Trish Knits.com

Category: Products

  • I Didn’t Mean To…

    Sunday was the 6th Annual Homespun Yarn Party, at Savage Mill in Savage Maryland. It’s similar to a lot of wool and yarn festivals around the country, but this one features vendors specifically from around the area, and mostly indie dealers creating their own unique brand of fibery goodness. Small farms and dyers such as these are typically overshadowed at some of the larger festivals, so this is a chance for many to really shine.

    The thing is, what started out with the intention of having an intimate feel has become a bit of a madhouse. The event quickly outgrew the venue, but we still keep going back every year, knowing it will be hot, stuffy and mobbed. We fiber enthusiasts don’t seem to care about being a little uncomfortable. It’ll usually take more than a little sweat and pandemonium to keep us away from our yarn.

    I went there without specific intentions this year. Clearly, with 21 bins of yarn in my house, need of more yarn is not the question. I intended to mostly spend my time and money in some of the other shops Savage Mill has to offer. The Mill is full of unique artist studios and all kinds of wonderful nooks and crannies to explore.

    My friend Lynne offered to take me to the event again this year, and Dina came along. When we arrived, the main hall was already filled to capacity and there was a line of people waiting to get inside. Dina opted to wait in line, but Lynne and I headed off to explore. We came upon the studios of JUL and Noni Designs. JUL makes unique buttons, shawl pins, and purse hardware, and Noni Designs is famous for stunning felted bag designs, and amazing knitted flowers.

    I did spend some money in each studio:

    Three shawl sticks
    Three shawl sticks

    I bought three shawl sticks from JUL and a collection of buttons:

    Purple pedestal buttons and a collection of cinnamon buttons
    Purple pedestal buttons and a collection of cinnamon buttons

    The cinnamon buttons are made with real cinnamon and smell amazing! I plan on making several tea mug cozies and fastening them with these yummy buttons. And the purple ones? I have no idea yet what I’m going to do with them. But hey, they’re purple. And super cute.

    I bought a Lipstick and Change Purse Kit from Noni Designs:

    Lipstick and Change Kit
    Lipstick and Change Kit

    It’s hard to see, but this one is grey with tiny purple beads. I think it is going to be beautiful.

    Nora Bellows, Owner and Designer-In-Chief at Noni, was gracious enough to sign my copy of Noni Flowers: 40 Exquisite Knitted Flowers, which I hadn’t brought with me to last year’s Sheep and Wool festival because I didn’t know she was going to be there. She wrote the nicest inscription. I do love this book! The knitted flowers are amazing and truly the most accurate knitted flowers I have ever seem. I bought it mostly so I could make sprays of beautiful, showy flowers on my knitted hats, and sadly I haven’t made any hats since then… but I plan to! So look out for pretty stuff in my knitting future!

    After a scrumptious lunch that included oh-so-sinful mac n’ cheese with crabmeat, Lynne and I finally headed into the main hall for the main event and lots of yarny goodness. I had worried that stuff would be picked over and the pickings slim, but I needn’t have been concerned. There was plenty left, just for us. Here’s a quick peek at what I got:

    In this collection are some Lindy Hop Sock yarn, which is in a colorway called “Tardis.” I got this for my husband, who is a Dr. Who fan, and he says he would like a scarf out of it. Now I just need to find the perfect pattern. Also I got three colors of Mithril from The Verdant Gryphon. Gryphon herself helped me choose the colors… for I know I am obsessed… yet another Color Affection. (I’m starting to wonder if I will get them all made before I die? Sheesh!) Last, but certainly not least, is a hank of Biggie from Dancing Leaf Farm. (I also got the lovely felted pins from Dancing Leaf.)

    So, even though I hadn’t intended to buy yarn, I did… sigh. At least my knitting needles are moving faster these days. I look forward to getting quite a few things made in 2013 and beyond.

    It was a great day and a great event, and now I am looking forward to my annual trip to Maryland Sheep and Wool, where once again, I will vow to buy no new yarn. Yeah, right. We’ve all heard that one before.

