Monthly Archives: March 2014

One gift to rule them all

Posted on by
20

Regular readers of this blog will recall the saga of Leah’s birthday present.  Well, it’s  finished!

13-img_8547.jpg

I made her a knitted pillow with the words from Tolkien’s ring (yes, the One RIng to Rule Them All) knitted in gold.  I finished the knitting in time for her birthday in December, but fretted about how to sew it to the fabric and how to do the finishing.  I am a pretty good knitter, but have little sewing experience.  I really didn’t want to wreck it.

04-img_8563.jpg

You can read all of the posts I wrote about this project here.  This was a big step for me in many ways.  I am pretty much a beginner at two-handed stranded knitting, so it was a leap of faith.  Also, it was my very first time steeking.  Bringing a pair of scissors to bear upon one’s knitting, especially a piece so special and time-consuming, is not for the faint of heart.  Having put so much effort into the project, I decided not to rush the sewing part, even if that meant Leah having to patiently wait a few more months.  I asked for suggestions on the blog and many of you were kind enough to reply.  The consensus was to find a professional to sew it for me.

11-IMG_8557

The only tailor I knew in the area was Sally Stevens, who runs a tailoring business out of her home in Berkshire.  Sally had done some work for me a number of years ago.  I called her and explained what I needed.  “Let me send you a link to my blog posts about this, so that you can have an idea of what I am looking for,”  I said.  The next day, I set off with the knitted piece and the fabric to take it to Sally.  I was a bit worried about whether I was doing the right thing.  What if she couldn’t envision what I wanted?

07-IMG_8573

When I got there she said “I was up past midnight last night reading your blog posts.  I think we need to sew the pillowcase out of a plain cotton fabric and then sew the knitted panel to it.  That will reinforce it so that you won’t need to use any facing.  Then, we can sew the fabric to that.”  The pillow would thus have an inner lining to give some structure to the piece.  She also suggested a long zipper along the back, instead of the alternatives of a side zipper or an envelope closing.  “Here,” Sally said “I’ve made you a sketch”:

08-IMG_8561

When I got home, Doug said “Do you think she gets it?” “Oh, yes,” I said.  “She’s going to to do this just right.”

09-IMG_8558

I don’t know how to say this without gushing.  I think this is absolutely the greatest thing I’ve ever knitted.  I love it!  It’s perfect!  I want to keep it!  (Just kidding, Leah.  Maybe.)  I think it’s the greatest birthday present ever.

01-IMG_8583

Every part of making this was fun, from conception through throwing it up into the air for the above photo.  Even the steek!  (At least, in retrospect.)  You can probably not help but notice that this pillow is huge.  It is defintiely not a standard size pillow.  I spent a long time searching for a pillow the right size to fit this case, and finally found one here.  This is a duck feather and down bolster pillow measuring 51x100cm (20″ x 39″).

10-IMG_8552

I love the fabric I chose for the back as much as I love the knitted panel.  They compliment each other so well.  (In one of the previous posts, see above link, I wrote about finding the fabric; it was a remnant so I have no details.)  See how it shines in the sun?  And the yellow yarn (Quince & Co Chickadee in Carrie’s yellow), while pale with slightly brownish  undertones on its own, gleams against the purple like burnished gold.  Leah is a Tolkien fan but also a medieval history fanatic and I love the way this project has a very medieval look to it.

02-IMG_8596Happy Belated Birthday, Leah!  I’m holding the pillow hostage until you come home to visit.

12-IMG_8545

Tour de bunting

Posted on by
2

I saw this article in the Guardian this morning and it made me smile.  Thus, I bring you a short and fast edition of Surfing the Knit.

Photo: Baa Ram Ewe

Photo: Baa Ram Ewe

Last November, Harrogate Borough Council asked members of the public to donate little knitted jumpers to make a bunting for the town’s hosting of the Tour de France.  According to the article, the idea was put forward by students at York University and the pattern for the bunting jumpers was designed by Baa Ram Ewe, a local yarn shop.  The Council were hoping for 3,000 mini-jumpers but have so far received 22,000.

I particularly liked this comment:  “and of course, there has been a significant amount of testing to see just how much rainwater they can take before they become too heavy for their supports.”

“Holy Viva, Batman!”

