Category Archives: Inspiration

Inspiration: Downton Abbey

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I, like everyone else in America, am a huge fan of Downton Abbey.  If you’re not watching it, you are missing out.  Sure, it’s basically just a soap opera, but it’s on PBS, it’s vaguely historical, and they speak in posh British accents, so it feels like you’re watching something with a little more substance than your average soap.  Also, Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess is pretty much the best thing in the history of TV. Just saying.

Unfortunately, while the costumes are historically accurate (and gorgeous) there is a definate lack of yarn-related garments.  I’ve been on the lookout for a scarf, a sweater, or a pair of socks since the first episode, and frankly have come up almost entirely empty.  There was one episode where they played cricket and wore sweaters, but that was it (and not terribly exciting).

That was, until last night, when the under-cook Daisy rocked this crocheted hat when she went to go visit with her father-in-law.

UntitledIt’s an odd sort of a hat, to be honest, but she looks adorable in it.  (But Daisy is adorable no matter what, so that could be part of it).  It’s somewhere between a beret, a cloche and a potato sack.  Untitled2I like to imagine her sitting in her dormitory, working on her hat in the few moments she would have to herself between meals.Untitled3If you want to make yourself a daisy-inspired crochet hat, try one of these patterns:

Beret by Columbia-Minerva

india.arie_beret_medium[2]Slightly Slouchy Hat by MK Carroll

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Inspiration: Parade of Knitwear

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I don’t know about you, but I was glued to the TV on Friday night, eagerly awaiting the awesome (or the semi-awesome, as it often ends up) that is the Olympic Opening Ceremony.  Especially since this is the Winter Games, I was expecting some excellent knitwear.  I was less than happy, therefore, when a disturbing amount of Gore-Tex came out on the athletes.

But, nevertheless, there were a few points of light in a darkness of polar fleece and weatherproof jackets.

Slovakia went all-in on a heart-motif for their hats and scarves.2014 Winter Olympic Games - Opening Ceremony

Kyrgyzstan wore red-and-white scarves with a very cool curlicue motif.2014+Winter+Olympic+Games+Opening+Ceremony+_ksK8nJ2t5kl[1]

Andorra went all-out with (pardon my French) bitchin’ color work sweaters.OLY-2014-OPENING-CEREMONY-DELEGATION

And, well… This happened.1391805399020-USP-Olympics--Opening-Ceremony39[1]

It’s a knitting blog, so I have to include us in this post, after all.  But, let’s just not talk about them ever again.  Embarrassing and tacky, to say the least.  Not good, USA.  Not good at all.

Another awesome knitting moment happened during the Men’s Slopestyle (which, if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to watch it.  It’s super cool).  Check it out:1654697_10152558586959918_501735966_o

See that?  It’s Antti Koskinen, the coach from Finland.  Apparently the whole Finnish team are passing around the scarf, so that everyone who wants to will get a chance to work on it.  I can’t imagine a cooler project, or a better way to calm your nerves when you’re at the Olympics!

Inspiration: Seahawks

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Apparently, there’s a football game this weekend.  And apparently the Seattle Seahawks are playing.  Yay!

I actually have very little interest in Football (as did the entire city of Seattle until about two weeks ago), but since we’re playing in the Superbowl, I figured I’d jump on that bandwagon.  I’m all about jumping (and bandwagons).

If you have time before Sunday, how about making a very team-spirited Seahawks hat?  (Fun fact: The Seahawk’s mascot is named Blitz… I just looked that up.  Just for you guys.  Also, Blitz is a sea hawk, which is not actually a real bird.)

Adult Sized Seahawks Hat by Chelan Ku

seahawks_hat_2_small_best_fit[1]Or you could make a scarf from some hand-dyed Seahawks yarn.  (Fun fact: The official Seahawks Colors are College Navy, Action Green, and Wolf Gray.  I’m not even making that up.  Action Green.)

Seattle Seahawks Hand Dyed Yarn by yarnpirate

il_570xN.554593860_nkyh[1]Or, if you only care about football a tiny bit (like me), how about making a tiny football?  (Fun fact:  A standard NFL football is about 11 inches long, tip to tip.  This one is about 1 inch.)

Tiny Football by Anna Hrachovec

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Inspiration: Happy Birthday to Me!

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Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Also, happy Allison’s birthday!

