Category Archives: FYI

Adventure Time Sweaters

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I’ve talked about Adventure Time before.  It’s one of my favorite shows, and defiantly one of my favorite cartoons.  It’s weird, existential, goofy, and fun.

And, for a children’s cartoon, it has an inordinate amount of knitting.

Last year for Christmas, the characters even had a Christmas Sweater party.

adventure-time-sweater-time[1]Finn the Human rocked a super-chunky moose sweater.

christmas-finn[1]And Jake the Dog wore a goose-themed turtleneck.

christmas-jake[1]BMO had on an adorable Snowman number.

christmas-bmo[1]And Princess Bubblegum wore a great all-over color-worked sweater which kind of clashed with her typical bubblegum-pink outfit (and hair), but she didn’t seem to mind.christmas-princess-bubblegum[1]Want to see the rest of the gang in their holiday best?  Click here.

Which is your favorite sweater?

Mmm… Beer

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My husband is a big beer enthusiast, and I am, too (although I’m a little less knowledgeable than he is).  We love visiting Seattle’s awesome microbreweries, and he even makes his own (really delicious) beer from scratch.

He knows all about the official styles of beer, varieties of hops and IBUs.  He reads brewing magazines and learns about the different techniques that are used to make each beer special.

I like pretty labels.

I know, I know, stereotypical girl, right?  But, sometimes I can’t help it.  Take, for example, Red Hook Brewery’s winter ale, Winter Hook.

RH-winterhook-6-pack-icon1I don’t even like winter ales, and I still want to buy a six-pack.

In case you can’t see it very well in the picture, the packaging is covered completely with Fair-Isle designs.  See?

winterhook-30[1]I’m sure it’s all done by computer, but the attention to detail is fantastic!  There aren’t any half stitches or other weird mistakes.  (The little skier is even done to look like a sewed-on applique!)  Someone on their design team is a knitter.

So, let’s raise a glass to knitting (or at least knitted designs) being used out in the wild!  It’s a trend I really like, and one that makes me smile a little more when I’m walking through the grocery store.

Where else have you seen knitting used in advertising?

Stuck in the Doldrums Again

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It’s my most favorite part of a sweater.  The torso.  Nothing like knitting skein after skein of plain ol’ stockinet stitch with no end in sight.  I’m definitely not bored or anything.  Definitely not letting Grandma’s sweater sit, neglected in a box on the floor of my studio. Nope.  Definitely not doing that.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHere’s my usual process for making a top-down sweater:

1.  Casting on/neck/upper shoulders:  Exciting! I just started on a new project, and I’ve only got a handful of stitches to a row.  I’m flying along!

2.  Lower shoulders:  Sure, I’ve increased up to a couple hundred stitches, so any one row is a pain, but I get to work some cool colorwork.  It’s still pretty fun, and the added fair isle keeps it interesting.

3.  Split for arms:  I get do do some math, and even break out the stitch holders.  Excitement abounds!

4.  Body:  The worst.  Really, pattern?  You want me to knit 12 inches of stockinet over 200 stitches?  No.  I will set fire to the sweater instead.

5.  Bottom ribbing:  Hallelujah!  I am just so happy to be knitting something other than the body!

6.  First arm:  Woo Hoo! Look how fast I can knit when I only have 70 stitches to work per row!  It’s practically flying off my needles!

7.  Second arm:  Didn’t I already do this?  Hurmph.  I think I might get bored, but at least If I finish this step, I’m almost done!  I can power through.

8.  Collar and button band:  Aren’t I finished already?  I’m pretty sure I should be finished.  Oh well, I guess I’ve got to keep going.

9.  Finishing:  Yeah!  Nearly there!  Maybe I if I don’t go to bed until 2:00, I can get this finished in time to wear it to work tomorrow?  That’s acceptable, right?

 

So, wish me luck, cheer me on, and hopefully I’ll get past Step 4.  I’ve still got a looong way to go (and I have to make it before Christmas)!

Knitting in Novels: Knit Lit

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I love reading.  I love knitting.  But do I love reading about knitting?   Eh… not really, but maybe I just haven’t found the right book yet.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good book, and I love a good knitting cameo.  But, “Knit Lit” is something that hasn’t really appealed to me.  Maybe because the knitting books tend to be a little girly and “nice”, and I like my novels with dragons, or robots, and at least a little grizzly murder.

But I have dipped my toe in the Knit Lit pool.  And, it seems to me that Knit Lit books tend to show up in one of a couple categories:

Cozy mysteries:

4cd7db7732f63ce572fb3ebb3c1d1f0b[1]These are mysteries, certainly.  And there is definitely murder involved, but it’s not grizzly, and there’s very little real peril involved.  I know it’s weird to say, but they’re actually pretty “nice” murders.  I listened to Knit One, Kill Two a while ago, and it was pleasant enough, a fun little book, but nothing terribly exciting.  I imagine it would be perfect reading if I was feeling under the weather.

