Marie Grace Designs

Knitting progress and finished sewing...

Steady twisted progress...

As complicated as it looks this is really a very addictive project. Watching the little twists cross and veer off in another direction... just one more row of progress... has me up til wee hours of the morning watching the History channel. 

This, however, was done in an evening...

Cute and easy! Pattern available at The Handmade Dress. Love it! I wish I had found this pattern back in the spring. Tater would have had a closet full of these to run around in all summer. I suppose some leggings and a sweater will pair well enough for some cooler weather wear. I'm think'in I may also tweak this to make a long sleeve version. 

The pattern uses a small amount of fabric and really is easy. It fits great and Tater loves that there are no buttons or zippers to fiddle with, she can just pull it on and away she goes. Come spring '09 we'll be making a stack of these, I'm sure. 

Apples at the Park...

This past weekend was the annual Apple Butter Festival here at our local State Park. I know I've mentioned before that the park actually borders our property and its one of the main reasons we bought our house. Its like having your own private park and lake with all its perks. 

The Apple Butter Festival is probably my very favorite thing that takes place in the park. Its always in October when the leaves are bright and crunchy and its just cool enough to wear a sweater and enjoy the warmth of baked goods and simmering apples. 

The main focus of the day, aside from the apples, is Shoaff's Mill. Here's the historical blurb about the mill from the State Park website... 

Shoaff's Mill: When the Juniata Iron Works closed in 1848, its lands, buildings and equipment were divided up for sale. In 1849, William Shoaff purchased 63 acres of land including the gristmill and a log cabin. Shoaff continued to mill wheat flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal and livestock feed, and made extensive improvements to the mill. A successful miller, he built a fine brick home for his family in 1861. This brick home is currently a private residence. William Shoaff died in 1888 and his wife, Catherine, took over operation of the mill until their son Ellis Shoaff bought and took possession of the mill in 1900. To increase the speed and power of the mill, Ellis Shoaff made improvements and bought one of the largest waterwheels east of the Mississippi. The wheel is still in use. Shoaff's Mill continued to operate until 1940. The mill has been renovated and is back in operation milling cornmeal, cracked corn and grinding apples for cider during educational programs and demonstrations.

The water wheel has always been a fascination for the boys (the big one and the little ones). No matter how many times we've seen the wheel in action it still intrigues them.

 

Old mill stones from the mill when it was still in operation...

 

Apples and the cider press that is also powered by the water wheel...

 

Yummy fresh samples...

 

The apple butter cooks all day. You can smell it as you walk the nearby trails around the lake.

 

If you drop off your own jars in the morning you can return late in the afternoon to find them full of fresh hot apple butter! Its like magic. 

Combined with some homemade oat bread its a perfect breakfast! 

Just one more reason to love fall!

I shopped, therefore...

With crafting in general making a huge resurgence it still amazes me just how much is out there and available at the click of a button.

As if I wasn't already distracted enough by the fabric shops down the road and the online yarn shopping and the catalogs that come in the mail and the great things I see in progress on other blogs be they knitting or sewing or whatever.

So I sat here over the weekend working on some heavy-brained projects I also took a little mental break here and there and what better way to relax than to peruse the internet for more crafty stuff.

Without even leaving my desk I managed to buy a dress pattern and some embroidery designs. Too cool... too easy... definitely the end of any hope I had of staying on track with one project at a time.

Of course, I'd rather buy from other Indy type designers and crafters so these were both great finds as far as I'm concerned. Check 'em out:

The Miss Madeline dress from The Handmade Dress. I figure we'll call ours the Miss Tater dress. There's even a Flickr group dedicated to patterns from The Handmade Dress... very cute and really simple.

This embroidery design is one of 38 that comes with the collection from Annie Oakleaves. I'm a sucker for those old Aunt Martha's iron on transfers but I don't have any on hand at the moment and was looking for something a little more up to date for a project I'm planning. These are exactly what I was looking for. The fact that I could instantly download them made it even better.

I love that the internet has made it so easy for independent crafters to make their designs available.

What are your favorite Indy crafter sites?

From here to there...

Its amazing... or maybe a little scary... how I get from here to there.

One day last week I was knitting out on the deck and I realized how chilly it was getting... which made me think of warm toasty things like knitting... and flannel... which got to thinking about flannel pajamas... for the kids... new flannel pajamas... I love to sew pajamas... flannel pajamas... for the kids.

