Monthly Archives: March 2020

Oof.

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And I thought last week was wild…

Well, we’re now “Sheltering in Place,” and I haven’t been out of the house (other than daily walks with my kiddo around the block) in a couple weeks.  Social media is stressing me out, but it’s also the only way I can keep in touch with everyone, so I feel like I can’t just ignore it.  It’s not been great.  (Though, again, we’re safe and healthy, we haven’t lost our jobs, and we are in a really good place to weather this storm.)

When we first went into quarantine, I thought “Sweet!  I’ll get so much knitting done!  I”ll make a new sweater for the kid, and for me, and for my husband.  I’ll do some designing, and maybe self-publish a pattern or two.” But to be honest, I haven’t done any of that.  I have barely even picked up my needles.

IMG_2725.JPGNot to say I haven’t been productive, in other ways.  I’ve done a ton of yard work, I’ve constructed a tent in the living room from our neighbor’s bamboo, string and blankets, and I’ve built more LEGO houses, tunnels and trains than I could count. But, I haven’t really been knitting.

I think it’s the quiet, meditative, part of knitting that makes it hard for me to sit down with my needles right now.  I don’t want to be still and quiet.  I want to be out in the back yard with a saw and a pickax and a shovel.

But, I know this will pass, and soon enough I will want to pick up my needles again and finish up that pair of socks I started as a “fun” project right before this whole thing went down.  The day will come when sitting quietly on the couch with a cup of tea sounds calming, and not anxiety-provoking.  And it will probably come soon.  I just have to be OK with it taking a little time.

After all, the socks will be there waiting whenever I’m ready.

What are you doing during all this at-home time?

 

This is what we’ve been preparing for!

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Y’all, the last two weeks have been wild.

We’re in Seattle, and I’ll start by saying, we’re totally fine.  (Other than a little cabin fever, of course.)  Schools are closed until late April (so the kid’s playgroups are closed), the Zoo and museums are closed and, well, everything is closed.  And (as of the time I’m writing this), we’re supposed to limit gatherings to 10 or fewer people, which… is rough.

We’re taking lots of very long, very quiet walks (there are very few cars on the streets), watching movies (I can pretty much recite Frozen at this point), reading lots of books, and working in the yard.  It’s real weird.

But, if ever there was a group of people ready for mass quarantine, I think it’s knitters.  After all, what have we been accumulating our stashes for, if not this?

So, in honor (?) of the pandemic, let’s talk scrappy projects.  Just because we can’t make it to our LYS’s doesn’t mean we can’t make something beautiful.

First, the classic, the ne plus ultra, the epitome of scrap projects, the Beekeeper’s Quilt.  I’ll be honest, I’m not sure that anyone has ever actually finished one of these projects, but dang, if it doesn’t look satisfying.  And what a wonderful way to burn through scraps!

the beekeeper’s quilt by tiny owl knits

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And, if we’re talking color-mixing and using up scraps, we can’t not talk about Stephen West.  This sweater asks for bulky, or DK, or sport, or worsted, or lace-weight yarn and would lend itself to using just about as many colors as you want or have.  Perfect for end-of-the-world stash-busting!

Penguono by Stephen West

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Maybe you want to go a little less wacky than Stephen West (which I get- his style isn’t necessarily for everyone).  I bet you could dig through your stash and make a gradient of sock yarn.  And, if you had a little mohair to hold with it, all the better!  I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous reverse stockinette pullover that features a beautiful gradient and an eye-catching slipped-stitch yoke.
Sorrel by Wool & Pine
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But maybe you’re not up for a whole sweater right now- I get it, you need to be in a certain head space to cast on a sweater, and we might not all be there right now.  Maybe you’re looking for nothing more than a big, squishy, cozy triangle shawl that is just this side of being a blanket.  I know I always want to retreat into a cocoon when I’m stressed, and I think this shawl might just be the most socially-acceptable to cocoon yourself up.
Nightshift by Andrea Mowry
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I hope you’re staying safe (and sane)!
What’s on your to-knit list for the next couple weeks?

It’s So Fuzzy!

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Oooh, y’all!  This sweater is going to be amazing!

