Knitting is Kneat-o

NEW BLOG

2011-11-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I've moved my blog over here! It's been a good run here at Blogger, but the time to move on was upon me.

Hope you like the new site!

A NEW DAY

2011-07-28T21:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a Google + mishap which deleted most of my older photos from my posts,

I'll be moving my blog over to a new provider... stay tuned for details!

Wool People, Vol. I

2011-07-25T20:17:00.000-04:00

The cat's out of the bag! I've been bursting at the seams to blog about the exciting opportunity to work with Jared Flood's company Brooklyn Tweed and his yarn, SHELTER. Months ago, Jared contacted me via e-mail to see if I would be interested in such a thing. To see if I would be INTERESTED?!?! Before I could regain my composure, I did a snoopy dance of excitement, ran up to yell the good news to my husband (so confused, poor thing) and ran back down to sit in front of my laptop to reply. It took all of my willpower to write something that didn't make me sound like a:

1. Stalker
2. Desperate-o
3. Drooling idiot.

As things progressed and I started to think about what I would design, my thoughts shot all over the place. Immediately, I thought cables. This yarn just screams cables. And then I thought, it would have to be an accessory, a cowl or tam of some sort. Then, it was a jacket - tweed calls for a jacket, right? Right?! I was slowly losing it, and losing a lot of sleep.

Then, I started to inquire and learned about some of the other knitters who would be taking part in this project. I don't think I have ever felt so insecure in my life. I kept thinking that the company I would be in would surely dwarf any attempt at a design I could conjure up.

I sketched and swatched and slowly I realized I had to approach this design in a totally different way. I had been used to being inspired by a yarn, or something I had seen on someone on the street. I would just go and grab a yarn from my stash, and swatch away. With SHELTER, I was not only representing myself and my thoughts on knitwear, but a company - Brooklyn Tweed. I wanted not only my aesthetic to come through, but also what the company has always stood for, and what the yarn represented. I suppose some artists would think that would be a compromise of their creative integrity. For me, it was a way to focus my creative energy and conversely create outside of my usual box. My boundaries and horizons had to shift.

So I made a list of what I thought were the similarities between Brooklyn Tweed and me. This is what I came up with:

1. Wearable
2. Complimentary to a variety of sizes and figures
3. Unintimidating to knit
4. Fun to knit.

Voila, the Perry Cardigan was born.

Since I had immediately thought of cables, I wanted to do something more unexpected, so I went with lace.

And since I immediately thought of something thick, dense and substantial, I wanted to make sure it was light and airy - again, something unexpected for this yarn.

I really love this cardigan. It's nothing earth-shattering design-wise, but I think it's something that will turn into a favorite - the one you grab to run errands, meet friends on the weekend, or keep in your office to fight off that chill.

I hope you like it, and I hope you enjoy knitting it should you choose to. I think I'll have to make one for myself in Sweatshirt - a great SHELTER gray.

Dabbling with color

2011-07-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

I love using socks, baby sweaters and gifts as a way to knit with color I otherwise wouldn't use. Yes, I love neutrals. Yes, I'm made fun of by most of the people I know. So when the occasional bright color(s) catches my eye (and literally falls off the shelf into my hands), the unending commentary from my buddies at Knitty City start swirling about. "Wow, what are YOU going to use that for?" "You're finally branching out!" "It's about time - give up those grays!" Most of the time, I don't have the heart to tell them it's for someone other than myself. But here it goes: those two skeins of Plaid Blanket I bought? It was for a baby sweater.

My friend had a baby boy a few months ago, so I thought an Autumn sweater in Madelinetosh's Plaid Blanket colorway was appropriate. The seemingly random colors in Plaid Blanket remind me of autumn leaves and come together perfectly. I loved watching the colors go by as I knit away. If you're madelinetosh-o-philes like myself, I just whispered the colors to myself as they slid over my fingers: glazed pecan, lettuce leaf, nebula, tern. At least those are the colorways I saw combined in this beautiful yarn.

I followed the Gramps Cardigan pattern by Kate Oates. It's a great little pattern with a wide size range. But, in my humble opinion, the colors in the yarn really makes the little sweater sing.

And maybe I was inspired by the color of my spinning wheel, but I just had to start spinning some red wool. Bright red.

I bought some Louet Corriedale Wool Top, and have been falling more and more in love with this red with every treadle.

Please don't tell anyone I said that. I'll never hear the end of it.

Treats for Dad

2011-06-21T10:20:00.000-04:00

Mr. Migglesworth is a cherry-holic. He loves the real thing; he loves the fake thing. He'll take cherry any which way he can have it. (Out of context, that sounds incredibly wrong.)

Upon our return from a recent trip, I found a bag of very ripe cherries sitting in our refrigerator.

And thus, the cherry cobbler was born.

Mental note: must pick up a cherry pitter.

Legacy

2011-06-10T20:44:00.001-04:00

My heart broke yesterday morning. I sat down at my laptop and started reading through my e-mails when I came to one from a dear friend. Her mother had just passed away. I met this friend through knitting. We met at the back table at Knitty City and our friendship developed over the past year as we started talking yarn and fiber, and moved onto our careers and dreams. Her mother had come to stay with her for a month late last year, and I was lucky enough to spend some quality time with her. We talked knitting, shared found projects on ravelry and passed along tips to one another. I had assumed that my friend's mother had taught my friend how to knit. But, I had it wrong. My friend had taught her mother, and she was instantly addicted. She was known to finish lengthy projects in record time, and never a piece for herself. She constantly passed along her beautiful knits to friends' newborns and her daughter.

I feel lucky to have been able to meet her, and even luckier to have been a recipient of one of her knitted gifts.

I will treasure it always.

Shame on me

2011-05-03T09:16:00.001-04:00

Holy cow. It's been over 3 months since my last post. Time flies when you're trying to get in as much knitting as possible before the NYC Summer throws it hot, humid and muggy veil over the 5 boros. The first sign of Spring for me? Peonies. I treated myself to a little bouquet from my favorite neighborhood florist, fLorEsta.

Once I see those beautiful blooms, I start to pack away the cashmere sweaters.

But, it's been a really exciting past few months. I've made some great new friends! (More to come on that. I just love a good surprise!) And, I've been doing so much knitting, that I felt I needed a hobby from my hobby. So... enter Miss Ladybug. She's a beauty.

Admittedly, I completely forgot how frustrating it is to learn something new. I've bonded with her since, but that first night... we quarreled. A lot. And I said a few things to her that I probably shouldn't have. But we've made up.

Every Ladybug Spinning Wheel comes with a little ladybug. Schacht places it in a unique spot for each wheel, and I found mind right behind the wheel. It has been so much fun learning a new aspect of knitting, fiber, wool and yarn. And while knitting needs my undivided attention, spinning allows me to calmly let the time pass. It's mesmerizing. Here is my first ball of "yarn". Unplyed. It's completely unusable, but I'm going to keep it around as a reminder.

I just signed up for the Beginning Wheel Spinning class at Purl Soho. It starts later on in May, and the class is taught on the Ladybug! I'm very excited. I feel like I could figure it out, but just want to make sure I've got a good foundation.

I also jumped on the Rock Island Shawl bandwagon. What a great pattern! It's gorgeous, simple enough for a knitter willing to try out a little lace. And that Grand St. Ink color! Whoa!! Jared's done it again.

I had such a great time knitting this. I used Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock instead of the Helen's Lace. And for no other reason than it was sold out. I had to "settle" for the sockweight. I love it, but I would like to try it in the laceweight once Knitty City gets some in stock. I think the color is darker in the sockweight too. Gorgeous, nonetheless.

And something I failed to mention in my last post: I've thrown another pattern up onto Ravelry for sale. It's a cabled hat, which spotlights a really interesting yarn - Lana Grossa's Chiara. I don't usually knit with yarn so slinky, but I couldn't resist. The sample is at Knitty City and the pattern has been flying off the shelves there. I don't think the pictures do it justice, but I named it Tortillon because of the sort of smeared-charcoal effect the yarn ends up having in the cables. It's really pretty cool. If you're interested, you can pick up the pattern here. It only takes one ball, and is a super quick knit.

Last but not least, I just had to share some pics of my last vacation. I spent a long weekend in Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos. This was my second time there, and I think it was better than the first. It is absolute paradise.

I'll leave you on that note.

Bonding

2011-01-23T14:34:00.001-05:00

I'm a huge fan of swatching. I'm always surprised when I hear other knitters talk about either not swatching all together, or just flat-out detesting it. For me, it gives me the time to practice a stitch pattern, get to know the yarn and develop a little bit of muscle memory for a particular match-up between needles, yarn and pattern. I call it bonding time. Sometimes it's hard for me to leave bonding time and actually move into the project. I have a whole bag full of swatches which I try to remember to label with what yarn it is and what needle size I used, and whether or not I used a stitch pattern from a particular book.

I'm not always successful, and I find myself treasure hunting for all the missing information. I pull them out of the bag every once in awhile and lay them out on my table, like puzzle pieces. Turning them right side up and positioning them correctly, I remember back to what I thought a particular yarn would be good for, or where I bought it. They're like little bits of memory for me.

So when I finally finished my poncho design from VK Holiday 2010, I had quite enough bonding time with Cascade 128 Superwash. Quite. Enough. But, I do love it and wear around the house all the time. When I sit on the couch, it sort of lays out like a blanket and I've started referring to it as my Snuggie. It's just better 'cause it's got a hood too.

Speaking of bonding, I had a lot of extra bonding time with Cascade 128 Superwash. The design I have in VK Winter 2010/11 is knit in the same yarn.

I do love it. It's a bulky weight workhorse'uva yarn. I had such a great time knitting up this particular design. The cabling becomes mindless, and the switch-up towards the top with the lace keeps it fun. Annie Maloney, the author of Aran Lace, the book where I got the stitch pattern from, gave me a shout-out on Ravelry and is knitting it up herself! I was so flattered when she e-mailed me.

And, what better way to bond with your fellow knitters than at VK LIVE!!! I was there yesterday helping out at the Pro Lab with one of their technical editors (Hi Lori!), and what a blast! I've had good and bad experiences when it comes to conventions, and this one was done right. Very organized, great venue, plenty of space and just enough to see, hear and talk about. Amidst all the yarn, I came across the most adorable knitted and felted dolls from ak traditions. I'm not a huge fan of knitting and sewing little things. I always lose interest by the time I have to put all the little pieces together. But, I couldn't resist these little cuties! So I bought one of their pattern books and am going to make a "Huggable". The little huggable bodies are like pillows. So adorable.

At The Last Hour

2010-12-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

Lately it feels like I'm either rushing to finish something, or something is catching me off guard. Like, say, sub-freezing weather and Christmas shopping. I know. It happens every single year. Winter comes in December and Christmas comes on the 25th. I KNOW. And with online shopping, I think I procrastinate even further with all the "order by the 23rd to receive by the 24th" promises.

And then the guilt starts to settle in. "I knit... I'm a knitter," I start thinking to myself wondering why I'm purchasing gifts when I could be knitting up something nicer and more special for my loved ones. Well, let's just say I'm a material girl living in a material world. I actually enjoy shopping (aka gathering and consuming). But that little voice... knit something nice... keeps popping up in my head. It's like my very own Ghost of Knitted Christmas Gifts.

So, alas, I finally got around to writing up the pattern for a hat I knit last winter. I knit it last winter in some last-minute knitting frenzy when I realized the weather was about to warm up. Yup, more of that procrastination thrown in with some last-minute rushing around. I completed it mid-March, and was able to wear it for about a week.

There were some lovely comments on Ravelry by some even lovelier ravelers which encouraged me to write it up for this season. And for all you folks procrastinating out there, it's a great quick knit.

I chose Malabrigo Worsted yarn for its softness and for the subtle beauty of the Pearl color. I love how the grey color has just a hint of blush.

I'm thinking for a man, sans pom-pom and in a navy or olive green color would make a lovely addition to their wardrobe.

The cabled stitch pattern is a multiple of 10, so downsizing for a child's cap is easy math. The cartridge rib makes up the band of the hat and is a multiple of 5 so that works out mathematically for downsizing as well. The cartridge rib is a flatter, less elastic rib than most so I would change to a 1x1 rib if you want something more snug. Or maybe try a smaller needle.

The pattern is for sale here. Check it out and if you decide to make it, start the project in Ravelry!

Inspiration?

2010-11-03T03:55:00.001-04:00

The owner of Knitty City, Pearl, has asked me to say a few words at the store when Trisha Malcolm, Vogue Knitting's Editor-in-Chief, makes an appearance in a few weeks. I told her I wouldn't have much to say and if she wanted me to say anything in particular to let me know. Pearl, the sweetest woman to ever live, just replied with a nonchalant, "Anything you say will be great. We're so proud of you."

As sweet as her reply was, I had no idea what to say. I still don't know what to say. I asked around and my knitting friends replied over and over with, "What's your inspiration?" And, "Where do you get your ideas?" My first response was a shrug. I honestly didn't know. It's a question I've had to think about long and hard. What is my inspiration. Can any of us answer that question? What ignites that initial spark of an idea. I think it's rare to have the lightbulb flash on from being off. Mine is always sort of flickering like an old neon tube. Sometimes brighter, sometimes darker. Occasionally, it will flash on for certain solutions - like - getting the symmetry right for a stitch pattern across a certain amount of stitches.

