Sister's Play Day

We got so much accomplished in a very short time. We cut, ironed and sewed bunches of parts, mostly half square triangles for a proposed 2 for 1 quilt idea, that is barely fleshed out in my mind, but it may happen. See it here when it does.

I had to look up my own tutorial on Half Square Triangles-Fast ( in the sidebar) and my first set I made wrong and had to unpick the stitches. I am way rusty as a piecer.

We will both be making these at home in the meantime. They may start out looking perfectly square, but I doubt they will end up that way in our finished tops.

Lots of fabrics to work through and not a very clear idea of what we'll need until more of the blocks are made.
We also figured out what we are going to make for our First Family Thankgiving Dinner Together. All caps, you'll notice. We come from a not very close family and are trying to remedy that, even if it only half of us that will attend.

The menu? We decided not to do a big turkey because we are cooking in Brooke's apartment kitchen this year, so we came up with this brainstorm: Turkey Lasagna.

It's not what you think.

WE don't have a recipe but are not letting that stop us. We think: Turkey Cutlets layered with dressing, layered with more cutlets, and dressing and baked. What do you think? Sounds easy and quick and make ahead, kinda.

And after we had lunch on the patio (72 degrees in November!) I had Brooke show me some crochet stuff that I needed to learn.

Picot edging for my knits, and using crochet to start a knit hat. Isn't that cute, so far? The hole lets out the steam, methinks.
I learned to crochet from our dad who learned how to in the TB sanatorium after WWII, imagine that. He taught me all the stuff but not the names of things, so I have not been able to follow a pattern because I didn't know what anything was called. Brooke does and will be giving me a book explaining all. She crochets, doesn't like knitting. O well. To each her own.

Pssst! There's a giveaway on Candy's new website here.

Simon Cowl

A knit so nice I made it twice!

Well, I had all the leftovers which I loved from the last Baktus Scarf, so my new piece is just a smaller version of the previous. It is knit flat and joined into the cowl with a three needle bind-off, made simple with a crochet cast-on that unzips, exposing live stitches.

I am getting better at mirror photography.

In case it ever gets really cold, or I have to rob a bank, I have just the accessory.

And of course it can be worn as a turtleneck too. I wanted the vertical striping and also wanted it to flare out at the bottom, so I added short rows every 5-7 ridges. (this will be explained in the pattern, later).

You may be able to see the short rows in this picture. Essentially one knits part way down the row and turns the work (wrapping the last stitch) and then knits back to the start, turn and knit that row back, picking up the wrapped stitch. I have pictures in the pattern here.

Today I will be playing with fabric in the studio with my sister Brooke. Or at least that's the plan. So I had to get this finished and put away the yarn (again) and change my thinking to fabric...whaddya bet we see these same colors in the work today?

Anne Lullie comes to visit

It's as if I only have famous people visit me. Anne was teaching at a quilt guild in Crossville TN so she and her husband Joe took a few days to drive around our state and see how beautiful it is. Then they stopped here for a short visit. Anne is showing me her hand dyed jacket, which is adorable, if you ask me.

She brought some of her newer pieces to show me, and I am apologetic for the bad fotos. Go to her website to see them in all their glory.

They were here for such a short time, but we managed to get caught up, have lunch and then it was all over. Good fun.

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Meanwhile back at the ranch...Sometime ago I joined a knitting group at the late great Stone Light quilt shop in Soddy Daisy. I missed a few meetings because of my knee problems and then the shop closed and the knitting group went with it. Pooh! Just when I am ready to get back to the group. So I asked around and found out that there is another group that meets at Niedlov's Breadworks in Chattanooga on Saturdays. They have a cafe and yummy wonderful bread-y things and I am bound to attend next week.

Now here's the thing. This bread bakery is across the street from the shop where my sister Brooke works. I had read about them in Southern Living Magazine and visited it when we went to see her workplace and now it turns out to be the place to knit. Could this be where I meet my new friends to fill that social gap-a-tosis I am having? We'll see.

I'll be wearing my new Baktus Scarf.

Now that's the colorway for me.

I especially like the way the alternate yarns are carried along the edge. It makes for a neat finish.

This was gonna be my last knit for a while, as I have put away my yarn. But then I had another idea I have to get out of my system before I really focus on other things. Isn't that just the way these things go?

I changed my mind

Compare these two pictures. What was I thinking with that brown???

