Stolen Moments, Yes Indeedy!

This just came off the needles, my Stolen Moments Wrap .  The name really fit the bill, because I did use stolen moments to knit it.  I pretty much kept it in the car and knit rows in school pick-up line.  It's amazing what you can accomplish in just a few minutes a day.  

The stitch pattern Amy Swenson used in this pattern is really textural and lovely.  I used Cascade's Cash Vero in Shade 030, with two strands held together.  It took 8 balls of yarn and I have enough left over to do a baby hat, I think.  I wish Cascade made this in a chunky version.....This shade of light grey is so great - it'll go with everything.  It'll probably replace my Clapotis, which has definitely seen better days.   I usually don't knit patterns twice, but I might actually make this again as a gift.   

Don't you love the posed reading photo?  BTW, if you are looking for a really good thriller, check out the book I'm holding here  - The Good Liar by my friend Laura Caldwell. 

I couldn't resist adding this kitty photo.  Lilly Tomlin just loves hanging out on my FOs....doesn't she look content?

Now I'm so screwed because I don't have a mindles project for the car.  All the other WIPs have charts, etc. that demand too much attention.....off I go to Ravelry to find something to make.....

Help Me Decide - Which is the Perfect Everyday Tote for Knitters

Remember the other day when I wondered aloud if the perfect everyday knitting bag exists? You know, a bag you can wear with all your outfits.  It holds all your regular stuff and has a separate space to keep your on-the-go knitting projects?  It doesn't scream "knitting bag,"  and instead says "what a lovely, elegant woman."  After exhaustive research on behalf of my readers, (okay, I admit I would've done this anyway - I'm obsessed) I've found 3 contenders.  And you, dear readers, get to vote on the one I should get.  Leave a comment regarding your favorite by Sunday night and I'll post the results on Monday.  

Initially, I found two bags marketed for knitters that were okay - by Namaste and Jordana Paige.  I haven't ordered them yet because I got obsessed with all the shiny patent totes out there this fall.  What can I say, I'm like a crow - I like shiny things.  Plus, patent is waterproof.

I focused my search on structured patent totes with magnetic closures and two internal sections.  There are plenty this year - 56 pages on shopstyle.com alone.  I set my price cap at $200.  

Here are my three contenders.....

No. 1:  The Calvin Klein Glow Tote - reg. price $289, on sale for $149 at Dillard's.





No. 2:  The Nine West Double Delight Tote:  $110.  The description says it has two sections, but no photo on the site.  :(



3.  The Rio by Jordana Paige:  $89 (I would order plum.)  This is brand new and wasn't on Jordana's site when I did my last post about knitting bags.  It's way cool and comes in a plum color I just love.  




I can't wait to hear your thoughts....

Lynn's Fabulous Shrug: New Pattern Up

I was completely overwhelmed by the interest in Lynn's Shrug.  I accidentally posted the description and photo a few days ago on Ravelry without the pattern attached - and I got favorited by people right away.  How cool is that? 

I'm so pleased to present the new and improved Lynn's Shrug.  She's a little cap-sleeved shrug made of super chunky Cascade Magnum.  I cooked up the original idea with my friend, Lynn, so I just had to name it after her.  The pattern is knit in one piece - no seams, just a 3-needle bind-off.  

Isn't she a beaut?

And she looks even better from the back:

And the side view, to die for, right?

The pattern is over there in the right hand column.  One caveat.....the schematic is a little wonky, but generally will help you get the idea of how the piece fits together.   

If you cast on, I'd love to hear from you.  Comments are appreciated.

People Want to Knit My Patterns!

Big news - I've had my first pattern sale at Knit 1!  Someone bought the pattern for the Jersey Shore Cardigan.  Hooray!   I'm hoping to have the pattern for sale on Ravelry very soon.  

And... the customers at Knit 1 have been trying on Lynn's Shrug and giving tons of great feedback.  I spent all week modifying the design and knitting up this sample.  I'm in a rush because several people have told me they want to cast on.  (I just turn inside out with excitement when I hear that!)  I used a different yarn, Cascade Magnum, which gives the piece more body.  I'm hoping to have the pattern available as a free Ravelry download this weekend.  What do you think of it?   (Brooch left to me by Grandma Alexander.)

