Category: Yarn & Fiber

Projects made with yarn or fiber.

"The Wedding Shawl": A new drama series Part One: Picking the Pattern

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So, my brother got engaged to his girlfriend, Carly.

And I was very happy for the two of them.

But a little sad.

Because I am a bit selfish and wished I could help with the wedding, but I can’t because I don’t live in New Zealand or Canada.  (Boo.)

So I had the brilliant idea of how to weasle my way into the wedding…I would knit.

See, Carly’s planning on wearing a strapless dress, and the knitter in me automatically screamed, “Cold shoulders!”  True, it will be summer, but summer evenings can get a little chilly.  Sometimes.

So I talked to Carly and pathetically grovelled for the honor set forth my intention to knit a shawl for her wedding day.  (I stifled the urge to skip about the room when she enthusiastically accepted my offer.)

I spent a few hours looking up shawl after shawl, and compiled a list of eight different patterns that I thought she’d maybe like:

  1. Swallowtail: http://yulianknits.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/why-a-bunch-of-beads-looks-pretty-but-is-essentially-unuseful-at-least-for-me/
  2. Luna Moth Shawl: http://marinoie.blogspot.com/2010/01/luna-moth-shawl.html
  3. Birch: http://susancrowe.co.uk/2010/04/16/it-made-me-the-ksh-junkie-i-am-today/
  4. Echo Flower Shawl: http://www.pepperknit.com/2010/11/echo-flower-shawl/
  5. Queen Silvia Shawl: http://rogue-knits.blogspot.com/2009/06/queen-silvia.html
  6. Summer Shawl: http://osbornfiber.com/2011/01/07/a-joy-forever/ (detail shots)
    http://deserthomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-so-excited.html (shape) 
  7. Forest Path Stole: http://thingssoolikes.blogspot.com/2008/02/end-of-path.html
  8. Myrtle Leaf Shawl: http://segasummasuvila.blogspot.com/2008/07/must-ilma-punaseta.html

Then I emailed another two choices a day or two later because they were too pretty to leave off of the list:

  1. Purity:  http://dagi35.blox.pl/2009/06/Plan-wykonany.html
  2. Citron: http://j-essaieonverrabien.over-blog.com/article-citron-au-coeur-d-artichaud-64202817.html

Carly narrowed it down to two designs (Purity and Forest Path Stole), but was having trouble deciding on which one to go with.  Being the inpatient knitter that I can be, I gave her 37 hours to make up her mind.  (Yeah, I really did!  But only after she told me that she was terribly indecisive and needed a “cutt-throat” deadline.)

Thirty seven hours passed…and no email from Carly.

I posted a mocking Facebook status update: “Dost my eyes deceive me? No lace decision? Oh, now I’m sad.”  (Reading that now makes me think I should have used “mine” instead of “my.”)
 
She replied, two hours later, with: “I”M SORRY!!!!!! (If you are talking about me lol) Decision being made NOW!“

I had an email within that hour to tell me that her choice was something completely different from what she had previously narrowed her choices down to.  I laughed out loud.

Michael asked why I was laughing and I told him that Carly chose a pattern that wasn’t one of the two she was previously considering.  Michael laughed too.

The pattern that Carly ended up choosing, drum roll please….is the Echo Flowers Shawl!

Tune in next week for Part Two: “The Yarn” of the Brooketopian drama “The Wedding Shawl.”

Imperial Purple Clothes

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The girls are extremely proud of their “royal clothing.”  I think the color is quite beautiful and I’m eyeing the last bit of the powdered dye that we have left in the jar for myself someday.

Bluebird and I came up with the idea that we truly need to make these clothes look royal, so we went to the craft store and picked out some gold thread and gems and pearls to embellish the clothing in the near future.  I’ll post again when it gets done…I’m hoping that this promise to post motivates me to actually get it done.

I love homeschooling!  Let me tell ya, the idea to dye clothes with a six and four year old in attendance is nothing I’d have contemplated doing were it not for homeschooling!  But they helped as much as they could and it was a fun experience for us all.  We read the Aeneas book in between the timed stirring sessions, which was just so “warm & fuzzy.”

I’m looking forward to all the other projects we have scheduled for the year…we’re getting good results so far!

Little Monkey Baby Hat for my Little Monkeyboy

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Oh, the cuteness is almost overwhelming!

Pattern:  Little Monkey Baby Hat by Irina Poludnenko

Yarn:  Knit Picks Swish DK in Bark, Doe, Charcoal Heather & Coal

Needles:  US 6 DPN

Modifications:  Braided earflap tassels instead of I-Cord.

