Inspiration: Tree Skirts

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OK, I’m going to share a little peek into how my brain works.  I usually try to keep the weird, free-association-y part of my brain a little under wraps, but here we are.

Last week I talked about how I’ve been dreaming of a cozy knit skirt. And yesterday I talked about how Christmas is 81 days away (actually, now it’s 79 days away!  Eek!).

Skirt + Christmas = tree skirt.

It’s a bit of a stretch, logic-wise, but hey, that’s what I’m thinking about today.

So, let’s talk tree skirts.

For the last 10 years (or whatever it’s been since I left home after high school), I’ve always had a little fake tree.  At first it was a 2-foot tall plastic guy that I could fit in my dorm room.  Then I moved to an apartment, and I got a waist-high silver tinsel tree (it looked especially gaudy with multi-colored lights.  It was the best.  My roommates hated it). Then I got to grad school, and had a more grown-up apartment, with room for a full-size tree, so I got one for $10 from JoAnn’s After-Christmas Sale.  I really scored, since we’re still using that tree years later (though it is beginning to get a little threadbare… it might need to retire soon).

I’ve never had a tree skirt- I just shoved presents down there to hide the foot of the tree.  Or, if I felt fancy, I’d grab a blanket (white, if I could find it), and kind of mushed it around the bottom of the tree to look like snow.  It wasn’t fancy, but it worked well enough.

But, last Christmas, my mom embroidered me a gorgeous felt tree skirt, just like the one she made when I was a kid.  It’s covered in all dozens of little appliques, beads and sequins.  I’m so excited to get out the Christmas tree this year so that I can use my new tree skirt.  (I’ll show you pictures when I get it out from storage- if I dug it out right now, I think my husband would get worried.)

Anyway, with tree skirts on the brain, let’s look at some pretty knit and crochet ones, and wonder why I never thought to make one for myself…

I like the use of granny squares to make a star in this skirt, and the combo of ivory and cranberry red is gorgeous.

Christmas Tree Skirt Pattern by Kara Gunza

crochet_tree_skirt-1-3_medium1Here’s another classy star-shaped skirt.  The use of graduated chevrons is very clever, and by changing the colors or stripe pattern you could come up with some really beautiful variations.

Christmas Tree Skirt by Donna Mason-Svaraskirt2_medium21Or if you wanted to go really classy, this lace-y skirt is just gorgeous.  You could make it in ivory for a real antique look.

7-Hour Tree Skirt by Katherine Eng6148_1_medium1But who says Christmas is a classy holiday?!  Not me!  I may have graduated to a tree-colored tree, but I still have that silver tinsel tree with the bright, multi-colored lights.  Christmas should be tacky and fun, in the best possible way.  And, this multi-colored tree skirt is just the ticket.

Granny Tree Skirt by Ann Regislw3208_project_medium21What’s your favorite Christmas style?  What do you celebrate this time of year?

 

Christmas Is Coming

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Oops!  I totally spaced, you guys.  I was going to give you a 100-day warning about Christmas, but… I forgot.

So this is your warning.

81 days until Christmas.christmas-bmo[1]I’m so sorry.  I know it’s early- Halloween isn’t eve here yet.  But, we’re knitters, and Christmas Knitting is our Superbowl- you can never prepare for it too much.  So get out your Christmas giving lists, dig through your stash, and start trolling Ravelry for good gift ideas.

Good luck!

Project Tea Cozy: The Spout

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It’s spout time!

My original idea was to make a gusset for the spout, in the same way that I would make a thumb on a mitten.  But then I cast on, started knitting, and promptly forgot about that.

Oops.

So, I had a big rectangle of knitting that wrapped nicely around my teapot.  I knit it until it reached the split between the spout and the ‘body’ of the pot, in between two stripes (so I wouldn’t have to worry about making a hole and maintaining the colorwork pattern at the same time).  First I thought I would make a simple 8-stitch button hole, but that didn’t seem right.  I thought it would make the tea cozy pull funnily, and I want a little cuff around the spout of my tea cozy.  So, I decided to do a slight variation.

