Dear Autumn, I appreciate your breezes, and the red leaves on Maple trees. But we both know I am saddened by your arrival. You bring increasing darkness, cold mornings and way too much pumpkin flavor in everything. However, I am writing to thank you for this beautiful inner seed globe of a flower while in Maine in early September. I've decided to embrace the season-and the coming winter- in the spirit of hygge Yours, GZ
The yarn is Starcroft Nash Light in Mussel Shell. I love love love it and have almost a sweater's worth. When I get the contrast yarn,something natural/grayish,like Driftwood, I will knit a colorwork yoke sweater in it. My hygge will be enhanced.
Thank you for all of the wonderful comments on our little video for Drop Dead Easy Knits, and for the book itself. The giveaway winner: Liza Kirschner. Come on down! Our book launch was a blast.We were stunned, and thrilled, to sell out of copies right away.(I mean, for that night! Plenty more to go around, online and in stores and at events).
Seeing as we were at FibreSpace surrounded by gorgeous yarn, we knew how to to fill our time. I was seized by the need to cast on a wool version of the Pompano Tank, I am thinking of it as the Pompano Tunic. I'll be wearing it as a layer over a long sleeved top, with dark jeans, styled differently than our model Katrina in her linen version of this fabulous design. In my mind, it's what you'll see me wearing at Rhinebeck....in two and a half weeks....
I chose this yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Loft, a nice dark tweedy purple**. I have been acquiring purple yarn in unrelated yarn-acquiring incidents all of September, without realizing the vast cumulative purple-ness of it all. I am declaring it my new neutral. Officially. The Pompano Tank it is a delightful knit, just as you'd expect, as it is designed byKirsten Kapur. The last two weeks have had little needle time for me, so I've only completed the first few repeats of the holey bottom edge. It's fun knitting thistexture, and after this, it's all stockinette with some shaping. One piece from the bottom up. I can get some steam going- and if I have some knitting time--then there is hope I'll have it done for the NY Sheep & Wool Festival, If you want to check it out or even better, come get a copy of DROP DEAD EASY KNITS signed by me and my co-authors, and touch all the samples from the book, we will be on a teeny tiny tour.
Saturday & Sunday OCT 15 & 16th in Rhinebeck NY at the NY Sheep & Wool Saturday 10-11:30 am and 4-5pm Sunday 10am-1 pm booksigning and trunk show in the barn where all the author events take place
Tuesday October 18th at Knit New Haven* in New Haven CT 4-6 pm (or so) trunk show & booksigning Thursday October 20 atKnitty City in NYC, Upper West Side, 6-8 pm we'll present a fun slide talk about making the book and all that is in it, along with signing books and trunk show * it'll most likely be Mary Lou Egan and myself in New Haven. You can always snag that third signature when Kirsten comes to Knit new Haven inNovember to teach a workshop from the book. ** Normally indecisive picking out yarn for projects, I surprised myself (and my eyball-rolling friends) by quickly nabbing this colorway, Plume. Then I cracked open the pattern and realized I'd subconsciously gone for the shade most similar to the sample in the book. D'oh! Does that happen to you, too?
an uncharacteristically restrained composition from me, yes?
Last month I was supposed to be at a professional retreat up in Maine. Just before it, I recalled the most important items I brought the last time I attended this event: my wool socks and my fingerless mitts. But, oh, my poor old mitts. I blogged about the sad state of them here.
The obvious move, knit a new pair quick. Maine Morning Mittens, I know, startlingly unimaginative choice. Believe me if ony knitting something with a geographic name took you there, I'd be working on a Hawaii Hat, and a Brisbane Bonnet, too.
Yarn from the (no longer so) big bag o' Noro scraps. The funny thing is they are mostly from the same half-skein of Kureyon, with some purple for both thumbs that had been pulled out of another skein long ago. And a couple of rounds from some greyish Iro to end the purpley/lime green one when the half-skein ran out. Quick, great fitting, functional. Completely unpaired looking but I'm going to wear them with the attitude that they are intentionally mismatched. Which, I guess, is the truth. ps I had to cancel the trip at the very last minute. Glad to have'em anyway.
One of the fabulous students from my Photo Workshops for Knitters at The Yarnery in St Paul MN, last week. In action, stalking the sidelight on an EZ baby sweater, Grand Ave, Friday evening. I think everyone learned new things and had a good time. I know I did. A full report on The Yarnery blog. Here and here and here and here is more evidence, I hardly had to bribe them much at all ......
A moment Thursday: we were blocking the sidewalk, admiring and shooting a perfect little rim of light dancing on the edge of a handknit striped chicken. An eyeless blue and green handknit chicken, mind you.(See it here onher blog) A woman with a camera walked by and photographed us clucking & clicking away. I'm not sure what she thought of the scene, which was completely normal for knitters, but maybe just a bit nutty otherwise...and so wonderful.
