mo' mittens

It's that time of winter when you want something woolly on your hands. When Dave put in a rare knitting request, I was all over it. I showed him a couple of skeins of Noro that seemed  black-ish and teal-ish. I love me some Noro knitting. I coulda shoulda woulda cast on for your basic mittens and whipped'em right out.But nooooooo. I had to make them more special. Fletcher Mittens.  You know how sometimes you make things more complicated than they need to be?Admittedly, some of it was my own doing. I started out on dpns.  I do not enjoy knitting mittens on dpns. And,  working from both ends of the Noro Kureyon at the same time, to get the striping action, made it a fiddly undertaking.Mr. Noro, it turns out, had impishly hidden a ton of fuschia in the colorway. Dave's pretty open minded about his mittwear but fuschia?  Not going to cut it. So I cut it, instead. (Ok, tore it out, but you know, give me some poetic license). Adding smaller bits and ends just increased the fiddly factor. Again, that's on me. 
I switched to  magic loop for mitt # 2, making me much happier. Overall, the mitered mitt is kind of a fun construction, it has generous thumbs, and the pattern makes a nice dense handcover, perfect for shoveling snow. Which in the end, is what it is all about.  Right?
Let us move on to something that is as close to perfection as you'll find at mi casa.Zoe turned one!

quick wip peek

My new book Craft Activism, with Joan Tapper, is released today! I am celebrating my own little holiday. It is so odd, when you are working on a book, you live with it for months & months.  I know it backwards, frontward and inside out. I forget it's also brand new, and a joy to watch it received in the big wide world. New to everyone but the many many artists & friends & colleagues and knitters & loved ones who helped work on it. I have to make a Takes A Village post to properly acknowledge all.

 

To mark the occasion, I cast on for one of the most accessible yet showstopping patterns: Fussy Cuts. It's a fabulous log cabin based blanket designed for us by Kay Gardiner & Ann Shayne of Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's one of three pretty wonderful projects in our Crafting for a Cause section. The genius of this one is a) if you do it in a group, each knitter only need buy 1 skein of Noro Silk Garden b) it is so gorgoeus it could be a special gift or a super fundraiser raffled off  and c) it is the sort of portable, addictive knitting one gets lost in . Wait did I mention there is  no sewing for assembly involved? And there's a little twist in how you use the yarn and proportion the log cabins. Rather genius, it is.

 Fussy Cuts, from Craft Activism

But that's what happens when you associate with brilliance. Speaking of that, I'll take this opportunity to specially thank Maryse Roudier.   She offered to be our book intern but is so much more. She helped us in every way-from brainstorming, spreadsheeting, scheming, yarn sourcing, color opining, photo assisting, mitten modeling, chicken wrangling, reflector holding, test knitting & crafting and being an all around friend. Mwah!

She's also working on one of these blankets. I have full faith it'll kick ass.

ps. And what is a book without its own blog? www.CraftActivism.com

may most colorful

Still at it. I love how the overall color vibe shifts when each new round is added. *It is just enough to get me around it, one more time. * repeat from * No end in sight.

Borscht with the works: cold beet soup with a boiled potato, hard boiled egg, diced red onion, plain greek yogurt and a bit of parsley.*Prepare, admire, eat for lunch* Repeat from *  at least 2-3 times per week.

and, why, yes, that is a Mason Dixon Knitting warshrag, knit by Kay herself. Are you wondering what it's like to hang with Kay while working on your photo skills? Yeah, I thought you were. Join me in Southampton NY on July 9th and find out . Info here.

Gaia shawl in Taiyo. Almost done. Noro..Loving it.

Strawberry-apple-kale-ginger juice. While looking for my gardening tools in the basement , I came across a juicer I'd snagged at a tag sale and never used.  Norma's juice lists  earlier this year and how they appealed in a really odd way popped into my brain... now, we're all smitten. Yo, yarn companies: juiced kale could be a colorway.Neighborhood Cinco de Mayo potluck. We had the tables on her lawn till a downpour forced us up on the porch...But it passed, so we spread back out on the lawn.

And had this for our view.

