Frogs' Eggs Shawl

Tadpoles!

Pollywogs!

Slimy green things!

I haven't blogged here for ages! I've been too busy buying 3000 pounds (= 1.5 tons) of weathered fieldstone for our new patio. Rocks are cheap! The price comes from the haulage. In any case, I think this new shawl (in Elvincraft, of course) will be good for patio sitting, and for hugging to my sore back muscles once I'm done setting stones. Pictures galore to follow...

Faery Orchid Bedjacket

I talk about my Elvincraft yarn a lot in this blog. That's because it's magical! Kate Duncan has fairy helpers in her dyepots on the Isle of Skye, and they help me, too, by inspiring new designs. This is a bedjacket that was knit in one piece from the top down in custom dyed Orchid colors. Top-down is the most fun way to knit. No !@#$%^& seaming! I love to sew, but not when I'm knitting. Weird but true.

Cigarette Card Embroidery

Images to Embroider

Catfood Cardboard

At night now I'm dreaming about embroidery and textiles instead of knitting lace. A sure sign I'm in for a long craze. Now when I see some cool old vintage whatever I think, "I wonder what that would look like embroidered?" Wouldn't the old German Cigarette Cards shown on top be the bomb in stitches? I'm going to try someday, after I finish my current Secret Embroidery Project (hint: paperback covers are involved), which is turning out great. Embroidery goes a lot more quickly than knitting, so I have plenty of time for other crafty pursuits too, such as the Catfood Cardboard Craft Organizers of the last post. Here's how to make one: get yourself some 24 cans boxes of Fancy Feast, any flavor. (My cats prefer Grilled Seafood Feast Variety). Three 7.5 inch x 5 inch pieces of cardboard per box, and you'll need 4 for a 2 folio organizer. For each folio, cut a 13 inch (width) x 17 inch (height) piece of fabric, and for the pocket, a 13 x 10 inch piece. Fold the smaller piece in half so it measures 13 x 5 inches, press and stay stitch it 1/4 inch from edge along sides and bottom of right side of larger fabric piece, then fold this larger piece in half (height-wise), right sides together. Now sew a 5/8 inch seam along bottom. Turn right side out and press: dimensions now 13 x 7.75 inches. Insert two catfood cardboards, then press side edges under and sew together. Then sew your second similar folio to first down center. Add felt and other embellishments before you sew that first seam, and don't stitch into the cardboard, duh. Easy!

Turquoise Love

I love the way yarn inspires design. Love, love, love, love love. I bought this curly mohair bouclé from Elvincraft a few months after I got the fingering weight turquoise Desert Dreams there and knew before the curly even got here what a perfect match they would be. Bouclé is my least favorite yarn to knit with, because I'm always snagging the wrong loop, but this stuff was worth the extra effort, and thankfully, a little goes a long way. (Hint: use turbos, not lace needles on it!) It's still wet in the picture, and so a little limp looking, but it perks up into a full Harlequin ruff when dry. Love.

Full Circular Capelet

Last year, on this very day, which happens to be my dear friend Shana's birthday, I began winding this fabulous Brite Green laceweight yarn from Dyeabolical. Then I started knitting a shawl a few days later. I was new to laceweight, however, and not quite into the rhythm of skinny yarn. But a year, to the day, has passed, and I now love to knit with barely there fiber. My fingers have grown accustomed to its needs. So two days ago I hauled this hibernating beauty out of bed, and finished it off for...my friend Shana's ??th birthday! Life has a circular shape. We're going to the racetrack tonight for her bash, and she's vowed to wear something strappy that will look good with this on top. She's sure to make it look 500x better than I do in my shapeless nightie, anyway!

Up in the Moonclouds

Just finished the third piece of my Summer Moon Shawl Challenge, the Mooncloud Shawl. I just can't think of anything more fun than finishing a new shawl. Because then I get to wear it! Done in the magical Moonbow colorway from Elvincraft. This is what I'll have over my shoulders on my next broomstick ride!

