All yarns from San Diego

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Finished big scarf

Scarf, seed stitch, mixed fibers: wool, silk, cotton, nylon, acrylic, rayon, bamboo; size 11 wood needles, 10in.

I was intrigued by a radical mix of yarns.  I made balls by mixing about 30 different yarns.  I cut lengths between about 18 in and 36 in, so the texture is all over the place.  It's a substantive scarf and I think it will add that brazen touch to any outfit  8^)

In the studio - reds shawl

Shawl, wool, mohair, nylon and rayon, rib stitch, size 11 cable needle, 24 in.

These three yarns, although three different brands, all have the same colorway.  It appears slighly differently in each yarn because the fibers take the dye differently.  

I am enjoying the texture of each yarn. They are wildly different weights. I am striping by doing one of the three for each row and keeping the order the same through the three yarns.  The fabric is lacy, fuzzy and I think it will be warm.  It's knitting up very quickly because of the somewhat large needle size.

The rib stitch provides a vertical line which counter balances the strong horizontal stripes created by the differences in yarns.  It will be quite stretchy and comfy.

In the studio - black filet crochet

Scarf, filet crochet with added tufts, mixed fibers and aluminum, size H crochet hook.

This scarf is going very quickly and will be light for early fall.  I'm tying the tufts in randomly and they have shiny spots that will provide coppery flecks of brightness.  It will go in the washer and dryer to be fulled, which I think will bring out a wonderful fuzziness and sort of obscure the individul stitch shapes and make the tufts more fluffy.

In the studio - tans

Stash and my new knitting bag with a hole in the top from Common Thread in Saratoga Springs, New York.  They don't seem to have a web site yet.

Shawl, woven stitch, mixed fibers size 10 wood cable needle, 24 in.

I was drawn to these colors because I think they're unusual, especially for me.  This shawl is a bit heavy because of the guage and the tape gives the fabric a very solid and heavy feeling.  I think it will be nice for fall.

In the studio - silk fluff

Triangle shawl, stockinette stitch, mixed fibers, size 10 cable needle, 24 "

I've added some other novelty yarns to this silk fluff and it's a wonderful shaggy thing.  It'll be very very warm because the silk is so thick.  It will be completely reversible so that one can choose to have the shaggy side in or out.

This is an original textile design.

In the studio - blue and green

Scarf, woven stitch, mixed fibers, size 10 wood needles, 14 in.

I knitted this all last weekend, visiting spots all over western Massachusetts.  It has some of my new "Be Sweet" mohair, which I find fascinating and soft, in spite of the boucle texture.  I usually do not like it.

In the studio - green and pink

Stole, woven stitch, mixed fibers: wool, cotton, acrylic, silk, linen; size 10 wood needles, 14 in.

I'm knitting two rows with each yarn to produce a fringe along the bottom edge of the stole and this broken strip effect produced by the woven stitch.  I like the pink and green together.

In the studio - pink!!!

Scarf, rib stitch, mixed fibers: wool, bamboo, silk, polyester, lurex, cotton, rayon, mohair; size 9 wood needles, 10 in.

I'm not quite sure I can handle all the pink, so I'm letting this rest in the bag for awhile.  I'm thinking it over.

Original design.

In the studio - white afghan

Afghan, linen stitch or woven stitch,  mixed fibers: cotton, linen, mohair, silk, wool, lurex, alpaca,  acrylic, polyamide; size 9 cable needle, 60 in.

I started another afghan because I have all these whites - fat ones, skinny ones, fluffy ones, shiny ones... and so now I have this quite lovely binkie in progress.  About every third row I am using an alpaca boucle, and the texture is all brought together by its softness and drape.

I haven't measured it yet with the tape measure but it's about 65 inches wide. It has both gold and silver  metallic highlights among the yarns, so it has a very elegant look rather than the more bohemian effect that mixing a couple dozen yarns has.  I'm working with a bin of the yarns at the ready.  I seem to able to keep at it for about a week at a time and then I have to put it aside and do something else.

I haven't bothered really to talk about this in the past, however there are very few things I produce by following someone else's pattern.  I don't think about it much.  I design textiles, so the shape happens as a secondary consideration and I'm not interested in complex garment construction. I'm not going to go back and edit all the entries for which this applies.  So from now on I have decided to indicate that each piece is of my design with the term:

Original design

Finished boa

Boa, merino wool and polyester with lurex, garter stitch, size 11 plastic needles, 10 in.

