Knit Wits

We met in the tiny back room of a small knit shop in Gresham called Yarnin' Around. Every Wednesday, knitters gathered there to work on projects and share companionship. When the lease ran out and the shop was forced to close, five of us decided to keep meeting. We tried a variety of venues including a business, each other's homes, and finally...the clubhouse at the condo village where one woman lives. We have met weekly for almost a year and have seen many knitted projects started and (most of the time) finished. This week we set aside our needles for a road trip to a shop called Sleighbells for "High Tea" and Christmas shopping. A festive celebration of our friendship and love of creativity. Left to right...Nancy, Jen, Linda, Pat A and Pat Mc.

Remember the Pink Lace Hat?

Here she is...Little Ember Louise Fay Roth wearing the pink lace hat that gave me so many fits to make. [See September 10th.]

Pillow Talk

Moms-to-be are told to bring their favorite pillow to the hospital to hug during labor. They are advised to use a distinctive pillowcase so it won't get mixed up with hospital issued pillows. So my daughter said maybe I could make her one. Maybe I could. Maybe I did. It may look simple to you, but top stitiching and French seams are a bit outside of my area of expertise. Nevertheless I plunged on with a kit I purchased at Craft Warehouse. I had to change presser feet to get through the layers. But here it is. I used white thread as that is what is in the machine and the bobbin and since I don't know how to thread the machine or wind the bobbin, that's what you get. Windy likes it. It measures 20" by 28" and took me all day to complete.

Baby Surprise Jacket

The little Baby Surprise Jacket [see the start on October 17th] is finished. Well...almost. Still have to find "five pretty little buttons" and sew them on. But the crazy knitting is complete. What a fun project this was. This will be a gift for Windy's little Baby Louise, along with the Pink Lace Hat [see September 10th] and the Lollypop afghan [see September12th]. The Baby Shower is this weekend so I'm off to Target to buy a gift box and wrapping paper. Or maybe a gift bag.

Edwardian Carrying Cape

This is going to be for Baby Louise, Windy's baby who is due December 21st. I chose this instead of a Lace Christening Shawl for several reasons. 1) It has the lace effect without the tedious knitting on tiny needles. 2) It's quicker and easier to make. 3) It's pretty damn cute. The pattern is from Oat Coutoure, I'm using size 5 straight 14" needles and 100% acrylic Barisienne yarn from Bergere de France.

Baby Surprise Jacket

This is the start of an Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern from Schoolhouse Press. It was originally published in 1968 as Newsletter #21. This little garter stitch baby sweater only has two seams and it's reversible. It will "grow" with the baby. This version is made on a size 7 24" circular needle with washable acrylic/rayon Sunsette yarn from Plymouth Yarn. You can use larger needles and heavier weight yarns and make larger sizes, including adult.

Lollypop Afghan

This is a bright and cheery "quickie" I'm starting with Red Heart Baby Soft yarn and a size G crochet hook. It's made on the diagonal using what I call the "Lin Stitch." Lin is my friend who many years ago showed me this stitch and how to start the triangle . This is the only crocheting I can do. I have no idea what the real name of the stitch is. I can't even remember how to do it from one time to the next. I have to just close my eyes and start and then it comes back to me. I've made several full-size afghans this way but this will be cradle size for the Wee Lassie.

Baby Hat

My first little granddaughter will be arriving in December. So I have some knitting to do. The first cap was made before we knew the sex of the baby so it was green (although it looks white below). Now I get to switch to pink! This pattern came from Yarn Garden and it was made with Rowan Baby Weight Wool/Cotton on size 4 double point needles. The brim with the picot edge was a little tricky. I had to start over once but here is the finished product!!

The Comfort Shawl

May the Mother of Mercy, the Father of Faithfulness and the Spirit of Compassion wrap you in their all-encompassing love this day.

May you find comfort from all that appears too much to bear at this moment

from all that feels as if it might be the breaking point

from all that seems to threaten your peace of heart.

