In the studio - and blog rest

Note: I'll be resting and not doing much except having fun away from the net for the next couple weeks - see you the last half of June.

purse, wool tweed, stockinette stitch with garter stitch selvage, size 5 bamboo needles

I've tried button embellishment in this exploration of simple purses, and on this one I thin I shall try fulled applique. I'm doing these on small needles, so even though they are not very big they take a lot of knitting. I have a zillion of them going at once.

In the studio

Scarf, green silk with green sequins, lace stitch, size 9 wood cable needle, 16 in.


I've been making progress on this wonderful experiment lately. I began to shred the yarn because I ripped the first ten yards out about five times. So this final time I just kept going, and learned how to rip out just a little and repair mistakes. The lace kicked my butt for awhile, but now I have the pattern in my muscle memory. The sad part of this photo is that I'm not skilled enough to capture the sequins!!! They really make the yarn and the fabric much more attractive than I can show here. My design idea is to make this a very long scarf, and I'll braid the fringe. I think that the light weight of the lace fabric will make it suitable for summer, more as a decorative scarf than one for warmth.

In the studio

Capelet; mixed fibers: wool, mohair, acrylic, cotton, nylon, silk; beginner's lace stitch; rib stitch; size 11 cable needle, 24in.

Once I bound off, I added more rows at the neckline with a crochet hook and decreased to tighten up the neck a bit. Then I went shopping at Colorful Stitches for a button, and found a beautiful complementary one. As soon as I get it attached I'll do another photo.

In the studio

Scarf, wool, rib stitch, size 15 wood needles

I love the way this looks like a pink cloud. The yarn is very soft and so it feels rather cloud like. I did this rib the same way I did the rib in the Jan. 31, 2007 entry. The difference in scale results in a completely different look.

In the studio

Handbag, mixed fibers, mohair, wool, metallic, nylon, stockinette and reverse stockinette, size 5 plastic needles.

I'm really digging the horizontal and vertical emphases that show in the stitches.

In the studio

Handbag, mixed fibers, mohair, wool, metallic, nylon, stockinette and reverse stockinette, size 5 plastic needles.

I couldn't help myself when I saw this yarn. I also have tons of it in teals and greens, but when I saw this color mix my hand reached out and I had no will power to stop!

I'm still exploring the use of stockinette and reverse stockinette to create patterns and am thinking of eventually trying to use it to make a jaquard-like fabric. We'll see how far it goes. I figure one can chart this sort of thing on graph paper and do all sorts of things! But as for now I'm sticking to simple shapes and looking at the effects.

In the studio

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

This is another update of the Nov. 6, 2006 and Feb 15, 1007 entries. Actually it's the culmination of the work pictured in the very first blog entry in fall of 2004. I've decided to go to bedspread size for this monster. And I've actually done about 12 inches since this photo was taken, so I figure I want to put another 12 or so inches on it and I'm done.

I thought of this afghan originally as a project that would use up vast amounts of yarn and decrease my stash volume. But then I kept buying yarn that I thought would make it even MORE beautiful, and now I still have a very large bin of yarn in these colors. I started to make pillow shams using a more narrow color range. There will be a sham in purples and a sham in teals.

I may have to make another afghan. I already have lots of ideas rolling around in my head for what sort of fabric I want to make. I might try something like this but in a crochet version. Perhaps in a rather outlandish stitch pattern.

In the studio

Handbag, wool, size 2 wood cable needle, 24 in.

This is the third project I've tried with this yarn. I don't work well with this scale in knitting. Crochet with teensy hooks doesn't bother me, but the small needles make me all twitchy.

In the studio

Capelet, rib lace stitch, hemp yarn, size 5 plastic cable needle, 24 inches

This is the capelet I mentioned a few entries back. The loose white thread ends you see are the life line, done with dental floss.

The great pleasure of knitting on this piece is the way that the needle is a perfect match for the yarn. This needle has very sharp points and they pick up the stitches of this fine yarn easily. The hemp glides over the plastic with just enough friction to keep its springiness under control. I can't wait to see the capelet done, because I enjoy the lace so much, but I love the work itself because of the way it feels as I'm working it.

