Showered with Knitted (& Sewn!) Love

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
First Row: February Baby Sweater (Mary Heather); Footie Washcloth (Amiee); Alsace Le Monsteur Hat (Marnie)
Second Row: Garden Mobile (Mary Heather); Psychadelic Blankie (Kat);
Third Row: Saartje's Booties & Jacket (Jennie); Sleep Sac (Mary Heather); Reversible Bibs (Amiee)
Fourth Row: Townes takes possession of MH's Mobile; Burbcloths (Lori)
Fifth Row: Alsace Le Monsteur (Marnie); Soaker & Garden Snail (Shannon); Fabric Play Blocks (Amiee)
Last Row: Jungle Quilt (Ellen); Handspun Kimono Vest (Lori).

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I hate to admit it, but in my impregnated and over-worked state, it is pretty much all that I can do to gather, re-size, watermark, link and code these photos. Perhaps it is time to stop coding absolutely everything by hand and look into automating it by baby time! I think that this bounty of handmade love pretty much says it all (though there is also quite a bit of incredible store-bought love that accompanied it as well). Eventually, I would love to put up a gallery of all the hand knit, crocheted and sewn items that this baby accrues, both from myself and from friends. It's such a wonderful part of the history of a new little life. Whether this - and all the other things I have planned - will ever get off the ground is questionable, but the blog post is a start.

I cannot begin to tell you how overwhelming it has been to have so much support from my crafting friends, both known to me and in some cases, unknown. The gift of a handmade item is an amazing thing, and I will be comforted and feel loved every time either I or the baby uses these amazing treasures. The thought that he will be surrounded by soft, unique toys and clothes that carry the spirits of their makers rather than the usual battery-operated plastic makes me feel like we will be starting him off on the right path. Hopefully I can gather strength from all of you in those first sleepless months. I am also truly grateful for all who have commented on delivery and baby care. I haven't even corresponded with many of you, and yet you have taken the time to leave heartfelt and helpful advice in a time when it is much needed. I love that about blogging - it means that you are always surrounded by friends, whether you are fully aware of it or not. I hope that no matter how busy family, craft and work make my life that I will remember to take the same time and care for you and that we teach this baby the same generosity of spirit through our example and yours.

Okay, I think I'm making myself a little verklempt - must be those hormones - but you get the picture:

Thank you, THANK YOU, Thank you.

First Handknit Gift for Baby

I got an amazingly wonderful package in the mail today - all the way from France! MJ showered us with adorable socks, long-sleeved onesies, a Phildar knit and crochet book of toys, a lovely watercolor, and the crowning jewel, a gorgeous handknit sweater! I am so lucky to have such a generous, talented friend. Thank you MJ!

A little bit of France for us....

I have two FO's for the baby myself, which I have been terribly remiss in not sharing (soon, I promise!) and one handspun Tomten Jacket on the needles that is well on its way. But there is something truly wonderful about handknit gifts. I love giving handknits, but I am still shocked at how wonderfully touching it is to receive one myself. This is going to be one stylish baby.

Edited to add: You can find the ingenious free Drops pattern for this sweater here.

Best Friend Makes NPR Morning Edition

One of my oldest, dearest friends has long been upset about the housing bubble. The proposed bailouts put him over the edge, so he decided to stop fuming and do something about it by rallying housing bubble bloggers together and starting a grassroots movement to give media attention to the issue. Today, some of that hard work paid off when he and two others were interviewed for a segment on NPR's Morning Edition. I cannot tell you how proud I am of the work that he has done. There is a lot more to do, but even getting the media to focus on the fact that there is more than one side to this issue is a big deal.

Go to the website! Listen to the interview!
Support the cause! Take a button!

I have sympathy for the individual homeowners who were duped into buying houses by banks who knew better. As someone in her late 30's who has worked hard and saved money and still not been able to buy a house, I understand how tempting it is to trust a bank when it tells you that you really can afford your dream home. They're professionals, right?

Unfortunately, the innocent uninformed purchasers make up a very small portion of those who will be bailed out. The lion's share will go to brokers, bankers, developers, speculators and opportunists. Even worse, with housing prices artificially propped up, many people who have saved diligently will be priced out of the housing market (because salaries are definitely not inflated!) and pay taxes for that privilege. This will affect people in a very wide swath of the economic spectrum. The very rich will still benefit, but even people in the upper-middle class will be unable to afford houses. Minorities, who are disproportionately under-represented among homeowners, will now have an even more difficult time purchasing a home. The gap between haves and have-nots will once again be widened, and for what purpose? So that wealthy people who have been dishonest and taken advantage of the system can continue to be wealthy and take advantage of the system at the expense of responsible, hard-working people who actually saved money to buy homes they could afford. Is this really what we want to do? There has to be a better way!

Clearly, this is an issue that is as near and dear to my heart as it is my friend's. You may disagree with our views, but shouldn't we at least have a voice in the media -- and more importantly with our representatives in the government? Isn't there a way that we can have a dialog that will result in help to the innocent and responsible citizens of this country without giving an unnecessarily huge windfall to those who took advantage of them in the first place? Even if this isn't your goal (or if you think that a bailout can accomplish this), I hope you will take a look at my friend's website, and his links to articles and bloggers who can give you a fuller picture of this side of the issue. If you are in favor, please grab a button. The more attention the issue gets, the more likely it is that the mainstream media and politicians will take notice and consider the issue.

Okay, peace out. No flames, please, but otherwise comment as you will. I am happy to hear from everyone.

Everything's Coming Up Pansies

Well, not everything, but the crochet sure is. I spent a recent weekend in Portland with Marnie, and naturally was once again inspired to crochet. Ms. Marnie is one kick-ass crocheter. It was a fun, whorlwind of a time, as our weekend crafting visits always are, with plenty of things to be inspired by: the excellent Japanese bookstore, a new bright red motorcycle for Leo, and a great trek out to Abundant Yarn for Larissa's debut of Knitalong, her very first book.