May this prayer shawl be a shelter for time of overwhelming grief

a shade in times of sorrow too deep for words

a shield from times of unimaginable loss.

May you be comforted by the presence of those who love and support you

by faith in the eternal Loving One

by the memories of what you hold most dear.

May you be strengthened in your daily comings and goings

in your tentative new beginnings

in your unfolding new memories.

Blessings of the Angel of Comfort be with you and all you love now and forevermore.

Comfort Shawls

I have made a few for bereaved friends and others who are going through challenging times. On my camping trip this past weekend, I took along a project I am starting for a high school friend who recently lost her husband. I saw them at the 50th Reunion two years ago and I am saddened at the loss of this admirable man. The shawl is the third triangle hap style I have made. I found the pattern in Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman. I am using a size 7 circular needle 36". Trying a new yarn called Accord from http://www.sierrapacificcrafts.org This is the tip of the shawl which will be much larger when complete.

Bunny Hop

The first of what promises to be a raft of baby items knit in wild anticipation of my first grandchild who is expected on December 21st. Since we don’t yet know boy or girl, I chose a neutral color. This was a quick one-day project. Bunny Hop yarn from Crystal Palace on size 6 dp needles. The pattern came free with yarn purchased from a hole-in-the-wall knit shop in Sandy Oregon.

Sock Hop

The $45 socks were so much fun I had to make another pair. A little cheaper this time! Same pattern, however, as once I got it mastered, it worked pretty well. These socks are made from TOFUtsies, a new product composed of 50% Superwash Wool, 25% Soysilk, 22.5% Cotton and 2.5% Chitin (made from shrimp and crab shells). Purchased from the Yarn Garden in Portland. I am using a set of five size 1 dp needles and this time one skein will make two socks.

Boa Coat

This is the new color from Columbia Sports. A lot got lost in the translation as it is BRIGHT green. The gray spots on the scarf are actually the same green but they look really washed out in the photo. The scarf is made from cotton/mohair with a simple stockinette stitch on size 11 needles. My Spring coat and light airy scarf for a Spring that is very late in coming to the Northwest.

Special Gifts for Friends

In addition to the Prayer Shawls I make, I also have added knitting Chemo Caps for friends who are going through chemotherapy. This blue cap went to a co-worker of Windy’s at Tri-Met. It’s made on size 9 needles with Chowchilla yarn. The smooth Brittany needles were very slippery. And so, I might add, was the yarn. I lost the stitches a couple of times and had to start over. Nevertheless, it came out very nicely and is much appreciated. A simple pattern available free from Craft Warehouse.

Twinkle Toes!

For all the work I put into these socks I think I will be buried in them. First the confusion about how much yarn it really takes to knit a sock. Then the statewide search for more of the same color dye lot which in the end proved fruitless. Finally getting two skeins that matched and starting one sock and discovering it was going to be too big and frogging it. Starting over and breaking one needle out of each set of five, leaving me with only eight (it takes nine to knit two socks). And then finally getting almost finished and discovering, after I had gotten to the toe, that there was a mistake in the pattern and I had to unknit all the shaping.

By some amazing miracle, and help from my friend Linda, I have completed both socks and I have a pair. That fit! Wonders never cease. This was so much fun I am going to immediately start on another pair. I already have some yarn picked out. Saturday I am making a trip to the Yarn Garden for the new Tofutsie sock yarn, a blend of 50% wool, 25% soysilk, 22.5% cotton and 2.5% chitin (from shrimp and crab shells!).

I plan to buy sufficient yarn of the same dye lot. Did someone tell me that years ago? I also plan to purchase some new needles. Preferably steel or titanium or cast iron. I am just too hard on bamboo and the ones that aren’t broken are badly bent. This comes from knitting with the heel of my hand instead of my fingers.

Sock It To Me will continue and maybe this time will be less stressful. I love having a portable project that I can take along wherever I go.

