Denim Double Duty

I like my denim yarn. A whole lot. And contrary to what the manufacturers said, the indigo dye is not rubbing off on my hands. Just another reason to love it!

I've been working on a sweater of my own design out of the Sirdar denim (indigo DK) that I picked up at the Knitting and Stitching festival a few weeks back. I'm almost done, I suppose, but it still feels like a time consuming, huge project.

A few pictures to whet your palette and make me feel like the sweater will be worn in the future:
Here you see a bodice/vest type thing. Unfortunately the light in my room is too terrible to allow you to see the brocade pattern, the small diamonds that make it up, or the picot edging. Very much a teaser.


Another (albeit more detailed) teaser. The first picot edging I've ever done, and I'm quite enamored of it.

This sweater is clipping along at nice rate. A few episodes of Buffy tonight and I might have something real to show very soon.

In which I discover balance and admit a deep dark secret.

A follow up post to the second slouchy hat. (because I am in no way concise, or together, or any of those things that would be conducive to posting clear, together blog posts. I really do apologize.)

I took the hat out for a spin around New Cross this morning. The hat and I are going places. I do like this hat.

It has balance, a balance I did not think I would achieve with this *coughcraptasticacryliccough* yarn. There is something about the marriage of seed stitch and simple cables that makes my inner muse sing, my fashion sense smile, and my...oh you get it. I like the hat.

When it comes to knitting, especially garments for myself, I often find that less is more. I wear the simple things, the ones I can throw on when I'm late for class or stressed out from studying. If there is too much going on, too many cables or patterns or color, I often find myself wondering why the object in question seems to have migrated father away from the light of day and taken up permanent residence in the back of my closet.

No closet for this hat though. It's pretty much perfect, even if it is acrylic.*

So, for those who asked, here is a pattern! It should be fairly straightforward, like I said earlier there is something beautifully simplistic about this hat. It flew off my needles faster than a knitter at Rhinebeck.

Update! (27/01/08)

I have moved this pattern over to Ravelry.com as a free ravelry pdf download. I also rewrote it so it is "new and improved!"

If you are not on Ravelry, feel free to email me or leave a note in the comments and I will email you the pattern.

Thanks to everyone who pointed out my mistakes, typos, and errors. It made rewriting the pattern much easier, and it should now be simpler to follow.

Please go to http://www.ravelry.com/designers/little-miss-muffet if you would like to download a new version, or click the link in the sidebar.

Cheers!


*A girl has her needs, okay? I found it at a market. It was cheap. I needed yarn. I was sick. Need I go on with the excuses? (not much of a secret, I know)

Worse than a bee in my bonnet

Well it's a good thing there were about 10 balls of denim yarn in the bag I picked up from the Knitting and Stitching Show.

Because, it's frustrating when the yarn on the left side of the picture magically becomes the yarn on the right side of the picture. Magic? Foul play? Bad Knitterly Karma?
Nope.
Styfoam, ye will be the bane of my existence.

(Luckily, I think I have enough yarn for my sweater in progress. *Crosses fingers*)

Long Overdue

Well, color me sporadic and spear me with a size 00 dpn.

I've been meaning to blog for two weeks now, every since Justine and I went to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace, in North London.

This was my first time at any sort of major crafting or fiber event. I've never had the funds or time to go to the big ones in the U.S. like Rhinebeck (Although hopefully next year will be different!) but as soon as I heard about the show at Alexandra Palace I knew I couldn't resist. Unlike back at home, it was only an hour's tube ride away, rather than an inter-state drive.

So off we went. Let the illustrated journey commence, complete with a yarn mosh pit, Peter Rabbit, and other delectable images.

1. Justine and I arrive at Alexandra Palace and are overwhelmed with its beauty. I grudgingly fork over the 11 quid entry fee, because let's not forget, I am a college student living in London. (Let us also not forget the monstrosity that is the exchange rate. Britain's currency is doing very well right now. Good for you Britain, good for you.)

2. They had quilts. Historical quilts if you will. Lovely, amazing, inspiring quilts that caused me to lose grasp of the English language and babble like an idiot.


See? a;sleiu;rliaus; pretty.

