Monthly Archives: February 2012

Holden Shawlette – Second Session, Part 1

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Yeah, you read that right. This simple little shawletteis so “simple” it requires two posts for me to catch you all up on what we did in the second session. YEESH! Aren’t you glad you signed up? SURE YA ARE. I am. Fo’ real.

Sarita's Holden

Okay, so let’s go over some of the things we discussed last night. For most of you, lace is a new frontier, so we started with the absolute basics of lace:

1. When the Lace Gods giveth, the Lace Gods must also taketh away – all this means is when you have an increase, you must have a corresponding decrease. And vicey versey – for every decrease there must also be an increase. In this pattern, you have the decreases on rows 1, 3 and 5 and then you have that row – I forget what number – where the whole row is k1, yarn over (yo), with all the yo’s replacing the previous decreases. Behold the wonders of the lace universe.

2. When we read a lace chart, we read from bottom to top. The odd numbered rows are usually the right side rows. The even numbered rows and usually the wrong side rows. You work the odd, RS rows from right to left; you work the WS even rows from left to right. The chart gives you a clue to this by printing the numbers of the rows on the side of chart that you should start reading from.

3. Most lace charts show us only the RS rows because in lace knitting, the pattern is generally only worked on the RS rows. That means all the stitches (except for the border stitches, which are uncharted and remain in garter) on the WS are purled! Thank you, Lace Gods for giving us a break for 50% of the time.

4. What else? Red boxes! When you see a red box on the chart, you repeat what is within that box however many times the pattern says. In our case, we repeat the stitches in the red boxes three times. Then, after we have worked through rows 1-16 of the chart once, we go back to row 1 and repeat what is in the boxes 4 times. Then when we finish rows 1-16 again, we return to row 1 and repeat what is in the red boxes 5 times. Then we wanna die because there are so many stitches on our needles GAG.

Rachelle's Holden

Okay. Does that help? I’ll post part two soon. Now I have to get back to knitting I MEAN BACK TO WORK . . . .

One more thing – USE YOUR STITCH MARKERS; USE YOUR LIFELINES, USE YOUR POST-IT NOTES. The Lace Gods gave us these tooLace is NOT for sissies.

Making Valentines – FOR ME

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Today is Valentines Day and I am on my own. My husband is in Wisconsin visiting his mother. It is -11 degrees. Good.

So I had a lot of time for knitting this last weekend and I finished a couple of projects. First, I completed Fickle Knitter’s “Flambe” shawl using one skein of Sincere Sheep‘s “Keen.” This was just a blast to knit. I love knitting triangles, and this one had a great rhythm to the pattern, which was easily memorized. I have also never done a lace pattern that has “stripes.” Pretty cool. And I finished it just in time for the Michelle Miller’s, the designer, visit to our store on Feb 22. I will wear it proudly!

The other thing I loved about knitting this was the yarn. I bought a skein of Keen at the Interweave Knitting Lab show held in San Mateo last year. Brooke Sinnes, the owner and dyer behind the business, only uses natural dyes, and she warned me this yarn, dyed with indigo, would leave my hands blue. It did, but nothing got on my clothes or anything else, and I would just wash my hands after knitting and it would be gone. It was a skein of blue-faced Leicester- my first (that I know of) made from this breed – and it was a tightly wound fingering weight yarn. I don’t know if I have the words to accurately describe how much I loved working with this yarn or why. I just loved the way it felt going through my fingers, I loved the stitch definition. I just couldn’t put it down and I WANT MORE. Brooke and Sincere Sheep will be at Stitches West and you better believe I’ll be there with $$$ in hand.

Flambe

All right, let’s see. The other thing I worked on was a hat made from a single skein of Madeline Tosh “Vintage” in “Mansfield’s Garden Party.” I bought this skein at Balls and Skeins in Sebastopol as Terry and I were on our way to the Sea Ranch last month. I am not usually a fan of yarn this variegated, but there was something about this one. It looked like a bouquet of  spring flowers right here in the middle of winter (or what passes for winter in Northern California). Anyway, not much you can do with one skein besides a hat, so I searched Ravelry and found this pretty nice FREE pattern for a slouchy beret. I wanted something that I could knit while reading, so I was looking for something pretty simple – just knit and purl. And I’m happy to say I read through half my stack of New York Times while making this. When I finished, I felt the colors of the yarn needed something – a little punctuation to draw the eye and make certain shades stand out. So I dug through my button box (a pretty big box) and found this great reproduction of a vintage button I bought years ago – I think at Stitches – made by “Wave of the Wand.” I have attached it for a safety pin for now so I can move it around, change it, etc. I love it!