Charity Projects

These are items that go out into the world to unknown recipients. The Yarn Garden supports charity knitting projects from time to time. One was the Red Scarf Project which I participated in. [See January 23rd entry.] I also joined in knitting helmet liners for our troops in the Middle East. The liners had to meet military color requirements. The military issue kevlar helmets don’t have warm wool liners and our service people are exposed to winds and bitter cold during the winter months. Riding in open trucks and humvees, they often encounter sub-zero wind chills. The helmets were sent to the troops for Christmas 2006.

Knitting With Velcro

Lace knitting is my new passion and I love the way the little dots and slashes in the chart result in beautiful patterns if they are followed in the knitted piece. I’ve been making small swatches of sample heirloom patterns, mostly from the book by Mary Schiffman.

Having gotten my “lace legs,” I decided to try a scarf. I picked a fairly “easy” pattern called Crest o’ the Wave. Digging in my stash, I found a skein of lace weight thread in a variegated hand-painted blue. Perfect! But oh…there is a down side. Needles are small. Size one. Lace weight yarn is similar to thread. Or as one of my knitting pals compares it…just like dental floss!

This particular fiber is Kid Silk Haze which is 75% mohair and 25% silk. The mohair is like a million tiny fish hooks and grabs onto itself and won’t let go. This yarn is unforgiving and does not unravel or pick out or unstitch. So no mistakes. And, as my mother used to say, “you have to hold your mouth just right.” Nevertheless I persevered and kept going, thinking I would have a scarf by the time I came to the end of the yarn.

I got to the end and I do not have a scarf. It barely goes around my neck. So it will take another skein (@$15) to complete the standard scarf length. Otherwise, it is just a very large sample of a simple stitch and a blue fiber. So much for using up the stash.

My friend Hazel has taken pity on me and given me some new wool and silk to work with. Minus the mohair, I might add. I will try again. This time with a Fern Leaf pattern. Watch this spot for updates.

The Forty-Five Dollar Socks

My friend gave me a pattern that was published by a yarn company. Had I bought that brand of yarn (Opal) I would not be in this mess. But instead I purchased a hank of Koigu in an awesome color. I naively thought I could knit two socks with one skein. Wrong!

I realized I would need another skein so I went back to purchase a second skein and the store was out of the color. Then, after I turned the heel, I realized I wouldn’t even finish one sock with one skein so I would need a total of…THREE.

The owner of Yarnin’ Around in Gresham found two skeins at a store in Ashland and kindly ordered them for me. I reimbursed her plus shipping and handling. First skein = $12.25. Two more @13.00 = $26.00. Shipping = $7.00. TOTAL = $45.25.

I will finish these and wear them every day for the rest of my life.

Giant Granny

As I may have mentioned, I can’t read crochet patterns and I don’t know one stitch from another. But I can make a Granny Square. If I don’t think about it. Once I get going, I can’t stop or I’ll forget what I’m doing and I won’t be able to start again. So instead of an afghan made of lots of squares sewn together, I have one GIANT Granny Square. Pretty cool, though?

Yarn Yoga Challenge Swatch

Here is the pattern for the Challenge Swatch due February 19, 2007. The challenge is there is no photo so you won’t know if you are doing it correctly or not. Good Luck!!!!

Tweeded Mock Ribbing

Cast on a multiple of two stitches using size 8, 9 or 10 needles and any worsted weight yarn.

Row 1: *wyib sl 1 purlwise, k1, yo, psso: Repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2: purl

Secret Code:
(If you don’t understand this…check out a stitch dictionary or look in Stitch ‘n Bitch for directions.)

wyib: with yarn in back
sl 1 purlwise: slip stitch as if to purl but don’t
yo: yarn over
psso: pass slip stitch over

Circle of One

Here are some comments on knitting from my book, Down Home Musings. This is the still-not-finished afghan I mention.