I knit to where I wanted the hole to be, then transferred 12 sts to a stitch holder, then I cast on 4 sts using a backwards-loop cast on, and knit the rest of the row.

img_3357The way I made the hole reduced my total stitch count by 8, so now I was working with 112 sts instead of 120, but that felt right to me. After all, I was going to decrease for the top of the cozy in a few inches.  I continued knitting, following the established pattern without any more shaping until I got to the top of the 10 colorwork repeats I had planned.img_3366And, when i put the unfinished cozy on my tea pot, it fit surprisingly well!  I still have to seam it on the bottom and the top needs to be knit.  The spout hole fit really well, sure the safety pin is pulling a bit, but the when I knit up those stitches into a little cuff around the spout, I’m sure it’ll fit like a glove!

 

Inspiration: Knit Skirts

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I’m a traditionalist, especially when it comes to knitting.  Sweaters are fine. Hats are great.  Mittens and gloves are a-OK.  Leggings are questionable, and vests are to be tolerated at best.  And skirts are right out.  Why would you knit a skirt?!  It would be so bulky… And it couldn’t possibly wear well over time-  it would pill and sag like nobody’s business.  (And no one wants a pill-y, saggy skirt.)

Well.

OK.  I’ve been tempted.

The weather is turning cool and autumnal, I’ve got apple cider in the fridge, and I’ve broken out my scarves for the first time in months.  It’s delightful.

And, I was thinking how nice it would be to have a little knit skirt.  Nothing too fancy, but something cute that I can wear with leggings and boots.  I’ve even got a big bag of charcoal gray worsted weight in my closet, waiting for me to find a project for it.

Hmmm.  I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look at a few patterns.

I like the simplicity of this one, but I think it would be pretty tedious to knit.  Let’s find something more fun!

Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teassimple-straight-skirt4_medium21I love the cables on this one.  It seems so archetectural.   But is it too fancy?

Dickson by Norah Gaughanngv13_dickson_lg_medium21I love the simple cable/seed stitch detailing.  The cable positioning is really flattering.

Bryn Mawr Skirt by Nancy Eisemanclsoe-up2-sweater-skirt_medium1
I like the use of ribbing and cables on this one.  Even though it’s super-thickly cabled, the elasticity of the ribbing should keep it fairly flattering. (And, while it’s real short, that could easily be fixed.)

The Bum Cosy, by Shireen Nadirdscf1908_medium21Choices, choices!  Maybe I’ll have to design one that combines my favorite parts of all four skirts…  Which one would you choose?

Project Tea Cozy: In The Belly of The Beast?

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Last week I did my first try at writing up the Tea Cozy pattern.

This week I did a bunch of knitting (and proofreading)!

Remember that math I did last week?  I determined that I needed about 120 sts around the belly of the pot.  I could just cast on 120 sts, but I want the ribbing at the bottom  to be a little tighter.  I think it’ll look better that way.

I figured if I want to increase about 1 st per 8, that should give me the result I’m looking for- just a little tighter, without any weird puckering.  So, a little more math, a bit of estimation, and I’ll cast on 106 sts.

I worked a p2 (k2p2) rib for a generous half inch (5 rows), then worked an increase row to get me up to 120 sts.

Then it was colorwork time!  img_3348Hoo boy, did I underestimate the amount of ends I would be generating!  So many stripes, so many color changes.  Oops!  At least it looks pretty.

Also, I want to bring your attention to a detail I’m really proud of.  Look at the edge of the handle hole (I really need a better word for that):img_3370See the brown edge?  I made a little mini-skein of brown for each side, and used intarsia to work a few stitches of garter stitch to keep the ends from curling.  I think it makes the tea cozy look really professional.

Now I just have to figure out how I want to make the hole for the spout…  Hmm.

Treat. Yo. Self.

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This is silly, but I’ve never had a nice shawl pin.

I’ve made some out of wire, and I even made a couple out of clay, when I was working in a ceramics studio (but those broke almost immediately).  And, honestly, if I needed one, I’d grab a pencil or a DPN.  I’ve bought them for other people, and I always admire them when I’m at a yarn store with a good selection.

Anyway, a few weeks ago my husband and I went on a little day trip to visit some friends on Bainbridge Island.  It’s one of my favorite things to do- I love riding the ferry across the sound and spending the day in delightful little shops, drinking coffee and visiting brew pubs.

And, there’s a super fancy yarn store on the island, Churchmouse Yarns and Teas (even the name is fancy).  I love visiting there, even though I always feel like I’m not fancy enough to be there.  But that’s how I roll- super casual.

I was at the checkout (getting some yarn that will become someone’s Christmas present- ssh, it’s a surprise!), and I saw a little glass full of silvery shawl pins in the shape of twigs.  How adorable!