Memoirs:

thCA1Q6B4SThese are the sort of “overworked single mother learns to take back her life and get her groove back while making a cool sweater” type of stories.  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with these, either.  I read Sweater Quest years ago, and actually quite liked it.  It wasn’t just about knitting and self-growth, but it was also about the designer Alice Starmore, who is a character in every sense of the word.

The Serious Novel:

45f173cab7fae6842d880b2ae1ff263d[1]I admit, I haven’t gotten up the guts to read The Knitting Circle yet.  I love me some murder, mayhem, and violence in my books, but you give me a book that starts out with a dead baby and a grieving mother, and…oof.  That’s a tough sell for me.  But, it’s been sitting on my shelf for years, so I’ll probably get around to reading it some day.  But today is not that day.  (I have heard it’s good, though.)

Paranormal Romance:

dbe01b68d5ef974817ec3b5a533f9edd[1]Total confession time:  I just bought this book while researching knitting books on Amazon.  It’s probably terrible, and it’s definitely not something I would usually read.  But, look at that cover!  It’s ridiculous!  And read this synopsis from Amazon:

“Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it’s inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches, and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She’s a sorcerer’s daughter in search of Mr. Right, and she’s found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple’s very first murder. Bad news is he’s 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.”

Amazing right?  I’ll have to read it and give you a review.

So, do you read any Knit Lit?  Or do you stay away?  What’s your favorite knitting-related book?

(Fewer Than) 50 Shades of Gray

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My Dove Heather yarn showed up!  And it’s perfect!  Look!

Before:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAfter:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s not blocked yet (obviously), and the picture is a little over-exposed, but you get the gist!  The dove gray is the perfect shade.  It’s light enough that it doesn’t get swallowed up by the blue, and it’s the perfect counterpoint for the pink.  I couldn’t be happier.

Now I just have to knit the rest of the sweater… Oy!

Knitting Sweaters for Others

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A handmade sweater is a labor of love.  A labor of love that deserves to be worn until it practically falls apart at the seams.  And then it deserves to be darned and worn for a little longer.  And then for another fortnight.

After writing this week about all the knitting in Harry Potter, I’ve become slightly fixated on the Weasley Sweater.

thCA0MCQT1Molly Weasley, the mother of Ron, Ginny, Fred, George (and about a half-dozen other characters), sends her children a “Weasley Sweater” each year for Christmas.  Her handmade sweaters are the butt of an annual joke to her kids, and, admittedly, the image of the extra-large Weasley family all going to Christmas dinner, sporting matching sweaters emblazoned with their initials is pretty funny.  But, I always get little pangs of sympathy for Mrs. Weasley, who must have spent hundreds of hours knitting away by the fireside, listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network, making sure that her children stayed nice and warm in drafty old Hogwarts Castle.

Weasley[1]So, how do you avoid becoming a Molly, with all your hard work going unappreciated?

First, ask if your recipient even wants a sweater.  (Unless you’re 100% sure they will appreciate it, and really want to make it a surprise, always ask.)  Mrs. Weasley has been knitting these sweaters since her kids were tiny, and now they’re expected (and kind of dreaded, like tax season).

Second, try to figure out what kind of sweater your recipient wants.  Ron always gets a maroon sweater, not because he likes the color, but because his mother likes how he looks in maroon.  If you knit a sweater for someone in a color they hate, it’ll never get worn.  Which would be lame.

Third, think about where your recipient lives.  I’m making a big, fluffy sweater for my grandmother, who lives in Wisconsin, where extra layers are always helpful.  I once made a cabled wool pullover for my husband (which actually turned out really great), but he can almost never wear it, because Seattle never gets cold enough to warrant that much wool.

And fourth, think about if your recipient will actually appreciate all the time and effort that you put into the sweater.  I limit my knit gift-giving to my family and my knitting friends, otherwise they just don’t “get” it.

tumblr_lpsdihVFdI1ql72zio1_500[1]So go for it!  Make someone you love a Weasley Sweater (or a Jones Sweater, or a Robertson Sweater… whatever your last name is.)  Just make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

Knitting in Novels: Harry Potter

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In honor of NaNoWriMo, I thought we could talk about books and novels.  Specifically, knitting in books and novels.  Sometimes it’s a sneaky, subtle part of a book, and sometimes it seems like it’s almost a main character.  I don’t know about you, but whenever I come across a mention of knitting in a book, I always get excited, as if I just saw an old friend make a cameo.

So, without much more ado, let’s jump right in to my favorite book series of all time. Harry Potter (obviously)!

Knitting isn’t a big part of these books, but it peeks its wooly head up more than a few times.