Slouchy hat

And then there’s the two babies my editor at Religion News Service and his partner are expecting. I already designated this Elizabeth Zimmerman “Baby Surprise” sweater I had stashed away for them, and I have another baby sweater made from a vintage pattern not he needles. But I have always wanted to try my hand at Saartje’s Booties, a very popular Ravelry pattern. And viola! Made

EZ's Baby Surprise

with Crystal Palace “Bunny Hop” on size 2 needles. The buttons are two vintage mother-of-pearl ones dug out of – you know where.

Saartje's Booties

That’s it. That was my weekend. That and a trip to see “The Artist” (fab!) and two hours absorbed by Downton Abbey. What am I going to when that concludes next week? More knitting, I am sure.

The Holden Shawlette – Session One

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This post is intended for the seven brave women in my Holden Shawlette class currently underway at K2Tog. but if you are interested in knitting that pattern – or any basic triangular lace shawl – this post may help you too.

So, ladies, a review of what we learned last night:

knitting Holden on the beach in Kauai

*A triangular shawl consists of two triangles separated by a center stitch that is framed by two yarn overs. For good diagrams, go here, tho I recommend reading the text only if you want a headache at this point.

*A triangular shawl begins with a tab cast on. You start the tab cast on with the long-tail cast on. For a video of the tab cast-on, go here.  (He picks up four stitches on the sides, and you want to pick up three.)

*A triangular shawl has four points of increase. These increases are performed by working yarn overs (this babe knits like I do!). These increases occur ONLY on the right side rows as such:

slip 1, k2, YO, k across to center stitch, YO, k1, YO, k to last 3 sts on needle, YO, k3.

This means that your shawl will grow by four stitches on every right side row.

Some things to remember as you knit this shawl:

*The first 3 and the last 3 stitches of every row will be worked in garter stitch. This will give us a nice, garter stitch frame for our shawl. AT THE SAME TIME, slip the first stitch of every row as if to purl with yarn in back. This means every row will begin: slip 1, k2 and continue in pattern from here.

*This is a pattern of lace knitting. That means the lace pattern is worked only on the right side. All wrong side stitches – with the exception of the garter stitch frame – are purled.

*The right side of the shawl and the left side of shawl are mirror images of each other separated by the center stitch. This center stitch is always knit on the right side and purled on the wrong side.

*When moving the yarn from the back of the knitting to the front, or vice versa, move the yarn BETWEEN THE NEEDLES and not over the top of the needles. Doing this will create extra yarn overs which can become extra stitches.

I would like you all to knit as fas as possible before next week, getting through the written instructions for Row 38. You should have 309 stitches on your needles at this point. Then STOP and next Wed we’ll tackle charts and making the lace! YIPPEEE!

Did I forget anything? If I did, leave a comment here and I’ll reply asap. HAPPY KNITTING. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Holden, back at home, suntanned

 

 

 

Introducing Michelle Miller of Fickle Knitter

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Michelle!

In my last post, I introduced you all to Lorajean Kelly of Knitted Wit. Today, I want you to meet Michelle Miller, the brains and talent behind Fickle Knitter Designs. Both Michelle and Lorajean will be giving a talk and doing a trunk show at K2Tog on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. – the night before Stitches West, where both will be making their first appearance. This is your chance to come and hear these young yarn divas talk about their design process and small businesses AND GET FIRST PICK OF THE GOODIES – YARNS AND PATTERNS – THEY ARE TAKING TO STITCHES.

Ellen and I first met Michelle at TNNA last June. We were so impressed with her patterns – gorgeous lacy shawls, scarves and shawlettes made with one skein of luxury yarn. Her patterns are well-written and clearly explained with superb charts and written instructions. I have knit a couple – Jade Sapphire and Flambe – and been super-impressed with their clarity. I like that Michelle’s patterns only seem simple – they are easy to execute but look much more complex than they are. And they are damn pretty, too! And we were also impressed with Michelle – her background in physics gives her patterns a mathematical precision lots of other designers should envy. She has a pattern in Iris Schreier’s new book One + One and will debut a new shawlette pattern made with Knitted Wit yarn at our store on the 22nd. Michelle lives in Southern California.

I asked Michelle a few questions about her work . . . .

Kimberly: What motivated you to start your business? How long ago was that?

Michelle: I started Fickle Knitter Design in 2008 when I was staying at home with my daughter Maya. I was inspired to start my business because I wasn’t getting much adult interaction and chasing after an 18 month old all day wasn’t mentally stimulating. Right before I started my business I read an interview by Meg Swansen saying that if you’ve conquered knitting lace the next frontier is design. I took her on her word and began writing, editing, and selling my patterns for the first time. It was a big personal leap for me but I’m so glad I did it because being a small business owner has really changed my life for the better.

