Monthly Archives: April 2011

Leisure & Travel

These shoes are made for walking

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Do you remember the song “These Boots Are Made for Walking?” recorded by Nancy Sinatra years ago? That song keeps running through my mind as I admire my new Merrell shoes that I just got this past week. The style is called Moab Ventilator. Cool shoes. They’ll be put to good use later this month as I plan to do a lot of walking around San Francisco to see the sights. I also got a pair of the Loreili style, which looks like a cute Mary Jane shoe — I plan to wear those for non-intensive activites and casual dress-up.

My new Merrell Moab Ventilator shoes

Which reminds me … I need to post a notice on my HeartStrings FiberArts website that we’ll be closed for wholesale shipments April 16 – 27. Fortunately, I have several distributors that are available to get pattern orders out to  shops. Also, all the downloadable pattern sites will continue to be available. But if you try to contact me personally, be prepared for a delay, because I’ll be walkin’ and playin’!

p.s. If you are in the San Francisco area and want to maybe meet up sometime while I am there, let me know. My traveling companion has a full schedule laid out for us (and he isn’t a knitter), but maybe we can at least visit a little while. We’ll be staying at the Chateau Tivoli.

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The Designing Day

What is it becoming? Crystal Palace Sausalito

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This is the second installment of the series that began with What will it become? … The next logical question is What is it becoming? So let’s start off again with the Crystal Palace Sausalito yarn. If you missed the beginning of this series, it is here.

I am loving the Sausalito!

I had wanted to say that I am having a ball with the Sausalito, but actually I am having 2 balls of fun. That is because I have 2 balls in the Monet colorway that are being turned into the sample model for a new beaded scarf design.

In the design for this yarn, here are the goals I am focusing on —

  • textured knit and purl for pleasing reversibility
  • undulating movement of color (to emphasize the long runs of color in this yarn)
  • self-shaping edges (no hard lines here; just more movement against negative space)
  • and of course beads, but they will just be accents here and there to add to the interest, rather than detract from the flowing colors of the yarn

Sausalito yarn

Remember the beads that I was considering last time? I decided on the #430 Miyuki blue-lined white ceylon beads. It’s always a difficult choice. The blue-lined white and the #592 ivory ceylon were my finalists. I felt the Monet color together with this stitch pattern and the plan to have occasional bead accents (rather than an all-over beaded pattern) required contrast. Either of the finalists would have worked out equally well. But that subtle blue won out this time. Maybe on another day, the ivory ceylon would have been the winner.

Testing beads against yarn

And I did tell you that I’d give you a peek into what the yarn is becoming.

 

Sneak peek of in-progress beaded scarf in progress
Sneak peek of in-progress beaded scarf in progress

This project is hard to put down because of looking forward to the next new color to come up. That always makes the knitting go faster for me. Does it for you?

 

 

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Friends of HeartStrings Gallery

Thanks to Yvonne: Bunny pattern in Dutch and Swedish

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I am pleased to introduce Yvonne Peelen-Pel for this week’s Friends of HeartStrings Gallery. Yvonne was born in the Netherlands and now lives in Sweden. She is studying at the university and wants to be a handcraft teacher. Until she has completed her studies, she said that she only does little projects. That is why she loved the Knitted Bunny so much. She said, “When I am ready for teaching young children to stitch, it would be a nice and easy project to do with them.”

It’s always great to hear enthusiasm like that. But that’s not all. Yvonne has translated the Knitted Bunny into Dutch and Swedish and offered it to all of us. It’s available now for free download along with the original English version (by me) and the Spanish version (translated by another HeartStrings friend, Paula Toledo) at the HeartStrings website.

Here are the translated patterns. (‘gebreid konijntje’ is in Dutch and ‘stickad kanin’ is in Swedish)

Many thanks to Yvonne for translating. Please comment here and send Yvonne some love and knitterly hugs.

 

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The Designing Day

What will it become? designing with Tilli Tomas Symphony DK and Solo

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Next up in my series of introductory posts on “New Yarns – New Designs to Come” is the new Symphony DK and Solo yarns from Tilli Tomas.

