Tag Archives: Inspiration

Inspiration: It’s Cold Outside

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It’s cold outisde, and not in a fun “Christmas Cheer” kind of way. As I write this, Seattle is in the 20s, which I realize isn’t that cold, compared to some parts of the country right now. But, we’ve had freezing rain all day, and literally every surface outside is covered in a sheet of ice. So scary!

Needless to say, I’m staying inside where the floor has traction and the air is warm enough that I can be comfortable wearing only one sweater.

But while I’m in here, I’m going to stare longingly out the window and dream about the cozy sweaters I could be making.

First, the Snowy Forest pullover by by Midori Hirose. This is just gorgeous- I love the plump cables and the wildly oversized shape. It’s cozy, but still feminine, and way out of my wheelhouse. It could be a fun project to use to stretch my knitting “legs.”

And it can’t be a round up of cozy sweaters without an Icelandic yoked sweater. Levi by Sari Norlund is just to die for. I love it in the soft grayscale, but can you imagine it in wild rainbow colors?!

I know I’m a bit late to this pattern, but man, have you looked at this sweater? The Handsome Chris Pullover is gorgeous. Maybe not quite as cozy as the other two sweaters, but I think I would wear the heck out of this one. You know me- I do love a cabled sweater.

What’s your favorite sweater to reach for when you’re cold?

Inspiration: Sweaters I Wish I Was Knitting

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I’m really having trouble getting inspired about knitting these days. Or at least I’m not feeling inspired about my knitting.

Like I said last week, I’ve run through most of the fun yarn in my stash, or at least the easy-to-repurpose yarn. Just about all the sweater-quantities have been used up, and I’m even running low on groups of the same yarn base in different colors. Sure, I could cobble together little bits and bobs of different yarns into a sweater… but that’s a lot of effort. And who knows how that’d turn out.

It’s been waaaay too long since I set foot in a yarn store. All I want to do is go to my LYS to pick out a new, fancy sweater pattern and go a little wild picking yarn, spending way too much time agonizing about color and texture, only to go home with the same oatmeal-colored wool that I always gravitate toward.

Sigh.

(Also, as I write this, I’m 2 weeks out from having a newborn in the house, so starting a new fancy sweater is an utterly stupid idea. Which isn’t to say that it will stop me.)

Anyway, I figured that instead of starting a new pattern, I might just write about the patterns I wish I were knitting.

First up: A sweater I find utterly beautiful, and one (if I’m being honest) I would never actually work up (baby and pandemic notwithstanding). It’s utterly gorgeous- those colors! I would be so tempted to pick different colors, which would take about 30 hours of me second-guessing myself the whole time. I mean, it uses 14 (FOURTEEN!) different colors. It’s so freaking gorgeous. It would drive me up the wall to knit. Maybe I can find someone to knit it for me? Ha!

Foxthoughts Pullover by Hiroko Payne / The Hare And The Crow

As beautiful as that sweater is, if I’m being honest, what I’m really itching for is a big ol’ cabled/textured sweater. I really want to get my needles deep into a sweater like this. 5 (or so) different cables? Yes please. Lots of seed stitch? Yep. All-over texture? Definitely. Cool saddle-shoulder detail? Sign me up.

(Plus, it would look pretty great in my “signature” oatmeal/gray.)

Yule Sweater by Anne Podlesak

Or maybe I could combine the two. Why not have color and texture? Why not jump on the Shifty bandwagon? Heck, I might even be able to actually find enough scrap yarn in my stash to cobble together a workable version of this bad boy. Though, I shudder to think about all the ends I’d need to weave in…

Shifty by Andrea Mowry

I’ll get to go to a yarn store again some day, and I’ll get to knit a sweater again, too. It’s just going to be a minute. In the meantime, the daydreams will have to satisfy.

What are your current dream projects?

Tradition! (Tradition!)

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I’ve got Fiddler on the Roof stuck in my head and fingers itching to start my next project.  We knitters are nothing if not creatures of tradition (or, if you’re being uncharitable, habit).  Everyone has a story of their mother/grandmother/cool next-door neighbor who taught them to knit.  And everyone has a traditional project that they keep making over and over again.  (Mrs. Weasley’s famous Christmas sweaters spring to mind.)

For Christmas, I make socks (sometimes).

For new babies, I make sweaters.

For weddings, I make blankets.

I started this tradition back in college, when my friends started getting married.  I’ve done fancy blankets and simple blankets.  I’ve crocheted and knitted.  I’ve made them with cotton and acrylic and wool (depending on the weather in the recipient’s hometown and just how broke of a college student I was at the time).

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a wedding- now that I’m in my thirties, my friends are more or less done getting married and starting to have kids (which means I’m knitting baby sweaters instead, which is a heck of a lot easier).

But, I’ve got to get my blanket-knitting muscles going once again because my brother is getting married this summer! It’s very exciting!

Now I’ve just got to pick the right pattern.

My first instinct is to try something super-simple, and bang out a blanket as quickly as possible (after all, my knitting time is severely limited these days).