The top picture is much more in keeping with EVERYTHING I do, wear, quilt, paint etc.

I frogged the brown/multi scarf start, and dug in my stash for leftovers and found lots of brights to play off my hand dyed yarn.

This is more like it. Although I have a ton of pink yarn, none of it is sock weight, so I may have to augment my selections by dyeing some small batch of pink/red. 30 minutes + drying time is all it takes.

And this morning I located this nice IKEA container to carry it all around with me. Just right.

Again I am knitting the Baktus scarf. (#3, if and when it is finished) It turns out to be just the right weight for wearing around my neck around the house. Sock (yarn) for my neck. And it is so mindless to knit, which is why I am using so many yarns; to make it interesting.

Dyeing Wool Yarn in 30 Minutes or Less

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Dyes: Jacquard Acid Dyes, Easter Egg Dye Tablets, Kool-Aid or Food Coloring,

White household vinegar

Yarn: Wool or other protein fibers (including a nylon mix) I used Sheila's Sock Yarn from Yarn2dye4.com here.

Equipment: Microwave, plastic spoons, rubber gloves, trash bag, dye containers, microwaveable container to hold yarn, plastic dishpan, paper towels, old bath towel.

Pre-soak yarn in vinegar/water solution. 1 cup vinegar, 3 cups lukewarm water, in dishpan.

Cut a trash bag open and place it lengthwise on work surface.

Mix dyes with water. Powdered dyes are very intense, so begin with 1/4 cup water and just a speck of dye powder. Test color by dipping a paper towel in mixture.

Retrieve yarn from vinegar mix and squeeze out excess moisture, then wrap it in a towel and squeeze again. Yarn should be thoroughly damp. Place yarn on plastic trash bag.

Apply dyes with plastic spoon and press liquid through yarn. Some dyes are faster acting than others and will instantly dye, while others will be more moveable/blendable on the yarn. The picture above shows how the red in the orange mix instantly took, while the yellow in the orange mix seeped out.

Continue to apply dyes, and then roll the yarn over to make certain that all parts are dyed.

Hint: use the plastic bag as a lift to roll the dyed yarn to the reverse side.

When application is finished, use paper towels to blot up excess dye liquid. Fold ends of trash bag over the yarn...

...and make a package with the bag around the yarn.

Place yarn package in microwaveable container. I used a cake carrier lid from last Christmas. A turntable microwave is preferred.

Microwave yarn on high heat for one minute. Let rest for one minute. Repeat three times.

This is a good time to do two-minute chores around the house.

Make the bed. Empty the dryer. Toss out last week's leftovers. Scour your kitchen sink, etc.

CAREFULLY remove very hot yarn from microwave and place it in clean sink. Unwrap CAREFULLY.

You will note that the excess water is totally clear and all the dyes are in the yarn. Amazing.
Let yarn cool down before rinsing to avoid felting. I am using superwash yarn which does not felt. I have learned my lesson.

Add water to sink which is the same temp as the warm yarn and allow it to soak. Notice there is no dye run off. Some dyes are going to bleed, but rinsing and washing will remove that excess dye. Add shampoo to water and swish. This will remove the vinegar smell and add suppleness to the yarn. If you like, add a little hair conditioner for a really soft and smooth feel, or save that for the finished product, after knitting or crocheting.

Speaking of finished products... Here is the finished skein.

Made into a yarn cake.

And used in conjunction with some other dull brownish sock yarn, for the start of my new fave accessory, the Baktus Scarf.

Questions? Email Me

Transitioning

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Doesn't the sewing machine look sad?

Change can sometime arrive internally and other times it is instigated by events. I am expecting a visit today or tomorrow from quilt artist Anne Lullie and her husband, and at the same time my sister Brooke was going to spend the day in the studio with me. This meant a bit of housecleaning. A bit is an exaggeration. Since I have been sitting on my derriere, just knitting, for a couple of weeks, the house has gone to the cats. I'd say dogs, but it is the cat fur that has gotten out of hand. So I knew I had to vacuum, and that led to other stuff, and soon I had spent the whole day cleaning the house...except for the studio. THE MOST IMPORTANT ROOM.

So at 4:15am this morning I made a pot of tea and got back to work.

The feng shui of this room is difficult to get right. Three doors. But against all that is feng, I turned my table so that it faces West and the TV, stereo and the other two doors, and that puts my back facing the back door. May this produce auspicious results.