  • Hobby-Knitter: Visions of Knitters Past

    Hobby-Knitter: Visions of Knitters Past

    On Friday, I received a new knitting gadget in the mail. No, that’s not true, really. The item I received is actually quite old, and best as I can tell, never used, or only very gently used. It is a Hobby-Knit I-cord machine, and it was manufactured in about 1949. Somehow a knitting vendor received some remaining new old stock of this device, and I’ve been eying it for a while. I don’t know why, but I-cord fascinates me, and I have collected all sorts of devices for making knitted cord for years. Yes, I know that I-cord can be made with knitting needles, by hand. But I love the cranky machines, antique spools, and all sorts of gadgets that have been created with the idea of making a simple knitted tube.

    Here’s a photo of the machine with all of its parts, including the original manual:

    Hobby-Knit with all parts shown
    Hobby-Knit with all parts shown

    And here it is, all set up and ready for knitting.

    Hobby-Knit machine set up for knitting
    Hobby-Knit machine set up for knitting

    Here’s a closeup of the knitting mechanism:

    Closeup of the knitting latches under the plastic yarn guide
    Closeup of the knitting latches under the plastic yarn guide

    Here’s a closeup of the original label on the machine… it looks like new! The label says, “Hobby-Knit, Pat. App. for Montello Products Co., Montello, Wis.” Even the abbreviation conventions are suggestive of its age.

    Label on the machine
    Label on the machine

    My friend Rachel and I made a short video of the machine in action. Check it out; it actually works!

    We didn’t use the yarn spool in our demonstration because we wanted to try knitting straight from the yarn ball. It works, but we found that we have to put additional tension on the yarn coming from the ball with a free hand, as shown in our video. Here’s a closeup of the yarn spool:

    Closeup of yarn spool
    Closeup of yarn spool

    And finally, here’s a photo of the cord as it’s coming out of the bottom of the machine:

    I-cord knit on the Hobby-Knit machine
    I-cord knit on the Hobby-Knit machine

    The resulting cord is a finely knit 6-stitch beauty, which I think would be the perfect size for jewelry making and other things requiring a not-too-thick cord. Isn’t it lovely?

    The truth for me is that I’m not sure how often I will use this machine. I’m betting I will use it for some jewelry making from time to time, but so far I find the machine fussy to set up and work with. I’m sure I’ll get better with practice, but there are other machines I have that I also enjoy but are a bit easier for me. That said, there’s something magical about this little beauty. It gives me a feeling of nostalgia to use it. I wonder how many people in the past actually might have had one of these and what they made with it. I’m thrilled that this machine is part of my collection. It makes beautiful cords, and makes me feel like I have something special.

  • Winding My Way Through the Coffee Shop

    Winding My Way Through the Coffee Shop

    Yesterday I went out and got my nails done. i consider this to be a major accomplishment, given that I was coming down off of what was an unusually sucky New Year’s weekend. Not that we ever do anything too exciting, but the friends that we had planned to have over for a quiet celebration had all pooped out on us, and I was bummed. So I picked an unusually intense shade of purple, kind of a dark, gothy shade. It’s one that I’m sure I’m supposed to be too old to wear. But dangit, I like it. So there.

    On my way back to the car from the nail salon, I popped into the bookstore, intent on having my last gingerbread-latte-hurrah of the season. Of course, rather than making a beeline for the coffee counter, I snaked my way through the magazine rack. And, ooh-boy, am I ever glad I did. Look what I found!

    Knit Simple Knits Plus magazine
    Knit Simple Knits Plus magazine

    It’s the Knit Simple Knits Plus: Great Fit, Great Style! “Bookazine.” It features 50 patterns in larger sizes, and there are quite a few things in there that I’d consider knitting. It’s great to have so many patterns to choose from all in one place.


    While I’m talking about cool new stuff, I have to mention the Kindle Fire I got for Christmas. I love it! So far, my favorite part is the interactive magazines. I’ve subscribed to several, including one knitting magazine. It’s Your Knitting Life! magazine, which I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen on a newsstand, but, I think I like it ok.

