And so it begins... Now, as knitters all know, if you're worried about running out of yarn, the trick is to knit really fast so you outrun the end. Totally valid approach...not at all insane, sure to work. Now, to be fair, I'm also doing things like not using a folded brim (don't want to anyway, the leaf pattern will make a lovely little scallop it would be a shame to hide) and using big needles to make a relaxed fabric that takes less yarn.  And at some point, I'll measure and do some math (and probably come back and [...]

So you know I've been feeling the slipper love lately.  They really are fun to knit (and wear...and don't try and convince me you don't need a slipper wardrobe because I just won't believe you).  But taking pictures of them has always been a little tricky.  I used a pair of shoe stretchers, but they didn't quite have the volume I wanted (and they were a little smaller than my feet, so I sometimes had to pad out the toe a little to make them really show off the slippers.  But no more. I went on etsy and found two [...]

So that book? The one I was flashing about the other day? Yeah, one of the things in is is a mini stitch dictionary.  As I was working out the stitches I used in the patterns, I did lots of swatching.  And while I did eventually have to pick one version of the stitches for each pattern, the other versions were too good to throw away. So I did the only reasonable thing and decided I'd include a few of them in the book as a mini stitch dictionary.  Totally reasonable, right?  Let's pretend it is! I've never done anything [...]

I have a bin on my office bookshelf of Things To Be Photographed.  It's where stuff I'm done knitting but can't yet wear because I haven't taken pics of it yet hangs out while I get my act together.  And sometimes...sometimes things hang out in there way too long. A little blog sleuthing (because what is the point of having a blog if you can't use it to go back and figure out when you did what) shows me I finished these in November...of 2016.  I've even got the pattern written and tested and I could release it whenever I [...]

So those slippers? The ones that somehow manage to make even my somewhat...ah...substantial feet look very nearly shapely and elegant?  Yeah, they're called Calceiform, and they're out on ravelry today!  You can get them for 10% off for the next day or two with the code SHAPELY. I just love how you put these together.  You start by knitting a heel flap and heel turn, just like you'd do for many top down socks.  then you pick up stitches around the heel flap and knit back and forth making all the pretty lacy bits, until the slipper almost wraps around your [...]

The slippers are officially done.  Toes and all, even the ends are woven in. They're fresh off the blockers (aka giant plastic feet...I have a bucket of them for displaying socks, and I use them to block slippers, but you could use regular sock blockers too if your closets are not as weird as mine). Photos planned for this weekend (what must my neighbors think of me), and then pattern on Tuesday.  Then I have to tuck in and get properly ready for next month's book launch (it will be the first one in the new house...I might need to [...]

Decreases done, all joined up to work in the round, and now it flies. These go together the same way the Quiescent slippers from a few years ago did, though these won't need a strap (some day I'm going to revisit straps on slippers though...there's more to be done there). I'm way faster knitting in the round than flat, so these won't take long at all.  And this time...this time I'll take notes on what I do at the toes (we'll not dwell on how I may have ripped the first slipper's toe out because I got tired of trying [...]