Crumple
So I like scarves. Not so much knitted scarves (shocking I know), but really really big, really really thin cashmere scarves. The sort that are way longer than you are tall, wide enough to make a respectable lap blanket, and thin enough to read a newspaper through. I have a few of these, and I find them ridiculously handy (as always, amazon links are affiliate links). The only thing is, after I wear them a few times, they start to look a bit, um, disheveled. They have a few creases here and there and maybe even a bit of a [...]
Truckle
Oh hey, remember these? I totally do! Or, more specifically, I remember the terrible terrible plague I had while I knit them. Their working title when I was knitting them was zombie socks (as I was at least half dead as I made them). But truckle (which means to yield out of weakness) seemed a much more fitting official title! They're mostly plain stockinette. There's just one pretty little decorated panel down the outside of the ankle (and even that is an easy-to-memorize pattern) to keep you entertained. But the combination totally works and results in a sock that's easy to [...]
Territory
Exactly what part of "Go away, this is my chair" did you not understand?
Knit Wear Love (review and giveaway)
More TNNA goodies to share, this time it's the delightful Knit Wear Love: Foolproof Instructions for Knitting your Best-Fitting Sweaters Ever in the Styles you Love to Wear from Amy Herzog. You know how I always say I'll never knit a sweater? Now part of that is because of my whole short attention span / that's an awful lot of fabric issue. But part of it is also because I've been scared I'd make one and not love it when it was done. I'm absolutely a product knitter. If I'm knitting something, it's because I want the finished piece. Can [...]
Terms
Sock the second continues his slow but inevitable march toward the sock basket. We're nearing my favorite milestone of sock creation, which in my head is called 'Well and Truly Socklike.' That's the point where I feel that if I hold the thing up, even a non-knitter should be able to tell exactly what it is. I feel like this point comes some time shortly after the gusset decreases happen (because really, what exactly could it be other than a sock at that point?). Though if the questions I've gotten from non-knitters are any indication, this isn't actually as clear [...]
Armored
I told you there would be some lacy business coming up, and you know I'm not the type to lead you astray (temptation, yes; astray, no)! I suppose the pattern on this one may be a tiny bit too small scale to truly scratch the lace itch, but the result totally feels lacy to me. Elle, sample knitter extraordinaire, said it reminds her of chain mail, which I totally get. I sort of love the idea of a little wisp of knitting (and this is a silk/yak blend by Bijou Basin...wispy is exactly the word for it) as armor against [...]
Proof
Do you know anyone who writes books? If so, there's likely to come a day when a package arrives from their printer. When the package comes, it's best to just stand quietly by and let them have a moment with it. They're fairly heavily invested in the stuff in that package, it's best not to get between them and it. I know it looks like a stack of giant, rumpled sheets of paper and may not seem all that fascinating. But folded up inside there are Real Live Pages From The Book. I promise it's a big deal. You get [...]
Increase Decrease (review & giveaway)
So that secret suspicion you had? That feeling that maybe TNNA was an awful lot like a birthday party with lots of goody bags for everyone to take home? Yeah, there's actually some truth to that! One of the things that came home with me was a stack of lovely books to review and give away. And today we're starting with Judith Durant's marvelous Increase Decrease: 99 Step-by-Step Methods. The short version of the review is 'oh my woolly goodness, if you like to experiment with your knitting instead of just following instructions, go get this right now.' I have [...]
Keep It Up
Last week was a bit of a rollercoaster. It started when I learned that someone was selling scans of one of my books on Etsy. I asked Etsy to take the listing down, and they did. Then I asked them to take down the seller's shop (everything in it was clearly stolen). They didn't, despite fervent claims that they take copyright issues seriously. So I told you about it and asked you to help me persuade Etsy to fix it. And you did! The seller's shop was empty come morning. Alas, the story doesn't end there. The very next day [...]
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