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.

 

Free Chevron Lace Boot Topper Pattern!

It's never too early to start thinking about fall fashion. Get your stash out and try this easy pattern for chic little boot toppers. You'll love wearing them over leggings or skinny jeans and your favorite boots when the weather turns chilly!  Let me know if you like the pattern, and if you do, post a picture.  I'll have another free pattern download to the first 5 who post a picture of their completed Chevron Lace Boot Toppers to my blog!  download now

 

The thrill of the kill

A cat is a cat is a cat....NOT!  I'm finding that my new cat, Honey, is nothing like any of the others I've had the privilege of being owned by.  Though an indoor only cat, she appears to have a very strong predatory sense and at least once a day she likes to stalk and "kill" her toy mice.  The funny thing is after the kill, she gingerly places them in her food dish.  Beware, toy mice....beware!



Toy mice before

Toy mice after

Sunny Fourth of July

Went to Holland State Park, MI to snap some pictures of historic Big Red, Michigan's most photographed lighthouse.  It is very picturesque.

 

 



It was also a great day to finish the sweater photo shoot that we began earlier in the week, so here are a few more of my FO's.  Couldn't resist a few garden shots, too.



Lettuce by Wendy Bernard (with lots of mods)



Lion Neck by Wendy Bernard



Another Mr. Greenjeans by Amy Swenson



Uptown Poncho



Lace detail from poncho



Summer ribbed sweater

Wild raspberries from garden

Coming soon...a free Chevron Lace Boot Topper Pattern for you!

I'm anxious to share with all of you a free pattern I designed for  a pair of boot toppers to accessorize your cutest pair of boots.  The stitch pattern is called Chevron Lace, and offers just enough urban chic as it peeks out a couple of inches above your boots.  I knit mine in Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Mills - a gorgeous merino wool.  You will love the luxurious feeling of the yarn.  You can make the toppers in sizes small/medium or medium/large.

 

I'm thinking this sweater  woud look adorable
with skinny jeans,
boots and of coursel boot toppers.
 

Measurements and other adjustments are given based on your calf size.  Remember, these should fit snuggly around your calf.   Mine are about 11" long, although you can easily make them longer by knitting more rows of pattern repeat.  I like to wear mine with either my cowboy boots or with ankle boots, kinda slouched down a little.  You can knit them on DPNs, one or two circulars, or straight needles if you prefer and seam them. 

I'm hoping to have pictures soon and the pattern up and accessible as a PDF file very shortly.  Check back!

Picture Day

I am the world's worst when it comes to documenting my knitting projects.  I  rarely keep track of modifications, needle sizes, gauges...even the yarns that I use.  Sadly, I never bother taking pictures, either.  Well, it's about time I change the way I track my projects. These are some of my favorite undocumented sweaters.



Me displaying Nati by Lucy Hulett



Jordan tunic by Wendy Bernard knitted in Louet EuroFlax

Detail of Jordan

 

Day Trip Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle

Little Peacocks by Sarah Hoadley

Detail of Little Peacocks

Modern Garden by Veera Valimaki

Detail of Modern Garden

Featherweight by Hannah Fettig



Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie Nussbaum


 

 

 

Mr. Green Jeans by Amy Swenson

Loving lace

I've been a knitter for awhile, but I've always had a (somewhat) fear of knitting lace.  Lace - it's complicated and fragile, and I can almost feel all those little symbols on a chart egging me on...daring me to just try it.  And then me goofing it all up! Time has come to face my fears. I recently purchased Visual Encyclopedia: Knitting Stitches by Sharon Turner.  I'm sure there are many good stitch books out there but I like this one because stitches are grouped into categories (i.e., rib patterns, cable patterns, drop stitch, yarn overs, and lace), and gives both written instructions and charts.  Using this book as my guide, I've been working up samples in various patterns, and I'm finding that lately I'm loving lace. I'm hoping to incorporate some of my newly found knowledge and courage into a few designs.  I have both a cropped cardigan in mind and a pull-over that would strategically incorporate lace patterns in sleeves and necklines. 

I found an interesting website that might help demystify lace for you.  Stitch Maps is a new way of looking at lace with traditional symbols but without the grids.  This allows you to see the fluidity of a pattern and how the stitches relate to each other.  Take a look and let me know what you think.  http://stitch-maps.com/ 

 

Boot toppers and more boot toppers

 

 

These are my very own happy feet. Happy because I'm in my cowgirl boots and happy because I have my first two prototypes of boot toppers finished. These were knit using odds and ends of stash stuff. Changes I'll make:

• wear two of the same kind out in public :)   
• make the green one (fern stitch pattern) a couple of inches longer (hey, it was only a sample!). 
• I kind of like the length on the gold one (easily adjusted anyhow), but I'd possibly weave a thin leather strip through the eyelets (Leather and Lace?).
• Weave in the loopy end in the green one which is visible in the back.  Details, details.

