In the studio - scarf

Linen and silk rib stitch.  The ligter green will be a bit of fluffy edge.

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In the studio - the pink ruffle grows

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In the studio - a shawl in contrasting whites

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Spring scarf in progress

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Spring scarf

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Finished Shawl

Shawl for a child, garter stitch, mixed fibers, size 10, 6 mm bamboo cable needle

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Cards

The latest batch

Crochet bag - ready for embellishment

The straps will go into the slots.  I'm thinking about lots of tassles.

Crochet bag

Handbag, cotton and microfiber with metallic flecks, about 5 inches in diameter, single crochet, size F aluminum hook.

It's been awhile since I've made handbags, and I feel a bout coming on.  I want  to make them for spring and summer.

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Green spring scarf

Scarf, cotton and linen blend, rib stitch, size 7 wood needles, 7 in.

This will have wide elaborate borders, most likely in a contrasting color.

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Summer black boa

Boa, linen stitch, mixed fibers: wool.viscose,cotton.polyester,lurex; size 11 - 8mm wood needles, 11 inches

Making the fringe involves huges numbers of knots, but I love boas because they always add drama to an outfit.

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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?