What colors are rocking your boat?

she knits seashell at the seashore

Coquille (rav) on the needles on a cloudy beach day

I'm tickled by the colors echoing the sand, seaweed, driftwood, and coastal water. Do you know how happy this will make me this winter? Designer Mary Lou Egan nailed this fun project. Which explains why it's a hit since it came out in Knitty . Mine's more of a scarfy shawl, I snagged 4 skeins of Noro Chirimen while dashing through the Webs backroom a couple of weeks ago. I neglected to check yarn weight for the Coquille  pattern (um, fingering!) , so my interpretation is heavier in this worsted weight cotton, silk & wool blend. To love. If you click the Noro link, you'll see it's still on sale, btw. ( you're welcome).

So, speaking of Mary Lou (smooth segue, eh?), she and the Yarnery in St Paul have arranged for me to return to Minnesota for a Photography for Knitters workshop weekend. So psyched! It'll be Sept 25 & 26th, 2 days split between the store classroom, Grand Ave and a field trip to a historic farmstead to use as a setting for shooting FO's, fiber, sheep, the farmhouse, fall crops, and anything else we aim our lenses at. A 2 day workshop gives us time to really get a lot of work done, you will leave with new skills. And tons of images.  I promise.

Info is up here and also  at The Yarnery Visiting Teacher page.

I hate to have beach season end, but knowing we have the workshop in St. Paul to look forward to makes it a lot easier.

test smitten

   
wrestler masks in San Antonio TX

Traveling Woman is almost done. Ten rows to bindoff. How often does the name of the shawlette you're knitting so closely match your life? OK, if it was really going to match me it'd be Slightly Crazed and Forgetful Traveling Woman. Catchy, no?  

Boston, Ohio, Seattle all coming up. Ooh and maybe a stop in Squam NH.  But  I am fantasizing about having the shawl blocked and on me for Seattle in June.

 
at the recent workshop at Juniper Moon Farm, shooting FO's (funny Fo's I guess)

Added bene to my photo shoot in Seattle: I'll be teaching a Photographing Your FO's class on Sunday June 20th 1-3:30 at The Fiber Gallery.  Very excited this worked out.  Space limited, sign up and show me a Seattle good time. [edited 5/29, this class is full, THANKS!]

You know what you almost never hear me blabbing about? Garter stitch. Nothing against it, sort of boring, makes a nice border, etc.  But I'm test knitting a garter stitch project for the new book project with Joan Tapper and y'know what? I'm a little smitten. Maybe more than a little. Like,I can't stop.

Or, maybe it's the Noro.

the lil bit longer workshop

Photography for Knitters  Workshop action 10-4 this past Sunday at Knit New Haven

There was a whole lotta shooting going on.

We played around with different background colors & patterns for yarn & fiber.

This one's a beautifully subtle Noro striped scarf by Linda (Reiswear is her Rav name.) It's a creamy natural Cascade Wool/Silk with a skein of the ever present Silk Garden. I want to knit a shawl with these two yarns now.

I am trying to revive the floating  humans look, enough of all this white space everywhere. I know you're sitting there trying to figure out what patterns Rebecca is wearing above, aren't you? They are her own designs, you can bug her at her blog , Archiknist, to write them up.

Bad weather kept us mostly inside. But not entirely.

 

We had a  a wonderful camera ready  Central Park Hoodie model.

I used to love looking at those I Spy books with my sons, I  think this is the knitters' version. How many handknits can you count? In fact I think I want to shoot a knitting pattern booklet that's all knitters in handknits shooting other knitters in handknits. Classic Elite, are you listening?

At the end of the day we had a slideshow of everyones' work, you can see some  here and here.(scrolldown).   Some fabulous images. I can't believe how lucky I am to keep getting talented, enthusiastic and kind knitters in these workshops. Fun! Thanks to the Sunday crowd for playing along.

Special shout out thanks to Becca, our Nutmeg Knitter, who was willing to chill for the cause.

palisades

Named for those crazy beautiful vertical rock formations along the Hudson. A cushy chunky cowl knit from 1 skein each of Silk Garden Chunky and Misti Alpaca Super Chunky (50/50 alpaca-wool).

My own design, you can download a copy of the pattern for yourself here.

   Free but please consider a donation to help Haiti.

Doctors Without Borders/MSF 

 

The mixed weights, chunky and even chunkier, create  a nice 3 dimensional texture to the fabric, it almost looks woven, especially in the decorative rounds near the top. A great last minute gift. Especially for yourself if the weather has been cold & bitter. Ask me how I know.