I'm currently working on a pair in a beautiful worsted from Stonehedge Mills in yummy raspberry color flecked with a little bluish sheen. Stitch pattern is a chevron lace.  Will have picture posted soon. 

 

This fall I hope to open an online business selling my designs for quick-knit fashion wearables and high-quality merino yarn (made from organically raised sheep, hand spun and dyed in a variety of gorgeous colors, of course)and packaged in adorable reusable muslin bags.  Boot toppers will be the first collection, followed by fingerless gloves, cowls, scarves, etc. The boot toppers, which look great over skinny jeans or leggings, can be worn with a variety of boot heights - stretched higher on the calf over taller boots or scrunched down over ankle boots (which is one of my favorite looks). My kits are based on my observations that:

• There are a lot of DIYers out there who would like the perfect accessory.  (Oh, do you really like them??  I made them myself!!).  Particularly true if you'd like to highlight new and expensive boots!
• Sometimes you just want a small-but-satisfying knit that you can whip up quickly.
• Beginning knitters, at some point, get tired of making scarves and need to move on to the next level.
• Not everyone has the time to go to the LYS to pick out the perfect next little project.  I'll do it for you!
• The price point will be attractively small, but the fashion look will be big. 

Right now I'm having a lot of fun with my work, and I'm really cuing in on the colors and textures of summer and how they can be carried over into a fall wardrobe.  I'd love to hear any and all thoughts.  Thanks for visiting!

 

If I could knit the colors of summer...

 



I was so inspired by the colors at the Farmers' Market that I started playing around with some stitch patterns.  The green yarn (Chickadee by Quince & Co.) is knitted in fern stitch and looks much lacier when stretched out (as in the legwarmer that it will become).  The garnet (Shepherd's Wool worsted by Stonehedge Mills) is in a lace chevron stitch.  Love!



 

Color inspiration

The Farmers' Market in Holland, MI is open every Wednesday and Saturday morning from late spring until early fall.  In addition to getting freshly-picked produce and gorgeous flowering baskets, it's also a great source for color and texture inspiration for my knitting.

Right now, I'm crazy for just about any shade of green.  I'm working on a pair of boot toppers using Shepherd's Wool worsted merino in a great shade called Ivy.  I'm using a cable pattern called Sand Cables.  Cables are usually created on a background of purl stitches, but this pattern uses all stockinette with cables.  The cables flow from one to another, and the result looks somewhat like a highly-textures fabric (pictures TBA to be added)...beautiful!

Miss Honey meets yarn

The Yarn Bomber Herself

Hi, I'm Nancy, recently retired from a long (but wonderful) career as a high school librarian/administrator.  After taking a long hiatus from knitting, I'm back!  In fact, I am exploring several entrepreneurial options for a second career that would combine some simple designs and packaging them as kits with yarn and patterns.  A little background about my crafty side. Before I became a knitter, I learned to sew and developed my love of fabric and fashion from my mother. My favorite memory of my mom was the two of us sitting on our front porch on a hot summer night leafing through the big fall issue of Seventeen and planning my back-to-school wardrobe.  The planning was followed by a trip to Marshall Field's State Street Store in Chicago (back in the day they had a HUGE fabric department) to purchase the fabric that would turn my hopes to be stylish, cute, popular at school year into a reality.  Popularity was somewhat elusive, but I did learn to sew and years later (following bachelor's and master's degrees) I began a degree program in fashion design.  Sadly, the program went unfinished but I did learn a lot about construction and design, which has served me well as both sewer and knitter.

I digress.  Shortly after resurrecting my yarn and supplies, I adopted a cat, Miss Honey.  Don't they just all go together?  Librarian, cat, knitting.  Yish....I hope I'm not THAT stereotypical!  Honey is the second cat I've adopted from Catnap From the Heart, a suburban Chicago no-kill shelter whose mission I admire. Anyhow, first night on the job as My New Cat, Honey proceeded to attack - literally attack - my yarn!  Apparently she has a very strong predatory instinct and though I supply her with myriad furry little toy mice, she seems to prefer the allure of my yarn bag. I have to plan each knitting session carefully, hiding the ball of yarn behind a pillow.  Anything is fair game - tape measure, cable needle, dpns.  Heaven forbid nature calls and I get up leaving "the goods" unprotected. She has totally destroyed both yarn and the image of me knitting peacefully on the couch, wine glass poised on adjacent coffee table, TV providing white noise.  But honestly, I wouldn't trade Honey for anything!