stringplay

January?

2012-01-31T15:03:00.003-05:00

Mid-60s and the tulip tree near the post office is blooming.

Something bright

2012-01-24T15:31:00.006-05:00

Things are happening in the background here but I seem to be unable to summon the will or inclination to post anything. January malaise perhaps.

A week or so ago I pulled out some lace yarn that I have had for a couple of years or so. I bought it with a gift certificate, specifically for the color.

The color is really a dark, warm coral; an orangey-red and not the fairly hot pink that it appears in this photo. It looks a bit more true in the photo of it in the hank before it was wound and when it wasn't basking in the bright sunlight.

Since this year's Pantone color is Tangerine Tango, I thought it was high time this became something other than stash!

I've tried at least two other patterns with this yarn and haven't been happy with them. Turns out the yarn is really cobweb instead of lace weight. I turned to the beautiful book, The Haapsalu Shawl, and picked this stitch pattern which has no nupps. I thought the larger areas of stockinette stitch would work well for this.

Fingers crossed.

I am not enjoying the yarn, but the pattern is quite pleasing. I find most of these Estonian patterns to be nice to knit, intuitive and straightforward.

I'm a bit further along now and think I'm about halfway through the body section. This book, as I mentioned before, has only the stitch patterns. There is, however, a section at the front of the book that discusses width:length ratios and how to calculate sizes and edgings.

Over the edge

2012-01-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

I have mentioned before being intrigued by the articles in Piecework magazine on Turkish oya. Those articles concerned the needlelace oya, but there are other methods including tatted oya and beaded oya.

They all have specific names
Tig oya: motifs made with crochet hook
Mekik oya: a form of tatted lace
Firkete oya: hairpin lace
Boncuk oya: made with beads
Igne oya: intricate and delicate floral motifs

I received the most wonderful book at Christmas, The Beaded Edge. The Japanese author, Midori Nishida, has three books of edgings published and Interweave Press has translated one into English.

True string PLAY and I have been having SO MUCH FUN playing around with some of the designs. As that link to Interweave said, these designs combine BASIC crochet stitches and beads.

Now I've never crocheted much. I have a Harmony Guide which has diagrams and truly diagrams are my only hope with this technique and still once I get past double crochet it gets rather hopeless.

If you've seen any of the Japanese craft books, then you know that they usually have wonderful diagrams and step-by-step instructions. This one is like that. The directions are very clear and the stitches are basic.

String + Beads = Fun.

If you click on the Interweave link above and then on the Preview tab, you can see some of the pages inside the book and at the bottom there is a link to a YouTube video of one of the designs from start to finish. All in Japanese, but with very soothing music.

So, what do I plan to do with these edgings? I haven't a clue. I only know I need to make more of them.

Learn Something New in 2012

2012-01-16T14:15:00.006-05:00

Here it is already past the middle of January. Can you believe it? Only today did I feel I could come up for air. I've been mired in a year-end alphanumeric mess at work, the usual year-end reporting: 940, 941, W-2s, W-3, G-7, G1003, GDOL-4, 1099, 1096, 8855-SSA, 401(k), w/c audit, and more. Seemingly endless and all with different deadlines.

Sadly not a bit of it involves string.

But like a deep sea diver who is gradually surfacing, I can see light up there and I am getting closer.

I have been playing with string and I hope to show you some things soon. I have even managed to make a few pictures and get them up on Ravelry but only by lugging my camera, cord, and projects to work and getting photos during nice light at lunchtime.

Somehow though I'm already feeling behind! Retail is way ahead as usual and the stores are already filled with Valentines. Since I was finishing off my last bag of Christmas M&Ms, I went ahead and brought home the bag of red, pink, and white ones. Regardless of all else swirling around me, I do somehow manage to stay current in the M&M world!

One of the last little things I finished up before Christmas was this small drawstring bag sized to hold just a few teabags. Once again I used the beaded picot cast on from Katharine's Bag [Ravelry link] and again I joined in the round, made an eyelet casing row and straight down to a three-needle bind off at the bottom. Very quick.

I'm still using from a ball of two-color crochet cotton. I couldn't find a link so perhaps it is no longer sold. Pity as I really like the effect it gives.

Today's e-newsletter from Nordic Needle encouraged me to Learn Something New in 2012 and had links to publications on many different techniques.

Really the things one can do with string is endless. Watch the amazing pieces these women in Turkey create using only a needle and thread.

Twenty Twelve!

2012-01-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

Postmarked December 10, 1924

My heart prompts me to wish you a Very Happy New Year.

Squeezebox

2011-12-28T17:17:00.006-05:00

A couple of days before Christmas I decided to cast on something small. Something simple to knit that wouldn't require too much concentration or frequent referring to a pattern.

I certainly didn't have time to spend digging around for a pattern and going out for yarn was definitely out of the question.

I ended up turning to two purchases I had made back in the spring at Stitches. This yarn was never intended to be paired with this pattern and the end result is just so-so, but the project served it's purpose and I now have a baby gift hat in the vault.

Back in the spring at Stitches South, I fell in love with a booth sample hat. It was knit in either a Koigu or a Claudia's Handpaint in a crayon box colorway and was ever so soft and yummy. When I asked for the pattern I was stunned to be handed this - The Scrunchie Hat by Sandy Joyner.
[no link found and neither pattern nor designer is found on Ravelry]

Proof once more that those shop samples are very effective. Never would I have thought to make the hat that is pictured on this pattern, although I suppose it is a good use for the Noro sock yarn called for by the designer.

Knitting this in a very pale solid color just totally misses the point pretty much. The Noro at least accented the rounds and the colorful Koigu of the sample made great show of the knit/purl stitch combinations. This pale blue does neither. : (

I used Kollage Yarns Luscious; a washable fingering weight blend of 63% cotton and 37% nylon. It comes 345 yards/100 grams and I guess I used maybe 180 yards or so. Just guessing.

I knit it with size 2 INOX needles. The pattern is written for 3 sizes and for a child's 15"-17" hat has you cast on 132 stitches with size 2 needles and the Noro Silk Garden Sock. That seemed like rather too many to me, but I tried it and yes, it was considerably too large. I ended up casting on 102, knitting the knit/purl pattern and decreasing down to 99 before the crown decreases started. Then I just ended with the little i-cord loop at the tip.

The part I like best about it is the way it collapses on itself when you put it down. I couldn't help but think of it as a squeezebox and tend to start singing or humming The Who song whenever I handle it.

Well it served the purpose for portable, simple holiday knitting and I think I'll keep my eyes peeled for some Koigu sometime.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T03:00:00.002-05:00

Found this postcard back in the fall and had to get it since it featured a spinning wheel. Doesn't it look like a nice, cozy scene? I hope your Christmas is equally warm and cozy.

Postmark is illegible but here is the message:

Dear Sis: just a line to let you know we are all well
Hope this finds you all the same
Wish you could all come over for Xmas.
Would like to see you all
Tell the youngsters I will send them something later on
We butchered hogs on Wed.
By by with love to all
Your Sis

Time to (re)Read

2011-12-23T10:45:00.000-05:00

I took this a few days ago when I finally began my Christmas rereading. There are a few more books that didn't make their way into the photo. Christmas, as I'm sure I don't have to tell you, is a busy, busy time. One way I try to relax and unwind from all the DOing, is to read and especially to reread those special holiday books that have brought such pleasure year after year.

That little dingy one on top is the one I shared in the previous post.

Next down is "Christmas on Jane Street" and a special bit about it (with photos!!) can be seen in a post from 2009.

The bottom two are technically books for children. Ideally we are all children at Christmas. This year I searched out other favorites from the children's department at the library. I enjoy reading Christmas carols, so in addition to my favorite carol book above, the library provided me with Tomie dePaola's "Book of Christmas Carols". What striking illustrations.

Another beautiful book, and new to my reading this year, was "A Carol For Christmas" written by Ann Tompert with lovely watercolor illustrations by Laura Kelly. Narrated from the perspective of a mouse, it tells the legend of how the popular Christmas carol ""Silent Night"" was written after the organ is damaged by mice. I love how she paints snow.

I also pulled out some old magazines. Remember when Redbook, Family Circle, and Ladies Home Journal used to have fiction? Often two or more short stories and also a longer one? These are fun, too, because you can time travel through the advertisements.

Hope you have time to relax and REdo some things that make your holidays extra special.

Remember when?

2011-12-18T14:40:00.006-05:00

written by Doris Faulhaber; illustrated by Holly Hobbie
published (for $1) 1972; American Greetings Corporation
Loved, cherished, and reread yearly since.

Calm? Bright?

2011-12-17T19:54:00.000-05:00

I'd say it is about 2/3 calm and 2/3 bright here on the cul-de-sac. Not too bad,

considering we are inching ever closer to Christmas Day.

Hope things are calm and bright where you are.

Lace ornaments

2011-12-14T13:39:00.001-05:00

Just a few of the beautiful ornaments on the lace club's Christmas tree:

the tape lace (bobbin lace) angel at the top of the tree

a tatted snowflake; satin ball with Battenberg overlay in the background

bobbin lace round; with gold metallic leaves

a Teneriffe motif; plain bobbin in foreground

bobbin lace with gold beads

tatted snowflake; crochet garland with pearls

and faintly seen at the right - bobbin lace tree

two color tatted candy cane!

I told you that I took photos of just a few of the many lovely ornaments on the lace club's Christmas tree. What I didn't take the time to do (I may have been distracted by the food, the fun, and those tiny hats!) was make notes of which lacemaker made which ornament. If one of you from the group reads this and can help me, I'd appreciate it.

I had a ball!

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000-05:00

So Saturday was the holiday party for the lace group. The Atlanta Chapter of IOLI celebrated 30 years as a chartered chapter this year. I missed that meeting (and lots of others). But miss the holiday party? No way! As in past years, it followed the usual (perfect) routine: EAT, gift exchange, group photo, fun craft project. We do have our priorities in order. : )

I packed my tote the night before with craft materials, gifts, camera, nametag and things. I even got there early and had time to sit and chat with Kay as she knit on another gift blanket. That was nice.

Many years Kay has been Party Guru and planned and prepared our crafty fun, but this year Pat (busy, but still blogless Pat) planned our project and we made pape r Christmas ornament balls.

Pat owns a die cut machine and had a template that would cut 4 circles at a time out of each recycled Christmas card front. Pat had enough circles already cut for us so we could get right to work. Thanks, Pat!

Right to work as soon as we had all pawed through the circles and made our choices. Then things got a little quiet for this group as we were bent over gluing and assembling our spheres. I had to get Pat's help at least once to make sure I got the right edges glued together.

I especially loved the one Doris made as it looked quite Victorian.

Doris (2nd from left in green vest) was a charter member of the group and is an excellent historian for the group, keeping an album of photos and information. So nice to look back at all the good times and friends.

And if ALL that wasn't enough fun, Pat gave us all teeny tiny Santa hats to wear. Hilarious! So much FUN. I haven't laughed as much in months!

There are a lot of amazingly talented lacemakers pictured there. I got close-up photos of several of the ornaments on the tree that I hope to share in another post. Even those won't come close to showing what some of these women are capable of producing with just STRING!

Cartoon for the day

2011-12-11T12:14:00.002-05:00

Holiday eats and treats make me ever more grateful for elastic.

Bread and Milk for Breakfast

2011-12-05T10:56:00.007-05:00

Bread and milk for breakfast,

And woolen frocks to wear,

And a crumb for robin redbreast

On the cold days of the year.

Christina Rossetti - (1830-1894)

Today is the birthday of Christina Rossetti and the little poem above is just one of the sweet ones from my childhood poetry book. A better known poem might be In The Bleak Midwinter. I'll probably be humming it all day.

This photo taken this morning, paused during my daily walk, looks like a rather bleak day doesn't it? But is isn't quite midwinter and temperatures today will be in the high 50s. Rain is coming in they say. No snow on snow and no need, quite yet, for woollen frocks.

