In the studio

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

Still growing! I'm wild about this work. The texture is some of the best work I've done so far in my knitting, and it'll be my largest work, at least until the black afghan gets completed.

As I read other knitting blogs I realize that my blog lacks commentary about my life, feelings and so on, so I'm going to try to add a bit more to my descriptions of my knitting. I'm pouring my soul into this afghan for a few different reasons, and I really do feel as though it's a masterwork of my knitting ouvre. The size means a lot because I have in general stayed with smaller work, feeling that I get the experience of the textile that I'm after without spending months looking at the same fibers. I've afforded myself opportunities to experience many combinations that way.

I also have not been that great a knitter and have struggled to improve my skills. I have had many technical weaknesses that I've worked hard to overcome, and I think this piece demonstrates my level of ability as masterful in the handling of the yarns and fibers and especially the color and texture aspects. It has virtually no technical flaws, and that to me is the mark of a master work. I also think the concept and design have reached the master level as well as the execution. I still have ambitions and there is still work to be done in areas that I believe are critical to the art of knitting, but I think this piece illustrates a mature level of craft.

I know, I know, this is still as dry as dust, but...I'm working on developing a more loose style.

In the studio

Capelet, mixed fibers: wool, cotton, nylon, acrylic, lurex, polyester; size 10.5 cable needle, 16 in.; reverse stockinette stitch

I'm making fewer of these, but still have a huge attraction for them. I liked working with whites and very light tints. The lurex glint does very well in whites. I've made this heavier than versions I consider being more appropriate for summer by using heavier yarns and knitting with a bit smaller needle to make the fabric more dense rather than more lacey.

In the studio

Crochet capelet, hemp, single crochet, size 3 aluminum hook

This poor thing was forgotten and left in Colorado for a month or so, but I'm finishing it gradually now that it's returned. I like working with hemp, and I think I'll be putting beads in it to give it a jazzy tone. I'm looking at red beads that will glint a little bit but not be too gaudy, to put around the bottom.

In the studio

Scarf, mixed fibers: wool, nylon, size 13 cable needle, 16 in. Rib stitch.

I dreamed of this scarf for quite awhile before making it. The finishing touches will be two applique red circles, one on each end. I want to play a lot more with this high contrast color scheme, and develop some interesting embellishments.

I love this black and white yarn! I've thought of a million things I want to make with it.

in the studio

Afghan, rib stitch, size 13 cable needle, 29 in. mixed fibers: wool, cotton, silk, rayon, lurex, nylon, angora, polyester, acrylic, mohair

I love this afghan, although it's hard to see the black yarn unless I knit in very bright light. It is going to be fabulously yummy. This is one of two pieces that I'll price for major dollars, in the hundreds, but I think many people will fall in love with it as I have. I'm using a different yarn for each row, so I'm using the ends of each yarn as a fringe, which will be along each side of the horizontal rows. I'm switching the rib pattern every few inches and the mottled colors you see are the occasional reds and whites I'm putting in for interest. wheeee!

Dithering

Each time I have the impulse to get some photos of what I've been doing "something" happens. But real soon now I'll stop dithering and line up all the beautiful things I've been doing and make some pitchers.

1. Purple and teal afghan
2. Black afghan
3. black, white, red scarf
4. hats hats hats
5. whites capelet

And there's more.
I forfeited another entire day of knitting (which was my Saturday) in order to go to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival on Sunday, reports of which are covering blog entries all over the northeast. For the third year in a row I scored some great linen. go figure

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, stockinette stitch with rib stitch edge, size 10.5 cable needle, 16 in.; double pointed needles for finishing, crochet "twirly things" on top

For some reason I'm not hitting my hat "groove", and it doesn't quite feel right yet. But I'm going to keep on trying until I get it. The hand of this fiber mix is soft and loose, with lots of drape.

Finished hat

Hat, mixed fibers, stockinette stitch with rib stitch trim, size 10.5 cable needle, 16 in.

