Tag Archives: Knitting

Yarned by You: Herriot Gallery

Posted on October 31, 2012 by | Comments Off on Yarned by You: Herriot Gallery

Ah, Halloween! What could be better than Halloween? Herriot on Halloween!

Herriot has been the rockstar of the Fall 2012 yarn line. And it’s no wonder! Herriot is a DK-weight yarn made of 100% baby alpaca that comes in 10 natural shades. It’s coveted by anyone who touches it! So it’s no wonder that there are already a number of lovely projects on Ravelry for me to post about!

kirinlemon knit up this great Salt Creek Cowl (which appears to be listed in Ravelry! The Shame!) in a week:

It seems like it would make for great mindless knitting with a perfect amount of detail in cabled ribbing.

Below is Maltese Parakeet’s Marguerite Tam. This was designed by Pamela Wynne for the Herriot yarn line.

Isn’t it darling? I love the star motif! And lovely colorwork. You’ll have to go to her ravelry page if you want to see the guts that this colorwork created!

KnitForBrains knitted up this cowl in #02 Heartwood & #03 Bullrush as a part of a a Harry Potter themed knitting game.

I bet this feels delightful to wear right next to the sensitive neck skin!

This Herbie Hat, also designed by Pamela Wynne for Herriot, is knit exactly with the same colorways (#03 Bullrush & #01 Talc) the pattern calls for!

My only question for GSHF: will you make the mittens, too?

Who’s this delightful child behind SusanM’s Skullkerchief? Why it’s her son! SusanM knit this for him in two days. If you get a move on (and you’re a much faster knitter than I am), you could whip this out and wear your seasonally-appropriate knitwear tonight!

(I know you’re also eying that beautiful sweater. Don’t worry, we’ll get to that next week.) She even found the perfect button to finish it off! You’ll have to click through to her project page to see what I mean.

Maeby you’ve been bitten by the Maeby bug? turbotuna has! She knit this modified Maeby (designed yet again, by Pamela Wynne!) in just ten days! Not quite enough time for her to take on her Vermont trip, but definitely in time to enjoy this fall.

I cannot get “Call Me, Maybe” out of my head. It’s stuck on constant repeat. But at least I can modify the lyrics for my own devices: “Here’s my Rav Page / So knit me, Maeby!”

Showing that Herriot is good for more than just colorwork, julieti knit this Dustland Hat, which features bands of textures.

Even if your attention span is so short that you get distracted knitting a hat, Dustland should keep your interest with a new texture pattern every couple of inches!

Finally, here’s a couple of knitting patterns that might have seen in the new FREE By Hand Magazine (pg 54-57). Designed by Caroline Fryar, the Lattice Cowl and Lattice Gloves are great accessories for this fall.

The cowl is grafted so that it’s completely reversible and you never have to worry about the wrong side facing out. The gloves are shown in both the Men’s (on the left) and Woman’s (on the right) sizes and features a two-toned lattice stitch cuff. You could make both the cowl and the gloves as coordinating accessories, without too much matchy-matchiness.

What are you making with Herriot? Let us know in the comments section!

You can find Herriot and the rest of the Juniper Moon Farm Yarns in a LYS near you by clicking here then clicking “find a store,” inputting your zip code and selecting Juniper Moon Farm as the yarn brand.

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Going to SAFF

Posted on October 29, 2012 by | Comments Off on Going to SAFF

Okay, first things first: I had a great time visiting my parents this weekend.

We went to SAFF and had a really wonderful time. I– perhaps disingenuously– told them that it was “more of an animal show,” which meant that when we talked in to the main building,

I thought, Man, I should not have come to this one.

- My Dad

I mean, if you’ve been to fiber festivals, you know. It was funny (to me) to hear them exclaim over the size of it:

“I had no idea there were so many people who are in to this sort of stuff!”

“Well, the Maryland one was even bigger, and I’ve heard that the New York one is even bigger than that.”

“No kidding!”