To me they look like little pansy balloons, flying away..."

I'm really not sure where to start. Abundant Yarn is just that - abundant! It's an amazing store, and definitely tops my list of all-time favorite LYS's. The selection is fabulous with tons of yarn in each colorway, and the aisles go on forever. Abundant Yarn dyes its own line of yarns which are especially pretty, and they carry many of my favorite lines of yarn along with some lines that were previously unknown to me (or at least untouched!). They also have a lovely cafe and seating area, so it is a very easy place to gather and knit, or gather and watch a friend debut her book! The store catered the event (quite nicely and also abundantly) and there was a huge turnout. I haven't read Knitalong cover to cover yet, but what I have read I have really enjoyed. It's a book that has a great deal of written substance in addition to cute patterns (many by Larissa, like the fast and famous Meathead, and several by Adrian Bizilla - who wouldn't be drawn by that?). For me the writing is what is so great about it. It is definitely a book for our community and our knitting "generation" (and by that I mean the internet knitting generation of the 2000's, including knitters from all age groups). It memorializes our time in a wonderful way, and I am really looking forward to immersing myself in it. It's always great to see Larissa. We didn't try to monopolize her this time around, since she had so many other guests to attend to, but we did catch our first glimpses of Sebastian darting through the yarn in his handknit hat. What a cutie.

Other than that, the weekend was very quick and spent predominantly on the sofa in front of one of Leo's legendary fires, crafting away. I utilized every spare moment of my Marnie time to get versed in the language of crochet charts (I love charts - the universal language!), and produced a pansy and a cute little chain. I think that except for when I encounter the occasional exceptionally difficult manuever I should be alright crocheting solo for a bit. My plan is to make many of these little pansy motifs and string them together in a blanket-like fashion to make a binky for the baby. Nothing very big, as I would surely go mad from over-pansying, just something to hold on to, drag around and enjoy. I love the brightness of the cornflower and lavender colors, but to give the blanket a little sophistication I added in several duller shades as well. The dulls seem to help ground everything, but the brights sure are fun to play with.

Boho Baby Is On Its Way

Click here for info on pre-ordering.This is the second print publication in which I have been able to play a (small) role, and I am so excited about it that I can barely contain myself. Baby Baby is authored by my good friend Kat Coyle, who wrote the majority of the patterns in the book as well. Kat designed the Daktari Skirt and berets that I made from the Knit Cafe book, as well as many other beautiful pieces, such as the LaLa Scarf (shown off to great effect by MH's handspun), and, more recently, the Show-Off Skirt (this is Elspeth's lovely version) from Lace Style, the Indigo Ripples Skirt from the Spring IK (Eunny's lovely version), and a Chuppah from Summer IK (I watched Kat knit this thing - it is huge! Huge, I tell you!).

My own projects in the book are tiny, but I love how they came out, and the book is filled with amazing pieces by Marnie, MH, and Edna. It won't actually be released until fall of this year, but if you have a child under five years old or if you knit for one, I can tell you now that you will want this book. The patterns are different and exquisite. I am so proud to have been involved.

Friendship

When I first began blogging, I was very cautious about meeting other bloggers and commenters in person. It took me about eight months to meet with anyone, and almost two years to become completely comfortable with the concept of making in-the-flesh knitting friends from on-line.

Nonnahs, MJ, LoriZ, MH and Yours Truly. Photo taken by LoriZ's extremely photographically gifted husband, Cam.

Oddly enough, the first person I met up with was a commenter. Mary wrote to me when I had just moved to DC. She volunteered to help out with my job search, and I was so touched that a total stranger was interested enough in me through the blog to lend a hand in that way, that I just had to get to know her. DC didn't end up being the right place for me at the time, but I still have fond memories of sock yarn shopping with Mary, our lunches in Chinatown, and her kind and generous efforts to help. I also met up with Froggy several times during that period. The two of us spent hours upon end on those rainy DC days pouring over knitting patterns and yarn in Teaism. Sadly, I have lost touch with both of these wonderful women. They seem to have departed the knit-blogging world or at least relegated themselves to lurkdom. Girls, if you are out there and see this, know that I dearly miss you both.

HP and MJ during the vows.I was still very shy in DC, and regret that there was at least one special person that I did not get to meet up with. I am sure there are even more. But I have made up for that loss of blog-buddy-time since I moved back to LA.

When I came back here almost all of my friends had moved (this is a city of transients if ever there was one), and with M still back in DC for six months my only option was to make friends in any way that I could. I had already cultivated a long-term e-mail friendship with Marnie and met up with her once when we vacationed here, so she was an obvious choice for a *real* friend. (MH has always been a *real* friend, and I met Kat for *real* before I read her blog as well.) From there it just grew.

MJ looking lovely.I began to notice more and more LA knit bloggers who shared my interest and passion for fiber and for other topics as well - environmentalism, cooking, fitness, travel. So I started collecting a larger circle of friends - first by e-mail, then at events, and finally friends "for real." It was a process, often taking at least a year of "auditioning" on the part of each person to determine whether we were a good fit. But with this small band of women I have begun to build up a network of what I believe will be lifetime friends, and we, like so many others in the blogosphere, have been truly acting on that feeling of friendship lately. I feel so lucky to have been a part of so many special events in these women's lives.

I was just a little giddy.A month ago, I was fortunate enough to be able to assist with MJ's wedding. A generous friend of mine performed the ceremony, and M and I served as both witnesses and photographers. It is a very special thing to be involved in a small ceremony like that, and I see MJ and I as forever bonded by it, even if our paths rarely physically cross in the years to come. (I'm sure Frank sees he and MJ as forever bonded by it, but never mind that!) It was a beautiful and perfect day - the kind that brings friendship full circle.

Now that I have made so many blogging friends, and found them all to be as great in person as they are virtually, I've become much more laid back about meet-ups. I trust my instincts, and if I have read someone for a bit and feel comfortable, then we must meet!