Today is cool…a faux Fall day. There’s a nice breeze here on the porch, and I am sittin’ and knittin’ and enjoying the peaceful morning. When I stay still I have some avian visitors. Louie and Winkie are the pair of cardinals that make their home here, and they come to the feeder several times a day. Knitting is a quiet activity and does not seem to disturb them. In the spring, I leave scraps of colorful yarn out for them to put in their nest. (That little spot of day-glo orange helps me locate the nest among the branches.)

You might think that knitting is an “old lady” thing to do. I am an old lady…but actually I have been knitting since I was a small child. My Aunt Clara used to come from her home in Chicago to visit us each summer and she always had her knitting with her. She gave me my first pair of needles and started me on a craft that has provided me hours of pleasure.

I love the feeling of soft yarn sliding through my fingers, the joy of watching the stitches come off the needle and become a garment, the sense of accomplishment when I am finished. The rhythm of knitting soothes my soul and settles me down when I am over-whelmed by life and its responsibilities. There is always a project in the basket beside my chair and I can pick it up and knit for a few minutes or an hour or an afternoon. It’s portable and goes with me when I travel (although I can no longer take the needles on the airplane).

I do other fiber work as well. Crocheting, needlepoint, weaving. But knitting remains my stalwart best friend. It has brought me hours of entertainment and satisfaction, and I hope the things I have made have been useful to those who received them. I tried to organize a group here in town to meet at the library and knit shawls for cancer patients or blankets for the homeless. No one was interested. “Too busy.” “Too hot.” “Better things to do.” “Don’t know how.” “Not in a rocking chair yet!”

So I am my own “circle of one” here on my porch. I feel a sense of communion with other women elsewhere who enjoy this craft, and I am grateful for the happiness it provides me. I sent a shawl to my friend in Maine who has terminal cancer. She says it gives her comfort and she thinks of me when she wraps herself in it. Today I am working on a multi-colored striped afghan to use up some scrap yarn I found when I cleaned out my storeroom. It will be a bright spot next winter and remind of these days on the porch. Maybe help me find my own nest.

Bag Lady in Training

This photo speaks for itself. This is Skye Louise the little kitten adopted from the Shelter last November. She is growing into a beautiful cat with an engaging personality. She loves to steal my knitting needles. Do you think I should make her a bed?

Bag Ladies Rule!

Yesterday I acquired yet another bag in which to tote my knitting about. This one is a gift from Time magazine as a bonus for renewing my subscription. It looks to be just the right size for the Copper Afghan. Red and black. Kinda squarish. Zipper side pockets. Large zipper opening on top. This makes something like eleven dozen bags of varying sizes and shapes and functions that I use to contain my projects and keep them ready to grab-and-go at a moment’s notice.

There is a bag for all seasons, a tote for all reasons. Big and small, roomy and cramped. Filled with pockets and zippers and buckles. Some people have stashes of yarn or fabric. I have a Stash of Bags!

Mostly I want these for knitting projects. But I also use them for my “Activity Kit.” This is the stuff I want to take with me whenever I go anywhere that might involve waiting or down time. Riding on the Max for example, or waiting at the vet’s. In my Kit you will find a knitting project (small), a paperback book, a Sudoku puzzle book, pen, pencil with eraser, notepad, granola bar. This is in addition to the bag that serves as my “purse” which contains all manner of necessities along with my cell phone.

I became a Bag Lady when I lived in San Francisco and didn’t have a car. Riding the Muni taught me how to travel light but with everything I might need in case I was stuck somewhere for a long period of time. I continue the tradition to this day.

Missin’ My Sis

During that last year of her life, we did quite a bit of knitting and crocheting and needlepointing, and those items are treasures now. We found a knit/crochet pattern for a shawl at Pacific Five & Dime on Irving in San Francisco. I knit a brown triangular shawl and she crocheted a red one. Then we gave them to each other. When I toss this shawl around my shoulders I feel her love even after all these years. She died in 1984. I don’t know what happened to the brown one I made. Her daughter-in-law might have it.

