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Archive for the ‘Knitting’ Category

Embossed Leaf Cardigan

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Have you seen the film The Edge of Love? It’s a story about the women in Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’s life, and stars Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys. It takes place partly in Wales and includes some pretty, pretty, pretty costume design, and being as I adore all things Welsh (I even studied the language for a while) and all things pretty, I’ve seen this movie many times. Most wonderful are the sweaters it features, like this one:

Like, it seems, a lot of knitters, I just had to have it! I knit and fiddled and eventually made this:

It’s pretty similar, don’t you think?

It’s knit from Drops’ Karisma DK yarn, which comes in this perfect mustardy color (and is, unfortuantely, superwash). As for the pattern, I devised an Elizabeth Zimmerman raglan with ribbed cuffs and hem, and steeked it down the front after knitting. I searched and searched for a pattern for the embossed leaves, but to no avail, so I developed it myself. I’m planning to make it available on my Ravelry page soon!

Tags: mustard, sweater, The Edge of Love, yellow
Posted in Crafts, Knitting, Pretty Things | 4 Comments »

Eiffel Tower Needle Case

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

After moving across the world twice, knitting needles in tow, it was quite evident that I needed a more efficient, organized, cuter way to store them all! For the first project on my new old sewing machine (shall we call her Ella? Maybe so.), and after a trip to the fabric shop downtown, I put together this cute little case.

It’s all measured out to fit exactly the needles I have (with a few spaces for ones I don’t have!) and exactly their size. There’s even a slot for interchangeable needle cables and accessories. I also made sure to label the slot for each set, so I know which ones are missing, and noted both metric and US sizes, so I don’t have to look them up any longer.

It’s made with a flap that angles inward and folds down to keep the needles from sneaking out the top. To close it all up, I fold down the flap, fold each side in a few times, then tie it all up with the bias tape sewn onto the back.

Want to make one of your own? Line up all your short knitting needles/crochet hooks and measure how much space you’ll need for each type. Cut a your fabric and lining (I used muslin, just to add a bit of bulk) this length + one inch (or so) of seam allowance x the height of your tallest needles + 3 or 4 inches + seam allowance. Taper the edges of the top inward so it all tucks in neatly when closed up.

Cut shorter pocket fabric (the blue on mine) to equal length of main case x 3 or so inches. Cut taller pocket fabric the same length x 5 or so inches. Fold the top edge of both under twice and stitch. Now mark the width of each needle section, remembering you’ll have the seam allowance on the outside edge. Lay the short pocket on the taller one and stitch these lines.

Now stitch all four pieces together, with all the right sides facing (leave a bit open to turn right-side out!). Turn, press, and top stitch the edges. Attach some tape or ribbon for closing, stash your needles, fold, and and display proudly!

Posted in Crafts, Knitting, Pretty Things, Sewing, Sewing without Electricity, Tutorials | No Comments »

Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Fantastic Shirt-Yoke Sweater

Monday, April 19th, 2010

This is the two-continent, three-country sweater.

I started this dreamy, manly sweater in Hamburg, knitted on it in London, and finished it up here in Vancouver. It’s made from Honorwood’s DK weight, natural black Shetland yarn (available on their site), and I just adore the greyish-black tone of the wool and the strength and softness of the finished garment. The sweater’s hem facings are mustard yellow, and stand out nicely when you happen to see them. All in all, I’m utterly thrilled with it!

Want to make your own? Go now, go go go, and buy EZ’s Knitting Without Tears. I also consulted Brooklyn Tweed’s fantastic post on this sweater, and guessed a bit at the yoke construction, but the guessing is half the fun!

Those saddle shoulders and simple lines flatter a man’s shoulders so nicely, don’t you think?

Posted in Clothing, Crafts, Knitting, Pretty Things | 3 Comments »

Precious Pleasures

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

I have a special weakness for anything sold packaged in paper cones like this:

Oh, how deliciously cute! In the US, it was pretty rare to see these sorts of things (I think once I bought candied nuts in them), but here, they’re fairly common, and many sellers at neighborhood vegetable markets (the outdoor type) offer cones off everything from potatoes and strawberries to the Spanish nectarines (oh so yummy) and Sud Deutsch cherries I brought home today. Along with buying eggs from straw-filled baskets, fresh packaging is one off life’s precious pleasures.

In other lovely news, I’ve been working feverishly on a pretty shawl and another knitted object (a gift for a certain sister’s birthday). I finished the shawl, and I’m so impressed with it, I just had to share. This is from the Swallowtail Lace Shawl pattern, worked with 19 repeats of the basic pattern, instead of the specified 14. It’s my first lace shawl, made of handspun, downly icelandic wool. Oh, so lovely!

