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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Oh 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.
It turns out that Tart is a very hard colour to capture, but Doug put a lot of effort into it:
Just 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:
I love this photo where the needles look like shoots in the garden:
Last 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:
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.
That’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.
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
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.
Today is Wednesday and it’s time for another Wearability Wednesday post. For those not in the know, this is an occasional series on the blog where I look back at something I’ve knit and examine it from a Wearability standpoint: do I actually wear it? How do I style it? Has it stood up to wear? The focus of today’s WW post is the absolutely gorgeous cabled rib shawl:
This shawl was designed by Lily M. Chin and published in the Winter 1999/2000 edition of Vogue Knitting (where it is called #02 Reversible Cabled-Rib Shawl); you can find the Ravelry link here. I think it is likely that this is the single most-worn item of any I have ever knitted. I love everything about it.
It is not a knit for the easily bored. Knitting this takes endurance. It is not a difficult or complicated knit. It is, however, very long and repetitive. This might be why the project took me so long to finish. I fell in love with it when I first saw it. (Thanks, Mom, for shipping copies of Vogue Knitting to me all over the world for so many years!) I waited until October of 2008 to cast on, however. This may have been aided by the fact that by then I lived in England and I could purchase Kidsilk Haze from my local department store.
I didn’t finish knitting it until July 2010. It of course does not take 22 months to knit this unless you keep throwing it into a box and letting it sit for months on end while working on other projects. I did this at least three times due to extreme boredom and tedium. If you plan on knitting this, do as I say not as I do: This shawl will be one of the best things you ever knit! DO NOT consign it to your WIP pile. Plow ahead and finish it and you will never regret it.
Why do I love this shawl? I love its delicacy; if you hold it up to the light it is practically transparent. It is surprisingly warm. The cables give it a sense of movement and fluidity. It is very long and can be worn in so many ways, draped over the arms, wrapped two to three times around the neck, tossed over your shoulder. It looks great with jeans and a t-shirt, it looks fabulous and classy with a dress. I wear it in all seasons, as a shawl and as a scarf. I bundle up in it in the winter and wear it on a summer’s evening.
What do I love most about this shawl? It’s colour. It is green, glorious green! I never get tired of this colour. It cheers me up on dreary days. It adds impact to a simple outfit. It stands out in a crowd. It gets noticed. It is uplifting. As Kermit the Frog sings:
But green’s the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like a mountain
Or important like a river
Or tall like a tree
from “Bein’ green” by Joe Raposo
I frequently think about knitting another one. Yes, it really is worth all of that effort. My only hesitation is to find the perfect colour to knit it in. I have seen beautiful examples of this knit in the palest of colours – pearl grey, ivory, soft pink. It is truly lovely in these soft shades. But I want something vibrant and alive – a rich, deep red, a gorgeous purple, even brilliant oranges and yellows (not my usual choices) appeal. When I first saw this green sitting in with the Kidsilk Haze in the shop, I had to buy it. My choice was made before I even was aware of it. So, I suppose I am waiting for a colour to grab me by the throat and say “Knit me! Knit ME!”
I have also seen many examples of this knit in different yarns including some worsted weight wools. To me, however, this shawl demands a light, soft, beautiful mohair – it is made for Kidsilk Haze. I think that if you are going to spend thousands of hours knitting in virtually endless ribbing (perhaps a slight exaggeration) to produce a garment that you will wear countless times, then you should splurge and buy the very best.
Not a month goes by when I don’t wear this shawl. The photos from my back garden (with me in a white t-shirt) where taken by Emma in October 2010. The photos in Tucson (black dress) are from April 2012, while the one on the bridge (purple turtleneck) was taken on campus a few metres from my office, just last week. Here is one taken yesterday (as you may be able to tell, we are having an unseasonably warm February):
Well, dear readers, that’s it for this edition of Wearability Wednesday. Lily Chin’s Reversible Cabled Rib Shawl is a completely successful knit in every way; one that is both beautifully wearable and that wears beautifully.
I have been on my own for three weeks. Regulars to this blog will know that both my kids are half way across the world in Vancouver at university. My husband Doug has been in Malaysia for three weeks on business. I realized the other day that we are equally dispersed around the world in terms of time zones – the girls are currently 8 hours behind me, I am 8 hours behind Doug and he is 8 hours behind the girls. This makes for difficulties in communication.