Happy First Birthday Brayden

Brayden Bolden is the young man who would be my sister Frances' great grandson. Teresa, his mother, is the daughter of my nephew Steve. Brayden turned one in October 2006 and the quilt was a birthday gift. His first word was “doggie.”


It is so much fun to make things for this newest family member. I know my sister would have showered him with hand-made items so I am filling in for her. He is adorable and I love getting updates from his mom.

Fiber By Any Other Name

This is primarily a knitting blog because knitting is my primary activity. But I also crochet, tat, quilt, weave, do needlepoint, embroidery and macramé. So from time to time I will stray into the outer reaches of fiberdom and report on things I have, or have not, done in those areas. Today let’s talk about needlepoint which provided a “busy hands” occupation while I was quitting smoking. That was in 1996 and I haven’t done any since, partly because that also coincided in time with my getting tri-focals and being unable to focus. (Well…that’s what I blamed it on anyway.)

My sister was a prolific needlepointer and I have a box of her work in my Giant Craft Stash that I plan to get out and make into pillows or frame and hang on the wall. That project has joined the queue of Projects Waiting In the Wings. Several of my own canvasses are in there as well. And one stitched by my mother (that would be fifty years ago). I will be able to cover quite a bit of wall space when I finally get around to this. Or fill up several room-sized couches.

Anyhow…here is a Sun Pillow made from a kit purchased at the Irish Craft Store on Geary in San Francisco. There was a matching Moon kit that I should have bought at the same time. It would have made a nice pair. This one sits on a chair in my dining room along with a Seashell Pillow my friend Lin made for me. A finished Fruit Pillow my sister made spends its days on my bed. Needlepoint is a genteel sport that has fallen out of favor these days. Is it time to bring it back?

Feltin’ Good In the Neighborhood

Back in 1995, I discovered felting. It was all the rage then and I bought some wool yarn at a little knit shop in San Francisco called Atelier Yarns http://www.atelieryarns.com/ I bought a pattern from the Brown Sheep Company for a Fabulous Felted Hat and set out to knit a giant baggy object that eventually did magically turn into something I could wear on my head. Made with double strands, the yarn ended up costing a fortune. Afterwards I washed it in hot water to shrink and mat it, and then I molded it over a bowl the approximate size of my head to dry. That didn’t work so I just put it on and wore it till it was dry. Talk about “hat head”! I have it still although I rarely wear it. I made one for my daughter as well and hers still hangs on a chair back in her room. I need to re-felt them as they have gotten larger over time. So I will throw them in with the new project I am starting (see below).

This technique laid dormant for about ten years and then I ventured into felting again while I was living in Osceola. I saw a little clutch in The Studio, a knit shop in Kansas City http://www.thestudiokc.com and purchased the wool yarn (Noro) and pattern to make it. I entered it in the Missouri State Fair, but, unlike my quilt, it did not win a prize. It’s still pretty cute, I think. I intended to line it, but...

Now I have need for a tote bag (you can never have enough bags!) and I think I will try to design my own pattern. I’m ready to try felting again. I'm starting with a 29" size 13 circular needle and some Cascade Peruvian wool. Casting on 100 stitches and using double strands, one of Colonial blue and one of Lichen Green. I'll make handles/straps by knitting an I-cord which is always fun. This should go very quickly and I will take it along this week to one of my craft groups. I need shrinkage advice from a skilled felter. Not sure when to stop. I seem to remember it shrinks quite a bit side to side, but not sure about top to bottom. I guess I'll find out. Anyway...a perfect project to start while watching the Super Bowl!

Stay tuned to watch the progress of the Quickie Felted Tote. Photos will appear on the website at some point in the not too far distant future. Keep coming back!

The Wedding Afghans

My son, Andrew Carl Graham, was married to Laura Duffy on July 7, 2006 at her parents’ home in Colorado. Later in the summer, they had a reception on Sauvie Island here in Portland to celebrate with friends. For that event, I made them each an afghan which pretty much took me all summer.

