Monthly Archives: September 2013

Pattern Ideas for Share Yarn – The Everything But the Sweater Post!

Hello friends! It’s pattern-browsing-addicted Sarah again! This year’s CSA yarn is in the process of being shipped, so I’ve been thinking and dreaming about what I might make (I bet you have, too)! Today’s post is full of pattern suggestions for non-sweater things that you might like to make from your Juniper Moon yarn share. (Looking for sweater pattern suggestions? Cardigans here and pullovers here!)

Maybe you have enough sweaters in your closet, maybe you just like making accessories, or maybe your home could use some wooly pep! I’m also including some projects requiring less yardage today, for those of you who might have half shares, or anyone who wants to spread the share yarn goodness around instead of making one big project. Hopefully there’s something in this list that sparks your interest!

Let’s start out closest to sweater-land. Maybe you like garments, but want something quicker to make. How about a vest? There are some gorgeous vest patterns out there, and vests can be a great gateway to sweaters for nervous knitters.

Something simple like Bracken in DK by Katya Frankel would really let share yarn shine. I can totally picture it in coloured share yarn, too!

Bracken

Julliana Lund’s worsted weight Eria Vest is simple, too, but has some memorable details – like the cowl neck and faux-buttoned sides!

Eria

If you’d prefer a more detailed vest, Alicia Plummer’s Splitstone Vest (in worsted weight) has some lovely cables.

Splitstone

“Give me even MORE cables!” you say – done!! Debbie Bliss’ Catriona, in worsted weight, is a total stunner.

Catriona

If you’d rather make an accessory out of your share yarn, there are some gorgeous options. The Kouyou shawl, in worsted, by Angela Tong, would look great in any of this year’s share yarn colourways.

Kouyou

If you’re into lace, maybe the Stockholm Scarf by Julie (knittedblissJC) will tempt you! In DK weight, it would make great use of a half share.

Stockholm Scarf

Or, with cables AND lace, Kirsten Kapur’s Lispenard cowl in DK weight would be really fun to knit – and keep you warm!

Lispenard

How about something a little bit unexpected? I would love to have Norah Gaughan’s cabled, worsted weight Dickson skirt in my closet.

Dickson

What’s that? You’re feeling really adventurous and bold? How about some amazing shorts? Katie Canavan’s Bombshell shorts in DK weight are completely unforgettable, aren’t they?

Bombshell Shorts

There may be some knitters who would prefer not to make a garment at all. If that’s you, I bet the Snap, Crackle, and Pop pillow covers (worsted weight) by Lindsay Ingram would be right up your alley!

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

Smaller blanket patterns would also be a lovely way to make sure your share yarn has a long life – and is seen and enjoyed by many people.

In worsted weight, Tanis Lavallee’s Smooth Sailing throw would look great in any living room.

Smooth Sailing

In DK weight, the Heirloom throw by Madeleintosh is equally lovely!

Heirloom

I wonder if some of you are already thinking about holiday gift giving. Perhaps something for the children in your lives? With a half share you could *almost* make one each of Ysolda Teague’s adorable stuffed animals – Elijah, Sophie, and Otto! All in DK weight.

Elijah

Sophie

Otto

Actually, I can think of a lot of adults who’d be thrilled to get one of those lovely knitted friends as a gift, too!

Whatever you choose to knit with your share yarn, enjoy it. For me, there’s just nothing like creating something with yarn that I know came from happy, well-cared for sheep!

 

Now that it’s fall, Sarah eats oatmeal and cinnamon toast for breakfast, snuggles her cat, and piles on the handknits every chance she gets. She blogs now, too!

Eagle Eye …

The sun was at just the right angle to shine in the eyes of this wooden eagle sculpture.  Isn’t he beautiful.

100_4712

100_4715

100_4713

100_4714

- by Joan -


Pumpkin Questions …

Not questions pumpkins are asking…

but questions about them …

100_4727

Leave your answers in ‘comments’ and come back Thursday and find out the answers :)


Well that was crazy!

So, I don’t know if you heard, but we’ve been working on this little project called The Shepherd & The Shearer. Just this cool little project that we were kind of excited about.

We were actually a little concerned that no one would understand what we trying to do. This was a whole new paradigm and we didn’t know if people would want to take a chance on something so new and different.

Let me just admit here that we had no idea how wrong we were. We just had no idea. None.

So many people tried to purchase yarn and patterns this morning that our server crashed multiple times. And by “our server”, I mean a giant ass server in Texas.  We are back up now but it is a complete and utter madhouse around here now and we are barely keeping our heads above water.

If you have emailed today please know that we are working our way through them and we will answer you as soon as we can. Lauria is working on literally 2 and a half hours sleep but we are doing our absolute best, I promise.

 

Review: Big Foot Knits by Andi Smith

big-foot-books_small_best_fitBig Foot Knits, Andi Smith, Cooperative Press, 2013, 134pp.