When I was a kid, it was extra exciting when my birthday landed on MLK day, because it meant that I got a day off school especially for my birthday.  As a grown-up, it’s less exciting since my routine doesn’t really change.

But, it’s still my birthday, so let’s have some birthday cake!

Birthday Cake Cowl by Christina WallIMG_3205_medium2[1]

tiny rainbow cake slice by Trish Young

rainbow_cake_2_medium[1]Cupcake Mittens by SpillyJane

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Inspiration: It’s Colder Than Balls (of Yarn)

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So, you remember when I was complaining about how cold it was?  Turns out I was completely wrong.  20 degrees is lovely, balmy weather.  Practically a tropical paradise. It seems especially lovely when you have Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, and the only time you go outside is when you feel like going skiing.

Real cold has now settled in.  The kind of cold that makes people worry about frostbite when they run to the 7-11 down the block.  The kind of cold that makes the state of Michigan (Michigan!) close down every single public school.  The kind of cold that makes you curse the first Norwegian trappers who found Chicago and said “Hey, I bet this would be a great place to start a city.”

It’s the kind of cold that cancels almost 2000 flights at O’Hare Airport.  That’s right, two thousand.  Including mine.  (I was supposed to fly back to Seattle last night).  I have still not actually managed to reach a real person to help with rebooking, but their computer system automatically gave me a new flight.  Next weekend. That means that I will be spending an unexpected week in Chicago, before getting back home.  Luckily, my folks are letting me stay with them, so I don’t have to stay hotel for a week (yay!),  But, it means I have to stay another week in -13 degree (-40 windchill) weather, before going home (boo!).

At least I have plenty of knitting to keep me busy and a good book on my Kindle, so I’ll be a happy camper inside the apartment.  If I have to go outside, however, I think I’m going to need knitwear a little more extreme than my usual hat and mittens.  Maybe I’ll make myself an emergency balaclava or two.

I could go girly:

From Russia, with Love: Cabled Balaclava by Nikol Lohr

3968160718_7d53180fb6_z[1]I could go classic and functional:

Antifreeze by Jenna Adorno

ravelry2_medium[1]Or, I could go viking:

Dwarven Battle Bonnet by Sally Pointer/ Wicked Woollens

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A Little Bit of Sparkle

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I thought for quite a while about whether or not to do a “New Year’s Resolution” Post.  I almost did it, too.  But, then I thought, “Why on earth would I want to do that?”  New Year’s Resolution lists are preachy and sanctimonious, and frankly boring.

So, what else can I write about for New Year’s?  What’s more fun than New Year’s Resolutions?  I know!

GLITTER!

It’s the one day of the year you can wear as much glitter and as many sparkles as you want (outside of roller derby) without people giving you the stink eye.   So, let’s get to it and take a look at the glitteriest and sparkliest knitting patterns I could find.

Knitted Sequined Collar by Qiwen HengIMG_1565_medium[1]Mudra Cuff by Laura Nelkin

7138804017_cc2ef38fc5_z[1]Abstract Leaves Cowl by Deb Mulder

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It’s Cold As Balls (of Yarn)

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I’m spending my Christmas break with family in the Great White North (of northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin).  It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s windy. I’m spending the week curled up with my leftover Christmas knitting and a cup of hot cocoa.

But, when I leave the house, there’s nothing I want more than to wrap myself up head-to-toe in three sheep’s worth of woolens.

I’m going to go fill up the kettle again and daydream about these super chunky patterns.

150-4 Little Red Riding Slippers – Slippers with cables in Eskimo by DROPS design

4-2_medium2[1]Twiggy Cardigan by Jane Richmond

Twiggy_Cardigan_070_medium2[1]wham bam thank you lamb! neckwarmer by Susan Chang

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Inspiration: The Dreaded Christmas Sweater

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You’ve got to love a holiday that comes with its own genre of knitwear.  Unfortunately, Christmas Sweaters have gotten a bad rap, and now the only times you see them are either:

  1. On your Great Aunt Muriel.
  2. On the receptionist at your middle school.  The one with the big glasses and puffy, permed hair.
  3. At ugly sweater parties.

Not fair, I say!

Let’s take a look at some Christmas Sweaters that aren’t that bad.

Not a traditional Christmas Sweater, but totally adorable.  And, I’m sure, super toasty for walks over the river and through the snow.