Laura’s is an off-white cables & lace knit with basic Red Heart worsted weight yarn. I found the pattern in Heirloom Afghans to Knit and Crochet by Leinhauser & Weiss.

Andy’s is a greenish-blue knit on the diagonal with self-striping yarn, the same diagonal pattern as used for the Red Scarf only much much larger. It’s knit with Lion Brand Homespun.

Knitting Types and Terms

Here are some words you’ve heard and may not know the difference between. All are known as “traditional” knitting in the sense that the patterns have been used for many years and are passed down from generation to generation. I’ve tried them all, but today my interest is in Lace Knitting.

Aran Knitting uses a variety of stitches to create texture. This is where you see cables and bobbles and twisting vines.

Fair Isle Knitting is based on patterns created with color changes. Think Nordic ski sweaters.

Intarsia incorporates blocks of color. Think Argyles.

Lace Knitting and Knitted Lace are based on structure and openness and are usually of all one color. The difference between them is that Lace Knitting alternates a pattern row with a plain row and Knitted Lace uses a pattern for every row. Both are meant to be blocked to open the holes and create the lace look.

I have been trying Lace Knitting and I find it extremely fascinating. Using size 1 (or smaller) needles and lace weight fiber I’ve experimented with several patterns from my favorite book The Lacy Knitting of Mary Schiffmann by Nancy Nehring.

Above you see a Lacy Tidy (cute name!) and also a sample pattern. Most lace patterns are in chart form. I find this so much easier than written instructions which sometimes take up pages and pages. Pillowcase edgings, doilies, and hankies are not in common use today, but preserving the patterns is important. One of the oldest patterns is called “Shale” or “Shell.” This was taught to me by my Scottish grandmother, Grace MacLeod Chapman Anderson. Like some other basic life skills, I have always known how to do this and don’t even remember learning it.

Watch this space for instructions and more photos at some later date.

The Road to Hell

I had every intention of making a pair, but there is one blue thumbless mitten waiting for a mate. The pattern has gone to live elsewhere and who knows how I made the first one. This may need to be “frogged.” You know, of course, what that is. Ripping the whole thing out, winding the yarn into a skein, washing it, weighting it, and hanging it to dry and starting all over again.

And there is the multi-colored striped afghan I started in Missouri before I moved. I wrote about it in Down Home Musings. Almost finished…but not quite. The purpose was to use up mounds of acrylic yarn I had inherited from various people or had left over from projects of my own back when I used cheap yarn because that was all I could afford. Most of the acrylic is gone now. Maybe I will just bind off.

There is also a green wool scarf waiting to be unraveled. I used up all the yarn on hand and it barely goes around my neck. Two other scarves made for tiny-necked midgets. These will be frogged and worked into a future felting project.

My friend, Lin, (of the Sixteen Color Vest story) knows I am not the best finisher. Once I knit strips of an Aran afghan that sat around for months (years?) before she took it home and finished it for me. Which reminds me I have a box somewhere with maybe 80 crocheted squares waiting to be assembled into an afghan. I started making those from colors I favored in the fall of 1995 while I was living in Scott’s closet. (Another story there.)

Ghosts of Projects Past

In the back corner of my closet is a three drawer cardboard chest that I have had since 1978. You can imagine how beat up it is! Nevertheless, it is still in service and houses three projects started long ago and yet to be finished. Started, that is, before I moved to Oregon. Leftovers from the Terrapin Station years. Two items of clothing and an afghan.

They may be lurking out of sight, but they are still on the radar. Mostly finished, but waiting to be assembled. Pieces of a Homespun Vest that would be really nice to have on these cold days. It involves sewing some seams with a tapestry needle. How hard is that!?

And the Epitome of Never Finished: A Sixteen Color Vest made from beautiful Liisu yarn that I started when my friend Lin visited me in Osceola in 2003. This one is difficult, or at the very least time consuming. All those loose ends from the color changes to be woven in.

