« January 2010 | Main | March 2010 »
Sometime back near the beginning of the month I mentioned that February is Embroidery month and that I planned to use that little fact as an excuse to start yet another stitchery project.
So I did.
Go ahead and laugh or roll your eyes. I know I have way too many things going. I won't even try to rationalize. I'm just gonna go with it.
I sure am glad I had that new steamy iron to help tame all that backing fabric!
I'm also glad we have those extra leaves for in the dining room table.
Luna was disappointed that she didn't get to lay on the quilt... so she laid as close to it as she possibly could which meant I had to step over her every time I went around to that side of the table.
So its finally all basted...
and in the hoop...
Now all I have to do is convince the cats that it is not a nesty-tree and get it quilted before FlyBoy goes off to college. He's 11.
Well, that new iron arrived on Friday, just in time for a weekend of feverish pressing and such. I don't mind telling you that I am now certain that I have never owned a "good" iron until now. This thing can scare the wrinkles right out of cotton... and throw a bit of steam for good measure.
So I finished up that bishop except for the hem and will try for some nice photos with Tater after school today. The funny thing is that while I was rummaging around for buttons I discovered panels I had smocked long ago that were intended to be a nightgown and so I finished that up too except for the neck binding and the hem. It would seem that the part of smocking I like best is... well... the smocking so sometimes after the fun is done I forget all about the construction part. Oops.
FlyBoy's quilt still hasn't made it into the hoop. I need to drape all the layers over the dining room table and get them basted. This sounds easy but really our table is in the same general vicinity as the front door and lately there's been a lot of foot traffic... human and dog... and all of it has been wet and muddy. Maybe today with everybody off to school and the dogs settled after a morning romp I'll give it a go. Right after I mop the floor. Again.
I've also gotten quite a bit done on my recent (secret) knitting. I always feel really dorky when I can't show knitting here because really the knitting is what's first in my mind and my day even when it doesn't reflect what I show here.
And as if that weren't all enough I've also done some more embroidery, chopped up some T-shirts (and then sewed them all back together), and started thinking seriously about stating some seeds in those little seed flat thingers in preparation for this year's garden.
What can I say... I like busy.
Well, the current knitting is one of those "no show" scenarios so I'm hoping you won't mind a bit of smocking. I had planned to have this finished over the weekend and had hunkered down with all my supplies and was elbow deep in gathers when my iron burned out. Just refused to heat up. Dead as a lukewarm doornail. Sigh.
Curse that iron for its timing. All the men and boys in the house were away at camp (just days after 2 snow storms... silly boys) and the girls and I had the whole house (and all the Chinese take-out) to ourselves. I was ready to tackle this bishop along with a few other sewing projects that are mere threads away from completion and I was prepared to not sleep for the entire weekend if it meant I could sew, sew, sew, and proclaim them all complete. And then the iron died.
So while I wait for the arrival of the new iron I have on order I'm knitting (but can't show you) and planning more sewing projects. See, I can plan more sewing projects because the minute that iron shows up I'll not sleep and I'll sew, sew, sew, until I can proclaim these complete. And then I'll need a new project. Ha!
And should you wonder about bishop dresses... oh, how I love bishop dresses... here's the best little books ever on bishops...
Don't ya love the little bowl cuts on the little girls.... oh, my.
As much as I love these dresses I realize that the time will come when Tater will no longer be willing to wear such a thing so I'm taking advantage of her current demand for more dresses. Aside from that, Doodle and I are convinced we can make bishop-y blouses for ourselves. Bishops and denim... we'll see.
I'm always looking for ways to combine a traditional knitting technique or style with a kid friendly, updated flare. Part of the goal is to enjoy my knitting and the other part is to end up with something functional that the kids will enjoy wearing. When I noticed my kids were having fun going through their closets looking for ways to layer their favorite clothing pieces I had an idea and Reese is the result.
Top-down? Check.
Steeked? You got it.
Something even the boys will wear? Absolutely!
From the pattern...
Here’s a combination of a classic yoke shape and stranded color-work with an undated finish. As you work from the top down you’ll progress through 3 bands of color which are nestled between 3 rounds of increases resulting in a classic round yoke. A steek paves the way for a zipper and the short sleeves make this a great layering piece for those busy boys and girls.
Sizes
Children’s 2-4 (6-8, 10-12) years.
