Summer news

knitthesundownLeave a comment

I had a brief enthusiastic spate of posting for a while and then never kept it up… story of my life  blog. Since my last post I’ve been promoted at one job and started another one – in a yarn store! I’ve started working as a consultant at Espace Tricot, a brilliant local yarn store in Montreal. Not only are there some amazing brands and lines that I haven’t seen anywhere else locally, but the sense of community they create in this cosy corner of Monkland Village is so strong. And their online store is addictive!

I have loved working in a yarn store again, surrounded by inspiration, dreaming up projects with customers (and for myself, obviously…), helping people with knitting problems, and generally growing as a knitter.

Here I am on their blog – I’m really trying to wear something handknit every week but this heat makes it tricky!

Smocked cosiness

knitthesundownLeave a comment

I’ve signed up for Craftsy’s free sock knitalong for the summer after finding a link through the Ravelry page for these lovely Smocked Guernsey Socks.  I’m excited to try these video classes as I’ve never followed an online class like this.  I’m glad to see a free one because it’ll be a good taster for the site.  I tend to be an almost arrogant knitter, I don’t take classes because I’ve always figured things out on my own.  Besides, my arrogant brain says, I give classes, so of course I’m beyond taking them!

But that’s completely silly.  There is always room to grow and learn, and always someone who can show you something new and help you improve.  Taking classes and pursuing learning helps me identify how I need to improve.  So I hope this will lead to fun new things for me.

craftsysock11_medium2

Wishlist Wednesday

knitthesundownLeave a comment

This Wishlist Wednesday has a theme!  I’ve been window shopping for patterns lately (window here meaning browser window, of course) and a few gorgeous ones have caught my eye for summer.  But I’m trying to be more responsible with my pattern buying.  Moratorium until I know exactly what yarn and budget I have for actually making it!  This forces me to plan ahead a little bit rather than ending up with folders of patterns I love but will likely never make.  Moreover, it keeps me imagining and dreaming of my next projects…

Coral Top (Ravelry)

809770995076_ml

Perfect for spring and summer, and I love a top that you can modify easily into a dress.  The Ravelry project pages have some gorgeous colour combinations for that neckline.  I don’t have any particular yarn in mind for this, I would like to discover a new fingering-weight cotton or linen.  I haven’t knit much with those fibres yet.

 

Nolita sweater

en-knitting-kit-wool-nolita-sweater-5-nol

I’ve never bought a knitting kit before, but We Are Knitters have some cute ones – this looks so cosy.  And given the usual cost of yarn and pattern separately, at $113 before tax (without needles) this is very reasonable.  I also love their Sabrina sweater.

Marylebone

marylebone_02_medium2

Um, why yes, I am already thinking about the elusive ultimate autumn cardigan….  This one uses bulky yarn Quarry from Brooklyn Tweed.  I wasn’t in love with my experience knitting their fingering-weight Loft yarn, but I would try Quarry if I could find it in Canada.  Meanwhile, a good alternative could be Rowan’s Cocoon, which I’ve been wanting to try for ages (despite having sworn off Rowan after two disappointing sweaters…), or maybe Illimani Llama II as I adore their alpaca yarns.

Lilac season

knitthesundownLeave a comment

It’s in full bloom out there and I’ve never really noticed the smell before, it’s divine.  My bike commute takes me through cherry trees and lilac trees and the blossom drifts down over the bike path and the air is heavy with the scent.  I leave five minutes earlier and bike more slowly until the downtown core picks up and the air is instead filled with the sound of the other season currently in full swing, construction season.

Screen Shot 2016-05-24 at 7.55.11 PM

This blog, while never exactly busy as a bee, took an accidental hiatus when my laptop collapsed.  I was using my phone pretty much exclusively for internet access over the last six months, and it really changed the way I interact with the internet.  On the plus side, I recuperated many hours from habitual meme binges, getting lost on Buzzfeed, and succumbing to the general mind-numb of the common-or-garden internet.  I realised I go to instagram for most of my inspiration, which is perfectly designed for mobile devices.  I still felt connected to the vibrant online fibre community, I still found new inspiration, and my internet use felt more purposeful and productive.

