Facebook has stepped up and serves the need to show family photos and chatter. As a result, I've decided to discontinue this folksy blog and consolidate my focus on knitting at my K1P1Design1 Web site. Please set your RSS and blog readers to the K1P1Design1 blog for future updates from me as I waffle on about how I would set the knit world if I were queen.
Although it has been a cool (thermally-speaking) summer – weekend activities have filled the agenda – so I have lots to share. First up: In June, Karin Lowe (instigator of the Nordic Knit Conference held annually) graciously allowed me to come take photos of her newborn lambs. She has a lovely barn that just begs a knit photoshoot (hmmmm, more on that soon!)
World Wide Knit in Public day spans a couple of weekends (rather than a single day) – and the Snohomish Knitters Guild (SKG) hosted a knit-in at Seattle Center. Saturday,18 June 2011, was the most dismal greeeeeey rainy day I’ve seen in the Northwest (honestly) – but it did not keep knitters from the mission of sharing the joy of knitting. Thirty + folks showed up, took their spots and shared their love of knitting with the public. Prior to the event, I polled the guild members about why they knit, then made placards so we could put them in front of us. It generated lots of conversation with the public! We also shared about 50 “new knitter kits” with the publich – each kit had info about the guild, knitter resources, and a partial skein of yarn.
These were our two youngest knitters – 8 years old. They knit for noble reasons.
And then, there are those of us that knit for less than truly noble reasons…
Also at the WWKIP event, this cartoon says:”So, are we gonna go fight crime or what” and the hero replies, “Yep, just let me finish this row.” Sound familiar?
Someone who spotted us knitting (we were hard to miss) sat down and demonstrated a couple of techniques using the Eastern European method of knitting: Knit on Cast-on
Also in June, Yarnbomber and artist Suzanne Tidwell (and helpers, such as our own Knit Shan Knit of SKG) socked-it-to Occidental Park in Pioneer Square in Seattle. I heard that she is taking her act uptown too. Check out both Suzanne and Shan’s links.
That’s me, soaking up all that yarny color goodness.
And finally, lest you think that I’ve not had my hands on some of that lovely yarny goodness, I have a very small show and tell – a woven scarf (oh my, that unevenness is just charming, isn’t it?) A simple tabby weave on my rigid heddle loom, hand-dyed brown wool for the warp, sockyarn for the weft.
The sock yarn is washable wool, and the weft is not, so when I set it, it gave the scarf an interesting texture. Something to celebrate, a scarf off the loom and on a body!
On the home front, my son had a hero’s journey this summer – he rode his bicycle from Seattle to Boston, alone. As I know he is unconventional as far as cyclists go, I was a bit over the top in worry – but now that he has arrived, I would love for you to enjoy his adventure (after the fact, rather than biting your nails at 4am every morning like I was to see if he was still alive.) Read Brandon’s travel blog: Brandon has died of dysentery. Click the “back” link at the bottom of each entry. It’s a fast read, he posted almost daily for about 40 days. I’ll leave you with the ending entry, so you, dear reader, know he is ok:
The caption on this blog entry was “Done.” (He starts grad school at MIT, Media Lab on 1 Sept.)
I hope you have had a wonderful summer, enjoyed many excursions, much yarny goodness and are thinking about your Fall projects!
How many languages do you speak? I speak several fluently: knitting, crocheting, spinning, and dyeing. Since January, I've been learning a new language: weaving.
I thought I would be a faster study, but it's taken longer than anticipated to get the syntax, the acronyms, the lingo. Sett, heddle, castle, brake, warp, woof are just a few of the many many terms I'm learning.
I'm starting a new job tomorrow. I ended my last job on 1 June. And in between, I've been taking weaving language lessons. As of today, I've put together, warped and woven all of 10" of a fabulous silk twill. It's a start!
We've had a very wet, cold Winter and Spring here thus far - yesterday Mother Nature was giggling as she dropped wet snowflakes on my car as I drove to work.
So, there is still a big need for neck warmth!
This started as a Cream and Sugar cowl. I cast on the required 252 (!) stitches, almost believing the pattern (I did take the needle down a size)....but as I knit in-the-round, it was clear that the ribbing was not 20", but more like 40". So, I ditched the pattern and merrily went on my way with a different design.
Ribbed and Warm Collar/Cowl
Knit in the round. Easy project.
Yarn: Fingering/sock weight
Needle: US 4
Start: co 252, on circular needle, join (don’t twist!); total cowl is 36” with ribbing un-stretched.
Collar: k2,p2 rib each row for 3.5”
Next row: decrease to 50% of your stitches by doing the following: *k2tog, p2tog*, repeat between * * to end of row; total cowl is now 18”, ribbing un-stretched.
Cowl: Then knit the next portion by doing the following: *k1,p1* ribbing, repeat between * * to end of row for 3.75”
Adjust length for either the collar or the cowl as needed.
My middle kiddo, Adrienne, delighted us on Solstice with some music. Much to my delight, she sat in front of her computer and recorded a bit of it. Love it Aden! Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to more.