Finished Measurements
Chest: 28.5 (32.25, 35.75) inches.
Length: 14 (18, 22) inches.
Note: always choose which size is best by the measurement in inches rather than the number size.
Yarn
Vermont Organic’s O~Wool Classic
100% organic Merino wool
3.5 ounces / 100 grams per skein
198 yards / 181 meters per skein
3 (4, 4) hanks MC.
1 hank each of 4 complementary colors.
Sample shown in Main color “Evergreen” with “Sage”, “Cornflower”, “Sky”, and “Natural”.
Needles
24 or 29 inch* US #7 (4.5 mm) circular needle.
24 or 29 inch* US #6 (4.0 mm) circular needle.
*Needle length based on garment chest width.
US #7 (4.5 mm) double point needles.
US #6 (4.0 mm) double point needles.
OR the size needle you need to obtain appropriate gauge.
Extras
Stitch markers, tapestry needle, 1 separating sport zipper.
Skill level
Experienced.
Skills Needed
Working in the round, stranded color-work, working from a chart, short-rows, steeks.
Gauge
18 sts / 25 rows = 4 inches over stockinette stitch.
Note: Wash your swatch as directed on the yarn care label and carefully block it. Let it dry completely and then measure for gauge.
Price: $6.00
Your printable pattern will be immediately downloadable in Adobe PDF (v5.0 or later) format
This is just like those made for TV cheesy sci-fi movies I love so much... I watch the first one because it has a catchy name and is bound to be horrible and then when the sequel is released I can't help but watch it just to compare it to the first one.
Snow-pocalypse hit us with 18 inches of snow this past Friday and Saturday and now we're smack in the middle of a nasty sequel. We had about 6-8 inches fall over night and its picking up now thanks to moisture off the coast. We're expecting another foot or so today by the time it dwindles out late this evening.
I'm sure there are abominable snow-zombies out there somewhere...
I'm not worried... I hear they're afraid of wool. But I do know that I need to find something bright and colorful to do today or this little house in the mountain is going to resemble The Shining just a little bit.
I'm so pleased that Jaala Spiro, the Editor-in-Chief of Knitcircus magazine, is here today to share some exciting news. After 2 years of paper success Knitcircus has gone digital!
So the whole reason you're here is to get the word out that Knitcircus is going digital. Can you tell us a little about this decision? What sorts of things do feel you'll be able to do now that you weren't able to do in print?
We’d been in print for two years and had grown a lot in our ability to create a solid magazine and to reach great designers for interviews, etc, but we distributed the magazines by ourselves and through one yarn store representative, and making contact with each individual store just took a lot of time. We love LYS’s and ethically really liked working with independent stores in Wisconsin and around the country and hope to return to print with some books in the future. We just wanted to reach more readers and to give our designers more exposure; going online allows us to do that plus saving us huge amounts in glossy paper and postage costs. We really like the environmental aspects of an online format, too; I could never quite feel right about the trees and solvents that went onto the paper magazine, even though we all love a copy to throw in your knitting bag or read in bed. Now people anywhere in the world can see the magazine instantly and we can really stretch out, showing lots of luscious, full-page knitting pics.
I had a chance to see the current issue and I must say I love the way it looks!
We tried to make the online format as close to the print magazine as possible, with subscription and single-issue pattern collection purchases matching pretty closely the print magazine and subscription models. But now we can offer all of our articles, interviews and reviews for free—how fun! The approach we’re taking, with the limited-time pattern collections, still protects our designers’ rights and we’re able to offer more patterns for the customer at the same price as the print magazine.
How have your readers responded to the big changes?
Since many of our readers picked the magazine up at their LYS’s, we weren’t sure how they’d react, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People like being able to print out just the pattern they’d like to knit and applaud the environmental responsibility of the move, so that’s been terrific. We’re glad to have that support as we’ve been putting all of the pieces together for the online issue, a completely different animal on our end.
For us, since both me and Ms. SABLE have kids at home, it was pretty much a given that we would include patterns for little people. We both knit for our kids and feel that teaching kids to value handknits starts with making some for them to wear. My daughter is now eight and knitting a hat in the round, so the plan is working!
Plus part of the vision for Knitcircus is to make it accessible and useful for people all ages and genders, so we make sure to include patterns for children, babies and men in each issue.