And.....last but not least, check out my fantastic new header!  I have such talented friends.  Char created this for me.  She's an amazingly talented photographer (if you live in the Westport, CT area you simply must have her photograph your children.)  It's Brooklyn Tweed's Noro Scarf  .  I lost the ball bands so I can't tell you what colors I used (whoopsie!)  It was such a pleasure to knit, although I wish I'd used invisible cast-on and bind-offs.  Next time, right?  This is one of those scarves you should always have on the needles - it's just so fun to knit with Noro.  

I'm also blazing through Amy Swenson's Stolen Moments wrap, which I'm making out of a lovely light grey Cascade Cash Vero with two strands held together.  Photos tomorrow, plus a taste of a new scarf design I have up my sleeve.......

Does the Perfect Knitting Bag Exist?

My mom had a cool little bowling tote.  It had a special place for a monogrammed ball and, I guess, various other items one needs while bowling.  She also had a snap-top coin purse type thingie to hold her cigarettes, which was perfectly designed for the job.  (Hey, it was the 70s.)  I understand and admire bags perfectly designed for the job, like tennis, hockey and golf.  The questions is, do we really need specialized knitting bags, or are there perfect bags in the real world that will do the trick just fine?

I take my knitting everywhere.  I knit in Cubs traffic jams, at stop lights, in the school pick-up line, at the gym waiting for my workout buddies, waiting for the kids at swim lessons, etc.   I need an everyday tote - not one special bag that holds only knitting.  Although how cool would it be if they made monogrammed knitting bags like my mom's bowling one?

I've come to the realization that the perfect bag for a knitter is an open-top tote with magnetic snaps and two shoulder handles.    

My perfect bag also:

• Can also hold my MacBook
• Is lightweight
• Is neutral enough to go with almost everything - no Sally Sunshine prints, please
• Is waterproof (duh!)
• Has two distinct sections - one for knitting, one for regular life stuff like calendar, cell phone, a petrified sandwich and part of a Transformer toy (how does that always happen to me?)
• Has NO zippers - expensive cashmere yarn, meet the zipper that mangled you......
• Looks cool (natch)
• Stands up by itself
• Knits 10 inches of K1P1 for you while you sleep  (a girl can dream)

Lately, my around-the-town tote is  this bag.

It is big enough for my needs, but not so big that it overpowers my frame.  And...it looks WAY better in person - really, really cool.  What's not to love about a bag you can clean with Windex?  Unfortunately, it doesn't have separate sections and it can't stand up by itself.  But, it's good for now.

While researching this post, I came across two potential new bags that actually are marketed for knitters.  First, this one from Jordana Paige.  

Second, this one from Namaste:

I'm going to order both of these and see if either will do the trick.  They look a little on the plastic side in the photos.  But, I've had other faux leather bags that look beautiful in person so I'm willing to give them a try.  

When I was organizing the stash, I discovered I have two Della Q bags.  They are pretty, but they are not waterproof or durable enough to be that everyday bag.  I have an EGD purl pod bag, which my wonderful SIL got me for Christmas.  I just love it and I use it for those big sweater projects that I work on at home or LYS only.  It isn't the right shape for an everyday bag, even though it is waterproof.  

I saw something in a recent knitting magazine about Dorothy Turk totes.  

While I like their design, I'm not thrilled about the fabrics, as they are not neutral enough to carry with a wide variety of outfits.  They sort of scream, "I'm a knitting bag."  They also are not waterproof.  Bummer.  But...I'd like to encourage them to keep going.  The design is cool and could be executed in a really awesome dark brown or black patent leather or even waxed cotton.  It should look more like this Tory Burch tote (not big enough - I checked)  in terms of design aesthetic.  

So, dear readers, I will check back with you on the bags I'm ordering.  In the meantime, if you know of any other bags (knitting oriented or not) that fit my checklist....please leave a comment and let me know.

A Stash by Any Other Name.....

So, if your stash isn't all in one place, does it really and truly count as stash?  The sad answer is yes, as you'll see in today's post.  For more discussion on stash issues, check out one of my favorite podcasts, Stash and Burn.