Michelle's creative space

Kimberly: What do you most love about creating the things you eventually sell? What is most satisfying to you and why?

Michelle: I like solving puzzles and designing, knitting, and writing is like solving one large, very complex puzzle! I’ve worked a lot of complicated problem sets over the years as a physicist and while working on unsolved physics problems I’ve found that writing a successful knitting pattern is just as rewarding. I love hearing positive feedback from knitters on my work and love to see what other people are knitting with my patterns.

Kimberly: Tell me about one item you sell that is most special to you, or that you are most proud of.

Michelle's First Book!

Michelle: Leaves, Fickle Knitter Design, Volume 1 is my very first book and I’m so proud of it. My family really came together to allow me the time and resources to complete my first body of work. I particularly enjoyed working with the photographer and graphic designer to make my dream a reality! The book has eight knitting projects all using 395 yards of yarn or less which is perfect for the busy 21st Century knitter. The book features patterns using lace weight, fingering weight, dk weight and aran weight yarns in a variety of styles with most patterns requiring only one skein of yarn. [Kimberly says - we have copies of the book and Michelle's patterns in stock, and she'll be bringing more to the trunk show on Feb 22]

Kimberly: How long have you been knitting? Who taught you, or how did you learn?

Michelle: I’ve been knitting since 2004 and I taught myself in graduate school as a way to cope with a family member fighting terminal cancer. Knitting has brought me such serenity in my life when chaos has tried to take over. Of course at times I feel frustrated, but that’s when it’s time to pull out a simple stockinette piece or hand spin some yarn to knit up. Knitting is my touchstone and my life wouldn’t be the same without it.

Kimberly: Who most inspires you in what you do? Why?

Michelle: I’m inspired by all of the women-owned businesses in the knitting industry. It’s a place for us to work in an area we love. I make a special point to seek out other knitting businesses who are women owned and based in the US or Canada when I can. I love my work and even though it can be difficult at times to be away from my family it refreshes and recharges my life. I’m a better person because of knitting.

Kitty in Fickle Knitter Designs

Knitted Wit’s Lorajean Kelly

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Some of you know that one of my new projects at K2Tog is to bring in new, young fiberistas to talk to our customers about what they do and how they do it. Our goal is to have one of these talks and shows each month, and we are kicking the whole project off this month, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. with a dynamic duo, Lorajean Kelly of Knitted Wit and Michelle Miller of Fickle Knitter Designs. In this post, I want to introduce you to Lorajean, and we’ll tackle Michelle in another post all her own.

I came across Lorajean, who is from Portland, at last year’s Interweave Knits show in San Mateo. Hers was the first booth I entered, drawn in by its gorgeous colors and her charming self, standing there knitting away while she answered questions and guided people to her luscious goods. I purchased a skein of “Shine” in a gorgeous, shiny pewter and brought all my buddies in to buy, too. I am very excited to bring her and her goodies into the shop for the show, where she’ll talk about where her ideas for yarn colors come from and how she sets those ideas into motion and eventually gets them to our needles. She will be bringing lots of yarn to sell after her talk – we get first pick before she heads down to Stitches West right after her talk. In preparation for the show, I asked her a few questions about her process . . . .

Kimberly:What motivated you to start your business? How long ago was that?

Baby dyer!

Lorajean: I started Knitted Wit in early 2007. I had just learned how to spin and there weren’t many options for dyed fiber yet. I had done a little bit of natural dyeing with a friend so I got the gist of what to do. I thought I could dye fiber for myself and sell the extra to keep me in the fiber habit. I think I’ve always had an entrepreneurial bug and this was the perfect fit. I love all the aspects of the different jobs, I never get bored!

Kimberly: Where did the name “Knitted Wit” come from?

Lorajean: Knitted Wit is because I think I’m funny. I know. It’s a little silly. But I have a very silly sense of humor and love to laugh! My favorite joke? Do you have a hole in your sock? No. Then how did you get it on! Ha!

Kimberly: What do you most love about creating the things you eventually sell? What is most satisfying to you and why?

Lorajean: Such a great question! I really enjoy every step. I love winding yarn, a nice meditative task, but also finishing the job is satisfying. The physical labor of dyeing is very satisfying too. Drying, rewinding, labeling. All these tasks are great! I think because I’m home with my two boys (Eli, 3, Owen, 20 months) it feels amazing to get all these tasks done. I think it can be hard to stop with the tasks and tap in to the creativity, but I think that’s just where I am in this moment. It’s getting easier and easier as the boys are getting older, and the creativity is back!