Have a lovely winter day wherever you are.

miscellany

2011-12-03T21:34:00.009-05:00

and a Christmas cactus miracle!

The miracle here is that this plant is still living. I have not only managed to keep it alive (no small miracle I assure you), but it is blooming again.

This past Friday I met friend Kay at McDonalds for breakfast and chatter. Top notch way to start a day. She graciously shared with me some of the bounty of tatting thread she scored at a recent TOGA [Treadle On GeorgiA] gathering. Perhaps I was subconsciously thinking of the cactus blooms when I chose the colors I wanted? Thank you, Kay.

I know it has been awhile since I posted here. I think I'm going to have to blame the raking for part of that. I am happy to report, however, that almost all the leaves have fallen and I think I have almost finished the winter raking. So glad.

Now since I'm sure you are not all that interested in my cactus, I'll share of couple of things I have recently run across that are a bit more interesting.

The first is a video of Kaffeslabberas, and shows a knitting club in Copenhagen, Denmark whose members are pensioners. The video linked above is 11 minutes long with English subtitles. If you have the time, I think you will enjoy it.

I have managed a bit of knitting in between raking episodes, mostly working on gloves and

mittens. I finished the day before Thanksgiving the fingerless gloves.

I used maybe about 125 yards of the Malabrigo Sock in colorway Velvet Grapes and size 2 needles. They are ever so soft and very light. I hope, being 100% merino, that they will provide enough warmth. I then made a small neckwarmer with some of the remaining yarn alternating plain stockinette with three sections of three baby cable ribbing.

I have not yet gone back and knit the mate to the prototype using the Patons Kroy dark charcoal sock yarn. I had just had my fill of fingers for the moment.

Instead I moved on to a pair of mittens and finished them this afternoon. No pictures, but I'll try to get some soon. They are

standard ribbed cuff/plain mitten but I did make use of a fabulous book find that I lucked up on during our trip down to Jekyll.

We stopped off at a Book Warehouse just outside Savannah and I found this little treasure, The Mitten Book, by Inger and Ingrid Gottfridssson for 99 cents. 99 cents!

Most of the photographs are black and white, but there are many charts and also instructions for basic adult and children mittens. The designs are those originally collected and preserved by Hermanna Stengard which she published in 1925 and here made available once again in this book by Inger and Ingrid and with wonderful historic background. What a find!

While we are on the subject of mittens, do pop over to the Folklore Fashion website to have a look at some little works of art to keep your hands warm. At that same website, there is a stunning close up photo of knitted half mittens and beautiful bobbin lace in the children's costumes in this post.

Whew! A long post. Please indulge me to include this quote of Hermanna Stengard from the front of the book as I think it expresses much of what was in the Danish video:

"How would it look, do you think, if everyone, old and young, would sit down together to knit for awhile? Laughter and merriment and riddles and questions and folktales and anecdotes from each person's life would blend together in the stitches. Then later, when you recalled these events that have gone through your own fingers stitch by stitch, they would speak their own quiet language: Do you remember? Do you remember?" Hermanna Stengard, born 1861 Gotland, Sweden

What doesn't kill us

2011-11-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

makes us stronger*. Right?

Geez that raking sure uses up prime stringplay time. But exercise is exercise I guess. One must do something to offset the M&M consumption.

I'd say the leaves are about 70% off trees. The hickory let go all at once after a cool snap last week. The oaks are still holding tight.

And just to show you what I'm up against, check out this photo

Doesn't take too many leaves of this size to make a load!

The yard is just covered with acorns this year. I've never seen so many acorns and many the size of pecans. Thanks to good old Google I was able to find out some information about this year's bounty.

Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Sara Coleridge

*At least according to Fredrich Neitzsche. Can't say that I agree with many other things he said, however.

Can't spell glove without love

2011-11-20T21:16:00.003-05:00

I made good progress on the finger(tip)less gloves over the weekend. It was nice to have the quiet time to spend with them as those fingers do get rather fiddly.

Just as I suspected this finer, multicolored yarn was not as forgiving when working the fingers. Invariably any wonky stitch ended up being worked with a light spot in the yarn which just accented it. Still I'm satisfied with them and think they will work out fine for my sweetie.

I love this baby cable cuff and hope I can remember it for the next pair of plain socks. I think just a few inches of this; maybe four 4-row repeats, would be great as the top ribbing to a pair.

The yarn, Malabrigo sock, is wonderfully soft and has been a joy to knit.

Like a glove

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

It fits.

I sure am happy that I recently bought these Clover stitch markers. They make really handy stitch holders and I could hold off the calculated number of stitches for each finger separately. How handy! Handy. Get it? I crack myself up!

The first glove is finished, just no photo. The Patons Kroy sock yarn I used is thick and would make a sturdy and warm glove or mitten. I'm not sure one quite as thick (or warm) is needed this time.

So.....more yarn. I bought some Malabrigo Sock in a deep, dark purple called Velvet Grapes. Love that colorway name and I think it is working up quite nicely. The fingers will be a bit less bulky as well.

I'm a bit afraid that this thinner yarn will not be quite as forgiving when it comes to knitting up the fingers. Guess I'll have to wait and see.

Have a wonderful weekend.

If you miss me, I'll probably be out in the yard raking. And raking. And raking. And raking.

I spy

2011-11-15T14:04:00.010-05:00

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Emily Dickinson 1830–1886

spotted in the window of the antique shop across from work

Necessity is a Mother

2011-11-14T08:30:00.001-05:00

Well, long time no see. Where does the time go??

We took a mini break and headed down to one of our favorite spots, Jekyll Island. Had a lovely, relaxed time which was just over before we knew it. We especially like to go in early November as we have the island almost to ourselves. Sure most of the restaurants and things are closed for the season, but we have yet to starve. [Vending machines still have M&Ms even in the off season!]

It was a bit chillier this year than in times past, and a bit windy as well, but still a Great Time. I feel so lucky to live close enough to be able to drive to the ocean in a reasonable length of time. Such a balm to the spirit, don't you think?

Anyway, here it is practically Thanksgiving and cool weather is really here (as well as mounds of falling leaves, but let's ignore them just now, ok?). My daughter has requested a pair of fingerless gloves. Not mitts, but gloves with partial fingers. I made her a cashmere pair in 2005 which she still has and wears but she wants to take care of those and needs a more everyday pair.

Back then I used the basic glove directions from the Winter 2003 issue of Knits[available in the CD collection if you're interested.] I can't recall but I think they had a plain thumb, or what is generally referred to as a peasant thumb, knit using waste yarn and no gusset. Since then I've knit mitts and mittens with gussets and I think they feel and wear a bit better.

In all my knitting books I could not find exactly what I wanted so I am going to TRY to work out what I envision using various sources. The cuff similar to Veronik Avery's Cabled Gloves in Knitting 24/7 but with a different stitch count. I'm using instead a baby cable rib from Sensational Knitted Socks and I'm only going to cable the cuff. We'll see how this goes!

Cartoon for the day

2011-11-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

a little bit of patience

2011-11-04T21:01:00.014-04:00

This photo is from my March 2009 folder. That may have been the last time I had any patience. I've never been blessed with patience and I seem to have none lately.

I find there is a direct correlation between available time and patience. The less time I have (or feel like I have) the less patient I am.

All this blather is just to point you, once again, to Mary Corbet's wonderful blog post featuring a stunning piece of Battenberg lace. Man-O-Manischewitz that is a beautiful piece of Battenberg.

Battenberg lace, a needle lace, starts with a framework of purchased tape which is first manipulated then connected and filled with needlemade bars and lace fillings. There is a gathering thread that runs along each side of the tape. By pulling and adjusting this thread you can shape the tape to match a drawn pattern. Baste the shaped tape and work your fillings.

The Sept/Oct 1995 issue of Piecework magazine had a wonderful article, "Sara Hadley & Royal Battenberg Lace" by Jane Viking Swanson and it was accompanied by a pattern for a collar designed by Jane.

Oh, those old Pieceworks; what a treasure they are!

See a lovely butterfly made by Jane at this link; about three quarters down the page - but while you're scrolling you can see lots of other lovely ornaments in this exchange!

Oh, and if you are sitting comfortably and want to see even more wonderful Christmas lace, see several years of exchanges on the Arachne site.

Speaking of Battenberg. Do you know the first time I saw it made? It was some lovely work of my friend, Pat. Pat does such beautiful work.

Designs drawn out in my photo above are from an old Creative Needle magazine (Sept/Oct 1998; what is it about September that sends magazine editors to Battenberg??) When I pulled the issue out just now to check the date, I found a nice angel all finished except for her head. Sigh.

Perhaps I ran out of patience. Or Time.

Icelandic knitting

2011-10-31T19:04:00.003-04:00

The Nov/Dec 2011 issue of Piecework magazine is due to newstands the first of November. November? Wow. This year is just flying past.

I'm not sure what happened to October. It blew past me so fast. But what a month! The weather was just wonderful and such a relief. I thought for a moment that we weren't going to get much color, but right at the very end, and all at once, the beautiful colors of autumn were there. A balm.

Now. Back to Piecework. This issue is all about wool. There is an article about four rare breeds of sheep with projects to make from each different wool. And that cover pattern? The Icelandic Beret? Well that is an Evelyn A. Clark pattern! Even though I've never worn a beret in my life and really can't picture myself becoming a beret-wearer, you know I'm going to want to knit it. In fact, I already want to knit it. I would have to order the Icelandic wool if I do. Not a lot of thick Icelandic wool around here.

If you read Franklin Habit's blog, The Panopticon, then you've already seen his wonderful photos from his recent trip to Iceland and you've seen the lopapeysa (traditional Icelandic yoked sweater) he's knitting. According to Evelyn, in the article her pattern accompanies, sheep outnumber people 3:1 in Iceland.

sock sack

2011-10-13T17:02:00.000-04:00

Remember me telling you that I made another Sock Sack? Well here it is.

I'm still scratching my head wondering why exactly I chose this particular Halloween fabric, but with one fat quarter it seemed just right to make another handy Sock Sack. Why not have a project bag for every holiday?

Once again I used Terry Atkinson's wonderful tutorial only changing it to add a lining. This makes a very handy small-project bag and I especially like having the outside zippered pocket.

Fussy Cutting

2011-10-11T08:00:00.002-04:00

When I went to the quilt show a few weeks ago, I only bought one fat quarter of fabric from the vendors. It was a Halloween print and when I got home I kind of wondered why I had chosen that after all. Quilt fumes, I suppose.

A week or so ago I made a Sock Sack with it. I'll show you that one later. Scraps were still out on the table, [I know! Unbelievable, right!] so last week I quickly made a Little Thread Catcher [pdf link] to take to friend I was meeting for lunch. I even had to piece two scraps to get a block large enough to cut out the triangle.

So I was really, really down to scraps when I ran across this great tutorial for a Fussy Cut Zippered Pouch. In fact, poor Frank here was the only intact character left. I didn't pay too close attention to the sizes because I had to start out with a shorter zipper, but you can really play around with Amy's wonderful idea.

[see an even cuter Fussy Cut Halloween pouch here in the Flickr group]

Acero Stole

2011-10-09T18:31:00.009-04:00

Pattern: Copper Queen Beaded Stole
13" x 60"
designed by Renee Leverington
included in "Successful Lace Knitting: Celebrating the work of Dorothy Reade"
book by Donna Druchunas

Yarn: Brooks Farm Acero
60% superwash wool / 20% silk / 20% viscose
in a lovely dark green: 9AC

Needles: Size 6 KnitPicks Options circular

I started this project back in mid-January and it spent much of that time in a ZipLoc bag just because I didn't enjoy the stitches. This should not be a reflection on the pattern. I like the pattern and think it was a good match for this yarn, but you've heard me say already that I grew very tired of all the 'through the back loop' knitting.

