Fair Isle Knitting

Creatively, I have been on fire recently.  My mind is full of ideas and I have actually had some time to work in my studio.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot I can show you from these sessions.  I have been working on creating samples of the items I am planning to feature in my Etsy store and I’m not ready to share the pictures of those just yet.   I’ve also been working on a project that will be given to someone serving on a team for a retreat associated with my church, but these projects are all done anonymously so it doesn’t feel right for me to share that project with you either.  I’ve felt a little frustrated by the disparity between my productivity and my ability to share it here on my blog.

But here is one project I’ve recently completed that I can share with you!   Remember back at the beginning of January when I stated that one of my goals was to knit a little bit more?  And remember my brown jacket that I finally finished at my recent sewing retreat?  Well, I knit myself a hat to go with that jacket.  There is a great little knitting shop in Old Town Alexandria called fibre space.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  I’m not a very skilled knitter.  But with some guidance from the friendly and helpful staff at this shop I picked out the pattern, Meritursas, and the yarn, Canopy, both by The Fibre Company.  This luscious fiber is a blend of baby alpaca, merino wool and bamboo.  I have knit fair isle patterns in the past, and I really enjoy their mathematical and precise nature.  I’m not much of a hat wearer but with the cold weather we have been having I’m very pleased to have this soft and warm addition to my wardrobe.

New Year, New Flair

It was one year ago today that I posted my first post on this blog.  I’ve really enjoyed this creative outlet very much.  It’s a new year and I’ve got some new ideas.  I also hope to continue to inspire you through my posts and pictures.  Each year I like to make a list of creative goals (you can call them resolutions, if you like) that I hope to achieve.  Here’s my list for this coming year:

>I participated in a couple of craft shows this year (this isn’t on my “list” but is something I hope to continue in 2011) and a customer commissioned me to knit a hat for her granddaughter.  I love these little fruit/veggie hats from Ann Norling  and have knit a lot of these.

Pumpkin and eggplants, acrylic yarn

Tomato, cotton yarn

Son #1 modeling the tomato hat

As usually happens when I pick up my knitting needles, I remember how relaxing and rewarding the knitting process is.  This year I hope to do more knitting.  I am not a very experienced knitter though I have been knitting since I was a child.  I am also not a very fast knitter and find the time required to complete a project a little discouraging.  But what I realized recently is that if I keep a project in a bag, ready to travel with me whenever I leave the house, I can work on it whenever I have a few minutes and eventually I will finish a project.  You don’t have to worry about this becoming a knitting blog because I don’t have the expertise to tell you anything useful but I will, occasionally, post pictures of the projects I complete.

I have recently discovered a new company that I want to share called Quince & Co.  The owners of this company offer yarn made from domestic wool and spun in their New England mill.  They are ecologically-minded, conscious about the farming techniques of their materials and using non-toxic dyes.  Their goal is to produce an eco-friendl,y affordable yarn and sell directly to knitters via their website.  I have ordered their color card and will report back after I’ve tried some of their yarn.  You can read more about their story and see their lovely wares at their website.

>Even though I describe myself as “primarily a garment sewer”, I have not, actually been sewing many garments in the last two years.  I am hoping to change that in 2011.  After my second child was born it took me a while to get back into the size clothing I wore before my kids, and I found I didn’t have the desire to sew clothes for my “new body”.  With my kids in school a few days each week I am hoping to find the time to start more time consuming projects and get some clothes made.  I am excited that this year I will get to go to my American Sewing Guild (ASG) Chapter’s annual sewing retreat.  I used to be a regular at this event before I had my first child in 2006, and this will be the first time I have gone since then.  I have already pulled out one dress and one skirt pattern, found the fabric I am going to use and am getting ready to cut out the pieces to take to the retreat at the end of this month.  Another associated goal is to learn the newest version of Wild Ginger’s Pattern Master Boutique (PMB).  This computer software drafts custom patterns based on your own body measurements.  I have had a lot of luck in the past creating garments with this program but have not used it in several years.  In fact, I am still using Version 3 even though the latest version is Version 5.  I am hoping to jump in and learn the newest version and start using the program again.

