Tag Archives: Knitting & Spinning

Mythos:  7 Shawls Inspired by Myth & the Magic of Hand Dyed Yarns, by Erica Jackofsky, 2012, 55pp.

Erica opens with a caveat:  Knit loose!  and details her reasons.  I have to think that she’s seen too many, too-tightly knit shawls, or had some sort of traumatic knitting or designer horror story — but her advice is spot-on!

After that, though, you get to dive right into the designs.

The collection was designed using Erica’s own hand dyed yarns and was initially available as a pattern & yarn club. Though the club’s long past, yarns in the colorways shown are available at the Fiddle Knits Fibers Etsy shop.

Each pattern, named for attribute of a Greek & Roman god or goddess, begins with a preface that details the inspiration, pattern notes, then the basic info (yarn, needles, gauge, notions, and finished size).

Each pattern includes both line by line instructions and charts.  Photographs show the pattern details well.  Several of the shawls are shown in alternate colorways as well.

My favorites include Wrought (inspired by Hephaestus/Vulcan, the god of the forge), a lovely triangular shawl with a strong geometric motif, and Allure (for Aphrodite/ Venus), a pretty sideways-knit shawl.

*****

Would you like to win your own copy of Mythos?  Leave a comment on this post by midnight PST November 16th with your favorite design from the ebook.  Good luck!

*****

…and congrats to Mujercita!  You won the pdf copy of Needles & Artifice from last week.

It’s time for knitting tools!  Needles, crochet hooks, stitch markers, etc etc etc.

This was something I’ve been struggling with, and I think I’ve found a solution that works for me for most of these items.

The small items listed below are kept in the upper left 3 drawers of the new yarn cabinet.  Haven’t seen it yet?  Here you go:

Knitting needles & crochet hooks are stored in Offhand Designs needle clutches, kept in the top 2 drawers.

I have 3 Circular clutches (organized by needle size), one Traveluxe clutch for DPNs and crochet hooks, and a Switch clutch for my interchangeables.  For the small needles (US000 to US3) I’ve written the needle size in Sharpie on the individual plastic pockets.  Multiple needles go into each pocket, with the exception of my Signatures — each Sig gets its own pocket.

I do have 2 sets of Knit Picks small DPNs that I just keep in their cases.

Is my Ravelry needle inventory up to date?  Nope.  Something else I should do.

I have a Namaste Cali Buddy Case in green that I keep my primary go-to things in — coil-less safety pins, stitchmarkers, scissors, needle gauge.  I also have a Daisy Muir medium needle case (the red one) that I keep other (often longer) things in:  a small ruler (that I picked up at TNNA from Images Stitchery Design — I don’t see it on their site, but it’s a pretty 6″ wooden ruler & needle gauge combo), pens, bandaids, etc.

I have a Namaste Mini that I don’t use that often right now.  That may need to find a new home.

Extra stitch holders, tape measures, small rulers, etc are all kept in the cabinet.

My blocking board is stored under our daybed.

Straight pins are kept in a pin cushion in the lawyer’s bookcase.  These are also used for sewing.  The gram/oz scale is also in this bookcase.

The ball winder has a semi-permanent home in the living room, attached to the edge of the table that our entertainment things (receiver, etc) go on.  If I take it off, it goes in the basket with the dog’s toys.  He doesn’t show any interest in it. The swift is usually on the other side of the table, next to the leather armchair, on the floor.

I think that’s about it for those sorts of things!  Having nearly everything in the yarn cabinet, except for what I’m using at the time,  works for me.

*******

Here are all the posts in the series:

Project Organization:  Introduction
Project Organization:  Overview
Project Organization:  The Stash (Design Yarn)
Project Organization: The Stash (PersonalYarn)
Project Organization:  Knitting Books
Project Organization:  Knitting Tools
Project Organization:  The Business of Knitting

And here’s some more Rhinebeck pics!

Needles & Artifice,  by the Ladies of Mischief, Cooperative Press, 2012,  a whopping 236pp.

Pick up this book & you’re in for an absolute treat.

It’s not just the 23 patterns that are so appealing — which range from whimsical & quirky to downright gorgeous — but the story, told in chapters between subsets of corresponding patterns, as well.

Miniature sheep!  Airships!  Automatons! What more could a steampunk-loving Adventuress desire?

Well, if you’re asking….

Evocative pics? Check!

Inventive styling? Check!

A variety of garments and accessories? Check!