Owen on his fourth day in the world.I started seriously corresponding with my most recent blogging friend, Mames, while she was on bed rest during her pregnancy with twins. (Twins!) The hospital where she delivered was just blocks away from where I office on my remote days, so when she suggested we meet there, I didn't think twice. I would love to meet the babies. I met Mames for the first time in the maternity ward, and met Mason and Owen at the same time. It was pretty wonderful. They were so tiny and perfect. (Happy first Mother's Day, Mames!)

Friendships on line really can be lasting and meaningful (I'm writing this from Marnie and Leo's in Portland), so if you are in doubt take a chance, and if you are in town, let me know!

xox, J

P.S. Thanks to all who commented on the fire. I was particularly comforted by those who have seen many fires and assured me that the vegetation will return, along with the coyotes and geckos.

Postcard from Phoenix

I made a whorl-wind journey to Phoenix this past weekend to bask in the company of my friends from the law firm where I worked right after finishing school. These are my friends with whom I made the wedding quilt; now the first of them (Ellen) is very, very pregnant and a second (Julia) is pregnant as well. The last of us left the firm in the fall, and only one of us remains in private practice (she was smart enough to do transactional work, the rest of us are litigators). It's really interesting to see the changes in our lives and careers. It's also nice to see everyone happy.

I feel like each of us has found a way to make life work, which is a far cry from the stressful blur that our first few years of practice were. Phoenix was not the right city for me, but it has a place in my heart because I did so much growing there, and made so many wonderful friends. When you get out of the strip malls and move toward South Mountain or the Superstitions, there is a quiet and an alien beauty to the place that doesn't exist in my current landscape. It was nice to remember that quiet, and to enjoy seeing so many people that I care about enjoying their lives and starting their families. The weekend was filled with happiness and hope. Here are some photos of Ellen's shower, hosted by Julia, who will be having a baby shower of her own soon...

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Photos taken by Me, Jessica and Nick.

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Top to bottom, left to right: The proud father-to-be displaying his son's tiny argyles; Julia and Bert's beautiful home; Yours truly happily contemplating life from behind her Mimosa; My gifts: the soon-to-be-blogged Harvey vest and pee-pee tee-pees purchased at Edna's; Close-up of the argyles made by Ellen's mom using the intarsia method; The girls all together: Me, Julia (pregnant), Ellen (pregnant) & Jessica; The radiantly beautiful Julia with her devoted pup Chewie; Ellen's mother and Delana laughing; Ellen's darling niece; A blessedly flattering close-up of my posterior in the Daktari skirt, petting Chewie; Ellen's nephews transfixed by the presents; Homemade cupcakes from Nikki's kitchen; Ellen unfurling the "cuddle quilt" which her mother hand-stitched for her.

Edited to add: I have had a few questions on the baby argyle socks. My guess is that these are not from a formal pattern, but I will make inquiries when Ellen's mother has finished her travels. In the meantime, these very cool posts are a great place to start when making argyle socks.

What's that, Marie?

Hey, Marie! How is your Marseilles Pullover coming along over there across the pond?

What's that you said? You're done?


Let's see!

Let it never be said that I am unwilling to do silly, or even stinky, things for the blog. I am really busy with work right now and find myself without daylight hours in which to do a Marseilles Pullover photo shoot, so to feed my blogging buddies I threw the Marseilles Pullover on over my cycling clothes after I got home from the gym Tuesday and took a few silly shots very quickly so as not to befoul my new sweater. See how much I love you guys?

It will be a little while before I can do a proper photo session, since I will be spending the weekend in Phoenix showering the baby to be of my good friend Ellen and I sincerely doubt that I will be able to wear it there. (Who knows, though? Maybe early in the morning?) Happily, my serendipitous knit-along buddy Marie decided to put together a little teaser for you, using my sweater, Laura's, and her own in a lovely montage. Enjoy!

Laura's Marseilles

I've mentioned several times that my best friend Laura and I knit Marseilles together. Laura finished first, which was a huge advantage for me, since I knew that the neckline would be too wide in advance and was able to remedy that issue along the way rather than having to undo the seams later as she did. I've been bothering Laura for Marseilles pictures forever, and she has kindly obliged.

I'll do a comparison later, but for now I'll just let you enjoy these pictures of my beautiful friend in her beautiful sweater. I'm so proud when I look at these. We've been best friends for 17 years now. She's an amazing person and a wonderful mother.

I am so, so lucky to know her.

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Modifications: A Designer's First Step

Debut of the Daktari Dress - with a curtsy!Right after I kicked off the createalong, I realized that before I can play with my design in earnest, I really need to get the current WIPs off my plate. Except for the Marseilles Pullover, they are all gifts and will need to be gifted soon. The Marseilles Pullover itself is best suited to cool weather, and since LA has such a short chilly season, I need to finish it if I am going to get any wear out of it this year. So while I am finishing what I started, I thought I would participate in the CAL by doing some posts on the creative process in general.

This post covers the basic starting point for most designs - modifications - and borrows photos and an example from one of our very talented CALer's, Samantha. Sam started making a version of the Daktari Skirt (Lacy Skirt with Bows) for herself, but quickly realized that a single panel of the skirt could be modified to make a dress for her daughter. The pattern is the same as the original, except that only a single panel is used and there are garter stitch straps added at the top. These are simple modifications, but brilliant - what a lovely transformation.

I was completely taken by Sam's dress idea. When I was Sam's daughter's age my grandmother had a very similar ingenious idea. She took some of her old slips, smocked them at the top to gather the fabric in, and sewed on satin ribbons for ties. I had several of these slip dresses that I wore as nighties and used to play dress-up. I still remember all the details of those little dresses - that is how much I loved them. (I know that my mother, who reads this blog, has a photo of me in one - maybe you'll send me a copy, ma? I don't know if she still has any of the nighties.)

