Posts Tagged ‘Knitting’

This week, I've been spending a lot of time waiting. In ERs, in sickrooms, on the road, in parking lots, on trains and on streetcars. Helping loved ones get better involves driving hundreds of kilometres, drinking many pots of tea and spending lots of quiet hours watching them sleep away their maladies.

All this waiting means my travelling craft bag is getting a workout. When I head out, I make sure it's packed with portable projects and supplies. And since I love those What's in Her Bag behind-the-scenes things, here's a peek at what's inside:

• My current project. This week, it's my cross-stitch seed packet and a Simple Things shawlette.
• Stork scissors. These are the perfect little snippers for embroidery and yarn ends.
• Knitting markers and notions. These little guys are always handy – and you can never have too many.
• Needle holders and stoppers. I hate when stitches drop off the knitting needles in my bag. These little springs keep your needles together, even on the go, and these sticky point protectors are great for keeping rogue stitches where they belong.
• Stitch holders and waste yarn. These are great for holding on to stitches you're going to work later.
• Tape measure. Sometimes a retractable ruler is just a wee bit more accurate than your eyeball at measuring, isn't it?
• Crochet hook. This is essential for picking up dropped stitches and fixing runs in your knitting.
• Tapestry needles. I always seem to be on the move when I'm sewing in ends on knitted projects. These big blunt needles are a must-have.
• Cable needle. I love my compact curved cable needle because it stays in my knitting a little better than the longer ones with the bump in the middle.
• Highlighter. For marking up stitching charts, there is nothing that saves your sanity better than a fine-tip highlighter.

What do you carry in your travelling craft bag? Is there something I should be adding to mine?

Share in the comments below!

This week we're giving away a copy of Beyond Knit and Purl, a new book by Kate Atherley. Today, we're featuring one of the projects from her book as a little treat for all our readers.

Kate points out that this is a great way to practice your cable skills before starting a more complicated project – and that one of these would make a sweet little Valentine's Day gift.

Cables Mini Project: Coffee Cup Cozy
Choose a color that matches how you take your coffee so spills don’t show.

Finished Measurements:
3.25 inches/8 cm wide, 9 inches/23 cm around unstretched; will stretch easily to fit the largest take-out coffee cup.

Materials:

• 1 ball Sirdar Eco Wool DK (100% undyed virgin wool, 100m/50gm ball; color 201—grey)
  • Designer’s Tip: If you can’t find this yarn, any worsted weight wool like Cascade 220, or Paton’s Classic Merino will work nicely!
• 4mm (US #6) straight needles—wood, bamboo or plastic needles are easiest
• Cable needle
• Yarn needle

Gauge:
22 stitches and 28 rows across 4 inches/10cm in stockinette stitch on 4mm needles.

Method:
Cast on 20 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 [WS]: K6, p8, k6.
Row 3 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Row 5 [RS]: K4, p2, C8R*, p2, k4.
Row 7 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.

*C8R: Slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold in back; k4, then k4 from cable needle.

Repeat the last 8 rows until piece measures 9 inches long, ending after a Row 1.

Bind off, leaving a 12 inch tail to use for seaming.

Finishing:
Wash the piece.
With RS facing, seam using the invisible horizontal seaming method as given below, using the tail left over from the cast-off.

How To Work the Invisible Horizontal Seam
If you look closely at your knitting, you’ll see that at the bottom of each knit stitch – each V – you’ll see a point. You’ll use these for seaming.

Fold the coffee cozy in half along the short side, with right sides facing you, and line up the cast-on and bind off edges. The cast-off tail should be on your right if you’re right-handed; on your left if you’re left-handed. Thread your darning needle with your cast-off tail.

Starting with the cast-on edge (that is, the edge that doesn’t have the tail attached to it), run the darning needle under the point of the V of the first stitch, right at the edge.

Next, run under the corresponding V on the other side, right up by the cast-off edge. And then back across the other side, going in where you came out, and under the next V....

And so forth. When seaming purl stitches, the v is still there, it’s just hiding a little bit. Stretch the fabric out to see the V's.

Pull snug as you work. When you get to the end, weave in your ends.

Don't forget that you've got a chance to win a copy of Kate's book, Beyond Knit and Purl. Just leave a comment on the giveaway post for your chance to win.

Thanks for your kind comments on my shamelessly repeated 2012 craft resolutions last week. It's so nice to know I'm not the only one who didn't quite hit the mark last year and would like to pretend 2011 never happened.

One comment in particular grabbed my attention.

Wanda mentioned tackling some items on her knitting bucket list. She's already finished one item – boom! done! – and is steadily working her way through the projects she's always wanted to tackle.

When I read that, I realized I don't have a craft bucket list. I think it's a great thing to have – it's an excellent way to set your sights on projects that are challenging and inspiring. These are the projects you'd try if you won the lottery and could do anything you pleased with your time. Not that I...um...think about that all the time or anything.

So, without further ado, here are the dream projects I need to get done in this lifetime.

