April Knit Along
The April knit along is about to start over on Ravelry. We're doing Heriz (that's the red one) and Afshari (that's the blue one). If you've been thinking of making either of these, come join us. I promise we're friendly!
Not Quite According to Plan
You'll recall my friend Alphonse. He's been a perfect house guest for the the last several weeks. Doesn't make a mess, doesn't eat all the chocolate, doesn't hog the washing machine. Totally charming fellow. It's time I put him to work. Yesterday, I cast on for my entry in the ongoing 'fluffiest hat in the history of the world' contest. Now because I am a reasonable and responsible knitter, and because this was a new yarn, and because I wanted the end result to fit my head, I had dutifully done a swatch before I cast on. Admittedly it was [...]
Goodies
On Saturday we swung by the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day. I only heard about it because of the marvelous Knitter's Review. (If you're not on the mailing list, you should be. It's not spammy, and every single issue is delightful.) It was a small event, but there were lots of lovely goodies to be had. Most of the vendors were selling fiber, and I have sworn off buying any more fiber until I break down and buy the spinning wheel I want. I did manage to find one or two things that were destined to come home with [...]
Tiny Reminder
The first of the knit alongs for Silk Road Socks is almost done. It's been amazing seeing all the lovely versions of Khotan and Gördes that people are making. Just one tiny reminder to come post your finished pair pictures on the thread before the end of the month. I'll be picking winners (one from each sock) on the first and contacting them for their address so we can send off prizes. If you've made them, now's the time to show them off!
I Slipped
So you want to know the other reason that lovely gray sock is taking forever? Besides being a pattern precisely calculated to be as slow as humanly possible to work? It's because I've have had a lapse of knitting fidelity. I became distracted. It could have been by these... Swatches. Piles of them. Little bits of color and fluff, none even as big as an index card. These aren't proper swatches (and you are not allowed to cry about things not fitting if your swatches look like this). These are trial swatches, proto-swatches if you will. Color doesn't matter, fiber [...]
Slowest Sock Ever
You know what takes me forever to knit? Ribbing. All of that moving the yarn back and forth. It really slows me down. I haven't quite decided if 1x1 ribbing is the worst, or if that honor belongs to k1, p2 ribbing (purling is slower than knitting). I could time it, but that is way more obsessive than I'm willing to admit to. I have, however, found a way to make either sort of ribbing even slower. Throw a bunch of tiny fiddly cables in there. The more the better. And if you can ensure that the cable pattern's repeat [...]
Louche
Look, here I am again, three days in a row! That's nearly unheard of. (Really, I feel bad about my unexpected absence and I'm trying to make up for it. Don't expect it to last too long though, at some point I have to stop writing and actually knit, or else I'll totally run out of things to say.) And today, there's a pattern. I'm pleased to introduce Louche. I started these when were were on vacation in Nova Scotia. They sat, unfinished, uncomplaining, for months and months until I needed some soothing knitting. Then I remembered just how addictive [...]
Wanna Share the Pain?
You know how when you hear a recording of yourself it doesn't sound at all like you sound in your head? And I don't know about you, but I never like it. In my head, I'm much more clever/polished/together. When committed to tape, I become alarmingly squeaky. Turns out I talk kinda fast too. Oh well. If you wanted to revel in my squeaky shame, you could head over to Knit Picks and listen to their most recent podcast. I natter on at length. Don't worry though, if you don't, I'll never know. In fact, that might be for the [...]
Home Safe
As I mentioned the other day, I've been off on another marvelous little knitting trip. This one was to work with the inimitable Cat Bordhi for a week on my next book. It was an amazing experience. I left knowing that there will be more books and feeling that I have the skills and tools necessary to make them fabulous. Alas, I'm not really ready to discuss the specifics of either the class or the upcoming books. I'm still thinking it all over myself. In the meantime, I will leave you with this picture. Do you see those socks? Those [...]
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!
