Obliging
I have very obliging friends. When I texted Laura and said 'hey, wanna drive around the sketchier parts of town and take knitting pictures?' she very graciously said 'sure!' instead of summoning the authorities like a reasonable person might. The goal was to get pictures of the stripy malabrigo hats I knit last winter. I wanted some properly grungy backdrops because these will be part of a little collection (another mini book like Rabble Rousers), and I needed a particular ambiance. So off we went, to a local place that buys junk cars for parts. We parked in the abandoned, [...]
Proof
I'm not the sort to make the bed. I really have a hard time seeing the point. My bed is not a decorative object, it is an object of use. Making the bed makes it prettier, but less useful. I'm opposed to this on philosophical grounds (it's the same objection I have to many of the world's more ludicrous shoes...they may make me prettier, but they also make me less useful). I'm also deeply lazy. So I more or less never make the bed. I did, shockingly, make an exception for the new duvet covers. Just this once mind you. [...]
Iron Age
I stand by my position that sewing is poorly named. The activity we call sewing is mostly ironing with occasional spurts of other activities to leaven the tedium. I spent about 10 hours putting together two duvet covers and two pillowcases this weekend, and I'd say about 2 hours were spent actually sewing. The rest were spent ironing, measuring, ironing, pinning, ironing, cutting, and ironing. Given the scale of the project (huge), the complexity of the sewing (low), and the intended final result (rumply wrinkly bedding), I determined I would do the absolute minimum necessary amount of ironing (a good [...]
Effective
Barry and Levon would like you to know that they, too, are making contributions to the current sewing project. They're doing their very best to fuzz up the place. They are quite effective. And Mr. Random Number Generator would like you to know that Leslie has won Rachel's lovely book. Thanks to everyone who entered, and special thanks to Rachel for making such fantastic socks!
Display Some Adaptability
I'm unusually well equipped when it comes to blocking tools for knitting. I've got the traditional mats and pins. I've got a wide array of hat forms. I've got sock blockers. I've got mannequin feet. I've got mitt blockers. I've even got hand forms. Yet despite this unquestionably impressive array of props, I still find myself having to improvise from time to time. I'm off to take pics of these mitts later this afternoon. I made them to fit me (I'm greedy like that), but the lovely friend I've tricked bribed sweet talked into modeling them for the pics has [...]
Beginnings
I'm making duvet covers. I plan to be making duvet covers for the next several days. I fully expect this to eclipse more or less all the knitting for the next week or so. You've been warned. The goal is two, twin sized, linen duvet covers. You may recall I got the fabric when we were in San Francisco. I realized at the time that 19 yards of fabric was a lot. Somehow I'd forgotten just how much it was until I dumped it out on the table (sewing happens on the dining room table around here). It's really quite [...]
Fever Dreams
So I seem to have lost a week. Some time weekend before last, I thought to myself 'hmm, I have a bit of a sniffle, perhaps I'll lie down for a moment.' Then yesterday I dragged my stinking carcass out of bed, blinked, grunted, and wondered what the hell happened to the intervening week. That's a slight exaggeration, but not much. I more or less did the bare minimum necessary to be considered a functional adult for the last nine days. Eat, shower, feed the cats, mind the blog. That's about it. Alas, The Boy also got the same strain [...]
Coop Knits Socks, Review & Giveaway
One of the most charming parts of TNNA (and yes, I do still owe you the official TNNA post, but I seem to have brought back the traditional TNNA cold, which has taken up residence in my ear and kept me more or less in bed, so this week has sort of gone spiraling away from me and I'm just the smallest bit behind)...ahem, as I was saying, one of the most charming parts of TNNA is finally meeting in person all those folks you've only known online. Matching up names with faces (or let's be honest, blogs and twitter [...]
Let Me Help You With That
Like many of the designers I know, I very very rarely buy pattern books. Part of this is because I don't have time to knit other people's patterns (I don't have time to knit my own patterns), and part of it is because I don't want to accidentally see something someone else has done and have it lodge deep in the back of my brain and come spilling out in one of my own patterns. This rule does not apply with stitch dictionaries. Those I buy with complete and utter abandon. If I see a new one, I buy it. [...]
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