Guess who got the "shy" gene...I am sure that many of you have made some sort of modification like this. We all do a little bit of tweaking to change a pattern to suit our needs, even if it is something as seemingly simple as lengthening the sleeves of a sweater or adding short rows to the bust. Don't underestimate the power of these tweaks. They aren't just useful for the project you just finished - they can also be a springboard for the next project.

Having finished her daughter's dress, Sam can now go on to make other dresses using the first one as a template. She has the measurements from the Daktari dress to use as a baseline, so for the next dress she can use the same basic shape and change the patterning. Or she could go one step further and tweak the shape a little, too. What would the dress look like with a fitted bodice? What if she changed the length a little? A completely new and different dress can be designed using what Sam has already figured out here, and with a few little changes she will have stepped from modification to design.

The same is true of little sweater modifications. I try to keep track of little details that I add to commercial patterns, and I also follow which measurements will tend to work best for me in different circumstances. I've learned over time that a bodice twenty inches in length is my "standard," and will fit in such a way to keep my midriff covered (No muffin-top to be seen here people! ). A twenty-two inch bodice will cover the waistband of my trousers and give a nice elongated look to an outfit (which is why I plan for Mishka to be about twenty-two inches in length). Twenty-five inches will give me a tunic or coat length. Knowledge of these measurements gives me a good starting point for design. I am fairly standard-sized, so I can take my measurements and simply add to them proportionally (more on that later) to get the other standardized sizes in a range, but if you aren't standard-sized you can simply figure out how differently your measurements run from the standards proportionally and then make those adjustments across the board for all sizes in a pattern. The opposite approach works as well. If you are working from a commercial pattern and know that you need to take in two inches at the waist as compared to the usual standard size you can work out that modification before you start knitting so that the piece will fit you in a flattering way.

These are just little things to think of as you design. Don't undervalue your experiences as you go along - use them for the next step. Just look at that dress!

A stroll on the ocean in Guam. With a backyard like this, would you miss wool?

Contest: Be a Meathead! (For a Good Cause, Too.)

Over years of blogging there are certain knitters that I feel I have formed a tacit friendship with. We may not correspond by e-mail regularly, but we keep up with each other through the blogs, and over time develop a fondness for each other. Larissa Brown of Stitch Marker is one of those bloggers. I've followed her blog for almost three years now since I first saw her version of my honeymoon cami. We've corresponded here and there about trips to Belize and cycling, she knit along in my Charlotte's Web KAL and I knit along in her scrap along. This year, Larissa and her husband have been working on a book about knitalongs, and have run a few really fun KALs for that project. One of them involved a knitalong for Larissa's meathead hats, which she initially created for an art installation. I signed up for the KAL, but the deadline was tight and I had a pattern due for publication at the same time, so I never finished - the pattern and yarn have been sitting in my stash waiting for me to return to them. The KAL was wildly successful and included some really beautiful and unique meatheads, some of which are featured below.

Click on the photo to see more meatheads.

The pattern was not supposed to be available again until the book release, but then a friend of Larissa's experienced a terrible tragedy - she lost her husband and the father of her children when he was hit by a car while running. When something like this happens to you, there is very little that anyone can do to assuage the pain and loss. Having lost my beloved younger brother Sam a little over five years ago, I understand this. But little gestures help more than anyone can know, and Larissa is offering her friend one such gesture by making the meathead patttern available to us before she publishes it in her book for a mere $4.50, with all proceeds to go to her friend and her children. Because I already have the pattern, I simply made a $4.50 contribution, and if you have $4.50 to spare, I would encourage you to do the same. You will gain a great pattern and the wonderful feeling that you have helped a family who desperately needs love and support right now.

As an additional incentive, I am going to sponsor five meatheads myself. All you have to do to participate in my meathead contest is leave me a comment with your real e-mail address below. (Feel free to put the words "NO SPAM" in it to deter spammers - I can take those out.) A week from today I will randomly choose five people from the comments to donate on behalf of and send a meathead pattern to. If you buy one independently as well, that's great, and I will instead make a $4.50 contribution to the fund in your name. But it isn't necessary. If you don't have the $4.50 to spare and want a shot at the pattern, I really truly want you to participate as well. The goal is to gather up as much support for this family as we can and then knit and wear our meatheads with pride.

Weekend with Friends

The Outer Banks, North Carolina

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I had a lovely weekend with my college girlfriends: knitting (the pink Marseilles back above is mine), quilting, drinking wine, soaking in a hot tub under the stars, goofing off in the surf. I'm so glad to have such wonderful people to surround myself with, if only once a year. Now it's back to the grind. Man, I miss that hot tub.

I have a tall soul*

But apparently it does not photograph well. Clearly, I belong in the front row with the gnome!

Francesca, MH, Kat, Me, Lori, Shannon, MJ (with gnome), Andrea

I made all the girls at the spin in take a group photo. I think this is the one that best represents the most people. It's hard to get eight people to be photogenic at once! I hope this isn't too boring for those who don't know us personally. I've been too engrossed with tending to Caia to take photos of knitting or spinning, and I did want to share these photos of us having fun with everyone. Here's another cute candid shot of some of us sitting around the table:

I love seeing those happy knitting faces. Good times.

*This is something I say a lot, because people are always remarking that I seem taller than I am. I'm not!

Postcard for Marnie

Dear Marnie,

We just wanted to let you know that we miss you! We did much knitting and spinning in your honor, from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. (!!!) yesterday. Much sugar, and some healthful foods, were also consumed on your behalf. Here are some of the highlights, top to bottom, left to right: Andrea shows off her recently completed Icarus shawl; MH chills with MJ's gnome; Nonnahs gracefully models one of my Christmas berets; Francesca shows everyone how it's really done on a spindle; Lori and MJ try to sort out Lori's handspun for Andean plying; Nonnahs and Andrea discuss the finer points of Icaurs' lace border; Lori enjoys one of Nonnahs' homemade cupcakes with buttercream frosting; MH checks under the gnome's beard to see what's on offer!

