Monthly Archives: March 2015

Inspiration: Grantchester

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Have you been watching Grantchester on Masterpiece Mystery?  On my PBS station, it’s been airing at 10:30 on Sunday nights (after Downton Abbey and after the horrifyingly bad Downton wrap-up show), in what is possibly the worst time slot available.

Despite that, it’s a really good show.  (And available to watch online.)  It’s a fairly standard, slightly dark, amateur-detective show (one of my favorite genres), set in the charming British countryside, where a charming country vicar and a slightly-less-charming-but-still-quite-charming police detective team up to work together to solve the surprisingly high number of murders that happen in their sleepy little village.

But, like with most period dramas on PBS, my favorite part are the costumes.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to wear dresses like these:

Bz0BRLOIMAAa8oX[1]Totally gorgeous!

And, I have to say, the knitting game for this show is simply top-notch.

Example 1: A fantastic crochet bed jacket.

Grantchester-S1-E3-Slideshow-BTS-04-scale-690x390[1]Example 2: A gorgeous graphic-knit cardigan.

Grantchester-Scene-Icons-Episode-1[1]Example 3: Not one, but two beautiful (and practical) cardigans.  I particularly love the geometric trim on the one on the right.

Grantchester-2014-imagini-4[2]This show makes me want to start on a new cardigan of my own.

This one is sort of 50s-by-way-of-80s, with a pretty lacy pattern.

Poppy by Patons

Poppy_Cardigan_medium[1]And this one is totally sharp.  I love the pinstripes and mitered corners.  Very cool.

Jasper by Louisa Harding

3978086382_1d8e60c1d8_z[1]Do you have a favorite decade of fashion?

Buttons! (Again!)

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Like any good crafter, I love buttons.

After I wrote (in too much detail) about how much I love buttons, I received a mystery box from my grandmother.  And, I bet you can’t guess what was inside.

Buttons!

Hundreds and hundreds of buttons in every color, size, shape and material.  From every decade of the last 60 years.  They’re kind of amazing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese tiny blue buttons were held together on a great big gold safety pin.  The picture doesn’t do them justice; they’re shiny and perfect, and the prettiest shade of periwinkle.  And I think they’re going to have to end up on a baby sweater.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese tiny little rhinestone buttons were kept safe in their own little manilla envelope, away from the others.  I don’t know their back-story, but I can tell they’re very old, and deserve to be kept safe until I can find something really special to put them on.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese pretty 1-inch buttons are a super cool.  They’re resin (or something like that) that has been cast into layers, then carved out into the shape of flowers.  I think Mom said they were from 1976 (although she could have been talking about the other red, white, and blue buttons) when everything turned all patriotic for the Bicentennial.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThese are actually buttons!  They are some sort of plastic, and about 2 inches across.  My mom thinks they were originally on one of my great-aunt’s dresses back in the fifties.  I think they are super weird and super fantastic.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThere are so many more gorgeous buttons!  I can’t wait to find things to do with them.  From now on, everything I knit is going to end up covered with dozens of buttons.  I can’t wait!

Do you have a favorite button?  Do you have a button jar?

Wedding Blanket- the Last-Minute Edition

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As a knitter, I use any excuse to break out my yarn.  Whenever a friend has a baby, they get a sweater.  When a friend gets married they get a blanket.  That’s just the way it goes.

Usually, I pay attention to the schedule of these things.

Except, for some reason, I totally spaced on my friend Michel’s wedding.  It’s next weekend.  I started her blanket last weekend.  I’m a dumbo.

I knew I had only about two weeks to do it, so I had to pick my pattern wisely.  I decided to crochet the blanket, since that goes faster, even for me.  And, I wanted something super simple, without any seaming, so granny squares were out.

I considered making a ripple blanket for a while.  I particularly liked this one.  The white against the brightly colored stripes is super cool.l32025a_medium[1]Modern Ripple Baby Blanket by Lion Brand Yarn

But, a couple rows in, it turned out I had messed up on my counting and I had to rip it all back.  So, I decided to try something a little simpler.  Something I could work on while binge-watching Parks and Rec.

1_medium[1]V stitch by Sucrette

Totally cute, right?  I used the V-stitch pattern, and a made up a semi-random stripe pattern inspired by the first blanket.  But, in a very cool (if I say so myself) neutrals-and-neon color palette.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI think it turned out pretty well.  It’s a good size for snuggling under with a good book and a cup of tea, or throwing over the back of a couch.  I hope she likes it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow I’ve got to go put ice on my wrists from crocheting too fast!

Do you ever knit to a (ridiculous, self-imposed) deadline?