Just a quick photo – this is a new pattern called Gradiente from the folks at Manos – proof that simple does not necessarily mean dorky:
This will be a birthday present – it’s somewhere between a shawl and a scarf!
Emerson’s Notion of Success
My mother carried this quote from Emerson in her wallet for many years:
The definition of success—
To laugh much;
to win respect of intelligent persons
and the affections of children;
to earn the approbation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to give one’s self;
to leave the world a little better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition.;
to have played and laughed with enthusiasm,
and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived
–this is to have succeeded.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gatsby is in the Air
You may have noticed that The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is everywhere right now, with the Baz Luhrman movie opening on May 10 in the United States, even though it was apparently shot (o, the heresy of it) in Sydney, Australia. Guess we’re a long way from Long Island!
I’ve been knitting sparkly things lately – a ton of these Scallop-Edge Necklaces in a variety of beads and yarns:
And now, in honor of this great American story, I’m teaching a class with a similar pattern called the Gatsby Necklace by Shaina Bilow – with a lovely yarn called Stella. This is a sample I knit for the class:
Join me in knitting another one this week if you like from your home. The pattern is here on Ravelry ($5). This pattern uses up scraps of yarn and not very many beads – a quick knit for you or for a gift! Learn how now so you can use the pattern for holiday knitting. (Note: I am not getting a cut of anything here.]
And if you would like someone knowledgeable and crafty to lead you knowledgeably through this story, check out Heather Ordover’s Just the Benefits audio cast (scroll down the page) – and you too will know the substance behind the glitter!
Sweater-palooza
cI’ve been knitting sweaters – but not for me. Afghans for Afghans wants to ship 500 sweaters to a girls school in Afghanistan – if I can make a tiny difference in the girls attending, that would be great news. So I’ve been knitting. One is a cardigan of my own design – to be honest, this is a design I like so much I want one for me, so I’m taking some good photos to make sure I can replicate it in my size, if I so desire. This one is in Cascade Eco-wool – a wooleny bulky two-ply that has a lot of loft. Those are Izzie’s paws – she can’t keep her paws off it! Project details here.
I love the buttons too, they seem very English old-school, which will be lost on a child, but they will last – well made leather ones.
I also knit a pullover cable sweater. It’s been more of an adventure in the knitting. First, I knit the back (sorry for the lousy photo):
and realized it would be too large after blocking (although it is superwash yarn, so stay tuned for further developments). But I realized I could knit the front slightly smaller, and with a loose fit on a child, no big deal. I started one cable pattern, but it didn’t look right, so I pulled back several inches, and came up with this version, which I liked.
The sleeves are plain, but with the neckline, I did something a little more special. Over on Craftsy, Fiona Ellis has a free class on cabled knitted necklines – and she shows you how to carry a cable pattern into the neckline for what she calls a “couture” effect. This is what I did, and I think it adds just a bit of specialness:
Now as to size. I finally realized that this sweater was made out of superwash yarn, so I soaked it, then threw it in the dryer – it came out smaller (maybe a size 10 or so), which is a good middle size for the campaign going on.
The third sweater is a big old bulky sweater with ribbing – the yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky (merino wool, cashmere and acrylic) – both soft and indestructible! Plus, it was a score in a stash swap – thanks, knitters! I followed the Split-collar pullover pattern, except I realized that the split-neck would probably not be culturally in keeping with the conservative Afghan culture, and I wasn’t sure how warm it would be either. Instead, I knit a ribbed neckline that turns over for double warmth. It isn’t fancy, but the yarn and the bulk will hopefully be appreciated by the wearer.
One finishing tip for bulky sweaters – you can strip the plies of the yarn – in this case, I split the 4-ply into 2 2-plies, and used that for seaming with less bulk. In addition, for the side seams, I did the mattress stitch only 1/2 stitch in, instead of the usual one stitch – it came out beautifully with very little bulk. I did full seams at the shoulder because the weight of the sweater requires a good structure there.
And Izzie seems to approve of these.
I hope to knit one more sweater – it’ll be a smaller one in the leftover Eco-wool and other scraps. Interested in knitting a pair of mittens or socks or a sweater? Check out the campaign for the girls’ school, and join us on Ravelry for the sharing and ooohing and aaahing!
Vintage knit
This is a lovely couple – the year is 1947.
They are young, and gorgeous. But they don’t look all that happy – you see, the girl, Bonny, is headed on a train trip with her grandmother, who is scheming to separate the young couple because this young man, Ben – well, he’s a “catch” — handsome, from a good family, with a job in the family business. Grandmother thinks a little separation will make him move on his intentions.
The dress – that is a hand-knit dress, custom-knit for the girl by her grandmother. And you know what? Bonny still owns that dress more than 60-odd years later. See?