I was so excited when book came out!  And it’s not just because I love Andi & am thrilled for her — this is the sort of book that, if you’re even thinking of knitting socks, whether you have big feet or small, should be on your shelf.

I’m a big proponent of altering your knits (whether it’s my pattern or someone else’s) to fit your body.  There are a ton of resources out there to do so (if you don’t have it yet, check out Amy Herzog’s Knit to Flatter – I reviewed her PDF series here, but the book is even better), but until now there wasn’t anything like that for socks.

One of my pet peeves for socks is someone offering only one size then saying “change needle size to change sock size”.  To me, socks, regardless of how big or small, need to be at a firm gauge; if that gauge is, say, 8 sts per inch, it needs to be 8 sts per inch for size small and for size large.   Now, if you want to work a pattern that has only one size, and you were a little iffy on how to alter it to fit you, Andi’s book is there for you!

Over a third of the book is devoted to how to properly measure your feet and how to alter the socks at various points to fit your foot. There’s an entire chapter on making your toe shaping follow your own foot’s shape.  Ultimately you complete your own Custom Sock Worksheet (top down or toe up, your choice), in which you specify all the different techniques, stitch counts, gauges, etc that you will use.

maramaI’ll admit I’m a cuff down, heel flap & gusset gal.  Andi prefers after though heels, and all the subsequent patterns have after thought heels.  But of course, as she points out, you can apply her principles to any sort of heel.

The remainder of the book is devoted to 12 lovely patterns.  Each pattern includes tips on customizing, including working toe up or cuff down.  Stitch patterns range from cables & twisted stitches to textured & lace.

The photography is fabulous, as is the styling — Fluevogs galore.  But more importantly, each photo clearly shows details of the various stitch patterns.

Marama, above, is one of my favorites, with a lovely intricate cabled pattern.

arundhatiI also love Arundhati — the pattern works harmoniously with the gradient yarn.

General comments:  Stitch patterns are charted.  Three sizes, generally ranging from about 10-13″ (sometimes larger) foot circumference, are given for each sock.

I received my review copy from Cooperative Press. All opinions are my own.

The Shepherd and The Shearer project is here

Today is like Christmas and my birthday all rolled in to one because today, we are unveiling The Shepherd & The Shearer designs! Remember way back in November when I first told you about this crazy idea we had? Actually, I blather on so long that it took two whole posts to explain the idea.

But you guys got it! You totally understood what we were trying to do and you got on board to make this kooky dream a reality.

You know who else totally understood what we were trying to do? Kate Davies and Kirsten Kapur. Two amazing, rock star designers who enthusiastically embraced this idea and jumped in with both feet.

And now, without further ado, I present The Shepherd & The Shearer!

The Shepherd and The Shearer

On the left is The Shepherd hoodie by Kate Davies and on the Right is The Shearer pullover by Kirsten Kapur. It was difficult deciding which sweater was named which, but in the end I think we got it perfect.

DSC_1294

DSC_1310

How can you not fall in love with The Shepherd and Kate Davies in it?

TheShepherd06

TheShepherd02

TheShepherd03

TheShepherd05

TheShepherd08

Who wouldn’t want to make and wear The Shearer every single day?

TheShearer03

TheShearer02

TheShearer04

TheShearer05

TheShearer01

We are so happy that we can offer a limited number of kits in our new shop. The kits include yarn to make your sweater as well as a discount so you can get one of the two patterns for free – your choice (don’t forget to add it to your order)! You also have your choice for which kind of yarn you’d like – The Shepherd and The Shearer yarn that was milled specifically for this project and grown by small farmers along with Mid-Atlantic, or we have a very limited quantity of our 2013 colored flock yarn that would look amazing knitted up into one of these sweaters! Both were shorn by our Shepherd Emily Chamelin (who is back to shearing after her hand accident!). They were made to the same specifications just so that you could substitute them if you wanted.

We’re also offering the patterns as individual pdf downloads and we’re offering an ebook of the gorgeous booklet that our subscribers are receiving. It tells about the making of the yarn and the designing of the sweater and includes pictures of the process. You can find those items in our shop here.

We hope that even if you don’t purchase the patterns (or better yet the kit!) now, that you’ll favorite, queue, facebook, and pin these wonderful patterns. The designers deserve so much credit for creating beautiful patterns for our yarn and we’d love to see the patterns become wildly popular! We really appreciate your support in helping to send women to shearing school!

In case you’re still reading and not at the shop, here are some outtakes from the photoshoot – Jerry is such an attention hog (llama)!

DSC_1257 DSC_1260 DSC_1261 DSC_1262 DSC_1264 DSC_1270 DSC_1276

 

The Shepherd photos courtesy of Kate Davies Design.

Review: Scarf Style 2

Post image for Review: Scarf Style 2

scarf2_0015

First, the facts:

Title: Scarf Style 2: Innovative to Traditional, 26 Fresh Designs to Knit

Author: Ann Budd

Published by: Interweave Press, 2013

Pages: 175

Type: Scarves, cowls, wraps..