Not pictured are Kat (who I only photographed holding knitting for publication!) and myself. We also took a few group shots, but those are on my Contax, so we have to wait a few days to get the film developed. We can't wait to see you! Get here soon!

Love, Us

Handspun at the Getty

Recently, I had a chance to meet up with Cara and MJ, and take some really fabulous photos at the Getty Musuem.

Checking out the wonderfully high-tech equipment.

Moving through the garden in search of the prized quarry.

Will I catch the handspun?

There's a glimpse!

For more, you'll have to visit Cara.

All photos of me, taking pictures of Cara, were taken by MJ. My knitwear for this shoot was generously provided by Marnie.

And now, for a sewing interlude

Right after law school, I moved to Arizona and started work at a small firm with three wonderful women. We were all crafters - Jack, Jessica and I were knitters and Ellen was a quilter. When I got engaged in the early fall of that year, Ellen decided that as a wedding gift, she, Jack and Jessica would spring for fabric at The Quilted Apple, and she would teach all three of us to make a quilt for my wedding. In between margaritas, episodes of the Gilmore Girls, and some rather intense floor refinishing at Ellen's, we got a fair amount done on the quilt before I left Arizona to join Moxie in LA. Then the quilt languished as our lives went on and we married, bought houses, and changed jobs, but eventually, three and a half years after we started it, the quilt somehow got completed and made its way to me:

The Wedding Quilt

Many hands helped to build this beautiful and cozy blanket. Ellen's mother tied and bound it (and reported that it had to be tied rather than quilted due to the margarita episode). It is one of my most prized possessions, and I will treasure it forever. But here's the real kicker: Moxie, who eschews all things with color, and many things handmade, affirmatively likes it. Shocking, no? But so very, very nice.

I really enjoyed sewing, and made several floor pillows and the occasional curtain. I would even borrow a sewing machine to do some finishing on my knits, but I never had a machine of my own, until Marnie decided to move to Portand and didn't have room to take her machine, or her grandmother's sewing table, along:

The sewing machine and other wonderful goodies.

So now I have two more really special possessions. Marnie is definitely my LA Ellen, and to me, it is much more special to have a sewing machine that was hers than it could ever be to go out and purchase one for myself. And, I have accessories made by friends, too. Notice the wonderful little pin cushion above? It was made by Mary Heather. (As were the cute little shrinky dink pins.) Armed with such great equipment and knowledge from friends, I think I'm ready to go forth into the world of sewing.

And since friends have made this possible, I've decided to pay it forward, and make one of my first projects for an auction that one of our virtual friends is helping to pull together to benefit a really neat Portland project, called Cafe au Play. Who knows, maybe someday I'll end up there and have a chance to take advantage of this wonderful cooperative venture. I clearly have plenty of reasons to visit.

If you haven't yet, please go visit Larissa's site. She is collecting aprons to auction, and I just know that many of you guys can whip out an apron in no time flat. While you're there, grab a button:

Finally, I have some wonderfully fashionable fabric to show you:

Cowboys and Kittens and Koi, Oh My!

Marnie was so impressed with my impeccable taste when I chose the kitten fabric at the Santa Monica Fiber Fest, that I felt she deserved something equally special for her Christmas present. She has gone so far as to coin the phrase "It's so kittens and koi" to refer to instances when people that she otherwise considers tasteful deviate so far in their choices that she just isn't quite as sure about them anymore. I believe the cowboys suit her recent bent toward the manly men. I'm thinking a Brokeback pillowcase may be in order.

P.S. Fear not, Larissa. I promise not to make you a cowboy apron. I understand that Cafe au Play is a family establishment.

Santa Monica Fiber Fest

Spinning on a Majacraft Rose under the expert tutelage of Morgaine.

Sweet alpaca.I have been incredibly spoiled the last few weeks. Last weekend, I went to a spin-in at Andrea's and spent the whole day (and much of the night) surrounded by really talented spinners. I got to try out MJ's Lendrum DT and Andrea's Kromski Minstrel, which was so fun. I was the second least experienced spinner in the room, so I had an opportunity to check out a variety of great spinning techniques. It was bliss.

This past week, I have been completely spoiled with Marnie occupying our guest room and joining me in ultra-crafting adventures every day.
Knitting Ring.On Saturday, we made our way over to the Fabulous Fiber Fest in Santa Monica. This was the perfect fiber festival for me. There weren't an overabundance of vendors - there were one or two very nice vendors for each type of material - beads, buttons, fiber, yarn, fabric. I loved it because I didn't have to wade through a lot of wares or people. There were a select number of vendors of incredible quality, and the crowds were manageable. It was fun without being overwhelming.

Prize shawls.Although I don't usually blog about my purchases, I'm considering doing it for this festival. The things that I got are just too special. If I'm still feeling the vibe after my trek to Portland, I will at least post a list of my favorite vendors - they are too good not to share.

For now, I'll just hit the non-vendor highlights of the festival. We were greeted by three lovely Alpaca outside the Convention Center. I have long wanted to have a small herd of my own, but this little group of animals really cemented that feeling. They had the sweetest faces. The Alpaca were escorted to the festival by the women of Fleece Unlimited - a new group of women Alpaca Ranchers.

Claudin & Andrea.Another wonderful sight outside the festival was a ring of three women all knitting the same piece with three circular needles. Each woman knit with one end of the circular needle to the left of her and one end of the circular needle to the right of her, so no one ever had to move - genius!

Once inside we were able to locate the area where the shawls for the Spindlicity contest were displayed, including our own Marnie's shawl (the orange shawl on the right).
Andrea spins!I am glad that I didn't have to choose. Each shawl was lovelier than the last, and the fact that they were all handspun original designs blew me away.