Finally…a crocheted Camouflage Afghan [no photo available] that I am making for my dog training pal back in Missouri who likes to go out in the cold and hunt birds and sit for long periods of time in cramped quarters. I have forgotten what size hook I was using, but I still have plenty of cammo yarn.

Soon, the day may come, when I have nothing else to do and I will drag one of these out and finish it. 1) When I got the other Vest pieces out to photograph I realized I would have liked to have the finished product to put on right then. I had actually forgotten about it. 2) I got an e-mail that the rep from Liisu Yarns will be at Rose and Ram Yarn Shop in Independence, Oregon in March. I could take the Sixteen Color Vest down there for technical assistance. And 3) George has been a good friend for a long time and winter is a more appropriate time to send an Afghan to someone who lives in Missouri rather than the hot summer. Progress on any or all of these will be reported here as it happens. Or not.

The Wee Small Ones

Little Brayden Bolden was born October 18, 2005 and I met him when he came to Portland early in 2006. When I learned he was coming, I made an afghan for him and I was so thrilled that his mom, my niece Teresa, loved it and wrapped him in it right away. Brayden, nick-named B-Bo, would have been my sister’s great grandson. I know she would have made him gifts and so I am stepping in to fill the gap. Later you will see a little quilt I made him for his first birthday and then a Christmas sweater. Above is the newborn blanket.

Little (and I do mean little) Maddy Jones was due in March 2006 but came January 14, 2006 way ahead of schedule. A very tiny preemie, but she has turned into a robust and healthy baby. I hurried to finish the baby afghan I was making for her. My friend Kim loved it and sent a photo of Maddy sleeping with it tucked around her.

You have to hurry when making baby things because if you dawdle they are no longer babies. I loved making both of these which are basketweave crochet and I could not possibly tell you how to do it. My friend Lin taught me and I could demonstrate it, but I don’t know how to read or write crochet patterns. Every time I start one, I have to close my eyes and just let my hands go on their own. If I try to think about it, it confuses me.

January Cnyttenings:

Yarn Yoga: We met on January 15th at Craft Warehouse and the ladies (no men in this group although Portland does have a Men Who Knit contingent) showed their felted projects. Guess who did not join in. I just had too much going on to start learning to punch roving although it did look like a great activity for releasing anger. Not too much in Show and Tell. We talked about current trends (socks) and what is falling out of fashion (novelty yarns). I don’t consider those loom things “knitting” but they are a fiber craft and one lady was making an awesome baby blanket on an oblong-shaped loom. The Challenge Swatch for February 19th is Tweeded Mock Ribbing. Pattern will follow in another posting. After I finish it. If I do.

Knit for Fun (Fairview Library): January 2007 meeting cancelled due to major weather considerations as the Pacific Northwest was hit by a major snowstorm.

St. Luke the Physician Episcopal Church Ladies: I admit I missed on both Thursdays, the 11th and the 18th. I wonder who did make it as we are all in the “Senior Driver” category and tend to stay home when the streets are sheets of ice. On the 23rd Karla brought her inventory of felted tote bags. Norma was finishing an awesome black and white feather boa. Arletta churns out a potholder a week with her speedy crochet hook. Some ladies just sit and watch the rest of us and enjoy the collegial atmosphere (and the delicious treats!).

New on the Horizon: A small knit shop called Yarnin’ Around has opened in Gresham right down the street from the Library and there is an open invitation to drop by on Wednesday afternoons from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and…surprise, surprise…sit and knit. I enjoyed meeting the owner Ramona and seeing Jen, my friend from Yarn Yoga. I will continue to go to this group as well.