Chapters:
No chapters, just patterns.

KS: Scarf Style 2

The In-Depth Look:

The introduction to this book begins, “Who knew back in 2004 when Pam Allen wrote the first Scarf Style that scarves–and their cousin shawls, cowls, stoles, and wraps–would inspire such creativity among knitters? Instead of being the obligatory first project for beginners, scarves have been elevated to fashion necessities that run the gamut from rustic and casual to sophisticated and elegant. Whereas scarves were once uninventive garter-stitch rectangles, they now include rectangles, tubes, and mobius strips knitted from every direction and in every imaginable stitch pattern.”

She has a point, too, because I’ll be honest–when I think about knitting scarves, my first thought is “boring.” I’ve been knitting for quarter of a century (yikes!) and think I have knitted a grand total of three scarves–certainly no more than five–because, yes, those rectangles start feeling endless.

And then a book like this comes along that makes me think, maybe it’s not that boring after all?

Twenty-six patterns in all, here, with a variety from basic rectangular scarves to cowls and shawls. There’s some color-work, some cables. There are lacy wraps and thick mufflers, scarves with texture … in other words, NOT boring. In fact, they’re really quite lovely!

You can find your copy at Amazon.com or your local yarn or bookshop.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: Lovely and NOT boring.

Other posts for this author:

Sunday in Pictures

We’re all at Amy’s house today, working away on getting all the yarn dyed, tagged and ready to ship. I have to say, I have the best friends in the world. They are always willing to pitch in and lend a hand.

colored share

Cormo share

Green yarn

Nevey

Project bags

Stringing tags

yarn

To pass the time, we’re having a Autumnal/Halloween film festival. So far we’ve watched Practical Magic and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Raven is up next and then maybe The Others. All and all, it’s been a perfect Sunday.

 

Enter Autumn …

Autumn arrives today and with it comes…

101_3317

pumpkins …

101_5296

corn …

101_5290

foliage …

100_2314

leaves on the ground …

100_2334

apples …

101_3375

scarecrows, etc …

100_7067

… to be continued …

- by Joan -


Little Pocket Meets the Big Woods

Once upon a time there was a smallish possum called Pocket.  No one knew how he’d wound up living in the garage, but he was glad that it was warm and dry, and there was plenty of food that Furble the cat was willing to share.

One day the big human named Paul found Pocket hanging onto the back of the fridge and tried to chase him away.  It frightened Pocket and he spent the next month hiding in the relative safety of Under-the-Auto-Lift.

Every day Pocket could hear the goings-on of the humans.  They spent a lot of time stacking boxes of sweet-smelling wool and moving around bins of delicious feeds of various types.  It was scary, but Pocket was afraid to venture out of his hiding spot into the great, wide, open world.

Then one day, a large group of the humans was making quite a racket above him.  Pocket became very worried; the noises were very loud and right above his head!  Were the humans aware of his presence?

Very, very timidly, Pocket poked his nose out to sniff at the air.  Before he knew it, the commotion had increased all around him.  The humans had found him!

09.21.13a

They gathered around Pocket, blocking him in and poking around him with a stick.  It was very scary!

09.21.13b

They were trying to make Pocket leave his hole.  But Pocket didn’t want to leave!

“Get me something to smack it with!” yelled one human.

“Don’t you dare!” yelled another.

Pocket was very confused.

09.21.13c

Pocket kept turning in circles, trying to avoid the little stick they were poking him with, and trying to get a better look at what was going on above him.  Perhaps he could find an escape route!

Perhaps his friend Furble could create a distraction while Pocket escaped!

09.21.13d

But Furble was taking a snooze.  She said “I ain’t bovvered”.

09.21.13e

There was a small colorful human that kept squealing.  Pocket was starting to think he should try to escape.

09.21.13f

All around him and above him were boxes and faces.  On one end, there was a net!

09.21.13g

Pocket thought he could aim for one corner and climb over the weakest box wall.

He went for it!

But then suddenly there was a giant hand around him!  And that hand pushed him into the scary net!

What was going to happen to Pocket?  He squirmed and twisted, trying to break free from the net!

09.21.13h

09.21.13i

The humans were standing all around Pocket.  He was very frightened, but he tried to be calm.

Some of the humans were gathered close, smiling at him.  Pocket wasn’t sure what to make of it.

09.21.13j

He held tight to one end of the net with his tail, hoping he could squeeze out through one of the holes in the net.  As he sat there with the humans all around him, he saw trees coming into view.

Trees!  Something deep inside him stirred.  The trees made him feel happy!

09.21.13k

Then the human with the net set him onto the ground!

Pocket felt so happy as he sniffed the air and moved cautiously from the net.  He was free!

The lovely green, wet smell of the woods smelt delicious.  Pocket was a free Possum, and he was on his way into the woods, many grand adventures ahead of him!

09.21.13l

Pocket felt so happy as he ran into the woods, the sounds of cheering humans behind him.


Tagged: Pets