So I went rummaging around to find my favorite flannel pajamas sewing pattern and ran across some of my other sewing patterns that I love so much. Patterns for things that have tiny little stitches and pretty little buttons. Things that spread across your lap as you stitch them on cool autumn evenings.

So by the time I left the basement I had a stack of paper patterns and notes on wrinkled pieces of paper and lots of plans.

A second trip downstairs yielded a stack of fabric.

A third an unfinished project with new potential.

Somewhere along the line I must have ordered some new things because the mailbox held some goodies this week as well. Old things for new things... crinkled paper things for dainty stitches things.

Of all the handcrafts I enjoy smocking holds some sort of allure that nothing else does. To sit and smock makes me feel like I've somehow wandered off and left behind heavy things in favor of light and gentle things. Like if I look over my shoulder while I'm stitching I'll see the piles and lists of things that need done but they'll all be a little distant and a little out of focus.

Maybe its because I get just as much enjoyment out of reading all the little bits and pieces I can find about smocking as much as I enjoy the actual smocking.

The following excerpt is taken from Needlecraft Practical Journal No. 141 originally published in 1917 by The Manchester School of Embroidery of Manchester and London, England (now in the public domain):

In some English countries the smock-frocks have remained more in fashion than in others. It is a great pity that they should ever be discarded as they are very hygienic, strong, and comfortable. Nothing could be more suitable for a shepherd or a milker as the garments are so easily washed.In Sussex and Wiltshire the older men still wear smock-frocks, but the younger ones refuse to do so. It may be that a revival of agriculture interest will bring back these useful overalls into favor, or that the smock will be once more essentially the woman's garment on the land as in the house.

Its so fascinating to me that something that a garment that started out as a good choice for a milker somehow became something considered heirloom and exquisite.

I'm also wondering if due to the "revival of agriculture interest" we'll all be running around in smock-frocks and day now. Wouldn't that be a sight!

From here to there... its all quite intriguing.

Ditch that 3rd needle!

Okay. So I promised a tutorial on Twist stitches... but its not that simple. I started writing up what I wanted to say and the next thing I knew I had pages and pages and pages of stuff. First we should go over cabling, then charts, and finally the Twist stitches. It will all tie together if you can stand it.

First off let's take a moment to look at the difference between Cables and Twist stitches. Generally speaking Cables are made up of a group of knit stitches on a purl background that at certain points cross over each other. A 4 stitch cable may be worked by crossing 2 stitches over the adjacent 2 stitches. Cables can be worked with a cable needle or without if you know how to do it. The crossings are usually worked on the right side of the work. Cables generally are not worked every row but rather at regular intervals such as every 4, 6, 10, 14, or 24 rows.

There are 2 main differences between cables and twist stitches. The first big difference is that the knit stitches in Twist stitch knitting are knit through the back loop, thus, they are twisted. This makes for a very tidy stitch that stands out from the background quite pronounced. The second big difference is that Twist stitch designs are often so detailed that they are crossed or worked on every row.

This is one good reason to work Twist stitch patterns in the round. Working back and forth can make for some nail biting knitting... having to work and twist stitches on a wrong side row is enough to send some knitters screaming into the night. Now, anybody that knows me knows that I'm a big advocate of knitting in the round whether there are cables or twists involved or not. Knitting in the round just makes sense... but what if we have just cause for knitting something like Twist stitches flat... should we just decide not to because it sounds too difficult? Nope. But we'll get to that later.

There are 2 things I'd like to discuss before we get to the actual Twist stitches: Cabling without a cable needle and reading charts.

First up...

Ditch That 3rd Needle!

I know the "I can cable without a cable needle" thing has been done about a million times but I'm afraid I'll need to address it again. My reasoning, however, isn't just so you don't need to worry about a third needle but because if you cable without an extra needle it will just make so much more sense. I don't like codes and I can't read hieroglyphics. I don't want to decipher weird acronyms like Cr3L. My first few adventures with cable knitting were with patterns that were written with line by line instructions and for the life of me I couldn't remember what Cr3L meant so every time I came across it I had to look back at the key and fumble around with an extra needle putting stitches to the back and crossing things over and bringing them back and though I managed to do it I never really understood what I had just done. I mean, the instructions had me moving stitches " to the back" and "to the front" but in all reality when I was finished with the maneuver there weren't stitches "in front" or "in back" they were side by side! So if all I was really doing was shuffling stitches like first graders in the line for the bathroom why didn't it just say so... and why hadn't somebody just told me? Working that way also took forever and I found I had to take frequent breaks because I would get lightheaded from holding my breath. And if I made a mistake somewhere there was no recovering. I had no idea what to undo in order to redo so my stress level made the whole thing more like a must-win-situation instead of an enjoyable knitting experience.

