There has been controversy over VK taking pattern sales online, and I'd love to know if things have changed for the better. Anyone?

Free Pattern Friday: Bome (Spring)

2010-02-28T07:28:00.000-06:00

Despite 20" of snowfall here in the city, which closed the schools on Friday (hence, the belatedness of this post), I'm ready for Spring. Or perhaps it's because of all that snow. Anyway, this pretty fairisle cardigan is so springy with its colors and knitted-in message (Bome means Spring in Korean), as well as the pretty neckline, 3/4-length sleeves, and lacy edging. I'm pretty sure I couldn't whip this up in time for Spring, especially since I still live a steek-free existence, but a girl can dream!
[Ravelry link / Pattern link]

King Charles Brocade

2010-02-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

The project I was working on before the Olympics started is a pullover for me in Swan's Island Organic Fingering yarn (Robin's Egg blue) in King Charles Brocade. It's on hold until my Games project is complete. But imagine my surprise when I saw these images [color photo / ultraviolet photo] yesterday of the original vest King Charles wore on the day of his execution. Apparently, they are going to use some high-tech tests to determine if the stains on the pullover are the king's blood. Ah, the times we live in. How crazy that the color is so close to my sweater's!

Free Pattern Friday: Vinterblomster

2010-02-20T07:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is Saturday, but I was working on something else (freelance projects, teething 18-month-old, world's greatest knitting book idea), so you had to wait until this morning. I know you've been waiting...

And I'm waiting for Spring, so these pretty Vinterblomster mittens seem perfect. Heidi Mork came up with a lovely, modern, stranded knitting pattern that will have you raiding your fingering-weight yarn stash for pretty Spring colors or whatever else strikes your fancy (lots of color combos on Ravelry, if you're looking for inspiration). I love the almost hand-drawn feeling of the flowers. Go on, you know we have more winter to wade through, and if you have a pair of Vinterblomsters, you'll look forward to the next snow storm. [Ravelry link / Heidi Mork's blog link / PDF link]

Free Pattern Friday: Tempest (and Knitting Olympics insanity)

2010-02-12T20:28:00.000-06:00

If you haven't knit a Tempest yet, what are you waiting for? I mean, you have delectable sock yarn that you're "saving" for the right project, right? This is it! A lightweight cardi knit out of two skeins (well, four if you're using Koigu or Claudia Handpaint's or something that is, like, one skein per sock) of sock yarn. I lovelovelove my Tempest. And since it's written by Ann Weaver and published by the lovely Knitty people, you know it's a good one. And you work it on larger-than-usual-for-sock-yarn needles, so it does not drag on forever. Wait, did I tell you that I love mine? I'm wearing it tomorrow. [Pattern link / Ravelry link]

The other reason I'm recommending Tempest this week is because I'm insane. I've decided to enter the Knitting Olympics to knit up a sweater of my own design in the next 17 days in Madeline Tosh merino light, a lovely fingering-weight single (that's a skinny sock yarn with only one ply for you non-knitters reading this on Facebook - I know who you are, people!), so I've been checking out other fingering-weight sweater patterns on Ravelry. I have various plans, and I have swatched this yarn (on US5s, so it's not complete insanity, not like deciding to do a Bohus for the Olympics or something, so this should be a doable but challenging challenge, which is the point of the Knitting Olympics. Wish me luck. I so want that medal!

And I forgot to mention in my last post that I also knit up a pair of Amy March's Slippers in my little fit of knitting little things, since the pair I worked for myself some time ago resides in Maine, while I'm in New York in a blizzard. My feet are much happier now, though I may re-knit them, double-stranding the yarn. I used Sheep Shop Sheep 1 in a pale blue (shocker, I know), which is an aran weight yarn, and it's a little thin (the pattern calls for bulky). Yes, as I'm typing this I'm realizing that I really should reknit, holding the yarn double, to make them perfect.

Apologies for the lateness of this post, but I've been working my derriere off on a work project. Working from home is amazing, but I am a tough lady to work for! My standards are very high, and I've been slacking off for too long, so I have to whip myself back into shape. InDesign4 is a whole different kettle of fish from my "old" days at Course Technology.