Posted on by
15

My friend Lizz defended her PhD dissertation yesterday.  In the UK, the defense is called a viva (short for viva voce, ‘living voice’ or oral exam).  In honour of this milestone event, I knitted her a present:

3-IMG_8323

Aren’t these mitts cool?  The pattern, called Fightin’ Words, is designed by Annie Watts.  You can find them here (along with lots of other cool designs) or on the Ravelry link here.  I first saw the pattern a few years ago and instantly decided that they were destined for Lizz when she finished her PhD.  As time passed, I had them continually in the back of my mind but always thought “Oh, I have lots of time to knit these up.”  Stupidly, even when she submitted the dissertation, I continued to procrastinate knowing that it can take awhile to schedule the actual exam.  And then, two weeks ago Lizz said to me “My viva has been scheduled; it’s two weeks from today!”  Eek!

4-IMG_8318

Luckily, I had the perfect yarn sitting at home.  This is Quince & Co Chickadee in Carrie’s Yellow and Frank’s Plum.  I think they look awesome together!  Both colours really pop in this design.  (Forgive the early morning, just rolled out of bed shot; I finished knitting these mitts just in the nick of time.)

Can you think of a more perfect gift for a PhD defense? (Well, other than, perhaps, a job…or maybe a car…a holiday in Fiji…..)  Here is a photo of Lizz taken post-defense, with my phone, after we both had consumed some champagne:

1-20140318_163014How did your Viva go, Lizz?  Bam! Pow!  Slam dunk!

I absolutely recommend this great pattern.  They are so much fun to knit and look so cool!  Make sure you pick two high contrast colours, they really need to pop in order to carry the design.

I’ll be at b-school on the weekend and won’t post, but I have two more finished projects to show you; coming up soon!  Kapow!

2-IMG_8294

Slipped through the cracks

Posted on by
5

Over the Christmas holidays I knit a number of cowls as Christmas gifts. (You can see them here.)  Two of them were knit from a stash of Rowan Cocoon that had been sitting around my house for years.   I knit a third Cocoon cowl while in Vancouver, for my daughter Leah, but never wrote a post about it.  This is because I finished it on the 2nd of January, just hours before hopping on a flight back to the UK.  It was dark and rainy at the time and I couldn’t get a photo.  A few weeks ago, Emma sent me some photos she had taken of Leah wearing the cowl, which means that now, in the pursuit of full disclosure, I can show them to you.

2-IMAG0359

I had one skein of Cocoon in a nice cream colour and one in a teal blue.  I used a US 10.5 needle and cast on 180 stitches in the cream, joined in the round and then knit in 3×3 ribbing until I ran out of the cream yarn.  Then I switched to the blue and knit until I had enough yarn left over for the cast off.  When it is twisted and wound around the neck, the blue and cream portions flip around each other in an eye-pleasing way.

3-IMAG0365

I knit this without a pattern and didn’t take any notes so I can’t even give you finished dimensions.  It literally went from my needles to Leah’s neck (it didn’t even need blocking).  It has been cold in Canada this winter, so it has received a lot of wear.  I believe it ended up about 8″ wide, and it is long enough to wrap twice around.  It is an extremely quick and mindless knit, and produces a warm and cozy cowl.

1-IMAG0355-1

You can just make out in the above photo the hand-knit mitts that Leah is wearing (they are these ones).  What lucky daughters I have!

I am in the enviable position of having three more finished projects to show you.  Yes, you read that right – THREE projects off the needles!!!  (And if I do say so myself, they are pretty great.)  I will try to find time to get them blocked, photographed and written up as soon as possible.  But my next three posts will have finished objects in them.  Hey, this post does too!  I may set a record here!

Spending money on knitting stuff

Posted on by
10

Over the past few weeks I have acquired a number of cool knitting-related things.  Yesterday I asked Doug to photograph them so I could share them with you.  I am lucky that he enjoys this type of thing and strives to make interesting photos.  “Doug,” I said while watching him take 60 photos of a skein of yarn, “what would you call a blog post about spending money on knitting stuff?”  “How about…..spending money on knitting stuff,” he said.

I have a good collection of knitting books and magazines which I have gathered over the last 30 years or so and duly carted all over the world.  Since the arrival of Ravelry and internet knitting goodness, my knitting book purchses have slowed down.  I splurged recently and bought Alice Starmore’s Tudor Roses.

01-IMG_8233Oh my!  This is a gorgeous book!  If I get a chance I will write a book review post.  This is what they call a “coffee table book”.  It is huge and heavy with good quality paper and gorgeous photos.  If you are in the mood to splurge, you can’t go wrong with this one.

