Watching the Ball of Yarn Drop

It's hard not to reflect on the year that was. I did make a few resolutions last year so I suppose I should weigh in on how well I met these lofty goals.

1. More small projects:
Check this one. If it weren't for small projects like Nagano Sakura and the Gem Beret - my FO list would be much shorter. Handmaiden's Devin Toque in yummmm Cashmere will no doubt be my first accessory for 2008.

2. More cables:
Count this as a miss. I'm a wee bit angry with myself about this. I love cables and would welcome a nice cabled project. Contenders are Bonne Marie's Twist, Central Park Hoodie and this lovely design from Louisa Harding's new book Summer Classics.

3. Get a dress form:
Ah, I'll need to carry this one over to 2008 too but I've decided to get one of an older vintage to make it a decorating element.

4. More Noro:
Poppy and my current project Manhattan in Cahsmere Island mean I get to check this resolution as a win for 2007.

5. Experiment with different fibres and indie designers:
This was a defining theme for 2007 for me. I made The Bonsai Tunic in bamboo and spun bamboo. I'm also working on Roam in Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk which counts as 2 for 2 with designer and fibre artist both being "indie".

6. Knit with my handspun:
My Nagano Sakura scarf counts as my first "roving to FO" project. It's especially sweet that I won a prize at the 5 Counties Fair for best knitted item by a novice. I'm spinning some shetland threaded with silk that will become a Diamond Fantasy shawl for the next fair this September.

7: Make more time for knitting:
Sure, once I finish prowling around Ravelry.

8: Release another FO:
Uh, next?





So, what's on deck for 2008?


I'm excited about attending Madrona in February where I hope to improve as a spinner by taking seminars with Kathryn Alexander and Judith Mackenzie McCuin. I will embrace my inner crone by forgoing space in the suitcase for the killer wardrobe in favour of the Sonata Wheel.

I've begun some hand dyeing as well and want to continue to develop this skill. I'm reading about natural dyes and just maybe there's a dyer's garden in my future this Spring?

I predict that Ravelry will expedite the unleashing of the independent designer and that more Veronik Avery's and Stephanie Japels will get book deals and delight us with their talent.

I hear Norah Gaughan's Spring collection is amazing. I predict I will make another of her designs.

I learned I still hate sock knitting this past year. Sorry but I'm very vain about my knitting and when I finish something I don't want it shoved into a pair of shoes under a pant leg.

I want to make a top down sweater...just to find out what the fuss is all about. Maybe this one out of this yarn?

I've joined the Funky Carolina roving club so I'm excited to try some new fibres over the next few months.

And last but not least - my stash. I don't resolve to stop stashing, just to become better at hiding it.

Head's Up

I became obsessed with finishing Gem this week. Yes, I was lured to the dark side by crochet. It started with a simple ring then round and round I went. Next thing I knew - I had myself a saucy beret. I coerced twin A to take some shots this afternoon to try and capture the detail in this pretty pattern.

Here are the specifications:

Pattern: Gem from Heartfelt the Darkhouse Collection Kim Hargreaves

Yarn: One skein of Kid Classic (lavender ice) and One skein of Kid Silk Haze (dewberry) doubled

Hook: 6mm crochet hook

Beads: About 300 size 6

This pattern is fast, fun and I'm very pleased with the results. Kim Hargreaves' book has several patterns calling to me and this one was very well written. The crochet terms are detailed in the back of the book. I did however have to search elsewhere to find out how to decrease (treble two together) but that was easy enough to nail down.

The pattern has you change to double crochet for the beaded section for 5 rows. I only did 4 rows mostly due to bead supply and yarn running out. I wouldn't want any more rows any way since this is just the right amount of "ease" for me. I like a beret to flop just a bit. the hat is finished with crab stitch in Kid Silk Haze only - three strands together.

I see that Kim Hargreaves book is now more widely available through online book retailers and ebay vendors. I would imagine it will sell well.

Now that Gem is complete, I've got my eye on another fast project from Heartfelt. Thanks to Webs, I have 5 balls of Big Wool in an unusual shade for me - cassis.

I may never go below 3 stitches per inch again!

