Snapshots from Squam

It was so lovely to be back at Squam Lake. As always, it was a wonderful weekend of creativity and community.

Yuletide Greetings

The knitting needles and dye pots are still going non-stop on this end. I found the perfect holiday cards, and I'm trying to do my part to spread good wool to the people in my life. Now back to knitting, I have a few more things to make by Friday! Happy solstice everyone!

Hat: The Conversationalist
Socks: Wintersmith Socks

Pattern: Teeny Tiny Mitts Ornament

I had to whip up a little gift for a handmade swap and came up with this adorable little ornament.

Gather up your sock yarn scraps!

Materials:

• US1 or US2 double-pointed needles (gauge is not important)
• Scraps of sock weight yarn (shown here: Toil & Trouble Classic in Persephone)
• Darning needle

Abbreviations:

• K: Knit
• P: Purl
• PM: Place marker
• SM: Slip marker

Leaving a long tail (we will use it at the end), cast on 18 stitches, distributing 6 stitches onto three needles, and join in the round.

Rounds 1-5: *K1, P1, repeat from * to end

Round 6: K all

Round 7: K8, PM, M1R, K2, M1L, PM, K to end (increased 2 stitches)

Round 8: K all

Round 9: K to M, SM, M1R, K to M, M1L, SM, K to end (increased 2 stitches)

Round 10: K all

Round 11: K to M. Remove marker and slip next 6 stitches onto scrap yarn. Cast on 2 stitches to close the thumb, K to end.

Round 12-21: K all

Round 22: SSK, K5, K2tog, SSK, K5, K2tog (decreased 4 stitches)
Round 23: SSK, K3, K2tog, SSK, K3, K2tog (decreased 4 stitches)
Round 24: SSK, K1, K2tog, SSK, K1, K2tog (decreased 4 stitches)

Cut your working yarn leaving a tail. Using a darning needle, weave the yarn through the live stitches and pull tight. Pull the yarn to the inside of the mitten and secure. 

Thumb:

Place live stitches onto needles. 

Round 1: Pick up and knit 2 stitches at the base of the thumb, then knit to the end of the round.

Round 2-4: K all

Round 5: *K2tog, repeat from * to end

Cut your working yarn leaving a tail. Using a darning needle, weave the yarn through the live stitches and pull tight. Pull the yarn to the inside of the mitten and secure. 

Weave in all ends except for the cast on tail. Fold the tail in half and secure it, so you can use it to hang your ornament.Enjoy!

A New Kit & Catching Up

The last three weeks have been a complete whirlwind. I teamed up with Meghan, the lovely fellow Salem knitter behind New England Knitting, to bring you the Micalet Hat Kit. Read about the inspiration behind this design on her blog, and grab a kit on my website!

I had two trunk shows, one at Mind's Eye Yarns, and one down on Cape Cod at Sage Yarn, where I also taught Portuguese Knitting. Now I am getting a little bit of a breather before the next big, and currently secret, project. I did also celebrate my birthday in the midst of the chaos of constant dyeing. After admiring Oh, Albatross' beautiful handsewn creatures for months, I treated myself to a gorgeous little fox.

I also received some lovely gifts from the enablers in my life: great books on spinning from Nate, and handspun silk from Boston Knitter. I am still looking for the perfect shawl pattern so I can show off this pretty yarn!

A new canvas

Just like that, September is here! September always comes with a rush of activity. In less than two weeks, Harriet Goodall, an amazing Australian basket weaver will be here in Salem, teaching at Circle of Stitches. To help prep for her class, I am trying my hand at dyeing rattan, or vine cane. My first try was this soft sea green color. It's very different from dyeing wool!

The week after Harriet's class is the Greater Boston Yarn Crawl! I'll be hosting a trunk show at Mind's Eye Yarns in Cambridge on Saturday, September 19th. I am busily dyeing some favorites and working on new colorways, so I hope you'll come visit!