1. Dear Jane quilt. This is the most enormous, involved quilting project I could imagine, besides #2 on my bucket list.

Photo, twiddletails @ Flickr

2. Baltimore album quilt. I love appliqué, so this is a natural on my list. I'm pretty sure I'd have to quit doing anything other than appliqué for years to get one done.

Photo, mm_berndt @ Flickr

3. Granny square afghan. I remember these afghans on my grandmother's and my aunt's couches back in the '70s. I'd make mine with dove grey backgrounds and vibrant centres.

Photo, MissMessie @ Flickr

4. Irish fisherman's cardigan. My mom had a beautiful one of these sweaters. It was made from the warmest, most bulletproof cream-coloured wool I've ever seen. I love the challenge of using all those different stitch patterns in one garment.

Photo, siobhanmc @ Flickr

So now that you've seen some of the things I'd like to make, what's on your list? Share your project links in the comments below!

Happy New Year, friends!

You won't hear this girl vowing to eat less and exercise more any time soon (I mean, my desk is just 12 steps away from the Test Kitchen!).

However, I do love the opportunity that the new year gives us to reflect on the year past and make plans for the year to come. For me, it's not about making hard-and-fast rules, but more about realigning my plans to fit my interests and ambitions – and, hopefully, encouraging myself to learn and grow.

Here are my 2011 crafty resolutions.

1. Craft with intention.

I live in a small space and try to keep to a realistic budget, which means I don't necessarily have the room (or the money) to make things just for the sake of, well, making things. This year, when I'm inspired to rush out and buy supplies for a new craft project, I'm going to ask myself:

• Is it beautiful or useful?
• Will I actually wear it/use it/look at it with pride?
• Is this something I'm going to resent having to dust (or hand-wash) in two months' time?

2. Use what I have.

Just before Christmas, driven by who-knows-what urge, I dumped out part of my yarn stash, lined it up on my coffee table, and took this photo:

Good grief! For the next year, when I want to cast on for a pair of socks, a shawl, a hat or any other single-skein project, I have to go "shopping" at home. And the same goes for sewing projects: no new fabric comes in until some of it departs – in a form other than that of a neatly folded fat quarter.

3. Do more to celebrate Canadian talent

Canada is home to a whole bunch of seriously talented knitters, sewists, crafters, designers, yarn-dyers and pattern-writers, some of whom I'm lucky enough to know personally, and many of whom I'd love to meet.

So, 2012 will be the year I make an effort to connect with more of Canada's talented makers and do-ers, and to support them by shopping at their stores, buying their books, yarns and patterns, and wearing Canadian designs with pride. (Know a great Canadian crafter you think I should know about? Please, introduce me!)

4. Try something new.

OK, so 2011 was the year I learned I'm not going to convert into a full-time moccasin maker or a talented jewelry artist. (One pair of shoes was enough!)

But just because I intend to stick to knitting and sewing  doesn't mean I can't learn a new skill. Maybe it's time to tackle a cathedral windows quilt or try making some Estonian-inspired lace (nupps, anyone)?

Then again, maybe this is the year I'll finally break down and buy that Cricket loom...

5. Resuscitate my sewing machine.

It's been months since I used my sewing machine – and that's no good! Last week (well before I made resolution #2, mind you) I pre-ordered a fat quarter bundle of Free Market Fancy (it's being re-released in March). I'm going to make a quilt and I can't wait!

Tune in tomorrow to find out what resolutions Lisa made for 2012, and on Thursday to see what Tina's planned for the year. Then get ready to share your resolutions with us on Friday (we've got a great prize to give away to one lucky commenter!).

There's a certain beautiful synergy between knitting and nerd culture. I think it's because knitters tend to be a little...well...obsessive – just like people who adore Star Trek, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, obscure Japanese manga, etc. And believe me, I know what of I speak.

How exciting that there's finally going to be a book that celebrates both cultures – and gives you something to wear to your next Harry Potter convention, Dr. Who viewing party or Firefly panel at Comic-Con.

Knits for Nerds by Joan of Dark (a.k.a. Toni Carr)

Knits for Nerds (Andrews McMeel, Feb. 12, 2012, $20) by Joan of Dark (a.k.a. Toni Carr) contains 33 projects taken from three different categories of geekdom – fantasy, science fiction, comics and manga – and mixes in a few other projects for good measure.

Carr has included a number of her own projects and rounded up a bunch of others from fellow knitters, including her mother, a science fiction writer who knits her own roller derby costumes. (Actually, Carr has followed in her mother's skate tracks and also written Knockdown Knits, a book of patterns for chic derbywear that's already on the market.)

The book is also peppered with bits of deliciously nerdy trivia. (Did you know that Trekkies actually prefer to be called Trekkers?) And the intro to each project tells you a little about where the inspiration came from – and might set you on the road toward a new obsession.