Purple Ice

The good thing about a big snow system is that it's kind of nice to know that your only option for the next day is to hunker down and ride out the storm. It lets you off the hook for all of those errands you usually take care of on a Sunday. We here in the Niagara region had been really hard hit. This system has gathered lots of extra wallop whilst traveling over the Great Lakes. My lovely new Holiday urn arrangement now has about 3 inches of white stuff on it. So, it was a great opportunity to work on some projects.

I've noticed that when it comes to yarn lately - I'm particularly attracted to purple. Now, this isn't the case when it comes to buying clothes or decorating - its seems to be simply a fibre issue. Perhaps it's a yearning for balance since according to Wikipedia in United States politics, a purple state is a state equally balanced between Republicans (normally symbolized by red) and Democrats (normally symbolized as blue). Whatever the reason, I have a fiberyen for purple.

Evie is chugging along. It's one of those patterns that seems more complex than it is. Now that I see the pattern progressions - I can truly "get" the rhythm of the design. The Cashsoft 4 ply is a delight to work with but I do seem to be getting a larger gauge than prescribed on the ball band. I'll keep you posted.

Also in the purple family is a little beret from Kim Hargreaves as well. It's called Gem and it's crochet. A nice robust 6mm hook, some Kid Classic and Kid Silk Haze and it makes for a fast project. It's got beads around the brim...yumm. It's so much fun to have a little crochet on the side. It's fast and a nice complement to my other projects. I could have used this baby on my head today while shoveling the drive way!

I'm also quite taken with the new Knitty design "Ice Queen". I've obtained some Kid Silk Night (soon to be discontinued from what I hear) from Julie. It's flecked with shots of silver so along with the silver beads - it's particularly "icy". Perhaps all of this iciness is what attracted this uber storm?

If you're like me...this week it probably your crunch time coming up. Last minute gifts, cards and grocery shopping will be top of mind but when the big day comes - I plan to be firmly planted in my house with a glass of sparkling wine and my knitting and spinning projects. Ten more sleeps!

Structured Tastings

I spent a wonderful couple of days last week at the wineries in wine school. I know, I know, at last a course I can ace. It's common practice to taste wines from light colour to dark and lighter tasting to oakier. In that spirit - I will update my various projects. We'll go from easy-breezy to the more complex.

First up is an FO. It's Narvik from Rowan 42 made out of luscious Rowan Cocoon. It's in sultry shades of charcoal, gray and mushroom. The cables on the front provide a nice complement to the raised pattern across the all-charcoal back. What makes this the easiest project in my round up?....I never said it was *my* FO. I stumbled across it at Stitch today. Jocelyn had a sample that she kindly let me try on and she even took the picture for me. This one is back on the short list for me. It's really nice in person.

Our second tasting is a nice smooth cashmere layered with complex notes of colour changes. I've finished the first front of Manhattan in the decadent Noro Cashmere Island. I LOVE this project because it's mindless and easy to pick up and put down. I'm currently casting on for the back which involves over 300 stitches to weed down to about 1/3 that amount to make the ruffle.

Here is Roam. Now Roam and I had an incident a week or so ago whereby I realized that all of my increases were done incorrectly. I was only increasing two stitches per row instead of 4. I had to rip out a good 6 inches ...all together now "OUCH!". I'm back to where I was before I ripped back. This is a delightful knit. Do learn how to purl continental if you want to make seed stitch. Once you get it down pat - it's very meditative. I was able to try the original Roam on when I was at Lettuce Knit last month taking a seminar with Laura Chau the designer. It's a great sweater! I'm also using the Addi Lace turbos and the pointy tips make the "to and fro" of the continental seed stitch very easy to stick-handle. The Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk is like a silky Merlot. Rich, deep, smooth and elegant.

I am also still plugging away on Autumn Rose. Second sleeve is almost half done. I'm eager to get to the body so I can actually gather up some rhythm with the pattern. The sleeve is too short a run to actually get "in the Fair isle zone".

Evie is progressing too but I had to clarify a few things with the designer re: pattern directions so, there isn't any progress to show since I had to rip back.

Projects galore! I love it because just as there is a perfect wine for every meal - so is there a perfect project for every mood.