This is well-knit – you can see that the knitter planned her pleats well.
Her waist treatment is pretty ingenious – all you have to do to keep it working is replace the elastic, which probably has happened in the last 60 years.
She also added in some cable-ribbing at the shoulders. Still looks great.
And those buttons are lovely.
There’s another dress like it (And a skirt too – but it’s black and doesn’t photograph very well):
The fiber is wool – probably some kind of bouclé yarn, by the feel of it. The dresses and skirt have stretched a bit, but they are still wearable! I am so impressed with the knitter, and the recipient for saving them all these years. Bonny gave her grandmother’s knitting needles to her niece recently – apparently they were made of bone!
And how about that couple – well, on the way back West, Ben and his father met Bonny and her grandmother in Arizona – no waiting until they got back to Pasadena. Grandmother’s scheming worked! By Easter they were engaged:
They married, raised three children, had numerous grandchildren, and now a great grandchild, Myles:
Ben died last year at the age of 91 – he and my mom were birthday twins who celebrated their birthdays each year. He was a grand man. And Bonny is still a lovely woman, who can still wear the black skirt and one of the dresses. Because that’s how handknits knit with such love should be treated.
By Design
I just got a lovely book by the knitting maven Sally Melville, who used to write books all the time with XRX books. Somehow, there was a falling out, and she isn’t anymore, but she just published an amazing book called Knitting Pattern Essentials. (She also has a great blog – if you like check it out here.)
But back to the book. This is a terrific book for anyone who wants to adapt patterns, copy a favorite sweater, or design a brand new one. It’s simple chock-full of great advice on knitting, in addition to being great for anyone wanting to knit a garment that fits. I found myself nodding and oohing and ahhing on almost every page. Simply one of the best books I’ve seen in a while on this topic!
I’m using her book to design a new tank top with beading, and I will let you all know how it comes out – I’m pretty excited because I tried out on a swatch my own little adaption of a beading method for a cute detail, and it worked!
I’m behind on my own design work – I have a cowl pattern that is pretty close (except that I need to finish it, and put on some button!), and then I have almost finished this cardigan –
and I got an unsolicited message on ravelry asking to be notified when the “pattern” is published. Er. Wow! I hadn’t thought of that. You see, I’ve been knitting so long that I just add in stitch details to a basic template (I love using Sweaters 101 – she has a ton of templates at the back for various styles of shoulders) and don’t remember that other people would like someone to do the math and create the stitch chart, thank you very much. So now I’m pondering creating a written pattern (which would be a good idea, since it could adapt easily across various sizes).
And finally, this is an “in memoriam” moment is for, wait — a pair of socks.
This is the second pair of “real” socks that I made for me. The first pair, made out of some lovely mountain colors yarn, went to the sock heaven a number of years ago because I didn’t know to knit socks tightly, and they wore out. These socks were probably knit about 8 years ago, and therefore qualify for social security, since sock years go even quicker than dog years. I think they are made of Koigu, but this was BF before Ravelry, so I didn’t keep track of any project details. In a coincidence, they were knit mostly according to a pattern in The Knitting Experience Vol 2: Purl Stitch by Sally Melville, but I added the edging from Lucy Neatby’s Cool Socks, Warm Feet book. They’ve been mended a least a couple of times, and while I did mend them again last night, when I put on the sock, the mend was so large and uncomfortable that I realized that the end had come – it’s time to give them up. But hey, that means that I can knit more socks (plus I have a couple of pairs ready to go into rotation anyway!).
Some Assembly Required
I love cardigans – they are truly useful and adaptable garments – you can put them on and fully fasten, or have them open for cooling, and take them off and put over your shoulders for keeping a chill off. A cardigan is, to me, way more useful than a pullover (your mileage may vary).
This cardigan (of my own design, some details here ) will go to Afghanistan through Afghans for Afghans, where it will find a home with a girl who is at school, which in that culture is a revolutionary act to some. Wanna knit one of the 500 sweaters we need for this campaign? Click on the link for Afghans for Afghans.
It requires some assembly – that is – it has finishing. I’ve minimized some of the assembly by knitting the fronts and backs as one piece. This may mean that it will get a little long, but that can actually be good in a place where garments are long and loose. I could have knit together the shoulders in a three-needle-bind off, but I won’t do so on purpose, because this is a heftier yarn and I want very stable seams at the shoulder.
I also could have knit the sleeves top-down seamlessly, but again, I’ve chosen not to. With this thick yarn, I think having a seamed sleeve-cap is a good idea, and seams down the sleeve will ensure that they don’t get so long as to be in the way.
Some assembly is required, but I am glad of it! There is also a plan to dye the finished garment, but that will wait for another day…
Seams can be our friends, and I’m anxious to see how this all turns out.