OK... let's have a look at some of the kids designs from past Knitcircus issues...
Ooh, this is fun! We’ve been happy to feature several toddler designs by Cutie Pie Fashions’ Jenny Snedeker, including Kayla in our current issue...
and Mossflower in the fall 2009 issue...
We did a Kids’ Special last summer with Issue #6. One of my favorite designs was the Roughhousing Vest, a handsome and durable choice for little guys like mine always on the move...
The Mushroom Hat from that issue works for babies and big kids alike...
As a treat for your kid-knit-loving readers, we’ll offer this pattern as a free download on Ravelry for the month of February!
Click here to download the Mushroom Hat!
For bigger girls, Sweet B’s poncho from Issue #8 is a great transitional layering piece...
And, of course, the cover design by Harpa Jonsdottir works for a child or tweenager...
If you’re looking for cute baby knits, it doesn’t get any sweeter than the Baby Janes by Michelle Miller from Issue #5...
or the Stella Cardigan from Issue #6...
Another great baby/toddler pattern from Issue #6 is the Super Duper Soaker, by Kathryn Ashley-Wright...
That's a lot of great stuff and a wonderful variety! What does Knitcircus look for in kids designs? What do you hope to see in the future?
We look for good design, ease of wearing and if possible washing, and a project that knitters can complete before the kids grow out of them! We’re always on the lookout for kids (rather than baby and toddlers’) designs because there seem to be so few of them out there.
Another great thing about Knitcircus is that there's more than just knitting. What other sorts of kids projects have there been?
We do love our sewing and fibercraft projects! A favorite kids’ one is the Mess-Proof reversible baby bib, which is available on our site as a free download!
Jaala, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing all these great projects with everyone. Good luck with the big digital transition and I'm looking forward to upcoming issues of Knitcircus!
Thanks so much, Marie Grace! It’s been a pleasure.
I also want to mention that Jaala has been working her way around a full blown blog tour. Its not over yet so if you've missed any stops here's the full schedule including a few upcoming dates...
Jan 25: Knit with KT
Jan 27: Mystery House
Jan 29: Caffeine Girl
Feb 2: Vegan Craftastic
Feb 4: KnitThink
Feb 5: No Patterns
Feb 6: Rhythm of the Needles
Feb 9: Crafty Christina
Feb 10: Otterwise
Feb 11: Phat Fiber
I hear theres all sorts of give-a-ways and fun stuff going on so check it all out and don't forget to click over to Knitcircus and check out the very first digital issue. There are craft book reviews including Jaala's review of Design it Yourself Clothes which I don't mind telling you I own myself and LOVE. There's some awesome yarn blab... I spied some talk about Shepherds Wool! And I just about fell over when I realized there's a whole article with Liesl Gibson of Oliver and S!
Plus Elizabeth tells about her visit to Rainbow Fleece Farm and lots more!
That is all.
I guess the groundhog was right and we've got a few more weeks of winter to deal with. Maybe somebody should tell him what they do to groundhogs around here.
There's a snow-pocalypse on its way that's expected to last for about 24 hours. I should take a trip into town just to watch all the crazies screaming in and out of the grocery store fighting over generic bread and gallons of milk.
Snow is not my favorite thing but I suppose its best to make the best of it. I've got the fixings for chili ready to dump in the crock-pot and have accounted for the whereabouts of everybody's snow boots.
Even though I'm not that fond of the actual snow I must admit that the anticipation is kind of fun and I do love waking up early in the morning and peaking out the door to see whats happened overnight. I have a great view from my side of the bed thanks to these glass doors...
That's my favorite place to sit out there on the deck right outside the bedroom. In the summer I get a wonderful breeze off the mountain and in the winter I can lie in bed all warm and snuggled down and see the snow right outside the door. This is today's view so we'll have to see what it looks like tomorrow.
I'm having a hard time settling in with some knitting at the moment because the things I *should* be knitting are all spring/summer projects and I just can't wrap my head around them with all the snow talk. Maybe I should dig out some wool and whip up a hat or 2. Or maybe work on that quilt. Or some sewing. Or some mittens. Or just start something new. Oh my.
Here's a link to instructions for making a juice pouch bag like Doodle made for school...
And here's proof that Oscar steals Tater's toys while she's at school. Mainly because I can't stand to post without a picture. And because its funny.