I've managed to finish this wonderful boa  previously shown in the April 18 entry and give it to the wonderful knitter who gave me the yarn. I knitted to about 72 in and I think that's enough to make a nice dramatic statement.

In the studio - cotton and silk

Shawl, cotton and silk, garter stitch, size 8 cable needle, 32 in.

I'm working this side to side and doing a shallow triangle, carrying both yarns along what will be the "top" edge. One of the yarns is an aqua matte silk and the other is a cream cotton that has a warm tone.  I think the result is a nice summery shawl.

In the studio - linen with bobble edge

Scarf,linen, crochet, size a bamboo crochet hook

This bobble edge is versatile and makes a lovely dynamic edge on a plain narrow scarf.  A new entry in the "school colors" series.

Finished shawl

Triangle shawl, stockinette stitch, mixed fibers, size 11 wood cable needle, 32 in.  approx. 72 in wide, 20 in long at peak

This is another of the wonderful things inspired by a gift of stash from Elizabeth.  She destashed to the tune of three bags and I have been having quite a blast with the yarns since then.

In the studio - fall boa

Boa, approximately 65 inches in length; mixed fibers: wool, cotton, silk, linen, acrylic, angora, nylon, rayon, polyester, metallic; linen stitch; size 10 wood needles, 10 in. approx

Quite the pile!  This scarf is 11 stitches wide, with fringe at the end of each row approximately 3 inches long.  There is a different yarn each row and I used more than 30 yarns to compose the fabric, most of which are deep oranges and browns.

I began it last fall and put is aside in favor of other projects.  Yesterday I rediscovered it and had to collect the three bags of yarn together again in order to make the last part similar to the first.  I used a method of selecting a "base" color.  I used this color approximately every 3rd row in order to provide a base color upon which to build the remendous variety of other colors.  It tends to unify the fabric in spite of the more than 30 colors and textures which are incorporated.

In the studio - shawl/scarf

Shawl/scarf, seed stitch, mixed fibers: silk, cotton, nylon, mohair, rayon, wool, size 11 aluminum cable needle, 32 in.

I started a few of these loosely-knit, very wide scarves that can also be a somewhat narrow shawl in a pinch.  This one is inspired by gifts of beautiful yarns from my dear friend Elizabeth.  It's bright and fuzzy,

Yes, I HAVE been knitting and crocheting

Finished shawl/scarf , mixed fibers, seed stitch, size 13 cable needle, 24in




This is an earlier stage of the piece below.




I'm really liking this "coin" edge bauble.



This is the completed scarf from a recent entry.

In the studio - filet crochet

Scarf, crochet, wool and cotton, size B aluminum crochet hook

The filet crochet progress - the shell border is taking shape nicely and the colors are superb.  I'm always fond of Noro colors and this yarn is no exception.

The one difficulty is that that yarn knots and knots and knots when pulled from the center of the ball.

In the studio - filet crochet

Scarf, crochet, wool and cotton, size B aluminum crochet hook

I started this weeks ago but my interest in it has returned now that the baby blanket has been completed.  My plan is to make it rather long and add substance by making a dense ruffle for the border.  I have another ball of the yarn, so I'm sure there'll be enough to make the ruffle, which won't be wide, but will be sort of heavy.

Art crit night with my knitting and Finished baby binkie

I took my knitting to art crit night to see what my guild members would say.  There were positive comments yet I could tell that they were having a hard time fitting it into what they would call art.

The baby binkie is wonderful and soft and went to a baby who loves binkies.  What could be better?

Finished scarf - parti colored lace

Scarf, mixed fibers: polyester, nylon, simple lace stitch, size 10 plastic needles, 10 in.

This was definitely an impulse and it knitted up very quickly. The nylon makes it a rather heavy fabric in spite of its lacy construction. The photo doesn't capture the bright colors, which are also very shiny.

I struggled for quite awhile with this lace - I mean for years. It's very easy to make a mistake at the end of one particular row in the four-row pattern. This piece was about the first time that I "got it" without having to rip out many rows. It's a good thing, because trying to see the individual stitches with a yarn of this nature is almost impossible.

In the studio - filet crochet

Scarf, mixed fibers: linen, cotton, silk, filet crochet with crocheted embellishments, size E aluminum crochet hook.

