Feeling a bit out of touch . . .

I've been thinking about the new knitters that I meet and realizing that I'm not really meeting any. I love the joy of someone who is learning to knit. The light in his/her eyes. It renews my own love of the craft. And I haven't felt it lately.

Talking to my BFF I realized why. "Well, you don't teach beginners anymore!"

True. I gave all the classes to another teacher for a reason that escapes me now. No problem. I'm just going to offer some classes and see what happens.

I do get so much positive energy from all my students, but newbies are special. If you have a friend who wants a class, point them my way. I could use a little of their joy. Or maybe just spend a little time thinking about how and when you learned to knit. If possible, write your teacher a thank you note. Give her/him a bit of joy.

Mondays, May 4, 11, 18 at 6-7:30 pm, $45, at Charlotte Yarn. I love to teach when the shop is closed and we get to do some private shopping.

MOVING THE BLOG SOON

I think it is time to move the blog to wordpress.com. I love blogger.com. It is so easy and I've had very little problems with the blog. It's just that I want to make the blog the homepage for my jpknits website and my mentor says wordpress is the way to do it.

I would like to add more articles and tutorials to the site and keep them very convenient for you. Seems sensible to combine. Mentor is coming over in early May and we will make the switch then. Just thought I'd give you a heads up. You'll be forwarded over and then you can change your feed.

To check my progress and to, please, offer suggestions go to new site

New Challenges

Remi has thrown yarn at me again. Make something out of this! I was skeptical, but I swatched. The flat ribbon is great, but I always like knitting with flat ribbon. The Gedifra Mexican with all the "platelets" in it was definitely different.

Tried it, loved it.


I think this is a shrug--never make a decision until you have to, my motto. It has a big triangle (isosceles) for the back and then I just picked up and knit straight from the side. Caveat: I do not yet know if this works. Just wait and let me make the errors and I'll pass it along to you ----IF it works.

New Shrinky Dink markers to assist when casting on a bezillion sts. Plastic is Brite White from Michaels. Six big pages for under $5. Also includes instructions. Jump rings available there, too.
If you don't know how to do the jump rings, buy yours at Beadlush in Charlotte and they will help you. Beware. Beadlush is a feast for your eyes.

New blog I discovered today. A must read. Craft Fail
It's by many people who post their craft failures. This sweater failure seems so familiar.

Serenity Test

In another test, I was Mal. I liked this test better.

Your results:
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 80% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 80% Wash (Ship Pilot) 75% Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 65% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 65% Inara Serra (Companion) 45% River (Stowaway) 45% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 40% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 40% Alliance 40% A Reaver (Cannibal) 10%

Dependable and trustworthy. You love your significant other and you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character am I?" quiz...

Studio or Junk Pile

I have an entire upstairs at my disposal. My daughter Meghan says I should emphasize the word disposal and get rid of some of my stuff. I tell her she doesn't understand the needs of an artist. She is probably right.I store yarn and fabric and other stuff. I store well. What I don't do is sew. This is a shame because I have no spring clothes that fit. See the T-shirt on the dress form. I started that months (and 29 lbs.) ago. It isn't quite finished---but finishing won't make it fit.
Some of this yarn will never be knit by me. The problem is I don't know which yarn that is. I really need to set up and learn to use my knitting machine.
Did I mention I also have a bit of fiber?

Meet-the-98-year-old-quake-survivor-who-knitted-to-stay-alive

Check this out.

The focus we get when we knit gives us strength to deal with the world. We know that, but even so this story is amazing.

New Stuff

Charlotte Knitting Guild, April meeting. This is what we learned to make. They are so cute. I went to Michaels today and bought more Shrinky Dink stuff, in bright white. I'm going to make some markers to help in counting cast on stitches. Watching melted plastic curl and transform into these baby things is incredible fun. Heat guns give you a sense of power.
Blame Cristi; she loaned me one at the shop and I succombed.
These are to hold me over until I can create a colored knitware piece in bright colors. I love the sheep. From Office Depot.
Thank Dani and the big guy for this. They took me by the hand and designed it. I only had to pay for it. I'm only slightly frustrated as I learn a new operating system. Vista puts things in some weird places.

Later.

My role model for life

Today is Aunt Nene's birthday. Yes, that sexy baby is Baby Jane? Whatever happened . . . never mind.

Aunt Nene loved me totally selflessly. No strings attached, no demands--just love. She loved me enough to send me off on my own life journey without guilt for not visiting her instead of going west to ski. Absolutely no strings and when we met up again, it was always as if no time had passed.

