Gift #2 Done!

2 Coffee Cozies or Sleeves, in Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool

and modeled on relevant Paper Cup

This Ann Budd “Coffee Clutch” pattern was originally published in her book, Knitted Gifts, but was offered for free in the November 19, 2010 issue of Interweave’s Knitting Daily e-zine.  Don’t stretch it when you block it; you want it to keep its elasticity and “pull-in” so it’ll grip the cup.  I tried 2 different bind-offs on these:  modified traditional BO on dark, sewn BO on light sleeve.  Not sure which I like better, nor which will serve better in actual use.  I think firm edges and snug fabric might be better than extra stretchiness, to prevent the cozy’s slipping too far up the cup — you don’t need as much stretch IF you know exactly the circumference you want.

I’m also working on some temari balls for Christmas tree ornaments — maybe gifts too.  You can find the Lion Brand pattern for 3 styles here.  I had never heard of this craft before, but Wikipedia has an interesting, very short article here.

"Starburst" temari ball, in 4 colors of Vanna's Glamor yarn

Excerpt from Wiki article:  “Temari balls are a folk art form that originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. ‘Temari’ means ‘hand ball’ in Japanese. Embroidered balls may be used in hand ball games.  Historically, temari were constructed from the remnants of old kimonos. Pieces of silk fabric would be wadded up to form a ball, and then the wad would be wrapped with strips of fabric. As time passed, traditional temari became an art, with the functional stitching becoming more decorative and detailed, until the balls displayed intricate embroidery. With the introduction of rubber to Japan, the balls went from play toys to art objects, although mothers still make them for their children. Temari became an art and craft of the Japanese upper class and aristocracy, and noble women competed in creating increasingly beautiful and intricate objects.”

Gift #1 Done!

I hope to get a nice photo of the headband *on* the recipient, with the ruffles coiled up into a flower. But I didn’t want to wait for that to post this — I’m SO pleased to be getting something(s) finished!

Many things are queued up and waiting. . . .

Virtual Advent Calendar

Check this out:  from Garnstudio and Drops Design, if you follow the link you’ll find a page with a little box for each day of December leading up to Christmas.  Each box has a knitting pattern “behind the door” (i.e., click on that box).

Fun!

http://www.garnstudio.com/julekalender.php?lang=us (Also available in other languages than “US”.)

A Tam Proposal in the Pipeline

I don’t know whether the editorial committee will choose to include my pattern, but I’ve sent 2 swatches to Cast On magazine for possible inclusion in their summer 2011 issue.

in Ultra Alpaca

in Kidsilk Haze

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Same design in each, but different textures due to different yarn choices.

I would make a tam similar to this one, below, made by me for DD several years ago.  But the straight portion would be longer, instead of the short section of purl rounds in the middle of the pink version.

Pink Swirl Cap -- top view

Pink Swirl Cap -- side view

I won’t know until the 2nd week of December, at the earliest.

Then, if accepted, the committee would send me the yarn they select for the project and tell me my deadline — probably around the end of January or beginning of February.

The work and pattern writing can get pretty intense, but I’ll be sure to let y’all know what’s up!

Little Things: An FO and some new WIPs

I don’t think I’ve shown you this yet (I finished it between the 2 Saturdays of the Craft Sale, 11/13 and 20, and gave it to coordinator Julie to put out):

youth size? . . . .

. . . or adult size? OK for either!

I used a label-less acrylic boucle yarn; I think it’s “Amore” by TLC/Red Heart.  Deep burgundy color cap.

Since then, I’ve done a bit towards rehabilitating Robert’s first pair of kilt hose — the ones I overdyed that came out with still-too-bright-green stripes in the ribs.  I picked out a new, firmer pattern for the cuffs, reconditioned the ripped cuff-yarn, and got one sock back on the needles.

And I’ve cast on for some little, gift-able projects:  2 coffee cozies (designed by Ann Budd — Ravelry link to my project page here, and to her design page here) and a ruffled headband (designed by Sally Melville, adapted for different yarn and for a child’s size — Ravelry link my project page here, and to her design page here).

1 and 1/10 coffee cozies in Lion Brand "Fisherman's Wool"

about 1/4 of a headband, in Patons "Brilliant"

When I read a recent post from Knitting Daily, with the coffee cozy featured, I just cast on rather spontaneously, thinking, “This’ll be quick!”  (Have YOU ever done that?)  And it was quick — comparatively.  Still took me almost a week, though (4 hours?), and I may tweak the pattern a bit for #2.  I’m hoping these will make a nice his/hers set, with the two complementary marled yarns:  first is 3 strands brown to 1 strand white; second is just the opposite.

The headband pattern comes from a book I have on loan from the library:  Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter’s Mother-Daughter Knits:  30 Designs to Fit & Flatter.  I had been planning to make something along this line for a neighbor-friend’s DD (Isaiah’s sister, Susanna), so this may end up going to her.  Not sure yet.  That book has a lot of interesting ideas about proportions, illusions, and “ideal” sweater lengths.