It looks good around your head- if you had abundant hair, it'll flow out the top.  I couldn't quite pull it off for the photos, but when I find a model who can, I'll add it in, OK?

 

Fun fact: Silk Garden Chunky is so much softer than it's skinnier Silk Garden kin. I don't know why, but it's true. 

traveling knits , or not

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.

ready for a deep cleansing breath

Or a good cry.

The lobster shack by the marina. Note: no eel on menu

Let's say you turn 19 on the same day you're packing your stuff because you are getting into the old Buick (a bonafide Grandma Car, but you think it's extremely cool as it is now yours, all yours), with your dad and driving to Florida, where you're moving into an apartment (for the first time) and returning to culinary college.

And...let's say your mom thinks you should stay on track and pack and finish doing laundry. And what are all those things on the floor in your room? Maybe make a list of missing essentials.....stuff like that?

Would you and the buddy helping you go out for gas, stop by the marina to say bye to a friend, take the big squirming bag full of live eels he offers you? Then return to the house, abandoning all else to kill and gut eel for cooking later? No???!!

I thought not. Me neither.

Breeeaaaaathe. Let's look at my finished Gaia shawl and forget the guys, the filleted eels, the clothes, skim boards, books, old kitchen stuff, in disorganized mini-towers and how much I'm going to miss the son going so far away again.

pattern: Gaia Shoulder Hug
yarn: 1 skein of Noro Silk Garden Sock, love this colorway # 279!
needles: size 6 us
notes: A little small as shawls go, not bad for a shoulder wrap if you're short. The pattern is written for a skein of Kureyon Sock , which is 100 yards longer than this lovely Silk Garden Sock skein. If you look on the Ravelry link, you'll see the larger ones in Kureyon. I used the picot cast off as recommended to make the little riffle on the edge.
You know what? I like this pattern so much I may just knit another one. Maybe on size 7 needles next time, it could be a little more open before blocking. It's such a good project for filling in times when you need to knit something mindless. But not boring.

I'd probably wear it this way, if I were keeping it. Which is very, very, tempting.

in which we recall the Rule of Similars

IF you are working on two projects, both being knit flat on size 6us 32" circular needles,
AND each is around 200 stitches across per row

AND each has a few stitch border (in once case garter, in the other, seed stitch) followed by that very long row across

BUT one has every other row as YO Slip 1, K2 together PSSO , K3 repeat across row

AND the other has every fourth row (or so) as YO, K2 together, repeat across row

THEN you will inevitably pick up one project but go on auto pilot and knit the other's YO row sequence.

AND you will do this more than once.

• • • • • • • • •

still a few spaces left! September 13th......why not join me?.....click on banner for info

* yes, you are one of Those People

...who have a knit blog with no knitting? Unh-uh, not me.

A Gaia Shoulder Hug was supposedly my vacation knitting in Minnesota. I barely touched it there. We were too busy doing fun Twin Cities stuff.

That bridge by the Walker Sculpture garden, the aviary at the zoo, the Mill City Museum Ruins......

I can't remember a vacation trip during which I knit less since my guys were toddlers. When I did knit, it was just the right project: engaging while placing the eyelet rows at color changes, and mindless in its stockinette-i-ness. Working on it yesterday at a neighborhood brunch, I incited my friend Peggy to run over to the LYS and start four of them for gifts right away.

Carol's porch by noon yesterday , iPhone cam view

She blames me, I blame the Mimosas and an exciting storm current while swimming.

The Sage Remedy Top , finished a while ago. My gauge relaxed seriously since swatching, I modified wildly on the fly, and it's not-so-flattering . If you are considering knitting it, avert your eyes, go look at all the successful versions on Ravelry . Worse than the fit : the shoulders. I seamed them inside out. I knew it wasn't going to be fab on me by then, so I left them that way. Sometimes I amaze myself with my low standards acceptance of All Things Awry.

Clinging to the very selvedges of the NaKniSweMoDo, I cast on for a 7th sweater. This is Jo Sharp SilkRoad Tweed DK, a yarn I've been wanting to knit with since spending an afternoon with Norma last November. You'll need to scroll down the linked post.

* this post's title was a fortune cookie the 15 yo son got while out on the town in Mpls. The older son's read : "You have that horny & desperate look. It suits you, work it. " We've been teasing him ever since. Nice parents, huh?!
older son Iphone cam view, Uptown Mpls.