Trish Knits.com

Knitting Weekend and Catching Up

September 11, 2011 by Trish 2 Comments

I never quite know how to show a scarf in progress on my blog. For the most part, they’re long and unwieldy, and since I do most of my photos indoors at night, it’s not like I can take them out and hang them from the fence post to shoot them outdoors. So today, I’m enlisting my pal Hedda, my trusty hat model, so you can see the pattern in my scarf. Problem is, doing it this way doesn’t really show how LONG the scarf is, which is of what I am most pleased at the moment. It’s about 4 feet long at this point, which means, dear people, that I am nearly DONE, or at least about four-fifths done, and yes, I’m thinking of other knitterly things.

At least one person has asked me if this scarf is of my own design. Well, yes, and… no. It’s a simple thing, really, in a basic seed stitch with a plaited cable in the center. So, nothing earth-shatteringly new there. But, someday soon I will write it all down for the curious and post in these pages. Perhaps when the thing is finished.

I’ve been away from the blog for a long while. No good reason, really… but I will say that this summer I have been in a kind of a slump. It was just the scarf and me, all summer long, day in and day out… and I thought certainly it would be too boring to hear of this same project over and over, so, instead I’ve been quiet. While knitting this scarf I have been pondering my next one, which is a commitment I’ve made to do a Special Olympics scarf. In the meantime I’ve developed a strong love-hate relationship with knitting scarves at all, so I’m starting to lose hope a bit that the next project will ever get off the ground. What is it with scarves, anyway, and why does something that seems so simple take forever to do?

A couple of other things to catch up on:

A few weeks back I bought some new yarn that I had never heard of before:

This is the Mink and Cashmere Yarn from the Great Northern Yarns company. The fiber content is 70% mink (sheared) and 30% cashmere. It sounded on the surface, like it should feel like the most amazingly luxurious yarn ever made. Well, let’s say that I was somewhat under-impressed for what I was thinking it should feel like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly soft, but I’ve had my hands on a mink coat or two in my lifetime and well? I guess I was expecting it to feel like that. And it doesn’t. Not really… but it did sort of remind me of this silk that I have, at least in the feel of it. I haven’t knit with it yet so I don’t know what it’s like to knit with. But I’m thinking maybe someday DH will get a scarf out of this to go with his dress coat. He can’t stand the feel of wool (“itchy”) so I think this will fill the bill for him, someday.

I have something else to share:

This is my friend Jackie, from knit group. She is a relatively new knitter, and she made THAT hat, from the book, Colorwork Creations: 30+ Patterns to Knit Gorgeous Hats, Mittens and Gloves. I’m very proud of Jackie. She came to us I think less than a year ago, learning to knit her first scarf, and now, she is fearless. She saw this book somewhere and I liked it and got one and loaned it to her, and off she went. Her very first hat looked as if it would fit a giant. If that had happened to me, I might have thrown the book across the room and stomped away in disgust, but not Jackie. She was undaunted, and tried again. I think, but I’m not certain, that this was her third attempt. And it was a huge success! Not only does the hat look great, but it looks great on her, a wonderful match to her coloring and hair. She says this hat is a gift for someone, but personally? I hope she gifts it to herself. I think Jackie deserves such a lovely thing.

As for me, it’s back to the scarf. I must keep knitting, must keep knitting, must keep knitting… ciao for now.

Not (Really) Another Book Review

April 12, 2011 by Trish Leave a Comment

Recently I found this project on Ravelry, and I was on a mission. The maker of it showed it almost apologetically, saying that it was the 70s after all, and she was a teenager at the time. Well, one person’s oddball project truly is a thing of beauty to someone else, I guess. Or at least the idea of it. A couple of clicks and I found out that the concept of this design was from a 1970s book by the great Barbara Walker, Sampler Knitting. Luckily, the book is easily available on the used book market, and within a week or so, it was here.

On the surface, the book seems to take bits and pieces from other existing Walker books. I have all of the stitch treasuries, and even Mosaic Knitting. But this book goes a step further, and talks about how to take those stitches and designs, and put them together to actually make a project.