You'll notice the name of the pattern is Copper Queen Beaded Stole and the project in the book is knit in a beautiful rich copper color of J&S Shetland wool. It is also more of a true stole size of 21" x 85". I confess to never measuring gauge in lace projects and I knew from the cast on of only 61 stitches that mine was unlikely to be as wide, so I'm not sure mine can really be called a stole. It is more of an awkward scarf! And minus the beads as well! The design shows just a few beads in the end borders and then loops of seed beads between the end picots. I like how they look on the original but I probably won't be adding them to mine. I can just see me getting them caught in something.

I bought two skeins of this wonderful Acero yarn at the Brooks Farm booth at SAFF last October. I had used it once before for a gift and loved it. When I saw two lone skeins in their booth in my favorite dark green, I grabbed them. I love how the mix of fibers take the dye differently. My photo above isn't great, but you can see this better in my Oct. 2 post. The drape after blocking is wonderful.

There are several other designs in this book that I just love, so perhaps in time I'll feel ready to tackle another.

Pea Green with envy

2011-10-05T19:03:00.002-04:00

but in a good way. : )

I don't have a picture to share, you'll just need to TRUST me and pop over right now and see photos of an incredible masterpiece of Schwalm embroidery. Oh, be still my heart!

The stitcher is Jana Krumrey. If she has a blog or website, I have not been able yet to locate it. I would truly love to see more photos of her work.

The birds are so beautiful I can hardly stand it and the edging is just breathtaking.

Wow.

Nature walk

2011-10-05T10:10:00.002-04:00

Well it was rather foggy the other morning when I went out for my walk. I'll take foggy over steamy any day. Besides it made it feel quieter and certainly more October-like.

When I spotted this large and intricate spider web I decided to return home for my camera so you could see it, too.

I wondered how long it took the spider to make? People are always curious, aren't they, about how long the things we do take to make?

I generally don't have any idea. Time with stringplay is not to be measured. The rest of my day may be spent rushing to and fro trying to squeeze in just one more errand or chore, but not the stringplay.

I wonder if this spider used Emily Ocker's circular cast on? Probably not, but it is a handy thing to know!

Moonbeam steps down the silken ladder
Woven by Mrs. Spider
To ask her to spin him a net
To catch the stars.
......Hilda Conkling

October, how I love thee

2011-10-02T15:15:00.002-04:00

Let me just start off this post by saying I am wearing long sleeves. LONG sleeves! We've only had two days of October so far and both have been just fabulous. Can all 31 be this wonderful? Oh, I hope so.

You've heard it said, I'm sure, that some people have a face made for radio? Well I happen to have arms made for long sleeves! And in a bit of perfect timing, my Lands' End long-sleeved tee shirts arrived in Friday's mail. So comfy and the fit is perfect.

That must be why my mood was good and I was able to pull out this long-neglected project with hopes of getting it, finally, off the needles. This is the one banished to ZipLoc Purgatory because of all the irksome stitches. The chart is full of k1 tbl (through the back loop) and K2tog tbl. This is the first project I've ever knit where I actually preferred knitting the wrong side over the right side.

I'm determined to finish it up before moving on to anything else. The body repeats are 36 rows long and I think I might be on the last one and can soon move on to the other end's edging.

Pattern is from this book which I asked Santa to bring because it included a design by Evelyn A. Clark. Why, oh, why I didn't choose that one to start out with I have NO idea. It too is peppered with those tbls, but at least it would be Evelyn. In fact, since this is a book of designs by various contributors all celebrating the work of Dorothy Reade, they all use these back loop stitches. Dorothy seemed fairly obsessed with them!

Summer Fries

2011-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Summer Flies
a free pattern by Donna Griffin

Yarn: Sundara Sock in color Delphinium
100% (really yummy) merino - 350 yds.

Needles: Size 6 KnitPicks Options

This semi-circular shawl (or shawlette in my case since I used a fingering weight yarn instead of the worsted called for in the pattern) was nice to knit even though there are only written directions and you know I am a chart lover at heart. The yarn was dream to work and feels even better blocked. I know it will feel nice around the neck and I plan to wear it more as scarf than a shawlette.

Donna called her design "Summer Flies" after the way she says summer flies by. I just couldn't seem to call my FO that. In my world summer drags....on..and on....and on. Unlike others I have read who enjoy a little something on their shoulders on summer evenings or in overly cool a/c, I never seem to need anything like that. A summer shawl? I can barely tolerate earrings when it is in the 90s! Instead I went with a different verb. For me summer fries.

Happy Fall Y'all

2011-09-23T06:01:00.002-04:00

Ruffles Have Picots

2011-09-21T17:11:00.008-04:00

And you thought they had Ridges!

I am binding off a project that may or may not be a keeper.

Pat, blogless but oh, so productive, has made six (possibly more by now) Summer Flies shawls.
[I'd love to see them. I know they are all fantastic.]

Even though the pattern calls for worsted weight, I had seen several on Ravelry knit with finer yarn so I decided to cast on with some sock yarn. I wasn't too concerned with having a smaller size as I really wanted a scarf anyway. But I'm not sure how I'm going to handle ruffles - ruffles with picots! I'm not much of a ruffle person. I don't have anything against picots, however.

I quite liked them in that beaded picot edge:

and that picot edge is not the problem with the green stole that is still languishing
(instead it is those dreadful ktbls, remember?!)

and they are just right in tatting and in Hardanger:

Nope. It's that ruffle that is worrying me.
Perhaps it will block out a bit flatter. Fingers crossed.

Quilt Show

2011-09-19T18:46:00.011-04:00

Another outstanding quilt show by the East Cobb Quilters' Guild. [If you pop over to that link, you'll see the quilt which was awarded Best of Show. Be sure to click to enlarge it to get a better idea of the amazing detail. ]

I stopped by to chat a moment with Kay who was in the guild's booth demonstrating on one of her (many) vintage treadle machines. This year she brought her Davis Vertical Feed. I didn't make a note of the year of manufacture. I seem to recall it as 1915 or maybe 1905, but my recall is always a bit sketchy!
[ETA: Kay says 1905.]

The Davis Vertical Feed machine has no feed dogs, but instead the needle bar and presser foot moves the fabric forward with each stitch. Interesting to watch. But then Kay is always interesting!

I didn't take nearly as many photos as I did at the previous show, but there was some truly amazing work on display. This year there seemed to be a number of quilts interpreting photos of people or places.

I was particularly taken by this one entitled 'Caleb' by Julia Byrne which won a 2nd place ribbon in the Original Design category.

Wow.

I really liked the clever use of batik fabrics in this one, "Koi Pond", by Melinda Rushing of Atlanta.

I love the large quilting stitches and quilting designs, as well as the colors.

And now, what about this one!

Entitled "Ricordi Della Tuscana or Memories of Tuscany", an original design by Beth Leonard of Roswell. Beth took first place in the Original Design category.

Look at those glasses of wine! So realistic. And that depth of field.

Can you imagine being able to do this? It is always a treat to get out and get to see such wonderful stitching.

Hats off to those hardworking volunteers in ECQG who manage to pull off such great exhibits every other year while still managing to create such beautiful work.

Exhibit Bag

2011-09-12T08:51:00.002-04:00

Whew! August is Over. The start of September brought such welcome relief from the relentless heat. Temperatures are rising back up this week, but at least now the early mornings and late evenings are nicer and one lives in hope of fall.

The one thing September always brings is festivals and exhibits. Every other year there are two in my area that I make plans to see. The first is the East Cobb Quilt Guild Quilt Show. That will be this coming weekend. Later this month I'll head back over for the Magnolia Sampler Guild Exhibit.

Now you don't want to be hindered by lugging around a heavy purse at these things, but you still want to have your camera and a little cash for goodies. To celebrate National Sewing Month - also in September -the Moda Fabrics and their designers are having a Blog Hop and each day, Sept. 6 - Oct. 2, a different designer will have a blog post and project.

To kick off this Blog Hop, Sandy Gervais had a little project for a bag. As she explained, it will hold your digital camera in the center section and has a flap-covered pocket on one side for cash and the other for credit cards.

You know I hopped right on that one! You can find the daily schedule here, or it seems each blogger is also introducing the next one.

I know. You're thinking, "but where do you put your M&Ms?" Granted it won't hold a large bag, but you could combine your cash and plastic and keep a small bag in the other side. That's what I'll be doing.

How Do You Speak to an Angel?

2011-09-09T17:01:00.007-04:00

How do you speak to an angel

I’m completely in the dark
When you know that you’ve just met an angel
Is there a proper remark?

We were alone for a moment
Why was I lost in a cloud ?
Do you speak to an angel in a whisper ,
Or do you just say I love you out loud?

Pattern: Angel Lace Shawl
by the One, the Only Evelyn A. Clark

Yarn: Classic Elite - Mountain Top Vail

70% alpaca / 30% bamboo

236 yd/50 gr. - 2 skeins color 6403 - Steel

Needle: Size 5 KnitPicks Options

Now you know I love me a good Evelyn A. Clark knit. She never disappoints. This is my third time to knit this pattern and I'm sure not my last. This may very well be my favorite of her triangular patterns that I have tried so far. I have yet to knit some of her older, larger designs, though. This one, in particular, is a very soothing repeat to knit.

And the yarn? Oh, my it was a treat, too. This Mountain Top line by Classic Elite is a natural, undyed line of yarns with Vail being the fingering weight. Classic Elite says it is luxury that won't cost you a fortune. Very soft. Nice drape. I think I'll try this again, too.

I added one smoky glass bead at each point of the edging. Not too much bling. In fact, you hardly notice, but I think it adds just the right touch.

"How Do You Speak To An Angel"

Jule Styne - 1952

Labor Day

2011-09-05T20:51:00.001-04:00

Hope you've had a good one.
It was COOLER and RAINY today!
What a relief.

The Sock Map

2011-09-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

Way back in early June, just as this summer was cranking up to HIGH, I started a pair of socks.

It was my second time to knit the pattern, ZigZag Socks, from the Vogue Knitting Ultimate Sock Book. This is a very nice pattern with an interesting, but simple, wavy lace design that really works up fairly quickly.

So why am I only just now at the cuff of sock #2?
Turns out this wool on small dpns just wasn't that pleasant to knit in really HOT weather.

It is still hot, but while I'm pondering on the next project, it seemed like a good idea to start the second sock.

Luckily I had The Sock Map; my little notebook where I employ my "Patented Hatch-mark System" to keep track of pattern repeats and any special details. For the second sock, I just follow right along, making my hatch marks in the opposite direction. That little box shows where I stopped for the heel flap and where to resume for gusset decreases. There's a little note further down that reminds me that I did one row plain before the toe decreases.

Haapsalu Shawl Day

2011-09-01T12:42:00.005-04:00

Pattern: used motif Sofia from The Haapsalu Shawl book

Yarn: Wooly West Nordic Lites; color White Nights, 475 yd/100 gr.; 2 skeins

Needles: size 6; KnitPicks Options

Do you remember last year when I linked to the video of the ladies dancing with their wonderful Estonian shawls? I haven't been able to find a video of this year's dance, although it seems there was a dance this year. [If you find a video, please let me know.]

I did find this wonderful post with lots of great pictures. At the end of that post is a link to a black and white film made in 1937 showing Estonian knitters and fast-moving, busy fingers.
If you have 6+ minutes, you might want to watch. It's a treasure.

Going, going

2011-08-29T13:45:00.003-04:00

This project with Evelyn is just The Best. Everything about it is pleasing. The pattern is wonderful and relaxing to knit. The yarn feels so wonderful sliding through my fingers as I knit.

I'm nearing the end and I'm already almost missing it. I know it is going to be hard to find another project that brings as much JOY.

Because, apparently I am so easily entertained, I have been especially pleased that carrying the project around hasn't not resulted in the little hand-wound ball getting smashed. It still is quite neat. That alone made me so happy that I had to stop and take a picture. It rests here on the Sofia shawl, blocked at last. Details on Ravelry.