I flew through the yoke (that lace panel was fun!), and I’m cruising through the body (I’m still not sure if I want it to be cropped or not… but I’ve got a couple inches before I have to decide).  IMG_2720.JPG

I’ve gotta say, the neckline looks wild (it looks wide enough to be a waistband!).  But, I’m trusting the pattern.  It has you pick up the provisional cast-on and work the neckline ribbing with much smaller needles, which should make the sweater look more like a sweater and less like a caftan.  Fingers crossed that it turns out the way I’m hoping it will.

But I kinda don’t care how the finished sweater looks, because I just can’t get over how fuzzy and soft and glow-y this fabric is.  I wish you could reach through the computer and pet this yarn.  The combo of the heavy/drapey fingering weight bamboo and the fluffy silk/merino is just a delight.  Honestly, the reason that I haven’t already finished this sweater is that I keep pausing my knitting to pet it.  It’s really becoming a problem.

What is the project that you’re most excited about right now?

New, fun, and fuzzy!

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As you know, I’ve been trying to make a point of using up my stash yarns this year.  (With mixed results- my Stonecroft Shawl is still sitting next to my computer, waiting to be frogged and re-knit, and I’ve managed to actually make more yarn… but still.)

I’ve mentioned that I have three skeins of a really nice merino-bamboo blend that have been in my stash for literally years- they might even have gone through a couple moves with me.  The yarn is lovely- soft, lightly shiny, with a beautiful drape.  But, despite the colorway being named “Peacock,” they’re kind of a denim-blue, with gray undertones.  It’s a nice enough color, but not something to inspire me to pick them up and knit something big.

Well.  I have decided what I want to do with this yarn.  If I don’t like the blue on it’s own, why not add something really crazy?  Something that’s beyond out-there (for me, anyway).  How about something hand-dyed, silky (literally) and fuzzy?

And why not jump on the bandwagon and make something completely out of my wheelhouse?  Lace! (Why not?) 3/4 sleeves! (Sure!) Cropped! (Of course!) Girly! (OK!)

That’s right, I’m making a Love Note!TCK-lovenote-01a.jpg

It’s a sweater I’ve had my eye on for a while- it’s so cute, and it looks like it would knit up in about fifteen minutes.  And I like the idea of holding a fingering-weight and a mohair/lace-weight together (so not what I usually do, but it looks fun).  And what a better way to use up my blue yarn?  Might as well have fun while stash-busting.

So I hit up my local yarn store and bought the second-brightest yarn they had.  (I almost bought a legit rainbow-colored one, but then I chickened out.)  It’s Knitted Wit Fairy Floss in Rock Candy Teal (real peacock colors!).

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I wound them up and worked up a swatch, and… it’s so good!  I love how the Fairy Floss wakes up the Classic Merino Bamboo, and the Classic Merino Bamboo tones down the craziness of the Fairy Floss.  It’s the perfect odd-couple of yarn!

Plus, this lace pattern is super cute!

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This sweater’s going to be interesting, I can already tell.  Either I’m going to love it and never take it off, or I’m going to wear it once and find a friend to give it to.  

But, either way, it’s going to be a fun knit!

Do you ever start projects outside your wheelhouse?

Spun Out

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It’s been more than 4 years, but I’ve actually finished!  I finally finished spinning some yarn!

Actually, I finally finished spinning a LOT of yarn. (I think it was about 300 yards of worsted, though I can’t find where I wrote down the yardage…  I guess I’ll have to measure it again… ugh!  Suffice it to say, it’s a good amount.  All skeined up, it’s the size of a large loaf of bread.)

And, y’all, it’s SO pretty!IMG_2685

It’s all sorts of beautiful shades of purple, teal, turquoise and blue, with variations in shininess and depth of color.  I managed to do a 3-ply, which means that (mostly) every part of the yarn has 3 different-colored plies.  So fun!  And not something that you can find easily in shops.IMG_2698

The yarn is soft and squishy, a nice thick worsted (ish).  I’ll be honest, it’s not perfect (it’s not perfectly even, and it’s a little over-spun).  But it’s hand-made!  Isn’t that the point?

Now I gotta admit- I’m thinking about getting another hank of fiber and spending the next 3-5 years making it into yarn.

Also, now I have to decide what to make with this yarn…. choices, choices!