Thanks to the test knitters!

2010-02-10T18:52:00.000-06:00

I know I shouldn't be surprised by how helpful and great knitters are, but I was thrilled with the quick response to my call for test knitters and how many people like Vines even before I've published it. Hopefully, all my lovely test knitters will come back with great little garments by the end of the month, and then I'll be able to offer the pattern for sale.

I have some more projects in the pipeline but have also been busy knitting smaller things, like a Ripley for me in the delectable Lobster Pot Cashmere. I was kind of hoping to get a picture of me in it today outside during the snow, but a certain little person needed a nap, so I stayed behind (and worked and worked on a really interesting but challenging project). Ripley is a great little hat with a lace edge from Ysolda Teague's Whimsical Little Knits 2 (did you see how much that lovely creature raised for Haiti? to quote Rachel Zoe, "Uh-mazing"), which I bought last month in a fit of Help-Haiti-on-Ravelry-itis. Mary-Heather's Simple Things Shawlette and Snowbird by Heidi Kirrmaier also whizzed through the magical portal of PayPal into my Library.

I also knit up a little double-cowl for Isobel from half a skein or so of Malabrigo Lace in Intenso (luscious reds and pinks). She picked out the yarn from stash and has been pestering me to get it started (and then finished). I'm so glad I did because she just loves it. She's even worn it to bed and all day at school. Little cutie. I did a picot bindoff (not a picot hem, the little points), which would be lovely except the edge totally rolls and no one sees it, since the thing is just a jumble of Valentine-y goodness around her neck. I'll have to see if I can snap a picture of her in it. And I may need to make a single cowl for me, if I can figure out the best way to show off those picots. Hmmm.

So, now I'm working on something for my sister in some great Malabrigo Sock yarn acquired when I did a little hanging with the bloggers a couple of weeks ago. Ms. Babycocktails took the bus down from Beantown, and we met up with the Subway Knitter herself for a little Soho yarn crawl. It was so much fun to hang out with fellow knitters/designers.

Vines (call for volunteer test knitters)

2010-02-09T09:48:00.001-06:00

I whipped this little tank/camisole/vest (which would you call it?) up after the NYC Yarn Crawl in the Fall with some lovely tosh dk (it was labelled tosh worsted when I bought it but they've changed it now that they've added a heavy worsted to the line; it's a light worsted weight yarn) from Downtown Yarns. I started to write up the pattern, then the Craft Fair and holidays were upon us, and benign neglect set in. Plus I was a little daunted by the notion of grading the pattern but didn't just want to offer it in one size. Now it's graded, and I'd love some test knitters to see if I did it right.

I think it's a great layering piece for now and into the Spring. Knit in a bright color, it will add a bit of pop to your wardrobe. In this Inky blue, it goes with all my clothes ;)

So, please send me an email (kathleendames at gmail dot com) if you'd like to volunteer to test knit Vines. I've knit up the medium, which took 270 yards (exactitude - I love my little kitchen scales!) and have graded the pattern from XS to XL - I'm looking to see if I've done this grading thing correctly and to verify my yarn amount guesses. The pattern is both written out and charted, the lace is simple to work and remember but lovely nonetheless, and it only took me five days to knit (of which at least a day was spent pondering how I wanted the top edge and straps to work out). Check out my project on Ravelry for more details.

Free Pattern Friday: Little Hearts

2010-02-05T19:55:00.000-06:00

Time is running out for a little knitted love this Valentine's Day, so how about these Little Hearts? Just a little bit of worsted yarn can show someone you care. Plus, you'll get to practice your figure-eight cast-on. [Ravelry link]

Free Pattern Friday: Mom Tattoo

2010-01-29T20:16:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is coming up fast. Why not show your first love just how much you love her with this little winged heart tattoo pillow? [Ravelry]

(NOT) Free Pattern Friday: Go Buy a Pattern for Haiti

2010-01-22T13:45:00.000-06:00

As you may know I will be donating 50% of all pattern sales to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontiers at the end of January on Ravelry and on Etsy. You don't have to buy one of my patterns, but please consider buying a pattern (or ten) on Ravelry from one of the many designers who have pledged to donate to a relief organization. [Ravelry link]

We'll return to our erratic, regular Free Pattern Friday feature next week.