No Cure

2011-08-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what I'm a'gonna do
There ain't no cure for the
summertime blues
Eddie Cochran (1938-1960)

Evelyn and I have been getting along great. As long as we stay inside with the a/c (and sometimes a little fan to help keep the cool air stirring) we are happy as clams.

Fried Clams.

I am thoroughly enjoying this Classic Elite yarn, Vail. It may be too soft to really show the stitch pattern off to its best advantage, but I think it is going to be lovely to wear. Even though right now I cannot imagine wanting anything close around my neck, I live in hope that one day soon I might actually welcome such.

Last weekend I picked up a tube of beads as I think I'll add one at each point of the edging. It is fun to do and gives a nice bit of weight to the finished edge.

Vail

2011-08-15T18:19:00.007-04:00

Do you get the weekly Classic Elite web-letters? I enjoy them. Who doesn't like to read about yarn? I enjoy seeing the new, free patterns. Several I have meant to try, but there are just so many hours in a day. Or so few it often seems!

I recently listened to the Webs podcast interview with Betsy Perry of Classic Elite where she talked about their new Mountain Top line, a collection of three natural, undyed yarns. I was anxious to try the Vail a light fingering weight of 70% baby alpaca and 30% bamboo.

So I got a couple of skeins (472 yards total) and have cast on an Evelyn A. Clark triangle. What could be a better companion for these dog days of August?

The ever-so-colorful Noro Wisp has finally been blocked. I couldn't be less enthused with a FO. Picture on Ravelry but I'm not even going to spend time posting here on the blog. Just not my thing.

The knitting of completely white Estonian is also finished, but I have no idea when I'll get the urge to block. I've spotted a problem with a stitch as well that will need to be addressed. Sigh.

Oh, Evelyn. It is so good to see you!

VW Cozy

2011-08-11T07:06:00.001-04:00

I may be knitting a lace cozy for a Volkswagen. It's beginning to feel like it!

Around and around I go and each time I stop to coax the bunched up stitches around the still-too-short cable*, I wonder if that ball of yarn is going to last to the end. I have about 4.5 more rounds and a bind off. I'm guessing NO. We shall see.

And speaking of guessing, wonder what this thing is going to look like? Wonder what size it will be? Wonder if it will ever be cool enough again to even consider wearing it? So much to wonder as I knit around and around.

I guess if it turns out to actually be a VW cozy, I can give it to The Whole Nine Yarns for their bug.

*I did finally order the longer cables today. What do you want to bet they arrive the day after I finish?

Look and See

2011-08-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's our knitting pal, Mary!

Have a great one!

91; Feels like 100

2011-08-07T16:16:00.003-04:00

Although the post title is the current temperature, sometimes I feel like it could be describing me as well. It is hard for me to summon up much energy in this heat. This summer, especially following on the heels of last summer, has been difficult.

Certainly it is making me second-guess my hobby.

Knitting.
In Wool.

Not exactly the smartest thing I do. Ostensibly I do it because it is relaxing. However, I can't really say that getting the stitches picked up and the edging going around on the stole has been RELAXING. This is neither the fault of the pattern or the yarn.

As is true of most of my angst, it is all due to my innate IMPATIENCE. The longest interchangeable cable I own is 32" and I can't wait for mail order to bring a longer one. Still I think I'll order one so I won't be in this pickle next time.

And while I'm at it, I should just order some yarn, too, right? Yeah, what I really need just now is more WOOL.

More of a Good Thing

2011-08-02T08:46:00.005-04:00

The current (Jul/Aug) issue of "Piecework" had a nice, long article on Italian embroidered ribbons by Jeanine Robertson. The 2009 lace issue of "Piecework" had an article by Jeanine Robertson on Italian needlelace. In all my searching around the internet last evening, I was lucky enough to land on Jeanine's blog. Oh, my! Now that is a Bookmark for sure.

Later I remembered that I should have included a few additional links in my previous post.

Interweave Press/Piecework has two online goodies. Yes, Piecework has so many good things that they can't even fit them all into the magazine. Fortunately they do provide them on the internet. Her article on Classic Italian Embroidery is here and she has a project and directions for stitching a biscornu pincushion here.

This design has many elements in common with Lefkara lace, including the hemstitch, and would give a good introduction.

The beauty of the internet

2011-08-01T19:27:00.006-04:00

subtitle: the double-edged sword

First of all, let me get the weather whine out of the way. It is August. It is HOT. It is even hotter than it has been which was certainly hot enough! Why, oh why, can't August have 28 days and February have 31??

Now, on to the Good Stuff.

Dianne, my Enabling buddy, sent me an e-mail this morning with a link to a wonderful Etsy video on Lefkara Lace, a 5.43 minute film about the exquisite embroidered lace of Lefkara, Cyprus.

Well I was at work when I read her e-mail. You can imagine how long my day was sitting there crunching numbers thinking about getting home and tracking down my magazines. I just knew I had articles on this technique and I could hardly wait to get home and reread them.

I like to think of myself as organized. Ha! Would you believe semi-organized? Most of my needlework magazines are filed by type, in two file cabinets. I was sure one of the articles was in an Australian publication. I pulled all those out and didn't find it. This is what is referred to in Stringplay Land as Par For The Course! A few minutes later with lots of magazines pulled out, I recalled that I had one more Australian magazine in a project bag and, sure enough, that was the one. If you are wondering, it is Australian Embroidery and Cross Stitch; Vol. 8, No. 2 and has a two-page article by Christine Bishop.

Thanks to the internet, and in the comments of this great post on Lefkara lace, I read that there was an article in a back issue of the short-lived Treasures in Needlework. The photo at top is that article, by Kit Schlich. If you have those magazines, it is in the Winter 1992 issue.

The internet saves me time many a time by allowing me to find a specific issue. Sometimes even being able to see the cover helps me find it faster. It also costs me lots of time because I spend so much of it searching around and reading and watching all that I find.

But as Kay and I are always saying, so far we haven't misplaced our computers!

Home Stretch

2011-07-30T21:06:00.005-04:00

Nearly finished with this piece. It has been in progress over a long period, but really only saw three serious work phases. I would pull it out, do quite a bit, and then put it away for long stretches at a time.

It is so much easier, for me at least, to work this type of embroidery as it doesn't require so many colors/types of threads. Usually just two sizes of pearl cotton. No stripping of floss or constantly threading needles with different colors. Am I lazy or what?!

Since I've been knitting, I do less Hardanger embroidery than in the past. Each time I do find time for it, I am reminded of how much I enjoy it and puzzle over why I let so much time pass between projects. TIME. I just need more FREE time. No doubt, I'll be pulling out my many books and patterns and pondering over the next one to start.

With all the many (many!) patterns I have, you would think I wouldn't repeat one. Obviously this one is one I that particularly enjoy as I am repeating it. At least I'm doing it in a different color and size and I did change one of the elements. The printed pattern doesn't have the interlaced hemstitch and I think that is what I like most about it. It has been so long since I did this stitch that I had to pull out the encyclopedia to check how to get it started. Once started, it is quick and easy to do.

[Nordic Needle's online stitch tutorial for Hardanger embroidery is here.]

Unleashed

2011-07-24T17:28:00.004-04:00

The weekend sock dog is complete. Parts have been sewn on (it wasn't too bad) and the bit of facial embroidery finished. One of those eyes could use a touch up but I will probably leave it as it is. Unless it just really gets to bothering me later.

All in all a fun little pattern. Only fiddly because I opted to knit it in fine sock yarn using two yarns.

All appendages are knit exactly the same: cast on 8 stitches, increase to 16 by knitting in front of back of all stitches on the first round, and knit upward. Body commences at the top of the legs from live stitches. Arm and ears (not stuffed) are bound off and sewn on. Back of head is knit like a sock heel flap. Poor thing has no tail.

I might knit this or another of the Lion Brand free critter patterns again, but in a heavier yarn. It would be easy enough to have one "wear" a sweater, maybe even a holiday one. Something to remember (although what are the chances of that??).

Hope you've had fun this weekend.

You've Got a Friend in Me

2011-07-23T21:57:00.007-04:00

I've asked a couple of my friends to help me hold up the first part of my weekend project. Aren't they doing a fine job!

Weekend project? Wondering what happened to the wonderful Estonian pattern?

I had unexpected car repairs on Friday afternoon but had the Estonian knitting with me. What good company it was. I opted for the smaller lounge just off the showroom. Fewer people are usually there. Fewer people = fewer cell phone talkers and a quieter atmosphere all around. I was especially lucky and had the place all to myself. Bliss. As a result, I have almost finished the whole first skein of white yarn.

Rather than sitting and winding up the second skein, I decided to try out something completely different. I'm using some leftover from previous projects to make a little Poochie Pup Sock Critter. Woody* and Bullseye assisted me once I got the legs done.

The pattern is free at Lion Brand, but you have to register to access their pattern library. No biggie. Here's the LB photo. The pattern calls for their Wool-Ease worsted on size 5 needles. I often like small scale things better so I'm trying it with sock yarn leftovers on size 1s.

Theirs is 9-1/2" tall and mine is just 6". Mine is also currently arm-less, ear-less, and face-less. So far a nice little pattern, but check back after I've SEWN on the arms and ears and attempted embroidered features - two steps that can turn ugly in a hurry.

*Now Woody, he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special, is he'll never give up on you.....ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.

At last

2011-07-20T10:30:00.004-04:00

At last
my love has come along
my lonely days are over
and my life
is like a song.

Back in early June, I finished Wendy's Summer Mystery Shawlette. Fun times. My knitting since has not been very fun or engaging until now.

This Estonian stitch pattern is just perfect and every stitch so far has been just pure pleasure. It is the kind of knitting where you wish you didn't have to do ANYthing else and when you are doing something else you are thinking about how soon you can get back to it. Yes, it is that good! And that is an especially welcome feeling when the HEAT continues to be so oppressive.

I've linked before to Britt Arnhild's lovely blog. She's visiting Venice, Italy again and has a great post with wonderful pictures of a lacemaker with her Burano lace. What a way with string!!

"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Orchestra Wives

Color-Less

2011-07-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

The Noro knitting complete, I am happy to be working on something with no color changes, just plain white...one white stitch after another. Very soothing.

Back in April, I was delighted to find The Haapsalu Shawl book. What a gorgeous, gorgeous book! Even though it is by far the most expensive book in my knitting library, it would be worth it even if I never knit anything from it. For awhile there it looked like that might be the case, since this book, in spite of its beauty, has no full patterns.

Instead it has stitch motifs charted. A section at the front describes how to use the patterns to design your own shawl.

These directions are for shawls [rectangles] and scarves [squares] made in the traditional Estonian manner where the body is knit with a garter border, the edging is knit separately in two lengths, and then sewn onto the body.

I ordered two skeins of Nordic Lights yarn from Wooly West. Although the website lists this as "special lace weight" it seems more fingering weight. It is 2-ply but the 475 yds/100 gr is about sock yarn yardage. I'm knitting it with a size 6 and I'll be anxious to see how it blocks. No need to get TOO anxious as this will be a long time from now.

I considered recharting this in Excel since the Estonian symbols are different from what I'm used to using, but I thought I'd try it first and see and I'm really having no problems. I started from a provisional cast on as I think I'm going to go the modern route for the edging ala Nancy Bush. I may regret this later when I have to pick up all those stitches all the way around, but I won't borrow trouble for now.

If you have Knitted Lace Of Estonia by Nancy Bush, you'll recognize some of these stitch patterns (although not the one above). Certainly for the price and for the full, detailed directions for shawls already completely calculated, Nancy's would be the book to get. I might not have had the confidence to launch into one on my own from this book, but having made a few with Nancy holding my hand, I feel better able to take on this project.

And, as usual, I'm already thinking ahead to the NEXT one - using finer yarn.

Link to YouTube video of two Estonian knitters talking about shawl knitting.

Certainly Can Can-Can

2011-07-13T19:20:00.011-04:00

Well this was FUN, quick, and satisfying.