The book is divided into five chapters:  Mechanical, Boudoir, Airship, Countryside, High Society and Mad Science, with corresponding patterns.

My favorite patterns are a varied as the Ladies themselves.

The Null Hypothesis scarf — doubleknit in fingering weight yarn — is a scientist’s dreamscape and is the first of the Mad Science patterns. (Note the corvid!) The non-repeating design is depicted over 7 easily read charts.

The Trials and Tribulations Chemise & Bloomers set, from the Boudoir chapter, is adorable.  I’m not usually big on knitted shorts, but these look cute and comfy for around the house.  The top I’d wear in public.  Sizing is generous (from a bust of 32 to 54″ for the chemise, and hips on the bloomers from 38 to 54″ (meant to be worn with positive ease)).

I also like the Master and Commander Hat & Cowl set (Airship chaper, of course) — especially the hat!  My mom loves to wear hats, and I think she’d really like this one (proving that Ladies of Mischief come in all ages).

One last fave from me — the Resilience top. It’s a lovely combination of Brioche rib and beading, to fit bust 28 through 48″, worked in gorgeous Cephalopod Nautilace yarn.

Would you like a chance to win your very own PDF copy?  Leave a message on this post with your favorite patterns from the book by midnight PST Nov 5th 2012.  I’ll pick a winner using Random.org.

Congrats to Vic!  I’ve emailed you.

Reversible Scarves by Audrey Knight, Cooperative Press 2012, 134pp.

Every once in awhile a pattern book comes along that you just know you’ll keep going back to – and Audrey’s Reversible Scarves is one of those.

Audrey presents more than 30 patterns, ranging from simple to intermediate plus, and a plethora of information to empower the knitter to create their own patterns.  She addresses the impact that yarn choice (weight, color, fiber blend and so on) can have on the finished object throughout the book – compare the different mistake rib scarves, for example, or the linen stitch scarves worked in different types of yarn.

Techniques include ribbing, knit/purl textures, cables, lace, slip stitch with multiple colors, and double knitting.  Many of the patterns with charts include, if practical, line by line instructions.

My favorite, I think (though it’s really, really hard to choose!), is the double knit Surprise Stripes scarf, featuring horizontal stripes on one side & vertical on the other.

It’s no surprise that I love the various cabled scarves as well, especially the Braided Cables scarf & the Cables & Knots scarf.

The girly part of me love the ruffled edges of the Double Eyelet and Cables scarf – and the glorious ruffles of Tux!

Would you like to win your own PDF of Reversible Scarves?  Leave a comment on this post by midnight PST October 25^th with your THREE favorite scarves.  (I think it’s easier to pick three than just one!)

Stitch Works Crochet Charts, $50. Available for Windows, Mac & Linux.

You all know how much I love charting my knitting stitch patterns, so it should be no surprise that I like crochet charts as well.  I love being able to get, say, a Japanese crochet stitch dictionary and being able to decipher what I need to do.

A nice thing about crochet charts – more so than, I think, knitting charts – is that they depict the final product quite clearly.

As such, of course I want to include crochet charts in my designs that use crochet motifs.

Stitch Works Crochet Charts (SWCC) is the only dedicated crochet chart maker that I’ve seen.  The alternative is Illustrator or other vector based drawing programs (or by hand).  (If you know of any others, please note them in the comments!)

SWCC comes with a pdf manual as well as online instructional tutorials and examples.  I’d like a bit more detail in the manual, or perhaps a few more videos showing some of the more advanced manipulations available.

When playing with the program, I didn’t ask the designer for aid, but he clearly lists his email if you have questions.  There’s also a Ravelry group here.

It’s pretty straightforward to get started, though I recommend watching the videos (especially the first demo) & reading through the manual first.

Here’s a chart I made in Stitch Works:

And here’s a version I made in Illustrator:

Both are still works in progress!

It’s easier to generate a chart from scratch in SWCC than in Illustrator, especially if you’d need to create all your stitch symbols from scratch.  If you need to create a custom symbol in SWCC, you can, but with 109 symbols available you’ve got a good number of choices already available.

I’m not quite sure how to really utilize the rows feature;  when I entered 4 rows for the number of rows, it automatically generated them in chain stitch (or, I think, whatever default you choose);  but it doesn’t give an option to have each row different.