I took a ball of "Kureyon" and used it for every other color in this hat. Since the colors in the ball change, there's an interesting subtle blend of orange, brown, gold, green and purple. I enjoy these small items because almost as soon as I dream up a fabric it's rendered to create something. Wheeeeee!

And speaking of weaving, Queer Joe spoke of his adventure with a table top loom as being about as complicated as Weavettes. I've had a Weavette as long as I can remember, which is about 40 years now, and I'm still hard pressed to figure out a way to use a piece of Weavette fabric that isn't hideous. Any ideas would be appreciated.

In the studio

Handbag, mixed fibers, size 5 needles, woven stitch

The fall colors are some of my favorites, so I'm sticking with this palette for a month or so. I've been fooling with purse designs so Real Soon Now I'll get out of the envelope design and move on to something else. But until then I'm having fun with it!

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.

Where was I?

I was vacationing for a couple weeks, knitting all the while, so when I get the camera and my work together in the same place, there'll be more photos. I was crocheting also, using this wonderful hemp yarn, in a raspberry color [this photo was altered to get close to the color]. It's a little bit fatter than crochet cotton, and I'm knitting it now also, with a size 3 needle. My plan is to sew some beads into it as well, to give it a little flash and weight.

So while you're waiting for photos to show up, get yourself to Franklin's Panopticon and enjoy his reports of Stitches Midwest.

In the studio

I'm starting to do some of the things that wise knitters who write books recommend, and I'm pleased with the results.

Although it has taken more than a year to get up and running, I now have a knitting journal that contains all the labels of the yarns that I use with a sample strand of the yarn wrapped around the label. That way I not only know what I've used for projects, but the care instructions and fiber contents. I use transparent tape to stick the label to the page, or a stapler.

And now I've begun to make swatches, but that's still a rough practice and I wouldn't call it a habit yet. I've swatched a few yarns and put them on the pages of the journal with the labels, just to see what they look like worked up into fabrics, not much writing. Over the past few days I swatched a cotton and silk blend, then figured out from the swatch how to create a nightgown by using measurements to figure out how many stitches to cast on and approximately how many rows it's going to take.

The swatch is stapled onto the journal page along with sketches of the garment and measurements as well as a record of the guage and which needles I'm using. Tape will eventually let go, so I'll probably start to use the stapler to fasten things to the pages or sew them in, which I have also tried successfully.

It's not a complicated garment, but it was very cool to design it using a plan rather than something in my head that has no rational basis for completion, just a hunch. Once I'm done with the gown, I'm going to make a hip length kimono with short sleeves from the same yarn, same guage. I'm diggin' it. And I also need the gown and kimono.

Photos to come when I get in the mood with the camera.

Book

Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments: 350 Ways to Enhance Your Knitting, by Nicky Epstein, 1999, Interweave Press, ISBN: 1-883010-39-X, 276p. $31.95(US)

I'm getting a thing for Nicky Epstein. I like the illustrations and directions in her books and the way the pattern ideas are organized. This is the third reference work, I'll call it, that I've appreciated not only for the sheer volume of ideas, but the way it's not about specific projects, but about an aspect of knitting. The three I happen to like are all about ways to embellish. But I'm all about embellishment, so she's my gal. She takes a form and then illustrates many variations, so I feel like I've really gained an understanding of what the embellishment form can do, how to expand it if I want to or how to alter it in other ways that make it just right for my current project. This sort of thing keeps me going for years. I've already thought of dozens of ways I can spruce up my own knitting from ideas in this book, and I'm not contrained by specific patterns. Since I don't usually work from patterns, this is a good thing.

Labels

Labels: Rowan "rag" yarn, cotton embroidery

Here's the requested photo of the labels I've made to "sign" my hand loomed work. The rag "yarn" is a lovely cotton tricot, beautifully soft. Rowan designers have made it up into balls with the strip folded, much like those who braid rugs fold the fabric. I ironed it flat, and it's a bit more than 1cm wide. I have sewn my name on more narrow ribbons, so this is fairly roomy and I can backstitch the letters more comfortably. I just plunge in and do the letters free style, although someday when I want them to look more refined I'll probably draw them in pencil first. It is a great challenge to decide where to put the labels on the work. In some cases I use the label to mark a certain spot on a garmet to help the wearer put it on correctly, or at least the way I intended.