Bottom is 3"in diameter and it stands about 5" tall. I used size 6 dpns and didn't even finish up that ball you saw yesterday.

Since it is too dang HOT to fill with chocolates -especially as the photo was taken outside - it held a little can of mandarin oranges for the photo, but I think, filled with chocolate truffles, it would make a nice little giftie.

The beaded picot cast on was from the free pattern, Katharine's Bag [Ravelry link].

With that start you wind up with 45 stitches (using 15 beads). As I mentioned yesterday, as soon as I got the cast on completed and read the next part of the pattern, I realized it was not knit in the round so I dropped that pattern like a HOT potato, joined in the round, knit a few rounds and increased 3 stitches to get 48. From that point on I followed the directions from a long ago post of Susan Lawrence. [from the Dec. 2005 archives of her former "I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can" blog].

I've used her directions several times, always with good success, but I have yet to make a felted bag as she shows in these posts. I need to try that sometime. Heck, in this weather I could probably felt it as I knit!

We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave

The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising, She certainly can can-can

[Irving Berlin - 1938]

Scattered

2011-07-12T21:26:00.007-04:00

My attention span is even more scattered than the thunderstorms that might- or might not - pop up around here.

So scattered that, even though I have just a little bit more left to do on the Hardanger project you saw last post, I just didn't feel like returning to it this evening.

This past weekend I ran across some beads while looking for something else. Isn't that the way it always goes?!

Just inexpensive acrylic beads, but I left them out near the leftover ball of Eco-Cotton Blend from the last bag thinking I might could come up

with some use for the combination of the two.

Ravelry to the rescue.

I just typed in 'beads' and 'bag' into the advanced pattern search field and then narrowed the results to knitted bags. Even then most of the results were not what I was looking for, but it didn't take long to glance over them and find something I liked.

Since I didn't have too many beads, I thought I'd probably have to randomly place them around the bag, but then I happened upon a free pattern for a small bag with a beaded picot cast on. Perfect.

Of course I couldn't be bothered to read ahead, so it was only after I got the cast on complete that I learned the bag wasn't knit in the round, so I abandoned the rest of that pattern. This is as far as I got tonight, but it kept me amused and distracted from the weather!

Progress

2011-07-11T18:41:00.003-04:00

It always amazes me how much faster the cutting and needle weaving portion of a project goes. I'm sure it is because that, for me, is the most enjoyable part so I keep at it for longer stretches of time. Also, there is no counting at this point, so no delays double-checking to make sure everything lines up and is in place.

Two sides have been completed, one (at top of photo) has the threads withdrawn and is ready for weaving, and the last is still uncut.
A good project = indoors + a/c + low-temp lighting.

I'm going to return to work on it now and while I do I think I'll listen to a podcast. I recently found iMake produced by a Guernsey girl with infectious enthusiasm.

Red Hot & Blue

2011-07-10T17:36:00.009-04:00

Productivity has ground to a halt around the cul-de-sac. There seems to be an inverse relationship between the temperature and the output! I don't want to do anything except SIT. And maybe read.

I just cannot get or stay motivated in this awful HEAT. I mean, really! Take a look at that weather map. Dispiriting to say the least.

I've worked a bit more on the very colorful Noro Wisp, but then decided it would be much cooler to work with linen so I returned to this Hardanger project that I started a good while back. [Wow! I just checked and it was back when we had ice! Those were the Good Old Days!]

I took this photo yesterday and have since begun the cutting and weaving of the edge - my favorite part of any Hardanger piece.

Too bad I can't stitch on it in the dark. Much cooler that way.

Oh, I did get new duds, though and that cheered me up. Well that and a new bag of M&Ms.

Hope you are staying as cool as possible where you are.

I wished I owned a string store

2011-07-01T17:59:00.008-04:00

Even though the latest Piecework arrived a few days ago, I left it in the protective plastic covering until the 3-day weekend officially started. I know I am sometimes so eager to see what is inside that I rush through it when I do not have enough time available to really read, examine, and savor.

It is another wonderful issue. Of course, I am rather biased. Piecework is my all-time, #1 favorite magazine ever. I can hardly stress that enough. To me it is the perfect combination of history, background, information, patterns, and helpful advertisements. The current issue is no exception. I haven't fully read a single article yet, but the projects have definitely caught my interest.

The first one that had me just itching to try was the article by Carolyn Wetzel, "Oya: A Traditional Needle-Lace Embellishment". The first time I ever saw or read about Oya was a fantastic article by Kax Wilson in the Jul/Aug 1996 Piecework. This article was accompanied by instructions with line drawings for making the motifs and edgings (designed by Gretchen Allgeier) but I didn't give it a try then.

Instead of doing, I fell back on reading; something I often tend to do. I repeatedly checked out the library book "Mediterranean Knotted Lace" by Elena Dickson. This book had wonderful instructions, but still I didn't give it a try.

The Jan/Feb 2006 Piecework came along and again Gretchen Allgeier had instructions, this time with close-up photos of lace in progress. I oohed and aahed, but I was distracted because that issue also had a good bit of knitting including a Nancy Bush sock pattern.

Perhaps the third time IS the charm. This current issue has again instructions accompanied by even more step-by-step close-up photos. I have to say I am really glad that Piecework has stuck with me and prodded me along to finally, finally give this a try.

Which brings me to my post title. I wish I owned a string store. Here I am finally ready to give it go and I don't have the Perfect String. Now I have, as you might imagine, a goodly bit of string, in various sizes and a number of colors. In the instructions Carolyn said she used size 16 pearl cotton (Presencia) but that you may use any thread smooth enough to slide against itself without catching when making the knots.

So I pulled a ball of size 12 pearl (DMC) which is thicker but worked nicely. I didn't have any bright, bold colors in size 12. I was thrilled when I finished my first (and so far only) pyramid. Working with the thicker size 12 made me appreciate even more Carolyn's beautiful and delicate work.

See some beauties here including some by Carolyn Wetzel. Be sure to click to enlarge those photos over there so you can really appreciate the beauty of their work. Some YouTube videos are also available.

Uh oh

2011-06-30T20:54:00.003-04:00

Purple?

Purple!

3-day weekend coming up. I may need some Evelyn.

Happy (hot) Day

2011-06-29T14:36:00.004-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words - in this case all of them good (even though it is 90+ degrees still).

Luckily M&Ms are famous for melting in your mouth; not in your hand! If you are at all worried, just pour directly into your mouth from the bag.

Inside this "Piecework".

Chromaphilia

2011-06-26T12:55:00.006-04:00

It is a bit unusual to see this much color in one project here. It hasn't been that long ago that I was talking about my problems with using lots of color.

However, I became quite intrigued by a new Grumperina pattern, Volna. So intrigued, that finding the Noro yarn, Kirameki, was a Top Priority at Stitches South this past April.

Talented-but-blogless Pat sent along the pattern but it turned out to be a bit much for my summertime brain. I quickly realized that, with all the short rows, it would be one of those patterns that required me to sit alone in my quiet room mumbling to myself, and while often that is actually how I like to spend time, it just wasn't going to work out with my schedule over this summer.

This yarn is a Heinz 57 of fiber blending (60% rayon, 25% nylon, 10% wool & 5% cashmere) and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with it even when I have it on slippery KnitPicks needles. So I searched about for a simpler pattern, one that might work with all the color busyness of this yarn, and finally landed on the free Knitty pattern, Wisp.

I still wasn't sure so the other evening I sprayed the end with water and pinned it out for a test block. I liked it enough to continue. Since I don't have to carry along or refer to a pattern, this makes a good portable summer project.

I did the buttonhole eyelets at the bottom but did not work any up the side. So far at least, I am enjoying the colorplay and I am even embracing the whole thick-and-thin aspect of this yarn. When a big fuzzy blob of unspun fiber appears I just think 'hum!' and knit along. I think it gives the piece character.

In a bit of synchronicity, I heard the podcast Fiber Beat mentioned twice this week. I had never listened to this podcast so I headed over to iTunes to give a try and just picked an older episode at random. Well I couldn't have picked a better episode to sample. I landed on Episode 15 - Chromaphilia which was a double-long episode with individual interviews with Brandon Mably and Kaffe Fassett, two big names in the fiber world and two designers who LOVE color. Great interviews. Such a treat to hear people so enthusiastic about their work. Enough to give even a BEIGE person like me the push to get more color into life.

I knit along on Wisp as I listened and enjoyed it so much that later I listened to another, this one an interview with Kathy Hattori of Earthues, a Seattle, WA company specializing in natural dyes for fiber and textiles. Great interviews and interesting topics. I can tell I am going to be knitting along to more. In fact, I can hardly wait to hear the one with Anna Zilboorg!

When will I ever learn?

2011-06-24T15:00:00.001-04:00

The Brea Bag is finally finished. I wouldn't call it a success. This is not Norah's fault. Two things might help it a bit. A lining would certainly give it a bit more structure, but at this point I just cannot be bothered. Knitting it a bit tighter gauge might have helped, too.

To recap, I reused Red Heart Eco-Cotton Blend and size 6 bamboo needles, making this really a recycled bag since the yarn, made from remnants from t-shirt manufacturing, had already been knit and frogged from an earlier bag fail.

This took less than 2 balls. Since I originally bought 3 balls, I now still have a ball in search of a project. Not sure what it will become eventually but I do know that it will not have moss stitch! I flubbed and unknit and reknit that moss stitch gusset too many times. I never did figure out how to tell where I was even when I marked one side with a marker! Perhaps I should knit a dunce cap with that 3rd skein!

The shape and cable work is pure genius. Well naturally, it's Norah Gaughan!

One-Skein-Project Bag

2011-06-22T19:02:00.016-04:00

A couple of days ago, Dianne sent me a link to a really nice bag. (Wasn't that kind of her! A+ for enabling, Dianne!)

Naturally I kept thinking about that little bag. Dianne wished the blogger had given dimensions.

Knitting has not been very satisfying around the cul-de-sac lately. I'm blaming - can you guess? - the HEAT. Last night, instead of knitting, I pulled out some fabric scraps and cut some 2" squares. I didn't do it long and I didn't plan my fabric scrap choices very deliberately.

I had some scraps of Osnaburg and sort of had the idea of making another of these little baskets, but as I was piecing the squares together my thoughts kept returning to the bag Dianne liked. Who can't use another one-skein-project bag?

I couldn't be bothered to take step-by-step pictures, but I did make notes of the measurements and I took a couple of photos to show the handle placement since I did the handles a bit differently than Sandra did.

The patchwork top border is done exactly as Ayumi did for the basket and each one finishes out at 9-1/2" wide. I stitched my borders to two 9" x 9-1/2" blocks of Osnaburg. Stitch sides together and form the box corners the same way.

Cut two 12" x 9-1/2" rectangles of lining fabric (Osnaburg again for mine) and stitch the same except leave a 3" or so opening on one side for turning later.

I stitched the handle strips just as Ayumi shows using two Osnaburg strips and two lining fabric strips; 2"x 12" for the over-the-wrist handle and 2" x 7" for the closing loop.

I centered the longer wrist loop on one side; centered over the seam between two squares. On the other side, the curved loop fits exactly over the two center squares.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out even though you can't see in these photos that two squares of the same fabric wound up next to each other at one side seam. [I'm blaming the HEAT.]

I didn't use any interfacing but you could if you wanted it a bit sturdier. Mine stands about 9-1/2" tall, so a good bit taller than Sandra's. You could shave an inch or so off the measurements if you prefer a shorter bag. And, of course, you don't have to piece a top border. You could use plain fabric pieces. You know....if it is HOT and you can't be bothered.

Det er varmt.

2011-06-13T19:29:00.002-04:00

According to Norwegian Lesson #5 - Phrases about the weather - this means "It is warm (hot)."

Well, det er varmt for sure still around here!