Pattern Review: Freesia Shawl

Pattern: Freesia by JumperCablesKnitting
Yarn: Toil & Trouble Single Sock in Wine Harvest

Just under three weeks and my shawl is done! Ok, 99% done. The knitting is done, the yarn ends are hidden, and soon as my Boardwalk is done blocking, this shawl will be getting a good soak and block. This pattern is knit on the bias, so you can make it as big as your yardage permits. The increases happen almost every row so you end up with a deep point, which I prefer. This shawl will definitely need to be blocked to get the eyelet detail to show better and even out the warping.

I love using this single-ply sock weight yarn because it knits into a very soft and fluffy fabric, which makes for very cozy neckwear. I can't wait to wear it in the fall! Are you making one too as part of the Freesia KAL? Show us your progress in the forum thread!

Up next? My Whispers KAL starts this Friday. I've got my gauge swatch going so right on track so far! If you want to join, you can find more info in my Ravelry group.

A Gentle Rant About Knitting

A while ago, my friend Liz of Made in Lowell posted Paying for Handmade: A Gentle Rant. Her post has generated a wonderful discussion on the value of handmade. I wanted to take some time to discuss the value of a more specific niche of handmade: knitting.

Knitting is often looked down on as a craft. It's true. Whenever I participate in a craft show, it seems to be the craft that people look down on the most - it's the craft that everyone thinks they can do. In reality, anyone can do any craft - knitting, sewing, jewelry making, pottery, etc. It just takes knowledge and practice. But because knitting is a common pastime, there's this notion that knitted goods have no value.

I often get people coming up to my table and saying things like, "this is easy-peasy" and openly asking me how I made something so they can replicate it. At my last craft show, a woman approached me. "Excuse me, can you tell me what needle size you used for this?" I braced myself. "Actually, I'm sorry but I don't provide pattern information." She stared at me blankly for about a minute, expecting me to say something else. Then she finally said, "you really mean that?" "Yes. I worked hard to design all of these." She left without another word.

So I feel like I have to put this out there: Knitting is not easy. A lot of people knit. Fewer people knit well. Even fewer people have enough understanding about the structure and mathematics of knitting, and are able to make their own designs.

I am a knitting teacher, and people routinely sign up for classes that are too advanced for their skill level - "I figured knitting is knitting!" they say to me, as they realize they won't be able to execute the project. I have had several people with zero knowledge of knitting sign up for my intermediate level class on fingerless mittens - and be completely shocked when they spend a full hour just learning how to cast on stitches. They rarely make it past the ribbed cuff, being completely baffled by the alternating stitches. This is because: knitting is not easy. It's not something everybody does. It's not something you learn in five minutes. It's not something without value.

Knitwear makers work hard on their craft - they spend days designing pieces, making swatches and samples, and refining the design. They work very hard to find a good balance between complexity and time to produce to create affordable goods. Knitting is not a fast craft, even if you're a fast knitter. But people are shocked to not be paying $10 for something it takes us hours to make - because there is a widespread notion about the lack of value of knitting. But I'm sure very few people out there want to be paid $2 an hour.

And something else to think about - J. Crew charges more for most of their machine-made knitted goods than I do for my hand-knitted goods. Please don't expect Walmart prices from me.

Next time you examine an artisan's work, I urge you to think carefully about the skills and time that it took. Please don't undervalue and undermine handmade.

Sweater Situation

Well, I guess it's time to talk about the sweater situation. I've had this Breezy Sweater by Hannah Fetig on my needles for a few weeks and was making good time - until I had yardage problems again. This is my second sweater with Araucania Huasco sock yarn (the first was my Folded Sweater), and I've run out of yarn with both when I should have had plenty. My gauge was right both times, and the patterns are by different designers, so I don't think it's a pattern issue.

Araucania doesn't have dye lots anyway, so I ordered an extra skein. It doesn't match. In the photo above, the sleeve cuffs are done in the extra skein, and it's very different from the ribbing at the bottom of the sweater. Much more neon, and it doesn't have the soft peachy tones. So I emailed Webs and after a lot of back and forth, we figure out that Araucania has changed this colorway and I am pretty much never getting a match (grrrrrr). Conclusion: I picked a contrast color and am waiting for the yarn to arrive. I am majorly displeased. I have one more sweater's worth of Araucania in my stash, and then I don't think I will be purchasing from them anymore.