Many months ago, I became aware of this pattern after mentioning at Knit Nite that I wanted to make a monkey hat for my baby boy.  Kit found this pattern on Ravelry and showed it me, and I knew I had to make it someday.

I then got the idea into my head that it would make a great Christmas present and strived to make it work, but I ran out of the dark brown color a few days before the holiday and had to wait for it arrive later.  (If I had been a little more frugal in my tail ends and done I-cord tassels instead of braided tassels, I’m pretty sure I could have completed this with just one skein of the dark brown…)

Monkeyboy seems to like it.  He likes to hold a tassel in each of his chubby little hands and then chew on the yarn.

The pattern is a little crazy; I don’t think I’ll make this again because it drove me nuts.  It seemed as though the designer was trying really hard to make the pattern fit onto one page of instructions, and so she’d leave out minor details or type multiple rows’ worth of instructions onto one line.  Yeah, you’re still technically able to create the hat, but it takes more mental energy, which isn’t something I’m in excess possession of when I sit down to knit.  Things like that in pattern are the little things…and the little things matter!

Liking the yarn.  Haven’t done anything with DK weight before, but I really liked how baby-perfect it seemed…sometimes worsted seems just a little too heavy for babies, but this weight is just one step lighter, so it feels like “baby-worsted.”  I basically have full skeins left of the Bark, Charcoal Heather and Coal colors and I’d estimate I’ve got half a skein of the Doe/Light Brown color left.  And it’s superwash merino!  I don’t know why, but I am feeling pretty proud that my little bitty boy has a nice, warm, wool cap for his head.  It just feels like I’m taking especially good care of him by clothing him in wool against the bitter cold that’s outside right now.  Mommy Success!

Gotta keep those chubby little cheeks warm & toasty too!

Sweet Pea Hat for a Little Princess

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My cousin and his lovely wife just became the proud parents of an adorable little girl in November, so I made an adorable little hat for her first Christmas.  I made a unisex version before the birth of Monkeyboy (which he wore proudly), but I was really looking forward to making it in a definitive gender color scheme.

Pattern:  Sweet Pea, by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn:  Tahki Cotton Classic (#3446-Pink, and I couldn’t read the color number for the green…)
Needles:  US 5 & 7

Needless to say, I think this is an adorable little hat.  This was the first time I was able to use the Cotton Classic yarn, and I don’t think I’m a big fan of it.  It’s too…crisp.  Which seems like a weird thing to dislike, but dislike it I do.  The colors are beautiful and I love the sheen of the yarn…but it’s too crisp for me.  I don’t know how to describe it any other way.

It’s so much fun now that my family members are starting to reproduce!  I won’t commit to making something for every new soul, but I’m definitely going to try to fit in some crafting for wee ones when they come about into the world.

When I logged into my Facebook account this afternoon, I saw that there were new pictures of the wee little and I happily discovered that two of those pictures featured her modelling this very hat.  This marks the infant’s parents as knitworthy, which may benefit her in the way of knitted goods in the future.  She looked so stinkin’ cute and so very tiny.  Sweet baby girl.  Oh, bitty babies are just so precious.

Merry Christmas!

Posts might resume in this next week, but I reserve the right to continue enjoying a low-stress vacation.

Edith Hats Galore

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Pattern:  Edith Hat, by Johanne Landin
Yarn:  KnitPicks’ Palette in White & Bluebell, about half a skein each.
Needles:  US 1 & US 2

I made this cute little hat for my mother-in-law, who I have been promising a hat to for quite some time.  I went with the idea of making something that I really wanted so that I knew for sure that it was a good gift.

The problem with this gifting philosophy is that while you’re busily knitting away, you develop a sort of sadness that you will not be keeping the beautiful thing you are creating.  I would share my frustration at knit night as I plugged along–how beautiful the hat was and that I couldn’t keep it and would have to suffer my way through the pattern yet again when I embarked upon knitting it for myself.  (I’m generally not the kind of person who starts a project for someone else and then decides to keep it for myself…I would feel guilty each time I wore “someone else’s” project!)

So my knitting buddy made me one:

(And I totally stole the picture that she took of it for her Ravelry project page.  Hee hee!)

I almost cried when she casually flopped it onto the table and remarked that she had noticed that I seemed to really like the pattern and she figured that I’d appreciate it if she made one for me because Heaven knew when I’d be able to get to making one for myself. 