It’s easier, I think, to manipulate the symbols in Illustrator.  I had a harder time scaling, reflecting/mirroring etc the stitches in SWCC than in Illustrator, and in some cases simply wasn’t able to do what I wanted in SWCC.  Grouping a set of stitches then trying to mirror them as a group just didn’t want to happen in SWCC, for example;  I had to just make another group that approximately mirrored the original.  (Reading through the Rav group discussions, this is a known issue and is supposed to be fixed at some point.)

Though you can’t draw a line around the repeat in SWCC like I did in the Illustrator example, you can change the background color of the stitches, which I seem to like better — it seems less confusing.  See here:

You can always, of course, import the SWCC image (exportable as pdf, png, tiff, bmp and jpg) into, say, Illustrator, and manipulate it or add lines etc to it afterwards.

Although I’ve only played with charting rows, there’s also a function for laying out your chart in the round (as shown in the demo video).

I’d recommend this program, especially if you don’t have Illustrator or another similar program with which you’re adept.  If you’re like me, and don’t do a lot of crochet, having a solid library of stitches readily available (as opposed to having to draw/create each in Illustrator), makes it simpler and faster to generate crochet charts.

I received my copy of StitchWorks Crochet Charts from the company for purposes of this review.  All opinions are my own.

Since the last general update I’ve published the MFPP booklet, Autumn Nostalgia;  finished my patterns for Hitch (a total of four – a pair of fingerless mitts, a hat, and two very different cowls); and been working, of course, on designs for the next book.

Although the bulk of my knitting will be for the next book, I’ve a couple ideas for standalone patterns to release in the meantime, and I’m thinking of submitting at least one design for the next Knit Picks collection.

Tech editing?  Hitch, of course, and a couple other things with which I’d previous commitments.  No new clients til at least early/mid November.

Teaching & travels:  Rhinebeck is NEXT WEEK.  Oh my gosh.  With all the other stuff I’ve been doing (vet work, etc), the time passed quickly.  I’m going to be a Rhinebeck Bingo square.  Find me in the Cooperative Press booth! And…if it’s chilly enough, I’m planning on wearing a sweater that will be in the next book….

Don’t forget to check out the Cooperative Press party in town Saturday night — details here or here.

I’ll be teaching at Madrona 2013!  Check out the overview — there’s an amazing group of teachers and classes.  The conference is fantastic — intimate settings, great teachers, fun evening programs, and a fabulous market place.

I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do this time to utterly humiliate myself for the teacher talent show.  My act will be, at least, entertaining.  I’m planning on singing.  For those who know me, you know that, however enthusiastic I may be, I don’t really sing that well.  But I enjoy it.

KALs:  The Wrought Mitts KAL was fantastic!  The Wrought Socks KAL is still ongoing, and the socks people have done are just lovely.  The next KAL will be a general one — think small projects for holiday knitting (for gifts or for yourself).

And on to books!

My books aren’t precisely arranged quite as I’d like, in large part because, well, books come in different sizes.  As do shelves.

Most of my smaller books are on one shelf of the barrister, or lawyer’s bookcase, in the dining room.  This is a piece we actually got at an antique store — the only furniture we’ve gotten from an antique store, I think.  You can find them on Craigslist as well.  We just didn’t when we were looking for this one.

The larger books are in the English Arts & Crafts bookcase in the dining nook.  This is a piece we found on Craigslist;  you can read about that here.  I originally stored most of my hardbacks in it (those have since been dramatically downsized, and the remainder live in a bookcase in our bedroom).  You can see a pic of the bookcase here, when I used it for just yarn.  Now it holds personal yarn and books.

I do try to sort my books by categories:  aran/cables, stranded, mittens/gloves, socks, pattern books, designing books, stitch dictionaries, and so on.  I can generally easily find what I’m looking for, thought they do get a bit out of order.

(In fact, I’m itching to or ganize them.  Today.  Which is one way I procrastinate from doing other things.  Must resist.)

I try to keep my Ravelry library up to date, though I’m a little behind.  It’d be nice if they included stitch dictionaries in general.

(MUST RESIST urge to reorganize and catalog the library!)

Magazines?  stored in the cat’s bedroom, in the closed cabinet portion of some IKEA Ivar book cases.  I got my original Ivar bookcase in Germany.  It’s very functional.  Over the years we picked up a couple more additions to it.  It’s a useful system.  Not sure if I can say much more about Ivar.  It is very functional.

Ebooks?  In one file folder on Dropbox & also periodically backed up to the H drive (external hard drive) on the desktop.  I also have most of them on my iPad. I don’t have enough, yet, to make subfolders.

Do you have a system for your books?

…is Analiese!  Congrats!