Since I’m going through some sheep withdrawal, I really did mostly want to see the animals. They were showing when we walking into the barn, which was so, so adorable to watch:

The little Shetlands and little children having broken the ice, we went inside to walk around to look at everything for sale.

It was like going to a boat show or something. It’s very obvious what everything is, but, on the other hand, there’s a specialized and specific vocabulary for everything– it was hard to know what to say to people. You know, ‘Nice… boat-thing?’ ‘Nice… yarn?’

- My Mom

We’d looked at pretty much everything, including the fleece show, and were on our way out, when I saw someone walking by wearing a gorgeous Vitamin D. I realized I knew her– it was Cris!

It was so nice to see a friend, and get to talk for a while. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of running in to someone I knew, so seeing her was a really wonderful surprise.

You can see that I’m wearing my Cormo Rusticus.

I did go home with a little yarn– enough Corriedale from Sue Bundy of Solitude Wool– basically, the two women who run this are the stateside Sue Blacker, and I can’t say enough good thing about them– to make a sweater for a friend of mine who (I hear) has nearly worn his first sweater out.

And my parents?

By the end, once I saw how everything fit together? I got in to it. I was glad to get to see it all.

- Dad

So that makes it a success all around.


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The Calm Before The Storm

Posted on October 28, 2012 by | Comments Off on The Calm Before The Storm

If you live on the east coast, chances are you are waiting for “Frankenstorm” to hit.

We made sure all of our vehicles had gas, went grocery shopping and did all of our dishes and laundry.

Fortunately (for us) it looks like the storm will be hitting a bit north of us, so we likely won’t have to worry about much weather, but better safe than sorry, right?

We spent some time putting posts in the ground and plotting out the fence line yesterday, making sure that whatever tree trunks and brush that is still out there won’t interfere.

Today is pretty grey and windy, but so far no rain.  Paul is working on more posts while he can, and I am enjoying some rare quiet time in the house.

Oona has been sick with some sort of virus that makes her tired and irritable, and she has spent a large portion of the day asleep on the couch with Gully.

 

So really we are in a state of “Watch and wait” to see what will happen with the storm.  I made pumpkin bread from a Trader Joe’s mix that Susan gave me (I added pumpkin seeds to the top – delicious!).

I worked on Emily’s Haloween costume a bit (sneak peak of her wig….)

And I have been working on the second sock of my Halloween pumpkin socks.

 

Hopefully we won’t lose power, but if we do, there’s plenty of candles and fuel for the fireplace.  Either way, we’re all cozy and toasty and enjoying a lazy fall SUnday.

Happy weekend!

 

 

 


Tagged: Farm, food, Knitting, Pets

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Yarned by You: Findley Gallery

Posted on October 25, 2012 by | Comments Off on Yarned by You: Findley Gallery

Last Wednesday just completely got away from me! But this week has been a little less stressful, so I hopped right back on the horse for this week’s Yarned by You. We’ll be taking a peek at Findley. This was a really hard gallery to put together because HOLY COW there are so many lovely things made with Findley! Here’s a tiny sampling…

Ripen, knit by GimmeCoffee, looks like  the perfect thing to toss over my shoulders.

The leaf motif really makes me happy! I’m very into leaves lately!

I’ve wanted to make a lace weight cardigan for a super long time. atlkaren made a Breezy Cardigan in colorway Bittersweet that is all sweet!

I love the color and drape! I could see how this light cardigan could complement many outfits in my wardrobe!

This Whisper Wrap in colorway crocodile was knit with perfectly even stitches by malteseparakeet.

The clean geometric lines are worth the miles and miles of stockinette!

Below is a knit that was designed by Caroline Fryar called Theme & Variation Tee. This one was knit by oregeoncharknits as a store sample.

 

Don’t you agree that this Tee in Renaissance looks so good on her that she needs to make one for herself?

This was made as a wedding shawl for jdcrowson’s pastor. She’s doing a series of 12 shawls in 2012 and it looks like she’s right on target!