Now I have a clear path to walk and a good view of the art I need to be quilting.

Part of what has stimied me about quilting that new work is that I was unhappy about the room arrangement. Duh. So easy to change.

Good view, eh? And so close to the spa.

The fabric table is ready for making decisions...gosh isn't there anymore fabric to chose from?

Nothing like having a cleared off work surface. Keiko Goke's new book is calling out to me. And I continue to be obsessed with the new work on Robin Ferrier's blog.

I must MAKE SOMETHING IN FABRIC.

But first...the laundry.

Warm Bonnet for A Big Girl

Over the weekend I fell in love with this hat designed by the Great Elizabeth Zimmerman. I didn't have the pattern but that didn't stop me from trying to figure it out and make one my size.

Now I know I am no baby, but this is precisely the kind of hat that will keep my head warm since I insist on getting a very short haircut everytime I visit the salon.

The original bonnet has a very cute bull's eye in the back and I decided that would not be a good look on my head, so I fashioned a long mitered rectangle instead.

O you laugh! But you try and take pictures of your head from the back. It took me 34 tries to get these few in focus.

My husband calls this a beat-up hat. Which means that if I wore it to school the kids would beat me up. But then I don't go to school, so I have nothing to fear.

I love anything mitered (no surprise) so this was right up my alley. I used short rows on the neck ribbing to make it slightly longer in back.

The back miter is picked up from the edge of the finished front part, which by the way are two mitered squares of 41 sts, with 20 stitches between the left and the right mitered squares.

102 sts cast on in bulky yarn and size 8 needles. The back miter part is around 60 sts.

The recipe follows, and it is so flexible that you can use whatever works for you.

Recipe for Warm Bonnet for a Big Girl

Since there are so many choices of yarn, needles, and gauge, I thought it would be easiest if you made a garter stitch mitered square swatch to determine the number of stitches to cast on. It is always a good idea to slip the first stitch of every row, to make it easier to pick up stitches later, and to provide a neat edge.

The top of the hat is a rectangle consisting of two miters and the space between. To make it simple, count the number of stitches on ONE side of your miter as x.

So your mitered square is x + one center stitch + x. The number of stitches between the two ends (the two miters) is equal to x. That's all the math there is.

The back is accomplished by picking up stitches along the edge of the front band and decreasing at the top ( you decide where) until only one stitch remains. Then the remaining stitches are closed with a three needle bind off. The optional ribbing at the bottom is made by picking up stitches along the edge and knitting to desired length, loosely binding off. Add I-cord ties to the ribbing. Questions? Email me.

The Good, the Bad, and the Tiny

"K "yarn pictured

I was just shopping around online (I must control myself!) and got back to a site I had ordered from in the past. Click. I ordered 2000 yds. of Superwash Merino sock yarn ($43.05 total) on Thursday and it arrived by priority mail on Saturday. This really brightened my rainy day. I am jubilant because this yarn matches the twist and weight of a certain way more expensive yarn (pictured) that we all know and love (starts with a K) and now I have found a source! I will be dyeing this of course. I have all the stuff, acid dyes, vinegar, and a microwave, but I also have some neon food colors with which I plan to play.

And then on the other end of the spectrum of delight...I recently purchased a big divided double skein of hand dyed and hand spun merino and tencel, which was the most expensive yarn I have ever purchased. Don't ask. I couldn't wait to use it and immediately wound it into two cakes, as it was already two skeins...One weighed a few tenths more than the other so I believed I would be fine knitting another Baktus Scarf starting with the smaller cake until it ran out and then joining the larger cake. But I ran out of yarn with the heavier second cake. How can this be? I did mention it is hand spun, which I conclude means that it VARIES in weight and thickness A LOT. Hrummpf.

I have several options, including frogging it back and reknitting it as a smaller version, but essentially I have concluded that it is not going to work as I had hoped. One skein knits up best on a size 8 needle and the other works great on a size four. So I will end up using it in concert with companion yarns, for two different projects. Sigh. I am already feeling better.

And then just for fun I knit a bootie. Aren't they the cutest tiniest little things? Mine is the blue green one, the directions for the orange ones are found here. There are no babies on the horizon here, but should one emerge I have just the item in mind to make him or her. I must try this in big girl's size.