Father, Kim and the Holy Post

There are just some situations that defy logic. Sometimes you get what you really want in spite of your best efforts to sabotage yourself. Such is my quest for a recent Kim Hargreaves project.

Last September 12, I mentioned in a post that I admired the design Evie from Kim's Fall collection called "Thrown Together". I loved the styling, the colour and most of all - the fact it bore the same name as my mom who passed away several years ago. It's also the name of my little 3 year old niece (insert gratuitous picture of cute child). I wrote "Don't you think the Universe want me to have this sweater?"

After humming and hawing for a few days - I decided to order it but since I *always* make things in the same colour they're shown in, I tried to think of different shades...just to be different. None - other than the Loganberry shade which most closely represented the colour shown on the model - appealed to me. In the end, I opted for a dove grey called Weather. The colour is great and very popular this season but I did kind of kick myself for not getting the deep purple.

What I didn't know was that my father (who reads my blog) had read the post and decided to surprise me by ordering the kit. He stalked knitting guilds and stores in his area in an attempt to locate Kim Hargreaves' designs. He didn't realize she sells via the Internet only. He got in touch with my knitting buddy Dr. Steph who not only showed him how to find the Kim Hargreaves website but also advised him on size and colour. He called Kim in England and says he had a delightful chat with her. He ordered the kit for me (without knowing that I'd already bought it). A week later while dad was visiting the kit arrived..........

in all of its deep purple glory. Yessssssss! It's the colour I really wanted all along.

So, since the universe definitely wants me to have this project - there's only one thing for a girl to do.

Cast on baby.

Stash Flow

I attended a trendy agency party a few years ago where I met a fellow knitter. I had car-pooled in with a male colleague who was chatting in another part of the room with an executive from another company. When she mentioned that she was a knitter my co-worker said "I should introduce you to Michelle. She knits". Of course, we knitters hear that all the time and we know all knitters are not cut from the same cloth and my colleague confessed in the car later on that she had asked a few qualifying questions of him before crossing the room to meet me as another knitter. He'd been able to field them fairly well (because I blather on about knitting whenever possible) but admitted to me that he'd been stumped by what appeared to be the most important question of all to her. She'd asked him if I "had a stash". He said "Michelle - what the hell is a stash?"

A stash to a knitter is what a basement full of chick-peas is to someone preparing for Armageddon. It gives us options should our oxygen (yarn) supply be cut off. My stash constantly ebbs and flows with my knitting fantasy life. Since the last week has been filled with article deadlines and family activities - not much real knitting has been accomplished so I thought I'd share a few projects that have caught my eye and as a bonus - are stash friendly.

From the new Kim Hargreaves book Heart Felt - Armory. It's made from RYC Bamboo soft of which I had almost enough in my stash. My supply is a pale lilac colour and fortunately Julie had the few extras in the same dye lot to complete the picture. BTW - the book is amazing and well worth the price. Only available on Kim Hargreaves' website.

I love the way the back dips down - this will be the perfect Feb. project.

I'm pleased to report that I have one skein of Kid Classic and one of the Kid Silk Haze (violet) to make this little hat also from Kim Hargreaves. It's crochet but on a 6mm hook should be a fast project. The brim is beaded.

An old supply of Adrienne Vittadini Mimi seems to be around the right gauge to make this pretty jacket. I applaud Ms. Hargreaves' ability to make chunky yarn look delicate somehow. My colour is called chambray.

I was initially not thrilled with the Winter IK. It felt a bit too "missy" for my tastes. I do however understand Eunny Jang's argument that classic designs are great for times when we don't get to projects as quickly as we think we will. At least these stand the test of time. My picks from this issue include:

Henley for which I have some Peacock coloured Blue Sky Alpaca Silk. This yarn has lived in about 4 designs already in my dreams so it's been a good investment even still skeined up.

I also really like this Louisa Harding tunic. The cable sweeping from shoulder across the body is quiet unique yet I think this would be very wearable. It would be great with a turtleneck, long skirt and boots. I have some Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran that just might work.

Last but not least - the Gathered Pullover made from Browns Sheep Top of the Lamb. I love how this is layered and the intricate yet simple detail in the middle. This one doesn't have a stash-mate that jumps out at me. I'll have to think about that....and peruse the shade cards at Browns Sheep.