In the first book, when Harry is first being introduced to the wizarding world, Hagrid breaks out his tent-like yellow knitting on the journey.  (Just like all of us trying to pass the time on a long commute.)

Mrs. Weasley is a well-known (and prolific) knitter, who spends her days knitting sweaters for her seven children (plus Harry).   (Sure, they’re a little tacky, and the kids don’t really appreciate them the way they should, but it’s the thought that counts, right?)Ron-Harry-Potter-Christmas-Sweaters[1]Hermione even learns a knitting charm to help her knit the piles of hats that she tries to use to set the Hogwarts house elves free.  (Can you imagine how much more you could get done if you could use a knitting charm? My whole house would probably end up covered by a gigantic knitted house-cozy.)

Knitting_charm[1]And, even Professor Dumbledore, while not a knitter himself, is a big fan of the art.  More than once, he mentions his love of warm woolen socks, and once he reads a muggle knitting magazine while waiting for a couple other characters to finish a conversation.

Clearly, I have read (and re-read) the Harry Potter books a few too many times, but, you know what?  I don’t care!  They’re fun, interesting, well-written, clever, and have lots and lots of knitting in them.

What’s your favorite knitting-related book?

Swatches on My Wall

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I have always had mixed feelings on swatches, especially when need one just to figure out my gauge.  They take time to work up, when what I really want to do is jump straight into the sweater-knitting.  And, they use up precious, precious, yarn that could be used in the aforementioned sweater.  And, of course, I hate waste, and there is nothing as wasteful as a dumb swatch sitting at the bottom of a bin in my craft room.  Nothing. (Don’t try to tell me about rainforest deforestation, or the overuse of paper towels, or the oil industry.  Swatches are more wasteful.)

Well, friends, that all changed a few weeks ago, when I was doing my bi-monthly rummage through my knitting supplies, and I realized I had acquired a sizable stash of some pretty cool swatches.

And I found some twine and clothespins.

I had no choice, really.  I had to make a swatch display on the back of a closet door.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACool, right?  I plan on adding more and more swatches as I collect them.  It’s really fun to see all of my ideas from the last six months laid out like that.  Some of the swatches are projects I designed (see Grandma’s Sweater and the Sailor Jane Scarf in there?).  Some are ideas that I ended up not using.  And some are simple gauge swatches that I used for projects I made from other peoples’ patterns (there’s one for my Persistence is Key Sweater).

I might come up with a more permanent way to display my knitting ideas (frames maybe, or embroidery hoops?), but for now, I love the flexibility that my little “clothes line” gives me.  I can add to it easily, move things around, and if I need to take a swatch down to look at some detail, I can do it, no problem.  I love having my knitted “idea book” up on my wall.

What do you do with swatches?  Do you keep them, or do you unravel them?

Finished!

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Woo Hoo!  It’s time to do the happy dance and pose awkwardly in the back yard!  (Because (for some reason) holding a rake made me feel less weird than just standing and smiling at the camera.   I never said I was a good model.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABut the sweater looks great!  It fits really well, and it is nice and cozy!  The sleeves turned out a little long (which happens to me all the time when I knit.  I have trouble getting store-bought clothes with long enough sleeves, so I tend to overcompensate when I knit, and I end up with sleeves that would work on a giraffe), but they’re perfect for turned-up cuffs.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And, though I agree with you guys that silver buttons would have been better, I ended up going with some nice faux-horn ones.  The sweater has 13 buttons, and, well, they are expensive!  I didn’t want to spend more on buttons than on the yarn itself.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I don’t plan on taking off this sweater for the next month, or until I spill coffee on it, whichever comes first.   (Probably the coffee.)

Pack-Rat

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I (like a bunch of you, I’d guess) have a tendency toward pack-ratishness.  I think it’s pretty common, especially among crafty-types.  You know the impulse, I’m sure.  “Maybe I can use these berry containers for something in the future?”  “I can’t throw away these matchboxes.  They’d be great for a craft project some day.”  “Sure, there’s only about 5 yards left of this yarn, but it wouldn’t be right to get rid of it.”

Don’t deny it.  You know you do it, too.

But I just realized that I was keeping one thing that I’m even less likely to use than my other “treasures.”

Ball bands.

Dozens and dozens of ball bands.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAYou know, the paper labels that come wrapped around balls of yarn?  For some reason, I always hesitate to throw them away, and then they end up cluttering up my knitting studio.  I always try to rationalize it to myself; they have lots of important information about the yarn (washing directions, colorways, etc) which makes me think I might need them in the future.  But, I don’t think I’ve ever actually referenced a ball band once I finished a project.

Is there any real reason I should throw these out?  Or am I just being a crazy pack-rat?  Help me!  Save me from myself!