But I am here to tell you, communication be damned – this makes for difficulties in knitting! I am, despite a super busy schedule, knitting away on the ultra-cute Carpino designed by Carol Feller. I just now bound off the ribbing on the body:
I have discovered that there are two major problems with knitting (and knit blogging) while on your own. First, there is no one to hold the yarn. Yes, I know that many knitters wind yarn on their own with the use of a swift. I, however, don’t have one and have always relied on the method of bullying some poor family member into sitting with their hands up in the air while I wind skeins into balls. (Leah even has a special music mix saved for listening to while immersed in this task.) I suppose it is time to invest in a swift. (I must point out, however, that the yarn used for Carpino, Loft by Brookln Tweed, is a very fragile, breakable yarn and I prefer to wind this one the old fashioned way.)
The second problem is that there is no one to take any modelled photographs. I have no proof to offer you, but this baby fits great! I have made absolutely no modifications to the pattern – none, nada, zip – and the fit is perfect. I can’t show you, however, because I can’t both wear it and photograph it. (But what, you may ask, about the now-standard selfie taken in front of the bathroom mirror? No, no and no. For reasons why not, please see this delightful post on how not to photograph your knitting written by Emma, my daughter and partner-in-crime.)
There is also the related problem that among the family members, all of whom are frequently called upon to be blog photographer, I am probably the least skilled in this arena. Thus the top photo, which as you see, has a shadow falling across the sweater. Sorry, Emma, I know this is not up to your standards!
One of the very cute features of this sweater is that the front is knit in a tiny lace stitch and the rest is knit in stockinette. Above is a photo of the side ‘seam’ (of course there is no actual seam as it is knit in the round). Isn’t it lovely? It is such a cute pattern and so easy and intuitive to knit. I also love the flecks of colour in the Loft. This purple-y colour is called Plume and it has lovely flecks of reds and blues.
Now, all I have left is the sleeves and some very minimal finishing at the neckline. First, however, I need to wind another skein. My plan is to drape it over my knees and wind it by hand. Having done this before in times of emergency, I can tell you that it involves a fair amount of contortion and looks rather silly. Good thing there’s no one around to take a photo!
It’s been a while since I knitted a sweater for Doug (the last was Brick, which you can see here). I am thinking it is time to knit him another and so have begun the process of considering patterns. I started by looking through the men’s patterns that I have favorited on Ravelry in the past six months or so. As I thought this topic might be of general interest, today I’ll show you some of the patterns that caught my eye for one reason or another.
Rowan is one of the few reliable print sources for Men’s patterns. Each issue of the magazine has quite a few men’s patterns; always beautifully photographed. They tend towards lots of ease, so beware if you knit one – think carefully about how much ease you really want in your finished sweater. The recent issue of Rowan (Rowan 55) had two men’s sweaters that stood out for me. The first is Guido, designed by Carlo Volpi:
copyright Rowan Yarns 2014
I’ve never heard of Volpi before, but this is a great start. I like the subtle texture used here and the colour palette as well. This sweater is knit in Rowan Purelife Revive, which is a blend of silk, cotton and viscose. I do love silk sweaters for men.
In the same volume is the pattern Estefan, a cotton vest designed by the great colour wizard, Brandon Mably:
copyright Rowan Yarns 2014
I must admit it is hard to decide what I like best here: (1) the vest, (2) the model, or (3) the stairwell. It is a tough choice but I think the stairwell probably wins. (Oh dear, I’m afraid I’m showing my age!)
One of the most iconic sweater patterns of all time is the Marius pattern from Norway. It is named after Marius Eriksen, Jr. Marius served as a fighter pilot in World War II, before he was shot down and held as a Prisoner of War. After the war, he became a champion skier and was twice Norwegian National Champion. His mother, Birgit, designed and knit a sweater for him based upon traditional Norwegian sweaters. Marius later became an actor and he wore this sweater in the film Troll i Ord. There are literally thousands of variations of the Marius pattern; drop it in your favorite search engine for some idea of its endurance and popularity.
I recently came across a very modern and spare variation in a vest, called (not surprisingly) the Marius-Vest, by Sandnes Design. This version is in grey tones instead of the more standard blue and cream. I like it enough to attempt to translate the pattern from Norwegian:
copyright Sandnes Design
To continue with the Nordic theme, I also like the Icelandic sweater pattern Spegilsléttur:
Kyle Kunnecke is a new designer who I am keeping an eye on. He designs and blogs under the name Kyle William. I think his sweaters are clever and fun. He is really someone to watch in my opinion. He recently released this fabulous pattern, called Colton:
copyright Kyle William
I love this sweater! Houndstooth is big right now, and this is one of the most appealing examples of the houndstooth revival. I think it is very sharp. The colour choice here is great and the line and fit are perfect.
