In the studio

Purse, red linen, woven stitch, size 5 needles

The little stitch marker is helping determine how many more inches. Once I've reached three inches past the marker I'll start decreasing to create the flap. I've picked out a beautiful button as a fastener. Now I'm tring to dream up what to use for the strap.

Finished hat

Hat, stockinette stitch, mixed fibers: wool, silk, cotton, mohair, acrylic, nylon, cable needle size 10.5, 16in., changed to double pointed needles (dpn) at the top for descreasing to the crown; rib stitch at the bottom done with size 8 dpn

I'm having a great time banging out these hats, and they provide the perfect contrast to larger projects such as the afghan. This one will get a little embellishment in the way of pom poms or "twirly things".

In the studio

Afghan, mixed fibers, "woven" stitch, size 13 cable needle, 29 in.

It grows and grows. I added in the bag of yarns I'm using so it's clear how many I'm including in this baby. I'm loving every minute of it!

I'm taking a break to make a few small things like hats and purses.

In the studio

Afghan, mixed fibers, "woven" stitch, size 13 cable needle, 29 in.

I decided to get a photo after I completed a row and stretched the afghan out on the needle. I've practiced the "woven" stitch enough now so that I'm not getting mixed up very often. It's starting to feel normal.

In the studio

Afghan, mixed fibers, "woven" stitch, size 13 cable needle, 29 in.

I finally started an afghan. I know it looks like a capelet. That's an accident of it being on cable needles. I cast on 201 stitches and decided to gather together some of my favorite yarns and let her rip. More photos to come.

In the studio

Purse, red linen, woven stitch, size 5 needles

This has been one of the most difficult pieces I've worked on lately. The lack of stretch in the linen yarn makes it hard for me to work in the middle of each row in this particular stitch pattern. I also have a huge problem concentrating on the pattern and often make mistakes. It's one of those that requires I work in silence, and really stay conscioous of what's going on in my hands. I recently ripped out about three inches of knitting because there were so many mistakes that I was wondering whether to keep going. I'm happy that I re-knitted all those rows, and am finally beginning to be able to read the stitch pattern and figure out where I am and what to do next, and how to find where things have gone wrong. *whew* With size 5 needles I'm also glad this is a small project. I'm trying to decide whether to keep it plain or make it very gaudy.

Finished dress

Dress with halter top, cotton/silk blend yarn, size 10 cable needle, 24 in. stockinette stitch and rib stitch with I cord for halter

I decided to quit fiddling with photos and just get the best one I had. et voila! I left it as the most simple possible dress with no embellishments. They'll come in subsequent iterations. I'm looking at Nicky Epstein's book on knitted embellishments every day at lunch time. I've worn it a little bit and it's very comfy. I almost began one last night on smaller needles. The proof of the practicality of this one will be how it behaves once washed.

Finished capelet - circle scarf

Capelet, mixed fibers, size 11 cable needle, 16 in.

I couldn't resist these autumn colors, and I'm delighted with the results.

Design notes

Today I completed a dress I designed from scratch. Photo to come soon. I'm trying to figure out *how* to photograph it in a way that makes me happy.

This is the project for which I did a swatch, figured out measurements from the swatch and started. It's a shift with a halter strap, and is meant for hanging out at home.

I started knitting from the bottom edge, so I had time to contemplate what to do at the top. I began with stockinette so that I could mindlessly knit for hours on end, and that was highly satisfying. I wanted a loose shift for lounging at home, something like a mu mu. Remember mu mus? Since I am under five ft. in height, it is almost impossible for me to find a dress that is knee length, so I thought since I'm making it myself I'd get that knee length for which I yearn. At about the waist I decided to change to a rib stitch, thinking it'd draw in just a bit and have a little shape to it, and that was a great idea. Then a little above the waist I decided that I'd like to try something besides a straight tube, and I went for the halter, open back design. I began to knit back and forth, binding off about 25 stitches to give a straight bottom to the open back. Then I began to decrease one stitch each row to give a graceful curve to the back. It has a fabulous loose and comfy feel to it and is a refreshing change from a straight band at the top with gathering in the mu mu style.

So - my sojourn into garment design has taken a giant step forward. I'm ready to try something else, or do this shift idea again with some variations. I could use two or three of these house dress/nightgown thingies, so I may stick with this for awhile.

Finished capelet - circle scarf

Capelet, "Melody" yarn by Southwest Trading Company, nylon and rayon, size 10.5 cable needle, 16in.

I do love the way this yarn takes on a frothy texture when knitted on large needles. I confess to making this same cape with this same yarn in at least four colors. It's a request from a gallery manager.

In the studio

Scarf, garter stitch, mixed fibers, size 13 wood needles

This is a very different palette and texture for me. I wanted to try very bulky yarns and the palest pastels I could find. I've found that with the slip stitch selvedge the knots on each row start to push out the selvedge edge, and I'm not entirely happy with the results. The left edge looks different from the right, so there's a visually asymmetrical thing happening.

I've moved the studio into my apartment and have been taking photos literally on the drawing board. I'll be playing with backgrounds and having fun tacking things to the board. So there will probably be a bit different look and feel in the photos.

Oh yeah...right here in the studio

Scarf, garter stitch, alpaca, wool, nylon, size 11 cable needle

I wrestled with the basic photo editor on this machine, having got a new machine with no Adobe Photoshop on it. *whew* So here is, at last, what I've been doing lately. I chose this palette of dreamy aquas with a sprinkle of other pastels because it just felt like time to do something frothy. It all started at the farmer's market in the stall of a spinner who raises sheep and makes the most of them, including spinning and knitting. She does a bang-up job with dyes, AND the wool was on sale. Then I saw some Alpaca at a shop in Saratoga Springs, New York, and I was already putting this scarf together in my head.

I'm apparently not done with the shaggy effect, even though I think it's going to happen each time I finish a project. Maybe this is the last one.