But as I started to breakdown my own process, I realized that I'm overloaded with inspiration. I'm not walking through life completely void of inspiration, and pow! there's one inspiring thing in front of me, staring me down, daring me to use it. Instead, it's everywhere and constantly flitting about.

So to not bore you with a list of every little thing I come across in my daily life, I've decided the question I should answer is, "What is your starting point?" This may mean the same thing to some, but not to me. Inspiration is rare. Inspiration can be seen through many creations, not just one. A muse inspires, and muses usually stick around for many seasons.

My starting point ends up being the swatch. I don't think this is very special nor very insightful. I would guess that most designers start there. And not just handknitwear designers, but most designers that use fabric as their medium. I had started to write that yarn was my starting point. And I guess you can take it back that far. But, really it's the fabric. And it's so easy to forget that what we're creating is fabric, and simply forming it as we go. I read an interview with the Olsen Twins (yes, I love them) and they were talking about their clothing line "The Row". It's a beautiful collection with impeccable tailoring and clean lines. All they could talk about was the fabric as they passed swatches back and forth between one another.

It's not that clean and simple for a hand knitter, because that fabric consists of a stitch pattern, and is made up of a particular yarn. But, if I had to say what my "inspiration" is, I would have to say it all starts with that fabric. And, that fabric starts for us with a swatch.

With that said, it has been incredibly interesting to design for a publication. They have a business and partnerships to protect. So, after spending so much time and energy creating swatches, it is sometimes challenging to use the yarn they've chosen for your design. I like experimenting, being challenged and playing around with yarns I otherwise wouldn't given a second glance. It has been a growing experience for me. The Zealana Tui that was given to me for the Cabled Poncho that appears in the Holiday issue is the perfect example.

I don't usually have time to figure out whether or not they made a better choice for my design. But I happen to have some free knitting time at the moment. So, I couldn't resist trying out the Poncho myself in the yarn I had envisioned it in.

So far, I've completed the back of the poncho in Cascade 128 Superwash Chunky. I can't wait to compare the final result.

P.S. I could only smile to myself when my next design was assigned this Cascade 128 yarn.

Turning Red

2010-10-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

My next published design is set to appear in Vogue Knitting's Holiday Issue. I'm so excited for this one! I love the way it turned out, how it looks in the shot, and how the editors decided to size it - up to 3X! But, most of all, I think it's flattering even though it's shapeless.

photo by Rose Callahan

Starting last year, I started to see a resurgence of capes and ponchos, and they seem to have really taken off this season. My original plan was to knit this in Cascade 128 Superwash, but I got Zealana's Aspire Tui for the project. I was hesitant at first, but the color is great and the yarn actually surprised me. Even though I felt punished for having to knit this in the summertime, the yarn was easy to knit with, light in the hand, but the resulting fabric is surprisingly weighty... which is a great thing when knitting an outer layer.

This was the first hood I ever knit, so I studied all the different ways hoods could be incorporated into the neckline. Picked up, or sewn on afterwards. I decided to knit straight up from the neck opening and increased from there. Everyone I asked about hoods told me to make sure it was big enough. I took that to mean to make sure it's deep enough. That always seemed to be my problem with hoods too. They never really stay on; they always seemed too shallow, slipping and falling off with just a turn of my head. I may have overdone it, but I just love the big hood on this poncho's silhouette.

And lastly, I threw in some pockets. This was not part of my original design, but since it's "outerwear" I thought pockets would work out really well. I have to admit: I'm still on the fence about the pockets. I think the yarn may be a bit too thick for pockets. So if you're more into aesthetics than practicality, I'd skip the pockets.

Vogue Knitting has thrown up a preview of this issue on their site, and it looks great! One of the biggest influences in my knitting life is Shirley Paden, and her design is on the cover, and the first piece in the spread that I'm featured in - Rhapsody in Red. I'm so humbled to be in her company along with Mari Tobita whose red dress is so stunning, it's breathtaking.

The issue is on the newsstands November 9th. I hope you check it out!

photo by Rose Callahan

Sans Sleeves

2010-09-14T20:50:00.000-04:00

When I was given the thumbs-up for my design submission for VK's Winter 2010/11 issue, I was thrilled! My lazier side (more like a large portion of self) was even more thrilled to learn that they wanted my submission, but without the sleeves. "Sure thing," I thought. Why not? It would make for a more interesting silhouette, and less knitting! My devious side thought I was getting one over on them.

Huh. I thought wrong. Sitting down, I used the swatches I had knit-up for the submissions. They even wanted me to use the same yarn I swatched in. What could be better?! Well. Blah blah blah, long story short, my first attempt at the sweater was a big fat failure. OMG. Basically, it looked like a sweater missing its sleeves. You simply cannot design a sweater with sleeves, and then knit up that same sweater, forget the sleeves and expect it to look normal. No no no no no. Let's just put an end to that nonsense right here, right now.

So, I had to knit it again. But different. The same, but different proportions. Whatever. Here's a sneak peek:

I'm so happy that I did it again and with the final outcome. But honestly? I'm over it. Next!

Flying Time

2010-08-09T07:50:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's already August. How time flies! As they say, it flies when you're having fun. And I can't say it's been different for me. I just got back from a quick weekender to Montreal. I had never been, and had only thought of it in terms of Celine Dion. It is such a gem of a city. Beautiful and pleasant. I really couldn't ask for more from our neighbors to the north. And while this city has been baking all summer, the temperature when we landed was around 50F. I let out a little hoppity skippty jump when we exited the airport and promptly threw on a sweater!

Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures. I thought taking along my new Holga 135BC would be a great idea. Well, I was wrong. I got through to the end of the roll and somehow, the film had broken out of it's little canister. So when I opened the back to check if I had rewound it all the way, all the film was exposed. I'll have to see if it's recoverable at all. Wah. :( I'm such a dufus.

Even more exciting is that I returned home to find some proper pictures of my VK design sent to me from the Yarn Editor. My anticipation is growing and growing awaiting the arrival of this issue. Here's a picture of my design that will appear in the magazine:

photo by Paul Amato

And, this issue's cover:

photo by Paul Amato

Doesn't she look like Kristin Stewart? I think they did that on purpose... I was hoping for some Twilight-inspired spread. hehe

Anyway, more to come on this issue's design, as I still can't believe it's almost here! Favorite and queue it on Ravelry, and post about it if you like it! I'd love to hear your feedback!

Preview is here!!

2010-08-05T12:13:00.001-04:00

Wa-hoo!! Vogue Knitting has updated their site to feature their Fall 2010 Preview! I'm so excited! My first design is in their "Force of Nature" spread.

It's the last picture in the bunch:

I also was given great news when I handed in my Noro project: They've accepted another design of mine which will appear in VK's Winter issue. I was very happily surprised! And, the yarn will be the same yarn I swatched in - how often does THAT happen?!?

I'm a happy camper.

You win some; you lose some

2010-07-28T17:14:00.004-04:00

I am so grateful for the opportunities Vogue Knitting has given me. My first project for VK will be on the newsstands soon. My second one, soon thereafter. And one of my more recent submissions was accepted into a book they'll be publishing featuring Noro yarn.

I had never knit with Noro yarn before, but its reputation preceded itself. I think Noro is known for its rainbow of colors. And for my austere color sensibilities, I was anxious about what yarn I would receive for my project. I was pleasantly surprised when an earthy range of browns greeted me when I opened up the FedEx box. (I think they took pity on me, probably imagining me faint if faced with greens, reds, yellows and purples.)

While the texture of the Noro Kureyon was fairly different from the yarn I imagined my design in, it worked out well. I altered the pattern ever-so-slightly to compensate for the difference. I think it was good practice.

Here's a sneak peek:

I really love this design. Easy knit, fun to knit, not boring and I think it's fashionable!

While finishing up this project, I read my rejection e-mail from Twist Collective. My design submissions didn't make it into their winter edition. And I haven't heard back regarding my next submission to VK for their Winter issue. I'm thinking it's a no-go. Oh well - you win some; you lose some. So, I think my next course of action will be to self-publish. I'll keep you posted!

Quince & Co. + Me = Happiness

2010-07-12T19:14:00.005-04:00

As far as knitters go, I can safely say that we're all pretty f'ing excited when a new yarn company hits the market.

So I'm sure you've all heard about Quince & Co. Headed up by Pam Allen and a super small team, it was launched last week.

Love at first sight. Their site is gorgeous, and so American... so New England... so dreamy. Knowing nothing about the company, I was so impressed by their story. Selling directly, they can keep their retail price point low and they use American sheep. I can't think of a better combination.

And then I checked out the options. Four weights, and a ton of colorways. It sort of reminded me of Blue Sky Alpacas' colors. Subtle and gorgeous.

I ordered two skeins to get me started.

I haven't knit with them yet, but they have a soft hand and very slight fuzziness to them. Stay tuned for some swatches. I have a feeling these will knit up beautifully.

Productive Procrastination

2010-06-24T19:59:00.004-04:00

I am a very goal-oriented person. I like being able to cross things off of my list. (Said list being all in my head, as I'm not organized enough to actually write it down.) And with a goal in my line of sight, I rarely deviate from it. But every so often, I procrastinate. I take little detours. And these detours usually turn out to be quite productive. Reorganizing yarn stash, surfing ravelry and my latest friends' activities, checking out yarn sales, setting aside yarn to donate... quite productive. Yes yes, quite productive.

Well, during my last project, I procrastinated. I was able to turn in my project early, thankfully, but I was antsy. I don't know - maybe it was knitting with bulky yarn in 90 degree weather. Maybe it was the fact that it wasn't portable. Maybe I needed something easy to knit whilst watching the World Cup. In any case, I procrastinated with this Mara Shawl. A free pattern from madelinetosh. I like its simplicity with the touch of femininity at the edge.

I used about three skeins of madelinetosh's DK yarn. It's so soft, with just the perfect amount of springiness. The color is Victorian Gothic. It's the deepest purple and since it's hand-dyed there is a beautiful subtlety in its unevenness. I absolutely love the yarn, the color and the finished product. How often can you say that?! It's still way too warm for this piece, but it'll be great come Fall.

Little Rewards

2010-06-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

As a little reward for finishing up my project before the deadline, I hit Barnes & Noble yesterday with my dear friend Jen. It's been a ritual of ours. We'll meet up, check out Barnes & Noble and then grab some dinner. I used to live a few blocks away from one, but not anymore. So now, it's really a treat for me.

Since buying my beloved Kindle, I don't have much use for buying bestsellers, but I don't think there's any substitution for craft books. There's too much flipping back and forth between the picture, pattern, abbreviations and definitions. Who knows... maybe one day.

Well, much to our dismay, our Barnes & Noble was rearranging and reorganizing the "Crafts & Hobbies" section at the exact same time we decided to go. So, we decided to check out the periodicals. No luck - we both had all of the latest issues of everything. We turned to look at each other and the lightbulb went off. Without uttering any words, we intuitively started to make our way to the Cookbooks section.

We picked up copies of Whoopie Pies and today I made my first batch of Oatmeal Whoopie Pies with classic buttercream filling. YUM-MY IN MY TUMMY!!!!!! Best reward ever!

Winter in Summer

2010-06-17T08:28:00.005-04:00

I just finished knitting my design for Vogue Knitting's Holiday issue. I'm so in love with it. I love that it's just so darn wearable. I know with every idea that pops into my head, it's hard to really know how it's going to turn out. From the sketch, to the swatches, to working out the pattern, to the final product... there are a lot of variables.

And the one thing you don't have much control over when working with a big magazine like VK is the yarn. They choose it for you. And I love that it forces me to work outside of my comfort zone. And that's an important part of growing and learning - working outside of that comfort zone.

So you'll see with this next design that I was dragged kicking and screaming into the wide world of color. They choose a very festive red. For the past month, it's been the one splash of color in my sea of beige and gray. And, I'm going to miss it.

Here's a very small sneak peek:

And now, back to the drawing board for Spring... any thoughts?

Beyond Flattered

2010-06-12T06:44:00.008-04:00

People don't usually surprise me anymore. In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, he talks about the 10,000 hour rule. It takes 10,000 hours to master something. I think if you've ridden 10,000 hours on the subway, you've pretty much mastered The Person. You've seen it all. I have ridden at least 10,000 hours on the subway. I won't list all the erratic human behavior I've been witness to during those 10,000 hours. And anyone who's reading this and has ridden the subway is probably just nodding their head and praying I don't start a bulleted list. I think you get me here.

So when I posted my first pattern on Ravelry, I found myself surprised. Surprised with people! People were actually buying it and making it! But honestly, I was, least of all, surprised and, most of all, flattered. We all know the knitting community is a caring one. But, I didn't recognize how nurturing it is. Maybe it's just me that hasn't seen something so obvious until now. But with every finished Eternity Scarf posted onto Ravelry, I am encouraged little by little to continue down this designing path.

Below are a few pictures of some finished Eternity Scarves. Something I've tried to improve upon is my photography, and I owe it all to knitting, this blog and the wide world of the Internet. A picture says a thousand words, right? It's obvious I'm not the only one out there. Look at how gorgeous these photos are! I am so humbled, and so proud to be a part of this always-growing knitting world.

by Elaine

by Mary

by Catrina

by Knitterella®

by Linda :: photo by Gabrielle

I work with Linda, by the way. She's based in our San Francisco office, and though we've never met, we've become close knitting buds. I was cyberally introduced to the knitting group that gathers in the SF office. And thinking back, it was a passing conversation I had with Linda that gave me the motivation and encouragement to write this pattern.