In an attempt to stay motivated and on track with my garment sewing, I am going to feature a garment each week on my blog, things I have sewn in the past coupled with current projects I complete.

>I have noticed that I have recently been doing a lot of crafting.  I like crafting but I’m finding that it is taking the place of other things I like to do (like sewing).  I think craft projects appeal to me at present because my time is limited and broken up into little chunks and it is easier to complete these projects that require less time commitment.  I am planning on replacing some of the crafting time with other things that I like but I also am hoping to try a few new crafts this year that I have not tried before.  I have collected a number of found objects to use in a mixed media piece and am hoping to try something along those lines this year.

>I am hoping to continue developing my line of bridal accessories and open my Etsy store sometime this year.  Stay tuned.

>Lastly, I am hoping to improve the photography for my blog by taking a couple of classes on the subject and using a whippy-do camera I borrowed from my inlaws.  I feel that my photos do not feature my work as well as I would like, and I’m hoping to improve that this year.

Whew, that’s a pretty long list.  Hopefully seeing it in print will hold me accountable to some of these goals, and I am hoping to share all that I do along the way with you.  Thanks for visiting my blog this past year and leaving such nice, encouraging comments.  They mean a lot to me.  Please come back often in 2011.

Bag of the Week 44

Knitting Needle Case

I’m taking a little liberty this week with my definition of “bag”.  This is a knitting needle case that I made several years ago featuring the lovely embroidery of Evy Hawkins from A Bit of Stitch. 

I found directions on the internet and adapted them for my own use.  Here are two links that show you how to make a rolled up case that will hold knitting needles or paint brushes/tools.

Roll-up Knitting Needle Case

Paint Brush Holder

Bag of the Week 18

Michelle Meow

My friend Mary Ann is crazy about her Siamese kitty named Misty.  So one year I made her a little bag using Michael Miller’s fabric Michelle Meow.  The pattern is The Naomi by Kathy Fernholz and sold by Indygo Junction.  The pattern has two versions of the bag, one with straight handles, the other with round.  I used the straight handle view but I added a contrast bottom which is shown on the round handled bag.  I used the same black fabric for the pocket and added a pink ruffle along the top edge.  The eyelash trim I-cord was knit from black and hot pink Fun Fur (by Lion).  With an M monogram I figure either Mary Ann OR Misty could use this bag :-)

Bag of the Week 8

Felted Wool Purses

A few years ago I was really into felting hand knit items.  My husband’s aunt raised sheep, and I had a lovely supply of Icelandic wool yarn which was not only beautiful but had sentimental meaning as well.  It was a dream to knit and felted beautifully.  The other thing I love about felting is that it makes my sometimes-not-too-perfect knitting less apparent.  Felting hides a multitude of sins. 

The first thing that I knit for felting was a hat (which is the subject for another post in the future – the before and after pictures are hilarious).  I then switched to purses and made quite a few.  I primarily used two patterns by Fiber Trends and was able to create unique looks by varying the type of novelty yarn I incorporated into the wool as I knit.

These two bags were created using the pattern called Party Purses.

I used naturally colored Icelandic wool for the body of the bags and added Lion Brand Fun Fur in at the top (the dark purse used three colors of Fun Fur all knit together).  The knit bags start out much larger than the finished ones – as the wool felts and shrinks it compresses the eyelash yarn, making a nice, dense trim.  The bags were felted in a lingerie bag using my top-loading washing machine and Wool Wash soap by Eucalan.  

The handles of the purses were both created with additional yarn twisted into a thick cord using a tool called the Spinster.

All of the cold weather we’ve been having has me thinking about knitting wool again.  Good thing I’ve still got some of that wonderful Icelandic in my stash.