In addition to all the wonderful sights, we were surrounded by good friends. We met up with Caroline, who we met at Andrea's spin-in the previous weekend, and then ran into Andrea as well, who brought her beautiful sister Claudin along for the fun. Claudin didn't craft before, but I think she's ready to start now.

Marnie spins!Marnie attracted many on-lookers and wanna-be spindlers by spinning some beautiful fiber on her Golding spindle, and even enticed Andrea to try her Golding out.

Personally, I got lost in the wheels. My blogging pal and spinning enabler Tiffany recently made the wise observation that I would know my wheel when I saw it, and I think she's right. I got to try out a Majacraft Rose from Carolina Homespun. I loved the wheel and got a lot of special attention from Morgaine, so unless I fall to the siren call of the Schacht Matchless, I will be getting the Rose from Carolina Homespun in December when I go back to San Fran for work. Yippee!

P.S. If any of you have wheel preferences and experiences that you want to share in the comments, I would be thrilled! Until December, I will be window shopping.

Southern Snowfall: Pattern Notes

Sometimes I get sick of seeing myself on this blog all the time. I love taking pictures and it is really refreshing to have a chance to share photos of someone else. This particular photo session was a real treat, because my dear friend and knitting compatriot, Hope, is an elusive subject. She said, and I quote, "I trust you to choose the right photos to post."

Southern Snowfall romping among the lovely yarns at Knit Cafe

This choosing of the photographs is a tough job. I did my best and picked shots that I like, but I know that Hope will probably be critical of how she looks regardless. When I choose photos I do my best to capture the nature of the subject. I liked these because they were either happy and engaging or a little contemplative. If you know Hope you will see that hint of nervousness at having her picture taken flitting across her eyes. These aren't perfect, but I think they capture a little of her very special spirit. Just in case she doesn't like them, though, I've tossed in a little bonus to even out the playing field. This is one of my favorite pics of myself, but it is goofy as all hell, and not one that you could call attractive. I'm guessing Hope will appreciate the effort. And now, without further ado, pattern notes for Southern Snowfall:

Southern Snowfall Scarf
MindofWinter QuickKnits
Knit with two skeins (150 yards/137m/skein) of Blue Sky Alpaca's Dyed Cotton (100% Organic Cotton) in color 614 "Drift", on size US8 Addi Turbo Circulars. I didn't take a gauge because this is a scarf, but 22 sts gave me a width of about 5 inches.
Size: 5 inches by about 6.5 feet - this is approximate, b/c I didn't measure the scarf before I gave it to Hope, but it was long.

Detail of the "right" side - I like the wrong side as well.The Pattern
This was the winter, spring, and early summer of the rectangle for me. Prior to this year I had knit two scarves in about 12 years. Between January of 2005 and February of 2006, I knit three. And the only thing I've finished since then is the River Stole - yet another rectangle. All of these scarves are in complicated-looking patterns and luscious yarns, so it makes for a very nice collection. Though rectangles aren't normally that exciting for me, these really allowed me to knit through a time when I simply couldn't concentrate.

Southern Snowfall came about when Hope generously gave me a skein of dyed cotton to swatch with to see if it would work for a design I had in mind. It didn't work for what I was planning, so I decided to play around a bit. When I hit upon this stitch pattern, I knew I had something that I liked. I just kept going, and made Hope a scarf for Valentine's Day.

It's named Southern Snowfall because it looks like a dusting of snow in the south, with the ground peeking through. It's also southern because the scarf is made of cotton, rather than wool. I think it would be gorgeous in a bulky alpaca single like Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande or Misti Alpaca Chunky.

To make it, you simply cast on 22 sts and repeat these two rows:

Row 1: (RS) K3, *YO, sl1, K1, psso, K2; rep from * to last 3 sts, YO, sl1, K1, psso, K1.

Row 2: (WS) P3, *YO, P2tog, P2; rep from * to last 3 sts, YO, P2tog, P1.

I am a little obsessed with using every last bit of the yarn. With scarves, I knit an entire skein to see how much length I can get out of it. Once I've started knitting with the final skein, I cut the fringe from the outside end of the skein, and just knit to the bitter end. I never have more than 4-6 inches of yarn left.

Here's a tip for fringe: my standard fringe is three 12-inch strands of yarn per tassel, which means each tassel takes one yard of fiber. This makes a lush fringe and is an easy way to calculate the yardage needed for the fringe as well. In this case, I had 10 tassels at each end of the scarf, so I used a total of 20 yards of yarn, or a sixth of a skein. Neat trick, eh?

If you try it with alpaca, or a loosely spun wool, you might want to use bigger needles - I think the drape would be just lovely. The pattern has a repeat of 4+2, so you can cast on any multiple of 4 and then add 2 sts to get exactly the width that you want for the fiber you choose to work with. It would be pretty in fine yarn as well. Kidsilk could be yummy.

Still on the needles - you can see the reverse side well here.
Impressions of Blue Sky Dyed Cotton:
Organic cotton always has a slightly odd, papery feel for me on the needles. It is very lovely, and very organic-feeling, but there is an adjustment period. It's a grabby fiber, so I like using Addis to handle it. For a cotton, it behaves like a wool, in the sense that it seems lighter and less drapey than most cottons. It doesn't have memory or resilience like a wool, though. It gives a lovely result, and produces a unique fabric. I use it when I want a very natural, casual look. This particular line comes in really great colors. At the Knit Cafe we use it for baby items a lot - it makes beautiful blankets - but be forewarned that it is not machine washable. It has fabulous yardage, which makes it more of a bargain than the price tag indicates.

Possible substitute yarns:
I know that there are other organic cottons out there, but I can't think of a good substitute with the same fiber content and properties. Pachuko Organic Cotton is less soft, and has greater stitch definition, so although it's lovely in its own right, it is not truly a "substitute". Perhaps my commenters will have ideas. I assume there's probably a smaller regional company that produces organic cotton. If you know of a regional farm that makes something similar, please let me know below.

