This would be even cuter if I were a tiny emo bassist. ^_~

A little over a month ago I finished this lovely vest for a friend and co-worker of mine, Jason, the bassist from a local “surf/zouk/German pop” band. Visit their myspace page for some audio samples, gig dates, and more information about the band. I was originally going to make the vest out of a more “boy-friendly” machine washable yarn called Revolution from Bocilline.

However, Jason picked out this yarn and this colour himself. I have to say, he’s got great taste. It’s Mulberry Merino from Plymouth. You may remember this yarn from my forever ago post about the Side Slip Cloche from Irwin’s Boutique Knits. Again, it’s a great yarn to work with and I just love knitting it, which is really important when you’re knitting St. st in the round FOREVER.

Jason gave me a vest that he already owned and liked the fit of very much. I used it to improvise this simple design. On the left breast I did a little bit of colour work to personalize the garment with Rabbit Rabbit’s band logo.

Close up on band name monogram

The Pink Pullover

I’m off to Stitches West tomorrow morning, but before I’m away from my base of operations for a week I wanted to share my newest piece, “The Pink Pullover.” I know exactly what you’re thinking; “That coat is chartreuse.” Okay, perhaps you thought green, never-the-less, this piece was given it’s name because of it’s inspiration.

A “pink”, is eighteenth century slang for a traditional red hunting coat. It’s derived from the name of eighteen century London’s most popular field-wear tailor, Thomas Pink. When I first set out to make this sweater I was intending to make a fairly close rendition of a traditional hunting coat with added texture. That being said, free form knitting took the best of me and this piece began to design itself.

Back view of cables and textured yoke.

The yarns are two recently discontinued colours of JoSharp Silkroad Aran, which showed the stitches and cables exactly as I wanted them. I couldn’t be more pleased with the yoke, which simply happened by accident. The layout of the cables were done free form as I knitted and are loosely based on a cardigan by Melissa Morgan-Oakes called, “The Radiance Cabled Jacket.” I liked the way the cables down the back of that cardigan flattered the figure by making an hourglass shape. I tried to do the same in this design by making the distance of the cables across the back like that most desired female shape: heavier at the top, cinching in, and almost as wide again at the bottom.

Crocheted front with key-hole neckline.

It took me quite a while to figure out what to do with this neckline. I knew that I had wanted to add in the slate blue here; It was the sight of these two colours together in the warehouse that initially inspired me to dream up this coat, but I had no idea where to add it in. So I cracked open my copy of Barbara Walker’s Knitting from the Top Down and found an image of a key-hole neckline. I chose crochet because of it’s three dimensional nature, which I thought would make it easier to sculpt the neckline. In fact, I crocheted the neckline on the garment while it was still on my dressmaker’s dummy. It was quite the sight. Me, crochet hook in hand, straddling a dress form and crocheting madly into the night. The drops on the right breast are also crocheted on, again for the three dimensional quality. I didn’t want them to be simply on top of the knitting, but rather above it to juxtapose the inward (purled) cables on the back of the garment.

Cuffs

And in a final homage to it’s inspiration I added a welted (lord I love welting) and split cuff with tiny silver bird buttons.

Promo for my upcoming film, "Go Ask Alex.

This weekend I wrapped on principle photography for my latest project, “Go Ask Alex”.” In fact, the whole product wrapped on principle photography this week! I had a lot of fun working on this project and even made a new friend with my costar, Emily O’Neill, whom I have so much in common with it verges on magnificent and eerie at the same time. The film is a modern adaptation on the Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Emily and I play versions of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, respectively. However, the screenwriter was kind enough to name my character Dinah, and Emily’s Dee. I’m not going to ruin anything else about it with spoilers. Needless to say it’s a very funny script and I cannot wait drag everyone I know to the premiere. ^_~

Fxa's finished Koolhass hat

Let’s talk about variegated yarn! I never really thought I’d say that, mostly because I’m not a sock knitter. Perhaps I could be talking into doing something like Cookie A German Stocking, but only because you can wear a skirt and show off your knee-highs without looking crazy/absurd. I’m sorry, but open toed sandals and sock are just never acceptable, and I’m not even doing to address the see-through clog phenomenon. I digress.

