Taking Time to Smell the Roses

Besides being the day to celebrate Thanksgiving, I have a completed project to share with you today! Yesterday was photography session and I snuck in some shots of the narrow scarf version of Elemental Changes Shetland Stole, the HeartStrings pattern that will be released in a couple of weeks.

This is the knitting I brought along to work on during my travel-time to and from Sophie’s Fall Knitting Retreat where I taught this past weekend. We were at Clifty Falls State Park just across the Kentucky state line in Indiana. Wonderful knitters, accommodations and hospitality all around made for delightful classes and even some knitting down-time for myself in the evenings.

The knitting went quickly on this small scarf, probably because I had not taken my computer along and thus did not have that distraction, lol. As those who saw the knitting-in-progress can likely attest, it didn’t look like much at the time before blocking. It still absolutely fascinates me to block lace and see the finished product so beautifully transformed.

For those of you in the USA, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Whatever makes up your holiday, I hope it is a grand day for you and yours. For those who have loved ones far away, I send hopes that you are reunited soon.  For those who will be traveling during the holiday, I wish you safe journeys.  For those who are cooking, I wish you enthusiastic clean-up crews.  To those who are on clean-up detail, I wish you good luck in fitting all the leftovers into the fridge.   

In keeping with the theme of “Taking Time to Smell the Roses”, my idea these days of Thanksgiving is to let someone else do the cooking. So my man-friend John and I will be heading down to the Thanksgiving buffet at Hotel Intercontinental. Bon Appetit!

I just wanted to let you know about a pattern of mine that is included in the recently published book Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences. The pattern is Qiviut Neck Muff, pictured on page 21 and instructions on page 124. I hope you will look it up if you happen to have already gotten this book or will be getting it.

There is just the one photograph in the book, so I thought you’d enjoy some other ideas of wearing this versatile accessory. The pattern stitch is pleasingly reversible, so wearing to either side gives a slightly different look, too. 

I’d like to caution though the book’s editor says the collection of patterns is organized by weight of yarn, it really is organized by gauge. As you know, when knitting lace, light weight yarns (especially those like qiviut with so much loft and warmth) are often worked on larger needles to a more open gauge than typical sweater fabric. That put the Qiviut Neck Muff in the “Fine Weight’ category according to this book, even though it would normally be categorized as Super-Fine Weight.

There are 100 other patterns in this book, all needing no more than one skein of the stated yarn to be made up (of course, some of those skeins have a lot of yardage, such as the project for a sleeveless vest).The assortment of projects is quite nice, but if substituting yarns you will still have to guess at actual amount of yarn needed since only the standard put-up of the stated yarn’s ball/skein is given.

p.s. The Qiviut Neck Muff didn’t even take the entire of ball! If you’d like to know the actual amount needed, let me know and I will look it up in my design notes.

Worn in the style of a loose cowl.

Worn in the style of a turtleneck.

I guess for those of us who are unfortunate enough to live in areas ruled by Daylight Savings Time, we should be glad that we have gained back that hour in our lives that we lost last spring. Or did we? I am not so gullible as to fall for that, tongue in cheek. Just think of all that time wasted last spring changing clocks, and then again today! Darn it, there are so many clocks to change that I must have given back that hour and then some, lol.

Remember the Halloween recipe I wrote about briefly last month? I wanted to let you know that my recipe for Jackie-O-Lantern Open Wrap Pizza is now posted at TheArmChairChef.com. Woops, I had to try a slice just to be sure. Hurry over before I eat it all up!

p.s. Since Halloween is now passed, you wouldn’t need to decorate the pizza with the extra “carved facial features” – it would still be a neat treat decorated just as a pumpkin. Enjoy.

Wasn’t there a fairy tale about a toad and a prince? Do you believe in magic? Well, just compare the before and after of knitted lace!

I was reflecting on that today as I replied to a concern on one of the lace knitting e-lists by someone about “alpaca kind of bunches up when knit and doesn’t lie flat at all. Should I use larger needles … or use the alpaca for something other than lace?”

Alpaca is one of my favs for lace and I certainly hope she won’t give up on using her alpaca yarn. Just so happens I am in midst of working a model for the new HeartStrings pattern Elemental Changes Shetland Stole in an alpaca-blend yarn called “Sarah” from Kraemer.

You can see the unblocked work-in-progress (messy heap of knitting - you talk about bunching up!) vs. the blocked swatch that I did first so I can plan measurements, yardage amounts, etc. appropriately, as well as make sure early on that the end product will be as expected. Look at the comparison here … You talk about a toad turned into prince(ss) - right?

