Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting

If you're in the New York area, you might want to see the "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting" at the Museum of Arts & Design. Check out the teeny-tiny gloves knit with silk on wire needles by Althea Merback and "Craft Kills" by Douglas Atfield, a knitted commentary on the banning of knitting needles on airplanes after 9/11.

The Latvian Twist

I don't like gray days--what am I doing in Minnesota--but I do like the color gray when it's used in clothing.

This is my adaptation of one of Nancy Bush's sock patterns. The edge is called a Latvian twist, which sounds suspiciously like a wild and comic dance. And we need more wild dances for these gray days!

Autumn Stripes - Finished!

Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Multiringel color #5030
Pattern: My own remix
Needles: #2 Susan Bates Quicksilver
Comments: This yarn has been in my stash for awhile. Somehow the colors seemed too wild for a gal who prefers neutrals. But I love these socks! I like that the striping has a tweedy effect that appears random but you can still match the socks. When starting to knit socks seven months ago, I really wanted to make a pair of "slouch" socks--remember those? Using #2 needles goes faster than the #1's I normally use, and the socks are generally a tiny bit large for me. Even though they aren't quite "slouch," the larger socks are nice with boots and just wearing around the house. And when I first put them on, I didn't want to take them off!

Knit/Purl Scarf - Finished!

Let's get serious after that last post.

This is a no-nonsense scarf (Knit/Purl kit), and I resisted the urge to dress it up a bit with some sort of embellishment. As I have said before, I love the Morehouse Farm yarn. It's so natural and, well, homespun-looking. The yarn has a physical lightness about it that I haven't noticed in other wools.

It's been washed and blocked and it bloomed only slightly, which gives it a softer look and feel. The only thing I would change about it would be to add another skein of yarn to make it a bit longer.

The Traveling Tiara

I was reminded the other day of my wandering tiara--remember the Tiara in a Treetop?

There's no reason why this beautiful Tiara can't move around from time to time. Why should it be resigned to a shelf in the closet or--heaven forbid--an old queen's head?

Here is Tiara, glorious in a perfectly open and logical spot.

Chilean Sidetrack

You can believe that I was sidetracked by this pattern and yarn while looking for (more) sock yarn, can't you? It's a scarf pattern based on a Chilean woven blanket and the yarn is pure alpaca, which is really slippery on my KnitPicks needles. The pattern gets more colorful as you go along, with fourteen different colors (and corresponding ends to weave in).

Let's see if I can keep to my decision to weave in the ends after each color block. What!

On the Needles Now

I'm closing in on the knit/purl scarf from Morehouse Farm. The yarn is pure Merino wool in a favorite natural color, oatmeal. I really like working with this yarn.

The socks are just plain 3/1 ribbing but this time I'm using a #2 needle. The Susan Bates Quicksilver double points were on sale for $2.62 a set at a big box store and I stocked up on them! They are nicely smooth without being slippery, are a nice weight, and my favorite length (7"). The sock yarn is Lana Grossa Multiringel. It's wool and cotton and might be a discontinued item, since it doesn't seem to be listed on Yarndex.

Boxes of Soxes

I have a very dear and talented friend who looked at this blog recently and was surprised to see how many socks I've knitted in the last 7 months. She was inspired to write this wonderful little poem:

There was a young lady named Kay

Who decided one wonderful day

To knit thousands of sockses

Needing thousands of boxes

It's a kind of cliche', but,

A sock a day

Keeps "Popsicle Toes" away!

---by Kathy M.

StrawberryLime Socks - Finished!

Yarn: Kid Merino from Crystal Palace Yarns, Color 432
Pattern: My own remix
Needles: Size #1 Clover bamboo double points
Comments: This teeny, tiny, skinny, airy yarn takes a bit of getting used to in order to knit. I made the decision to reinforce the whole foot with Woolly Nylon, rather than just the toe and heel. It made for a more substantial fabric, and only slightly decreased the softness of the yarn. The yarn was already 44% micro nylon, so reinforcement may not have been necessary for longer wear. But this was my first use of Woolly Nylon and I wanted to try it.

Great Nephews

Here's my nephew with his 3-month-old son wearing the hat I knit. I couldn't resist posting this photo of them!

Wish I could think of a good caption for this photo; he just looks like he's owning that hat, doesn't he?

Resolutions and Other Fairy Tales...

Most of us like to make some resolutions for the new year, and one of mine was that I would get some more storage in my office (for yarn, perhaps?). The mismatched pieces of furniture that were formerly in this place just didn't work. Now I have spaces for my sock yarn and other paraphernalia plus corner shelving:


These are inexpensive units from a hardware store, and it took a couple hours to assemble them. Now at least my yarn is where I can see it easily and remind myself not to purchase more sock yarn. HA!

Speaking of reminders, my brother keeps his Mensa card in his billfold to remind him not to make stupid purchases. He told me it doesn't work.

Hiiumaa Socks - Finished!

Pattern: Hiiumaa Mates #2 from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush.

Yarn: MC: Patons Kroy Sock yarn (Glencheck) and CC: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Color 1298.

Needles: #1 Susan Bates double points.

Comments: The pattern calls for 72 stitches to be cast on, and I followed the pattern faithfully, resisting the urge to add length to the leg. The heel is rather interesting because it does not look reinforced, but it actually does have a unique reinforcing stitch. This is a lovely pattern, and I am now a real fan of Nancy Bush.

Kittens in a Box

If you have ever looked down at a litter of kittens in a box, you know exactly what this drawing is all about.

My grandson took an art class at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts last year and for Christmas he gave me this drawing, framed and adorable. I simply love it!

Happy Finished Object!

Happy New Year, Too!

Did you ever have a project that was so simple (yawn) that you couldn't get it finished for months? This was one of those.

Pattern: The Urban Edge Scarf from Needlework Unlimited
Yarn: Anne
Needles: Size 3 Turbos

It's a gift, and done just in time.