Aren't the scarves incredible?! The colors take my breath away. I really need to start knitting with more color - she says as she stares at her pile of gray yarn.

Click here for more Eternity Scarves on ravelry.com. Thank you everyone for purchasing this pattern. I am beyond flattered.

A Garden in Queens

2010-06-04T07:44:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, I did not take to gardening at first. I can't imagine it's as pleasurable to garden in New York City as it is in, say, the Hudson Valley or in Pennsylvania. I had to figure it all out.

I am lucky enough to have "outdoor space". (For those of you not from an urban area, outdoor space is an amenity. Not a God-given right. ) And, I had to move out of Manhattan and into Queens to get some of this mythical Outdoor Space. It has been downright eye-opening. Between trees dying, perennials NOT coming back and the random visits by caterpillars (who ate all my dill and parsley), twig caterpillars on my roses, and bees + honeycombs, you'd think I was on an Animal Planet episode and not in a very industrialized part of Queens.

The only gardening I'm doing is what I think people call Container Gardening. I have a gazillion planters, and a bazillion pots. So I guess I'm a little limited to what I can do. But this is great for me. If I had LAND, I just don't know what I would do with it. So my containers are finally abloom. And while it's taken me awhile to warm up to the whole dirt and bug thing, I think I like it. I think I really really like it. It's given me that much-needed downtime between work and knitting. And it forces me to go outside and spend some time in the sun... another thing that seems to be an amenity in NYC.

So, let's see... I've got my first rose:

And some pretty light pink flowers (yeah, I threw out those plastic things with the flower's name):

And these are for one special little Pug. Her favorites: strawberries:

We've already plucked off the ripened one's and given them to her. She's waiting not-so-patiently for these.

Woo-hoo!

2010-05-22T19:11:00.002-04:00

I'm working on my second design for Vogue Knitting! Yay! It's slated to be in their Holiday issue. Of course, I'm trying not to count my chickens before they're hatched, but... yay!!

Now, I'm not going to give too much away before I've finished knitting it, but it's:

1. Red(dish)
2. Bulky weight
3. Hooded

My very first hood. I have to remember next time to not submit something I've never actually knit before. I'm just not going to think about it for now. Thankfully my Knitty City buds have been talking me through it. Love them!

I'm also working on some submissions for Twist Collective. They frown upon any "previews", so I say nothing. Wish me luck!

The Process

2010-04-23T08:09:00.008-04:00

It's been quiet on my blog and I apologize for not having posted anything for quite some time. I have been single-mindedly and obsessively working over a design that will appear in Vogue Knitting's Fall 2010 issue. When I was given the thumbs up after I submitted a design proposal, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. Of course that excitement turned to anxiety and moved swiftly into self-doubt. The self-doubt is easy to understand... just go back to some of my first posts here. (By the way, if you're only thinking about documenting your progress as a crafter or artist and haven't done so, I highly recommend it. It's easy to forget how far you've come.) Here are some old post highlights:

1) WTF. Who told me a pink and turquoise pussy cat would be ok?

2) What was I thinking. My very first garment was going to be some french-translated JACKET with binding and buttons... oy. The very best thing about that Swing Jacket is after joining the online KAL, I met some knitters that I still keep in touch with. And no, I never finished the jacket. Maybe one day.

3) And, puh-lease, I thought this was a lot.. I can only laugh out loud. I think I bought that much during my last trip to the LYS.

(And why am I not using my sewing machine?! Shame on me.)

So after taking that stroll down memory lane, I reminded myself that I taught myself how to do this...this... knitting thing and that nothing could stop me.

As soon as I found out what yarn VK was planning on sending me, I ran out and went yarn shopping. For research, of course. I bought one skein (and several others) and started swatching. And swatching. And swatching. I tried the stitch pattern on a multitude of different needles. I blocked. I swatched and blocked again.

I felt like I couldn't get enough information, and that I needed more information. Was it 8.2 sts/in that I was getting? More like 7.9? Was the smaller needle too tight? Would the fabric not drape properly? My swatches were too small!

I was keeping myself up at night with all these questions. And they kept coming. Negative ease? Different eases between bust and waist? How long should I make it? How wide should the neck be? How big will the model's head be?

So from lack of sleep, exhaustion and delerium, I moved on. I had to close my eyes and cast on.

Using my swatches, I was able to plan out my entire garment before casting on. So I kept referring to my notes and laid out how the stitch pattern would increase and decrease with a sequoia's worth of graph paper.

I cannot tell you how difficult it is to depend on your very own pattern for the first time. It felt like something was missing. It felt like I needed the REAL pattern to follow. That mine alone wasn't enough. It was nerve-racking and disorienting. Like I was taking a quiz and just wanted to peek at the answer key.

And as I started knitting the back, a fellow knitter peeked over my shoulder and said, "Oh, is that the sleeve?" Omigod, I thought. OMIGOD. It's too small. It's way too small. Vogue requested the sample be in a women's size small, determined by the CYCA. I checked my numbers, checked my swatches, checked the guidelines, and used three different rulers (just in case), and even more calculators (you never know) and determined that my cast-on was right. So, I plowed on.

Once I completed the back, I had to block it to make sure it was ok.

It looked ok to me. It was actually more than ok - I really liked it! So I knitted on and was so happy when I finally got to the sleeves.

And even happier that the sleeves looked considerably smaller than my back when I started.

The most satisfying part of this entire process was that the sweater turned out to look like I had planned. Who woulda guessed. I was really quite surprised. I didn't have any doubts that it would look like a sweater, of some sort. But it looked like my sketch. Yippee!! I just sat down and stared at it on my dressform.

Wow, I actually did it.

Oy. Pictures.

2010-03-20T10:08:00.005-04:00

I don't know what my problem is, but I have a real aversion to having my picture taken. I just... hate it. But, everyone tells me knits look better when actually modeled. So, there you have it. I'm wearing the sample I knit for Gotham Fine Yarns. I took the pictures myself. Hate the pictures.

Maybe it's like hearing your own voice? I don't know. I just don't think I look like that, but apparently I do.

Less about me, more about the beret! As I extolled in the last post, I just love this yarn. And I love this citron color. Some find it obnoxious, but I think it's the perfect shade. And it goes with all my favorite neutrals!

And, I gotta say... this is a quick knit. Two nights of knitting.

String Theory

2010-03-17T18:08:00.004-04:00

While I'm not in the business of reviewing yarn, I can't help myself when it comes to this one. String Theory's Caper Sock yarn is really special.

I was in Gotham Fine Yarn dropping off copies of my Cables & Lace Beret Pattern when I agreed to knit up a sample for the store. It's always helpful to have the real live finished object for customers to look and try-on. Anyway, Rebecca of Gotham Fine Yarns helped me find just the right yarn to use. New to the store, and completely new to me, she handed me a hefty skein of 400 yards in Citron. Wow, I thought. This color is fantastic. And that's really saying something considering my arsenal of every shade of off-white in my stash. But, I digress.

I wound it up and started knitting the beret. Wow, I thought again. This feels great! It's just springy enough to make it easy to work with and make the stitches really pop and the color is just the right spring green. 80/10/10 of Merino, Cashmere and Nylon - not a magical combination nor unique. But I kept flipping the tag over trying to see if I was missing something. Some exotic fiber for sure. Nope. Just the good old stuff.

If you're in the NYC-area, I really recommend checking it out at Gotham. Otherwise, I think they're online. I do know they're from Maine and while I'm crazy for yarn, I'm not crazy enough to drive up for it. Well, actually...

Mr. Migglesworth

2010-02-25T12:07:00.005-05:00

I've only mentioned my husband on a few occasions. Mr. Migglesworth is a fine gentleman. He has often been described by my friends as a special, deeply sensitive and truly romantic man. I couldn't agree with another statement more. While having his soft side, he is what I like to describe as a rock-solid, simple man. He doesn't use hair product, never complains, doesn't talk much (for the most part), takes pride in performing all his responsibilities and likes the basics in life: a good hot meal, comfortable slippers, television on a Saturday afternoon and a good stiff drink to loosen up.

So with winter slowly approaching its end, I had to get on it if I wanted to knit him something this season. So I chose "Terry's Pullover" from Interweave Knits. I thought it fit my simple man's distinguished yet simple sensibilities quite well.

I used Classic Elite's Portland Tweed. What a wonderful yarn. It's a new staple for me. The perfect worsted weight tweed. While not always being the biggest fan of tweed, the texture is subtle and the flecks really add some depth to this dark brown. It was such a pleasure to use.

While blocking, I had to be very careful about it growing out too much. After I laid it out, I realized the chest circumference would end up being about six inches too big, so I had to pull it back in. And now it fits beautifully. I love the way it looks on him, and I really enjoyed knitting this up. Best of all, Mr. Migglesworth is very pleased with it. It matches his slippers and he promises to wear it on Saturdays while watching TV.

Some cables, some lace

2010-02-18T18:07:00.004-05:00

I thought this stitch pattern would be the perfect way to bridge winter and spring together. Some cables and some lace to define both seasons. So when I wanted to design a beret, I thought it would be perfect. March is coming and March has always reminded me of Spring Break. As much as I love the winter and snow, Spring is always a welcome change.

I used The Fibre Company's Road to China Light for the beret. What an amazing yarn. I really can't say enough good things about it. It's luxurious, with a subtle sheen and a beautiful mixture of fibers. It's warm, not scratchy and heavenly to work with. I simply adore it, and highly recommend it.

This pattern is for sale on ravelry.com for $6. Click here to buy now. The pattern includes written instructions, as well as a charted pattern. I loved designing it, and hope you love knitting it!

Haruni

2010-02-11T08:11:00.003-05:00

Here it is. The Haruni Shawl. What a lovely pattern, right?

It's a free pattern from Ravelry by Emily Ross and it's actually stunning. Her pattern writing is exceptional, and the finished shawl is so different from one's that I've seen.

I used Koigu Mori held together with Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace. I like the effect, but I don't think I'll work with two strands ever again. It's just a pain. But maybe it's my lazy a**.

The only change I made is on the bind-off. She proposes two types of bind-offs. I did the crochet bind-off as it seemed faster and easier. It's a k3tog, ch6, etc. etc. Instead of doing the k3tog, I did a center double decrease - sl2k, k1, psso. And when you're doing the "k1" you're basically going to bring the yarn through all the stitches on the hook. So it's a nice flow. And having to get the crochet hook only through two stitches instead of three made my life a lot easier.

I made this for my mom, whom I'm seeing on Saturday. They just moved to Vegas and I thought something lacey and light would be appropriate for their hot temps.

Easy Knit

2010-01-25T20:47:00.003-05:00

Sometimes it's nice to knit something that doesn't require too much concentration. The perfect knit for the subway and group gatherings.

Well, I still have the Haruni Shawl to complete, but that's not exactly something I want to take onto the subway. I'm almost done, which means the rows have gotten super duper long.

Anyway, I found this great free pattern on ravelry for a "Twisted Rib Neckwarmer". It was super easy to knit, only taking a couple nights to finish, and I was able to use two random balls of Blue Sky Alpacas Sport. I'm not sure if I like the duo effect, but at least I was able to use some yarn I had! Love that!

New Pattern!

2010-01-10T16:49:00.004-05:00

Recently I posted some pictures of my Drawstring Cabled Cowl with pom-pom's.

Before publishing a pattern for it, I wanted to take it for a test drive and see if it was worthy of anyone else's time.

It has been below freezing in NYC for the past few weeks, and it has really kept me warm! I just pulled those pom-pom's down, tied them in a pretty bow and I was all snuggly warm.

If you're experiencing the deep freeze like I am, I think you'll enjoy this addition to your wardrobe.

I loved working with Blue Sky Alpaca's Worsted Hand Dyes yarn. Even though it is wool and alpaca, it is incredibly soft and not itchy at all. No little hairs or fibers sticking out. It's really amazing. I highly recommend it.

So, I've written up the pattern, and it's in my Ravelry store for purchase. I hope you'll give it a try and post your WIPs in Ravelry - I love seeing all the progress on my patterns.

Click the button below to purchase from Ravelry, and I've also got a link in the right hand pane. Thank you!

Colorific!

2010-01-09T09:27:00.004-05:00

I'm off to a good start with this whole New Year's Resolution thingy! I'm knitting with more color, Ma! See??

I knit Ysolda's ever popular pattern for the Snapdragon Tam. I LOVED knitting this. Definitely not boring, but definitely not hard either. All the cables were manageable, and there was no ridiculous "K100tog"... not naming any names.

And, I used Madelinetosh Worsted. Whoa. This is amazing yarn. Truly. Nice to work with, beautiful color and blocked very nicely!

I did learn one thing - COLOR me silly... when you increase to 5 stitches, I've always done the knit into front and back of the stitch five times. That makes the stitch you're knitting into cock-eyed - to the right to be exact. If you knit and purl into the same stitch, you'll center the stitch that you're knitting into making it much more pleasing to the eye. Not as easy as knitting front and back, but gets easier the more you do.