In Season: Deciduous

Deciduous posing in front of the orange tree.Back in January Marnie made me this wonderful version of her Deciduous pattern as a birthday gift. I had to wait awhile for the weather to warm up enough for Deciduous to make her debut, but it was worth the wait.

This was a very, very wonderful gift. It is a very special and rare thing for me to receive a handknit from a friend, let alone one that she has designed herself. The workmanship on this top is incredible. Every detail has been worked to perfection. It is a wonderful piece, very thoughtfully constructed.

Marnie made me the "super sexy" version - cropped, with a very low back. It fits like a glove, and since it is knit in Rowan Calmer, it is soft as butter.

More of the front and
detail of the back.Because of the intricate detailing on the bodice, and my lack of an overabundance of womanly accutrements, I can go au natural and show off the back detailing without a worry.

The other nice thing about this top is that it doesn't have to be overly sexy, even in this sexy version. Although it was great to wear it this way the other weekend when temperatures soared into the 90's, I've also worn it to work under a cardigan, with the bottom two buttons closed (to avoid baring the tum), and I imagine it would look great under a blazer, or possibly even layered, like this. (Scroll down to check out Becky's cute layered camisole.)

The only thing that makes me a little sad is that I didn't get to knit Deciduous myself. I think I may have to remedy that stiuation by making the longer version with the higher back in a lovely cream color. It would be useful at work (still under the cardi!), and I think it would make a really stunning piece to wear on a date night with Moxie.

Woo Hoo! Greetings from Knit Cafe!

Long ago and far away (about two years ago), my friend Suzan Mischer of the Knit Cafe was approached by Melanie Fallick about publishing a knitting book. Much chaos and excitement ensued, and one by one, all of us who had been involved at the store became involved in the book, in one capacity or another. The result is this wonderful, personal collection of patterns, full of friends and memories for those of us who have been a part of it all, and a great book of color and inspiration for all of you haven't had a chance to stop in on the Knit Cafe yet. It's truly exciting, and I am very happy to have been included. Look for my designs when you get a chance - I have a hoodie, a bikini, and knee socks featured.

Southern Snowfall

Here's a little something to distract you from the fact that I have not been knitting this week:

Click here to zoom out

I started this piece as a swatch a few months ago and liked it so much that I decided to keep going and make it into a scarf for my wonderful friend Hope. Hope gave me the yarn (Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton) to play with as I was debating whether to purchase a huge pile of it for a bulky sweater. I ditched the sweater idea (well, at least for now), but I love the scarf. I call it Southern Snowfall because it reminds me of the snow we used to get in the tidewater of Virginia when I was growing up. Faint and delicate, with gaps where the sidewalk peaked through. A poetic scarf for a poetic friend.

Spin me a yarn....

I knew it would happen eventually. I've gone over to the dark side:

Witness the beautiful instrument of my undoing.

I have wanted to dye and spin yarn since I was a young girl (yes, I have always been a geek!), and recently I've found myself frequenting the blogs of virtual pals who spin and knit (like Tiffany and Boogie and Felicia). These women are so inspiring that I've found it hard to contain my interest in spinning. So, after a little careful budgeting, I e-mailed Tiffany to get some advice on resources for spinning. I expected her to send me a book title or two, but instead I got a wonderful e-mail full of links to great resources in book format and on-line. Tiffany has mentioned that she may make the e-mail into a post. I heartily recommend that you go over to Princess Knits right now and beg her to do so. It's fabulous information.

In this wonderful information-filled e-mail Tiffany reminded me that Amy King (aka "Boogie") sells spindles and roving in addition to her beautiful pottery in her on-line store Spunky Eclectic. The moment I read those words I was sold. I love Amy's pottery, I love (or is it envy?) that she makes her living in such a wonderfully creative way, and I was very excited to be able to purchase from an on-line friend. Looking over her stock, I was even happier as I discovered that she carries a beautiful line of handcrafted spindles from Cascade. The craftsmanship and quality of these spindles on a computer screen is impressive. In person, mine is pure heaven. If spinning with it is anything like the silly twirling around that I've been doing, I think I'm going to be really happy with my choice.

Since I know that you're dying to know, my spindle is the Pilchuck, made by hand out of maple.* Here's a closer view:

Each spindle from Cascade is named for a mountain in the Cascade Range and marked with the comapny's mountain seal.

I should mention that I chose the day that Amy went in for her C-section to e-mail her about the spindle, and she still managed to get my order out to me within a week and a half. She even tucked in the 2 ounces of merino wool that you see pictured above so that I'd have a little extra something to play with. I would've waited a few months if necessary. That is customer service. Insane! I also purchased some of her handpainted Blue Faced Leicester Roving:

It's called chocolate covered cherries. Yum! Click here for a close-up of the fibers.

But wait! That is not the end of the fibery tale. You may remember that I entered this contest a week or so ago and won this beautiful yarn:

Can you believe that Tiffany was willing to part with this?

Since Tiffany knew that I was going to start spinning, she included a few other goodies in my contest package:

There are little samples of different types of roving to play with, including a delicious red merino roving and a hand-painted roving, and some of Tiffany's handspun (the photo does not do it justice). There was even a bag of fine chocolates that I managed not to completely devour before photographing. (Chocolate is, we know, the Breakfast of Champions.)

I am so set. Now the only question is:

WHAT DO I SPIN FIRST?

(Seriously. Feel free to include your opinion in the comments. Do I begin with merino or bfl? Undyed, because the dyed stuff is too pretty to mess up? But what if I want to dye the merino? I'm thinking I may start with the brown roving in the back. It's plain and "regular wool" which should mean its good to start with but not so special that I can't "ruin" it with my uneven first attempts.)

*Just in case you are wondering, Amy recommends either the Little Si or the Pilchuck for beginning spinners. Also, a wool or wool-blend roving is purportedly easier to spin than other fibers.

