Two projects to go July 22, 2009

I have the rest of a sock to knit and that purple silk and cotton blend skirt and I am done.  I finished the baby sweater, all it needs are buttons, four to be exact, unfortunately I only have three of each of all the good ones in my button box. 

Acrylic baby sweater Baby Softee

I also completed and wore the linen or more accurately flax sweater.

Embroidered Flax T-shirt handknit

I also have a very small glittery gold evening bag to finish knitting.  Then Oh yes the finish line is so very very close, then I will be done with my summer project of knitting off all of my needles.

Madame LaFarge July 14, 2009

Madame La Farge Knitting Bag

I left out a most important part the bag says “so much yarn so little time” and then “knit 2 purl 2″ twice around the bottom.

I designed this purse myself.  I finally finished it and lined it two days ago.  On the good side of this day I have completed the linen sweater, and am on the short tiny sleeves of a baby sweater for the Plowshares show in December.  The purse above, named after a character in a Charles Dickens novel who sat and knit the names of everyone who stepped up to meet their maker at the guillotine.  It sounds grotesque in this context, but the lovely gentleman who first brought it to my attention left a warm place in my heart.  He tried desperately to get his wife to buy one of our bags and she just wouldn’t.  I used Cascade yarns,  a wonderful array of colors and you could make this bag in any colors.  I choose a whimsical skull and cross bones fabric, where the crossbones are knitting needles and the eyes, nose and mouth look sort of like balls of yarn.  I think this bag is for me, but I haven’t decided yet.

One of a Perfect Pair July 7, 2009

This pattern comes from Philosophers Wool   “Sock Hop” book.  It’s patterns are incomparable, so perfect, even a designer such as myself cannot improve upon them.  Knit in Sisu 75% wool 25% acrylic.  Although, honestly the yarn is a bit rough on bare feet, it suffices with thin cotton socks underneath in these upstate New York winters.  If I were using them to keep the feet warm in the woods of course the cotton wouldn’t do, but for city living…… I call the color scheme Sol Y Mar a nice image in the dead of winter, to see the sun and sea, imagine sailing on an Aegean sea toes basking in the sun.   Ahhh.   I used my size 3 bamboo double points.  (I despise metal for double point needles too slippery and always losing stitches off the end).  I also use a two finger carry method, since the patterns never use more than two yarns at one time for a pattern (which is one of the reasons they are so incredibly workable), if I had a third yarn color I would use a continental on the left hand but with only two I use my index finger for the main color and the middle finger for the second color.  It is a fast way of knitting the patterns, at least for me.  Although the pattern calls for one color on the toe, I knit in a second color, this adds an additional layer of knitting which is not too bulky but seems warmer to my toes even if it is only in my head. 

Sol Y Mar

In search of … socks July 6, 2009

I set myself up to sit on the front porch with a bottle of kombochu, purchased at the health food store while I was there buying my neighbor some crystalized ginger and ginger tea.  His cancer treatment has left him unable to taste and someone told him to eat ginger,  he told me he was going to eat the powdered cooking ginger and I told him NO don’t eat that.  Just wait I will be back in a little while.  After yoga I went to the store and bought him a bag.  He isn’t home when I get back but shortly after rings my bell, after I give him the tea and ginger he tells me “thank you, dear”.  I smile. 

I am looking for my socks the wool ones I started a couple weeks ago.  Royal blue, teal, moss green, yellow and white patterned wool socks.  In my quest I discover two other projects I have forgotten about, on needles.  As I hunt for the socks I curse, shit shit shit.  I am not done with my frenzy of knitting off needles, shit shit shit.  I find my socks and tell my daughter “vampira” to join me on the steps.  She leans into me and I find it impossible to knit.  After a moment I say hey read your book I am trying to knit here.  She wraps both of her arms around me squeezing my arms so I cannot move them and puts her legs over my lap.  I scream in mock horror.  She giggles.  She says she wants me to make her mittens in the patterns I am making into socks.  Really?  I ask, dubious, will you actually wear them?  She gives me an eye like the ogress on the Dark Crystal.  Okay I say but if I make them you have to wear them.  Oh no I think,  I am beginning to fill my needles again….shit shit shit.  Not really though.  I love it.

Knitting off all my needles July 4, 2009

It is becoming a family joke, how many projects do I have on the needles.  My best friend has one going at a time.  Mind you I am not exclusively a knitting needle filler, I have just as many half read books by my bed.  So many that I have skipped vacuuming and the dog hair has has piled up around them.  It is time to use my vacation wisely, time to vacuum dust and mop my bedroom.  This week I have knitted off one sweater vest, and am almost done with the sleeves of the linen sweater, I would be done if the damn stitches didn’t slip off the back ends of the double pointed needles.  Infuriating.  I have a gold fuzzy purse and a pair of wool socks after this and then I can begin again.  I truly cannot see only having one set with knitting on it.  I cannot take an afghan to the doctors office but a purse is easy to carry off with but one or two small skeins to place in a bag, and only the size of a bag altogether.  

Lion Brand Chunky Wool Vest of my own design

Purple Linen T-shirt of my own design Using Louet Linen

Holiday Yarns July 2, 2009

Banana Soy Wool Roving

I discovered a new store yesterday, Holiday Yarns.  I was at a quilt store here in town and the woman gave me a card for a new store in one of the disintegrating malls.  I went in yesterday and have discovered a new treasure, she sells hand dyed yarns, socks, bats, looms, spinning wheels and sheep oriented buttons, pins etc..  I bought a small ball of alpaca rovings just to try it out.  I also purchased four oz. of what she calls “Build a Bat”.  For 6$ an ounce you pick out fibers of your choice with wool as the main fiber, and while you are shopping she cards it on a drum carder and gives you your bat of mixed fibers.  I picked some gorgeous undyed soy silk and some banana fibers  to mix in.  I now have two gorgeous soft luxiourious bats of moss green rovings.  I spun off all of my hot pink rovings just so I could try out my green, oh it is so lovely to work with.