Summer Colors

One of my favorite sources of cool old images is from single playing cards. You can get a whole wad of them for cheap on eBay or in junk stores, and they take up zilch space. Here are three in the summer colors of red, blue, and yellow. The shawl shown is my wip Moonrockets Shawl, using the Garden of Alla chart in the fabulous half-hex shape. It's knit in Elvincraft merino laceweight and Rowan Kidsilk Haze. I wish I had had it done by the 4th, because it's inspired by fireworks in moonlight. But I still have 1,000 years of knitting to go on the bell ruffle, so I probably won't even be finished by Bastille Day. Next year! If I survive a whole year of full time night shifts, that is. The shawl will survive, in any case, because I am very happy with it and plan to store it very carefully away from all moths, of which hundreds flutter in every time I let the cats out!
Update 7.14: Finished by Bastille Day!

Moonlightning Shawl

Here's Part V of the Summer Moon Shawl Challenge: The Moonlightning Shawl. I aim to finish six shawls by the Harvest Moon on October 4th. I've finished one, three are 1/3 done, this one's just 20% there, and I have one yet to cast on. I already have a name and yarn in mind for this last one: The Moondust Shawl in some Elvincraft Wensleydale laceweight that's flying to me from the Isle of Skye right now. Not sure of the stitch pattern yet, but it will be done in 4 60 degree triangular panels. The stitch pattern for this Moonlightning Shawl is Flaming Chevron, adjusted for top-down triangle purposes.

Prairie Moonshine Shawl

This Prairie Moonshine Shawl, part IV of the Summer Moon Shawl Challenge, is made with Elvincraft Wensleydale 4-ply yarn, which is super lightweight and curly, and looks great knit on bigger needles (in this case 5.5mms). I made up the graduated ziggle zag lace by altering Flaming Chevron. Can you see my cat Brother in the outdoor art shot?

No Moon At All Shawl

This summer I'm only going to knit super lightweight shawls with yarn where blue is the predominant color, and the titles of these design masterpieces are all going to feature the word "Moon." So here you see the two currently on my needles — the No Moon At All Shawl featuring Dyeabolical's Laceweight Edition in Midnight Blue, and the multicolored Moonbow Shawl done in Elvincraft's Green Moonbow. This weekend my darling husband and I stayed at the new Moonrise Hotel in the Loop on Saturday. Bridget the chihuhuha came with us, and had a great time hiding her complimentary doggie croissants around the room. One of the best things about the place, from my tunnel-visioned point-of-view, was that it's right across the street from a yarn shop: Knitty Couture. (Guess what I blew my walking around money on? There was the prettiest peacock blue Kidsilk Haze inside. It's going to become a Moon Pie shawl... ) I think I do have a knack for lace shawl designs. The No Moon At All Shawl in particular is one I'm proud of, because it uses the world famous Bunny Ears Decrease to make the rounded moon shape. I'd try to get my designs published somewhere other than ravelry, but that would mean I'd have to offer more than charts with my patterns, and I just don't know if I'm capable of Technical Written Instructions. "Technical Written Instructions" is synonymous with "Mountains of Laundry and Dirty Dishes" to my pain threshold...

Greenleaves

I knit this Greenleaves Shawl for my friend Annie, who has made both sides of the Mississippi a much better place for flora and fauna, through the Great RIvers Land Trust she founded back when. You'll never hear her bragging about how her car runs on French Fry grease, because it doesn't, but she's quietly done more real good than most people who (loudly) tout themselves as "Green." So she gets this. I love the yarn so much, once again from Kate of Elvincraft. I can't seem to knit with anything else these days, though I have some Dyeabolical I love as much waiting patiently in my stash for great things to happen.

Radio 1948

Here's another classy image from my 1948 Wish Catalogue, Wards Midsummer Book. This is a good era for design, clean and bold with cool color combos. Radio was still king. I've just discovered books on tape, and listening to them is like listening to an old radio program, only without the annoying soap commercials. It's fun to knit and hear my favorite Agatha Christie stories. Though I've read each of her books three times at least, hearing them is much different than reading them, so they've become new again. Fun.