In the studio -circle scarf

Capelet; filet crochet; mixed fibers, nylon, rayon, polyester; sequins; metallic thread wraps, size E aluminum crochet hook

I love the yarns in this capelet, however they are challenging when it comes to hiding the knots in this skimpy fabric. So I'm trying to wrap the knot ends in metallic threads. It's a subtle shimmer effect and makes the whole work much more neat.

Finished red crochet capelet - circle scarf

Capelet, nylon and metallic tape, red and gold, filet crochet, size p aluminum hook.

This is a sister piece to the black and silver one I did last fall. I have more of this tape and I'm intrigued by it. I want to make things with quite a bit of drape because the metallic fiber in the yarn makes it very stiff otherwise.

It's a fabu evening capelet!

In the studio

Scarf, wool, rib stitch, intarsia color work size 7 aluminum cable needle, 24 in.

I'm happy with the progress on this piece, of the December 7, 2006 entry. It's a lot of knitting with those smaller needles, and the color switching, although very primitive, still starts to bug me after awhile, so it's not the sort of thing I can do for days on end.

I like the complementary colors, especially since they're our school colors, but over the past weekend I got some less contrasting colors and I think my next color work exercise will use a more subtle color combination.

In the studio

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

Here's the progress I've made on the November 1, 2006 entry. It took me awhile to think of what I wanted to do around the bottom below the ruffle. Notice on the right of the photo there are tendrils. Each has a bead on the end. It'll be a fringe of sorts.

The tendrils: ch19, add bead, turn, sl st, sc, half dc, dc, tr, dc, half dc, sc,sl st back to the beginning of the chain

There's a sort of crochet pendent at the end of each tendril.

I'm about a third of the way through the tendrils, and when I finish them I'll work on a neck line embellishment. Right now the neck is the basic chain that I did at the beginning, so it's austere when compared to the "out there" frilliness of the rest of the capelet. It will probably be a small picot edging with a small bead accent. The beads are very close to the color of the yarn, so they glint a teensy bit.

I can't wait to block this and see what happens!

Finished circle scarf

Angora collar or circle scarf, size 4 16 in and size 7 16 in cable needles rib edges with stockinette stitch body

I found the USB cable for my camera!

So here is the circle scarf I discussed in the previous entry. I have a photo of a version of it on Nov. 28. I ripped all that out and started on smaller needles. I think the result is much more attractive.

In the studio

Triangle shawl [increase one stitch each row], suri [alpaca], garter stitch, size 10 aluminum cable needle, 24 in.

I got this yarn in a swap (thanks, Elly!), and it's fabulous. The skeins have around 300 yards each, and I'm going to keep going on this shawl until I use both skeins, so it will be rather large. It's light weight, however - still no more than several ounces.

I finished a circle scarf this weekend, and have to find the USB cable for my camera before I can show it to you!

I also got out the teal/blue/purple afghan and all the yarns and put a few more inches on yesterday. I do love that big old thing! See Feb. 15 2007 entry for a photo. I'm ready to keep at least one afghan project going at all times.

For the first time I put a life line into some lace on Saturday. I used dental floss. I got instructions on how to do it from the friendly folks at Trumpet Hill yarn shop up in Latham. Of course, that was *after* ripping it out three times due to dropped stitches.

Stop laughing.

In the studio

Wall hanging, mixed fibers; wool, cotton, nylon, lurex, acrylic, hemp, mohair, rayon; with 6 dowels evenly spaced outlining 5 knitted panels. Stockinette with reverse stockinette shapes, size 9 wood needles.

I've been wanting to get this more complete photo of the wallhanging into the blog. It's still hanging like this, awaiting the next step. I've been contemplating it, and the next step is light green tendrils spreading vertically up through all the panels, with very small willow-like leaves. It will be beaded as well as stitched.

I still like the effect of the reverse stockinette and am planning to use this technique in more of my work.

I'm thinking of putting a lining on the back in order to prevent stretching, then stitching through both layers.