A Big Sigh of Satisfaction

I am done being frustrated and have finally conquered the "easy toe and heel for a toe-up sock".

Ha!

Both toe and heel are accomplished exactly the same way, without wrapping stitches or yarn overs. Don't ask me how, as I would not be able to explain the process in 10,000 words or less. Let me just say that there are several ways to make a sock heel and/or a sock toe and this one turns out to be pretty good for both, now that I have CONQUERED the stupid technique.

There are several online videos which are more confusing than helpful, with fuzzy camera work, or annoying jiggling. Nevertheless I watched them repeatedly until something in my subconscious finally clicked. Then I knit and frogged several attempts and it sunk in. I do believe I could make a sock this way now...Although the proof is in the pudding.

Here's the neat thing. With this toe construction, one uses a crochet provisional cast on and then when the toe is complete the cast on stitches can become live by unraveling the crochet stitches and knitting in the round can begin. One can try on the half made sock as one knits, making sure it fits just right and then the (stinkin') heel can be formed from half the stitches and no gusset or turning is necessary.

One could even make both toes and heels separately and graft them onto an open knitted tube...if one was a show-off.

Now that I have conquered this feat I am having a stiff drink. It's cocktail time after all.

Just A Little Online Shopping

I don't have to tell you that when you find a pair of shoes that make your feet feel heavenly that you should buy a second pair. What if the style turns out to be discontinued? That was just the case with the Easy Spirit shoes that both my sister and I bought recently. (That would be just so like us). We seemed to have gotten the last two pairs. My little toes haven't been so happy since Reebok discontinued their old purple hightops.

But I wanted to see if I could find my new fave online and lo and behold I found a pair on Ebay. Cringe. Buying shoes online? I gulped but hit enter. A few days later I won and that made me feel lucky (DANGER!!). Are there anymore that are available? Yes! and I just found out I won those too. Both are priced less than the ones we bought in town, especially since we pay such high sales tax.

Flushed with success, I continued to shop. What else do I need? ...yarn? No. Not. Yarn.

I swear I couldn't pass up this bargain. Julia's Yarn Shop on Ebay was having a remarkable auction on wool that would easily pass for Noro, only smoother, more like Poems. And the price? Ridiculous. $2 per skein. Eeek. Must hit enter. It came yesterday and now I wish I had bought more bags. Just luscious.

But my best, and of course I saved it for last, is the Brita water filter. Our water is a tad hard and when I brew tea I get a difficult to describe residue on the surface. We had the same thing in IL when our water softener needed recharging. So I have been buying gallons of distilled water for my tea and altho it isn't expensive, I felt bad about all those plastic jugs...
But would the Brita do the trick? Answer: You betcha!

And it has an idiot button to remind me when to change the filter. Sigh. OK, the bargain story. I usually look at Wal-mart.com for stuff like this, because I can save on shipping and pick it up at the local store when I grocery shop. They don't sell these in the store itself. But this time there was no offer for store pick-up. Hmm. Shipping+sales tax brought this item from $35 to $50. I figured I could do better. A quick search took me to Drugstore.com and I got it for $35, free shipping and no tax. Lovely.

Remember when we were all afraid to buy anything online? Now that Paypal makes me feel safer, I am a real fingers-do-the-walking kind of shopper.

That Baktus Scarf

I have been spending a lot of time on the Ravelry site, drooling over projects made by people all over the world. This scarf has over 1800 entries. It is a simple knit, suitable for beginners and just so versatile. The yarn makes it, but there are several knitters who have added their one variations, making it even more intriguing.



You gotta love the model.
I have already made two and am working on a third, in a modified design...

Here's the thing about knitting. There are simple and difficult techniques and there are always several ways to attain the same result. No one can tell you it is wrong if it turns out looking OK.

The challenges are just enough to tantalize the puzzle solver in us. For example. I was cleaning out a box of yarn and found a sock and a half, just waiting to be finished. The pair was knit from the toe up, which I was learning a couple of years ago from videos and patterns online. I did a good job on the first sock and the second was waiting for the heel. Hmm. What pattern was that I made the first sock with? Couldn't find it, didn't save it, was at a loss. So I tried doing it again from the video I did find, and it didn't look good to me, and didn't match the first sock. Grrr.