That said... I'm going to show you how I cable without a cable needle so that you can understand where your stitches are going. I promise that if you take the time to really look at your stitches and SEE where they are going and where they came from you'll be able to cable/twist anything your heart desires ever on the back side if you want to. I swear... if you can knit a stitch and purl a stitch you can do this. Its that simple once you "get it".

The day I decided to sit without a cable needle and conquer my cable/twist stitches was a life altering day. I'm not exaggerating. It was totally life altering. (So was the day I decided to figure out that whole fair-isle-stranded-one-color-in-each-hand-at-the-same-time-thing but that's a discussion for another day.)

I will also say that when I first decided to try cabling without a cable needle I visited some blogs and some knitting sites to read about how other people did all these maneuvers without a cable needle but I never really "got it" until I sat and did it myself. I really don't see myself as a great teacher but I would like to think that I can convince you to try the things you haven't learned yet. It only looks or sounds confusing because its something you don't know how to do. Once you do it... even if it means messing up and ripping out and swearing and eating ice cream for dinner once you conquer it... its conquered.

Cables and twist stitches are nothing more than stitches that have been shuffled around and put in a different order before being worked. Seriously. They are still either knitted or purled and you already know how to do that. So just move them around and then knit them or purl and continue on your way. Its that easy.

**Disclaimer: I am a very visual knitter, learner, teacher. The following all makes perfect sense to me. If it sounds like a bunch of hoopla to you... I apologize.**

Here's how I do it...

Here's some of my own personal terminology for ya:

*Lead stitch(es) are the stitches involved in a cable crossing that go over top of everybody else. They are the ones we are following (because they are leading). Everybody else will fall in line as long as we keep our lead stitch(es) in the lead.
*Follower stitches are the ones that end up under or behind the Lead stitches.

Let's dissect something simple to get a basic idea of where I'm going with this.

Here's a traditional 4 stitch cable. (Yes, its the same cable in the first picture up there but that doesn't matter.)

This one is, hieroglyphically speaking, a C4R (cross 4 right).

The *cable 4* part is self explanatory... its a cable made up of 4 total stitches. The *right* part is the direction the *lead* stitches are going. In this case they are headed to the *right* and they get there by crossing over top of the other stitches.

Now, the with-a-cable-needle method would have you * slip 2 stitches to cable needle and leave to the back, knit next 2 stitches, then knit 2 stitches from cable needle*.

Well, that's all fine and good but what's with the *leave to the back* part if ultimately we're supposed to be crossing stitches to the right?

Its much easier to understand without a cable needle: The Lead stitches (there are 2 of them moving together for this cross over) need to travel to the right over top of the Follower stitches. We can do this shuffling before we work the stitches.

Slip the tip of the right needle into the front of the 2 Lead stitches (the 2 stitches that need to travel to the right) like this:

Now pull the left-hand needle out of all 4 stitches. Yup... I said pull the needle out of the stitches. If you're using wool this won't be a problem. If you're feeling a little queasy or using a yarn that you don't trust to just sit there and wait nicely just press your finger tip against the needle shaft right at the base of the stitches you're setting lose. That will hold 'em.

Okay, now move the loose needle tip behind the right-hand needle and reinsert it into the 2 loose stitches like this...

now use the right-hand needle to cross the 2 Lead stitches to the right and place them on the left-hand needle like so...

There... now the stitches are in the proper order for being worked as a C4R (cross 4 to the right). The Lead stitches have moved to the right over top of the other stitches. Just knit the 4 cable stitches and continue across the row to be worked. Viola.

This is the simplest way I have tried for shuffling stitches around without a cable needle. I find it makes more sense to move them first by thinking about where the Lead stitch(es) are going.

A C4L (cross 4 to the left) works in much the same way:

Take a moment to think about it. We need the 2 Lead stitches to cross over top of the Follower stitches and end up on the left.

Use the right needle tip to scoop the 2 Follower stitches from the back leaving the 2 Lead stitches on the needle...

pull the right-hand needle out of all 4 stitches...

and reinsert the loose needle back into the 2 Lead stitches thus pulling them to the left...

bring the Follower stitches around the back and place them back on the needle. They are now in the proper order to work a C4L (cross 4 to the left)...