Girl's Weekend with Knitting

I have a very tight group of girlfriends from college, and although we have gotten very spread out geographically over the years (Chicago, Cleveland, DC, North Carolina and LA), we make a point of getting together each year for a long weekend to hang out and craft (we are four knitters and one quilter). This year we met up in Cleveland twice, and we spent this past weekend haning out and celebrating the immanent birth of my friend Jen's baby. I made her Veronik Avery's Gansey Layette (my favorite baby sweater pattern to date) to mark the occasion, or as it was renamed by friend Crystal at the Knit Cafe, Happy Green:

The mom to be opening her gansey - Jen doesn't wear her hair like that - it's the "baby" bow from the gift!

Laura made Jen a beautiful version of the Kimono from this past summer's Interweave Knits. I love the way the contrasting trim makes the sweater look elegant:

Here's Cora admiring Laura's handiwork.

In addition to the wonderful baby knits, we showed up to the shower in style in Laura's handknits (I brought Clementine, but Cleveland surprised us with beautifully warm weather and there was no way I was making it in merino!):

Jen and Julia sporting Laura's Cable Eight Top Jen and Laura sporting her own Fiery Bolero

It was a great weekend, full of fabulous FOs. Stay tuned for more pictures of the Happy Green ensemble, pattern notes for Happy Green and a freebie pattern of the "Sprout" Hat.

Favorite Fall Things

First a HUGE thank you to my knit pal Jo. Jo made El Hatto Negro for her El Husbando and enjoyed it so much that she sent me a set of hand made stitch markers - all the way from Australia. Personally, seeing my patterns knit up and enjoyed is all the thanks that I need, so this was a big bonus:

The best part? They're orange and blue, just like Clementine - so thoughtful.

Now, on to Fall Favorites:

This is in response to Tiffany's Contest for which the prize is the most gorgeous handpainted sock yarn (I originally got this wrong!) I've ever seen. (I never win anything. Please, please knitting gods, let me win this! Though I wouldn't be sad if I got Margene's gauntlets, either!):

1. Favorite Fall Book to Read

Easy. The Lord of the Rings. Give me a huge honking epic, with tales of valour, full of beautiful and strange creatures, so that I can curl up by a fire and read all night. (Well, at least until 10:30 when I fall asleep in my chair.) My upcoming "Lord of the Rings" is Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It's not quite chilly enough here yet!

2. Favorite Fall Stew to Eat

Brunswick stew. This is a southern thing and hearkens back to my upbringing in Virginia. Nothing is so yummy as Brunswick Stew. Surprisingly, none of the recipes in this link are exactly what I'm talking about. I'll have to get my mother's recipe. And yes, it can be made with squirrel. And yes, I have eaten it with squirrel. Tastes like chicken. (You will not find me hunting squirrel in order to make it, however!)

3. Favorite Fall Soup to Eat

Cooking Light's Tomato & Chickpea Soup. It's fast, easy, healthy and yummy:

2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. water
16 oz. chicken broth
16 oz. can chickpeas drained
16 oz can diced tomotoes undrained
1/2 c. uncooked teeny tiny pasta - riso or smaller
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
(Optional) freshly grated parmesean (a Julia ingredient, not endorsed by cooking light - Julia also uses salt!)

Saute the onions in the olive oil. When they're soft, add in the spices and stir briefly. Add all other ingredients except pasta and parsley and bring to a healthy simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Boil, add in pasta and cook until al dente. Add parsley, stir in and turn off heat. Serve. If you want a little fat, garnish with freshly grated parmesean.

(I made this last night with the intention of photographing it, but it was dark, and I was hungry!)

4. Favorite Healthy Muffin Recipe

I didn't know there was such a thing. A muffin, called by it's real name, is simply a breakfast cake. I'm not a muffin person for the most part, but I did find this wonderful recipe for Butternut Squash Muffins over at 101 Cookbooks, which is just a great site overall. I'm planning on trying them soon, and have no doubt that they'll be my favorite breakfast cake.

5. Favorite Fall Tree

The American Maple. I'm from Virginia where they are rampant and bright red, yellow and orange at this time of year.

6. Favorite Fall Knit

Cabled sweaters, like this one:

You remember the story, right? Fall of 1998.

7. BONUS: Favorite Fall Flowers

Pasadena roses.

How's that for RED, Cara? :0

Thanks for the great contest, Tiffany - I hope the knitting gods will smile down upon me tomorrow!

*** The knitting gods smiled upon me and I won! I won! I won! ****

And a good time was had by all

When I was contemplating the photoshoot for Clementine, I had the wacky idea that I should try something a little Rebecca-esque and fun. So I recruited Marnie and we set out for the beach:

Wir sind deutsche M�dchen! Wir sind so gl�cklich!* We are German girls! We are so happy! Passen Sie auf! Ich werde Sie erhalten! Watch out! I'm going to get you! Nein wirklich! Ich bin!! No really! I am!!! Das Monstermash!!! M�dchen mit gro�en Kolben machen die schaukelnde Weltdrehung! Fat bottomed girls they make the rocking world go round!

The wonderful thing about LA is that not only are there a gazillion wonderful places to do such a photoshoot, and superb weather to do it in, but in addition, no one pays any attention when you don a wool sweater in 80 degree weather, roll your hair up in donuts and dance maniacally in front of a camera on self-timer. Everyone assumes that you are just another indie film-maker. Fabulous!

We took full advantage of this bizarre anonymity.

We swapped clothes. And boogied down. (Auf Deutsch: Boogied hinunter) Took action shots. Das hair toss! Some of us even managed to look pretty. I got the shot I wanted for my Clementine release. And then we skipped off into the sunset.

*Translations by FreeTranslation.com. Brilliant idea to mock Rebecca by using kitschy German subtitles by Mary Heather.

Hmmm....What's this?

Click the pic for a closer view

My sockapalooza socks arrived from