While I am waiting, I finally started that Blank Canvas Sweater I mentioned back in March. It's the perfect project to test out my new DK weight yarn, and I'm really enjoying these colors together.

What are you working on? Have you worked with Araucania, and have you had any yardage issues?

Cocktails with Colette

Another weekend come and gone in the whirlwind of "too much to get done." On Friday night, I was up until almost 3 am between packing yarn and working on my Laurel shirt for Cocktails with Colette. I somehow managed to get everything done, and met up with Karissa and Lucinda for a lovely Saturday night.

Here are the three of us with Sarai, the owner and designer of Colette, sporting her own Laurel dress. She was incredibly sweet and friendly, and I was delighted to discover she is also a knitter! The best part? When I went up to introduce myself, Sarai looked at my shirt and said, "That's so meta!" I was so happy that she totally got it!

I came home with a signed copy of The Colette Sewing Handbook, and enough fabric for another Laurel shirt, a polka-dotted Crepe dress, and a Negroni shirt for Nate. Perhaps a tad over-ambitious, but I've started reading the book and it is full of great tutorials with step-by-step pictures so I am feeling confident.

You may have also noticed another book in the photos - I just received my copy of Amy Herzog's brand new book, Knit to Flatter. She taught a class at my local yarn store recently but I had a scheduling conflict, so I am excited to at least have her book. I haven't looked through it yet, but I will report back!

The weekend came to a very quick end with very little progress on the "get some sleep" front, but it was well worth it. How did you spend your weekend?

Group photo borrowed from Coletterie. Click through for more photos of the event!

Colette is coming to town

My discovery of indie yarn dyers and knitting pattern designers was a slow one. I spent most of my life being an "isolated crafter" - I didn't know other makers so I made do on my own, with cheap materials, mainstream books, and not much information. When I did finally discover that indie companies existed, I immediately fell in love. I am only a beginning sewer, but I knew that if I loved the indie knitting movement, the indie sewing movement was the only direction I could go in. I skipped over the Joann discount bins of fabrics and patterns, and jumped right into designer fabrics and independent pattern designers. Where am I going with this?

Well, Colette Patterns is coming to town. Sarai, the founder and designer of Colette, will be hosting their Boston Spring Party at Grey's Fabric on April 6th. Not only do we get to meet this amazing designer, but Grey's Fabric is offering 15% off everything in store, and 20% off if you wear something made from a Collete pattern. My original plan was to make the Crepe dress, pictured above, but then I remembered I am a very slow sewer and I have that whole "get some sleep in April" plan. So I am making a Laurel blouse instead. It has no zippers, which makes me feel like I can pull this off in time. I ordered my pattern and fabric, and am anxiously waiting for them to arrive. Are you coming, and if so, what are you making?

Who are some of your favorite indie designers, both for knitting and sewing patterns? I love discovering new designers!

Images borrowed from Colette

PJs and Sweaters

This has been such a busy month, with so much yarn-making and very little sleep. I am furiously dyeing yarn to ship off to a store in Japan, and more to go to a couple of new stores in Rhode Island and Georgia. I am telling myself maybe I will get to sleep in April. This frantic pace has left my brain quite fried, and I keep forgetting to share things, like the pajama pants class I took.

I can't believe it was already so long ago, but at the end of February I took a class on how to sew pajama pants at Gather Here. I wanted to make something for Nate, and an excuse to use Lizzy House's Constellations fabric. The plan was to make pants for Nate in class and matching ones for myself later, but the pair I made weren't quite baggy enough for him. So I kept the dark blue ones for myself, and am currently making some for him with the black constellations I got at Grey's Fabric. What I am most excited about? Having both pairs finished and making him pose for pj pant photos with me! Coincidentally, this is Nate's least favorite part.