Last night I decided to just take some other yarn and make up heels until I felt I had figured it out my way. I tried four times and frogged all of the tries. Not good. Now I am really determined to find out what I did the first time. It has become my mission.
When I finally get it right I will dance around and blog the thing, which only really matters to me. And probably I won't be making toe up socks any more anyway, as I prefer top down ones and have 35 pair already. This gets seriously nutty. Am I right?

The thing about knitting is that it is something you can do anywhere. In social moments and anti-social moments. And it is not wasting time, because you have a project that is probably functional in some way. ( I can't imagine why anyone would want a knitted dishrag, and they have become so popular, go figure.) And right now I don't feel like getting up and doing anything.
So I am knitting.
In a few days I will have noticed that I have a pile of new stuff and it has to be put away with the other knits, some of which are stored in our garage. So for me, maybe it isn't the finished product, so much as it is the process. And having a reason to be just sitting by the fire, with my feet up and my hands occupied with gorgeous yarn.

Autumn Reds

The leaves are flying these days and I am collecting them pictorially.

I especially love the ones with more than one color. Even if they are broken, holey, or eaten, I still want them.

Here's a painting from last fall. Foursome
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas
12x12x1"

A volunteer nasturtium from my garden. It looks huge here, but is normal sized. Really.

The ride into town is so glorious as we go down the mountain. We are so lucky to have this view.

Chancellor's Collar

I wanted to make a neckwarmer to go with my Beret Pour Vous? And I still had lots of scraps of Koigu leftover from many other projects, but not enough orange to make that the main color, so I substituted purple. It still works.

I imagined that the squares would drape the shoulders sort of like the Lord Chancellor's neckpiece. So I named it after that. But I could have referenced Nefertiti's collar just as easily, but I just can't see her wearing a wool neckwarmer.

Here's the pattern, written as though you already know about mitered squares...

click to enlarge

Chancellor's Collar
Koigu KPPM, less than one skein main color, and lots of scraps of multicolors.
Needles size 3 circular or dpns
Ribbing: Cast on 96 sts and rib in the round K1P1 for ten rows or 1.5”
Knit in Stockinette for 5 rows, increasing on last round: 1 st every 12 stitches=104 sts

Mitered Square (25 sts): With contrasting yarn: Cast on 13 stitches and knit 12 from needle=25 sts, to form the first mitered square. Knit every row, slipping first stitch of every row and on the right side make center decreases (K2 tog, Sl 1, Psso) over the three center stitches, ending square with one stitch.
90º Triangle (13sts): With one stitch on needle pick up 12 stitches from previous square, (13 sts) Knit every row, slipping first stitch of every row and make decreases each right side row by knitting to last three stitches then K2 tog K1.

Make eight Mitered Squares alternating with eight 90º Triangles. Join by seaming or three needle bind off or whatever method you like.
Change to main color and pick up stitches along bottom edge of miters and triangles, 192 sts.
Round 1: K
Round 2:K and make 1 after every 12 sts (208 sts)
Round 3 K
Round 4 K and make 1 after every 13 sts. (224 sts)
Round 5 K
Change to multicolor and cast on 6 sts, pick up and knit one stitch from between stitches on previous row, K6 from needle. 13sts forms the mitered square. Make a total of 40 mitered squares and join as above.
Change to main color, and pick up and knit 240 stitches along bottom edge of small squares. K five rounds and begin ribbing. Rib for 8 rounds. Bind off loosely.

This would work great with any combination of sock weight yarns.

Surprise Delivery from Japan

Imagine my delight at receiving this book unannounced from Keiko Goke!

It appears to be a retrospective of her career, since there are many familiar works included, plus lots of new ones too. And there are illustrated directions for making just about everything she has pictured.

She is using lots of hand dyed fabrics of course, which is partly what makes her work distinctive.

Not to mention the intense hand embroidery over the surface...amazing!

I love how she takes a simple design and by making it larger than tradition dictates, achieves such impact. Having seen these quilts in person when we taught there, I know this is about 6 feet square.

Even though the directions are in Japanese, you get the idea...

If this doesn't get my juices flowing, I don't know what will. Yummy, just yummy.

I am sorry that I have no information on where to purchase this book, or how long before it becomes available here in the US. I imagine someone will soon tell us all...hopefully. It would make a great holiday present.

Update: Keiko emailed me that her book will be available on Amazon in November, and probably at your LQS. Woowoo! And she has a fabric line which you can also see on her homepage, http://www.keikogoke.com/k_top.html