Category Archives: Inspiration

Inspiration: Autumnal Equinox

It’s officially Fall! Happy Autumnal Equinox, everybody! It’s now officially the best time of the year!! It’s time for cool, drizzly days, steaming cups of hot cider, and cozy afternoons knitting on the couch and listening to old records. The Autumn Rain has started here in Seattle, and I’m looking forward to everything getting green again.

(What, I’m the only one who prefers cold and rainy over sunny and hot? Well, I’m a knitter, it’s in my DNA.)

Autumn is the time of year I like to start hibernating, making my house as cozy as possible. It’s all about warm soups and comfy blankets (until the day after Thanksgiving, at which point my house turns into a Magical Christmas Extravaganza).

If I didn’t have a million things to do, I’d make myself this fantastic fall afghan. I have a similar one that my Mother-in-Law (Hi Kris!) made me years ago. I keep it in my studio, and it’s perfect for when my old house gets a little too drafty. But this one’s lovely color scheme would be perfect for autumn!

Autumn Waves Throw by Mary MaximOr maybe I should make this blanket? I can’t get over how gorgeous this crazy-oversized lace pattern is. I bet it would work up in no time!

Autumn Lace / Winter Lace / Mayfield Afghan by Lion Brand YarnI don’t think you can have too many blankets (just ask my husband), but you can’t be truly comfy without a few pillows in the mix. And my current throw pillows are getting a little bit… disreputable (dog hair just gets everywhere). Maybe I should bust out a couple cute new throw pillows? Maybe ones like this:

Autumn Equinox Pillow by Maria O’KeefeWhat do your thoughts turn to in the fall?

Inspiration: Back to School

Inspiration: Games!

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I’m so excited, guys! It’s vacation time!

Every year, for the last 5 or 6 years (I’ve lost count), a big group of friends from college (plus some spouses, siblings, and childhood friends) and I have been getting together around Labor Day weekend for good food, good beer, and lots and lots of board games and video games. It started as a yearly visit to Seattle’s big gaming convention, PAX, but starting last year, we now go on a real vacation! Last year was Yellowstone, and this year is Tybee Island, Georgia (yay, beach!)

It’s always a blast- everyone lives so far apart these days that it’s great to make a point to get together each year.

And we always get to play a bunch of great games.

Carcassone was one of the first “cool” board games I remember playing, starting in high school (OK, “Cool” might not be the right word, but it’s certainly better than Monopoly.) The little “Meeple” pieces included with the game are totally iconic… maybe I should make a set of these coasters to keep our games dry while we play.

Meeple Coasters by Ambie ValdesSometimes we even have a “quick” game of D&D (or something similar). Usually that starts after I go to bed, though… I need my beauty sleep, and everybody else drinks way too much Diet Coke.

I love these dice bags- the Hobbit-inspired monograms are a perfect detail!

Good, Good Dice Bags by Jinger RoyAnd, while we’ve never played checkers at one of our get-togethers, I bet if I brought a set that was this cute, I could find someone to play a round or two.

Sheepy Draughts… and a Wolf Too by Aurelie ColasDo you like playing board games? What’s your favorite?

Inspiration: Eclipse

Inspiration: All Snuggled Up

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I know it’s cliched, but holy cow do I need a vacation after my vacation. I’m still exhausted, even though it’s been almost a week since we got back.

I think it must be a combination of the following:

Too much traveling- a full day of air travel to get to the Midwest followed by a full day of driving to make it up north, and the same thing in reverse to go back. (Plus all the driving we did over the week there. I forgot how far apart everything is in the country!)
I was surprised to discover that the part of the UP we were visiting was in the Eastern Time Zone, three hours behind Seattle. I spent the whole week trying desperately to get on local time and failing miserably. Now I’m back here, but I think my brain is still somewhere between Eastern and Pacific time. I’m a mess!
I picked up some nasty stomach bug somewhere on my trip back home, and I can’t for the life of me shake it. I won’t give you the details, because ew… but suffice it to say that I’ve felt better.

Basically, all I want to do is snuggle up in some cozy knits and go into hibernation.

Let’s play the “what Allison wishes she had in her closet” game. (I’m too sleepy to start any new projects right now… it’s that bad!)

I know this is a men’s sweater but man, I’d totally wear this. I love the slightly variegated/tonal yarn and the cowl-like collar.

Cosy Hubby by Marzena KolaczekSpeaking of cowls- I can’t imagine anything cozier than this ridiculous cabled cowl.

Cozy Cable Cowl by Purl SohoBut really, this is what I want to wear right now. It’s coziness personified… It’s halfway between a cocoon and a sweater (actually, it might be closer to a cocoon than a sweater). I love the thick textured fabric, and the thigh-length oversized silhouette. It would take about three pounds of yarn to make a sweater of this style for someone my height, but I think it might just be worth it.

Cozy Sweater by Anna and Heidi PicklesWhat do you like to wear (or knit) when you’re feeling under the weather?

Inspiration: UP North

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I’m writing this from the past (through the magic of scheduled posting…oooh!), but I am currently at a big family reunion up in the wild wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Penninsula!

If you don’t know where the UP is, its here:I bet you didn’t even know that the US went that far north!

My grandma lives all the way up there, along with an aunt and her family, so the rest of us (dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles) are all descending on a tiny town waaaay up north for this year’s family vacation. I’ve only been to the UP once before, and it was decades ago.

From my understanding, we’ll be spending the week hiking in some National Forests.