Lately in the store we’ve received two variegated yarns that I have fallen in love with. The first is pictured above. It’s Classy from Dream in Colour. ( 100% Merino Wool; 4.5 sts/inch (US 7-8); 250 yards / 4 oz: “Machine Wash Delicate” ) I gave the project to Fxa at the store. We had both knit the pattern last Christmas out of some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a discontinued colour, so I immediately thought of her when giving out the piece. In fact I gave it to her on a Saturday, and then that Monday she had the hat for me. I swear Fxa’s knitting speed rivals most and keeps me pushing to knit faster every day!  ^_^ The pattern is by Jared Flood and is available for purchase online from Knitting Daily, since the issue of Interweave Knits that it was originally published in is now out of print. Normally I wouldn’t assign a variegated yarn from a heavily cabled pattern, but the DiC Classy has such a subtle change in colour, resulting in small hints of different hues that it really takes well to a textured knit. Since it’s a nice worsted weight machine washable I’d love to see it used in place of Debbie Bliss’s Cashmerino Aran on a nice cabled sweater or children’s jumper.

CC (left) starts at mauve; MC (right) starts at eggplant

I don’t have a finished picture as of yet for the other yarn we just got in, but it should be all finished soon. I also apologize for how blurry this photo above is. It’s of Schoppel-Wolle Yarns’ Zauberball ( 75% virgin wool/ 25 % nylon; 7-8 sts/inch (US 2-3); 420m/100g : “Machine Washable” ). I just love saying the name of this yarn. As you can see below I seperated the yarn into two balls. I used a kitchen scale and stopped winding the first ball halfway through. I noticed at the halfway point the yarn was at the opposite point in the colour reptition it was at at the beginning of the ball. Which is to say that if you wanted to socks with the same colour transitions you would have to either pull from the outside of the second ball, or rewind it again to start both socks at the same point in the colourway. However, what I had in mind for this yarn works perfectly with this property of the yarn. I’m making the transition gloves from Shi Bui Patterns. Instead of using two completely different solid colours like they did in the original pattern I’m going to use a technique I’ve heard people in the shop refer to as “the Noro technique.” Basically it means using one colourway of a variegated yarn in a pattern that requires colour stranding. Where the pattern would normally call for a different colourway of the yarn you simply use the same colourway but at a different point in the colour transition. This way your work transitions in the colourwork pattern like a nice Kauni sweater. I’m really curious to see what will result with this technique and this pattern, since the pattern is designed to make solid coloured yarn look like transitioning yarn, what will happen with transitioning yarn in a transitioning pattern! Madness I say, madness. Perhaps oscillation? Only time will tell.

Last night I finally finished the lace dress that I started knitting in June of last year. Somewhere around August I had finished the skirt and wandered away into a different project before finishing the rest of the bodice. I blame this mostly in part on the fact that the smallest size for the pattern was for a bust of 36 inches. I’m not saying that’s large, if anything medium, but you’re VOGUE knitting magazine, you should size down to a 32! So, needless to say, I had to size down the pattern (by cutting out repetitions of the lace), and this constant game of mathematics kept me from finishing for far to long. In fact, I took away my internet privileges for the last two days until the dress was completed. What can I say? Facebook sucks away hours of my life.

The yarn is Louet Gems fingering in the ginger, and it took only five skeins (925 yds) to make it in a smaller size, which is almost half the yardage needed for their “small” (1,644 yds). I really love this yarn. It was very easy to knit with; it was very smooth since it is after all a superwash “sock yarn” (ha ha, as if I would ever put this in the washing machine), which slid nicely through my left hand making for quick knitting and on project like this quickness is necessary. You have knit fast enough to beat your knitter’s ADD- the desire to move onto a quicker, instant gratification, project. Sometimes called a “tv project.” Also, the colour is just everything I wanted and more. I actually feel in love with this yarn when it first arrive in the shop because of the ginger colour. When Vogue came out with their summer lace editorial it was just serendipity.