I am more her child than anyone else's. She taught me the important things in life:

• women should be athletes
• never throw a card game just because your opponent is a child
• crossword puzzles are your friends
• mystery stories are the best, especially the Perry Mason series
• never talk down to children--they are people, too.
• nuture those you love and anyone else that needs it
• dogs are family
• be adventuresome--paint the bedroom aubergine and add some rum to that cake
• root for the NY Giants, later the Atlanta Braves
• Read, read, read, read, read.
• Late in the day, sit down with a cup of tea (Lipton's with lemon), observe the world outside, and just quietly think.

That cup of tea moment was the subject of my first published poem. I can still see it as if I were peeping in the window of the kitchen.

Each moment I spend with my grandsons, I try to channel Aunt Nene. If I can be to them a tenth of what this lady was to me, I will have done good.

I hope someone has loved you this way.

Short Rows without Wraps

I hate wrapping short rows as shown above. Then you have to pick up the wraps. I have undoubtedly wrapped one stitch backwards (or upside down or just weird) and then have to so some slip-slip--slip to get the sts in the correct relationship to hide the wrap.

Imagine the frustration of a less experienced knitter who has not yet developed the eye to see the error and then to see how to untangle the problem. (This eye comes only through lots of experience.)

I researched short rows--looked at yo's, Japanese method--tried to create a memory device for the more common method. I was still unhappy--well, very annoyed that I wasn't a mindless master of this technique.

Then lightning struck. I've turned heels for years and never wrapped anything. I just turn, slip the next st and work the row. Why couldn't I just do that when I knit short rows? On knit rows and purl rows---same thing.

Well, I can! And now I do. And my short rows are neat, less visible than before.

I'm a genius.

Since the Eureka, I have tripped over this identical technique done by dozens, maybe hundreds, of other knitters. Hardly anything is new in knitting. We just, as EZ said, "unvent" the technique for ourselves.

So I'm not a genius? I'm a knitter. Much better.

Spindle Success

I learned to spin on a wheel--actually an 18th c. reproduction at a local history site--

I'm a fair hand at it. I spin by the seat of my pants. No math, no data, just two ply sport and dk weight yarns.

Drop spindles came much later and were a disaster for me. Merike Saarnit took me in hand at a dye workshop and I discover top whorls and bowls for parking. Still clumsy though.

Jet's talented husband Preston began making spindles. Gorgeous, intricate whorl patterns. Small, "lady-like" spindles. Had to have one. (Mine is one of his simpler ones.)

Bought it; couldn't spin with it. We all knew it wasn't the spindle that was the problem.

Enter friend Cat!

She said, "Oh. Change hands. Spin it with your dominant hand and draft with the other." A-hem! That's how I do it at the wheel. Duh.
She said, "Park and drive."
I said, "Park and draft."
She said, "Whatever."

Result--Sock and lace weight singles. Can ply or can knit energized singles a la Kathryn Alexander.

I love Cat.

Coloring with Cat

Cat came over Sunday and we decorated my yard. Actually this was my first time dyeing with someone outside of class and it was inspirational. Well, of course, when you dye with an artist, good things have to happen.



Cat was amazing. She used 15 colors to get just the right one for this silk. I stand instructed.



This seacell is so gorgeous. I think I actually like it better than the silk.

I dyed some old handspun. I only used two colors--violet and silver grey. They blended quite a bit in the pot (another first for me) but I like the colors. On the left, some Wensleydale and on the right, mohair.



The first part of the day we dealt in soft colors.


Then we dyed roving. I love my green and my red roving. Waiting for it to dry is agony.


Cat overdyed some roving (on the right) and made lovely intense colors


This is what I knew how to do BC. (Before Cat) I dyed this in a center pull ball in the microwave. I only have 75 yards, but I'll mix it with something.

Brookgreen Shawl Finished

The story here is more about the photo taking session. It's me with my new haircut trying to look sophisticated (impossible).

The length is very impressive here. I blocked the #$^%$ out of this thing. Made is less bouncy, but drapes nicely.
A shorter look when wrapped around my body. Nice and warm.
This shows the back (top) and front of the shawl at the same time. I almost like the back better.
Steve just takes pictures. He doesn't really look at his subject too often and never waits until I am ready.
The back view! Wouldn't you think he would have mentioned that it wasn't really draped well. At least I can enjoy that the huge backside has shrunk a bit.

I need a more involved photographer. Meghan-n-n-n-n-n!