My 5 Favourite Projects from the Book

• Baby Elf Beanie – an adorable horned chapeau for your favourite tiny fantasy fan
• Horrible Gloves – buttoned-up long fingerless gloves that honour Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
• Space Princess Hats – for when you just need a set of Princess Leia buns to complement your outfit
• Aim to Misbehave Brown Jacket – a rebellious extra-long cardigan that's perfect for Firefly fans (like me)
• Big Bang Guy's Sweater Vest – if you love Raj's sartorial splendour on The Big Bang Theory, you'll need to knit one of these

Do you have a nerdy passion you want to share with the world? Leave a comment on this post, telling me about your nerdy passion, by 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, December 6, 2011. If your entry is drawn randomly, I'll send you a copy of Knits for Nerds, which isn't in bookstores until February 12, 2012!

Drop back in next Thursday, December 8, 2011, to find out who won. Good luck!

Tee hee! I think I've got a case of the five o'clock giggles, because I am busting a gut over these tiny faux mustaches to knit. They're perfect for anyone in your life who couldn't quite get it together enough to grow a mustache for Movember – or, you know, for using as a disguise when you cut out of work early to watch a matinee of the new Muppets movie. Whatever. Go on, have a look!

Hi friends,

Time is flying – can it really be more than a month since the great annual migration of knitters to the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival (a.k.a. Rhinebeck)? It's one of the most popular fibre festivals in North America – and here's a postcard from Alli, who made the trip with four fellow fibre-enthusiasts. Enjoy!

I want to tell you all about our girls’ road trip to Rhinebeck. Oh, what a day…

We’d been told it was a little overwhelming, and wow – no kidding! The fairgrounds were quite extensive, even without a midway, and there was just a huge crush of people and vendors everywhere. It was hard to know where to start.

The Fold is just one of the hugely popular booths at Rhinebeck.

We also saw goats (no idea if they were cashmere ones) and angora bunnies!

The exciting part of the day for me was the Ravelry meet-up. There, Ravelers gathered to put faces to names that they’d only seen on the internet, or reuniting after meeting at other festivals and Rhinebecks past. I met these fab girls, Adie and Zoe who have a blog called Knitting A to Z, and managed not to go all fan-girl on Ysolda Teague, whose designs are among some of my favourites. And of course everyone was checking out everyone else’s handknits!

The Ravelry meet-up!

Adie and Zoe, the Knitting A to Z girls.

Squee! Meeting  Ysolda.

We had planned on finding a spot to knit at the end of the day, but after seeing more yarn and fibre stuff than you can spin a wheel at, we were pooped but pretty pleased with ourselves.

Alli, Karen, Esther, Blythe and Lara wrap up Rhinebeck.

After all the shopping (and a BBQ feast at Max's Memphis), we had a pajama party so we could show off our new stash and share stories from the day – all while continuing to knit, of course. Fabulous yarn finds of the day? Alpaca all around, as well as a nice qiviut and silk blend for me – it's so soft! Lara even scored a gorgeous blown-glass crochet hook.

Our trip puts October 2011 right up there in top echelon of some of our best SnB get togethers. In fact, I have no idea how we’re going to out-do it.

PS – Of course I had a special Rhinebeck knit to wear. I started the day by finishing the waistband of my Rhinebeck skirt – about half an hour before we left for the fairgrounds (good thing it fit!). Read all about it – and see photos – right here. (And find the pattern right here.)

Have you been on an awesome fibre-filled field trip you'd like to share? Leave a comment and tell us all about it!

Hi friends,

Don't look now, but I finished that stole – just in the nick of time. I was up until 1 am, carefully threading blocking wires through the borders and pinning, pinning, pinning.

It's a lot of work (especially in the wee small hours of the morning), but it's totally worth it. I love the way the stitch definition smoothes out, and the ruler straight borders are nice, too.

This was a super-satisfying knit. I struggle with shawls – there's something about typical triangular shawls, with their ceaseless increases, that makes me feel like I'm never ever going to finish knitting. Indeed, I've got about three half-knit shawls abandoned on my coffee table right now.

The rectangular stole, on the other hand, is a different story. The stitch count stays the same and the pattern repeats take on a pleasing rhythm; they're a pleasure to knit. And stoles can be used as everyday scarves or as fancy-occasion wraps, so they're ultra versatile, too.

Here are five cosy stoles that would make perfect fall/winter accessories:

• The Fairview Scarf from Tanis Fiber Arts (in TFA Red Label)
• Gateway, by Canadian Living contributor Glenna C. (in Ultra Alpaca)
• The classic Clapotis from Knitty
• Topiary, from Brooklyn Tweed (in Shelter)
• Stonecrop, also from Brooklyn Tweed (in Loft)

So many great knits, so little time (and only two hands)! Do you have a favourite scarf, stole or shawl pattern?

Hi friends,

Turns out that Margaret Atwood isn't just a writer, poet, Canadian cultural icon and library-saver: she's also a knitter. (Of course she is: that just makes her more awesome.) Check out this article (or this one) about the knitted great auk she contributed to an exhibition called Ghosts of Gone Birds. Neat!

And if you'd like to hear an interview with the great lady herself, she was interviewed on CBC's As It Happens last night. Click through and scroll down to listen to her interview – it's in the second hour of the show.

(Don't you think she'd be a hoot at a stitch'n'bitch? I sure do! Ms. Atwood, consider yourself invited.)