I’ve been working like mad on all the projects for my new store (nothing finished yet!). There’s been a storm of wool in all states of undress: unwashed, raw wool, wet wool, creamy, clean wool, spun wool, mordanted wool, dyed wool, knitted wool, felted wool, and millions of little bits of wool strewn about. Now that I think about it, it’s rather like a feather-pillow fight, with bits floating down all around in a pool! I’ve been working a lot, learning a lot, and having a fantastic time. As soon as these gifts are finished, I’ll have some finished projects to display.

Until then, here are some pics of us, the first taken a few weeks ago on the hill at Hafengeburtstag, the second of Nick, just yesterday, and is posted purely as a display of his long Beatles hair.

And finally, if you want a visual pleasure, check out the Fairy Shoe Shop, Fairysteps.co.uk.

Posted in Crafts, Images, Knitting, Pretty Things | No Comments »

Prancing Shoes

Monday, May 4th, 2009

On the lake, the trees are all full of leaves now, so breathtaking in their perfection and the amazing difference in their appearance even two weeks ago. Sometimes the trees make little magic places between their leaves and the water, special places like the hollow behind a waterfall, places where bits of magic floats up to you and you think you can sit right upon that water.

Here’s one:

Infused with the magic of places like this, I made prancing shoes! They’re crocheted with a really tough hemp cord sole, from this pattern. They’re perfect light summer shoes, perfect for prancing about.

Lest you doubt the prancability of the prancing shoes:

(That’s a prancing pose, not a heil hitler.)

*Prancing Shoes update* I still love them, but the strap over the instep has stretched out and now it’s floppy. It’s a 100% cotton yarn–should I take ‘em apart and make it shorter, or dare I try to shrink the strap?

Posted in Crafts, Knitting, Pretty Things | No Comments »

Happy Birthday Nick!

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Last weekend was Nick’s birthday, and since his biggest birthday wish was to stay home and play games and drink tea all day, that’s basically what we did. It was nice, and probably he got some fantastic in-game…um, stuff?

But when we needed a bit of fresh air, we took a walk around the lake and to the Wasserturm in the Olsdorf Friedhof (cemetery)–with really poor timing, I might add, because as we left the flat, drippy rain came out to meet us. We got a bit wet and muddy. We did, however, remember to take some pics, so we could share our day (and our world) with all of you.

In what has become atypically poor planning on my part, I actually forgot to think about getting a gift until three days before (bad wife! really, though, last year, I planned so well, so I suppose I’m pretty even. Plus, we won’t even mention the things I get for my birthdays….), but it was just enough time to make the cozy messenger bag I had been eyeing for Nick for a while. I darted down to the yarn store and spent most of two whole days knitting, knitting, then felting, and the last photo is what I came up with.

It’s based on this pattern, with some alteration, on size 10 needles, two strands Aran weight yarn held together, then felted in the washing machine.

Posted in Crafts, Knitting | No Comments »

Mittens

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Last night I finished these:

It’s getting cold outside, and hands want to be warm for bicycle rides. So I knitted Nick some thick mittens to replace his “sock gloves”, an abomination of old socks with finger holes cut in them. He wears them while he works, and they serve a very practical purpose, but they’re so ugly! So now when we go out, he can have warm and pretty hands.

This was my first successful stranded knitting project. I’ve been knitting for about a year, but when I tried stranded before, I didn’t know enough, pulled the trailing strands too tight, and ended up with the tiniest hat ever. This time, I had the benefit of many more knitting projects behind me, and it worked out! Working maybe two hours a day, it took slow me only about four days to finish both.

By the way, I used this pattern from Knitty.com, with some yarn I had sitting around, 100% wool, of course. Turned out pretty nicely!

Posted in Clothing, Crafts, Knitting, Pretty Things | No Comments »

Paper or Plastic? No, Thank You!

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Of course, if given the choice, no is the best answer. Why be ugly and wasteful when you can have pretty, soft, infinitely usable things to carry your groceries? Last week at the Farmer’s Market, two friendly farmers praised the cotton knit shopping bags I load down with fresh food each week, and offered to trade vegetables for their own bag and a mason jar/water bottle cozy. How fun, a knitting comission for food! I took them up on the chance, but put it off for a few days and ended up with a small knitting frenzy to have them ready this week.

Here’s what I created: I used two strands of navy organic cotton warp yarn (which I bought at Northwest Handspun Yarns) to make the shopping bag based on this pattern. The bag is deliciously soft and strong (holding a pumpkin in the photo!).

The mason jar cozy is a carrier for the farmer’s water jar, intended to fit tightly on the jar and support its weight, so I used three strands of the same yarn, knit increasing rounds of a solid base with size four needles to just wider than the jar, then decreased every stitch for one round, and worked in Turkish stitch with size 9 needles up to the level of the jar, and finished off with a few garter stitch rounds and a strap. It ended up pretty perfect, with a nice mesh. Very practical. And more than enough knitting for one day!

Posted in Bellingham, Crafts, Home, Knitting, Pretty Things, Self-Sufficiency | No Comments »