Possibly a coronation carriage. But look at the detail!

A collapsing bridge (if you can't see the text). Seriously, who thinks of these things?

OMGSOCUTE. See? Blabbering idiot. But I have a special place in my heart for Peter Rabbit. and bunnies in general.

3. We wander around. There is yarn. Lots of yarn. And other random stuff. This was one of my favorite exhibits.

The cause?

4. The crowning moment for me was the only vendor from whom I bought yarn. I can't even remember the name or anything. I was too distracted by this:

Sorry for the blurriness of the picture. It's hard to focus when you're in a MOSH PIT OF YARN.

For real people. This yarn pile was truly inspiring. All decent yarn (a lot of Rowan which is more than decent! Jaeger! Other lovelies!) packaged in 8-10 skein bags. And they were literally being thrown into a pile. I have never seen such madness. Knitters at feeding time it was. I managed to elbow my way in there (Justine is small. I had to sacrifice her, erm, get her to go into the pile for me) and I emerged triumphant. I bought a bag of Sirdar Indigo Denim yarn, which is now metamorphosing into a sweater.

5. Dizzy, fatigued, but content with our small but wonderful purchases J and I stumbled back home. I am all in all quite content!

Cow pats and slouchy hats

One of the newspapers here ran an article a few days ago called "30 Reasons to Hate the French."

I laughed so hard I had to post it on my bulletin board, partly because it was a little true (my French family members sorta fit into, well, all the catergories), and partly because the fact that it was in the paper seemed both ironic, sophomoric, and just so English.

My favorite one, number 21 reads
"Because they took a cow pat, and turned in into a hat. Well, thats what a beret is, right?"

Well, I suppose that is one way of looking at it. My latest hat does look like a bit of a cow pat, I suppose, from certain angles. In that sort of trendy, hat way.

I don't know what it is about the slouchy beret. I never got the craze back in the States, but apparently England has imbued me with a burning desire to wear a cow pat as a hat. (I knit another one, with no cables, just for fun, and don't know what to do with it. Don't worry, no more slouchy hats will appear on the blog anytime soon!)

Unfortunately, this latest hat signaled the end of my 1 quid yarn from the market. I need to go shopping (probably), or only work on my father's sweater (highly improbable.)

Either way, it feels good to be knitting this much. Productive, fun, and it's giving me a lot of quality time with my favorite girl, Buffy.

Beret Me - Redux

I have been wearing my beret incessantly, and even in jeans and a t-shirt, my standard student uniform, I feel oh-so-chic! It's so cozy, comfortable, and makes me feel a little snazzy. The beret and I have conquered New Cross. Next stop? World domination! Or at least London.

There were a few pattern requests over on craftster so here is a (rough) pattern for the Slouchy Cabled Beret.

Keep in mind, this is the first pattern I've written so be kind!


Update 30/01/08

I have moved this pattern over to Ravelry.com as a free ravelry pdf download. I also rewrote it so it is "new and improved!" and about a million times easier to understand. If you had problems with the decreases in the past, you will find the new version much clearer. (I hope!)

If you are not on Ravelry, feel free to email me or leave a note in the comments and I will email you the pattern.

Thanks to everyone who pointed out my mistakes, typos, and errors. It made rewriting the pattern much easier, and it should now be simpler to follow.

Please go to http://www.ravelry.com/designers/little-miss-muffet if you would like to download a new version, or click the link in the sidebar.

Cheers!

Take Action

Today is Blog Action Day.



Today is a day when writers, bloggers, and readers from around the world unite for a common cause, the world we live in, the environment, and our responsibility.

Knitters are a versatile lot. Ravelry illustrates this quite well - knitters are concerned with the world around them, constantly trying to help and change. How many times have you been amazed by the amount of money knitters donated to a worthy cause, or gasped at just how many handknit items were churned out to meet a deadline? Knitters care.

I've been thrilled to note a rise in concern about "organic knitting", eco-friendly yarns, and ways in which we can mesh our infatuation with fiber with our concern about the environment. Groups on Ravelry like Greencraft are doing a good job of combining the two, and I have run across countless sources regarding eco-friendly yarn, yarn production, and other environment al questions.