And yeah, the colors and photos in the book, and the designs themselves, really look like 1973. But, just like all of my knitting books, this one will serve as inspiration for me. I’ve been saying for some time that I want to do knitting as art, and this book has certainly given me some ideas. I think I want to play with the concept of mosaic knitting especially, because a) it’s something new to me, and b) it looks like one of those things that LOOKS hard, and looks totally like knitting magic, but it’s easy! That’s my kind of knitting.

Stay tuned… there’s knitted art in my future.

Book Review: Astounding Knits!

April 6, 2011 by Trish Leave a Comment

I have a friend who knits tree cozies. It’s true. I am a self-professed slow knitter, so I can’t imagine ever knitting a sweater for a tree, especially since I’ve never even completed one for myself. But there’s something that is wonderfully, secretly anarchist about these public displays of truly odd knitting that makes them wonderful. And, you know what? I honestly wish sometimes that I could knit fast enough to make this kind of knitting worth my time. It’s fun! Wonderful, and rebellious. I only wish I could.

So imagine my delight when I discovered this book last week: Astounding Knits!: 101 Spectacular Knitted Creations and Daring Feats. It is a compendium of all that is good, and weird, and a little twisted, about knitting.

Imagine the biggest, I mean BIGGEST, pink bunny in the world. Or colorwork sweaters so small they could fit on the tip of your fingers. A human heart made of lace, or a complete skeleton. Ever wanted a motorcycle cozy? How about a superhero costume?

The author, Lela Nargi, has written several other books that are interesting collections of thoughts and experiences of other knitters. I’ve listened to the audiobooks and I’ve loved them. This book is something like an extension of the theme. Who knew there were so many crazy and wonderful things that one could do with knitting? Surely I consider myself to be a creative person. But, my mind would never have gone to a place where I would have thought it would be fun to knit tea cozies in the shape of houses of infamous murder scenes. Or knitted sushi? Who thinks of that stuff?

This book isn’t a knitting book. It’s a book about knits, and the people who make them. It’s fun. It’s odd. And totally inspiring. It’s only around 10 dollars for this wonderful little book, and next time I go to knit group, I’m bringing it with me. I’m sure it will provide loads of entertainment.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Every knitter needs inspiration like this in his or her library. Any time I feel like I’m in a knitting rut, I’ll be sure to pull this one off the shelf and flip through a few of the projects. It’s sure to keep my knitting on its toes.

And, if ever I do decide to knit a tree cozy? I’ll look here first for inspiration.

Book Review: Modern Top-Down Knitting

April 4, 2011 by Trish Leave a Comment

I’ve had the book, Modern Top-Down Knitting since it was first released, but I just realized that I haven’t written about it yet. So tonight I decided to give it another look and let you know what I think.

I love the idea of knitting top-down. I hate, hate, HATE seaming and so the very idea of any technique that requires minimal finishing is a good thing. I remember thinking the first time I looked through the book that man, these designs are all for skinny people. My second read, just now though, shows that most of the patterns are, in fact, upsized for larger sizes. But, and perhaps it’s my unfortunate middle age showing here, I still have to wonder whether even though the patterns are upsized, if they would actually look good on plus size people.

The book definitely has a lot of positives, though. The author, Kristina McGowan, wrote in her introduction that she started by studying the book, Knitting from the Top by Barbara G. Walker, and then actually got to visit Ms. Walker, and from those things, the book was born. How lucky she must have felt to be in the presence of such a great and smart knitter! Reading that part in the introduction just blew me away.

The patterns themselves are thoroughly modern–full of skinny designs and plunging necklines and all of the things that make today’s clothes unwearable by people shaped like me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate their beauty. I especially love the dress on the cover, and I’m currently wondering if I can modify it to work as a vest over a t-shirt or something. Several of the dresses I think could be made as tops only, or sweaters, and I think for me, that will be something worth exploring. I bet I can do it. That’s the beauty of top-down knitting. You can make it up, or modify, as you go.