Garter Squish by Stephen West

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But, it’s for my brother!  My only sibling!  On his wedding!  It’s gotta be nicer than a regular old garter square.

I could break out a fancy pattern.  Maybe something lacy and textured like this:

Sweet Pea Baby Blanket by Suzanne MiddlebrooksSweetPea1_medium2

While that’s really pretty, I don’t know… it might be a bit too twee, even if I use a nice masculine color. Plus, that looks incredibly time-consuming.

I could go somewhere in-between, a simple 2-row texture, heavy on the garter stitch.  This chevron pattern could work, but I’d have to play with the colors- my brother’s not really a “rainbow” person.

Garter Chevron Blanket by Catherine AndersonIMG_0824_medium2

I’ll keep looking. I’m sure I’ll find something that’s casual enough for my brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law (that’s a lot of hyphens!) to use every day, but nice enough (and maybe heirloom enough) for a wedding gift.

What are your traditional knitting projects?

Inspiration: On the road again

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I’m on the road again.  Somewhere between the Shell gas station and the Wendy’s on the side of the freeway.  I’m having a great time hanging out with my extended family and I’m getting tons of time for knitting. Win-win!

I can’t stop at any yarn stores (which is probably good, since my suitcase is already full), but all the hours in the car have made me think about all the other road trip knitting I could be doing.

This beanie is just too perfect for words, after all it’s a “Road Trip Hat.”  I love the interesting, minimalist use of cables  I could see this becoming a favorite for years and years.

Road Trip Hat by Emily Williams

Roadtrip-cover-rev-600px_medium[1]Of course, my perennial favorite, the Hitchhiker Shawl, would be perfect for knitting on a road trip.  A simple, easily memorized pattern and acres and acres of garter.  I can’t think of a more perfect pattern to work on while staring out the window, watching the scenery go by.

Hitchhiker by Martina BehmCIMG7885And, if you’re looking for something a little more practical… maybe a pair of driving gloves?  You could wear them to keep your hands warm while the A/C is blasting.

Men’s Driving Gloves or Fingerless Gloves by Tara Smolinski

IMG_0163_medium2[1]But, really, if you want the perfect road trip project, it doesn’t get any better than this adorable road cowl.  Cute!

Road Trip Cowl by Ping Woodvalleypat550.550.zoom.1_medium[1]What do you work on when you go on a road trip?

Inspiration: Twin Trouble

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One of my dear friends just gave birth to not one, but two adorable little baby boys!  So, let’s all say a big warm welcome to the twins!  (And congratulations to their amazing (and probably exhausted) parents!)

In honor of the boys, let’s take a look at some double-trouble patterns!

This lovely afghan features entwined twin trees is so beautiful, a real heirloom in the making… but you’d have to make two, one for each of the boys… and that’s a lot of work.

Twin Trees Afghan by Shirley Rhyne

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These fraternal twin hats are completely darling!

Twin Baby Hats by Shayna Bright

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These sweaters are freaking fantastic!  Twin Power!

Twin Power Sweaters by Sarah E. White05.01_medium[1]Welcome to the world, baby boys!  I can’t wait to hang out with you and teach you how to knit (you know, once you master the language, sitting up, and all those little skills).

Inspiration: Fast Projects

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I’ve been so busy- I have a half-dozen patterns in various levels of done-ness and with various deadlines (some of which are coming up faster than I would like).

So, with all these deadlines, my knitting has become a bit of a chore.  (Which is lame.  I want knitting to be fun.  Obviously.)

What can I do to make knitting more fun?  Quick, little, projects I can do in an hour or two with a couple dozen yards of yarn.   Want to join me?

These bunnies are so adorable and would be a great way of using up little bits of leftover yarn.  Look at their tiny faces!

Bunny Nuggets by Rebecca Danger

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These little gnomies are so super fun.  (I’ve actually made a few for friends with matching baby sweaters for fantastic new-baby presents.)

Gnome Baby by Tonya L Gunn

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I don’t need this crown, but I think I might need this crown.

A Very Regal Crown by Kayleigh LeBlanc

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Look at these fantastic little fish!  How amazing would a  school of these be hanging from a mobile?

My Little Goldfish by Sara Elizabeth Kellner015_medium2[1]Aah… I can feel the inspiration washing back over me! Yay!

Inspiration: Bulky, Bulky Pins

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As I mentioned on Friday, I’ve started Pinning (Pinteresting? Someone tell me what the proper word is!).  And, well, I can see it becoming something of a problem.  I’ve been spending way more time than I probably should poking around Pinterest and looking at all the beautiful things that I will never have time to make.

(Also, sometimes I like to look at the Everything tab.  It’s about 15% hair tutorials and makeup tips, 30% extra-calorie cheesecake recipes, 25% diet salads that “Actually taste good!,” 15% workout routines, 5% inspirational quotes, and 10% stuff I’m actually interested in.  Point in case, I just spent 20 minutes looking at “Super Simple Manicure Ideas.”  Why?  Because they were there.)