But on the flip side, I forgot about the richness and variety the internet has to offer.  I became so used to speed-scrolling through an endless instagram feed, tapping onto Facebook for a few seconds, losing real engagement with this medium that has so much to offer.  There’s no shame in enjoying the internet.  It is by far one of the greatest resources we have at our fingertips for inspiration and connection.  It has sparked so many connections, brought people together, enabled small businesses particularly in creative endeavours.  The biodiversity of online shopping is so exciting, for example.  Big box stores don’t have the monopoly on yarn selling anymore.  Chain highstreet stores aren’t the only place for clothes.

Since I got a new laptop I’ve really enjoyed reading articles again, rediscovering my favourite bookmarks (Chrome is a lifesaver, I didn’t have to start from scratch finding all the websites I’ve saved over the years!), browsing Projet Gutenberg and The Guardian, and other sites that are best experienced on a larger screen.

Oh and what am I missing… hmmm… oh yes, Ravelry!  Every cell of my body breathed a collective sigh of relief to access Ravelry on a computer again.

Computers are wonderful things.  I can live on the other side of the world from my family and it makes the distance bearable.  I have so much admiration and respect to the modern homesteaders who are eschewing technology for a life on the land, but like it or lump it technology is here to stay and that is no bad thing.  The key is in knowing how to use it in the best way for you.  I love to see children excited by and inquisitive about technology.  There’s so much to learn and these children are going to be the ones discovering the best new uses and the most daring frontiers.  When I use the internet, I see it as an internal challenge to make the most out of this immense privilege I have to access and profit from such a resource, and I want to consciously engage with it so my technology time is productive to my creative aspirations.

But sometimes I just get lost.

 

How to make a suit in ten months

knitthesundownLeave a comment

I caught sight of an unusual video on my boyfriend’s computer screen – unusual in that usually he only watches videos about guitar pedals or extreme snowboarding, yet here was a scene of sheep shearing and knitting and weaving. Turns out he was watching this video, an entertaining romp through several fibre industries with an unexpected and rather funny outcome.

honeycomb and antler

knitthesundownLeave a comment

In the midst of job hunting, knitting and planning and radio plays are keeping me sane.  For something bigger to aspire to, I’ve got a few original patterns into my head.  There was a particular Club Monaco jumper which I coveted for many moons, and, envying a lovely young lady I saw wearing it in business class on an airplane to England, I sat down to recreate the cables.  I’ve never quite found the perfect cable jumper, which would be somewhere in between too minimalist and full-on Aran, in the sweet spot between chunky and fine.

Screen Shot 2015-08-31 at 6.40.35 PM

So I came up with this pattern, which took a little while to tweak – but for my first time designing a sweater pattern from absolute scratch I was very happy with how it worked out.  I haven’t modified it for different chest measurements yet, although I want to work on that.

Here is the inspiration:

It’s no longer available anywhere online, as far as I can see – it took me a while to find this image.  Now I look at it again after many months (I didn’t actually have more than my memory and a note scribbled in my planner – “staghorn honeycomb staghorn” – while I was working on this) there are obvious differences.  I always knew I wasn’t going to make it a cropped turtleneck, but I realise now that the staghorns in this one are the other way up, and there’s honeycomb on either side of them.  This image has again inspired me – a good way to expand the width for larger chest measurements would be to add another 8-stitch honeycomb section either side of the staghorn sections.

I like the process of working with a remembered idea as my inspiration.  It would have been fairly easy to recreate this sweater directly if I’d had the image pasted in my notebook, but I love that I’ve returned to this image and seen such stark differences – it means I’ve crafted something that’s truly my own, and gives me comfort and confidence about my developing design skills.

twining vines

knitthesundownLeave a comment

IMG_4387

I’ve mentioned here and on instagram that I have some patterns in the works to release and that’s true, but surprise surprise it’s taking longer than expected. But to prove – to myself, mostly, I’m sure – that I can do it, that I can release patterns, here’s one.  It’s a bit of a cheat as it’s just a stitch from knittingfool with a garter selvedge.  However, it’s a good practice for me to write instructions clearly for others.

Sick days in summer are the worst, and when I find myself stranded on the couch with five boxes of tissues and silly dramas autoplaying on Netflix, all I can think of is how excited I am for autumn. Impatience and frustration got me stashbusting, and here’s the result!