The Aeolian Shawl was knit in Fresco. Findley really lends itself well to lace and wedding shawls, as this was by far not the only wedding shawl to choose from!

This is a novel sweater concept – a stockinette stitch fingering weight sweater with a laceweight lace sweater on top of it! The top layer is Findley in Fresco again.

17Q17 definitely did a lovely job knitting this! The stitch pattern on the laceweight reminds me a lot of Finch’s Wings designed by Caroline Fryar for the Findley Dappled book.

The ubiquitous Rockefeller knit in part with Findley. The dark purple solid is Renaissance. Rockefeller is designed for fingering weight yarn and both yarns used are laceweight.

I love that SkyBlueKayak took a risk using laceweight yarns and I love how it came out! The yarns compliment each other nicely!

That rounds up this week’s Yarned by You. As always, if you click on the pictures you’ll be linked to the Ravelry project page. What’s your favorite Findley knit? There are lots and lots of them, so you can be sure that I’ll feature more soon! (I haven’t even started on Findley Dappled!)

You can find Findley and the rest of the Juniper Moon Farm Yarns in a LYS near you by clicking here then clicking “find a store,” inputting your zip code and selecting Juniper Moon Farm as the yarn brand.

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Working On: Estonian Socks

Posted on October 10, 2012 by | Comments Off on Working On: Estonian Socks

I’m not sure how it happened, once I finished my self-assigned interminable sock knitting, that I immediately turned around and started knitting more socks.

Because that’s exactly what’s happened.

These are even Nancy Bushes– they’re the Estonian Socks from Folk Socks (a 1994 classic that was just re-released last year). I’m working in Shepherd Sock, which I’ve never used before. I’m coming to terms with the superwash merino & nylon content.

Namely: is the environmental effect of eschewing superwash wool really worth it if the socks you make wear out in less than a year?

Anyway, it’s fun colorwork & a fun pattern, and I have less than two weeks to make the pair (and on US sz. 0 needles!).


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Yarned by You: Willa Gallery

Posted on October 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Yarned by You: Willa Gallery

This week I’d like to take a look at what you’ve made with Willa. Willa is a 60% Merino, 40% Super Fine Kid Mohair blend in a bulky weight. It is smooth, delectably soft, and has a gorgeous sheen. It comes in a center pull ball of 153 yards.

As per last week, all names are Ravelry names and all photos link back to the project page.

First up is annanlove19′s Pinch Hat (3 Versions) knit in Aberdeen.

This is a cute, fast knit and isn’t intended for bulky yarn, but annanlove19 adjusted her needle size to make it work.

This scarf knit in a diagonal rib pattern by Ciarrai for her aunt in colorway Concord.

I love how the stitch pattern shows off the yarn’s depth. Ciarrai writes a blog, located here.

Fehl made this lovely Keyhole Scarf (designed by Tanis Gray specifically for JMF’s Fall/Winter 2011 pattern Willa pattern line).

The lovely color, Aquarium, would add a perfect pop of color to my winter wardrobe!

webbcutey  bought the yarn for herself as a birthday present. I don’t know about you, but this is the kind of birthday present I like!

Scarf-Cowl “Double Jeu” knit in Pomegranate looks very cozy.

maragoild51 named her project “Lettuce Wrap,” which cracks me up! I am betting that this a warm and cozy shawl!

The pattern is called Murcia. I love the mostly solid pattern (keeps my shoulders warm) and the touch of lace at the bottom (so feminine and would keep my interest at the rows got longer).

What could be more cheerful than an orange elephant? A pink elephant! This is actually knit in Pomegranate and is more pink than the color shows. MellowDi certainly knows how to make a snuggly stuffie!

He could sit on my desk any day!

As winter comes on and it gets colder and sniffles abound, there is nothing better than a dose of Vitamin C. And this hat (He Said, She Said) delivers a wollop of Vitamin C (the color, of course)!

sparker did a great job, right? I love the subtle spirals!

I love a simple looking sweater with one eye-catching detail. Jewels is that kind of sweater. varigatedknits knitted it up in Merry.