I knit this lengthwise, in the round, and cut a steek. I think I'll offer it as a class for there is much to learn.

Sassy--in Process

She is almost finished. But NOTE: I have already finished the neck and sleeves, well, not sleeves. I have even done the tie.

I telling you right now----You do NOT have to wait until the end to finish a piece. I even blocked this just before I started the bottom. Yes, wet blocked. I like this do it as you go. When I finish, I will be able to just weave in that last tail, put it on, and go. Do I sound like a kid at the shoe store? I always wore my new shoes home.
Here's a closeup of the tie and the bottom pattern. Notice that the whole sweater is on a string, not a needle. This is the only way to try it on and be certain what it will look like and how it will fit. This is not punishment, but opportunity.
Three rows of single crochet and then crab stitch.
One row of single crochet and then crab stitch.

Remi wants me to write this up. I am going to give it a try. I'll probably write it as a standard pattern, but fill it with optional fit suggestions. For instance, don't choose your sweater pattern size by your bust measurement!

I'll be using this a bunch in the Top Down Custom Fit Shell class in April. If you like it, and even if you would like it a bit more subdued, join us.

Socks a la Fassett

Steve's new socks. I used his favorite K4, P1 cuff. It doesn't interfere with the color and the color is what these socks are ALL about.
The toe is a K1 color A, K1 color B pattern. I knit from the outside in, but to get the other color, I pulled from the inside until I found one that would contrast well.
The heel is a K2 (A), K2(B) offset on rows 3 and 4. For this one I wasn't as choosy about the contrasting color. Also the large size of the heel flap used the color repeats more rapidly than the toe.

Sorry the photos are so small. But you get the idea. They are on my sockblockers which don't show them off to my advantage. I think I need to buy him his own sockblockers. Cristi, do you do bicycles?

OTN

A new sweater--top down of course--in process. I have stopped here to make a decision on where it goes. Definitely empire line, but what will be the bottom? Katia Bombay, 100% mercerized cotton. Has some bounce. I may publish the pattern.
Please note the crochet on the edge of the neck. Big important tip!!! Use a row of single crochet or a running basting stitch along the edge of necklines and armholes to prevent over stretching them while you are knitting the rest of the garment. When you complete the garment, you can remove them or use them. I like options.
Regia sock yarn in a Kaffe Fassett colorway. This was souvenir yarn from a beach trip with the gang. Way back when I bought it, I had not yet seen this available in Charlotte. Now Charlotte Yarn stocks it regularly. The colors are too beautiful.
However-----I have to break up the strip somewhere, somehow. Tune in later.

Sweet Thing Sticks to Your Shoulders

The latest Merely a Suggestion pattern.

This scarf/shawl works well as both a simple shawl which is shaped enough to stay on your shoulders (First important design detail) and
as a scarf worn with the triangle in front and the ends wrapped around the neck and falling to the front.
The lovely lace edging is simply knitted on at the end of the pattern. No sewing on or knitting tiny rows forever and slip stitching them to the body. (Second important design detail.)

I used the new Araucania yarn Ruca Multy for the main body of the shawl. It is 100% sugar cane, hence the name. Softer than possible, it drapes beautifully over the body. After much swatching I discovered the colors were shown best in simple garter stitch. The yarn is available at Charlotte Yarn ($14, 263 yds. per 100 gr) and you only need one skein.

The lace edge is knit in Crystal Palace Panda Silk ($9, Bamboo, Merino, Silk, 204 yds/ 50 gr.) and uses less than one skein.

Sizing the shawl up or down is easy and the directions for doing so are in the pattern. It is available from Charlotte Yarn, jpknits.com, and Ravelry. Enjoy.

Keeping Track

Often in classes, I'm asked how to keep track of things like increases and decreases. Here is a raglan jacket for DD#2. I've shaped it to skim her body. At each decrease is one of my favorite markers.

This is how I keep track.

The light blue thread marks the place where she tried it on for length and I saw I needed four more inches to reach her waist.

One of the secrets to a custom fit is to try it on often and mark where you are.

Pride and Copying

I am a Jane Austen fan, hence the title.
My great-good-forever-friend Pat Moore made her own version of my Top Cat pattern. Truly this is a great gift to me. Doesn't she look beautiful?

I read the blogs of Yea I Knit and Turtlegirl 76 (links in sidebar) Both seem to belong to the same dishcloth KAL. Both posted pics of a stitch pattern that intrigued me, and so I have copied them. It's fun to knit, feels "sproingy" and mystifies non-knitters.

Check it out for yourself. Pattern