For a long time I have wanted to make something with the Madelinetosh colour called Tart.  The other day, while cruising through the online shop at Loop (something I do with ridiculous frequency) I noticed that they had four skeins of Madtosh Merino Light in Tart, just sitting there waiting for a good home.  I have been trying very hard not to buy yarn unless I have a specific purpose in mind.  What can I say?  I was bad.  I now have 4 skeins of Tart.  I suppose if I can’t find a good project for it, I can just take it out and stare at it; fondling will probably occur as well.

03-IMG_8247It turns out that Tart is a very hard colour to capture, but Doug put a lot of effort into it:

14-IMG_827115-IMG_8275Just three days after ordering this delivery of Madtosh from Loop, I found myself unexpectedly in London for the afternoon.  What else can one do when in London for the afternoon except to have a coffee and a flourless polenta cake at Ottolenghi’s on Upper Street and then wander into Loop to ogle yarn?  I was determined not to buy any yarn since the 4 skeins of Tart where at that time winging their way to me in the post, but I could not resist buying a Knit Pro Symfonie Wood Double Pointed Sock Needle Set:

07-IMG_8256I love this photo where the needles look like shoots in the garden:

04-IMG_8249Last weekend we needed a new battery for the camera and went into town to buy one at John Lewis, where the camera department is located directly across from the yarn department.  I ask you, what’s a knitter to do?  I was relatively good and departed with just one skein of yarn, a luscious ball of Kidsilk Haze Stripe:

10-IMG_8259

Isn’t is beautiful?  I love the way it shines in the sunlight.

Last but not least, I love Kate Davies new design for fingerless mitts, Ecclefechan.  Kate released them as a kit recently and I think they must have sold out in a few minutes.  She had a second release and again they sold out instantly.  I just happened to be online when she put up a third release and snagged a kit!  These black and cream mitts are really lovely.  The kit came with the yarn, beautifully printed pattern, a Kate Davies kit bag, and a recipe for Ecclefechan tarts.

02-IMG_8237That’s all my cool new stuff.  I have also been busily knitting something new and will have an FO (finished object) or two to show you soon. Now I’m off to sit in the sunshine.

Craft and Science, Science and Craft

Posted on by
2

This episode of my series, Surfing the Knit, is a bit of a fudge.  This occasional series is one in which I point out interesting, or fun, or bizarre items of knitting interest that I pick up while surfing the internet.  In truth, I found this while browsing through my latest hard copy of Science, the weekly journal of the AAAS which describes itself as The World’s Leading Journal of Original Scientific Research, Global News and Commentary.  But it’s online too (link below) so I could have found it while surfing the knit.

One of my favorite issues of the year is the one in which they announce the winners of the Visualization Challenge.  Winners and honorable mentions are made in a number of categories, such as photography, games and apps, etc.  The winner of the 2013 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge in the Posters and Graphics category (also winning the People’s choice award) is a poster detailing research into smart fabrics being conducted at Drexel University.

The poster is called Wearable Power, and is by Kristy Jost, Babak Anasori, Majid Beidaghi, Genevieve Dion, and Yury Gogotsi, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  This research group, in effect, is making knitted batteries (in their words a “wearable capacitor”). Scientific posters are a mainstay of the science community; having seen hundreds of them I can tell you that it is very hard to produce one that both conveys the science and is visually arresting and interesting.

copyright Science Magazine

copyright Science Magazine

If you are interested in this poster, and indeed the rest of the winners, I urge you to either pull out your copy of Science magazine (doesn’t everyone have one?) or check it out online here.  The science behind smart fabrics is really fascinating and, well, smart.

The part I like best?  This bit of the blurb accompanying the article:

“Jost spends much of her time in Drexel’s knitting research laboratory—yes, you read that right—which boasts state-of the-art equipment donated by Shima Seiki, a Japanese company that makes computerized 3D knitting systems. The machines can knit an entire seamless garment in 20 minutes, and Jost has become adept at using the design software that drives them—although she admits sheepishly that she has not yet learned to knit by hand.”

from Science Magazine, 7 Feb 2014, vol. 343, no 6171

Go check it out and see some of the amazing work being done in the field of visualizing science.  Don’t miss another very cool entry by Lorrie Faith Cranor of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Called Security Blanket, it is a quilt displaying the 1000 most common security passwords from a games website as a word cloud.  (You will be astonished by the total lack of creativity and, hence, lack of security of the passwords.)  This is another fabulous example of the creativity that crafters can bring to science and science can bring to craft.