My just-started sock is coming along nicely, but in keeping with my can't-seem-to-stick-to-anything-very-long phase, I've returned for a bit to the Brea Bag. I was hoping that I was almost done with the Moss Stitch gusset, but you can see I've still got a bit to go.

I decided to start attaching it to one side in order to better judge how much more to do. I sure don't want to knit too much and have to frog back.

When it is this hot...

2011-06-10T19:27:00.002-04:00

...pretend you are in Norway!

That's what I do.

Knitting seems to be in a mess around here just now. The green stole is further along, but parked for the time being. I did finish knitting the first hank. I do like it. Honest. I just don't particularly enjoying knitting on it. I'm afraid Dorothy Reade was WAY more fond of knitting through the back loop than I am.

The Brea Bag? The knitting is almost finished on that one. The fun front and back is all done, but I'm having a devil of a time keeping track on that Moss Stitch on the gusset. Should be simple, I know, but I can't tell you how many times I've flubbed up and had to tink back. Why hurry when being done with the knitting means I'll need to sew a lining and shop for a handle? Shop! I'm not a good shopper. Especially in this heat.

Sorry. Did I already mention it is HOT?

I decided what I needed was a sock. Small, portable, with enough of a pattern to keep me interested and motivated, but not so much that my poor, tired, HOT brain would explode.

So I pulled out some Norwegian yarn - Silja - that I've had for years. I actually bought this before I could knit socks but knew I wanted to knit them. Saturday, February 21, 2004 at 10:37 am. No my memory isn't that good, but I did keep the receipt. : )

I remember buying this yarn after repeatedly looking at and reading the pattern for a pair of anklets in "Homespun Handknit". Since that long ago Saturday, Interweave has released the "All New Homespun Handknit". Until writing this post, I thought the new book was just a re-release of the old one, but I see now that the new one has completely different patterns. Browsing through them on Ravelry, I think I like the old one better. But then I am a bit grumpy because it is so HOT.

Summer Mystery Shawlette

2011-06-05T21:13:00.004-04:00

It is after 9 pm and over 80 degrees still. I hardly need a wool shawlette. When I took this grainy photo, the thermometer there behind me was reading about 94. Whew. Hopefully this fall and winter I'll get a chance to wear this. I love how it turned out.

I had such a FUN time with this project. Wendy's pattern - Summer Mystery Shawlette - besides being a JOY to knit, is a lovely design and reminds me of tulips. I expect I'll knit another sometime and I think I'll cast on the extra stitches next time and go for the larger size now that I know how lovely it is.

I used less than two skeins of Louet Gems Fingering in the discontinued color, Caribbean Blue and my size 6 KnitPicks Options needles.

Wendy, in the meantime, has already designed and finished a large circular Pi shawl. Goodness, she's fast! Her latest book, "Wendy Knits Lace" comes out in August and has 20 patterns.

Quick and Easy?

2011-06-02T10:00:00.005-04:00

Hello. Is it HOT where you are? Sure is here. So ironic that my handwork of choice these days mostly involves working with wool.

I am caught up with knitting the clues of the Summer Mystery Shawlette and look forward to finishing it up when Wendy posts that final clue today. This has been a FUN and enjoyable project.

Tuesday I arrived home from work to see a little treat hanging on my doorknob. This signals that Kay has made a surprise visit. It seems in one of her rounds she ran upon some fabric that screamed my name.

When I first pulled it out, I only saw the skeleton. Since I don't generally sport skeleton themes, I was initially puzzled. But then I unfolded it, had a closer look, and burst into laughter. [Kay has a way of initiating this response. smile]

This is from a now-discontinued Michael Miller line. At this size, you can't read the title of the book dropped from the poor knitter's hand, but it is Quick and Easy Knitting Projects. I think we've all had a couple of those projects that make us wonder if we'll outlast them! There is also a dog chewing up knitting, a cat making free with a skein of yarn, and a sullen child dressed head to toe in handknits. Too, too funny.

Well of course I needed to make it into a bag and the sooner the better. I ended up using this free pattern which turned out to be super fast and requires only a tiny bit of handwork to sew up a few inches of the lining.

This pattern works best with non-directional prints and this was certainly not that so I cut and pieced my rectangle before beginning so that the designs would be correct on both sides. Because of this I also made mine just a tad smaller (15" x 38", I think) and it came out just fine. In fact, I'm not sure I'd like it much bigger.

As soon as I hit publish on this post, I'm plugging the fan in and pointing it right at the sewing machine and starting another.

Hope you have an engaging project you can do inside in the cool.

[oh, and if you do decide to make this yourself, you might watch the video demo which I found very helpful.]

The Idler

2011-05-25T18:47:00.008-04:00

I've been a bit mentally consumed with that lovely swing seat from the previous post. Of course, with the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes, I'm sure life in a swing seat, at least in my backyard, would not be the blissful interlude that Alice Ashley enjoyed.

So instead I've taken to imagining myself there with the help of this relaxing video from the manufacturer of The Idler:

When I said the knitting was easy in that last post, I was using the adverb easy - without undue speed or excitement; without worry or care - just the way summer knitting should be, even if it cannot be done in an Idler.

and the knitting is easy

2011-05-24T16:50:00.002-04:00

I started to title this post "Summertime and the knitting is easy" and then I remembered that it isn't quite summer yet. Kind of hard to think of it as spring when it is already in the 90s. Whew.

I am really enjoying the Summer Mystery Shawlette so far. The tipping point for me in joining this knitalong was that this design is knit from the long bottom edge up to the top with each row getting a bit shorter than the one before.

Wish I could sit outside in a nice garden with a cool lemonade like Alice here. Don't you love this painting?

It is "Alice Ashley on a Green Seat" 1937 - oil by Donald Chisholm Towner and is the cover of the current Persephone Biannually.

Wherever you are, hope your knitting is easy and enjoyable.

The Quintessential Lady of Her Era

2011-05-19T16:02:00.005-04:00

The May/June issue of "Piecework" magazine is out. It has been for weeks and I'm just now mentioning it. It is (naturally) a fabulous issue with a focus on LACE.

There is an article on a bobbin-lace coverlet purchased and owned by Marian Anderson and now in the collection of The Lace Museum in Sunnyvale, CA. 86" x 72". Wow! That is a lot of bobbin lace.

There is a lovely Queen's Lace Doily by Ava T. Coleman. Sheri finished knitting it before I even got around to reading about it.

Donna Druchunas has an article entitled "Who Was Dorothy Reade?" which is adapted from her recent book "Successful Lace Knitting".

Santa brought me that book for Christmas. He must have noticed there was a shawl designed by Evelyn A. Clark? [if you scroll through the images at that Amazon link, it is the lovely black triangle] Smart Santa.

In January I had to frog a lace shawl. Pattern was fine, but it just wasn't meant to be. In trying to select a new project, I chose one from this book. NOT the EAC, sadly.

I have worked on this off and on since then. Mostly OFF. That little tag has my note of the needle size. It gets hidden away that much! It is a chore. I think the finished item will be just fine. In fact, thinking that - and the fact that I have over a third done and have already ripped out a 75% done shawl!! - is all that is keeping me returning.

I'm using the same needle tips for the Mystery Shawlette. I hope to alternate working on it and this project and dedicatedly returning to this one in between clues. Eventually it has to be done. Right?

The one thing I've learned about Dorothy Reade is that she LOVED k1tbl. Knitting through the back loop must have been her favorite stitch. ALL yarnovers are ktbl on the next row. ALL. Actually her favorite was k2tbl. She was quite adamant that this was the only correct opposite of k2tog.

Donna describes her as the quintessential lady of her era saying "she wore gloves and silk stockings, always carried a hankie and a roll of butter rum Life Savers in her purse, and ran an orderly home."

So far all we have in common is a fondness for butter rum Life Savers.

Magical Mystery Tour

2011-05-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

Way back in the Dark Ages - dark ages being defined here as "before Ravelry" - I wanted to try knitting a lace shawl.

I am fairly certain that what prompted this was the "Flower Basket Shawl" by (who else?) Evelyn A. Clark that was in the Fall 2004 issue of Interweave Knits. [issue out of print, but available electronically - or single pattern from Fiber Trends at link above]

A triangular shawl where the stitch count changed all the time did not seem like a good first lace project. Also it was charted. Maybe there were line instructions, too. I can't remember. I was pretty stunned by the chart which made absolutely no sense to me.

I ended up going with the Kimono Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's "Folk Shawls" book. In retrospect a good choice. A rectangle with a constant stitch count and only one, repeated motif. What really motivated me was a knitalong. Wendy of Wendy Knits announced the Summer of Lace and started a Yahoo Group.

That is how I met Mary. Mary and I were the only two people in the group who chose the Kimono Shawl for our project and Mary, who has always been ahead of me technically, sent me a personal e-mail hello. I think the Summer of Lace was golden.

Well a lot has happened since that summer in 2005. Wendy has gone on to publish 5 books (or more) and many individual patterns and still finds time to blog regularly and churn out an amazing amount of knitting.

When I noticed she was hosting (is that the right term?) a Summer Mystery Shawlette, I wanted to join in, too. I wanted to relive the fun of the Summer of Lace. I've seen several mystery shawl knitalongs and truthfully haven't ever wanted to do one. I couldn't imagine putting the time and yarn involved into a project without knowing what it was going to look like when finished. What if I didn't like it?

But I generally like Wendy's things and I feel confident that I'll enjoy whatever she designs.

May 17

2011-05-17T09:50:00.002-04:00

Today is May 17, Norway's Constitution Day, an official national holiday there. There will be many parades, including one in Oslo where King Harald and Queen Sonja will exchange waves and greetings.
[Do go check out the lace on HM Queen Sonja's dress here.]

One of my favorite blogs is Britt Arnhild's and her post today shows her daughters and other family members in their bunads. Close-up photos of some lovely embroidery.

So Happy Constitution Day, Norway! I'm with you in spirit.

Summer Bag - Take Two

2011-05-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

Remember that quick summer satchel I recently made with the Eco-Cotton? I used it once and decided I didn't like it.

The pattern was nice and the yarn was fine for the pattern, but I didn't like using the bag.

It was long and everything I put inside wound up in a heap at the very bottom. Every time I needed my wallet or keys, I had to paw and churn through it all. Oh, and my keys and ink pens did tend to poke through the nice lace detail. Oops.

Finally last weekend I undid the bind off and rewound the yarn. I'm trying a different pattern, the free Brea Bag on Berroco's website. It is a much more shallow crescent shape. I'm enjoying the very clever Norah Gaughan pattern - so far. I still have to knit the other side and a long moss stitch gusset and then SEAM them together.

I'm about as fond of seaming as I am of blocking wires.

Tuesday Afternoon Stole

2011-05-13T18:13:00.005-04:00

Pattern: Lattice Lace Stole by Debbie O'Neill

19" x 66"

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select Lace
100% superwash merino
996 yds/100 gr. - not quite the full hank
color 29 Moody Blues

Needles: Size 3 KnitPicks Options circular (3.0 mm)

A FO at last. This one was a long time coming. Actually it was all finished by April 5, but my blocking wires were out on loan. They have been home for awhile, but I just couldn't get very motivated to block it. Too warm already to need it and, truthfully, I'm still seeing stripes.

The stripes aren't too bad and certainly not a deal-breaker. This will make me more cautious in the future when choosing yarn for a lace pattern. The pattern and the yarn were both pleasant to work and I think the very definite geometric nature of this lace patterning works with this colorway.

To repeat, I did not work two halves and graft at center as the pattern instructed. I knit following an idea from "Victorian Lace Today". The narrow lace at the ends is knit sideways. I bound off all but the last stitch and, leaving it on the needle, picked up across the top and began the wider border, worked all the way to the other end and then knit the narrow lace sideways attaching to live stitches as I inched across.

The K2tog I used to connect it created just a slight raised effect that is not at the other end, but to me that is less noticeable than a graft down the center. [It's the end of the right in this picture.] You can see the graft in the photo on Debbie's blog. To each his own, I suppose.