I decided to take the advice of two of my favorite characters from Parks and Rec, and one of the shawl pins made it into my shopping bag.

treat-yo-self1Now, I am the proud owner of a JUL Bronze Twig Shawl Pin.  It’s adorable and shiny, and makes me feel very fancy.  It’s perfect for my Stranger Cardigan and Campside Cardi, since they don’t have buttons.img_3539Do you have a favorite too-fancy store?  What was your latest “Treat Yo Self” purchase?

Pattern: Mini Knapsack

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I made another pattern, you guys!  It’s a silly little one, and I kind of love it.

Say hello to the Mini Knapsack!img_3239This tiny backpack is totally functional (if you’re about a foot tall).  It has straps, a flap to keep the rain off your tiny books and a drawstring that keeps the whole thing closed.

img_3214 It’s about the right size for an American Girl Doll, or something a little smaller.img_3243It works up pretty quickly in fingering-weight yarn (I used KnitPicks’ Palette, since I had some in the right colors), a perfect gift for a favorite school-aged doll-enthusiast.

Want the pattern? Get it here: Mini Knapsack Pattern

Project Tea Cozy: Let’s Begin

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I’ve got the gauge, I’ve got the stitch pattern, and I’ve got the design in my head.  It’s time to start getting this pattern on paper.

I’ll start by measuring my teapot.  19″ around the fattest part, which, with some math, can give me my stitch count.

img_3316Then I’ll sketch out my design, adding in notes about all the details- where the increases will be, what stitch pattern to use, etc.  I’m going to make this tea pot like a modified hat.  So, I’ll start from the bottom and work up, but I’m going to knit flat (until I make it to the “crown”).  That will make it easy to make the big hole for the handle; I’ll just sew up an inch or so at the hem, and voila!  Tea cozy.  (Or at least that’s the plan.)img_3331Then, starting with the cast on at the bottom, I write a first draft of the pattern, knowing that a bunch of it will be wrong.  But that’s OK, that’s what first drafts are for!img_3337Then, I finalized the stitch pattern…

Oh.  Except…

I totally used up most of the yarn I was planning on using (I got excited about another project and used up almost all the red and yellow and blue… oops!)img_3323Well, I’ve got lots of neutrals, so I guess this teapot will be more neutral than bright and colorful.  Ooh!  I can use neutrals for the stripes and colors for the dots.  That should look cute!img_3342OK, now that everything’s set up and beautiful, it’s time to start knitting!  (And time to start figuring out where all my mistakes are!)

Drawing Day

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It’s my favorite day of the month!  Drawing Day!

Last week (OK, last Monday and the Friday before that) I posted not one but two giveaways of KnitPick’s newest pattern collections, On the Go Knits and Knits for Everybody.  Quite a few of you entered the giveaway, and now it’s time for the drawing.

First off, On the Go Knits!330141Let’s head over to Random.org for a random drawing….hats-drawingAnd, number 9 wins it!  Amanda!  That’s you! Woo!

And now over to Knits for Everybody.  (This is too exciting- two drawings, in one day! Unheard of!)330131And the random number generator says:socks-drawingCommenter number 3!  You’re the big winner!  Audrey, that’s you!

I’ll be emailing you two today so we can arrange getting your books to you.  If you don’t see my email, let me know (sometimes they end up in the spam folder).

Congrats ladies!  And if you weren’t the lucky one this time, head on over to KnitPicks and pick up copies of the books for yourself (they’re really great- and on sale right now!).

New Library!

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This is very exciting (at least for me).

I’ve re-done my pattern library for the first time since I started the blog three years ago.  Instead of the terrible single column list of patterns, I now have multiple pages!  Three columns!  Standardized photo sizes!  I’m very pleased with myself.

Check it out!  If you hover over “Pattern Library” at the top of the page, you’ll see a drop-down list with all the pattern categories. (Fancy!)dropdownOr, if you click through, you can visit the Pattern Library Main Page.  So many patterns! (I guess I’ve been busy the last few years.)mainmenuSo, please, take a minute to check out the new-and-improved pattern library (and tell me if you see any problems-I’m sure I messed it up somewhere).   It was a shockingly large amount of work to get to look the way I wanted it.  And, a big ol’ thank you to my husband for helping me with formatting- I certainly wouldn’t have figured out how to do columns on my own.

And!  Don’t forget to sign up for both of my giveaways!  I’ll be doing the drawing on Monday, so you’ve just got through the weekend!