Next up: The Haruni Lace Shawl. And yes... I'm using color! Blues to be exact!

Pretty In Pink

2010-01-06T11:33:00.004-05:00

2010 is off to a great start!

My last knitting job for Shirley Paden has come out! It's the Pink Ruffled Lace Cardigan in Vogue Knitting's Winter 2009/10. I was able to help Shirley with the body, collar and sleeves. The yarn is really wonderful to work with - Plymouth's Ashton. And surprisingly, it was a fairly quick knit! Honestly!

Check out the piece on Vogue's site under their 360 view section here. You'll be able to see each piece from the latest issue without all the styling, and extras they throw in when they do the photo shoot. You'll get a much better sense and feel of each project.

And while I'm not a huge pink fan myself, I do think this feminine piece really expresses what pink is to most of us - pretty!

Knitting Resolutions

2010-01-06T09:27:00.006-05:00

After completing one project I had on the needles for far too long, I realized tackling those WIP's really is satisfying. It's unfortunate I'm a LOSER and totally messed up on this "triangle shawl" which is now a diamond shawl instead.

To create that triangle shape, increases need to be made every other row. How many increases you ask? Well, more than I made. I increased on each side of a center stitch and thought that was the way you did it. No no no, increases need to be made at each edge too - a couple stitches in from the edge, usually. So four increases each increase row, instead of just two. Four increases = triangle. Two increases = diamond.

Thankfully, I can still wear the "shawl" as more of an 80's throwback to those bandanas.

Also I knit a little cabled cowl which turned out to be not drapey at all. So, I threaded some yarn through the top edge and made it a drawstring cowl. I kind of dug the look so I threw some pom-pom's at the end. Kind of cute. Kind of apres ski chic. And very warm. I think I'll wear it today!

Oh - so what's my resolution? Knit with some more color this year. I think you can see why.

Last 2009 Knit

2010-01-01T09:32:00.005-05:00

One of my best friend's birthdays is on New Year's Day. In the past, she has always been traveling during this time. But this year, she was home and we decided to have a quiet dinner out to celebrate her birthday and 2010.

I knit the #12 Cabled Cowl from Vogue Knitting's Holiday issue. It was such a quick and easy knit - I was surprised. It looked a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. But you'll see from the chart in the magazine, that it's quite easy to memorize and quickly you'll fall into a rhythm. Jo Sharp's Silkroad Aran in Parchment worked well. It used up more than 4 balls of it... closer to 5 actually.

I made no modifications to the pattern, and I think it turned out rather chic! Since my friend works in fashion I was really hoping it would "pass the test" and when she threw it right on, I knew it did!

Happy 2010 everyone! Knit (and craft) on! I think my new year's resolution may be to stop ignoring my precious sewing machine.

Many travels

2009-12-26T08:49:00.004-05:00

December has been a flutter of activity. I'm sure you can all relate. Some activity sad, some happy but all with optimism.

The month started with a "farewell" party to my dear friend who decided to move back to Chicago. A new beginning and a fresh start are always welcome, but this big city with only a few friendly faces will seem just a little lonelier to me. I miss her dearly. Since this was my girlfriend I spent hours with shopping for designer shoes, handbags and clothes I knew she had every material thing she wanted. So to make something was the only possibility to show her what she has meant to me.

I used Brooklyn Tweed's Hemlock Ring adaptation to make her a "Circle of Friends" Blanket and presented it to her from the Girls. Chicago's a cold place in the winter, so I think it's being put to good use. She tells me she sleeps with it nightly.

Next up, I had to do a little travel for work and then Mr. Migglesworth and I were off on vacation! We headed off to Papagayo in Costa Rica. It was heavenly. No, we didn't surf. No, we didn't do any of the hikes. My one and only goal was to turn into a complete sunshine-induced blob. It worked for the most part.

Right after we returned, we had to turn around and head to Laguna Beach, California for my cousin's wedding. It was another glorious part of the world with perfect weather and a view of the glistening Pacific at the ceremony and cocktail hour.

Unfortunately, while in California the East Coast got dumped with inches and inches of snow. I was bummed that I had missed the snowfall, but even more pissed our flight was delayed about 3 hours, getting us in around 4:30am.

But all is ancient history now. Another Christmas down... and New Year's is upon us. I can't wait for New Year's Eve - an intimate dinner with some of my closest pals!

Sadistic mommy

2009-11-08T12:07:00.006-05:00

I just had to. When I saw this pattern in the Pet Heaven book at Knitty City, I had to make it for my pug.

It's her 8th birthday today, so I thought it would make a cute little gift. Perfect for the winter time.

This balaclava is meant to have some puff mufflers sewn on. Well... as you can see, Brigitte is not as amused with it as I am. I can't stop laughing, and she's already taken it off by herself a number of times. When I come at her with the balaclava, she now hides. So, I didn't bother sewing the mufflers on. She's never going to let me put it on her again.

What I did do for her (and not me) on this special birthday, is make her a batch of chicken cupcakes. Now those, she loves!!

Made in Queens

2009-11-06T16:43:00.004-05:00

Allow me some NYC 5boro pride, knitters!

Made in Queens, not Brooklyn! Here are my version of the Grove Mittens from Jared Flood's pattern booklet, Made in Brooklyn. Love love love these damn things!

In all seriousness, I had a great time knitting these mittens. Easy enough pattern, but not a drag to knit. And such a beautiful stitch. I love these mittens so much, I refused to take them off at work the other day. It was almost cold enough to wear them (yes, I got a few weird looks on the subway), so I pulled them on with pride and wore them all day long. It was damn hard to type, but fashion hurts right?

And I can't get over how lovely this Knit Picks City Tweed DK yarn is. I've got a bit of it left from each ball and I'm trying to figure out what I can do with it? A teeny scarf for the pug? One coaster? An eye patch? Fake moustache? I don't know. I don't want it to go to waste!

Cuckoo for Cowls

2009-10-31T00:13:00.006-04:00

I've got another pattern up on ravelry.com! It's the Zig Zag Cowl.

I'm even more excited about this one than the last. It takes less yarn, and is quite easy to knit, but not boring.

And look! Wear it over your coat collar. Keeps you even warmer :)

I truly enjoyed working with the Berroco Peruvia yarn. I was surprised. It feels rough on the skein, but softens up as you knit it. And it was different for me to not knit with something with a lot of spring to it. It's really quite lovely.

Hope you'll give the pattern a try. Purchase it from ravelry.com, or from my sidebar here.

Surprise surprise

2009-10-25T21:23:00.004-04:00

Well well well. Color me a yarn snob. I fully admit to having turned up my nose at acrylic. Having started my knitting life at Purl Soho, and now working at Knitty City, you can't blame me, can you? I honestly didn't know that I was dealing with top-of-the-line goods. I just thought it was normal.

So when I was dragged kicking and screaming into a Michael's, and then a Jo-Ann store I was horrified at the pounds of yarn. I couldn't possibly be seen leaving with that in my possession. Oh no no no.

But, I was tempted when the Lion Brand Yarn Studio opened in Manhattan. I've always associated them with those pounds of acrylic. Color me stupid now. I was in search of some baby friendly yarn. Superwash to be exact, and I stumbled across their LBY Collection Superwash Merino. At $8.00 a skein, I thought I'd give it a whirl.

It is absolutely gorgeous. I had such a good time knitting with this yarn!

I used it for the Autumn Leaves Cardigan pattern. I modified it a bit, but since it's a free pattern on Ravelry, I couldn't ask for anything more. I think it's adorable!

I had such a good time, in fact, that I even bought a skein of their Wool-Ease. Who can turn their nose up at anything these days?

The hole gets deeper

2009-10-20T07:55:00.003-04:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one who started knitting making statements like, "Omigod, I would never knit those. I'm just going to make some scarves and hats." Or, "Wow, that's a lot of effort - forget that." Well, here I am three and a half years later, knitting things I wouldn't knit and doing things to them I chuckled at only a few months ago.

Yes, I purchased sock blockers from Knit Picks. And here I am blocking socks. They need to be blocked too, right? I just couldn't resist.

These are a gift for a fabulous co-worker. He wanted me to make some socks for his wife and mother after seeing pictures of my original Lindsay Socks. How often do you willingly knit two pairs of socks for someone which are not even for them? That's how fabulous he is. Since they were a gift to be a gift, I wanted them looking spiffy. They were so puckered that I bit the bullet and got the blockers.

Every time I look down this knitting hole, it just gets deeper and deeper.

As fair as fair can be

2009-10-15T08:33:00.004-04:00

Maybe there are just some things that don't come easily. Like this Fair Isle Knitting. Unfortunately, mine should be called something more like Ugly Isle Knitting. It's all about the tension isn't it. I'm such a tight knitter that when I'm told to knit more loosely, I just stare at my hands.

Here is another attempt of mine at "fair" isle knitting:

OK, you can't really see squat in that picture.

I know I didn't pick the best colors for fair isle, but I didn't really want to do something so contrasting you could really see my mistakes. So I'll go to that white and black when I'm feeling more confident. Sorry Brooklyn Tweed!! I've done absolutely no justice to your beautiful fair isle Beaumont Tam!

This'll be my third attempt, too. Third. I thought three was the charm?

That darn tension! It just looks so sloppy. And it's being blocked over a dinner plate, so it's kind of looking as good as it's gonna get. I know I know... practice makes perfect, but I'm not sure I can keep wasting yarn like this! I've tried every trick I've found online, read about or heard about. Wooden needles so the yarn doesn't slip back when you're trying to stretch it out. Put your finger under the strand to give it some slack. Pull on it once you've knit it to make sure it's loose. OK, that last one I can't do. It would take me a year to finish something like this little tam.

The Eternity Scarf

2009-09-23T21:05:00.011-04:00

I'm so excited about this scarf! It's my first pattern that's for sale on ravelry. I wanted to design something fashionable, easy to wear, but most importantly - easy to knit!

Anyway, my inspiration was all of those cowls, snoods and circle scarves for sale.

Having knit for so long, the cowl has always been so popular. Perfect for a one skein project. Perfect to splurge on that bit of cashmere you've had your eye on. But I always wanted something with a little more... drama, shall we say? This eternity scarf drapes low giving the appearance of something low-cut. I used different stitch patterns so you can twist it about and it can look different every which way.

Yes, I have a bit of an obsession with scarves. Generally, they've been much cheaper to buy, but this particular design seems to be cheaper to knit yourself! Especially in that fine fiber you've had your eye on! Here are a few more pics of my design:

Twist it around twice when it gets really cold out:

If you're interested, buy now! You'll be brought to PayPal and you must be a member of Ravelry. The cost for the pattern is $4.00.

Sockalockabangbang

2009-09-19T20:11:00.003-04:00

After completing my project for Shirley Paden, I was able to eek out another Baby Surprise Sweater. I was in such a rush to finish it, that as soon as I weaved that last stitch in, I gave it away. Forgot to take a pic. But, I think if you're reading this, you know what a Surprise Sweater is... I've knit so many I'm surprised I don't have the darn thing memorized. It's a really brilliant design, but enough. I think I have to swear them off for at least the next few newborns coming.

And I got to finish my Glynis Socks. You know... I'm happy with them yes. But this particular pattern just didn't blow my skirt up. It's such a small repeat of a pattern, that I feel it looks really erratic. Not a very pretty, graceful looking pattern. And, I can't imagine knitting this up in anything not solid.

Like, can you imagine that in a rainbow variegted yarn? Yikes.

So, I started looking back at my blog entries and I had a good laugh. Wow - some of those attempted projects in the beginning were really something special. Quite hysterical. If you're a brand new knitter and want to see some total rubbish, go to my older posts. You'll feel much better about whatever it is you're doing and however novice if you feel.

But, it got me thinking. Why have I continued knitting socks? When I've tried fair isle, but haven't gotten hooked (trying desperate). Tried lace... well... whatever. But socks? Huh. I don't really wear them, and if you don't wear them... they're really kind of useless. I realized it was the perfect outlet and inbetween type of project for me. I don't normally like wearing bright colors, and I'm not one to wear anything too lacey. I like my clothing basic. I use sock knitting to buy fluorescent pink variegated yarn. And to knit all those crazy stitch patterns I would never throw onto my torso. It is absolutely perfect for that.

Now I can get back to a garment and not feel totally bored. Love those socks!

Sock it to me

2009-09-01T11:41:00.010-04:00

Here are the lovely socks I received from my Sock Exchange partner.

Aren't they lovely? And so cozy too. Just in time for this chilly spell we're having here in NYC. It got down into the 50's last night, and we're to enjoy autumn-like weather for the next couple of days. My exchange partner used ShibuiKnits Sock Yarn and absolutely loves it and highly recommends it.

You can see I've broken them in already. Dog hair is covering the soles like an added layer of warmth.

In the meantime, I've been given another project by Shirley Paden that will appear in Vogue Knitting's Winter issue. I'm quite excited about the project as I've learned loads already. It's going to be another spectacular creation from her. Since designing is such a work-as-you-go process, I've had a few spare moments inbetween stages to work on other things. So, I started the Glynis Socks from Cookie A.'s Sock Innovation. Thankfully, Interweave's site has the erratas for this pattern on a PDF.