Oh yeah, and that's my latest magazine - I highly recommend it.

Winding balls for pulling from the inside

So I have to admit that I've been a bit blockheaded about this, but that's only after I now see the light. I was in a good little knitting group in my fair city a few weeks ago and one of the members talked about what he used for making balls that you can pull from the inside. A little spark dashed through the murkey goo that goes for my mind.

So last night as I was sitting with my 600 yard skein of Valley Yarns cotton/wool sage green yarn, I decided to try my newfound idea. Thanks Aaron!

I got out my big fat size 19 needles for knitting scarves and started winding the yarn around both of them, so as to get a nice open core in the ball that's not too big and not too small. I was glad I was watching the Dustin Hoffman interview on "Inside Actor's Studio", because the next very long while would have been quite boring without something else going on. Fairly soon I discovered how to wind it just like a ball winder does. So now I have a 600 yard ball that stands up without falling over on its flat bottom and is neatly pulled from the center. My winder could not have handled a ball that big, so I'm profoundly glad to have a 600 yard piece that doesn't have any knots.

Books

Folk Hats: 32 Knitting Patterns and Tales from Around the World, by Vicki Square, 2005, Interweave Press, ISBN: 1-931499-63-2; 144 p. $21.95(US)

I mostly just look at the photos when I get knitting books. I like many of the hats in this volume, but others seem just stupid, like the knitted version of the Samuri helmet and the European women's skull cap. Vicki Square looks at folk hats and then develops knitted interpretations of the designs. Many are wonderful, but several cause me to wonder about her point. Each hat gets a little "folklore lite" blurb. It's inspiring for the moment, but it's not a keeper and will be donated to my local library knitting collection soon.

In the studio

Open capelet, worked back and forth on size 11 cable needle, garter stitch, mixed fibers

I have a group of ice blues and spring greens that I've blended together in this fabric. I took the capelet idea and decided to try working back and forth, changing the yarn each row and leaving a fringed opening. I want to make a large, lightweight button for a closure, and will be looking around for materials. I saw some felt buttons recently, and they might be just the right weight. The loose knitting will be pulled out of shape by something heavy.

In the studio

Capelet, reverse stockinette stitch, size 11 cable needle, mixed fibers

This is the last in the series for awhile. I think I've done just about all I want to do in the way of capelets, and will be switching to other things. But I couldn't resist trying a pink frothy version. It's very girly and irresistible. My knitting will be slowing down in general now that the street fair is over. I'm ready to work on aprons, and I am imagining aprons made with crochet cotton at the moment. I'll be posting what comes out of my experimentation soon.

In the studio

Wool shawl, viariation of basket stitch, size 10 needles

Here's my homage to Kuryon yarn yet again. This time I want to show the tabs I'm putting on the ends instead of fringe. I decided to make them about 4 inches long, with points on the ends. I'm exploring more and more edging ideas thanks to Nicky Epstein and her recent books on edging, Knitting on the Edge and Knitting Over the Edge.
There are three stitches between each tab, and I think I may change that because they look a little bit too far apart. I'm also fantasizing about putting a small tuft on the end of each tab.

Finished capelet

Capelet, mixed fibers, largely "Melody" yarn from Southwest Trading Company, plus various wool and nylon yarns, size 13 cable needle, 16", reverse stockinette stitch

I'm having a great time cooking up various fabrics, and I have piles of vary simple pieces that show off the stitches and fibers now. While the red piece in a previous post is shot through with just a couple other colors, this piece is more like 80% of the Melody yarn, with sort of an "icing" of the fluffy white and ivory yarns. I'm playing with balances of like that. In this work the character remains very lacy, but the fabric is more substantial than the red one.

I'm taking them all to our local Art on Lark fair tomorrow, and I'll see how people respond to them in person.