This net is like a blank canvas. Embellishments will include neat crochet shapes and some wild fuzziness,

In the studio - greens and purples

Scarf, garter stitch; mixed fibers, cotton, linen, silk, microfiber, rayon, size 11 plastic cable needle, 30 in.

If all goes according to plan this will be a very long narrow ellipse shape with a loose drape. I hope the perfect summer scarf.

In the studio - stash from Webs

For those of you who have yet to be introduced, Webs is a wonderful yarn store in Northampton, MA, a.k.a. www.yarn.com A few friends and I have a habit of meeting in Northampton to catch up with one another and enjoy a communal day of shopping and hanging out. Webs is always on our itinerary.

The one huge pleasure that I love most is that not only do you get to shop a rather large yarn store that serves both the knitting/crocheting crowd (and I'm sure at least a few tatters) but the weaving crowd as well. They've left the doors to their warehouse in the back open so you can wander back and pretty much have a go at the whole stock. It's not pretty, but the bargains are neck deep and higher. This visit I was very pleased to see the younger set making thrilling discoveries in the warehouse. I hope to see more and more in future.

Several overstuffed lounge chairs are a welcome site for many a weary shopper and husband, and I think they help make the atmosphere casual and very friendly.

This stash is a small compromise of shopping pleasure and the knowledge that I just got two rather large bags of free stash from a friend. I got that cone because my companions discovered the $5.00 cone sale shelves and...I just couldn't help myself. That and I'm a crocheter and one can never have too much crochet cotton on hand.



Taking about 18in lengths of each yarn in the new collection, I'm creating this diagonal garter stitch scarf. It's an unusual combination of pinks with a lot of blue and greens with a lot of blue and some just plain blue, and I'm liking it a lot.

Mixed fibers, cotton, wool, silk, nylon, microfiber, rayon, linen; diagonal garter stitch, size 10 cable needle, 30 in (too long!)

In the studio - saturated hues

Boa, merino wool and polyester with lurex, garter stitch, size 11 plastic needles, 10 in.


This yarn is from my friend Elizabeth's stash - she couldn't think of how to use it and when she gave it to me I was rather daunted, but one night I said haayyyyyy..... these two might work if I put them together. I think I was right.

Finished silk scarf with mohair edge

Finished scarf, silk ribbon, rib stitch with crochet mohair edge, size 11 plastic knitting needles, 11 in. and size I/9 5.5mm aluminum crochet hook.

I called this ribbon "ornery" because it was very challenging to get a gage and stitch pattern that would allow the fabric to drape without it looking like a tangled mess of yarn rather than a real fabric. I found it also very difficult to find another yarn for a finishing edge due to the colors in the ribbon and how they change. But I DID find this lovely periwinkle mohair and I'm very happy with the results. It's a very light weight beautiful spring scarf.

In the studio - sawtooth ruffle with sequin edge

Scarf, mohair, sequins, nylon, knit stitch, size 10 plastic needles, 10 in.

This is going along very quickly and is a study in contrasts with the fuzzy matte mohair and the very shiny sequins and nylon yarn along the outer edge. The ruffle is very subtle and the larger needle makes the drape very lovely and soft.

Finished cotton scarf with ruffle edge

Completed scarf, original design, cotton, seed stitch with crochet edging.

This is a wonderful worsted weight cotton.

In the studio - silvery lace

Scarf, viscose, petal and fan crochet lace pattern, 3.25 mm aluminum crochet hook.

I began this piece five times before getting the proportions the way I want them. But I think it will be worth it now that the drape feels right and the scarf is not too wide.

In the studio - rib stitch

Scarf, linen and silk, rib stitch with size 5 needles, 14 in.

After all the fancy laces and ruffles this is a really plain Jane piece of knitting! It will get more interesting with an edge on it. I'm thinking of a very thin ruffle in a more lightweight yarn, same color.

In the studio - fluffy lace original design

Scarf, original design, cotton chenille, lurex, cotton, mohair, crochet and knitted ruffle, size 4 aluminum cable needle, 30" and size 3mm bamboo crochet hook.

I reached for the cotton chenille because it so beautifully soft and the drape is good for ruffles. The lurex stripe shines with bright colors and is buffered a bit by the final fluffy edge.

A technical note - the bamboo crochet hook is easily bent at that small size. If you tend to bend needles, I wouldn't recommend using bamboo at this small guage.