One down, one to go. I just love this Koigu cornflower blue. It makes me happy to look down at my right foot.

1st Sock Exchange

2009-08-09T09:22:00.005-04:00

My closest friend and fellow crafter decided to do a sock exchange. I had never done one before, had tons of sock yarn, and hadn't knit a pair of socks in awhile. What the heck, I thought!

We chose the Lindsay Sock pattern from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book. I love the finished product, but true to what I had read about her book, the pattern was written very poorly. If you're thinking of knitting these socks, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. The "set-up round" is knit once. But the pattern does not mention to then start with round 2 for the first pattern repeat. That is the only way I could get the pattern to work. Most set-up rounds I've knit in the past, is just that... a set-up to the pattern. So, I kept knitting the set-up round once, like stated, and then going to round 1 of the pattern. I had to start over a few times before realizing that the yo's in round 1 would leave you with enough stitches to have a whole other repeat. Thus, huge socks.

2. The 6-stitch ribbing is not included in the chart, or mentioned. Only a k2, p2 and then another p2 at the end of the round. A quick note about those stitches being the ribbing would have helped.

3. The ssskp is not a commonly known decrease. Slip, Slip, slip, knit, pass slipped stitcheS over knit stitch. Why not put a description in there. Or, what's wrong with a ssssk? Most of us know a ssk, so an ssssk would have been fine, no? Which is what I ended up doing. I think it looks fine.

4. And the only way to get through this pattern with any sanity in tact is to knit round 6's knit stitches very loosely. So, in row 7 you can do the k4tog and ssskp (ssssk) with relative ease. Otherwise, a crochet hook is in order, or a lot of cursing and hand cramping. I'm a fan of neither while knitting.

So just a quick note to editors of knitting books and patterns out there: more information is generally more helpful.

More Knitting, Less Sewing

2009-07-22T06:54:00.005-04:00

Usually when the summer is in full bloom, I turn to sewing and quilting. Knitting yarn seems like such a winter-time activity for me. I've enjoyed changing crafts with the changing seasons.

But this year, I didn't seem to change gears with the longer days and higher temperature.

I've started three more knitting/crochet projects.

Linen Tank that's perfect for summer. I'm following the Liesl Pattern from cocoknits.

Crocheting a big granny square baby blanket for one of the many girls that my friends are expecting this late summer.

And I'm doing a sock exchange for the first time with my closest friend and fellow crafter. We're trying out the Lindsay Sock Pattern from Cookie A.'s book Sock Innovation. The book seems to have an abundance of erratas, but we're going to knit through it together! She picked out this great Claudia Handpainted Yarn I had in my stash - colorway Summer Rose. I love the colors!

I do hope the sewing bug bites me again and I'm able to finish up the zig zag quilt. But for now, I'm not fighting it.

My First Pattern

2009-07-19T11:51:00.005-04:00

I finally got hooked up as a "designer" on Ravelry and was able to offer my very first free pattern download.

Exciting! It's for the Seedy Scarf, which is super-easy and a great project for a beginner, or anyone looking for some mindless knitting.

(If you're on Ravelry, link to the pattern by clicking on pattern pic.)

No Capes

2009-07-18T09:40:00.005-04:00

As soon as I finished this shawl, I heard Edna Mode's voice in my head exclaiming, "No capes!"

This is the first true lace project I've knit, and honestly I'm just not a lace-shawl-wearing kinda gal. But I needed something interesting to knit. So, I chose this project.

Late last year, Shirley Paden had hired me to knit up a sample of the lace shawl that appeared in Vogue Knitting's Spring 2009 issue. I swore, to no one in particular, that that would be the last time I ever knit lace or used that crazy-a** mohair string they call yarn.

I started off using Yarn Place's Graceful yarn, which is very thin, yes, but not very fuzzy which is what I convinced myself was the issue with that mohair. After about 5 starts getting through maybe the first repeat, I changed my strategy. I dug into my Habu jar, and found that I had bought some of their Wool/Linen yarn on sale a few years back. I took a quick visual inventory of the jar and saw that I had five balls.

Well, I only had four. After a lot of cursing and more swearing of the different kind, I decided to throw some of that mohair in at the end for a different effect.

My naughty naughty Pug attacked my ball of mohair, which we know is unsalvageable once dog drool and lots of clawing happens upon it. Insert more cursing and more swearing, and thankfully I had another ball of mohair and finally finished this !@#$% lace project.

I held it up, and instantly thought: Great. I knit myself a frilly cape. Edna would be angry.

I figure I'll wear it more like this... does that make it seem less grandma superhero?

Back to Mine

2009-06-07T13:36:00.005-04:00

Yes, I totally swiped this blog title from one of my favorite music compilation series. If you've never heard of them, do a search on Amazon My favorite is the Everything But The Girl's Back to Mine.

But, anyway... back to mine...

I just got word that a close friend of mine gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Hunter Riley. I haven't met the new guy yet, but when I heard his name I immediately thought of some Heather Ross fabric I had. The couple didn't find out the sex of their baby ahead of time, so I have no idea about color schemes, etc. I hope this is to their liking. If not, I hope they let Hunter run wild and drool all over it.

This has been my first chance to start a quilt in my new apartment. (Not so new anymore, but you get it.) I cannot express the sheer joy I have experienced being able to quilt in a normal-sized space. I mean, whoa. What a difference. I don't have to take apart furniture, or ask Mr. Migglesworth to stay on the bed, or use inappropriately-assigned furniture for things like ironing. I have a nice little area for cutting, my ironing board is out and can stay out, and my sewing machine has a permanent spot. I really feel like I'm finally able to get back to me.

I've also been able to tack up some batting as a makeshift "design wall". It's ironic that I've played around with this design wall for an entire day and ended up with the original layout. It's like shopping for a prom dress. You end up buying the first one you tried on.

The pattern is from The Purl Bee - Zig Zag Quilt. I love the simplicity of it. I also love that it reminds me of Charlie Brown's t-shirt.

Next post will have the completed quilt. (Hopefully!)

Summer? Already?

2009-05-30T09:22:00.007-04:00

I'm sure I'm not alone in this thought, but how can it be June already? My spring season was dominated (and I don't use that word lightly) by my parent's visit. It was a true gift that they could stay with me, though. After living in one-room studios, they were finally able to stay in our "guest room". It's really my crafting room, but that nifty little aerobed sure can make anyone feel at home. And to make it all worthwhile, my mom made my favorite homemade goody - dumplings.

I had spent a night traveling for work and when I got home I was greeted by this little line-up. Thanks Mom!

Anyway, I should have known the warm weather was here. Subconsciously, I must have been getting tired of all the heavy wools, and thick cashmere. I lost complete interest in the two sweaters I had been working on, one thicker than the other. My mind started wandering towards my sewing machine. My poor little machine had been neglected since last fall.

I decided I needed to pick up the sewing, which apparently is my warm weather craft. To me, it's lighter in a lot of ways. And I'm sure I'm not alone in that notion either. I had been planning to make the Luxurious Wool Blanket from The Purl Bee for quite some time. I had bought the O-Wool Organic Wool material months and months ago, probably more like a year ago. And, I had bought this beautiful french linen from The French General when I was in LA. While I had no plans to use the linen for this project, it seemed like the perfect match.

I never worked with linen before. I prewashed both materials, and the linen became incredibly drapey. I was a little surprised since it's so stiff when it's new.

It's a wonderful and quick project. Hand sewing binding onto a quilt is one of my favorite things to do, so this was a real pleasure.

Now... how will I be able to keep my little girl from making this blanket hers like all the others in the house?

Nesting

2009-04-06T21:51:00.006-04:00

It's been three months since I've moved into my new apartment. It has been exhilarating.

This is the first time we've owned our home. And after renting countless apartments in Manhattan (eight to be exact), it has also been a culture shock.

I was terrified of mortgage payments and entering the world of adulthood, but I have to admit that it's been absolutely wonderful.

Investing in my home has felt like a privilege these past few months.

While I haven't been knitting and sewing as much as I'd like, I've been preoccupied with cooking, baking and furnishings. Here's an idea of what I've been doing.

It's taken my pug quite a bit to get used to the stairs. Instead, she'd rather take rest on the sofa.

I now understand the work to be done in one's home is endless. I'm thinking I should turn my attention back to the much more instantly gratifying work of knitting and sewing.

February in March

2009-03-20T09:22:00.003-04:00

This is my third February Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Elizabeth Zimmermann. Every time I knit it, I'm always amazed at how simple it is, but how delicate the result. I just love it.

How fitting that it's snowing today, the first day of Spring.

I used three skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Sportweight from Purl Soho. And those cute little rhinestone encrusted buttons are vintage buttons I found in my travels. Unfortunately, I only had three, so I staggered them with some plain gold buttons.

Practicality Reigns

2009-03-10T22:14:00.003-04:00

No, it wasn't exciting to knit. But will I wear it? You betcha.

Pattern from Rowan's pattern book, "The Cocoon Collection". Pattern is the Lyra Sweater. I removed the eyelet motif at the bottom edge of the sweater ensuring that it be the most practical garment I would ever knit. Yarn is Rowan's Cocoon in color Frost.

I wanted something I could throw on and would be easy to wear, and I got it.

Is it still winter?

2009-02-17T06:58:00.004-05:00

As much as I complain about the cold weather, I find comfort in racing home, changing into my fluffiest sweats and burying myself in some nice woolly yarn. Having just moved, I've unfortunately had less time burying myself in wool as I have... putting up towel racks for instance. (Why would they install one towel rack IN the shower and not on the wall? Endless amounts of questions about the mental stability of contractors and developers come to mind.)

But I have been able to sneak some time away from my new best friend, the cordless drill, to knit. And I was able to finally finish this beautiful design from Olga, the Cabled Cowl. It became a birthday present for my dear friend who lent me her car during our move.

It was perfect. I met up with my friend right before she was leaving for the snowy Midwest, and I hope she's putting it to good use!

Natural Progression

2009-01-11T09:46:00.003-05:00

When I think back on 2008, I become overwhelmed. I usually face a new year thinking of all the things that I want to tackle, and reminisce about all the things I accomplished (more likely didn't accomplish.)

But this past year has been historical in so many ways that I find it difficult to think about little ol' me. It has been eventful, and I've finally been able to take a deep breath and look around.

Mr. Migglesworth and I finally bit the bullet and bought an apartment. We moved in just a few days before Christmas, with just a few days notice and the chaos began. Let me just say this: when the movers... big men who move people for a living... keep exclaiming, "Wow, you guys have a lot of boxes," you know you're in trouble.

I have also been incredibly lucky and fortunate to have been hooked up with a knitwear designer, Shirley Paden, and was working on my second project for her during the packing and moving. I thought quite possibly that I would lose my mind.

This second project is going to appear in Vogue Knitting's Spring 2009 issue, and I can't believe I got it done. Looking back, I'm happy I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that I was knitting something that was very difficult for me. Using yarn and knitting in a style I am not accustomed to, made it challenging to say the least. But thanks to Shirley's unending encouragement and priceless advice, I got through it. She is not someone you meet everyday.

Many many posts to come in 2009!

Iceland from Rowan

2008-12-06T09:46:00.003-05:00

I like this sweater. It was fairly easy to knit up. And the pattern made it fun to knit.

The silhouette is definitely not the most flattering. I can't decide if I should wear it lower down around my hip/butt area, or pull it up to sort of cinch in a little.

I added the turtleneck onto the sweater so I didn't have to worry too much about what to wear underneath it. It adds a little much needed structure to the top too. Otherwise, I'd be channeling Flashdance with that wide neck. Not sexy - at least not in 2008.

If I had to do it again? I'd probably just knit the bottom waistband in the round and forgo the buttons. They don't necessarily bother me, but I don't think they add much to the whole thing. The leaf pattern gives it enough pizzazz.

Liberty Charm for DQS5

2008-12-01T09:12:00.005-05:00

I joined my first swap - Doll Quilt Swap 5 - and was so excited to make something special.

Just as I started to get going with ideas, I also got my very first handknitting freelance job. As all you crafters out there know, you can't do much else while crafting. I can't even get the audiobook thing down.

When my fingers needed the rest, I worked on my doll quilt bit by bit. And last night, the night before the due date, I finally finished this little quilt.

I love the result, and I hope my swap partner does too.

I used some Liberty fabrics and used a solid red to bind and back. I like the simple but colorful result.

As much as I love this little guy, I felt opening a package of just this doll quilt might be disappointing, so I'm including a bundle of scrap fabric from the French General, one of my favorite stores in LA. I hope my swap partner likes the little fabrics. I can't wait to see what she does with them!

Cabled Cowl

2008-11-20T23:34:00.003-05:00

I love everything about this project.

The pattern.

The designer.

The yarn.

The color.

So why do I keep getting distracted?

WHAT in the...

2008-11-19T13:13:00.005-05:00

Wow. Do I have a lot of practice ahead of me, or what?

What the heck kind of knitting is this?! It looks like I used my fingers and teeth.

Good googamooga... this fancy fair isle knitting is real tricky.

Fairest Isle Of Them All

2008-11-17T20:18:00.008-05:00

I've never attempted this technique of colorwork - fair isle. Was I intimidated? Maybe a little. I love the fun and quirky yet classic and countryside effect of this technique. But, every time I found a pattern I liked it was overwhelming. I would need a magnifying glass, and one of those chart readers just to be able to get through the chart. And usually many many more than just two colors would be used throughout the entire project. I always said, "Someday."