Knit the 4 cable stitches and continue across the row. C4L complete.

These basic maneuvers can be used to work just about any cable but please understand that you don't have to do it like I do. Above all else I want you to think about what you're actually doing... what stitches are you moving... where are they going? I've seen some knitters that shuffle and work stitches at the same time or just slip all the stitches involved completely off the needles and then work them out of order one at a time. Any of these methods works fine but I choose to do the moving first and then work the stitches because it makes the most sense to me.

The first step is to always look at the stitches that will be involved in the cable and decide which ones are the Lead stitches. The second step is to figure out how to cross the Lead stitches over top of the Follower stitches. If you figure out a better, easier, quicker way than I use... go for it. A fun exercise is to make a swatch with a 4 stitch cable like the one above on a purl background with some wool and work it for a few rows. When you get to the next cable crossing row work to the stitches that will be involved in the cable and stop. Now pull you needle out of all 4 stitches that need to be rearranged. Now just sit there and look at them. With your eyes follow their path down to where they started. Now look at where each individual stitch needs to go and think about how it could get there. Think about how you can use the 2 needles you already have in your hands to move them around and give it a try.

By playing with ways to move stitches around you also end up learning quite a bit more than how to cable without the cable needle. You'll also become more familiar with how crossed stitches look and behave and soon you'll be *reading* your knitting. Just like you know that a knit stitch looks like a V and a purl stitch has a bump you'll know how to look at a cable and figure out how many stitches were involved and which ones crossed from here and ended up there.

Of course, the best way to play with shuffling stitches is to make a little swatch and just play. Fiddle with different ways to move the stitches until you find what works best for you and it makes sense. You'll also become a little less freaked out about pulling your needle out of live stitches. Its quite liberating! Another benefit is that you'll feel more confident about having to pull out a few stitches that maybe didn't get crossed correctly the first time. If you are confident to look at a messed up cable and say "Well, it looks good until I get right here" you'll know you can slip the needle out and reshuffle the stitches back to where they need to be.

So there's my speech on ditching the 3rd needle. I always worry about posting instructional stuff because I know that there's generally more than one way to accomplish something and my intention isn't really to tell you how to do it "right". I also worry that I'll create more confusion that anything. Really, I just want you to enjoy the challenge of learning something new or different. If you can knit a stitch and purl a stitch you can do any knitting stitch/pattern/design out there. Don't let the appearance of cable patterns and other more involved designs stop you. I've found that since I've starting working cables with 2 needles I have a better understanding of my knitting in general because I've learned to shift my focus from the written pattern I'm following to the stitches I'm creating. I pay more attention to what I'm doing and I catch mistakes sooner just because they catch my eye as something that doesn't look right... and I usually know how to fix them.

This was supposed to be a post about working Twist stitches and morphed into something much longer so I'm going to break the topic up into installments. The next installment will be on reading charts so all you chart-haters should tune in :-)

I'm open to questions if ya got 'em.

Watch and learn...

Some days I still can't believe I'm raising 4 kids.

I can't believe that the powers-that-be (whatever they are) have bestowed upon me 4 little people with which to entertain myself.

When they were little I had plans and visions and good intentions. Now I have laundry and a better sense of what they mean when they say that all you can do is the best you can and it'll all work out okay.

And it seems that just about the time that I'm having a bad day or questioning my choices or just feeling inadequate something will happen to remind me that we've come a long way and that we're still heading in the right direction.

After months of trying to get Tater to sit down and hold her pencil just so and concentrate and trace on the line I gave up. She was much more interested in what the cat was doing or where the glue stick had gone. Her being the 4th kid I knew that she'd sit down when she was ready but still I was a little anxious about her flightiness.

Well, suddenly... maybe the past 3 weeks or so, she has become obsessed with writing her letters. We trace and draw and say the alphabet again and again. She's now taken to getting out her workbook on her own and sitting very quietly making letters. Seeing her sitting there with no prodding whatsoever and watching how intense she is about the letter E is just so cool. This is also very independent behavior for her as she usually insists I do everything with her. A big step for the littlest in the house. Again, bittersweet progression.

And as if that wasn't enough... Daughter The Elder is making pancakes for everybody for lunch. She's become all excited about cooking and works her way into the kitchen every chance she gets.

So I have once again been reminded that they do things in their own time given the chance and that being here to watch and gently lead is just what we need.

Knitting news...

