I can be as contrary as I choose

I'm betting you recognize that line as one of the numerous gems uttered by the Dowager, Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey". Maggie Smith is something, isn't she!

As much as I enjoyed the stitch pattern of this project, I did whine a bit about the yarn, and the crumpled, wrinkly state of the WIP made it hard to love as well. But a warm bath and a good stretch worked as many wonders for the lace as it does for my own limbs. The finished stole is light and airy.

I'll do a proper FO post later. Not sure I'll be up to getting good photos or if I'll just make do with others I took quickly this afternoon.

In the meantime here are a few fun and clever Downton Abbey links:

Mary first pointed me to the Downton Abbey paper dolls. Love the many faces of the Dowager!

Roman Hills has indie-dyed yarn with colorways cleverly named for the characters, complete with lines of dialog. The Matthew colorway says "Don't play with me. I don't deserve it." while the Mary colorway says "You must pay no attention to the things I say."

Feel like some cross stitch? This etsy seller has one.

I love seeing how much fun people are having with this.

Downton stringplay. This gets the ideas going.

Just a reminder: online viewing only through March 6.

F stop

This post brought to you by the Letter F.
.........and a few Ms : )


The shawl is Finished. Finally. [Well, it hasn't been blocked. It is soaking right now.]


Fun? Not always, but fortunately the pattern was pleasing.
Fast? Faster than I expected.
Facile? Pattern, yes, yarn no, a bit fuzzy because it is alpaca. And, even though it was a cobweb weight, it was a two-ply and easy to split causing me to fume more than I like.


This was the little ball of yarn just before I started the long bind off. For the ediging I only did 22 rounds instead of 24. I feared at the start of the bind off that I might not have enough, but I did. I might have even had enough to do the final two rounds but I just couldn't face the anxiety. I think the edging will be generous as is.


At any rate, I'm free to move on to the next fibery project. Should be fun. I'll be using a fabulous fingering weight yarn called Finch.

The Fray

Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. from the song "All at Once" by The Fray

Oh the edging on this current WIP is endless. Endless.

The 24-round edging I've chosen is an easy and repetitive one. It is a very basic 10-stitch repeat; all odd-numbered rounds the same and all even-numbered rounds plain knit. And, unlike the one on the Facing Lilies Stole, requires no shifting of markers.

In Knitted Lace of Estonia, Nancy Bush recommends doing at least 16 rounds on edges added this modern way. I'm on round 17 and the ball of yarn is getting much smaller. I am beginning to think I won't be able to get all 24 rounds done. So I'm just trying to stick with it until I no longer have any yarn. At this point I am cheering on the yarn. Go, go, go!

But in the meantime, isn't that tin just so cheerful?

60"

In spite of not being fond of working with the yarn, this project is coming along nicely. You certainly can't tell much from the photo. Unblocked lace is not appealing! This hasn't been a knitting-in-public project, but if it were I can't imagine any non-knitter wanting to take up the hobby based on seeing this wrinkly thing.

I did a quick steam block of the edges before picking up all around for the edging and I actually liked the yarn much better. So much so that I was actually encouraged. Encouragement is a Good Thing and not to be underrated.

True Haapsalu shawls have the edging knit in two long lengths, casting on a large number of stitches and stitching out from the edge, bound off, and sewn onto the garter edges of the shawl. Once again I am adding an edging the modern way ala Nancy Bush and picking up stitches all around and knitting in the round. To make my life a little easier this time, I bought a long addi Lace needle - 60" long actually. Really almost as long as I am tall.

I wondered if it would be awkward to wrangle. I am not very far along yet, but so far it is working well. I do have to stop occasionally and scoot the work around the cable, but they slide easily and, with 60 whole inches, they certainly aren't all bunched up on the needle like I've had before.

Can you see I'm using a project TIN instead of a bag for this? A tin of cookies came to the office at Christmas and I slapped a Post-It on there requesting the tin when the cookies were all gone. I knew it would come in handy. It has been just perfect for this project. I could keep my chart on the inside of the lid, using the magnetic ruler to keep my place, and just pop the lid back on when I was finished for the evening.

"Correction does much, but encouragement does more. " Goethe

Be mine

It's Valentine's Day,

and in the street,

there's freezing rain,

and slush, and sleet,

the wind is fierce,

the skies are gray,

I don't think I'll

go out today.

But here inside,

the weather's warm,

there is no trace

of wind or storm,

and you just made

the morning shine---

you said you'd be

my valentine.

Jack Prelutsky

named first ever Children’s Poet Laureate

no freezing rain or slush and sleet, I just liked this little poem.

I love bags

Well that's hardly news!

I finally got a Play Day and I knew just what I wanted to do. Make a bag!

Because I need a bag? No. Because they are FUN to make and it was high time to have a bit of fun.

I used all things I already had to hand. It would have been nice to have had a longer zipper, but foolish to waste time going shopping for one. Must try to remember to pick up some more next time.

I went with a Valentine theme as you see, but tried to pick fabrics that wouldn't look too Valentine-y to use afterwards. Sure that lining is super Valentine-y, but no one but me will be seeing that. [and aren't the sheep cute!]

I cut 2" strips and stitched them down on batting to self-quilt as I went along. The wooden beads and elastic cording for the zipper pull came from a $1 child's necklace kit bought a year or so back.

What you can't tell from this photo is that the first slice is a bit wonky and my side seams don't really match up. Ordinarily this might bother me, but I have to tell you I was so thrilled to have the time and to get to finish it, that I was delighted that it worked out as well as it did.

Right away I hand wound this hank of Madelinetosh Merino Light in the most scrumptious colorway called Cove and plopped it into the bag.

Oh, my is this a JOY to knit! Would love to work only on this, but it is to be my travel/conversation knitting and the pattern has to be something simple. Right now I'm just a few rows in on a top-down stockinette triangle with the idea of it perhaps becoming the Gingko Shawlette.

The Haapsalu Scarf

Kind friend and lacemaker Barbara, alerted me to some new lace books and among them was "The Haapsalu Scarf".

Be still my heart!

In the Estonian knitting tradition, rectangles are shawls and square or half-square triangles are scarves.

What the new book has that the first did not, is specific numbers for finished designs, saving you some calculations, and it repeats no patterns from the first book.

To get an idea and see some large, lovely photos from inside, check out this blog post.

It is $75. $75! Barbara's alert came the very day that I had been browsing through my knitting book library and realizing that I was quite blessed with pattern books and really need not buy any more. What timing!

In most cases, Haapsalu shawls and scarves are knitted of white yarn. If you are craving color and pattern, and not lace, then you might like to see some of the images from another fabulous new book of Estonian knitting, "Designs and Patterns from Muhu Island". Wow! [PS: it's only $130] There is also a wonderful post in Kate Davies' blog and more glimpses inside.

January?

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

Something bright

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

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

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!

Postmarked December 10, 1924

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

Squeezebox

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

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

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.