In the studio

Scarf, green silk with sequins, lace stitch, size 9 wood cable needle,

I gave up on the crochet version and ripped it out. I've ripped out several attempts at stitch patterns. For some reason I didn't find it easy to settle on the stitch pattern with this yarn. But I like this lace, and I think it shows off the yarn and the sequins very well. The yarn is a rather loosely spun silk and gorgeous. Too bad you can't tell much from this photo. I'll try to do better next time. The lace pattern is from the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework , which has a small section of knitting lace stitch patterns.

In the studio

Cover up, tee shirt shape; green "denim" cotton worsted weight yarn; double crochet, size ? aluminum hook

I love this yarn and am thinking about photographing the 2 lb. cone - it's a monster. This loose tee shirt will look good over a tank top or be great for a beach cover up - very breezy. The piece is shown draped over a green pillow - it's open and lacy, but not frilly. The pattern is a variation of filet crochet, with the filled-in blocks stacked directly on top of one another, forming vertical stripes.

In the studio

Purse, 100% worsted wool, stockinette stitch, size 9 plastic needles, mother of pearl buttons, glass seed beads

This is the next stage of the March 20 entry and I'm enjoying sewing on the buttons and beads. Now I want to put buttons and beads on everything!

Just kidding.

I'm not dead yet!

But I'm not doing much knitting and won't be doing any blogging for the rest of the week.

So check out this book. It was sent to me by a dear friend, and I've been feasting on it. Lily Chin is a wonderful designer, and she has top marks for her crochet design from me. Her beading is fabulous for most of the examples in this book. Some of the fabrics are lightly beaded with edgings and they're nice, but other fabrics are filled with beads and they are divine. M m m m.

Knit and Crochet with Beads, Lily M. Chin, 2004, Interweave Press,ISBN: 1-931499-44-6, Softcover, 160p., $21.95(USD)

In the studio

Purse, 100% worsted wool, stockinette stitch, size 9 plastic needles

This picture is the basic fabric for the purse with buttons for embellishment. I've got to get another picture soon so you can see the mother of pearl buttons! It blocked beautifully and let go of the curl. I'm a bit concerned that I didn't do a selvage row, and I'm wondering how the side seams will do.

In the studio

Scarf, silk, sequins, double crochet filet lace.

This is one of the dozen or so things I've started.

Book

Romantic Style: Knits and Crochet to Wear or Display by Jennie Atkinson, 2006, Martingale & Company ISBN:1-56477-715-4, 128p. $29.95(USD)

I bought this book last week because I find it charming. I shy away from project-based needlework books more often than not, but this is an exception. As usual, I'm not looking at instructions or the more technical aspects of the book, but I like the photos of the knitted items. Ms. Atkinson uses designs from other designers to good effect, and keeps a very beautiful and delicate theme going throughout. She offers designs for a wide variety of garments and also accessories. I like them all, although I'm inspired by one or two to actually try them or something like them. One of the purse designs grabbed me right away, and I'm sure I'll be riffing on it for some time to come.

Although I'm not following the directions, I'm already working on at least three purses based on that inspiration. It's plain stockinette stitch pattern embellished with buttons, and I've rifled through one bag of buttons in my stash and am actually trying to remember where all the rest of my pounds (oh yeah) of buttons are.

I'll make one technical comment regarding a pattern chart. Laid out on a grid that is SHADED with a dark tan, the one pattern I'd like to try is almost impossible to read. I don't know what posessed the book people to shade this chart but lemme tell ya, it's a very very bad idea if reading it is the purpose. Not only that but it's practically microscopic. Sheesh! You'd think the book designers would have a clue.

Having finished the stockinette piece for the purse, I realized how long it's been since I've made a plain stockinette piece of knitting with plain worsted wool while I was blocking it last night: years and years. I've had quite a trip with novelty yarns. Now that the wool's dry and I've collected my mother of pearl buttons I'm ready to start stitching the buttons onto the wool, and I'm adding some beads too.

Finished scarf

Scarf, forest green kid mohair and silk, rib stitch, size 9 plastic needles

Et voila - I got all the sequins into a crochet border. This technique is much easier that stringing the sequins onto the yarn and pulling them into the crochet as needed. I tried that technique in the black kid mohair scarf, December 4, 2006 entry. I'm using a size 14 steel hook, which is so teensy that it's easy to bend it. But the hook fits through the center of the sequins, so I can pull the kid mohair through each sequin. I'm certain this technique can also be used to inclue beads in the crochet or knitting if the yarn is fine enough and the beads are large enough.

