Coming soon…
So you remember the marble hat? The one that's so cheerful it will pretty much slap you in the face? Well it will be out next week (I normally do pattern releases on Tuesdays, but next Tuesday is a holiday in the states, so I'm doing it Wednesday instead). Here's a little sneak peek. If you want a note when it's out, be sure you use the link at the bottom to get on the mailing list. I'll let you know when it's here (and send you a coupon too). You'll have to find your own marbles though! [pextestim [...]
Uncharacteristic
So something odd has happened. I assure you no one is as surprised as I. That's a garter stitch rectangle. Well no, that started life as a linen stitch rectangle, but knitting linen stitch with actual linen is a surefire way to go mad, so it made the transition to being a garter stitch rectangle instead. And that? That is what will become nearly a freaking foot of icord. Because for some unknowable reason I sort of decided to knit a facecloth. Well no, I know the reason...it's because linen facecloths are so scrubby and awesome that they're worth the [...]
They get to decide
When I was in college I took a history of religions class. On the very first day, the professor declared (repeatedly and emphatically) that we would absolutely positively not under any circumstances be offering our own opinions on whether one group or another were 'really' any particular religion. The official class position was "if they said they were, then as far as the class is concerned, they were. They get to decide." It seemed reasonable to me then. It has proven to be a pretty good way to handle a whole host of other identity issues in the intervening years. [...]
More Swatches
No really...swatches are all I'm knitting these days. I've probably explained this before, but for me a book usually goes 1) have an idea, 2) source yarn, 3) swatch and write patterns, 4) send yarn and patterns off to magical stunt knitters to turn into projects, 5) get the patterns into proper book format and have them edited, 6) get projects back and take photos, 7) more editing, 8) printing. Now there's more to it than that (I left out the traditional 'all my ideas are crap' crisis that invariably happens somewhere in the middle), and there's some overlap (for [...]
Cleave (plus giveaway)
There's something about taking a classic like a ribbed sock (comfy, easy, fits perfectly) and adding just a little bit of a something special that gets me every time. The special bit could be dropped stitches or lace or even a fancy cuff. Whatever you pick, it's always more fun than it has any right to be. For Cleave, I went with an absolutely delightful cable and a little bit of a twist for the heel. The construction on these is really fun. Instead of working flat over half the stitches to make a heel flap, then picking up stitches [...]
Suitably Matched
Way back when I was a brand new knitter (think 'had to look up how to purl because it seemed sort of tricky' level of new), I read a pattern that said something like 'cast on 24 stitches with appropriate yarn and suitably matched needles.' And somehow I got it into my head that 'suitably matched' meant 'needles that look pretty with your yarn.' I'll just let you imagine how well that worked out. It's a wonder I ever got the hang of this. But that incident has left me with a tendency to grin every time my needles happen [...]
Good Mail (oooooh, aaaaah)
Oh my goodness...my mailbox really is a happy place. That's one of Indigo Dragonfly's Tornadoz sets on Chameleon Sock in the color Cahoots. It's an absolutely delightful merino/cashmere/silk blend, and looks absolutely beautiful knit up...wait till you see my swatch! And this is Seven Sisters Arts newest grand idea, Varigradients. That's three skeins of their beautiful variegated yarns in varying intensities, light to dark. In this case it's the Water Garden colorway on the Matrika base. And oh...oh it's lovely stuff! If you want to follow along and check out all the yarns for Curls 3 (and some swatches too), [...]
A fold here, a tuck there…
So when the knitting's done, you do a little magic, and end up with something like this. Which sure, it's cute enough, though a bit ruffled. Well you know what I'm going to tell you to do. You need to block that hat! And for this one? For this one we get to use a whole new blocking prop. Marbles. Yes really marbles. I'm every bit as amused as you are (quite likely more). And when it's done? Well when it's done it's rather delightful. And yes, yes there will be a pattern down the road (almost certainly in July). [...]
This next bit’s quick
So the pay off for knitting miles and miles and miles of stockinette? The decreases on this hat are going to be lightning quick. Like two rows of knitting quick. Like blink and you miss them quick. But before you can do them, you do need to check to be sure the hat is tall enough, because those fast decreases mean you lose some of the height to fabric distortion. This is the way I do it (put all your stitches on either two long dpns or two long straights, try it on, if it fits your golden). The other [...]
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