Sadly Unfavorable Yarn Report

Sorry to report that, having worn my new DK-weight kilt hose twice, as I prepared to wash them for the first time, I observed this:

yarn wear after 2 days

Can you see the shredding and pilling?

So sad!

And after it took me over 2 years (on and off) to knit them.

Definitely a good argument for buying the best yarn for the job, to save grief.

These were knit in Knit Picks Bare, 100% merino, DK-weight undyed yarn, 2 skeins of 100 grams each.  Very soft to work with, but, unfortunately, very soft when it comes to durability as well.  A more firmly-spun yarn would have been a better choice.

Perhaps you all can benefit from my experience.

Twisted-Stitch Article published and New Videos posted!

The November — February issue of Cast On magazine is arriving in mailboxes; I got my copy today.  I wrote a technical article for this one — my first!  It tells how to work Bavarian Twisted Stitches without a cable needle.

Back in August, and again in October, I filmed videos to demonstrate the techniques I describe in the article.  If you check the Tutorials page (see those tabs along the top of the page on my blog. . .), you’ll see that I’ve started posting them there.  Hope you enjoy and learn from them!

For more videos, see the right sidebar or my YouTube channel:  MtMomDesigns.

We have had some “white stuff” here.  Snow was seen high up on the Peaks; at lower elevations (7000 feet) we got some sort of frozen rain that hurt when it struck my face.  (Sleet?  I didn’t grow up with such precipitation, so I’m not sure what to call this. . . .)

San Francisco Peaks, 9 November

Frozen stuff in our backyard, 9 November

More Fall Foliage and Finished Scarf

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year here on the Colorado Plateau!

The girls and I took an extended walk through our neighborhood this week.

I had the camera with me.

These photos are a sampling of what we saw on our way.

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The colors of the aspens are changing fast.  Two near-matching poses, two days.

1 November

1 Novermber

5 November

5 November

I do also have knitting news to report:  I finished the seed-stitch scarf, knit long-wise in many and varied red yarns.

in progress

I have also gotten back to working on my Master Knitter Level III — hurray!

Robert reports that his new pair of forest green kilt hose are too large.  Arrrgh!  Sniffle!!  We will see to the alterations when he is back here in July.

“Thick N Quick” Cap is . . . Quick!

I made this for a neighbor-boy.  Took only a few days.After taking this photo, we found it looked better with the BACK part of the brim folded up, versus the FRONT part.  I failed to get another photo, however; he’s 4 years old and moves around a lot.

I had given up on this yarn (Jiffy Thick & Quick, by Lion Brand; color “Ozarks”), and put it in the “go-out” bag, but decided to give it another go from a different angle.  The main problem was that this very bulky yarn needed to be worked on US size 15 needles, and my dpns in that size are home-made from dowling and not especially smooth.  The yarn kept catching horribly!  I have a 24″ circular with nice metal tips, but I consider that length too short for magic loop, and too long for a child’s hat.  What to do?  I NEVER make hats flat, shunning the idea of a seam inside a snug cap, and especially with yarn so thick as this.  But, this time, I did.  I got out my nice 24″ Addi Turbo, and cast on 6 stitches.  I kept first and last stitches in stockinette, and increased until “big enough” — my target was 17″ or so.  The stitches actually stretched out near enough to the tips that I was able to join into the round at this point and continue the cap body in the round.  Phew!  I worked 3 ridges in garter stitch on 13′s at the bottom, and made a sewn bind-off after a purl round.  Now to deal with the gap at the top! I had left a long tail, wound into a butterfly, at the top.  I used this to work the seam — but I “unvented” a new way to do that seam, because I didn’t want it to “take in” even a half-stitch on either side.  My solution?  Rather like duplicate stitching a single column of stitches, catching one leg of each stitch on each side as I went along.  (I felt SO CLEVER!)

See the seam?  It’s the column of red stitches going up the center there.

Looked at with the ends-of-round facing the camera, I think that the change from stockinette to garter stitch, and the bind-off edge, and the seam all look pretty good.My sweet-smiling recipient likes it, to boot — a winner!  (Hurray!!)

Autumn is Definitely Falling around Here

We had a very blustery Monday, and it made quite a change in our foliage.

Here’s the maple tree in front of our house.

Maple BEFORE; 14 October

Maple AFTER; 27 October

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But what first brought my attention to the change was the locust tree in the back yard — I see it out the sliding-glass-door when I sit down to breakfast.  More specifically, the sight of our back porch!

Patio covered in fallen locust leaves!

Here are views of the source-tree.  (As you can see, the aspens have not fully turned, down here near town.  On the Peaks, they are past their peak of color.)

Locust BEFORE: 19 October

Locust DURING: 26 October

Locust AFTER; 27 October