I was speechless.  (And that’s hard to do to me.)  I still get a little choked up when I put this hat on each morning as I head out into the bitter winter wind.  Especially since I’ve worked through the pattern myself and know how time-consuming and challenging it is…what a wonderful gift. 

Bluebird did me the favor of modeling her grandma’s hat for the blog.
Her verdict:  “It’s so warm and toasty, Grandma will love it!”

Seeing how my mother-in-law isn’t obsessed with knitting like myself, I don’t think she’ll get all emotional about her hat every time she wears it…because I’m pretty sure it’s kind of weird that I do that and we just don’t need any more weirdness like that in this world.  But hopefully it brings a smile to her face.  She has really pretty brown eyes and I think the blue will complement them ever so nicely.

It’s just such a beautiful hat, it even has a picot edging!  Oh, just lovely.  If I didn’t go cross-eyed while reading the pattern, I’d make a whole lot more.  Love it Grandma, love it…it’s destined to be a one-time-only creation.

(I wrote this post before I gave the hat to my mother-in-law and it turns out that I think she was pretty pleased with it.  And it fit quite nicely.  I’m kind of hit-and-miss with making things that actually fit other people.  Success!)

Bluebird’s Winter Hat: Molly Beret

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Pattern:  Molly Beret from Never Not Knitting

Yarn:  Knit One Crochet Too “Crock-O-Dye” in Tomato colorway (#250) & Dale of Norway Baby Ull in Light Peach (#3403)

Needles:  US 1 & US 3

Size:  20″/Small Adult

I buy our winterwear during the summer when it’s 80% off, which limits the colors we can purchase.  This year, Bluebird had to choose between white/gray, grass/lime or a peach/coral winter coat.  (She was not happy about this because she wanted pink or purple, but alas, those are the colors that sell out and usually aren’t available on clearance.) 

However, the Brooke family is well-known for its love of the color orange and she went with the orange-hued parka.  Upon receipt of said coat I began to wonder how in the world I was going to match any sort of accessory to its non-traditional color palette.

Bluebird accompanied me on my Yarn Quest shortly following, and she spied the Tomato Crock-O-Dye yarn while we were investigating The Black Sheep Wool Company.  She brought it over to me and announced that she had found the perfect yarn to match her coat.  I agreed that it did match, and complimented her on her good eye for color.

Bluebird browsed through the Ravelry pattern database with me and chose the Molly Beret pattern, which just tickled me to no end.  (I think little girls in berets are just one of the cutest things ever!)  I paired up the Crock-O-Dye with some leftover peach Baby Ull from the Peach Yoked Cardigan and was quite pleased at how well the two yarns matched her crazy technicolor winter coat.

All in all, I really like the finished product.  I made it a touch too large, but her head measured 20″ in circumference, which was the small adult size.  However, upon further reflection, one wants a hat to fit snugly and should therefore knit a cap one size smaller to assure a secure fit.  It still looks cute despite its super slouchy appearance.  She receives compliments on her beret every time she wears it and her little face just lights up with pleasure whenever someone notices her hat.  I have more than enough yarn leftover to knit mittens or a scarf, but I have other projects that need my attention first.  (And I’m already in the midst of a scarf knit with fingering weight yarn and I don’t think my sanity could handle casting on another scarf in skinny yarn.)
A friend laughed at me when I told her about my predicament in trying to find a yarn that would match Bluebird’s coat and quipped that not everyone frets about matching their children’s accessories.  And I guess it’s just not an issue to a lot of people, but I garner great satisfaction out of attiring my family nicely and I experience pleasure in knowing that I created those items myself.  It’s such a fun process to pick out the yarn and pattern together and then watch your child’s eyes light up while they watch you create something just for them. 
However, the other children become very vociferous with their requests for handmade items when a sibling’s project is on my needles.  Next up is a scarf for Penguin.  But knit in a very bulky-weight yarn.  I can handle that.

WIP: Circus of Colors Scarf

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While frolicking about during Yarn Quest, I saw a Linen Stitch Scarf made from luscious Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino on display at Blazing Needles. I decided that I needed; yes, NEEDED, one for myself. I bought a crazy combination of colors and cast on that very week. Six weeks later finds me with this much progress.

While choosing my colors, I decided to take a risk and go for an all-out color cacophony that would scream, “Cheerful!” amidst the drab winter months. I think this scarf will do a fantastic job of executing my intent.

Many have complained that this scarf takes FOREVER to complete and blame it on the fact that it’s knit from end to end instead of your usual side to side. The actual reason why this scarf takes forever to knit is because it’s knit from a fingering weight yarn. Any scarf made from fingering weight yarn is going to take forever to complete, regardless of what direction you’re knitting! But, oh, is it going to be worth the effort! (Anything that can make you feel cheerful on a gray day is worth the effort!)