Boreal by Kate Davies6494110639_e32809410e_z[1]

A 1950s-inspired shape with adorable little reindeer and a neat triangle pattern on the front.

The Perfect Christmas Jumper by Susan Crawford

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OK, so this one is definitely Christmas-y.  But, look, you can choose between plum pudding, snowmen, and Christmas Pigs!  (All right, they’re probably supposed to be reindeer, but with their little pink noses, they totally look like pigs.  I suppose you could change their antlers into little pointy ears if you wanted to really run with the whole Christmas Pigs angle.)

Love Yarn Christmas Jumper by Fiona Bennet

10052632855_4df4e5940d_z[1]But, you know what?  The Christmas Sweater is so earnest, so self-aware, and so uncaring of what people think of it.  The Christmas Sweater knows what it is, and is completely OK with its cheerful tackiness.  I can’t let a post about Christmas Sweaters go by without including an actual, honest-to-goodness tacky Christmas Sweater.    So here you go:

Patons Christmas Sweaters by Patons UK

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Inspiration: Awesomely Bad or Just Plain Awesome Christmas Gifts

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Christmas isn’t Christmas without terrible, terrible presents.  Or at least terrible presents “as seen on TV.” You could just buy your friends’ gifts from TV, or the local CVS Pharmacy, but that would be too easy.  You are a hand-knitter.  You over-complicate projects.  You spend too much time thinking about things that normal people don’t even know exist.  You make things difficult for yourself.

Let’s knit bad TV-infomercial gifts.

You could give your father an always-classy Christmas tie.

images_w22_image2_ties-xmas[1]Or, you could knit him a super fabulous seed stitch one. (Knit Necktie by Lion Brand Yarn)

MyPicture__1__medium[1]How about the perennial classic, Chia Pet (which I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen in real life, and I honestly kind of want)?81vPzG13LRL._SL1500_[1]Or, you could transform a stuffed animal into a Chia Pet like this poor, scared-looking slug.completed[1]And, of course, there’s always the epitome of laziness/the most genius invention ever (that I would totally wear the hell out of if I had one):  The Snuggie.41DW7GnBa-L[1]But why wrap yourself in polyester fleece from the drug store, when you could be wrapped in knitted woolen comfort? (Wrap-ghan (knit) FP5826 by Bernat Design Studio)image_4044_medium[1]And, don’t forget Barbie.  Because after hours of princess-ing/veterinarian-ing/lounging by the pool/whatever else Barbie does these days, there’s nothing Barbie wants to do more than curl up on her hard plastic furniture in a pink Snuggie. (Fashion Doll Snuggle Up with Sleeves by Marianne Forrestal)WR1926_doll_snugglet_medium[1]

Inspiration: The League

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I just started watching The League recently.  And it’s kind of hilarious.

league[1]

It’s not so surprising that it’s taken me so long to start watching the League, since it’s a TV show about a bunch of guys playing fantasy football.  I know nothing about fantasy football.  And almost nothing about football.  (That’s the one with the pointy ball, right? Just kidding.  I totally knew that.)  But you totally don’t have to know anything about football to enjoy this show.

At it’s core, it’s a comedy in the vein of Seinfeld or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  It’s a group of friends that hang out a lot and are generally terrible people and do terrible things to one another.  It’s a little bro-y, with lots of guy jokes, but it’s still entertaining if you don’t mind that sort of thing.

Anyhoo, I finally made it to season 4, where this happened:

The-League-Season-4-Episode-10-11-Our-Dinner-with-Andre-12.12-6-550x366[1]The gag is that one of the characters (in a long-running joke) has the worst taste in clothes of anyone ever in the history of the world.  The rest of the gang is trying to get on his good side, so they let him take them shopping.  And, well, that leads to these fantastic outfits.

Then, in one of my favorite lines in the show, one of the characters asks Kevin (in the blue shirt) “Where’s the rest of your turtleneck?” when he sees his new scarf.  Which I think is hilarious.

Now, I don’t recommend wearing a cowl scarf like Kevin’s with that outfit.  But I kind of want to make one for myself.  If you want to make a sweater-less turtleneck of your own, try one of these cozy patterns.

GAP-Tastic Cowl by Jen Geigley

IMG_6696_medium2[1]My Kind of Town Cowl by Trish Woodson

IMG_2070_medium2[1]Climb and Swirl Cowl by Craig Rosenfeld

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