Look at her colors!

Kimberly: Tell me about one item you sell that is most special to you, or that you are most proud of.

Lorajean: I am passionate about Feather Weight and Cypress Hollow Yarn. The Rambouillet wool is grown in Wyoming ( at Mountain Meadow Wool) and processed in Buffalo. The mill has a track back program that sends funds back to farmers based on sales. The yarn is beautiful, and full of life. Each yarn creates a beautiful fabric. I love working with the rustic, strong yarn.

Kimberly: How long have you been knitting? Who taught you, or how did you learn?

Lorajean: My mom taught me how to knit when I was a teenager, I’ve always been crafty. My mom sews and knits. My grandmother sewed, knit, and crocheted. It’s in the genes! I didn’t stick with knitting too long though. I was on a sloggy stripe scarf that was w-a-y too big for anything. But my tension was amazing! That’s what a sloggy scarf will teach you! Then in college a coworker re taught me and I was hooked. I knit a pair of mittens in a day! (This friend also taught me a little natural dyeing.)

Kimberly: Who most inspires you in what you do? Why?

Lorajean: I have to say it’s all the people in our industry and customers. We have such a great community! Like any business there are ups and downs, I know I can always find encouragement from my peers. And it doesn’t hurt that my 3 year old Eli complements every yarn I dye. Not even joking! That boy loves color!

Lorajean recently started a venture with Brooke Sinnes of Sincere Sheep, who we’ll be bringing in for a talk and show of her own in May. They have started a yarn club called “Among Friends.” Even more fun – Michelle Miller is going to design a pattern for the club! Check it out, it’s gonna be gooood. I’m signing up myself!

OKAY! So now you all know Lorajean and are gonna wanna come out and meet her in person, fondle her goods and get a jump on all those Stitches shoppers by coming to K2Tog on Feb 22 at 6 p.m.  SEE YOU THERE! And stay tuned for an intro to Michelle Miller.

Happy Birthday, Kit

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Yesterday, besides being Groundhog Day, was my grandmother’s 103rd birthday. I miss her very much and think of her all the time.

I wish I had more pictures to show you, but my grandmother, Katharine S. Edgar, died in 1992, before digital cameras. We called her Kit. She died before I went to graduate school. She died before I became a journalist, before I came to California, before I got married, before I became a mother, before I became a knitter. I miss her.

Circa 1930s?

So instead, I have taken pictures of some of my favorite pictures of her and uploaded them here. One of these days I’ll have them scanned.

My grandmother was perhaps the most important person in my life. She raised me the first three years of my life. She always believed in me, always supported me, always loved me. She was the second of 4 girls born to a housewife and car salesman in Grafton, West Virginia. Apparently they did not have a whole lot of money as my great-grandfather was not a good businessman. I really wish I had asked more questions – or got better answers – when she was alive.

This I know: My grandmother was 20 when the Depression hit. She had to work to go to school – I don’t know where she went, but I believe it was in Florida, where the family had moved. I don’t believe she finished school. But she worked to put at least one of her younger sisters, my great-aunt Martha, through school, too, tho I do not know if she graduated either. My grandmother told me a story once – when she was working as a secretary during the 1930s she allowed herself 25 cents for a week’s worth of lunches. That 5 cents a day got her coffee and yesterday’s doughnut at a coffeeshop near her office. Once day, they boss came into the coffeeshop and sat with or near my grandmother before she ordered. So she blew her whole quarter on a sandwich so he wouldn’t see she could only afford an old doughnut.

I love that story.

My grandmother - second from left - and her sisters, Martha at the right

My grandmother was s single mom. The story I heard – probably from my mom – was my grandmother knew her marriage was on the rocks and she knew she wanted a baby. So she took matters into her own hands and got pregnant with my mom and then split from her husband. She was 33 when my mom was born – very old for a first-time mom back then. She lived with my great-aunt Martha, who never married, and later, their mother, Vivian, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where my grandmother was the local bank president’s secretary (the president was her brother-in-law, and then her nephew – where does this still happen today?). She knew every bank customer’s first name and they knew hers.

She saved for years to send my mom to college, but my mom only lasted a year. So when I got to college age, my grandmother said she’d send me anywhere I wanted to go. And she did. And when she died, she left me comfortable enough that I could go to Columbia for graduate school.

I so wish she could see me now.

So why am I writing about her on my craft blog? Because she taught me to knit. It didn’t really “take” – I didn’t knit anything more than Barbie scarves and blankets. But I know she taught me to throw my yarn with my right hand – to be a shuttle knitter. So part of her is with me in every single stitch.

Grandma, I love you so much. Happy Birthday to my favorite groundhog.