I stopped off this morning to make these photos and didn't manage to really capture the vividness of the deep blue. A Moody Blue. Perfect for Moody Me.

Bunad Bonanza!

2011-05-05T16:00:00.002-04:00

Talk about colorful! Oh, my. A lovely book by Laila Duran.

Amazing photos of folk costumes, and individual components, taken in such beautiful settings; some indoors and many with breathtaking outdoor scenes.

On the Folklore Fashion Blog you can see the sights and meet the people that made this book happen. All information is in English.

Peace in the Park

2011-05-04T13:08:00.004-04:00

Weather is cool today, but warm enough Monday to make knitting in the park on a lunch break still enjoyable.

I've made it through the middle and on the last end on the Deep Peace scarf; a very pleasant, peaceful knit.

I made a new bag to hold it. Another box bag, but this time using the directions here for the corner ends.

Not paying attention, I picked up fusible interfacing this time and I am not happy with the crinkle look I got as a result. I've since purchased some regular and won't be using this fusible again for this purpose.

In the interim, my inspiration, Norma (on Ravelry) has already finished her third!

Ah, that's better

2011-05-03T17:57:00.003-04:00

Purpose-wise and color-wise, I'm much happier with how the Manos Serena is working out now.

I'm trying a simple lace pattern over 30 stitches and hoping for a narrow scarf.

Will it work out to be long enough? Wide enough? Not sure. But it is basically a one-row pattern with knit on wrong side so I'm putting it in the car for my travel project.

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

2011-05-02T10:02:00.008-04:00

Took a little trip up to the mountains with Mother this past weekend. Although many, particularly in Alabama, were still suffering from the storms and tornadoes earlier in the week, the weather for our little jaunt was perfect; clear and not too warm.

Since we went through Franklin, NC, I managed to stop and buy a little skein of yarn at Silver Threads & Golden Needles. A lovely shop with many nice yarns.

I came away with one skein of Manos Serena. I was simply bewitched by the lovely colorway (#9796) Mermaid. This is 60% baby alpaca/40% pima cotton and is ever so soft. Too bad it is absolutely not suitable for the little hat pattern I had in mind. I should have stopped and thought. [I sometimes find that hard to do when surrounded by lovely yarns. Do you??]

There is no stretch with the yarn and not enough body for the pattern. Sigh. I was also quite bothered by the laddering I was getting. It is a wonderful yarn and, with the right pattern, would be simply divine.

Now I'm bewildered. Whatever will I find to do with just 170 yards?

"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" Lorenz Hart ... his birthday today.

On Easter Day

2011-04-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Peace be with you at Easter
This holy day of days,
When every flower and living thing
Gives unto him the praise.

I retyped the verse in case you have trouble reading from the original. I darkened the scan, but still it seemed a bit faint.

Still a lovely, lovely card, I think.

and the reverse side:

Postmarked March 30. 1923 as best I can tell. Easter in 1923 was April 1 so that would make sense. Just the briefest of greetings from Florence in Rochester, NY to the Lekoys in Johnsonburg, PA

You'll have to look closely to see the faint pencil notation (below Florence's message)
"ans" indicating her postcard was acknowledged. Love that part.

Deep Peace

2011-04-23T14:03:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the week, with the doily gone horribly* off course, I was in need of a calming, relaxing knit.

I mean really! Isn't that why I knit in the first place?

Naturally my thoughts turned to an Evelyn A. Clark design - my go-to comfort knitting. I pulled out pattern and yarn, and then did The Strangest Thing. I started a project not designed by EAC. Amazing!

I started a pattern named Deep Peace which I discovered when one of my Ravelry friends posted her project. Norma doesn't have a blog, but if you are in Ravelry, check out her projects page. She does some lovely work.

Deep Peace. Now that's just what I am seeking.

*horribly is just overstating it, isn't it? It is only knitting after all. Just some silly little string. Nothing really horrible about it.

Uh, oh.

2011-04-22T17:46:00.004-04:00

Doesn't look like there's going to be a new doily on my Easter table. Shame since a distraction from my cooking might have helped.

I've tried tinking back and fear I may only be making it worse. It doesn't help that I haven't been in the frame of mind to really concentrate on it.

I think I should zip this up in a handy bag with some good notes as to where I went off track and, perhaps, get back to it when I can give it some UNdivided attention.

But just so you won't feel cheated, go here to see a truly spectacular doily - a real Niebling and so beautiful. And not her first either. Wow.

Stitches South was FOBulous

2011-04-18T19:15:00.005-04:00

I was fortunate again this year to have Kay as my companion for the day as we slowly and methodically made our way through every single booth at Stitches South. If Kay is not a saint (and I'm not convinced she is not), then she certainly has the patience of one!

Not only does Kay keep you focused and on track (there is NO wandering to the other side of the aisle with Kay!), she keeps you laughing and upbeat as well. It's worth spending the day with her even if there isn't yarn around every bend.

While planning our trip, we reviewed the 1-hour Market Sessions workshops and both of us were intrigued by the beaded fobs. We knew we wanted to try them, we just couldn't decide if we wanted to commit a specific hour of our time.

We decided instead to buy a kit which contained the materials to make two and we'd learn on our own. Kits are really perfect for small projects like this. No having to gather materials. When you get ready to try it, everything is right there to hand. These worked up very quickly and I can see making more and keeping my eyes peeled for interesting charms and focal beads.

Then on Saturday I went back to the market to meet Dianne in person. I already felt like I knew her from our emails, but it was especially nice to meet her (and her daughter) in real life. We sat and chatted a bit and toured a few of the booths together.

While Dianne and Jessica were getting their lunch, I sat down with Jean at the BagSmith booth. Jean is the mother of Becca Smith, the founder. Kay and I had noticed Jean sitting at the booth on Friday working away on GIANT needles. In just a few minutes Jean taught me Tunisian Crochet. What a treat to learn something from such a beautiful and gracious woman. I wish I could find her picture to show you!

"Friendship is a sheltering tree." Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834

Summer Satchel

2011-04-13T16:18:00.004-04:00

Pattern: Summer Satchel

by Leigh Radford in
One More Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit

Yarn: Red Heart Eco-Cotton Blend
75% recycled cotton / 25% acrylic
145 yd/85 gr - a tad over 2 balls
color 1340 Almond

Needles: size 7
16" circular and a set of dpns

I just happened upon this book at the library last Friday and brought it home for a browse. Unlike some of the others in the one skein series, you'll notice the MORE in the title of this one. Most of the projects call for two skeins of the specified yarn.

Naturally it was a bag that caught my attention. Just the thing, I thought, to throw over my shoulder when I head to Stitches South this weekend. Fun, as well, I thought for the summer ahead.

I had seen this yarn last summer and thought it would work for a bag but never got around to making one. The cotton component comes from remnants generated in t-shirt manufacturing. I wonder if it is not the same as 2nd Time Cotton? It can be machine washed and dried, too, which will probably come in handy as the summer wears on (and on, and on).

The pattern has you start the full amount of stitches on a provisional cast on at the bottom and knit up through the handles. You then release the provisionally held stitches and decrease the bottom. It really was a quick knit.

Speaking of 2nd Time Cotton, Helene Rush, knitwear designer and owner of the yarn company Knit One Crochet, Too, has a new podcast. Perhaps you recognize her name as she designed the popular free sweater pattern Hey, Teach! from the Summer 2008 Knitty.

Summer 2008! Could that have been three years ago?? As a matter of fact, there's a bag pattern over in that same issue that would work great in this yarn.

Derailed

2011-04-10T17:29:00.006-04:00

This may not be done by Easter! I've already had to back up about 2-3 rows to get back on track and now I've messed up again. This is where I think charts have an advantage over written instructions. In a chart you can see at a glance what stitch is directly over a stitch below. On these edging rounds, the instructions have me shifting from one to three stitches to the right each round. All of these rounds also have double yarnovers, which, on these rounds unlike those in the body of the piece, are treated as one stitch. I knit the first and drop the second. Everything seemed to be working fine until I got to this row and I became unsure that I was on track. In double-checking, I lost a stitch or two. Nothing to do but TINK back and try to find my place.

I feel strongly both ways

2011-04-08T18:55:00.007-04:00

I've been knitting around and around. At one point I thought I just might have enough stitches to switch to a circular, but my only size 1 circular is 24" long and it wasn't happening.

I don't mind dpns at all, but I knit fairly tightly and this cotton isn't sliding along that freely on the wooden needles.

So what is it? A doily. It is the Dahlia pattern from Gloria Penning's lovely booklet "Knitted Heirloom Lace II". Gloria, whose husband said "with enough steel wool you can knit a Volkswagen". I like that spirit.

There are some lovely patterns here. I chose Dahlia because it does not have the crochet loops around the edge. I haven't knitted from this book before because none of the patterns are charted and you know how I love my charts! I was afraid I'd get lost in all the written instructions, but do you know it is working out Just Fine.

Perhaps you are wondering what I want with a doily. I've been wondering that as well. A doily in 2011. Its the journey. The round and round journey. Seeing the leaves form and being amused by double yarnovers.

As I've been knitting around and around, I began to think this might work as the bottom of a round bag. A bag, because, you know I need a reticule every bit as much as I need a doily! It looks rather sweet all gathered up on the dpns and my mind had raced ahead to the top and the cording. Checking the gauge on a spot of plain stockinette, which is what the body of the bag would be, made me realize it would be a rather large bag. Certainly too large to be a dainty reticule.

Oh, well. I think a doily will look nice on the table at Easter.

M&Ms for scale.

New Spring String

2011-04-05T21:08:00.005-04:00

Knitting on the blue stole is complete. The edging went on just fine. This was really my first time to knit an edging on at a ninety-degree angle and at first it was a bit confusing and fairly fiddly. It didn't really help that my chart was pointed in the opposite direction so I had to mentally reverse it. Fortunately it was a very simple and repetitive pattern and I was familiar with it from the other end of the stole. No FO picture for a bit. My blocking wires are out on loan.

I told myself that I was not going to start a new project. Stitches South is coming to town in less than two weeks. I wanted to be free to start any project that I may happen upon there.

I told myself this would be a great opportunity for me to spend quality time with my sampler.

Apparently I did not listen to myself. I did work on the sampler on Sunday and again after work yesterday. I even got the whole next band done, but it is only a bit of verse. Next up is a band of Holbein stitch. Done properly, this double-running stitch is reversible. You do every other straight stitch of the pattern on the first pass and come skipping back filling in the missing steps.

Now if you are Marion Scoular, blackwork embroidery is a piece of cake. Me? Not so much. Invariably I make a misstep on the first pass, find it on the trip back, and have to rip out a lot. So Band J was shaping up to be not so relaxing.

What I needed was a small knitting project. And New String! So today I picked up a ball of string. $1.97 worth of a springy Frosty Green and (on the third try!) managed to get going on a doily using Emily Ocker's circular cast on. Ahh....all's right in the world.

String! Good for what ails you.

for want of an edging

2011-04-02T18:45:00.004-04:00

I am not a good judge of yarn-age. I see now that I most likely would have had plenty of yarn to do one more 24-row repeat of the body of the shawl, but hindsight is always 20/20, isn't it?

I think the stole will be long enough without an extra repeat, so no harm.

All I have left to do is that small sawtooth edging. I'm not knitting this according to the pattern directions. The pattern would have had me start two halves from the ends and graft them together in the center. I am going to try to knit the short edging on sideways knitting it together with live stitches at the end. First I'm going to need to pull out a book with those directions and, most importantly, take a deep breath.

I hope it works. I don't have a Plan B.

We are covered in pollen here around the cul-de-sac. Positively coated. As I was taking the shawl outside for this photo, I dropped the ball of yarn. As you might know it bounced and rolled all the way under the car to the other side and stopped up against the inside of a wheel. Since it is still attached to the knitting, I had to crawl around to get it and then roll it back. We were both a bit fuzzy from the experience. Murphy's Law of Blog Photography.