    I think this is going to be a good tablet solution for me. The iPad is just a bit big and heavy for me to handle, plus I never get to use ours very often because the kids are always on it. Plus I’ve already added some PDF files of knitting patterns I’m working on, so now they’re always handy. I’m looking for other ways to use my Kindle for knitting… so if you’re out there and you’ve figured this out already, let me know.

    So I’ll be in my little corner, knitting and reading, and knitting some more. I’ll try to poke my head out and say hi once in a while.

  • Mystery Knitting Tool

    Mystery Knitting Tool

    I love Fridays. This one was particularly busy at work, but the sun was out, so I was trying not to complain too much. So, I cranked up the iPod and tried to stay on task. I got lots done, but by the time the day was over, I was feeling rather icky. One of the side effects of a beautiful sunny day in April is the pollen count, which is, no doubt, affecting me.

    But, I had plans. My son had spent the day with my mom and step dad, and we promised my daughter an only-child night with mom and dad at Olive Garden, her favorite restaurant. This was my favorite part of the meal:

    Fried lasagna
    Fried lasagna

    Yum! I just love this appetizer, even though I know it’s SO bad for me! Thank goodness I don’t eat there very often.

    When I got home from dinner, I found this waiting for me in today’s mail:

    Knitting tool I received in the mail today
    Knitting tool I received in the mail today

    Can you guess what it is?

    Well, in case you can’t, let me tell you about it. It’s literally a double-ended latch hook, hand crafted by the folks at Knitting Today. I know about this handy little thing because I am a former user of the Bond Incredible/Ultimate Sweater Machine. It is a seed stitcher tool. I gave up on the Bond long ago, but not this little thing. I’ve almost always had one, even as a hand knitter. But the one I’ve had for a long time suddenly had gone missing. What do I use it for? Why, fixing garter stitch, of course!

    Imagine dropping a stitch. With stockinette stitch, you can use a crochet hook to grab the ladders where the stitch has run down and make a chain stitch back up the line to fix it. With garter stitch, this is a little harder, because you have to feed the stitch from back to front to work up a line of garter stitch ladders. With this tool, you can pull the stitch back and forth as you go, and it makes fixing garter stitch easy-peasy!

    No hand knitter who likes garter stitch should be without one of these babies. I like it so much, I got two this time, just to be sure I don’t ever truly go without. I only wish I had had it three or four weeks ago, when a series of mistakes in my current shawl project, which is all garter stitch lace, just about drove me nuts.

    Now, I can rest easy. And dropped stitches? No sweat. Not anymore.

  • Day Three: Organization? What’s That?

    Day Three: Organization? What’s That?

    Tonight’s Blog Week question? “How do you keep your yarn organized? I’ve even been dared to flash my stash. Well, I can take a dare as well as anybody! So, here you go:

    Le Stash
    Le Stash

    This is an alcove corner of my dining room, which is mostly used for storage except for the occasional Sunday Family Dinner. I keep my yarn in these semi-opaque bins, and they’re all labeled by general category of what’s in them:

    closeup of bin label
    closeup of bin label

    That one is obvious what’s in it, and for the most part, they all are. For example, I actually have two bins of Cascade yarns in tons of colors. Are these bins the entirety of the stash? Um, no. Not even I’m crazy enough to show you the whole thing. But, truthfully that is the majority of it. It’s stacked taller than I am!

    Then there’s the ottoman in front of the sofa, that holds yarn I’m actually working with.*

    Storage ottoman, full of yarn
    Storage ottoman, full of yarn

    *This, of course, was the theory when I bought the ottoman in 2009. I filled it with yarn for projects I was working on at the time, and THAT yarn is still in the ottoman, even though for the most part, I am not actively working on any of the projects in it. Except that that’s where the Noro Kureyon ended up, which I love to make hats with, and I’ve been using the leftover bits to make a sort of patchwork blanket with. I figure that blanket is going to be the equivalent of my life’s work, because I only work on it a little bit at a time, when I’m between projects, and that, in itself, is rare.