The other day, I looked at my yarn stash.....

and I thought to myself, "Way to go, sister! That looks like a reasonable, tidy stash."  Then tried to find some pretty green mohair boucle I bought the other day.  I have an idea for a really cool tubular scarf with mohair and chunky yarn.  I found it here.....

In my search, I also found......my Delia Q bag filled neatly with three WIPs: two multi-colored Malibrigo Tomten jackets for a friend who had twins and BrooklynTweed's Red Light Special hat for my husband.

And.....Cascade 220 that I bought to do a felted bag - project ditched.  Need to repurpose yarn. 

And.....the Cascade Pastaza I bought on sale to do the Central Park Hoodie.....

Tofutsies sock yarn for when (or if) I ever feel like knitting socks......


My current WIP - a Stolen Moments wrap by Amy Swenson in a light grey CashVero.  

And.....right out in the open.....Gotta love it when WIPs can masquerade as FOs.  This is a lap blanket made of Misti Alpaca's Chunky Alpaca.  I loved making their Ribs and Ruffles scarf, featuring the Eve's Rib pattern, so I decided to make a whole blanket out of it.  The rest of the yarn is either hiding behind that cute pillow or in my bedroom closet.  

At least my  circular and DP needles are stored neatly in this binder.  I got the idea here.  What a fantastic idea.  I would love to make a felted, monogrammed binder cover to replace the blue hideousness.  Any other ideas for an attractive, large, 3-ring binder? 

 

Horrifying, isn't it?  I cannot believe the level of denial I've been in about the nature of my stash.  After I took all those photos, I moved everything near the stash area in the guest room and...I closed the door.  That's all the reality I can face for today.

Falling for Sweaters

I know I'm not the only knitter who's excited about pulling out the sweaters, except for dear Wendy over at Knit and Tonic. Poor thing lives in a warm climate and can't wear sweaters. But she doesn't let that stop her from knitting and writing cool knitting books, bless her soul. But, I digress....

I'm now thinking about what's next in terms of design....and so I got busy looking for inspiration. I'm really feeling the ruffles, pinched pleats and vertical lines in this sweater.

Also, I'm a huge fan of nearly everything by Lutz and Patmos.  Their herringbone cowlneck looks so warm and cozy.

Even though it's technically crochet and not knitting - how gorgeous is this Theory vest? 

 

Last, fall wouldn't be fall without sweater dresses.  Don't we all just love a wrap dress and nobody does it better than DVF.

I've been sketching out a few designs and I'm working on getting my pattern PDFs up on Ravelry.  Next up....life with THE STASH!

The Design Fandango

I've thought about blogging for a while now, but thought, "Geez, who wants to hear what you have to say about anything?"  Turns out I had it all wrong.  For me, the decision to start a blog is not about what I have to say, but about connecting with other people and sharing ideas.  So, for my very first post, I would like to share some incredibly exciting news...my pieces are in the window of my local yarn boutique, knit 1.  The owner, Karen, so channels Tim Gunn.  She challenged her customers to "make it work" and to design, knit and write patterns for the 3 mannequins in her store window.  Note:  Karen usually does this all by herself quarterly.  Aren't I lucky to have her shop within walking distance of my house?

Violla!  Meet Sweet Home Shrug (in red) and Jersey Shore Cardigan (in white):

And don't forget Lynn's Vest, which is on a mannequin inside the store.



Here are some better shots of the Jersey Shore Cardigan........a raglan-style cardigan with bell sleeves....

and this really cool lace back!


Lynn's Vest is a work in progress - I got some excellent feedback on ways to modify the design from some store customers.  I'm knitting it as we speak.....

And last, but not least.....my favorite design....Sweet Home Shrug, with my friend Lynn as the gracious model.  Did I mention is it was 92 degrees out that day?  

It's a wonderful excuse to wear a blanket, don't you think?


I'm working on getting the pattern for this shrug up on Ravelry.....but my tech skills leave a lot to be desired.  Tomorrow, I'm going to post about his process of designing and writing patterns, and how it has affected how I view my knitting.  

Now, dear readers, I need your feedback.  What do you like/not like?  What questions do you have?  How would you improve/change/modify the designs?

The floor is yours......