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knitting blog archive: 2009

December 17, 2009

Happy Holidays to you! My dear friend Leslie posted this sweet little item for me on Good Crafternoon: it's a Really Little L'il Red Riding Hoodie that I knit for her little peach when she was expecting last year. It was a fascinating exercise to knit the same sweater in miniature, yet still with bulky yarn for quick completion. Don't forget the adult pattern is pattern is available in my book!

two scarves made from blue sky dyed cotton
Elf Slippers for sale on Etsy

I have just put this pair of Elf Slippers up on Etsy for sale. They are knit from Lamb's Pride Bulky Superwash and make a nice accent for those holiday photos. Only one pair is available, US size 9-10 for a man or 11 for a woman. That's right, my feet are massive, and that's the only pair I had available for fitting while knitting.

Funny thing is that's a devil horn there on the toe! I had my feet up on the coffee table when I finished knitting a horn and surreptitiously placed it on my toes. Thus a new idea was born. Inspiration comes from the funniest places, no?

May the holiday season treat you well, my friend! I am looking forward to wrapping up this year, and in fact, this whole decade. There is much to celebrate as we look forward to a bright future. Press on through all difficulties. A shining prize awaits you. Will you recognize it when you find it?

Check out my new Cloche Hat, free knitting pattern!

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September 5, 2009

Seems like I took this summer off, huh? Well. My hands certainly have not been idle.

two scarves made from blue sky dyed cotton
Softest cotton ever - from Blue Sky

In fact, I got a little carried away with these double brioche scarves. Blue Sky had given me the first skein of toffee brown Dyed Cotton at TNNA a couple years back, and when Webs had the brand on sale in July, I ordered a skein of sky blue to complement it, plus ten skeins of shell pink for a sweater. Armed now with my ball of blue, I cast on a scarf.

This stitch pattern is taken from Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns , where it's called Double Brioche or Three-Dimensional Honeycomb (p 157). I work it in two colors to exaggerate its texture, which yields a pseudo-houndstooth on the 'wrong' side. Once I got in synch with the rhythm of this complex stitch, much happy knitting ensued -- until my brioche scarf came up a bit short.

Being too-tall, I can't tolerate too-short in my scarves, so I Webs up another ball of each color, but chose the wrong brown. While I'm moping about that, I notice that the 'expresso' (sic) brown is smashing with my ten stashed pink skeins. So I cast on a second scarf -- for two too-short scarves! I solved this little problem by ordering one more skein in each color. So in the end, to use up three balls of yarn, I bought five more. Yep.

May 27, 2009

Otto suddenly has couch privileges, as you can see here. We held out for more than a year, but alas, our discipline has slipped.

Otto on the knit plaid throw
Otto on the knit plaid throw

That's all for the best, I suppose, since I needed a model anyway. The blanket just wasn't as lively without him. Good boy!

This throw is knit from KnitPicks Sierra, which was sadly discontinued. I am very fond of these colors, which have a faded bright quality. These yarns were first seen in the how-to photos in my book. I re-knit the swatches into this throw, coming full circle with the book. Pattern? You don't need no stinking pattern, just knit squares in alternating colors, and add a garter stitch border.

You can see my newest design below, the Ship Shape jacket. Tech edit continues on this pattern, and the day job has been kicking my butt lately. So I'm not making any promises as to when it'll be ready. Please note updates to my book Errata, and a revision to Elfin Bride and Gothlet.

May 3, 2009

Here's Walter, looking like an elf in his Tomten jacket, just as Elizabeth Zimmermann said he would. Walter lives in a cold place, so it's a good thing he's got something warm to wear!

Walter in his Tomten Jacket
Walter in the Tomten jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Find this pattern in Knitting Without Tears.

I made some videos of the finishing techniques and am editing them into a little movie for you. EZ was a little vague about gauge, so what I cast on as a newborn project last year (Using DK weight Tahki Torino and 8 extra stitches) turned out big enough for a two year old! Lucky for me Walt is a big baby and wearing it early (at . But grafting garter stitch is tricky, so: Video coming soon!

You can see my newest design on the home page, the Ship Shape jacket. Tech edit has evolved into a bit of an odyssey so I'm not making any promises as to when it'll be ready. I won't bore you with the details, but it's been a schlep. Lest you think I've been lazy, please note updates to my book Errata, and a revision to Elfin Bride and Gothlet.

Mar 2, 2009

Aakash likes his sweater! Alas, he has outgrown it since this photo was taken. We take joy in how easy it is to finish baby projects, but they just can't fit forever and we wouldn't want them to. Isn't he a charmer?

Aakash in the Mandarin Baby sweater
Aakash in the Mandarin Baby sweater.

Please check out my newest design, below, the Ship Shape jacket. I got a little bogged down in tech edit but this pattern will be ready soon, really. I'm just so darned busy.

Jan 3, 2009

Look! I have a new design for you (it's currently on the home page). The pattern to knit this jacket should be out of tech edit and into test knitting phase very soon. Inspired by the peacoats worn by all the Navy men in my family, I'm calling this one the Ship Shape jacket. Please let me know what you think!

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