My printed patterns are now available to retailers through Deep South Fibers. If you are or know of a retailer who may be interested let them know.

I'm gonna go have pancakes...

Picked and baked

Last week's gift of raspberries from a friend was followed by an invite to go and pick some more...

Mixed into muffins and flipped into an upside-down buttery cake as well as some put away in the freezer ...

In between the picking and baking there were bits of cutting and a little sewing...

All in all a rather productive weekend now that I sit and think about it.

Totally Twisted...

So I mentioned not too long ago that I've been fiddling with some Twist stitch designs. To me Twist stitches or Traveling stitches are the ultimate in cabling and texture. They cross over and sway around and leave behind an image of embossed work. Neat little trails with a depth unmatched by any other kind of knit stitch (IMHO).

I'm sure some less experienced knitters may find Twist stitches and other sorts of cable type designs a bit intimidating so I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial. Like anything in crafting, or life in general, I believe that Twist stitching is only *difficult* until somebody shows you how to do it.

Many times I've heard non-knitters say they could never knit or somebody will comment on another hand-stitched piece of something and swear it must be awfully hard to do all those little stitches. Really. I think its just the unknown quantity that makes things seem difficult at a glance.

The first thing I'll go over in the tutorial is cabling without a cable needle. Though I know its been done a million times I'm going to go over it again so that anybody that hasn't gotten the hang of it can give it a go. There are good reasons for learning to cable without the use of a 3rd needle and I'll point a few of them out. If you're already comfortable cabling without the extra needle you're a step ahead.

Reading a chart is another all important factor in following Twist knitting. Again, I'm aware that reading charts is something that some knitters aren't comfortable with and some just refuse to do. I'll go over a few small charts and try to explain how/why learning to read charts, and your knitting, is so important.

Lastly, there will be a small practice/demonstration chart for you to use to give Twist stitches a try. There's no better way to tackle a knew knitting technique than a swatch!

If you're already an accomplished fan of Twist stitch/Traveling stitch knitting you can just ignore the tutorial or maybe pass it on to a friend. You might, however, be interested in the pattern that sparked the idea for a tutorial in the first place. (The prototype can be seen in that picture at the top but it isn't the final design. In fact its a swatch-hat I was fiddling with and since I took that picture one of the kids has stolen the hat!)

I'm *hoping* to have the tutorial ready to go next week but please be patient as its a work in progress and I want above all for it to be helpful and clear.

What came first...

With fall drawing so close it sometimes seems like its time to gather walnuts and acorns and start stuffing them under mattresses and in between the sofa cushions and maybe even hide some amongst all the hanks of yarn that are already stuffed everywhere.

Some days lately have been a bit gray and quite chilly and its enough to make me consider hibernation when I think about what will befall us in the next few months... snow boots, wet feet, cold noses, and lost mittens.

But there are still lots of warm sunny days to enjoy and I like to think that the gray days are here to remind us to enjoy the warm sunny ones while we still have them.

And far from drawing to a close the season is still giving plenty... apples, raspberries, and for us our first eggs! The little chicks we hatched in the incubator back in the spring are now grown and have begun to lay eggs. I've never been so stink'in excited about an egg in my life.

And just when my urge to bake kicked in a friend gifted us with a bucket of homegrown raspberries and there's lots more where they came from. This is another one of those perspective situations I like to analyze so much... our friend has so many raspberries that she's pushing them off on anybody that will take them and we are so thankful to have them. She's tired of looking at them because they're everywhere... and we can't wait for more!

We made Fruit Platz (Simply in Season) with a little tweaking to include more whole wheat flour and some oats. Tater calls it Fruit Plops which makes it even better. By the way... I love this cookbook and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking with fresh whole foods and simple recipes that turn out fabulous. Its divided into seasonal sections so the recipes include what is readily available at a given time. I really like that so many of the recipes can be fiddled with to accommodate whatever is on hand and that the recipes don't call for weird things you can't find. The Fruit Platz recipe can be used for all sorts of fruits... peaches, sweet cherries, blueberries... yum. And its really simple so the kids can help.

I'm planning to grab another bucket of raspberries while they're still available so we can make a Raspberry Upside-Down cake (my recipe).

And speaking of simple things that turn out fabulous... I'm whipp'in up a end of summer top-down raglan for Tater in Vermont Organic's Balance which is a heavenly blend of organic merino and organic cotton. (Its being modeled quite nicely by that egg.) The pattern will be available in sizes 2 to 14 and should be available about mid October.