Stitch on knittingfool.com

Twining Vines Cowl

  • 1 skein Debbie Bliss Paloma or approximately 104 yards any super bulky yarn
  • Gauge is not particularly important here but to avoid a cowl that won’t fit over your head, you’ll need a gauge of about three stitches per inch.  I used 9mm/US 13 needles, and I’m a loose knitter.
  • Final measurements unstretched approx. 7″x10″.  The cowl is knitted in a rectangle and the edges seamed together at the end.  The garter selvedge runs along the opening.

Cast on 30 stitches.  Knit one foundation row.

Row 1 (WS): k7, p5, k4, p3, k11

Row 2 (RS): k2, p7, p2-tog, kfb, k2, p4, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p5, k2

Row 3: k7, p7, k4, p2, k1, p1, k10

Row 4: k2, p6, p2-tog, k1, pfb, k2, p4, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p5, k2

Row 5: k7, p9, k4, p2, k2, p1, k9

Row 6: k2, p5, p2-tog, k1, pfb, p1, k2, p4, ssk, k5, k2-tog, p5, k2

Row 7: k7, p7, k4, p2, k3, p1, k8

Row 8: k2, p4, p2-tog, k1, pfb, p2, k2, p4, ssk, k3, k2-tog, p5, k2

Row 9: k7, p5, k4, p2, k4, p1, k7

Row 10: k2, p5, yo, k1, yo, p4, k2, p4, ssk, k1, k2-tog, p5, k2

Row 11: k7, p3, k4, p2, k4, p3, k7

Row 12: k2, p5, (k1, yo) twice, k1, p4, k1, M1, k1, p2-tog, p2, sl 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso, p5, k2

Row 13: k11, p3, k4, p5, k7

Row 14: k2, p5, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p4, k1, kfb, k1, p2-tog, p7, k2

Row 15: k10, p1, k1, p2, k4, p7, k7

Row 16: k2, p5, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p4, k2, pfb, k1, p2-tog, p6, k2

Row 17: k9, p1, k2, p2, k4, p9, k7

Row 18: k2, p5, ssk, k5, k2-tog, p4, k2, p1, pfb, k1, p2-tog, p5, k2

Row 19: k8, p1, k3, p2, k4, p7, k7

Row 20: k2, p5, ssk, k3, k2-tog, p4, k2, p2, pfb, k1, p2-tog, p4, k2

Row 21: k7, p1, k4, p2, k4, p5, k7

Row 22: k2, p5, ssk, k1, k2-tog, p4, k2, p4, yo, k1, yo, p5, k2

Row 23: k7, p3, k4, p2, k4, p3, k7

Row 24: k2, p5, sl 2 knitwise-k1-p2sso, p2, p2-tog, k1, M1, k1, p4, (k1, yo) twice, k1, p5, k2

Repeat rows 1-24 until you have approximately two rows’ worth of yarn left.  Cast off knitwise and sew together with the tail.

I almost made it to two repeats with this yarn – I worked rows 1-24 and then 1-18 and cast off on the wrong side.

The odd rows are wrong side rows and you are just working the stitches as they appear (knit the knits, purl the purls), but I found that especially after increases it wasn’t always obvious whether some stitches were knit or purl, so I included instructions.

Glossary

pfb – purl into front and back of next stitch (one stitch increased)
kfb – knit into front and back of next stitch (one stitch increased)
M1 – make 1: lift running thread (inserting left needle from front to back) between the stitch just worked and the next stitch on the left needle, and knit into the back of this thread.
p2sso – pass 2 slipped stitches over the stitch just worked

musings

knitthesundownLeave a comment

“…the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Knitters are so compellingly clever that they simply can’t tolerate boredom. It takes more to engage and entertain this kind of human, and they need an outlet or they get into trouble.”
― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

I can’t knit with nothing going on. And I can’t watch tv without doing anything. I’ve always fiddled and fidgeted. (My grandad said I was the worst portrait subject he’d ever tried to paint.) This is the only reason I watch any tv at all, since it’s always hard to find something new I even mildly want to start, and there’s only so much re-watching period dramas and Doctor Who that a girl can do.  I’ve recently got into radio plays, BBC’s Radio 4extra being my go-to channel.  It’s a treasure trove of bygone recordings, mysteries, documentaries, lost accents and calm sun-soaked afternoons in lace-draped conservatories.

I don’t know if any of this is because I’m compellingly clever though.  Or liable to get into trouble, knitting or not, for that matter.