Little Reminders

I have a confession to make. I don't feel guilty about having lots of WIPs and UFOs. New knitters and non knitters often ask how many projects I work on at a time or how long it will take me to finish something but I dodge the question. I figure that life is full of deadlines and obligations - my hobby is the one place I can be irresponsible. I'll pick up projects here and there depending on what I need creatively at any given moment.

Roam with Lisa Souza baby alpaca has afforded me the opportunity to learn how to purl continental. I'm finding the seed stitch very theraputic and the yarn is like butter.

Autumn Rose is the project I reach for when I want to enjoy the colour play of stranded knitting. These shades are so regal - perfect for working on whilst watching The Tudors.

Manhattan is the perfect "on the go" project. Stockinette, simple shaping and those amazing Noro colour changes. The yarn is Cashmere Island. Yeah, that's an island I want t be stranded on.

I pull out my husband's Cobble Stone pullover when I know there's another package of yarn about to arrive at the door. "See honey, I'm making you a sweater. Cast your eyes away from the fibery deliveries."

Sometimes a project will slip through the cracks. It drifts to the bottom of the knitting bag in favour of shiney new projects. The Tulip Cardigan was such a project. Often life will provide some sort of cosmic tap on the shoulder to remind us that we really need to turn a UFO into an FO.

Say hello to my new niece. A 7lb 2 oz tap on the shoulder. With that flaming red hair I'm gonna guess that she won't be accepting an of my excuses. I best get knitting.

Cosmicsouza

Nothing screams of a passionate pairing more than a mash up of names. It worked for Brangelina and Bennifer - it works for my latest project too. For me, the design is usually the artistic feature of a project with the yarn playing a supporting role. Now that I'm making Roam out of Lisa Souza Baby Alpaca Silk, it's a magical mixture of a great design paired with artisan handpainted yarn.

I felt this colourway would be close to the Big Sea Silk used in the original design as it appeared in the pictures on Knitty. When I ordered it, I told Lisa what I was making. She e mailed me to confirm that my skeins were "extra chocolaty". The colours move from cognac to smoke and deep chocolate. There are smudges of cobalt highlights that really make the yarn unique. The seed stitch is perfect for this type of handpainted yarn to move the colour around a bit more and avoid any pooling...of course, that's not an issue with Lisa's yarn. This is a perfect sub for Roam since it's bang on gauge and the alpaca and silk drape beautifully. The shaping is nicely built into the ridge of slip stitches which will become the icord embellishment.

I do knit continental but still purled english style so I decided to learn how to purl continental as well. I found some great videos on youtube that were very helpful. I highly recommend this method to anyone wanting to try seed stitch.

I'm especially excited to be taking a dyeing class at Lettuce Knit tomorrow with Laura Chau who designed Roam. I'll get to see Roam in person since the sample will be at the store.

There's a new Norah Gaughan design I'm smitten with too in the new Knitter's Book of Yarn. It's called the Cable Swing Cardi. This one may be even better suited to my Malabrigo than the Tilted Duster. Those lovely cables and seed stitch will add a bit more texture to the Malabrigo handpaints.

I'm going to have to find more knitting techniques designed to speed up my knitting! Or - I could just spend less time on Ravelry!

.

Red Romance
I have officially completed the first arm of Autumn Rose. Apparently, going back to the yoga mat recently after a 3 month break was a good idea because if my gauge on this puppy is any indication - I'm one stressed cat.


Prescribed gauge is 30 stitches to 4 inches on 3mm needles. I often use sleeves as a gauge swatch - in this case, I didn't bother checking it until the sleeve was done and I got 32 stitches to 4 inches. Now given that the entire sleeve is only 96 stitches by the end of all of the increases, we're probably talking about a quarter of an inch smaller in the end. I have already steamed it a bit and have been able to get it to where it needs to be. It does tell me however that I need to use my 3.25mm needles to get gauge. I also have taken Vanessa's advice to heart and started to split splice the colour changes. It works quite well. You simply do the splice about 2 inches from the end and the colour transition is quite natural. Look ma - no ends to weave in! I'm still quite enamoured of the reds and golds. It's perhaps why I'm also attracted to this design from Annie Modesitt's new book called Romantic Hand Knits.