Along the back runs fifteen faux diamond buttons. I adore the look of these, normally gaudy, buttons. Somehow they just seem to fit this fanciful dress, however, they don’t hold the picot edging well enough. I’m going to go back and install a small bit of grosgrain ribbon onto the inside of the left placket, onto which I’ll put fifteen snap closures. These will hold the dress shut, while the buttons remain doing their beautiful superficial thing. It’s not that the dress is too tight, it’s more that the amount of negative ease in the garment makes it necessary for the buttons to be much larger than the picot edging. They recommended a 3/8″ button, and were probably right in doing so. I made the impulse to use these instead because of their charm.

Melancholy Lashes

This is my new favourite piece of jewelry. It’s title “Melancholy Lashes” and it’s the creation of the fantastic minds at Untamed Menagerie:

Untamed Menagerie is a collection of the combined works of Penny and Nikki (mother and daughter). We are inspired by nature, vintage illustrations, and anatomy. We strive to create whimsical accessories that will bring a smile to your face.

Normally a necklace of this size would hang terribly, since it would have to weigh near a ton. However, their handmade silhouettes are cut out of light-weight and eye-catching acrylic, allowing pieces of this magnitude to seemingly float on the neckline. And an absolute must of a kudos for the asymmetrical drape; it creates a wonderful diagonal, forcing the eye to travel from top to bottom across the wearer’s chest, adding a nice dichotomy to all the curly fine lines of the silhouette.

It also doesn’t hurt that they’re a wonderful company with great customer service. The item shipped very quickly and I received confirmation emails promptly throughout the experience. So far I’ve given out their shop name to more people than I can recall, and very quickly given out the business cards they sent. It won’t be long before all the ladies in the office will be sporting their Untamed Menagerie jewelry. I think Jess has already ordered the very sweet Breakfast at Tiffany’s earrings. She was ogling them last week and they just recently sold. I hope to see them in person soon! As for me, my next love is a toss up:

Close up on knotted detail

It’s finally finished! Although it was a pleasure to knit, I’m happy to be done with my hemp cloche. The main part of the hat is made from Lana Knits Designs Hemp for Knitting 100% Hemp DK in cinnamon. This was my first time knitting with hemp or any of the cellulose/bast fibers really, and here are some of the things I learned:

Hemp snags on itself while your knitting! It’ll take some time, and some diligence on your own part, to maintain an even gauge, especially in linen stitch (the crown is entirely this stitch).

Hemp is machine washable dryable! Not that I would ever put this in the washing machine, I still found that fact interesting; and the more you wash it the softer it becomes (much like linen). It doesn’t fade or pill. It’s also good to note that hemp does not shrink or stretch, which makes it nice for this form fitting hat, but means that you have to get the sizing spot on!

One acre of hemp can make 1,000 gallons of methanol.

Hemp need no pesticides or herbicides because it is unpalatable to insects and grows too quickly for any weed to compete. By contrast, cotton uses more pesticides than any other commercial crop. Over half of all agricultural chemicals in North America are used in cotton growing; in other words: half of the chemical runoff into rivers and lakes in America comes from cotton growing.

All in all I enjoyed using the hemp yarn and would definitely use it again the future. It has a very soft feel to it and the colour is fantastic.

I also learned another bit of cool information about the yarn I used as the lace insert for the back.

This on the left is Rowan Spray, CO 42sts on US 5 and simply knit in st st. I was simply trying to get a square bit of this to insert into the hat.

CO 42 stitches on US 5

I wasn’t really thinking about what pattern would arise because Rowan Kidsilk Spray usually just makes a mirage of colour, hence “spray.” I chose 42, well, if you don’t know why I chose 42 then it’s not worth going into.