And I'm working on a post about the problems of knitting magazines in this day and age, but it's taking more time than I thought, and I now have freelance work to keep me busy (yay!), and so you'll have to wait. You'll survive, I imagine. Sorry and happy weekend!

Patterns for Haiti

2010-01-18T08:38:00.001-06:00

From now until January 31st I will donate 50% of all pattern sales to Doctors Without Borders/MSF to aid in Haitian relief efforts. You can find my patterns for sale at my Etsy store and on Ravelry, where a whole bunch of designers are also donating portions of their proceeds. Help Haiti and get to know some new-to-you designers' patterns (or buy the ones you've got in your queue).

Hat's Off

2010-01-13T12:50:00.000-06:00

I've had to set aside "Off with her head" (working title for the King Charles Brocade sweater -- hehe) for a little while to knit up a new hat for Nick. Yes, I did knit him one for his birthday, but, sadly, it rode off in a cab last week, and Nick has been a little forlorn ever since. We went to buy some more yarn for it last week (Berocco's Ultra Alpaca), and Nick insisted it be in the same color. "I just want the exact same hat" may have been uttered. Now he understands why I always looked askance at him when he put on his acrylic Bears hat (nothing against the Bears, of course), but a ribbed alpaca watch cap with a wide brim to pull down around the ears and back of neck is much cozier than any piece of logo gear.

In working on the cap, I've been reminded of how I'm not very keen on production knitting. I can't decide if I'm more of a process or product knitter (probably a bit of both, as I love exploring new techniques but also like wearing or giving away the end result), but knitting the same thing over and over again is not my thing these days. In part I'm sure that's because right now I have so many good (or at least I think they're good) ideas I want to work up.

There's more I wanted to write about today, but the munchkin is warbling from her room -- naptime's over.

What I'm working on

2010-01-11T13:52:00.000-06:00

This lovely Swan's Island Organic Fingering weight yarn has been waiting patiently in the stash since the end of the summer for me to come up with the right project. And I think I've come up with it! This is a shaped pullover in King Charles Brocade. I'm working it from the bottom up and have just gotten to the armscye, so now I'm going to do the sleeves. I was trying to cast on provisionally for the sleeves, but then I remembered the last time I knit the sleeves from the shoulder down. I found it really annoying to have the whole sweater OTN. Plus, I'm not yet sure how I am going to work out the pattern where the sleeves meet the body. Now I'll have more time to figure it out.

I am in love with the yarn! Knitting this on US3s is just a pleasure, and I kind of don't want it to end. But when it does, I have plenty more projects to keep me busy. Don't look at my queue, it's ridiculous and doesn't even include most of the free patterns I highlighted last month -- those are mostly still "faves"! Hopefully, when I'm done, this will be as pretty as it is in my mind. If it is, I'll write up the pattern.

In "professional" news someone else got the University job I interviewed for last month. It would have been a good job near home and the kids' schools, upstairs from the Starbucks, and the rest of the big kids' tuitions would have been covered (talk about a benefit!), but they went with someone else (their loss, as my family and friends keep reminding me). However, it looks like I may start some freelance work for my former boss/mentor. She's pretty amazing, and it will be great to work with her again. So, that's probably going to keep me busy, which is what I need!

Free Pattern Friday: Aviatrix Baby Hat

2010-01-08T15:54:00.000-06:00

Someone I know just had a baby, and I think the little miss could use her own Aviatrix hat. How cute is it?! Lots of Ravelers think so, too, as more than 750 projects are up there, and it's in over 1500 queues. I may work it in Worsted rather than the DK called for, as my dear friends are super smart and have ... super noggins. Time to examine the stash and see what might work. [Ravelry link]

I had so much fun doing the Falala Free Patterns for, well, I guess it was Advent (my Catholic upbringing can't be escaped, I guess) that I've decided to continue highlighting free patterns every Friday. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Amazing British Glove collection

2009-12-31T10:40:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't seen this amazing collection of gloves, be sure to visit here and here and all of the rest of them. Leather, knitted fabric, amazing embroidery - wow. I'm inspired.