I finally finished my cursed Folded sweater. It still needs a light blocking to even out the crinkly yarn from the frogging, but it fits and it's cute. I had some issued with yardage, but I'll tell you all about that when I have proper finished photos.

Speaking of sweaters, those swatches are in my new Merino/Cashmere/Nylon DK yarn (Wine Harvest colorway) and for a class with Ysolda. As a Christmas gift, my mom got me a spot in the Your Perfect Sweater online class. The class is fantastic, though I admit I am way behind on the lessons. In April, I will continue to overbook myself sleep and actually make this awesome sweater.

All the fiber

The North Shore Yarn Crawl is come and gone. My trunk show on Saturday was AMAZING! It's so wonderful to meet customers in person and talk about what they're making. At the end of the day I was almost out of yarn, and filled with so much joy from the outpouring of love and support I received from everyone. I am super bummed I forgot my camera at home and got no pictures of all the amazing projects people brought in to show me.

I did manage to sneak in a bit of a shop update so I can share some of the brand new colorways with you non-locals. Even though you didn't get to join in the Yarn Crawl fun, you can still see some of the pretties that debuted this weekend!

I stole some Hecate from my inventory to make myself a new Hitchhiker, which I've been using to neglect Nate's socks. They're almost done though! We have another snow storm predicted for tonight, so it's still cold enough for him to wear them.

I also finally snapped some photos of my haul from last weekend's fabric shopping. I got some Constellation fabric by Lizzie House in black to make pajama pants for Nate, and some tape measure fabric to make into a skirt for myself. I'll be using the Sewaholic Hollyburn Skirt pattern.

After trying Lucinda's fancy Gingher fabric scissors, I couldn't bring myself to use my crummy generic fabric scissors anymore. I treated myself to some nice Inspira shears (by Pfaff), and some seriously overdue pinking shears. Lastly, I bought The Negroni men's shirt pattern to make for Nate. It's kind of like a peace offering to make up for my splurging.

How did you spend your weekend?

Cross your fingers for no snow storm!

A Day on the Town

After such a difficult week and an unexpected snowstorm on Friday, when Saturday rolled around I wanted to treat myself to a nice day - one filled with simple yet happy things. So I drove into Boston to meet up with Lucinda of Sew Wrong.

We headed to South Boston, where we walked through some serious slush to get to KO Catering and Pies. They are a small place specializing in Australian-inspired food with a focus on savory meat pies. It was my first time there, and I will definitely be back!

We then walked off our pies by wandering over to Grey's Fabric and Notions. I only make it there a couple of times a year, but it's one of my favorite stores. The owner, Sarah, is super friendly and helpful (she showed me how to sew a zipper on the spot!). My favorite part is the wall of sewing patterns. Sarah has them all displayed on ledge shelving, which makes it super easy to browse her selection, and very difficult to walk away without buying one.

After fabric shopping, we wandered through the Mohr & McPherson showroom. This place makes me wish to win the lottery and refurnish my whole house. Even though I bought a lot of fabric, I didn't buy an awesome green $900 arm chair. So really, I actually saved money, right?

How did you spend your weekend?

Lucinda posted a great and detailed review of Grey's Fabric on her blog.

A Weekend of Making

The snow held off until Sunday this weekend, so I was able to host a couple of lovely ladies for a Saturday of sewing. Lucinda of SewWrong and Karissa of Kitty Kitty Crafts brought over their sewing machines, and we talked, sewed, and snacked. It was fantastic, and I actually managed to start and finish a whole project. I need to iron it and cut off some stray threads, but I'll be sharing pictures soon!

I had been wanting to bake some goodies for a while, so I took the opportunity to make snacks for our meetup. I baked some Irish scones, which we ate with strawberry jam, and two loaves of French bread, which came out surprisingly big.

It was a really nice break from my regular routine, I can't wait for the next sewing meetup! Sunday it was back to the dye pots and knitting needles. How did you spend your weekend?