Many thanks to Mary Lou and her associates in crime knitterly goodness at The Yarnery for hosting me. You can check out Mary Lou's coverage of the event over at her Flickr page, she was documenting and trying to participate at the same time, that's just plain challenging. If you're going to Sock Summit be sure to stop by and see Shelley and Mary Lou there vending. I got me a few skeins for a new sweater , it's an irresistible shop. But Ill save that for another post. Minnesota Zoo, Friday afternoon visit
The winner of the notecard set, chosen by the random number thingy, is KT , of Knit with KT. Hey, KT, send me your address and they'll be on the way.
Here's an old barn for those who voted for old barns in the comments. I found it on Nanney Kennedy's Meadowcroft Farm. She said the building came with the farm , she thinks someone goofily used roof shingles on the sides and they aged in those muted colors. I liked how it looked from the moment I arrived . But then, even more because it echoed her dyeing that day:
In fact, one of the things I like about sticking my nose in artists' private lives (OK, anyone's private life, I admit it) is seeing how they surround themselves with things that reflect their art. Or seeing how their art reflects the worlds they live in.
Maine light in late September.That's Nanney, herding.
Can't close without a sheep shot, for those who commented in favor of seeing more of the ladies....tell me she's not smiling. Just a little smirk for the camera.
If this one looks familiar, she's turned her head on my Ravatar.
Hiding out in Deadwood. Thirteen hours worth so far, with another 20 something to go. Completely addictive. Whoa do they cuss. I am outranked by far. Even my fifteen year old, who swears like a longshoreman, thinks the extremely evil and aptly surnamed Al Swearingen overdoes the F-bomb.
Yup,that and the Sage Remedy Top (ravlink). The neckline will have stitches picked up and a little rolled finish. I kind of like the old fashioned feather-and-fan with the deconstructed edge it has now.
And, reading crafters blogs. I'm liking the ReadyMade, Bizarre Bazaar and Renegade Craft Fair kind of crafters. Same with the sewers. Got any of those kind of crafting blogs you love? Send me the links!
And watching the flowers grow like crazy thanks to torrential rains. Sunshine welcome. Any day now.
You'll never hear "retail therapy" or "relax & go shopping" from me. There're exceptions, but generally, aaagh, just poke out my eyes with lace Addis, OK?Yet I am here to testify on two happy purchases.
Exhibit a: internet purchase. Yarn for the Sage Remedy Top. I decided I needed a cotton blend, and it must be pale greyish purple.Do you think I was influenced by what was blooming?
umm, yeah, could be. And the yarn budget? Very very low. I like my LYS, all of 'em, but they had not what I wanted.Rescue me, Knitting Garden! I did you all a favor, linked right to a closeout page, that's where I found my perfect yarn for this project.
Marked down to fit in the rice-n-beans budget.The Sage Remedy is 19 stockinette rows underway. I'm leaving off the ribbing on the bottom and letting it roll, which'll nicely mimic the neck.
exhbit b: trying to rent the movie Woodstock a couple of years ago we found it was never released on DVD and every video store and library around had it stolen.So much for peace love & sharing, right?. We were debating plunking down our closely guarded bucks for the just released 40th anniversary dvd version when I happened to stop at the best video rental place around, conveniently named Best Video (and is it ever).I was at the counter ready to rent the cult film Billy Jack. I bet if you were old enough to see it then, like me in junior high, you can burst into the theme song now, oh, OK, I'll make it extra easy for you: So I'm standing there when I notice a 2 tape VHS set of Woodstock on their counter. I asked if I can rent it , they reply " hey, you buy it for $2.".GROOVY. Peace , love and stockinette.
Are these not positively pleasing purple socks? I'd love to take credit for them, but itgoes to Cookie, that goddess of pink (and other) sockness. And, whew, I should say goddess of laceness, take a peek at what she's been throwing off the needles.
I started preparing a post proclaiming purple pair perfection. I thought it'd be all clever and alliterative, but after a search for more P words, I discovered , it's been done. And not just in one post, that is a link to blog devoted to a year's worth of P word posts.
I procrastinated in showing you this pair, which arrived on the, ahem, heels of the other ones she sent me last winter. It's chilly here in the mornings, so I'm still rocking the woolies for a few hours a day (I'm an early riser).
For some silly reason she thought the others weren't up to snuff so she sent these. heh! Good deal for me! Having all her warm colorful socks augmenting the paltry posse I've knit totally made my winter bearable.I have to admit I am especially fond of this pair. I try to save them for special days. The color, the fit, the feel, the craftpersonship.....
You'd need to ask her, but they look like broken rib stitch, toe up, and the yarn, I think she said, is Malbrigo sock.
