Mr. Migglesworth

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

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

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

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!

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!

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.