Hiking Socks by Kerin Dimeler-LaurenceWe’ll spend time canoeing around lakes and streams, looking for interesting birds and fish.

Kejimkujik Canoe Cowl by Raven Knits DesignWe’ll tour copper mines from the 1800s.

Copper Plait by Kathy ZimmermanAnd one thing’s for certain, no matter how hard I try to avoid them, I’m definitely getting eaten by some big old mosquitoes.

Mosquito Scarf by Kim ChristensenAre you going on any fun trips this summer?

Doing the Dishes

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Doing the dishes is not my most favorite chore, but I do them anyway. I’d rather make something tasty and create a pile of dirty dishes than actually clean them up. (But, I guess doing the dishes is part of being a grown-up… sigh.)

Anyway, I’ve got a stack of knit and crocheted dish cloths that people have given to me over the years, and they’re the best (I always use them before the store-bought ones). I don’t know why, but handmade dish rags just seem to work better- plus, I love anything that’s related to knitting.

Unfortunately, since I’ve been using mine for years, they’re starting to get a little ratty and a little bleached out. A couple are even starting to come apart at the edges.

So I guess it’s time to make a couple more.

This brick-patterned dishcloth is totally classic, and super cute. I love the contrast of the garter stitch “bricks” and the slipped-stitch “mortar.”

Ballband Dishcoth by Peaches & Creme Design TeamThese interesting circular dishclots are cute, too! I love the short-row shaping (I get bored easily, and short rows might just be the ticket to stopping myself from giving up halfway through and making another pair of socks instead).

Crazy Eights Dishcloth by Julie TarshaThese are also super adorable. I love how basic patterns can be the most impactful. The simple mitered garter square is just gorgeous, and the rainbow of applied I-cord at the edge is the perfect finishing touch.

Sinkmates by Lorilee BeltmanDo you use handmade dishcloths? What’s your favorite pattern?

Inspiration: Jughead

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So, this is a post I never expected to be writing.

It’s a little embarrassing, talking about the dumb TV shows I watch. Stuff that I only watch when nobody else is around. I’d love for you guys to think of me as someone with impeccable taste, who only takes in thoughtful feminist TV shows and interesting foreign indie films. (Then I remember I wrote about the Bachelor last season, so I guess the “I watch only good TV” ship has sailed.)

Anyway, Riverdale has shown up on my Netflix, and instead of re-watching Parks and Rec for the umpteenth time, I thought I’d give it a go.

It’s… not good. But dang, if it isn’t compelling.

So far (and I’m only 2 episodes in, mind you), there’s murder, catty cheerleaders, a love triangle, a secret affair, and gorgeous 20-something actors pretending to bee teenagers.

It’s a lot.

Now, I never read Archie Comics growing up, so I could be wrong. Maybe all this stuff is in the comic books. But, my impression is that someone thought, “Hey, people liked Archie Comics back in the day. But, these days everyone wants a dark and gritty reboot. I know! A dark and gritty Archie reboot! It can’t fail! It’ll be ratings gold!”

Like I said, it’s not “good” TV, but it’s certainly entertaining.

Anyway, the reason I’ve brought it up here is that Jughead wears a knit cap!I always thought his hat in the comics was a little weird (or at least what I saw of it when I was a kid while waiting in line to buy groceries with my mom) . Was it a crown? Was it a hat? Why did he wear it? Why didn’t his friends call him out on wearing a weird crown/hat? Did they call him out on it, but he ignored their advice and kept wearing it? Where did the design come from in the first place? I had a lot of questions as a kid.

Anyway, the costume director for the show did a good job making a goofy-looking crown hat look kind of cool. (I even kind of want one now.)

And, it looks like a bunch of knitters seem to have had the same thought! (If you search on Ravelry for “Jughead” almost a dozen patterns show up.)

There are hats with slightly more subtle crowns:

Jughead hat 7 points by Karen KopperThere are hats knit in worsted wool:

Jughead’s Hat by Alecia SoloveoffThere are even crocheted hats:

Jughead Hat Crochet Pattern by Roxie McCaraWould you wear a Jughead hat?

But, for real though, why is this a hat? Do you guys know where the design comes from? I want to know, but I don’t really want to do any research.

Snips and Scraps

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I’ve been making a lot of socks lately, which means I’ve been ending up with a lot of little balls of scrap yarn. You know, the 10 or 20 grams of sock yarn that’s left over after you’ve finished your socks. It’s not enough to make another pair (or anything else really), but it’s enough that you can’t bear to throw it away. When I have leftover bits of worsted yarn, they go into my Mother Bear stash, but when it’s sock yarn… I just kind of hold onto it “just in case.”

So, let’s take a look at some gorgeous pattern ideas about what to do with those last little bits of sock yarn.

I love this simple blanket- it’s nothing more complicated than a mitered stockinette square, but the combination of all those sumptuous colors of leftover sock yarn… gorgeous!

Giant Square Scrap Blanket by Laura PetersOf course, this quilt is the new standard “using up all my lovely bits of yarn” pattern. I’ve seen lots of knitters making the little hexipuffs, but I’ve never actually seen a finished one in person. Maybe that’s a sign that I need to make one for myself. (Or maybe it’s a warning that if I start it, I’ll never finish it. It could go either way, really.)

the beekeeper’s quilt by tiny owl knits

I really love this blanket, too. I love the seashell pattern, and the fact that it’s all knit in a single piece- no seaming! I imagine the short rows might get a bit tiring after a while, but the finished product is so pretty, they might be worth it.