Martin Storey has designed more sweaters than possibly anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he designed a sweater before breakfast each day. He designs for everyone – men, women, children – and in every style – classic, fair isle, cabled, rugged, elegant, slouchy. He is one of Rowan’s star designers (pointing out again that Rowan is one of the few go-to places for men’s sweater patterns). I like lots of Martin’s designs, but found myself really drawn to this one:
copyright Rowan Yarns 2013
He calls this Neat Tailored Jacket, which I guess says it all. I think it is a gorgeous example of knitted tailoring. I like everything about it. This is published in the book Sarah Hatton and Martin Storey Designer Knits.
I couldn’t write a post about men’s patterns without highlighting Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. Jared has catapulted to fame in recent years both as a designer and as the founder and creative presence behind Brooklyn Tweed, a yarn producer and design house. In the summer, BT produced its first issue of men’s patterns, simply called BT Men, which was a very welcome entry into this sparsely occupied field. One of his contributions to the issue is the ruggedly cabled Timberline:
copyright Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed
This is a great example of taking a traditional style and putting just a bit of a modern twist to it. Look, for example, at the detail in the lapels. It is this meticulous attention to details combined with a real love of the history and traditions of knitted garments that sets BT apart.
Interestingly enough, the sweater I like the most from BT Men is one I hardly glanced at when the issue was first released. This is the design Redford, by Julie Hoover:
copyright Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed
At first glance this is so ordinary a crew neck that I couldn’t see the point; surely this is the kind of sweater that you could buy rather than knit. I mean, there are literally miles of stockinette stitch here, all knit in fingering weight wool. But the more I look at it, the more I like it. The details are super. The side panels give a very modern line, the shoulders are perfectly fit, and I like the bottom edge – the lack of ribbing makes this fresh. This is knit in BT Loft, a delicate, tweedy, fingering weight wool which I am using now to knit my Carpino sweater. I think it would make the perfect men’s sweater fabric – very light and soft but still 100% wool goodness with all that implies.
I’m not sure whether any of these will end up on my needles for Doug. There are many older patterns which just may provide competition. In the meantime it is fun to keep searching. Writing this post has led me to two observations. First, there is a decided lack of patterns for men. This is really sad and also incomprehensible to me. Second, beards are definitely in this year!
This is the Henley Business School which is located on a beautiful stretch of the River Thames near the historic town of Henley-on-Thames. Can you imagine a more fantastic setting? The grounds are gorgeous, the river is peaceful, and despite the gracious old mansion it is housed in, the facilities are modern. I love this place!
2. The content.
I’m not sure I actually expected to like the course content. I am enrolled in the Executive MBA degree course, and I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that the classes are fascinating. (Management? Fascinating? I kid you not.)
3. The people.
I am so enjoying my cohort at the business school, which consists of 40 fun and interesting people. We represent a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, languages, industries, career paths, perspectives, goals, life stages, and interests. It is so refreshing and intellectually stimulating to be here and to interact with this group of people.
4. The sheep.
Yes, I said sheep. Please recall that this is, after all, a blog about knitting, and I am something of a knitting fanatic. Imagine how great it is to drive up the long driveway at the business school through a flock of sheep!
Imagine: beautiful business school, exciting content, super cool people, and SHEEP! Clearly this place was made for me.
Life has been busy. I wrote my first paper for b-school last week, and my reading list has gone through the roof. I needed a simple project to knit – something peaceful, something easy. I was not only looking for comfort knitting; I was looking for comfort. I wanted to knit a sweater for myself that would be easy to wear, something to throw on with my jeans while I was busy studying. I didn’t want much shaping. I also wanted a pattern that I could be absolutely sure of – no fiddling, no reinterpretations, no maths, no mods. Something that I knew would fit perfectly just as it was written. In short, I wanted something by Carol Feller.
Last year, I knit only four sweaters. The year before I knit eight, and two were designed by Carol Feller. Those were my Killybegs cardigan:
and my Ravi:
What I needed to fill my comfort knitting craving was another helping of something Carol. This something:
This is Carpino, designed by Carol Feller for Brooklyn Tweed and published in Wool People 6. It is knit with BT Loft, a yarn that I had wanted to try for a while (it’s basically a fingering weight version of Shelter). I ordered the yarn on a complete whim (from my favorite, Loop, in London) and it arrived the very next day! Doug was in Denmark and the girls are both in Canada, so I had to shanghai a co-worker during our lunch hour to help me wind a ball. Despite the paper I was busily researching and writing (or maybe because of it) I cast on immediately.