One misty, moisty morning

2011-03-28T11:15:00.006-04:00

A wee FO

Pattern: Infant Socks by Judy Ellis

Yarn: Serenity by Premier Yarns
50% merino wool / 25% bamboo / 25% nylon

Needles: size 1 bamboo dpns

I found this little pattern years ago on the Socknitters website. There are loads of free sock patterns over there. As written, it makes a very small basic infant sock. I can often get a wee pair out of leftovers from my own socks. Generally I only adjust by knitting 8 rounds before the toe decreases, but this time I also upped the cast on number to 48 from the stated 40.

These, along with the book, will go to a friend who is expecting a son in May. I had a couple of other books in my hand before finding and selecting this one. I love, love, love Richard Scarry's illustrations, remembering them from my childhood and enjoying them again years later when my daughter was born. His little rabbits are so cute. Wouldn't you love to be an illustrator? I would.

"I'm not interested in creating a book that is read once and then placed on the shelf and forgotten. I am very happy when people have worn out my books, or that they're held together by Scotch tape." Richard Scarry

(1919-1994)

Band H

2011-03-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

The English Sampler doesn't see much action most weeks. In fact, last summer it hardly came out at all. Each horizontal band is identified on the chart by a letter and I have just finally completed band H. I think of that H as standing for Hump and feel I am finally over the hump.

You can see from the magazine page that I am about halfway down and that the lower half is whitework and those bands of drawn thread and pulled-thread embroidery are the reason that I chose this design in the first place.

I was inspired by some lovely work I saw at the Magnolia Sampler Guild's exhibit in September 2009. The next exhibit will be this September. Wouldn't it be grand if I had it done by then?
One can dream.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled knit

2011-03-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

Obviously this photo is way over-exposed. Daylight-Saving Time and late afternoon sun to blame.

This is the project that drove me to a soothing EAC pattern.

There is nothing wrong with the pattern and I keep telling myself that, when finished and blocked, the stole will probably be quite wearable. It should brighten up black and even work with jeans. In fact, I specifically picked the yarn for the dark, rich blues. I just am having a hard time dealing with the stripes. All I can see are stripes.

After almost every purl row when I return to the right side, I stop and stretch it out over my thighs (that alone is enough to give one pause!) and ponder the stripes. I sigh and squint and silently encourage myself. I just know if this were more tonal in color that I would be knitting on it more.

This is yarn that I bought last April at Stitches South. Stitches South is returning and I'd feel a lot better if this was done and folded away for the summer before I headed off to the vendor market.

2011-03-17T09:20:00.001-04:00

Chromatophobia

2011-03-16T19:14:00.010-04:00

the fear of colors

I don't really have a FEAR of colors. I like many colors - just maybe not together.* Well, maybe not hot pink. Or lime green. Nor pastels, really. Gee, this is becoming quite a list!

My wonderful interlude with Evelyn is over. Every stitch a relaxing joy.

I used her free pattern, Brimnes Lace Shawl. I don't think it is available outside of Ravelry. If anyone needed a reason to join Ravlery, well there you go! The KnitPicks Palette yarn softened up nicely after a Soak.

It immediately brought to my mind Civil War-era garments. JP actually likes it and says it doesn't remind him of Civil War clothing at all, but then he doesn't really immerse himself in period dramas or know all the scenes from "Gone With the Wind". It is the first shawl I've made that I might be self-conscious wearing out in public. Or the first one that I thought cried out for a rocking chair. Not that there is anything wrong with rockers. smile

In my bookmarks are links to blogs of creative folks who LOVE color, cannot get enough color, wouldn't dream of making a single object in ONE color alone. I love reading their posts and seeing their projects even as I know I could never let loose with so much color myself.

You may already follow this one - Attic 24. Lucy blogs from Northern England and has a terrific scarf FO in her current post. She most assuredly is not a chromatophobe!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post and her excitement and enthusiasm really came across as she shared the project.

*I make an exception for a rainbow of M&Ms.

Saturday with Evelyn

2011-03-12T15:54:00.003-05:00

After some chilly weather this week and a VERY wet day on Wednesday, it is a beautiful, sunny Saturday.

I should be taking advantage of the wonderful light to finish up the large floral band on the sampler, and perhaps I will get to that before the weekend is over, but today I returned to the EAC shawl.

I have no idea how this yarn is going to work out for this project OR if I will like the colors, but the working of the pattern is - as with all Evelyn A. Clark patterns - a delight. Things fall into place, the charts are clear and easy to read, numbers are given in the written directions. Just a soothing companion.

I've just added the garnet and have only about four more rows of the Old Shale pattern before I bind off. I think it is a crochet bind off, but I haven't really read that far ahead.

I wish I could see and handle the Icelandic lace yarn called for by the pattern before ordering it sight-unseen. Not sure why. I mean if it is good enough for Evelyn.....of course I'll like it.

mishap

2011-03-05T13:04:00.003-05:00

This particular EAC pattern grows 6 stitches every other row, getting wider faster than some I've knit in the past.

I was knitting happily along when all of a sudden...whoops....no cable at the end of my needle. Fortunately it was not a disaster and I was able to recover without too much trouble.

I'm using KnitPicks Options which I just love. This particular 24" cable has been used quite a bit so I'm not terribly upset. Since 2 cables come with each length ordered, I still have a 24" and I've already switched to a longer length anyway.

I'll just order a replacement some time. I do love the KnitPicks cables even better than addi Turbo. I find stitches harder to count on the clear cables of the addi Turbo needles. I also find the KnitPicks cables to be much more flexible and I love that they are interchangeable and have the handy little end caps. Those end caps have come in handy a number of times.

Enjoying the weekend so far. Hope you are, too!

I heart M&Ms

2011-03-02T20:41:00.002-05:00

I love it when the holidays overlap and I can just go straight from Valentine M&Ms into Easter ones.

The EAC shawl is coming along nicely. Never as much time to knit as I would like. In the meantime I have gone back and put several more rows on the Moody Blues project. Do you know it was more enjoyable! I think just working a bit with Evelyn made me appreciate the stitches more. That may sound odd, but I think it is true. Or maybe she just helps me enjoy knitting period.

Serenity now

2011-02-27T16:58:00.002-05:00

Happily knitting away on the EAC project, every stitch a joy.

When I succumbed to the call of this project, I grabbed yarn I had to hand which was a few balls of KnitPicks Palette purchased a few years back to knit an Estonian sheep with a colorwork body. It was a small sheep that took very little of the garnet and gray and not even very much of the cream.

I think I'll be able to finish out the chart I'm on, but will need to switch to another color soon. To my eye all of these choices are a bit dark to transition nicely into the next chart, but I really don't want to order more until I see how this yarn really blocks out for lace. I've seen lots of knitters use it on Ravelry so I have high hopes. Besides I know this is NOT my only time to knit this pattern.

When asked for his opinion, JP voted to go with the gray. I've got to decide fairly soon. Any thoughts from you?

[in trying to find a non-Ravelry link to a picture of this pattern, I happened to land on Evelyn's own Flickr set! Hers knitted in wonderful Icelandic laceweight. sigh]

Not everything makes sense

2011-02-25T17:43:00.005-05:00

Profound, huh?

I have been knitting away on the Moody Blues project; enjoying the yarn, happy with the pattern, but just not quite satisfied. Stopping every few rows to poke around Ravelry at either random other wonderful projects or things I've had my eye on for some time.

I tried to tell myself not to start anything new, but I finally caved today because I knew. I KNEW what would make me happy.

Evelyn A. Clark.

So there you see the start of a new EAC project. A project that uses the exact SAME stitches as the Moody Blues project. No new fancy stitches. No exotic yarn. So what makes the difference? I have NO idea. I just know that nothing (and I do mean NO THING) ever is as soothing and satisfying for me to knit than an Evelyn A. Clark pattern.

Is there any ONE thing that works like that for you?

"And all the loveliest things there be come simply, or so it seems to me."
Edna St. Vincent Millay

Cartoon for the day

2011-02-24T09:11:00.002-05:00

There's more than one way to skein a cat

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Stash

2011-02-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

I'm calling this little baby cap Flavia, after the main character in the book "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie". I haven't read the book. I got my fill of Flavia just reading and hearing about her. But since this little baby gift was made from yarn from the bottom of the stash, that phrase sort of stuck in my head as I knit it.

This is yarn bought years and years ago when I very first began to knit. I bought it to make a preemie hat for the lace club service project. Those projects have to be knit with non-wool yarn, so this Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK which is 50% microfiber acrylic and 50% nylon fit the bill.

Although it is billed as a DK weight and the ball band recommends a size 6 needle, that seemed a bit hard for me to believe. I used a size 4 needle. I didn't even have the concentration needed to search for or follow a pattern so I just cast on 88 and did this simple variation of a k2/p2 rib. It is called Baby Cable Rib in Charlene Schurch's "Sensational Knitted Socks" - just three rows of k2/p2 and on the fourth you create the twist by k2tog, leave on the needle, k the first stitch and slide both off. Makes a nice little change from basic rib and really isn't any slower.

The bamboo dpns I used were really too grabby but I couldn't be bothered to change. And, just another reason why I still love dpns, the crown is a simple decrease at eight points. So easy to keep track of when everything is nicely divided on four needles.

Forget Flavia; for some reason now I'm thinking about PIE.

10% more free

2011-02-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

who doesn't love a bargain?

Nobody needs a mink coat

2011-02-18T11:56:00.005-05:00

....but a mink scarf sures feels nice!

No this isn't some PETA comment. Instead it comes from one of my favorite fun movies, "Christmas in Connecticut". Spoken on screen by the actor S. Z. Zakall to Barbara Stanwyck, he tells her "nobody needs a mink coat but the mink". His Uncle Felix is wonderfully played.

I think you can tell from this photo how SOFT this scarf is in this yarn. What you may not be able to tell from the photo is how LIGHT it is as well. Just a froth.

This was such a quick and satisfying project that I never even mentioned it on the blog! It jumped on my needles just before Christmas so I can only suppose I was busy with other things. I wore it several times before even taking the time to soak it and I blocked it by just patting (petting?) it out gently to dry.

Once again I used Cathy Payson's Vine and Flower Scarf from Interweave Knit's Holiday 2009 issue and size 6 bamboo short straight needles. This is a staggered vine lace pattern and is, I think, the most relaxing, soothing stitch to knit. Of course it helps when the yarn is 70% mink and 30% cashmere. Oh yes it does.

I used all 230 yards and the scarf came out 6.5" x 44". Such a joy.
NOT needed today as it will be 70 degrees. Jonquils have begun blooming in the back.

Fiber field trip

2011-02-13T17:28:00.005-05:00

I have made it to Chart C, the main body of the stole. I'm enjoying the pattern and the yarn, but I do wish it was more tonal and didn't have those distinct stripes of dark. I'm hoping overall, when finished, that I won't focus on them as much. Kind of hard not to focus when it is right in front of your eyes!

A very warm day here making me think perhaps that pesky groundhog was correct. Everyone else seems to be more than ready for spring. I would be, too, if we'd have weeks and weeks of true cool spring instead of rushing right into heat.

I spent a couple of hours of this beautiful weather indoors. I went to the open house held by the Chattahoochee Handweavers Guild. Although they had demonstrations set up for many techniques, table loom weaving, floor loom weaving, spinning, knitting, bead embroidery, and others, I honed in on my target - card (or tablet) weaving.

It is one of those techniques that have been floating around in the back of my mind (the vast, empty warehouse) for a number of years. Last fall at SAFF, I almost bought a set of cards and the only thing that stopped me was the fear that I'd bring them home and they would sit unused. As you well know, there are only so many FREE hours in a day.

Woven bands are part of many folk costumes including the bunads of Norway. There are eleven pages of bands over at the digital Norsk Folkemuseum.

I have been enviously eyeing the wonderful woven bands over at Yarn Jungle. She does such beautiful work.