Falala Free Pattern #25: Treeline Striped Cardigan

2009-12-25T07:13:00.003-06:00

I'm sure you were very good this year and received a bag of yummy Manos del Uruguay or other Aran/Worsted yarn of your choice. Now it's time to make something for yourself. I'm thinking of the Treeline Striped Cardigan, with Malabrigo Merino Worsted and some Kidsilk Haze. [Ravelry link / Pattern link]

Falala Free Pattern #24: Stocking Ornament

2009-12-24T15:24:00.000-06:00

You've still got sock yarn nuggets, don't you. How about a few last-minute mini stockings for your tree? Everlasting Liz comes through again with these cuties. [Ravelry link / Pattern link]

Falala Free Pattern #23: Gifted Mittens

2009-12-23T08:01:00.001-06:00

I bet you need a pair of mittens for snowball fights right about now or know someone who would appreciate them this Christmas, and these go very quickly with bulky yarn (or doubled worsted weight) on two needles. The seaming up is pretty quick. Kate Gilbert is a lovely knitwear designer, and it's very kind of her to share this pattern. [Ravelry link / Pattern link / PDF link]

Falala Free Pattern #22: Sweater Ornaments

2009-12-22T16:38:00.000-06:00

Surely you have a little nugget of sock yarn in your oddballs stash. A few last-minute sweater ornaments would be perfect for the tree or to decorate a gift. I've included two today; one is top-down and the other bottom-up, so you can go with whichever is easier for you (or try the other for a light challenge in miniature). [Bottom-up: Ravelry link / Pattern link; Top-down: Ravelry link / Pattern link]

Falala Free Pattern #21: EZ as Pi Lace Beret

2009-12-21T08:42:00.001-06:00

Lacy, pretty, quick. What more could you want? You are running out of time for Christmas gifts, Hannukah is over, and today is the Solstice (yay, turning towards the light!). This one does go quickly, though you need to leave time for blocking -- I do mine over a cake stand and run a strand of thread through the YOs closest to the ribbing and tie it tight around the base of the stand to open up the lace and keep the brim snug (at least to start, as we all know wear will stretch out that ribbing). [Ravelry link]

Falala Free Pattern #20: Pooch Pouch

2009-12-20T09:05:00.000-06:00

We're getting down to the wire! How about some saddle bags for your dog's retractable leash to hold keys, ID, perhaps even a baggie or two? A little bit of worsted weight yarn is all it takes. Sized for small, medium and large retractable leashes. [Ravelry link / Pattern link]

Falala Free Pattern #19: Lobster Buoys

2009-12-19T07:23:00.000-06:00

You don't have to be from Maine to know what a wonderful place it is. Why not add a few lobster buoy ornaments to your tree or someone else's to keep Maine fresh in your mind? These little buoys from Molly Lincoln, who also designed the awesome knit lobster, are a great stash buster and a quickie project. Knit them up in Christmas colors or come up with your own lobsterman color scheme. [Ravelry link / Pattern link]

Falala Free Pattern #18: Goldfish Mittens

2009-12-19T06:59:00.000-06:00

Still looking for something special for the little one in your life? These mittens are adorable, a good chance to practice your stranded knitting technique, and have a clever cuff design that looks like a fish tail. I worked up a pair for Isobel in Malabrigo Merino Worsted on US4s, and just in time as it's finally cold here in New York. And there just might be a pair on the needles in blue and gold for a certain nephew of mine for Christmas. They go quickly, so you should have time to work up a pair before the big day. [Ravelry link]

Falala Free Pattern #17: Little Red

2009-12-17T19:59:00.000-06:00

Do you have a little fairy-tale lover on your list? How about the new Little Red Riding Hood set from Petite Purls? Little Red, her Grandmother, and the Wolf work up quickly, being small, in DK yarn -- perfect little handfuls. And if you hadn't visited Petite Purls yet, what are you waiting for? Lots of darling things for your little darlings on this new online publication. [Ravelry link / Pattern link]