Today is a lovely, lazy Saturday. The paper is submitted, Doug is back home and the sun is shining (at long last!). I have finished the yoke, divided off the sleeves, and started knitting the body, so I was able to try the sweater on for size:
And what do you know? The fit is perfect. No fuss, straight-up comfort knitting. The only uncomfortable thing about this was standing in the wind in the cold (4 degrees today) in a tank top and trying not to shiver while Doug took these photos.
The photo above shows the beautiful shaping of the shoulder. It also picks up the flecks of colour in the yarn – see the reds and blues? Boy, do I love tweed! (There is definitely some rolling going on at the back neck, which I hope a good block will fix, because I really like the I-cord edging on the pattern, and don’t want to put in ribbing to control this.) Rarely does a sweater fit just right at this point and I often find myself ripping back to before the division and recalculating things. Even the fit across the back is good:
This yarn is one that knitters either love or hate. So far, I seem to be in the “love” camp. The yarn is very fine and breakable and I think some knitting styles must “pull” at the yarn too much causing it to snap. I haven’t had any trouble and find it amazingly soft and pretty. I will need to wash and wear it a bit before I can make a true judgement, but so far so good.
The pattern comes with some comments from Carol. She says
“I love the casual nature of sweatshirts but I wanted to add just a little more interest. The addition of a honeycomb lace panel at the front and delicate shoulder shaping makes this a very distinctive knitted sweatshirt.”
Yes, that’s just what I was looking for – comfort knitting at it best.
Causes:
too many patterns
daily releases
internet facilitation
saturation
only so many unique things can be done with yarn and two needles
Symptoms:
Like a virus (or bipolar disorder), the disease cycles – between being completely overwhelmed with all of the fabulousness of hundreds of great patterns and wanting to knit everything, and feeling completely underwhelmed and thinking “seen that, done that”; these up-down-up-down swings can cause emotional distress.
Symptoms of Pattern Bombardment Syndrome can range from mild to severe. Learn to recognize early warning signs:
spending hours on Ravelry, knitting blogs and other on-line knitting-related sites, aimlessly surfing through patterns in an increasingly apathetic manner
looking at a new release (say of BT or Twist Collection) and needing to sit on your hands to keep from buying 20 patterns when deep down you know that you will at the most possibly knit one of them
losing your knitting mojo
looking at a pattern and immediately calling to mind ten other patterns which are very nearly the same
realizing that you are subconsciously tracking which patterns make it to the top of Ravelry’s “Hot right now” page and how long they stay there for
catching yourself drooling while looking at knitting sites
spending time analyzing the effect of social media savviness on why one pattern will succeed wildly when another will not
waking up at 3am to see if the new spring edition of [insert online knitting mag here] has just been released; and then checking it again at 4am
becoming a designer fan girl
becoming increasingly annoyed at designer-fan-girl-dom
being unable to pick a new project because you have 700 items in your queue
Treatment:
put down the laptop and go for a walk
stop putting patterns in your queue
better yet, get rid of your queue
limit your time on knitting sites
spend more time knitting and less time thinking, talking, reading about knitting
spend more time doing things completely unrelated to knitting
stop being obsessive
think carefully about what you want to knit and don’t be a slavish trend follower
re-position yourself on the product knitter-process knitter continuum; it’s OK to shift towards one end or the other at different points in your knitting life
remind yourself that knitting is supposed to be fun; it’s not a competitive sport
Yesterday the sun was shining as we were leaving home for work so I grabbed my half-finished Soumak and asked Doug to take some photos in the sunshine.
Wow! Can you see why I love this so much? This is designed by Lisa Richardson for Rowan 54 and called the Soumak Scarf Wrap. It is knit in ten colours of Rowan Fine Tweed. Regular readers will note that I’ve made some progress since the last time I mentioned it here.
One of the especially cool things about this project is how different it looks in different lights. I walked just a few feet away, so that I was no longer in the direct sun and this is what happened:
In the sunshine it is the warm orange and orange-tones that leap out at you; in the shade it is the cool blue and blue-tones. Isn’t it fabulous? Lisa Richardson, you are a colour genius!