Well, someday arrived. When my crafty friend suggested we take a class at The Point in NYC, I couldn't resist. Our goal was to knit this hat in order to get used to working with a chart and handling two strands of yarn at once.

Much to my surprise, I felt like I got the drift of this technique fairly easily. I think there were three things working to my advantage.

1) I used to knit english style, but switched over to continental. So when holding one strand in each hand was not a problem. I knew which direction to wrap the yarn and could switch between left and right, and the two colors quite comfortably.

2) Loving cables has taught me to read charts efficiently as well. You start to pick up little patterns within the chart and use those to your advantage.

3) After putting in miles and miles of knitting, you start to knit without looking. Since this hat was knit in the round, I only had to deal with knitting and no purling. I could keep my eyes on the chart and keep knitting without having to pause and make note of where I was every time my eye had to move between the chart and the knitting.

Definitely not my style, but I do feel like I got the hang of working with two different yarns in the round by the time this hat was done. We started this hat in class, and I was able to finish it when I got home. A great idea for a holiday present, I might add!

The provisional cast-on was a really nice touch on a hat like this, too.

My only advice: knit LOOSELY. I tend to knit rather tightly, which did not jive with this technique. You'll notice towards the bottom of my hat that the white stitches looked sucked into the brown stitches. That's too tight. Way too tight. I really loosened up towards the top and you can see the stitches look more even.

I'm ready to tackle my second fair isle project now! Maybe another baby gift? A hat, perhaps? Oh, the possibilities! That is definitely my favorite aspect of learning a new technique. I feel like another door has opened with the possibility of a gazillion knitting projects behind it! Just waiting for me!

It's the little things

2008-11-10T08:19:00.008-05:00

It was hard coming back from vacation. Parrot Cay exceeded our wildest dreams. This private island near Providenciales in Turks & Caicos was heavenly.

You could see all the beautiful shades of blue as we flew closer and closer to the islands. Sandy, who showed us around the resort when we landed simply asked, "Oh... well, what color is the water where you come from?" I was a little embarrassed trying to find some "J. Crew"-type word for sh*t brown.

So, I made the conscious decision not to bring any knitting to Parrot Cay. I didn't want any pressure to do anything.

After not knitting for almost a week, I came home and decided to start with little projects. The first thing I had to start on was a doll quilt for DQS 5. I have to send it out by December 1st. So, not to spoil the surprise, here's a sneak peek at the little charmer.

Is that Liberty fabric you spy? I say nothing.

Then, last Saturday was my little puglet's 7th birthday. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. I can still remember her first day at home with us. Her big head with her even bigger eyes on her tiny little body. She was 3.3 pounds. Now, she's 20+. My little cutie.

For the upcoming winter, we bought her a cute little Wagwear quilted coat. It's getting fleece put into the lining, so we don't have it yet. Pictures will definitely come. It's adorable. But, I had to give her something she'd actually appreciate. Being the little nudist that she is, the quilted coat is more of a torture device than anything else.

So, I baked her some oat-rolled peanut butter treats. She definitely enjoyed them. She swallowed them whole, so actually, I can only guess that she enjoyed them.

Finally, I have a baby shower next Friday. Yes, another baby shower. Thankfully, it's for a great friend, so I wanted to make something special. A keepsake. So I thought I'd try the Blue Sky Alpacas's Baby Bobbi Bear.

I decided to use Cascade 220 Superwash because I wanted to use white yarn. The thought that this little baby may not even know polar bears to exist on this earth disturbs me. So, I made him a polar bear. At least he'll have that.

Autumn Beret

2008-10-25T07:44:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Ravelry there is a cornucopia of free patterns all on a single site. It's like hitting the jackpot everytime I browse through them.

I came across this pattern for a Spring Beret. Knit in cottor, it does make a wonderful springtime accessory.

But, I needed to make something for my dearest friend's birthday and it's on November 4th. Not springtime.

Here it is in Malabrigo's worsted wool. It took less than one skein, and I even threw in an extra repeat of the 8-row pattern to make it floppier.

I still think it cold be floppier and roomier. (I admit. I do have a rather bulbous head.)

Kicked me in the ass (and still kicking)

2008-10-18T09:29:00.009-04:00

SO.

I do like this pattern - Bacchus Socks from IK Fall 2008. And, I do like the way this ONE sock has turned out.

But lemme tell ya... if this sock up and threw itself out the window of my apartment, I wouldn't run downstairs to see if it made it. I'd draw the curtains, and turn off my lights like I did when that vase accidentally fell off of my window ledge and shattered all over the sidewalk. But, that's a whole other story. (No one was hurt.)

With this particular design, I discovered quite a few things. First, the Turkish cast-on. Achieved, but not without a lot of cursing. The Interweave Knits instructions were lacking, shall we say. So I turned to EZ and Meg. They tipped me off to the two circular needle way of doing it.

Did I have two circular needles in a size 1? Of course not. So the cursing continued.

My second discovery: no matter how much you pay for dpn's, they can break. Please see previous post.

Thirdly, the smaller the stitches, the harder to pick up dropped one's. Just sayin'.

Finally, the invisible cast-off. The annoyance built up inside of me since the instructions were for either 1x1 rib, or 2x2 rib. This pattern has a 2x1 rib. I know I know... easy enough to translate. But I just wanted to read instructions and follow them. Is that so wrong?

Again, EZ to the rescue! I did her sewn bind-off... purl through two, knit through first, pull off that stitch. Easy enough. The result... eh. It definitely isn't an invisible cast-off. But that's what happens when you take shortcuts.

I am not amused.

The punchline. Wait for it... wait for it...

The sock doesn't fit me.

!@#$%^&*

2008-10-12T10:29:00.003-04:00

I was more than happy to splurge on a set of Lantern Moon Sox Stix. I already had one set, and really enjoyed using them.

So, on my very first go with my brand new Size 0 set I broke a needle. (Rosewood, btw.)

Like... seriously... WTF?! W. T. F.

I'm pissed. And oh so annoyed.

Men's Alpaca Scarf

2008-10-06T18:35:00.002-04:00

Inspired from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts' Men's Cashmere Scarf. I didn't have cashmere on hand, but I had some nice rich gray alpaca.

I know I know, gray is so boring. But, I'd rather my recipient wear this scarf than admire the color as the scarf hangs on the back of a door.

Very easy, very quick and it only took two skeins of Misti's Baby Alpaca Chunky.

The edges do curl (argh), but some wet blocking took care of that.

Rainbow Sprinkles

2008-10-05T17:37:00.003-04:00

I've been digging through books and sifting through ravelry.com trying to find quick yet impressive holiday gifts to make.

I stumbled across Elizabeth Zimmermann's Spiral Hat, also better known as the Snail Hat or Dairy Queen Hat. Personally being a huge fan of Dairy Queen, I looked at the "vanilla" colored hat in The Opinionated Knitter and remembered how I had always been such a sucker for anything with rainbow sprinkles on it.

I pulled out some Sheep Shop Yarn that was rainbowy, and got started.

A quick knit, but I'm not sure who this could go to. I think it's such a cool design, but wearable?

Be honest - do you think it's too goofy?

One for you; one for me

2008-10-01T20:49:00.003-04:00

After making Shady a seed stitch scarf, I had to make one for myself. I loved the feel of the baby alpaca, and the look of the seed stitch.

I added fringe along one side of the scarf making it more blanket-y. I planned on doing both sides, but it looked a little crazy.

Used Misti Alpaca Chunky vs. Cascade's Baby Alpaca Chunky this time. Can't say that I notice a difference. Both super super soft and lovely to work with.

2008-09-27T12:19:00.002-04:00

Thanks to 1/4 of an inch I found this kneat-o site!

Let the giftmaking continue

2008-09-25T22:23:00.005-04:00

It's that time of the year again. Let the holiday giftmaking commence. Now that I've gotten most of the baby gifts out of the way, I can turn all my attention to the holiday gifts.

I was flipping through some books at Barnes & Noble and came home with Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. I fell in love with the Jack in the Box Mittens pattern. Being an ex-smoker, I never ever was able to wear mittens. Now that I've quit, wearing mittens among other things, is something I couldn't wait to do.

But living in the city makes it very hard to not have your fingers at the ready. Whipping out your Metrocard, turning down the volume on your iPod to hear what the subway conductor is announcing, shoving your change into your wallet as quickly as possible before the fifty thousand grumpy people behind you at the coffee shop stampede you to place their order. And most importantly, being able to quickly whip out your knitting to get some rows done on the train.

So these mittens have some cabling which I love, and it has the most necessary flip top. I have found the most perfect gift for all my city-dwelling friends.

I used Malabrigo's worsted weight wool in "Paris Night" - isn't that the most perfect name for this color? Knitty City was well-stocked enough to have a ton of Malabrigo. One skein for one pair - perfect gift!

As Prepared As I'll Ever Be

2008-09-22T17:34:00.002-04:00

Maybe I didn't think far enough ahead when I picked out this yarn for this sweater design. I think, that quite possibly, this sweater may be too warm to ever wear. As soon as I put my head through the split turtleneck, I could feel the cashmere start to envelop me, and I started to break out into a sweat. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't regret a single minute I spent hanging out with and knitting up this scrumptuous cashmere. I loved it. My fingers will never be the same. But, it is quite possible that this sweater stays on the dressform. No joke. It's beyond thermal.

But, I fell in love with this yarn while working at Knitty City. It took 14 balls of Jade Sapphire's 8-ply Cashmere to complete this sweater in size small. (Thank Gawd for the employee discount.) The color is Latte, and aside from my addiction to coffee, I simply love the warm peaches and beiges that come with this winter white yarn. I very highly recommend this yarn, not that I need to tell you, but seriously... think twice about making an entire sweater out of it.

It is a beautiful design from Vogue Knitting's Fall 2006 issue. This design belongs to one of the best spreads Vogue Knitting has ever compiled. I want to make every single sweater from this very sophisticated gray collection of designs. I've started with this design, and tried a different neutral.

I have to admit, the sweater is not the most flattering. It's a chunky cable design, and the pieces of the sweater were not shaped, so the shoulders/upper arm area ends up being very boxy. But let me assure you; once that thermostat hits 10 below, I'll be wearing it.

But, I won't look like the gorgeous model in the magazine, that's for sure. I'll be all sweaty.

Friendly Placemats

2008-09-11T19:19:00.002-04:00

I had promised my mother-in-law new placemats for her Fire Island home. I promised her these placemats last summer. I'm a little embarrassed it has taken me this long.

I followed Amy Butler's In Stitches book and boy are they easy! It was perfect. I bought the fabric yesterday and finished 8 placemats today.

I skipped the part of inserting Timtex between the layers. I knew my mother-in-law would want to be able to fold them up and stuff them into drawers.

It worked out perfectly since I bought some heavy duty home decor weight fabric. (Heather Ross's line for Kokka Fabrics from The City Quilter to be exact.) I don't know if she'll find them too cute, but I adore this fabric. Foxes, bunnies and frogs dancing around. What could be sweeter than that?

I just love them, and I bought some extra fabric to play around with. I'm thinking... maybe... a cute tote for Farmers' Market groceries.

Shady's Seedy Scarf

2008-09-07T20:42:00.002-04:00

My dearest friend, Shady (aka Shadyshadykins or Sir Shady or The Shade) just celebrated the big 3-3. We both take pride, not only in being practical Virgos, but in covering ourselves with neutrals thinking anything between dove grey and camel is too gauche. We take that same approach with our clothing.

So when I want to make him something, it's pretty easy to decide on colors. And while it may be miles of Boring to knit, I know he'll love the simple textured look of the seed stitch.

Phew...

2008-08-25T20:13:00.003-04:00

OK, I think this is the last baby gift for awhile.

For The Migglesworth's dear friend's new baby boy.

Second project from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.
Fabric by Joel Dewberry from reprodepot.com

Very easy! Very fun!

And they just keep coming...

2008-08-17T15:35:00.003-04:00

It was like a beacon of light.

As soon as I approached the Crafts/Hobbies section of Barnes & Noble, it caught my eye. Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I had no idea it was coming out, so it was such a pleasant surprise.

To all publishers out there: all books should be in this form. Spiral-bound, hard cover, pocket for patterns. The spiral-bound is so key, no? I like my book to lay flat and open to the page while my hands are busy making whatever it is I'm looking at. It's such a no-brainer to me.

I digress.

In one week I had learned that three friends all had baby boys. In addition to that, two friends are pregnant with two boys. I've knit the sweater... I've made the baby quilt... I've crocheted the baby blanket... I needed something different. So this book was more than just a pleasant surprise, it was exactly what I needed.

Here's my first completed project from the book:

Kimono-Style PJs
Size 3-6 month
Fabric by Denyse Schmidt from reprodepot.com

Cute!

Sweet Dreams Sailboat Quilt

2008-08-15T21:54:00.004-04:00

For a dear friend's newborn baby boy, Zachary.

She's also making the big move out of the metropolitan area, up the Hudson. I think it'll be a perfect fit for their new home.

From Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I think this may be my favorite baby gift so far.

Ask, and you shall receive.

2008-08-08T18:18:00.004-04:00

Mom wants pillowcases? Mom gets pillowcases.