What can we do as knitters? Keep knitting, I suppose. Keep supporting those organizations we care about, from the big knit project from Innocent drinks, to the Red Sweater Project. And keep asking questions. Where did this yarn come from? Was it locally produced? How was it produced? What chemicals were used to make it?

(Sari Silk...my favorite)

And remember, if you keep in mind that acrylic is a petroleum product, it's just another excuse to buy nice fancy natural fibers. Like bamboo. Or hemp. Oh, the list goes on.

Just for fun, these are the environmentally minded blogs I frequent the most - whether for craft tips, general knowledge, or just a laugh.

Sew Green
Green as a Thistle
No Impact Man
Closet Environmentalist
Green is Sexy
...and of course, countless more gems.

Beret Me

My first thought upon arriving at Goldsmith's College, University of London was "I miss the sunlight."

It is possible the second was "I miss American food. And Taco Bell."

But certainly the third was "I need new clothes."

In all seriousness, sometimes I feel like I'm Alice, only to discover that Wonderland is an Urban Outfitters. People here are fashionable. I've seen more skinny jeans and ankle boots here than in my previous 21 years combined. Eye makeup, high heels, and indie-rock ensembles make Goldsmiths a really unique place to attempt to mesh into. And, what does every indie rocker need? The answer seems to be a beret. Handknit, preferably. A little funky, but not too eye catching. Something you happened to throw on in the morning to cover the hair that may still reek of cigarette smoke from your night at the Oasis cover band concert across the street, or dancing till dawn at one of the many local pubs.


So of course, I knit one. Last week I had picked up a few balls of Lana Grossa Royal Tweed in a rich purple, with a vague beret idea in mind. A day later I had a cabled companion for all my nights out. I can now drink and dance the night away in style, and even protect my head from the constant rain!

Return of the Knitting

In keeping with the spirit of Christmas crafting (and my insanity before moving to London) I've cracked down and started my Dad's sweater. A few years ago I knit him a heavy Lopi sweater that he now only wears when he is shoveling snow because it is so warm. Last year was a blue aran sweater, and this year I'm going for some more classic colorwork. Telemark wool from knitpicks, and some dreadful needles from my knitting bag are all aiding in what is turning into the project of the century.

This year's sweater is from Drops Design. This is the first sweater I've knit from them, and so far it seems to be going smoothly. There were a few minor errors, but honestly I'm using it more as a jumping off point than a concrete pattern. It will also being the first time I steek!

"Crack down!" you say, "but it's only October! Why the rush?" Well, let me tell you, for some reason this sweater has created a warp in the time/space continuum. I knit and knit, watch episodes of Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy, and knit and knit. In the end I still only have 3 measly inches, 2 of which are going to be sewn up into the turned hem, and are thus plain stockinette. Why is it taking so long! I just don't know. So, I am knitting a little bit each day. Maybe just a few (dreadfully long) rows, maybe an inch. That way I have about the same chance of a snowflake in hell of finishing it. Phew.

Also, I ordered LOTS of yarn from knitpicks. But since I'm in the UK, it has to be shipped first to my house in Chicago and then to New Cross. I figure by the time it gets here I'll have enough done on my dad's sweater not to feel horribly guilty. Maybe.

Eye Candy, London Edition

I've managed to get my hands on some yarn after two weeks without knitting. (Thank goodness!) I was going through what I can only term "craft withdrawal" and I actually dreamed about knitting.

Thats right, my dreams upon moving to a new country involved sitting and knitting. I've got a blanket pattern in the works, and upon drifting to sleep it would take form. My fingers would go to work with the 15 different colors of yarn, and the pictures would become clear. (It's all quite mysterious, isn't it.) Upon awakening, I'd have no yarn, no blanket, nothing. Luckily, this is London, and it wasn't hard to track down a few treats. Those will come later though.

For now, eye candy:

Westminster Abbey

A stunning war monument

Picturesque Greenwich Park

Stay tuned though, because I really have been knitting. I have to do something with all the time we spend on the Tube (and, oh, I'm sick already). There should be some fashionable knitwear making an appearance as soon as I can drag my sorry ass out of bed.

Catherine