So I recommended that she wash and block a sample swatch in whatever way she was planning to do with the lace article that she was knitting (which happened to also be a stole) before you make a decision to scrap or change course. Knowing that she (and maybe you, too?) are one of the ‘I hate to swatch’ bunch, you could still consider doing a Blocking in Progress.

So don’t scrap a lace knitting project before blocking a sample. By blocking a smaller sample (or in-progress piece) as you will the finished article, you will have the confidence to move ahead (or take another course if not satisfied with the sample). And if moving ahead, you will have stress-free pleasure throughout the knitting of the project in anticipation of that final magical moment of the final blocking to turn the toad into a princess.

I am impressed with Julia and her new PATTERNFISH service for downloadable patterns. She’s like the curator of a fine art gallery, giving thoughtful composure to reviews and providing value-add insights to knitters looking for just the right pattern. Not to mention that the PATTERNFISH service itself has a great search engine to its extensive catalog of pattern offerings.

Julia writes: “I’ve long thought that if patterns were described the way fine garments are in catalogues, people would respect them more. And since no one else was doing it– outside of magazines– I am.”

I am pleased to have PATTERNFISH now offering several designs in downloadable format from my HeartStrings patterns collections. As a special release, the new Lace Puffs Smoke Ring pattern will debut as a first-time published digital edition on Patternfish. Watch for it on PATTERNFISH soon.

A few weeks ago, I came across the notes of a design concept I had begun several years ago but had laid aside when the aesthetics weren’t really coming together to my liking.

While reviewing the notes anew, the creative spirits must have been working overtime because I immediately ’saw’ what could be done. As the design presented itself in my mental vision, I excitedly looked through newly available yarns that were on my list to consider for sample models. Stitches jumped onto my needles and now the design process was in high gear.

Here is a sneak peek of the result: Lace Puffs Smoke Ring made in Kraemer’s Sterling Silk & Silver yarn in their new color Lavender Scent.

A while back, Tink B-D invited designers to submit a remembrance related to a recipe for this year’s Halloween count-down at TheArmChairChef.com. I finally got my act together to figure out what I wanted to do, and to do a write-up and some pics for count-down.

My family never really cooked or baked for Halloween, but who is to say one cannot create new remembrances! I am calling this food concoction the Jackie-O-Lantern Open Wrap Pizza.

I will let you know when the recipe is posted on TheArmChairChef site (or if Tink thinks it is too weird and rejects it, I will post it here later, lol).

Happy Fall! I know it has been WAY too long since I posted to my blog. But then, I was never a great letter-writer nor did much in the way in keeping a daily journal. Days just slip by … believe me, the older you get, the faster they go.

I am not going to try to catch up in detail on all that has gone on since my last post. I did have a great beginning to the summer though — exhibited at TNNA Columbus trade show, vacationed in Maine, New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia, and chalked up some more points toward my Life Master’s in bridge. Then the days of hurricane evacuations ensued, and believe me, that is NOT conducive to productive design work, lol.

Well, I am finally getting settled down again (I hope!). The Fall release, albeit delayed due to the hurricanes, is finally completed and shipped. It included Playing in the Leaves (there are instructions for the maple leaf as pictured above, along with an aspen leaf and oak leaf), Lace Doily Beret, and A Feat of Twist Socks. Do check them out if you have not already done so and let me know what you think.

Some gorgeous hint-of-fall weather has arrived here in south Louisiana — terrifically low humidity for us and low 70’s. Great for energizing the creative spirit! So, thought you might like to see what I have next up on the plate.

It is a new design I am working on to publish soon. The working title is “Elemental Changes Shetland Stole”. The backdrop for this picture is a portion of the sample prototype for the design concept of this to-be pattern.

The yarn I am planning to use for the sample model in the published pattern is Sarah, a Suri alpaca and domestic Merino yarn by Kraemer. Have you tried this new yarn yet?
Well, I am off to wind up some yarn and try it out!

Today, June 14, is Flag Day which commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States. So this post is my little tribute to the flag which represents our freedom. Please let me also sing throughout cyberspace my huge thanks to all who serve to keep our country free.

This little sample is knitted in hand-dyed tencel thread ‘Let Freedom Ring’ from Heritage Yarns using the HeartStrings Morning Surf Scarf pattern. I like how the colors of this thread arrange themselves within this airy, undulating pattern stitch – reminiscent of the US Flag waving in the breeze. I have plenty more left in my skein and plan to do a regular size fashion scarf or wrap in celebration of the July 4th Independence Day.

By the way, Margaret at Heritage Yarns is offering Let Freedom Ring tencel by special order only through June 21, 2008. Tencel is wonderful to knit with and wear in the summer. If you’ve been thinking of trying tencel, here’s a chance to do so, and demonstrate patriotism as well (or did I have to give you an excuse to buy more yarn? LOL)