This is called Dark Victory and uses Malabrigo in a deep burgundy colourway. I found the exact number of burgundy Malabrigo skeins at my LYS (sadly it's closing next month) for 50% off. There was much spirited discussion in the shop as to what accent shades I should use but in the end I really liked the way the gold sparked the design in the sample for the book. I bought a skein of pearl and one of sunset for the accent. The centre panel is done in slip stitch whilst the rest of the sweater is ribbed for a close fit.



I highly recommend this book. The skirt on the front gives new meaning to the phrase "Va Voom". I'm sure we're all shying away from this one because we don't like our cabooses enough to give it a whirl but there are a few people making this and I'm eager to see how it looks on real women. It may surprise us.



This little sweater is very feminine too and looks like a fun knit. I wonder if the shoulders would be fiddly and slide down your arm?




I think these stockings are so "Petticoat Junction". I doubt I'd ever make them - basically because I've decided I'm just not hard wired to like making socks but I think they're really cool.



There are a couple of awesome hat patterns, an Egyptian-inspired dress that's stunning and long black gloves perfect to accent a fabulous party dress at your company Christmas party.

I'm attracted to different designs each time I look at this book which is generally what I consider to be a good sign. Two thumbs up for this one.



Since I'm in a red and gold phase - perhaps I need to dig this one out of the stash in 2008 and see if my skills are finally ready to tackle it.

Master Blends

I do believe that wine is the perfect metaphor for yarn. Of course, I also believe that linoleum is the perfect metaphor for yarn but I digress. My business trip to the Okanagan Wine Festival was wonderful. The highlight was touring the Sandhill vineyards which reside on a mountainside in what's officially a desert. The grapes have to dig down deep to get water and there's a bear that wanders down from the mountain to nosh on the grapes. This must be the bear equivalent of a Casino buffet.

The company I work for makes Sandhill wines. Head winemaker Howard Soon took us into the vineyard to taste the grapes for ourselves right off of the vine. He taught us what to look for in a grape that's ready to be harvested.

Sandhill is an interesting wine brand because it's all about the blend. Howard insists that although each of the Sandhill wines is a blend of grape varietals - they all must come from a single vineyard. This is a bold position to take because there's no blending of other wines to compensate for a rogue frost or less than stellar growing season. The wine drinker truly gets a sense of the terroir in every sip. The blend is the magic that pulls it all together.

For those of us who love artisan yarn (and if you're reading blogs about knitting I'm going to assume you're past the 99 cent per ball acrylic stage)- nothing makes a yarn sing more than a beautiful blend of colours. There are two "new to me" yarns that I've discovered that really qualify for artisan status.

First up is the new Noro offering called Cashmere Island. This is a blend of 60% wool, 30% cashmere and 10% nylon. It knits to a dk weight. I am often attracted to the designs that Jane Ellison creates for Noro and this cardigan on the cover of the new Noro book caught my eye right away. It's called Manhattan. Of course, I needed something straightforward to knit on the plane to B.C and this fit the bill. The edges are ruffled and smaller needles are used to cinch in the waist with a ribbed belt that extends out. I choose the same

colourway used in the book and if you've ever gazed at a ridge of trees in the fall and wished you could capture the colours in a yarn - this is it. Shades of chocolate, plum, sage meld together like magic.

When I'm not feeling up the Cashmere Island I can't stop touching the Baby Alpaca Silk I just got from Lisa Souza. I ordered this to make Roam from Knitty by Laura Chau of Cosmicpluto Knits. She used Great Big Sea Silk in her sample and though I love Hand Maiden - it was a tad spendy for me. Lisa Souza is my "go to gal" for amazing substitutions. This is a blend of Alpaca and Silk that will drape beautifully and the mahogany colourway will hopefully mimic the bronzes, chocolates and blues in Laura's version. I'm eager to have a nice easy sweater to throw on with jeans. Roam fits the bill.

So what wine do we pour to salute those fiber artists who turn yarn into a work of art? Why Sandhill One of course. This wine stole my heart because it's a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec with aromas of spice and red berries. On the palate, there is a generous dollop of sweet fruit - black cherries, red plums and of course like my new yarns ...notes of chocolate.