There are a few other types of patterns as well, including arm warmers, a wrap, and an Annie Hall-inspired hat that is just so adorable I think I’m going to have to make it.

The book is beautifully photographed and has lots of helpful diagrams, and tutorials for important techniques used throughout the book.

I have to say that even though this book isn’t necessarily designed for 45-year-old fat women like me, I am so glad I have it. There’s a lot to learn here about modern design, and it takes the concept of top-down knitting in some totally new directions that I hadn’t imagined before now. I think I’ll go dig out my Barbara Walker book along with this one and study up. This is gonna be good.

Book Review: Knit This Doll

March 23, 2011 by Trish 3 Comments

I just received the book, “Knit This Doll!: A Step-by-Step Guide to Knitting Your Own Customizable Amigurumi Doll” after waiting almost 6 months for the publication date. I love dolls! And I was intrigued by what this book would have to offer. After paging through the whole book I can say that I think I’m really going to like it!

The book starts with the basic formula for making the dolls. It talks about yarn choices, and other materials needed. After giving you the basic layout of how to knit a doll, the majority of the book goes into how to knit the numerous variations that will create the various parts, including feet and legs (or shoe and pants style), numerous clothing and sweater/body styles, and tips for doing various hairstyles and facial expressions, using a variety of materials. Overall these seem like quick little knits, perfect for using up small bits of yarn, odd little buttons and various other things.

The book takes a mix-and-match approach to body parts, clothing styles, and accessories, such that the design possibilities are practically endless. The book even includes such details as whether or not to knit individual fingers, separate clothing pieces, and a variety of shapes that could easily turn your doll into an animal, or even a mermaid.

Me? I’d probably be interested in creating knitted amigurumi dolls of people I know. I’d probably start with someone wearing purple sneakers, a long denim skirt, a hoodie, and purple bangs sticking out from under a rasta hat.

Hmmm… I wonder if that sounds like anybody I know?

I almost can’t wait to start, except there’s this shawl… back to that–tomorrow.

How to Choose a Lace Pattern?

March 2, 2011 by Trish Leave a Comment

This is my progress so far on my Pi Are Square shawl. I’m about halfway through the 12-ridge section. It turns out that both of the stitches used here look very similar to each other. I don’t mind that… but what’s next? How do I choose?

One of my biggest faults is that I worry so much sometimes about doing something wrong that I over-study, and over-study the problem, and then that leads to progress paralysis. You’re familiar with project paralysis, right? It plagues every knitter, every writer, every doer of anything creative from time to time. Well, I seem to have an extreme case. I have consulted all of these books for inspiration over the last week:

That’s an entire library on knitting lace and a practical encyclopedic collection of lace stitches. And you know what? I’m confused! I’ve gone overboard, again.

I’ve narrowed the field to a few criteria, but I have to go through the stitches again to find things that I think will work. Here are my thoughts:

It has to somehow fit into the area that I want to knit it into, not exactly, because I can use filler stitches and rows, but close enough.
It should be different from, but not clash with, the stitches that are already there, and the ones that follow (as if I know what that means yet)
The stitches have to be just complicated enough that they will keep my interest, but not so complicated that they make my brain hurt or that I can’t learn them, or read them from my knitting, after doing a couple of repeats
I’d like my stitch choices to be something that adapt easily to garter stitch
And they have to be beautiful, without looking too much like “old lady” lace, whatever that means. I have purple hair, for goodness sake, and I’m going through a bit of a midlife crisis. Not that old fashioned lace can’t be simply stunning, I’m just not sure it’s me.

So, have I driven you mad with my craziness? Does anybody out there have any thoughts on this? HOW the heck do I sort this all out? I feel like I’m only taking my first, tentative baby steps with lace knitting, and yet, I’m seeking a master’s degree straightaway. I am nuts, and I know it. For now, I’ll keep knitting, since I still have another 14 or so rows before I must commit. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Help?!?

As always, I thank you in advance.