I think I would be merry myself if I had that sweater!

What are your favorite Willa knits? Be sure to share them in the comments below!

You can find Willa and the rest of the Juniper Moon Farm Yarns in a LYS near you by clicking here then clicking “find a store,” inputting your zip code and selecting Juniper Moon Farm as the yarn brand.

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Working On: Fuzzy Pink Mittens

Posted on October 3, 2012 by | Comments Off on Working On: Fuzzy Pink Mittens

Nevermind all that I said about spending time sewing this month. I’m knitting something so cartoonishly knitterly that I feel like a look-at-how-kooky-this-girl-is sitcom actress:

CAROLINE sits down at the café table across from NIC, pulls a fuzzy pink half-knit mitten from her bag, and begins working.

CAROLINE: So, how was the show last night?

I mean, this actually is what I did on Saturday afternoon.

Anyway, I’ve stumbled into a newfound but very real love for angora. I haven’t ever worked with it, since it always seemed to be too much for me. It’s not my taste. But I think the qualities I used to find so jarring– it is undeniably fuzzy– are now maybe what draw me to it. Angora cannot be ignored. It does not apologize for itself.

I will leave you with this shocking thought: I’m thinking a good bit about a day-of-the-week set of angora-lined pulse warmers. Lord have mercy.


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Welcome October!

Posted on October 2, 2012 by | Comments Off on Welcome October!

I cannot believe it is already October, can you?

I wish I could say there’s something to report other than burning, burning, and more burning.

The good news is that instead of a giant pile of brush preventing us from installing the fencing, we now have a small pile of smoking ash and small chunks of trees.

Today was rainy and chilly (a perfect start to October, if I do say so) so we didn’t start mapping out the fence line.

We did have school, nap, and watched old episodes of Warehouse 13.

I made Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (but this time I slow roasted the squash and apples in butter before pureeing them).

I worked some more on my Halloween socks, and the kids got a little stir crazy.

You can tell by the pretty princess wings Gulliver’s been sporting.

 


Tagged: Farm, food, Knitting

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Knitted: Pound of Love

Posted on September 28, 2012 by | Comments Off on Knitted: Pound of Love

Hey, remember this? I’m finished!

I’m not going to show off the whole blanket– it’s supposed to be a gift (and a surprise, at that!), after all– but I can confirm that it’s perfectly sized. Big enough so that you can curl up on the couch without your feet sticking out, but small enough to carry around on your shoulders. I know she’ll love it.

Pattern: Shale Baby Blanket by Jared Flood
Yarn: Lion Brand Pound of Love, 1 ball (that’s a little over 1000 yds!)
Needles: US sz. 9 Takumi circulars
Time Frame: February 1, 2011 – July 6, 2012
Ravelry: here


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Designed: Cora

Posted on September 27, 2012 by | Comments Off on Designed: Cora

Because I was (and still am) pretty excited about ombré effects in knitting, I was particularly drawn to the unique way that Bohus knitting uses texture to help blend and incorporate color (in short: sometimes there are purls). But I didn’t want the colorplay to dominate the entire garment, so, for Cora I left it as a yoke detail.

This croqi reminds you of Selma Blair’s character in Legally Blonde, right? Severe black bob, an even severer expression– somewhere between petulant and pugnacious.

Anyway I opened up my copy of Poems of Color, which was a Christmas gift from my parents, and swatched around.

This is what I came up with.

photo © Caro Sheridan

Anyway, this is me. I’m wearing my most beautiful wool pants and a nice wool fedora (despite my fears) from Rag & Bone’s Fall 2011 collection (this is the one thing I bought when we went to San Francisco back in January– it was even more expensive than my emergency-room visit! (turns out, I had an ulcer!))

photo © Caro Sheridan

I’ll be the first to say that this design doesn’t even come close to approaching the level of intricacy and precise blur for which the original Bohus Stickning garments are so rightly famous. This is an approximation– a taste, I guess, of what’s possible.


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