<– AND LOOK. Argyle? Qu’est-ce que c’est!? This will come into play in another future design of mine for sure. ^_^

On to the knotted detail. Don’t be alarmed, it does appear as though the stitches in the knot/cable are going in all directions. That’s cause they are. This isn’t a cable at all! I knitted two separate pieces of i-cord, tied them into a reef knot and then grafted them onto the hat. This, along with the half inch wide ribbon I wove around the hat, acts like a belt to taper in and hold the bell shape necessary for this hat’s nomenclature.

Mon Cloche

And here’s a quick tack on the for the end of this post. As I mentioned in the entry prior to this, I recently took a spinning class with my mother and made some handspun yarn. Well, since I haven’t gotten my wheel yet, I’ve had to “relive the joy” (I like to think of it more like “smoke the reisen”) of my prior labours by creating an item out of my handspun. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough of either the white or grey/orange to make anything out of alone, so I combined their efforts along with the aran cable section of my “Mon Tricot.” ( Saying that often makes me feel like I’m saying, “Hey, let’s all go eat at the La Trattoria.” >_< )

Top

Bottom (Note the seed patch in the palm to create needed grip for beer and door knobs, you know the everyday uses. )

Seeing as I work retail it’s not all too surprising that December seems to have been a total bust as far as my frequency of updates. Let’s just go with: I’ve been very busy.

Some highlights from the last month include:

MITTENS:

My friend, Stephen, who works with me, found just one convertible mitten/fingerless glove in the snow on his way to work. It was, despite being soggy and worn, a very cute mitten made to look like a rooster. Well Stephen asked me if I could make the pair to this right handed mitten, which he felt should be a snake.

And here he is.

It’s always rewarding to make something for someone who really appreciates the effort put into handmade objects. In fact I’m not lying when I say I much prefer to give something I’ve made than to receive anything. I guess I’m weird like that. Needless to say, Stephen really appreciated the mitten and even wrote me this lovely letter to say so. (Chanticleer is the name of the rooster mitten. He’s asked me to name the snake mitten and I think Adder works well. A Punch and Judy type combo.)

“While we will see Chanticleer, the boastful cock, strutting amongst the young clucks this winter throughout, inundating with his many exploits the ears of whomever he can corner; crowing with what gust he can muster for another chance at catching the sun sneak upon us, and thus every morning so near to voiceless as to rest until noon needing throat lozenges; preening with poetic care his majestic plumes sighting one’s appearance as of utmost importance if one is to preside on others’ behalf for it is not in diplomacy alone that ceremony becomes a full and pregnant gesture: there is chance for blissful respite thanks to you. Your vigorous ingenuity and attention to balance within the archetypal spectrum has laid foundation to a force equal and opposing: our ever-so-willing antagonist. Could it be his tongue doubles as villain-moustache by coincidence? No, no! This is Holy Design. It cannot be reduced to whim, as well, the countless devices set against these our inextricable cast: it is simple eggonomics.”

Chanticleer and Adder together at last.

SOAP:

I always feel bad giving out Holiday cards. It’s such a waste of paper. So instead I made a batch of homemade soap and gave those out with little tags that read, “Happy Holidays.” The design for this batch is very reminiscent of the two sided dish sponges. The top layer has caraway seeds embedded into it and is a lavender goat’s milk bar. The caraway seeds not only make for a nice exfoliant, but also have a rejuvenating effect on skin and are known for their acne fighting properies! The layer under than is a smooth ginger honey almond moisturizing olive oil bar, which I pressed a lovely little Aspen leaf into as a finishing touch. I kept a bar for myself to try and I have to say, not to toot my own horn, but I really like this combo. Both sides have a subtle clean smell that doesn’t over power or stay with you all day. The caraway seeds do get loose and stick to the bath tub, but they really work well at exfoliating my legs (no more ingrown hairs! )

I’m putting some up for sale in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested, just a couple of bars left.