    Next to the ottoman is my wall of knitting books:

    Knitting bookshelf
    Knitting bookshelf

    This shelf unit is along a long wall and is overstuffed with knitting books and magazines, and a few tools that I need to reach easily, like the blocking squares and the ball winder. I have them organized by frequency of use; that is, the ones I refer to all the time are easy for me to reach, and the ones I need less often are in kid-climb-after-that-please-and-hand-it-to-mommy range. I have a lot of knitting books. A LOT. I recently reorganized the shelf and was embarrassed to find a couple of titles that I had more than one copy of, and I’ll be sharing them with my knit group. I love having so many books at my disposal. Creativity most often hits me in the middle of the night when the library is closed, and I’m known to take a pile of books down and have them all open and mash together an idea for my knitting. I almost never knit a pattern as is from a book, but I rely on them heavily for inspiration.

    The Amazing Worm Binder is great for my interchangeable needles
    The Amazing Worm Binder is great for my interchangeable needles
    And, last but not least, is my most favorite organizational tool. My amazing needle case, which is actually a fishing worm binder. It’s a soft-sided case with binder rings on the inside, that hold little ziploc bags that, if used for their intended purpose, would hold live bait. Well, forget the bait! Each bag holds a different size of needle tips and then one bag holds a variety of cables in various lengths. The inside of the bag itself has tons of tiny pockets that are perfect for stitch markers, end buttons and the needle “tightening key.” There’s even one pocket on the inside which is exactly long enough for my needle sizer tool. It’s ugly, and has a big fish on it, but I love, love, love my needle binder.

    Does all of this mean that I am organized? I’d be lying if I said that I was. But, I try. And, for the most part, if I want a particular yarn, I pretty much know which bin it’s in. I probably have more stash at this point than I can knit for the rest of my life… and I am hoping it doesn’t get to the point that it completely takes over my house.

    Wish me luck on that!

  • So, How Am I Doing?

    I’ve been knitting and knitting and knitting on my practice sock. Here’s today’s photo update:

    Sock in Progress
    Sock in Progress

    So, you experienced sock knitters… how is it looking? I think it looks funny. Do all handknit socks go through an “awkward stage” as they grow? I don’t think my sock in progress looks anything like most of the socks I see others knitting… it looks like a mutant sock to me. Am I just being paranoid?

    I only have about a week and two days before my Lucy Neatby class. I want to be mostly done with this sock, so I can have at least some techniques fresh in my mind, and bring my odd little sock and ask questions. Hopefully at least I can make it past the heel before then and be well on my way to being done.

    Today I received the Knit Kit in the mail.

    Red Knit Kit
    Red Knit Kit

    The Knit Kit, opened
    The Knit Kit, opened
    I hadn’t gotten one before now because at first they were a little hard to get, and then I started hearing that they break easily. Then I heard that the kits had been improved. So, I’ve been wanting one for a while now, and I was finally able to get one from The Loopy Ewe this week. I think I’m going to like it! It’s kinda cool having every basic knitting do-dad one could need right in reach. The kit includes a tape measure, crochet hook, thread cutter, row counter, stitch markers, point protectors, a darning needle, and foldable scissors. (Did I forget anything?) I think this compact little kit (which is about the size of a makeup compact) is perfect for traveling light as a knitter, like when you only have room to cram a sock project in the bottom of your purse. I like having multiple sets of tools anyway, so I have them all set and ready to go in whatever knitting bag I’m using. So, I’m glad this product is now in my collection.

    I spent the evening cooking a pot of chili for a fall chili party at a co-worker’s horse farm tomorrow. The whole house smells yum and the chill in the air makes the chili seem even more welcome than it would normally be. I knit a few more rounds on the sock tonight and plan to take it with me tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll make enough progress on it this weekend that I won’t stress too much about getting it done next week.

    Wish me luck… and let me know if you think I’m on the right track so far. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!