|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 26, 2010
A couple weeks ago, Kelley and I talked about the joy, the wonder, the magic of blocking lace (podcast 69), so I thought I’d share my finished lace project and include the dreadful before picture too. This is the Juno Regina pattern by Miriam Felton from knitty.com in the Sterling color of Gloss Lace. Lace blocking wires hard at work. They make blocking lace so easy compared to pinning every inch. Here’s the lace while it was still on the needles. Big difference, huh? < |
Category Archives: Inspiration
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
Sometimes I like to follow charts when I knit lace. But, when there are a lot of changes in the pattern, like what happens with circular shawls, I prefer to use my tried-and-true 3×5 index card system. Marianne Kinzel is a very considerate designer. She provides charts and written instructions. And, the instructions have a space between each round. That makes it easy to copy the pages and cut each set of instructions into a small bit of paper. Then, I tape one round of instructions on its own index card. I used to divide the cards up by sections of the shawl. There is always a logical transition that works out well. I put the card groupings into a zip-lock sandwich bag. That way I can see the instructions through the plastic. When I finish a round, I move the card to the bottom of the pile and knit ... |
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
I’ve come to the realization that drop spindles are becoming my ideal chocolate truffles. No calories and the pleasure lasts MUCH longer! And, there is the challenge of finding the “perfect” spindle truffle. I have discovered some favorites that I will always enjoy but I do like the excitement of finding a new spindle artist. Last week I could not focus on my To Do list so I went off to Etsy and typed in “drop spindle”. Just like heading off to a Godiva Chocolate shop, Moonstruck Chocolates or even Whole Foods for a quick chocolate fix. I clicked on SpinSanity Spindles and knew I had found a new truffle!! Meet Shannon Fukuyama’s Ornate Square Top Whorl Spindle. I had several concerns regarding this spindle but I felt that for the price of only $20.00, I would enjoy it as a bit of art. This spindle ... |
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
My experience with my friend’s Prayer Shawl seems to have started a shawl knitting frenzy. It was such an easy and quick knit that I couldn’t resist using the same Lattice Pattern from The Prayer Shawl Companion to make the long-promised shawl for Xena’s breeder. Lora’s work causes her to travel quite a lot. As a result, her wardrobe is all about black, white and grey. I had already gotten Suri Dream in Stone for her shawl but the balls had been sitting in my closet for months. I’m making very good progress thanks to college football! Would you believe that I’m already thinking of making a Lattice Shawl for myself? I want to try one of the hand-dyed colors of Suri Dream. Ummm, I love Bayou! ... |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 26, 2010
The leaves are turning beautiful colors outside our office, and this week we got to look at beautiful colors inside too! Believe it or not, we just had our yarn color picking meeting for next fall. Yep, we pick colors that early. I can’t give away what exactly we did, but I can tell you that we didn’t discontinue very many colors, and we did add a lot. This photo shows the boards we get from our manufacturers with color samples. So many choices! We mainly choose from these boards, but sometimes they don’t quite have the color we’re going for, and then we choose from a variety of other sources. And here’s a photo of Kelley pondering what colors to add to my favorite yarn line, Palette. Palette is just getting better and better with ... |
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
My apologies! I completely forgot to show you photos of the cardigan with my corrected neckline. I decided to skip the buttonholes and use a stick as a closure. I love this sweater!! < |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 26, 2010
Apples to Apples is my favorite game of all time. For the past three years, my friends have come over to my house to celebrate my birthday by drinking apple cider, eating apple pie, and playing Apples to Apples. This year, I decided to knit a special Apples to Apples hat to wear to my third annual apple party. I found this pattern for the Apple of My Eye baby hat on Ravelry, and I modified it to fit me by casting on 74 stitches instead of 66. I started it last Sunday, knit through a 2 hour roller derby league meeting Sunday night, worked on it at craft night last Tuesday, and I finished it Thursday night, just in time for the party Friday night. Here I am modeling it in my kitchen before the guests arrived. Ignore the lump, that’s from my ponytail underneath! |
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
Oh, the bangle inspiration from Vogue Knitting has taken over!! My bangles were actually more narrow than the ones used in the magazine. So, I choose two simple stitch patterns and cast on enough stitches to fit around the bangle. I knit a piece long enough to fit when stretched out a bit. I didn’t want the fabric to be floppy on the bangle. I used a fishnet pattern for the larger bangle to allow the turqoise of the original surface to show through. I still have a rather narrow bangle to knit with a golden/orange yarn. I will do it during football games this weekend. < |
|
by Knit Picks Staff on May 26, 2010
Lately, Sheldon’s had plenty of opportunities to show off his new sense of style by tagging along with members of our staff when they travel. He’s been to Alaska, California, and even as far as China and Japan! He’s really racking up the frequent flyer miles and making a lot of new friends! I think he’s picked up some germs along the way too. I can sympathize, I always get sick when I travel. Now that he’s back for awhile, we made a slideshow of his trip. See what he’s been up to here. What’s the farthest your Sheldon has traveled? < |
 |
by Kelley on May 26, 2010
As you know, I’ve been knitting baby blankets like crazy in a vain attempt to keep up with new arrivals in the family. My two youngest nieces had their little girls within just a couple of weeks of each other. Seana flew up from San Francisco with Parker last week so she could meet her cousin, Delila. I love this photo of Seana at the airport. And, remember, this was Parker’s Moderne Baby Blanket. Here are the new cousins. On the left is Delila and Parker is on the right. Delila’s blanket is a different version of the Mason Dixon series of blankets designed like quilts. I’m just getting started and I have to say that I enjoy knitting this blanket more than the Modern Baby Blanket. Each block ... |