Caraway Lavender Goat's Milk & Ginger Honey Almond Olive Oil Combo $4/bar

Caraway Seed Lavendar side

The Annabelle Wrap

Named after the alpaca whose yarn the protyped was knit out of, the above is my latest design. This simple headwrap/ear-muff uses only knitting, purling, increasing and decreasing to create the inverted vertical Vs. Now say that five times fast. I kid you not when I say that from start to finish this project takes about 3 hours of TV style knitting: Knitting where only a portion of you attention is on the actual task of knitting and the remaining bit is watching a film, tv show, performance, lecture, etc… Not the type of events that you’d bring your lace projects too. It’s hard to move highlighter tape in the dark.

The strap makes use of Tunsian crochet 101, and the pattern suggests alternatives to purchasing a crochet hook specific to Tunsian crochet. My decision to use this style was mainly that I didn’t want it to be round as with i-cord (and who really wants to knit i-cord?), and I thought single crochet was a bit boring. I wish more knitters crocheted, and I’m always encouraging them to do so. There are so many different effects that can be achieved on a knitted garment with crochet, which is why many of my patterns feature a crochet stitch in the finishing.

Finish it all up with a lovely ceramic 1″ button and voila! You now have a lovely light-weight little head-wrap to keep your hears unbelievably warm, and your head free of winter weather wear weight.

…

I may have a problem with alliterations.
Before I digress further, the yarn the hat was knit out of was “Summer Brook Valley Farm Alpacas” -’Annabelle’ (100% Baby Alpaca - 2oz 182 yds Sport Weight 2 ply) Thanks again Len and Bobbie!

I’ve titled this post, “Back from the dead” because it’s been hellish trying to get internet in my apartment. However, without going into the sorted details, I now have internets and am feeling alive, regenerated again: a part of the living organism…. Okay, I may have been going through some serious internet withdrawal, but I haven’t had it since I moved into my new apartment on December first.

Needless to say, there will now be more consistent posting again!
I’m gonna end with this ridiculous photo of BuBu doing what I think is the cat equivalent to having one hand down your pants, and the other hand holding a beer, while you sit on the couch:

Side Slip Cloche from Boutique Knits

This is my new hat that I just whipped up to go with my fantastic new Kimchi & Blue coat from Urban Outfitters.

Only two skeins of Plymouth Mulberry Merino in colour # 2060 (Monroe Red) makes this a very affordable and chic hat. ($8 a skein at Webs.) It was a very simple and easy to follow pattern: knit the band, sew it together, pick up the stitches around the band and knit around. I cast-on on Friday night, and was done Monday afternoon, working on it only at night.

The pattern is the Side Slip Cloche from Boutique Knits by Laura Irwin. It was originally knit in RYC Soft Lux, which created a dense woven like fabric, as described in the book. However, the sad sandy taupe they decided to use did nothing for a hat with this much character. Sure there’s tiny lurex threads in Soft Lux, but for the cover of a book nothing creates drama like a red the colour of 1940s lipstick.

I got a ton of compliments about it in the store, and even sold a couple of copies of the book and several skeins of the yarn, all in red. lol ^ _ ^

My mom, pattieanne, helped out a lady from the shop, missmartha, by decoding the pattern for a beret she had gotten at a church bazaar. Well, she got it up on ravelry today All this has inspired her to get the patterns she’s written over the years out an available on ravelry!!

I can’t wait to see them all. Here is the Chunky Donegal Tweed Beret, with her favourite Web’s model posing in it. *sorry Cirilia You can get a copy of this pattern free via download or free any time at Webs. Just ask for ‘Pattie Anne’s Chunky Beret.’ We’ll have a copy of it in our free patterns drawer.

Click here for more information about this pattern (the Ravelry page)

One Skein Tahki Donegal Tweed Chunky

Size 10.5 US needles. (16 in circulars and DPNS)