I Am A Bunny Ears Genius

I've always known that I'm smart, but I never suspected I was in the genius class until yesterday. Yes, it's true. I invented a new knitting decrease. It’s a single decrease which makes 2 stitches out of 3. I was trying to find a symmetrical way of going from an odd to an even number of stitches as I charted “Corona” (See Barbara Walker #2 ). I crave symmetry, and so my brain responded to that need by giving me one of my best ideas ever: The Bunny Ears Decrease. (The eyelets shown here are for photographic purposes and added 2 rows later.)

Here’s how it’s done over 3 stitches:
Knit 1rst and 2nd stitch together, but leave 2nd stitch on L needle. Reorient the loop of this stitch, then knit 2nd and 3rd stitch together through the back loops. (Which will now actually be the front loop of 2nd stitch.) See? Bunny Ears!

I asked so many boards on ravelry if anyone had heard of this, I was accused of spamming by a stern doily-making Norsewoman. (I just didn't want to take credit if someone else had thought up Bunny Ears first.) But no one had heard of it, and I mean lace knitters who've been decreasing for the last 100 years. So. I may be a genius, but I'm rotten at explaining things. Here's a (Continental-style) video on YouTube djinnj of ravelry "just threw together" to try to help herself understand my garble:

And then, because I'm can't let well enough alone, I started messing around more and came up with the version I like best. Note how the "slipped" middle stitch disappears instead of elongates? I'll use this version more! Version 2: Ssk stitches 1 & 2, reorient 2nd loop onto L needle, then k2tog this 2nd loop & stitch 3. Slipped middle stitch disappears! Simple and beautiful, So why don’t more knitters know about it? (Frothing at the mouth….)



This decrease may well revolutionize the world of knitting pattern stitches. Here's another video about The Bunny Ears Experience from the amazing djinnj of ravelry:

I find it really hard to believe I invented a new technique in the venerable world of knitting. So if anyone else has seen or heard of this, do tell, so my head can deflate a little!

Update: Okay, my head can get through the door again! There is nothing new under the knitting sun! A raveler pointed me to a link which explains Robert Powell's 3 to 2 decrease. The final outcome looks basically the same as the 2nd version of Bunny Ears though it's somehow bulkier, though I'd need stronger glasses to see why. I suspect it's because he slips the 1rst, not the 2nd, stitch. "Our" way of doing it is faster, once you get the hang of it, if I do say so myself! And why not? It's my freaking egomaniacal blog, ennit?

Sea Drift Shawl

I love to knit lace shawls for a number of reasons, the chief being that you can't buy them. Plus they are so much fun to knit, especially when you make up your own design. (Like I did for this Sea Drift Shawl.) The only sweaters I wear are super-fine gauge cotton ones that would take about ten long boring years to knit in my least favorite fiber to handle. What's the point of knitting a thicker sweater I'll never wear? I love wearing shawls. Shawls can be dressy or granny or whatever you want them to be. Plus, they are always flattering. End rant.

Not Me!

Nope, not me. I'm just sitting out here on the balcony in my bentwood rocker knitting. It's a little chilly yet for the bikini, but a girl likes to look good while she's being crafty. Why don't I like to crochet anymore? These are the questions that keep me up nights. I suppose it must be its lack of rhythm. Knitting really does seem to have the power to shape all one's tangly cares and woes into a smooth swatch of calm. There's just so much great, soothing yarn out there! My current favorite is this Elvincraft Homegrown Yarn from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It smells like a windswept island, the colors are fantastic, and it's spun from the fleece of a rare seaweed eating breed of sheep called Ronaldsay. The yarn has a lovely soft handle and a subtle natural sheen. It makes last year's favorite Noro seem crass! But pretty much I like all yarn except super crunchy ones like acrylic, soy, and cotton. I'm not buying anymore until the power goes out again next winter, and even then I'll have too much to knit with in one lifetime. Yarn is like an idea, and so your stash is like your brain. Crammed full and sometimes a little disorganized. Oh yeah!