I have done several designs for Tilli Tomas in their other yarns, but not in the Symphony DK and Solo as they are new. Symphony is a single-ply yarn of 70% silk / 30% kid mohair plied with tiny seed beads on skinny 2-ply silk thread. Solo is the companion non-beaded single-ply yarn.

Tilli Tomas Symphony DK and Solo
Skeins of Tilli Tomas Symphony DK and Solo for a new HeartStrings design

I had not previously seen these particular yarns in person prior to Tracy Robinson, owner and designer of Tilli Tomas yarns, asking me to do another design for her. But I had no doubts that I would love the yarn, as I’ve never met a yarn of hers that I haven’t loved to design with. Apparently she does not have doubts of me, either. Based only on a loose idea concept for an unstructured over-garment I proposed in my reply to her email, she sent the whole project’s worth of ample yarn.

Skeins wound into donuts
A few skeins wound into donuts to get started

These yarns are hand-painted in subtle colors. This one is named “Parchment”. In the above picture, you can now see some of the yarn outside of its clear packaging. To get started, I have wound a few skeins into donuts. (Note: these would be center-pull balls, but with the non-elastic nature of the silk, the hole from the ball winder stays open — I think they are cute) Be sure to enlarge the picture (click on it) so you can better see the structure of the yarn and subtle variation of the colors.

 

Time to start swatching
Time to start swatching

I’ve drawn a rough schematic of the vest with ancient technology: pencil and paper. And now with my ideas for the stitch patterns I will use (taken from various sampler scarves I’ve made in the past to experiment with stitch patterns), I am ready to start swatching. This swatching is not to achieve a pre-established gauge. Rather, the gauge will be determined later based on the results of the swatch(es) and needle size that gives the results I want for this design. To begin, I am targeting a needle size US 7 / 4.5 mm, but that could change based on look, feel, drape and stability of the fabric in the pattern stitches I choose.

So thats today’s peek into the designing studio. I’d better get back to work now, as there is much still to be done. Stay tuned for future blog posts about how the new designs are progressing.

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Cooking

Cooking with Quinoa

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Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a light, fluffy, edible seed. I like its slightly nutty taste. Eating quinoa makes me feel healthy, too, knowing it is extremely nutritious. It’s very high in protein, so for you guys (and gals) looking for a meat substitute for Meatless Mondays or the Lent season, make some quinoa.

Cooked red quinoa
Cooked red quinoa

The usual variety of quinoa is white. There is also a red variety that is nice for added color such as in salads. Cooking quinoa is easy and quick. Here’s my basic recipe: 1 cup quinoa; scant 2 cups water (slightly less for cooking al dente such as for salads); a touch of salt.  Bring to boil. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

The main ingredients - parsley, green onions and quinoa
The main ingredients - parsley, green onions and quinoa

Here’s one way I’ve used quinoa for a healthy salad. The idea was spawned when I saw a lovely, huge bunch of flat parsley at the local German Coast Farmer’s Market. I paired my purchase with a bunch of spring onions, then headed home while wondering the best use for these goodies.

The idea for Tabouli Salad popped into my head. I had never myself made Tabouli, but had it at a Chicago restaurant a few years ago. I love parsley anyway, so loving Tabouli is not a stretch given that its main ingredient is chopped parsley. I did a few quick Google searches to review recommended recipes. Then per my usual cooking style, ad libbed with what I had on hand.

The cooked quinoa along with other ingredients
The cooked quinoa along with other salad ingredients

I basically followed the Tabouli Salad recipe at food.com, substituting red organic red quinoa for the bulgur (cracked wheat) and added fresh mint. Then there were a few other minor changes because of what I had on hand (see photo). I also took it up a notch by adding some cayenne pepper and extra freshly ground black pepper. (I have totally adopted the taste for spicy hot food here in Louisiana.)

Tabouli Salad with Quinoa
Tabouli Salad with Quinoa - Healthy and Delicious

Why not plan a meal with quinoa sometime this week?

 

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