Girl With a Glue Gun

To zip or not to zip?

To zip or not to zip, that is the question.  Functional and fashionable, zippers have been popping up everywhere.  And not just zippers...I mean ZIPPERS!

A couple of weeks ago I was playing around with a lace pattern and turned it into a simple (but very cute) cowl.  When it was finished, I had an idea of how even-cuter it would look with a metal zipper.  So I developed a pattern which I call To Zip or Not to Zip - a Cowl with Options.  Both versions are quick knits which would be perfect for yourself (think wonderful color to brighten up a neutral coat) or to give as a gift.  The holidays will be here before you know it and this adorable cowl could become your "go to" gift for lucky recipients. 

I'll be posting the pattern soon.  Be sure to check back!

Twigs and Willows and zippers

Stuff I'm working on right now: a variation of a chevron lace pattern in a fall-inspired cowl. Hope to post a finished picture soon. My next one ( or the "variation of the variation") may include an industrial type zipper. Love the look of unexpected hardware zippers!

In addition to working on my own original designs for legwarmers, cowls, gloves and other small-sized projects, I feel the need to get cracking on a fall sweater for moi!  Lately I've been a big fan of botanical motifs and the color green and plan to combine both when I knit the sweater Twigs and Willows by Alana Dakos in her book Botanical Knits.



Brae Tweed by Knit One Crochet Too.
 A pale silvery green with flecks of neutral tweed.



 

Twigs and Willows by Alan Dakos

A guaranteed smile....

In Rotterdam a woman has been knitting sweaters since 1955. More than 550, in fact, all lovingly tucked away in her home. Recently she was honored with one of the happiest, most colorful flashmobs! Every sweater you see was knit by her.

The big make-under

In the next few weeks I will be moving from Michigan back to my townhouse in the Chicago area (long story, some other time).  I absolutely love my townhouse and over the 10+ years I've owned it  I decorated every square inch with bold color, faux finishes, antiques, treasures brought back from trips around the world, and basically anything else I could think of.  I never thought I'd tire of its bold, over-the-top look. The picture you see is before the move to Michigan (where the furniture now resides) and before the renter.  Well, times and tastes have changed and I'm seriously ready for a make-under.

 

And this picture is only the beginning. I have a red kitchen with a metallic gold ceiling, black trim, and antique Chinese screens.  Old kitchen appliances need to be replaced.  A worn-looking kitchen table needs to be replaced with a more modern kitchen island.  Cabinets need to be replaced or resurfaced. Bedrooms and bathrooms need to be toned down and softened. The list goes on and on

 

The plan is for light walls, dark stained floors, and mid-century modern furniture and accents. Room & Board is my inspiration.  Right now I'm trying to find the perfect color palette paint colors and I stumbled into a neat website called Design Seeds.  You can search color palettes by theme or by creating your own color based on an RGB sliding scale. 

I know that I want greys/neutrals on my walls and furniture and use pops of color as accents.  Here is a palette that I like:

Does anyone have the perfect grey?  If you do, please let me know.  I'll be documenting the transformation as it happens.

A handy tip for swatching

Every now and then, and mostly in between projects, I just feel like playing with yarn.  Right now I'm having fun exploring lace stitch patterns and making variations to use in some original designs I'm thinking about.  My inspiration for rethinking lace came from an article by Deborah Newton  in the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave magazine in which she shows how she takes a basic unit of lace and graphs it into variations.  She does an amazing job of visually breaking down the complexity of a pattern and showing the endless possibilities and combinations you can create.

So, with her article as my guide, I devised a simple variation of diagonal chevron lace by adding 2 garter stitches in between the 6 stitch repeat, and it gave a very different look to the pattern!  Here's my swatch:

This swatch was made from Shepherd's Wool (Stonehedge Mills) color raspberry on US size 8 needles.  Have you ever swatched, blocked, and then forgotten to write down the size needles you used?  Here's a tip I learned at my LYS.  Put small knots in the tail of your yarn - one for each needle size you used.  In other words, I used size 8 needles so I put 8 small knots in the tail of the yarn.  That way I always have a handy-dandy reminder! 



Note the 8 little knots - I circled one for easy reference!

Honey (the sweater)

Just finished my latest sweater and I'm loving it!  Pattern:  Lily, by Lene Holme Samsoe from Essentially Feminine Knits. Yarn:  Lark by Quince & Co.  What I love about the pattern:  the garter stitch is so fresh and popular right now, but the botanical motif around the yoke is what really makes it special.  The yarn comes in some wonderful colors and is a pleasure to knit - not at all splitty and can be ripped out without visible damage. The color I chose is Honey.  I particularly like the way earth tones and botanical motifs complement each other.