She loved this Moda fabric, especially that confederate blue.

Four 14" x 14" pillowcases.

A Nervous Twitch

2008-08-04T20:17:00.006-04:00

One of my favorite gals in the knitting world is Phyllis. She works for Coats & Clark and helps out Pearl at Knitty City with the website, marketing and events (etc etc etc). One relatively quiet Sunday afternoon, a few of us were sitting at the back table at Knitty City gabbing away about yarn, hideous knitting patterns, our favorite customers and other yarn industry gossip while furiously knitting on whatever projects we were working on.

We didn't notice, but a few young ladies had started to gather round the table. Murmuring caught my attention and when I looked up, one said, "Whoa... I can't believe how fast y'all knit!" Without hesitation, Phyllis simply said, "Dear, I've been knitting for so long it's like a nervous twitch."

She was so right.

A good friend, who's pregnant, cleaned out her apartment and decided to unload some unwanted yarn on me. Little did she know it would come back to her in the form of a crocheted baby blanket. Not terribly exciting, but it's a gigantic granny square with some scalloped edges. I couldn't help but remember Phyllis's words while I crocheted this blanket. It was pretty much just double crochet's over and over and over... I think I blinked maybe twice crocheting the whole thing. And I definitely felt like I had some sort of tick.

I hope she likes it. She liked the yarn enough to buy 7 skeins of it, right?

I also started knitting a sweater I've been wanting to knit for the longest time. The Cabled Tunic from Vogue Knitting's Fall 2006 issue. I've got the back finished, and have started on the front. I decided to indulge and am using Jade Sapphire's 8-ply Cashmere.

I can't wait to finish this up!

And another...

2008-07-10T23:55:00.002-04:00

You'd think I'd have the pattern memorized by now.

Flower Coaster

2008-07-06T08:40:00.005-04:00

When I started knitting two years ago, I never thought I would have gotten into patchwork and quilting. And since I started patchwork and quilting, I never would have guessed that I would enjoy hand-work more than machine-work. We're always surprising ourselves, and I guess that's why we try new things. At least that's why I do.

I had fallen in love with the "grandmother's flower garden" motif long before I had any good idea of what patchwork or piecing was all about. When I looked into making a quilt with that motif last year, I balked at the idea of doing it by hand, let alone with all those little papers. Papers? What the heck kind of crazy prairie boredom was this?

So now that I've discovered hand-work to be more gratifying, I had to give this stash-busting technique a try. I bought some pre-cut papers from Paper Pieces and the cutest little japanese book with adorable illustrations and pictures to get started.

Yes, it's time-consuming for the novice. And yes, it took an afternoon for me to finish one teensy coaster. But, sometimes... it's about the journey and not the result.

One UFO Down!

2008-06-28T07:44:00.004-04:00

I can't remember when I started this quilt. It must have been last winter '07. It has been adorning the back of my chair since I started it all those months ago. It's been a great cushion, patiently waiting for my attention to return.

You may remember the pity party I threw for myself when I had to baste this super sized quilt. I have vowed never to make a quilt this size ever again... unless I use some quilting service. I'm happy with the result on the top. The back? Not so much. There are quite a few tucks and folds since I wasn't able to get it completely flat to baste.

(more pictures to come on Flickr. i just have to find a way to photograph the whole thing.)

It covers my king-sized bed from side to side and almost from top to bottom. It fits perfectly below the pillows. Of course, once I finished it I decided to give it away. I find more comfort knowing things I've made are sprinkled about, instead of piling up in my apartment.

My mom is visiting and wanted it. I was surprised as she usually likes brighter bolder colors. Since she recently beat ovarian cancer, I figured it was only appropriate. Something to mark the start of a new chapter in her life.

I'm so relieved this quilt is finit-o! Now I have to find a proper cushion for my chair.

Update: More pics of entire quilt.

Getting Back in the Game

2008-06-12T07:35:00.003-04:00

I just haven't been feeling very crafty lately. But, I think my latest project put a little crafty back in me.

I had to make a little something for The Migglesworth's friend's new baby boy. I had done two quilts in a row, so I figured it would have to be a little knitwear this time.

What better than a Baby Surprise Sweater. I haven't knit a good old-fashioned Zimmermann project in awhile. Getting back to the basics was just what I needed.

I feel invigorated again and infused with ideas. And best of all, I'm looking at (with great disgust) all of my UFO's and wanting to finish them up and move on with a clean slate!

So, here's the Baby Surprise Sweater for a little Champion. Jack Champion to be specific. Isn't that the best name ever?

Notice the quilt it's on? Oh yes, I'm still not done with that quilt I started MONTHS ago. That's my first UFO to slay.

New kicks: Don't hate

2008-05-29T16:16:00.005-04:00

I wasn't going to let something like jury duty get me down.

On this glorious day, during our lunch break, I strolled into Soho and stopped into Opening Ceremony - a boutique that is generally too cool for school. I started to get bored flipping through racks of clothing made for people who have nothing better to do than, well... shop in Soho during the weekday.

But wait! What was this? In the sea of black micropolyblendedviscosecyanide pleated high-waisted short shorts, I spied some floral print as I rounded the first display. Liberty of London? As I got closer I realized they were Nike's!

Of course, I had to buy them.

I haven't worn high-top sneakers since the 8th grade when those velcro Reebok's were the sh**. I'm sure I'll look dumb as heck walking around in these, but I don't care! I love them! So what do the kids do these days? Tie or untie? I should go all the way and dig out my E.G. socks and peg the legs of my jeans.

I can't wait to brighten up that dreary jury duty waiting room tomorrow with these guys.

New toys

2008-05-15T09:04:00.004-04:00

It's been more than a year since I got the Canon Rebel Xti. It was a vast improvement over the point & shoot that I had. Well, I finally invested in some proper lenses. I wanted a lens I could walk around with and take candid pictures of people and things on the city streets. After doing what felt like 100 hours of research, I decided on the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L. It is a great lens, and now I just have to learn how to use it. And, don't let anyone tell you different - it is HEAVY. I mean HEAVY, no joke. And for a walking around lens, it'll be quite the workout. But, I'm prepared! I can't wait to get some nice springtime shots!

The other lens I bought is the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro. I'm excited to take some close-ups and also have an alternative if I don't feel like lugging the heavy one around. I was told this is a decent lens as an all-around basic use kind of lens, but since there's no zoom, there would be some limitations. Here's some pics from this new lens:

I like how this picture turned out, but I really have to work on my hand shake. So, I should definitely look into mono/tripods. The lens was about 2.5 inches away from the earring.

Then I played around with using this as a basic lens. I think it looks great! And, I was able to catch Brigitte showing off her pink belly in the awful lighting of my apartment. Fun!

Oh yes, another baby quilt

2008-05-13T20:24:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I feel like my friends are single-handedly keeping this planet populated. Migglesworth's old old friend had a baby boy, born May 5th, and he'll be receiving this one. I had been working on the other baby quilt, so I had to whip this one up snappy-quick.

I had been tempted for a long while to try the reversible quilt technique. And tempted only because I wouldn't have to wrestle a monster through my sewing machine to quilt it. I loved the idea that I could work on each individual square, and then put it together. It is the answer to anyone's problems if they're dealing with very little workspace.

After flipping through Sharon Pederson's book and looking at my fabric stash, I decided I liked the idea of a quilt not having a back, but I wasn't really a fan of making "two quilts in one". I think quilts, if used properly, are in fact actually being used. So, more likely than not you would see this underside, and that would be an eyesore.

I had so much fun making this quilt. I cut out all the batting squares. Cut out all of my half-triangles. Sewed half-triangles onto batting squares, and then... CHAIN-QUILTED. So, not only could I quilt manageable sized squares, but I could run them through assembly line style. Oh, I was quickly becoming a convert.

And then I had to put them all together with these strips. The strips being the connectors of all these quilted blocks. That was easy enough.

It's definitely not one of the neatest looking quilts I've made. I didn't line up some of the strips, and when machine attaching the final part of the strips, you have to be careful as to what it will look like on the other side. Mine not look so good. Well, I guess mine does have a front and back then. Oh well.

Year of the Rat Quilt

2008-05-09T17:49:00.004-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of "rat". The chinese zodiac is riddled with serious translations of animals: boar vs. pig, ox vs. cow, hare vs. rabbit. Why the long face, chinese zodiac? Why so serious?

Who am to change tradition, so I'll stick with Year of the Rat. Here's the Year of the Rat quilt for my friend who's due with her second any moment now. (It is the year of the rat, right?)

This is my first quilt where I actually felt like I was being creative as opposed to some geometrical human calculator and a human guide for my sewing machine. I drew out the mice, um rats, and created the little appliques. I used fusible web, and then satin stitched around the edges. This was my first go at applique, so I wanted to go the easy route. The satin stitching took some getting used to, and boy does it take a lot of thread, but I liked the result.

I embroidered the tails and eyes, and thought better of including whiskers, and feet as I felt I wanted more of the idea of rat, than rats all over the quilt.

And then, the quilting. I started machine quilting on the rat blocks. (Oh God, I can't say it anymore. I'm switching over to mouse/mice.) Uh-hum, so I started machine quilting on the mouse blocks. I tried echo quilting on the first one, and then squiggly lines on the second block. They looked awful. The echo quilting made it look like a "kaboom! supermouse coming through!" The squiggly lines just seemed messy. So, I picked out the quilting - which I don't recommend - and hand quilted the four mouse blocks.

Finally, machine quilted the rest of the blocks in the same style as those fun coasters.

I love this quilt. I really wanted something muted and simple, but not boring.

Lemonade socks

2008-04-12T19:16:00.004-04:00

Months ago I had started a half circle cardigan. When I was about to start the finishing process, I realized, after some soul-searching, that I didn't like it. Aside from me not really wanting to do the finishing, and if you'll just ignore the other part of me not really knowing how to do part of the finishing, I just didn't like the sweater. I knew I would never wear it. It was all 2x2 ribbing, so it was going to CLING... if you know what I mean. And, it turned out a little small. Small and clingy, in this very sort of muted variegated way was going to make me look a little crazy.

So after staring at this pile of knitting for months, I decided to do the painful and totally frog it. About 9 skeins of frogging. It was just too annoying to look at everyday. Such a reminder of wasted time. (Although, this was the project that had turned me from an english knitter to a continental knitter.)

The yarn really is so much fun and it's such a unique colorway that I had to knit it up into something. So, here they are. A pair of socks. Sometimes sock yarn should really just be for socks. They're much cuter on my feet than CLINGING to my torso.

So, there's my version of turning lemons into lemonade.

Ripple Weave Sock pattern from Vogue Knitting Fall 2006
Yarn from ShibuiKnits - Sock

I did like this pattern very much. It was easy to get into the groove of the ripple weave pattern. Not confusing, but not boring.

Fancy Tee

2008-03-22T20:18:00.005-04:00

I don't think I've ever been able to master the concept of "business casual". It was easy to throw on a suit. And it's easy to throw on some jammies. But, business casual... casual, but not too casual. Ready for business, but not too stiff. So for the past however many years, I've been going to work looking like a waiter, pretty much.

Maybe I've found my happy medium with this fancy tee.

I used Vogue Pattern 8392, View A and Amy Butler's Nigella fabric from Purl. Aside from using a size smaller, I am definitely going to make some modifications on my next one:

It was very easy, and very quick. I do recommend it. And I think it's cute, fun and best of all, business casual friendly.

Doing it my way

2008-03-16T09:39:00.003-04:00

I'm finally starting to accept the fact that I'm no spring chicken. More often than not, I'm being called "ma'am" instead of "miss". I often mention movie lines or lyrics to the younger set with only blank stares in response. But, the worst is this: I get heartburn turn acid reflux when I eat foods that are too "heavy". I don't even know what that means other than bad for you. But, I do know my list of no-no's is growing.

I was devastated when I realized the carbonara at Otto set off acid reflux for weeks, only to be followed up with chocolate giving me migraines. Am I paying for past indulgences? Am I setting my 20's straight now that my body cannot take anymore abuse?

Well, I decided to do it my way. (Sorry Mario.) I found a decent carbonara recipe that used cream instead of raw egg (boo-hoo). And instead of pancetta, easily obtainable bacon was an ingredient. Hm, bacon has never given me any gastronomical problems... so, when I passed the sign stating "REALLY GOOD BACON" at the Greenmarket in Union Square yesterday, I had to indulge.

Isn't that awesome? It's like 99% fat, 1% meat. I've always told the Migglesworth that I must have been a pork bellies commodities trader in a former life. Either that, or I watched Trading Places too many times when I was younger.

And, it gave me a chance to try out my new Le Creuset stainless steel cookware. It's amazing. I highly recommend it.

I would have taken pictures of the final dish, but being a little pork belly myself, I snarfed it all down.

Many many thanks

2008-03-10T20:40:00.005-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to make friends. Sometimes it's even harder to make friends at work. And when you do, I have them to thank for my daily sanity.

Thanks Davina - you know why.

And thank you Jane for all the fun and the introduction to Tammis Keefe.

And a big thank you again to Purl Bee for always providing such wonderful inspiration.