Collecting Makers

I am tantalizingly close to finishing my cardigan. Both sleeves are done, and most of the body. I totally would have finished it during the snow storm if something else hadn't been eating away at my brain - a maddening desire to clean. I've been feeling a little Thoreau-esque these days, with "Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!" echo-ing in my head. Don't get me wrong, I am not about to run off all into-the-wild style, but I am finding myself craving simplicity and order. I am feeling cluttered, and I've resolved to only surround myself with things I truly enjoy.

Baby Yeti by Zooguu / Mobile by Salty and Sweet

The other day, I read some advice on re-organizing and purging. I can't remember where, but the author said something that now seems so obvious: when trying to decide if you should keep an object, ask yourself if you would buy it right now if you didn't own it. If the answer is no, don't keep it. Maybe it's a bit of an extreme approach, but I am finding it very liberating and effective to look at things this way. I know when I am done, I will be able to look at my home and know that everything in it really belongs there. I've been running around our house furiously bagging and boxing and purging, and leaving only the things I truly love.

Letterpress Art Print by Letter & Lark / Prints by Paper Taxi

This process has really solidified my love of handmade. As I pick what to keep and what to purge, I realize how much I appreciate the handmade objects in my home - for their creativity, their beauty, their craftsmanship, and their humanity. I am delighted to look around my home and see the work of so many makers. These photos are a little peek at some of my wonderful handmade goodies.

I've also realized how many projects still need to get done in this house, which is both daunting and exciting - I'll have lots of projects to share on here! What are you working on this spring?

Snowy Sweater Weather

Winter is showing no signs of easing up around here, and the snow keeps coming. I like to use this as an excuse to justify my anti-social, knit-centric behavior, but let's be honest: I do that even when it's warm outside. Last month I signed up for the June 2013 Squam retreat, so I am using this as a deadline to have at least two hand-knit garments finished.

While on vacation, I started this Featherweight Cardigan in my Falkland Merino sock yarn (colorway Beneath the Olive Trees). I am making it longer than the original pattern. My father incredulously asked, "is it normal to start a new project before finishing the previous one?" Oh, sweet, naive man, so far removed from the idiosyncrasies of the knitting world. I am alternating between this project and my poor, long-suffering Folded Sweater from last year.

I finished both sleeves, realized one was 1/4" wider than the other, and frogged it. I've now got two matching sleeves, and I'm ready to get into the yoke. I might just finish this sweater after all.

Wishing you a happy solstice

Happy winter solstice, friends. May you spend the holiday surrounded by loved ones and happiness.

There has been so much tragedy in the world in the last two weeks and I've struggled with what to say about it on here. The truth is, I don't have anything to say that hasn't been said already. All I can say is that I hope we can take this holiday season to appreciate who and what we have, and to be kinder to one another.

Last weekend was the 12th Annual Bazaar Bizarre, and it was truly one of the most amazing experiences I've had. I am so thankful to the amazing organizers, my incredibly kind fellow vendors, and all the wonderful people who came out to support us. I didn't manage to take any photos, but luckily there was a photographer!

Me and a customer about to sneeze / The lovely Kim / Laura and her fabulous vegan handbags / Karissa manning the Merriweather Council booth / Crafty rockstar Liz

All photos by Hank Hauptmann

New Book: Knitbot Essentials

I recently filled up my Gather Here frequent maker card, which then becomes a $25 gift card to the shop! My favorite thing to treat myself to is new pattern books, and this time I went for Knitbot Essentials. I fell in love with the simple, wearable designs and the focus on drape. Every pattern in this book calls for needles larger than generally recommended for each yarn weight, creating lovely, drapey fabric. I am busy knitting away for Bazaar Bizarre right now, but I am planning on packing this book for my vacation knitting in January. I've even picked out specific patterns and yarn, so I can make myself some pretties!

Top: Trail Jacket, yarn is Toil & Trouble Merino/Cashmere/Nylon Bulky in Melisandre (Fall 2012 Yarn Club colorway, available to the public in January)

Bottom: Lightweight Pullover, yarn is Toil & Trouble Merino/Nylon Sock in Hecate

I can't wait! Do you like to take crafty projects with you on vacation?