Anyway, I looked over my pin boards (is that what they’re called?)  and I found a trend in some of the knitting I’ve been pinning:  Super bulky stuff.

This scarf/shawl/shoulder blanket is part of the new Ferragamo Men’s collection, and was shown in Milan (so you know it’s chic).  I’d wear one, even though I’m not a dude.  It looks like a great long swath of stockinette, maybe knit in the round, so that there isn’t a “bad side.”

628x471And I just love this fantastically chunky Brioche Cowl from Diane L. Augustin.  Aren’t those colors to die for?  I would like to just wrap myself up in a cocoon made from this.IMG_4128_50_medium2[1]If we’re talking about chunky knitting, you can’t get much chunkier than this amazing arm-knit blanket.  It’s of super-thick yarn, but you could use slightly felted wool roving, if you wanted.  Using arm-knitting for this project is really smart; that way, you don’t have to worry abut finding knitting needles two inches in diameter.Untitled-3-copy-1024x854Well, now I’m off to dream of Pinterest and spend more time looking at a particularly interesting list of “the 52 easiest DIYs.”

Inspiration: X-Files

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I am a big nerd.  And, I grew up in the 90s/early 2000s.  Therefore, I am a giant X-Files fan.  I’ve probably watch the whole show through three or four times (I’ve got to do something to keep my mind busy while I knit).

xfiles[1]When I was really little (when the show was still new), I was a giant scaredy-cat, and didn’t watch the X files.  In fact, when my folks wanted me to go to bed on Sunday nights, they’d tell me that the X-Files were coming on, and I’d run off to bed, scared.

But, in high school, I discovered the X-files, and started staying up late to watch reruns with the volume turned way down so that I wouldn’t wake up my parents.  Sometimes, I’d tape them (on the VHS tape that I’d bought specially to tape episodes) and watch them later with my dad.  Still whenever I hear the theme song I think of my dad whistling along while we sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

(I’m re-watching the series again (because why not).  I found a new podcast from Kumail Nanjiani (a comedian that I like-he’s on the HBO show, Silicon Valley) called the X-Files Files, where he goes through the series and talks about the show with various guests.  It’s kind of great.  If you’re a nerd like me, I’d recommend checking it out.)

You know what else is great?

Scully’s fashion sense.

I’ve never noticed how many boxy suits and sensible shoes she wears.tumblr_lgck2x6W6J1qdaotno1_1280[1]Look at those shoulder-pads.  Amazing.

If she had time to sit down and knit between fighting off the Flukeman and conducting alien autopsies, maybe she’d make herself a blazer like this:

The Season’s Smartest Blazer by Meg Black

img093_medium2[1]But, you know what?  I don’t think those shoulders are quite big enough for Dr. Scully.  This is better:

Midnight Blazer by Xandy Peters

Blazer08130504_medium2[1]But, on her days off with her man-eating puppy Queequeg, she’d probably wear a comfy, slouchy sweater like this one.  (In fact, I’m 90% certain I’ve seen her wear a sweater just like this in one of the episodes… I just can’t remember which.)

Simple Summer Tweed Top Down V-Neck by Heidi Kirrmaier

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Inspiration: Yoshi’s Wooly World

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At E3 this year (the big video game conference, where all the big names in video games get together and show off their new products) a new game in the Mario franchise was released: Yoshi’s Woolly World!

Yoshi2015game[1]It’s a Mario game, with Yoshi the dinosaur (dragon?  I’m not sure) as the protagonist.  And for some reason everything in the game is knit, crocheted or otherwise made out of stuff you’d find at Micheal’s.  I’ve tried to figure out why they picked wool as their decorative medium, and I cant’ figure it out.  It does look cool though.

Yoshis_Woolly_World_screenshot[1]Look!  The clouds are made of felt, the big flower is crocheted, the grass is knitted, and even Yoshi himself is made of wool.

WiiU_Yoshi'sWW_scrn09_E3[1]I don’t quite understand it, but I don’t really care.  It’s cute and funny (and fuzzy).  I might even have to go buy a WiiU when this game comes out next year.

Celebrate Yoshi’s Woolly World with a woolly Yoshi of your own:

Yoshi by Jessica Kneffel

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Inspiration: Pumpkin Patch

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I spent a wonderful afternoon last Saturday at the local pumpkin patch with my husband and a few of our friends.  We ran through a corn maze, picked out pumpkins and gourds to decorate the house, drank apple cider and ate too many apple doughnuts.  It was absolutely delightful (even if it was a little damp, being the Pacific Northwest and all).  I haven’t gone to a pumpkin patch like that since college, and it was just so fun to do again.

Now that fall is truly in full swing, I’m inspired to break out the autumnal knits:

Pumpkin Patch Socks by Maggie van der Stok

DSC00480_medium2[1]Pumpkin Patch by Anna Richardson

PP_wrapped_full_medium2[1]Autumn Nuts and Berries Hot Water Bottle Cosy by Leila Caroline Design

3602423447_968dc85a79_z[1]Autumnal Mitts by Jo Bangles

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