I'm getting my sequins from Cartwright's. Warning. This site is dangerous...

In the studio

Scarf, forest green kid mohair and silk, rib stitch, size 9 plastic needles

And speaking of the scarf from the December 8 entry... It's easy to carry do I've been taking it with me and having fun with it.

It seems that when I have not been working to finish this scarf I've been knitting and then ripping out hours and hours of lace. Honestly I need someone to call me late at night and force me to put down the lace. I begin to make mistakes and then end up wanting to... well...I guess you can't just shoot knitting and make it go away, but you get my drift.

Finished scarf

Scarf, rib stitch, "Melody" yarn by SWTC, nylon and rayon, size 9 plastic needles

The needles are big enough so that this fabric has a dreamy drape. The color changes a good deal with the light, and I'm not sure if the ruby red color comes across to everyone, but trust me, this is a luscious red. I'm keeping it for myself because I know it will work well with my wardrobe, and I want to wear it.

I went to my new local yarn shop again and happened to arrive at about the same time as the Sunday social knitting group. It was great to see everyone's project. I'm often highly impressed by the skills I see in projects.

Many of these people are members of the Cult O'Socks as I call them. There were some socks in that shop yesterday, babe. Oh yeah.

I was looking for kid mohair to use in a project I've started which calls for black. No black in the shop. Just about every other color though. So...how much do I want to hunt for black kid mohair in my LYSs. As is so often the case, when I'm looking for something specific, it's not to be found in the local scene. *grumble* That didn't keep me from browsing around the shop and having fun, however.

I showed off my forest green kid mohair scarf (December 8 2006 entry) and they made all the right admiring sounds. I'm stroked. I am using a teensy steel crochet hook to incorporate sequins. Photos soon.

In the studio

Purse, mixed fibers: silk, polyester, nylon, stockinette stitch, size 8 plastic needles

I started and ripped out several things with this yarn. It's a fascinating butterscotch color and the textures are yummy. But I'm having a hard time getting to a fabric that I like that has the right drape and surface density. The struggle continues...

In the studio

Scarf, rib stitch, "Melody" yarn by SWTC, nylon and rayon, size 9 plastic needles

I still have a few hundred yards of this yarn, so I'm going to make this scarf, which has a beautiful hand, and something else.

I made a capelet with it that had other yarns blended in sparingly last year, and I may try a similar blending again.

In the studio

Capelet, nylon and metallic tape, red and gold, filet crochet, size p aluminum hook.

The guage must be very large for this tape to drape properly, but the results are quite wonderful. It's purely decorative as a garment, and I like that. I visualize it working not merely over plain colors, but I think it could spice up prints as well.


I chained about 150 stitches, then joined the chain to form a circle. Now I will filet crochet for about 7 inches, decrease for a shoulder curve, then decrease again to form the neckline. I will add a shell or piquot border to the bottom.

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 thought I'd post an update on this monster. I'm still in love with it, and I'm sort of hankering to get back to it after starting so many new projects. It takes patience to get out all the yarns and get back into the rhythm of swapping out the colors and so forth.

In the studio

Cape, Turkish lace stitch, size 13 cable needle, 24 in; merino wool and mohair

The Turkish lace is what I was trying to do with the polyester yarn in the last two entries and it was kicking my butt. However, I finally have mastered it and I think this merino and mohair blend shows it off quite nicely. The mohair is, yes, neon green, which I adore, and which was dyed by the folks at Woodstock Wool Company. They are doing much more dying and exploring with great colors! The Merino is dyed beautifully in spring green colors by Great Adirondack Yarn, another company that dyes yarns that blow my mind.

The cape is problematic. I've been sort of careless in the design, so I'm sweating to get myself out of a technical dilemma. It's too small and I'm trying to decide whether to make a sort of patchwork/intrelac section that'll make it the right size, or to rip out a bunch of stuff and just knit more in the pattern. I'll keep you all updated.