The Yuwa fabric used in this project is very sheer, so I decided to double it up for a tougher hanky. I used my sewing machine and embroidered initials onto the corners using water soluble stabilizer. Then, I serged the edges right sides together, leaving 2 inches to flip right side out. Pressed flat. And finally, topstitched around the edges and to close the opening.

It was my first time using such soft, sheer fabric. Quite the learning experience. It's a little fussier than I'm used to.

A common love

2008-03-04T07:35:00.002-05:00

Thank you, Mr. Mark Lipinski for the link back here! We have more in common than you think...

Pugs!

Urban Quilters League... UNITE!

2008-02-24T13:51:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Linsay, whom I met over Flickr, I joined a new quilting group - the Urban Quilters League. (I think we're still deciding on a name, but this was the only suggestion and I think it's cute-thanks Marie!) With this being my first quilting group, I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't able to attend the first meeting, but I was able to join their second meeting and met most of the members. We were limited to meeting for an hour because we were using City Quilter's classroom.

My first UQL assignment: create a 16" x 13" block for Rose's soon-to-arrive baby. The group had picked out fabric at the first meeting, and thankfully I could join in the fun even though I was late to the game.

Yesterday, I ran over to where Linsay's roommate had the fabric for me (thanks Kevin!) and got started. I drafted a design last night, and finished the block this morning. It was the first time I designed a block so I was a little nervous about getting the measurements right. And, I had never done curved piecing before. It was definitely not as difficult as I thought it was going to be, much to my surprise.

The funny thing is, I messed up. Can you see it? After drafting out a pattern and creating plastic templates for the pieces, it's important to remember to trace the template pieces backwards onto the back of the fabric. I needed two each of the background shapes for the big orange circle blocks. I had three of one, and then one of the other. So, I had to flip one of the fabrics and use the back of it on the front. (It's the paisley fabric - a Katmandu fabric from Mark Lipinski.) Hope it looks ok!

Thank you Sew Mama Sew!

2008-02-22T07:19:00.001-05:00

Flattered is an understatement. Thank you for featuring my Crossroads Quilt on your wonderful blog, Sew Mama Sew!

Blouse #2 - Getting There

2008-02-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

So, here's my second blouse.

I like it. But you know what it's like when you make something; you only ever see the mistakes you've made. So, here is all I see when I look at it.

The collar. Oy. That was the hard part of this blouse. It doesn't stand up right, and you can see the stitching by the front facing. I ripped it out about 3 times, but finally left it alone. The fabric was starting to unweave.

The front facing. At the top, I just didn't understand what I was supposed to do. I just "winged" it. And, well, it looks it.

The sleeve caps. They're supposed to be gathered. One looks kind of gathered. The other looks tucked.

Other than that, I like it. I like the stiffness of the fabric. A japanese import fabric from Purl Patchwork. It works for me. And, I couldn't believe I found buttons that matched the gold perfectly. That made me happy. And I like the sleeves. They're pretty without being all ruffly.

I've got a lot to learn, and a long way to go. But, I've got some other patterns in mind and fabric ready to go.

Little House Blouse

2008-02-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

I feel like a new world has opened to me. I made my first shirt. I usually have a hard time finding buttonfront shirts that fit because of the boob situation. If it fits me everywhere else, the button across the bust is usually hanging on for dear life. I tried stretchy blouses, but that just made me look loose. Tight blouse = loose girl. (I couldn't resist.) So, I resigned myself to wearing sack-ish shirts that just hung off of me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I would shrug and think that maybe I'll single-handedly bring grunge back. Even if I did, I'd be too old for it anyway.

So, I started taking sewing classes. We made an elastic-waisted skirt in class. Not sexy, not worth even talking about. But, it fit and I learned some great basic techniques. And we're onto making a tote bag with some serious interfacing and soon we'll be making a t-shirt. I'm excited for that.

Anyway, I've been hoarding sewing books and patterns just willing myself to dive in and make a piece of apparel. Every time I took out that darned tissue paper, I would stuff it back into the envelope and go back into my comfort zone. Well, I did it. The class gave me enough confidence to give it a whirl.

I used the shirt pattern in Sew U by Wendy Mullin - the Built By Wendy gal - and gave birth to my first shirt. I had bought this fabric with a shirt in mind, hoping to achieve a sort of boho, country chic. But, I think I landed short and all I think when I see it is Little House On The Prairie.

I was able to bond with my new Baby Lock Evolve serger a bit. Getting a good feel for it and what it actually does. So I used a simple 3-thread overlock to finish the seams, and a single chain stitch to complete the hemming at the bottom of the shirt. I know what all the fuss is about now. It's fast, powerful and just glides.

I'm hoping to eventually alter these patterns and really make them fit well. This shirt fits across the boob area, but is a wee bit in the waist/lower back area. We'll see.

The whole process was F-U-N!!!

Survival Tote

2008-01-24T18:51:00.000-05:00

My mom requested a bag to hold her crochet projects a long time ago. We were a bit sidetracked by her illness. She didn't have the want or the energy to crochet, knit or paint - the things she usually passes her days with. After six chemo cycles, she has been deemed "cured". Cured from ovarian cancer. I couldn't be more relieved, happy and so so proud of her. I don't think she complained once to me over the phone or during any of my visits. She was herself, just a little more downshifted.

It's nice to have her back. She was overjoyed when she called to tell me the good news of not having to continue anymore treatments. Her body had had enough.

So, I remembered I promised her a project tote for her crafting and I thought the only appropriate color to incorporate would be the ovarian cancer blue. A nice soft turquoise. The bag is inspired by Purl Bee's The Un-Paper Bag.

"Hand Made" Quilt

2008-01-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

I think this is the first time I've finished a project and felt proud. I've felt accomplished, relieved, frustrated amongst other emotions, but I've never felt so proud. This was a big hurdle for me to overcome. I have always been slightly terrified of the needle and thread. Never knowing how something so simple worked.

More pics here. (Still having some issues with uploading photos on Blogger. Maybe not patient enough.)

No, it's not the most beautiful quilt in the whole world, but I handpieced it and handquilted it. I'm a proud mom. I took the Quiltmaking By Hand class at Purl Patchwork back in Nov/Dec and just finished this little 24"x24" guy tonight. I held it up and was so happy to see that I could actually do some (very mediocre) handquilting. It is definitely not a hard concept, but wow is it hard to perfect. As my teacher said, you just have to practice and quilt for miles to get it the way you want it.

You can see how it's completely unplanned. The four center squares are what I finished in class, and I was anxious to get started on the quilting. So, I just threw the corners in with some much-too-large tan pieces, basted and marked with a hera marker. That hera marker... now that's an awesome invention.

I started quilting with whatever it was I bought for the class. Some cheap stuff I bought at Joann's on sale. Well, I'm here to tell you it makes a difference. Get some good waxed cotton, because the thread will break. And get some good needles. I broke, more like snapped violently, 3 needles within the first two rows before getting online and doing some google searches on "best hand quilting needles". I found some Jean S. Lyle needles on Rose Rushbrooke's site and am still using the first one I pulled out. They are brilliant. I bought the size 10's and 11's with the big eye.

Then, after a little frustration with my basic quilting hoop, I decided to invest in a lap hoop from Hinterberg Design and it's been sitting on my lap every night since.

I highly recommend this whole process. It's like getting back to your roots.

The Diamond Life on a Rhinestone Budget

2008-01-16T07:48:00.000-05:00

I caught a Martha Stewart Living show where she made Dog Diamond Necklaces for her cute little Frenchies, Francesca and Sharkey. I couldn't leave my Brigitte out of all the fun. I went to straight to the Martha Stewart site and checked out what I needed.

I was excited to see M&J Trimming as the source, so I hot-footed it over there and was SHOCKED at the prices on their rhinestone dangle trim. The first few boxes I picked up were around $60-$80 a yard. I love Brigitte, but seriously?

I quickly re-thought the supplies I would need and settled on half a yard of $10 rhinestone dangle trim, and some 1/2 inch pink grosgrain ribbon. I rummaged through my junk drawer and found some of those snaps... the Final Damage, only $22.

I followed Martha's instructions on folding the ends of the ribbon, and attaching the snaps. I sewed the rhinestone dangle trim to some soft cotton flannel, I already had, cut to the same size as the ribbon. I figured that's what would be touching her, so I wanted to make sure it would be soft and to also give the necklace a little body.

Then, I sewed that piece to the ribbon using a decorative stitch. I picked a doggy stitch since it would be showing on the outside of the ribbon. Skipping the whole rhinestone trim on the ribbon saved a lot of money.

More snapshots here.

Unfortunately, I went onto the M&J Trimming site and I couldn't find the exact trim I got. But, the beaded dangle trim would probably be just as glamorous.

Bernina, The Exhibitionist

2008-01-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

My beautiful Bernina has been naked since I brought her home. She came with a carrying case, but no simple cover. She's been bare through this cold winter. So I thought I'd make her a nice little outfit.

Though Swiss, I thought something more simple in design... more Japanese would suit her best. She's not a complicated female; she does her one and only job very well.

My very first sewing original :) No pattern used. Just measured, cut, embroidered and sewed.

I used 100% cotton canvas, and wasn't planning on anything decorative. But after cutting out all the pieces it looked a bit plain. Simple, I like. Plain, not so much. So I thought about applique, then settled on embroidery since I didn't want anything too fussy.

After sifting through my jars of embroidery thread and crewel wool, my Habu jar peeked out from behind and beckoned me. I had forgotten I had all these goodies from their last year's sale! I used the peach 100% silk, the cement linen/wool, and grey 100% wool. I don't embroider very much, and enjoyed it even though it's a bit time consuming. Whipped out my compass, drew some circles randomly and voila.

After I had sewn the pieces together, I had forgotten about the raw edges that would be left at the bottom. I had some Nani Iro binding tucked away from a reprodepot.com sale and sewed that onto the bottom.

Yay - she's fully clothed now.

Size Queen

2007-12-28T11:18:00.001-05:00

I'm a size queen, what can I say? I started out making quilts of more humble size. But now I wanted something more substantial. Something that would actually cover my bed. Something I could really sleep under. Well, this quilt isn't even as big as I had originally planned... and thank God. Top 5 reasons why I shouldn't make quilts larger than throw/lap size:

1. No room to baste it. Open floor space in apartment isn't as big as a queen size.
2. Basting large quilt on hardwood floor leaves bumps and bruises on the knees. Yes, I need to ice them now.
3. Run out of safety pins. I swear I have thousand's. I could use that quiltak gun I wanted to try, but can't bear the thought on anymore time spent on basting or learning a new basting technique.
4. The quilt back has to be pieced. Unless you buy extra wide fabric, it's not big enough. That was annoying.
5. (TBD)

I'm just being proactive about #5 - I'm leaving it blank for the actual quilting part, which I haven't started yet.

Do you see this ridiculous basting job?!

I had to start out from one corner and move to the other because I couldn't lay the back flat. I had to start using LARGE safety pins because I ran out of the larger ones. And I'm totally going to have a batting-less corner since my quilt top moved along as I was flattening it out. And yes. Yes. I had to start basting on top of a rug because my knees were killing. I can't wait to see how totally f'ed up this back is going to look after I quilt this. It's going to have so many puckers and folds.

I feel driven to madness. I started telling myself to "LEAVE IT! LEAVE IT!" when I wanted to fix that last pucker in the batting.

Interweave Madness

2007-12-24T19:56:00.000-05:00

I finished! I finished!! I shouldn't be so surprised, but let's not fool ourselves. There is always a high probability that when we start a project, it turns into a UFO. But, I finished the Tangled Yoke Cardigan and Cobblestone Pullover from Interweave Knits' Fall 2007 issue. Big thanks to Eunny and Jared for beautifully written patterns with no mistakes (that I could spy).

The Tangled Yoke Cardigan is for myself. It's a little on the baggy side, but it's comfortable and doesn't look too shabby if I do say so myself. It's a pretty big achievement for me. And it was a nice project to close out 2007. The pattern taught me a lot, and it kind of feels like a culmination of all the knitting I've learned since I picked up those needles for the first time a year and a half ago.

I'll eventually have to figure out how to do a little shaping myself as I'm kind of disproportionately busty. And no, it's nothing to be envious about. I've come to accept what I've been given, but it's been a long road that started with adolescent torment and now still dealing with fitting room debacles.

I loved picking out buttons for the sweater. I almost went with the basic shell button, but I found these great laser-cut floral motif shell buttons at M&J Trimming awhile back and they surprisingly matched very well!

The Cobblestone Pullover is for The Migglesworth. It was one of his Christmas presents so I was excited, and a little shocked I finished it on time. It was a little snug on him (around the chest), but I bought him the iPhone just in case I didn't finished or in this case too tight, so I wasn't too concerned.

But, I've blocked it out a little and it's hanging much better. I ran some hot steam over it, hung it up in the bathroom for a couple of days... tugged on it occasionally to loosen it up. I used Cascade 220 and it was soft while knitting, but the fabric it created was a little dense. In hindsight I should have used size 8's, instead of 7's. The design is simplistic beauty. It is such a blindingly clear pattern, with such cleverness, it reminded me of Elizabeth Zimmermann's designs.

The Migglesworth isn't one for modeling, so I'll have to sneak some shots of him in the sweater.

I've still got a few more days to eek out more 2007 things. Let's see if I can make this vacation truly productive - back to the Log Cabin Quilt!