All posts by Jackie E-S

Jackie E-S is the owner of HeartStrings FiberArts, a showcase for her growing roster of original pattern designs. As a certified master knitter and teacher, Jackie continues to share her love of knitting and knowledge through design and publication of skill-building pattern instructions, and conducting workshops, programs and demonstrations. Her interest in the fiber arts extends beyond knitting and spinning to include weaving, dyeing and all needle arts. She also enjoys contract bridge and music.
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Birthday Club

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May is my birthday month. And this year marks one of those significant milestones in life (but I’m not telling which, lol). To celebrate with you, I am starting a Birthday Club at the Jackie E-S / HeartStrings Fan Group on Ravelry.

HeartStrings pattern #A70 Knitted RibbonsJust be sure to have your birthday (month and day) entered into your Ravelry profile. Even if your birthday is not in May, enter it now if you have not already done so. That way you won’t forget when your birthday month comes up.

Continue to actively participate in the group throughout the year. Then sometime during your birthday month I will send a gift coupon for a HeartStrings pattern of your choice. Of course, we want to hear which one you decide on – do share!

Also, let your friends know about joining HeartStrings Fan Group on Ravelry. The more the merrier at the birthday party!

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Musings

2nd Sock Syndrome – Not Really

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I had a very nice comment from a reader who had seen the photo of my Country Girl Socks made in Sour Ball Sock-Ease. Of course, it is always a thrill hearing from knitters (or even others just inspired by the beauty of knitted art) taking the time to write me with kudos.

Anyway, the gist of the comment was about the inspiration to the person new to sock knitting. I am always happy to be an enabler to new sock knitters! She said:

“I loved your socks. Your photos are beautifully done, and the time you took to photography them with the white back drop etc. sets them apart. Your work is beautiful, and its nice to see such lovely work photographed so well.

I am new to sock knitting, my 17 year old daughter (whom I taught to knit) and my other daughter who is 20 both knit circles around me, and I am thrilled to see them do so well with knitting. My 17 yr. old is a sock queen and knit monkeys, a pair at a time on magic loop. She inspires me!

Thanks for the look at your beautiful socks.”

How can I not be pumped up about that? It really makes the day.

And … This reminded me that I still had this sock!

Originally I had made the single sock just so I had a model to photograph for a special edition pattern for Lion Brand (i.e. a republication of the original pattern Country Girl Socks I published in 1997 where the model is made in hand spun yarn). Although I’ve knitted other models in commercially available solid colored yarns, and once in a multi-color, I’ve also liked the way this design had worked up in the Sour Ball multi-color (Lion Brand had me test their new Sock-Ease yarn before it was available to the general public, so this was a bit over 3 years ago!).

Since I no longer need to keep this sock pristine for exhibit and photography purposes, I am planning to work up the 2nd sock and use the pair for ME. Yes, something for myself! What do you think the chances of me matching gauge/size of something I made 3 years ago? Oh well, my feet are not quite the same size either, lol.

Country Girl Socks in Lion Brand Sock Ease, color Sour Ball

p.s. I do appreciate anyone taking time to seed me constructive comments as well — I know that the reality of things is that I am not perfect nor can please all of the people all of the time, but I do listen and do what I can to address concerns if you have them. But hopefully we can all knit happy!

 

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Cooking

Hand-mashed potatoes

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Does anyone do hand-mashed potatoes anymore?  There is an incredible textural substance and appeal for me in something like this — especially when the potato skins are left on (attributing that to making it a healthier dish for all those carbs I am going to enjoy). Besides, pounding that manual potato masher down into the pot really drives off any frustrations and stress from the day, lol.

There are no photos tonight because I am typing as I eat. Some garam marsale (Indian spice mixture), cayenne, shopped banana pepper (from the garden) along with the usual ground sea salt and black peppercorns make the taste buds perk up, too. Wish you were here to enjoy some with me!

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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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