My original goal date for completion is the end of September…we’ll see how that goes.

Roar! #2

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Pattern: “Roar! A Dinosaur Hat,” by Kate Oates
Yarn: Knit Picks’ Shine Worsted in Green Apple & Grass
Needles: US 7

Even though Penguin is modeling the hat, I made it as a 4th birthday present for her future fiance, Will. He’s big into dinosaurs right now and his mom made a random comment after seeing Monkeyboy’s Roar hat that Will would totally love a dinosaur hat of his own. And seeing how she was able to deliver that comment without exuding any pressure upon me to actually make one for her son, I decided to make one because I wanted to make it.





I totally love this hat and I totally love this yarn.

Click here to view this project’s Ravelry page.

Penguin and Will have been intended for each other since before they were born, when Denise found out she was having a boy and I found out I was having a girl, due at the same time. (I went into labor a week early, she went into labor a week late…) I was thinking about this blog post when I stumbled across some archived photos from the first version of this blog (long since deleted), and found the following:

Holding hands:

This is from when we referred to the two of them as “Tank and Tink”:

And this happened one random day when Denise and I were messing around with her camera:

I’m a little concerned over how forward she was in kissing him first…

Totally meant for each other. I will make their boy babies lots of dinosaur hats. 🙂

Yarn Swag

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The yarn stash has grown considerably, thanks to the annual “Yarn Quest” that’s put on by seven yarn shops in the Salt Lake Valley. Thought I’d share some pictures of the swag for those of you who are as excited by wool as I am:

Some Cascade 220, purchased at Unwind, which I plan upon using to create another Aran Scarf, this time for myself:
Rowan Colourscape Chunky, picked up at The Unravelled Sheep. An impulse buy because it reminded me of Penguin for some reason. Not quite sure what I’m going to make with it; probably a scarf for the cute girl:
A handful of skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic, found at The Wool Cabin, intended for a Sweet Pea Hat and a Happy Trails hat (Ravelry link):

Some Knit One Crochet Too “Crock-o-Dye,” purchased at Black Sheep Wool Company, in a colorway that matches Bluebird’s new winter parka, for which she is lacking accessories:
Mmmm, Koigu. Believe it or not, all three of these colorways will be in the same project and will probably end up looking quite fabulous. That’s the magic of Koigu. I don’t know why it works that way, but it does. I plan upon using this to make a beautiful linen stitch scarf that I saw on display at Blazing Needles:
Shibui Stacatto, colorway: “50’s Kitchen,” also from Blazing Needles. I saw it and grabbed every skein of it from the display because I just absolutely fell in love with the colors. I think they make a cute “little boy” colorway…I’m leaning towards using it to make a cardigan for Monkeyboy:

Some Berroco “Vintage,” destined to become a Pembroke vest for Monkeyboy, chosen after Kamille pointed it out for its machine washability and economical price:
A special treat that I picked up at Three Wishes Fiber Arts–a merino and tencel fiber blend by Greenwood Fiberworks (fittingly named “Vancouver”)–for me to get my spin on.I only possess a hand spindle, so spinning hasn’t been a big focus of mine. However, at knit group, Kit showed me an easier way to wield the hand spindle and thus re-ignited my interest in the craft.

Bluebird wants some Mommy-made yarn as well, and chose some fiber at Three Wishes in a colorway that suited her, Mountain Color’s “Gold Rush”:

The purpose of Yarn Quest is to get you to visit all seven stores (hopefully parting with some of your money) and get your Yarn Quest card punched/stamped so it can be entered into a drawing for all sorts of delicious knitting goodies.

They also had a kids’ card, which Bluebird diligently presented at each shop and is now holding her breath over whether or not she’ll win a prize. (If she’s inherited her mother’s luck, she will not win a thing.)

It was fun to spend two whole Saturdays with just her (and Monkeyboy, as I’m his sole food source), travelling about and chatting and just being together. It’s hard to find one-on-one time with my children, so I was pleased that we could bond over something that interests me so much. Penguin is looking forward to tagging along with us for next year’s Yarn Quest because she wants some quality time with Mama as well.

She’s been requesting knitting lessons every since we walked out of the first shop together. I was planning on teaching her this winter, but might bump it up as a result of her newfound enthusiasm. Heaven knows we have enough inspiration, in the form of yarn and fiber, to keep us happily engaged for many months to come!