Meet the Kittys

When I am not knitting, I am crocheting or quilting so the projects pile up. Here you see an afghan I made out of yarn leftover from some of my late sister’s projects. That’s my rockin’ kitten…Skye…in the chair. It’s her comfy spot to watch her favorite TV shows…cartoons and NASCAR racing. I don’t know how to read crochet patterns and I don’t know one stitch from another, but if I just pick up a hook and close my eyes and don’t think about it too much, I can make a granny square. A skill learned in childhood that resides in the Compartment of Residuals in my gradually atrophying brain.

In the other photo, you can see a little haphazard quilt and my older cat, Lenny. The quilt was intended to be a sampler of different ways to assemble nine-patch blocks. Lenny insisted on sleeping on the pieces, and then the blocks as they were put together, and then the quilt top. I wrestled it away long enough to put a back on it and some lumpy binding. It is not an example of my prize-winning best work but it works to keep cat hair off the chair where guests sit.

The Hap (Shawl)

The word hap is an antiquated one of unknown origin, which in the Scottish Highlands can be defined as “warm wrap.” It has come to mean a type of everyday shoulder shawl. Haps were almost invariably of a dark color to permit more wear with less washing. Traditional “colors” were grey or brown as haps were made from natural undyed fiber. Haps are very different from the white or cream Shetland lace shawls that were elegant fancy wear.

The everyday hap hung on a hook by the door, to be grabbed and tossed over the shoulders in a hurry as a woman went about chores going in and out into chilly or cold weather for firewood or to feed livestock. Knitting these shawls kept hands busy during periods sitting by the fire at the end of a long exhausting day. And along with socks and sweaters, shawls were a wardrobe staple for the Celtic women of Scotland and the Shetland Isles.

Today I find myself sitting by the TV at the end of a long exhausting day and knitting useful items just as my ancestors did. This hap was made for my dear friend, Rose, who lives in Grass Valley, California. It’s made from soft Brown Heather 100% Peruvian wool on a size 8 36″ circular needle. The pattern is from a book by Martha Waterman called Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls (Interweave Press).

Wrap-It-Up Department

I just finished a hat and scarf for myself. I call it the One-Skein/ One-Day Hat. I made it on Christmas Day while sitting in the corner of my son’s living room and enjoying the leisure of not having any responsibility for anything. To go with it, I made the Two-Skeins/Two-Day Scarf over the New Year’s weekend sitting on my couch and watching New Years Around the World and the Rose Parade on TV .

I bought the pattern and yarn for the Easy Rolled Brim Hat in Friday Harbor, WA before leaving on the trawler for Alaska last summer. One cannot embark on a vacation trip without a project. Knit on #9 needles with worsted weight yarn, it knit up very quickly. Which left me knitting dishcloths for the rest of the trip. (I just happened to have a stash of cotton yarn tucked in my backpack.) The red hat I made on the voyage turned out to be a little large for me, but fit my daughter perfectly. I still wanted one for myself so I bought some Foliage Berroco yarn at Craft Warehouse and voila… the One Skein-One-Day Christmas Hat. The scarf from the same wool is simple garter stitch on size 13 needles.

Here’s the hat pattern: Easy Roll Brimmed Hat (from Island Wools, Friday Harbor, WA)

A simple hat made in stockinette stitch without ribbing. The edge will roll to form brim. Size may vary according to yarn and tension of knitter. If it doesn’t fit you it will fit somebody else.

Materials:
One skein any worsted weight weight yarn
One 16″ size 8 circular needle and one set size 8 double point needles

Directions:
Cast on 88 (L) or 80 (M) or 72 (S) stitches. Join and knit around and around until piece measures 6″-8″ or desired length. (Crown to forehead.)

Place marker at beginning of round. Begin decrease rounds and change to dp needles when circumference is too small for circular needle.
Round 1: K 6, K2tog. Repeat around
Round 2 and all even rounds: Knit around.
Round 3: K5, K2tog. Knit around.
Round 5: K4, K2tog. Knit around.
Round 7: K3, K2tog. Knit around.
Round 9: K2, K2tog. Knit around.
Round 11: K1, K2tog. Knit around.
Round 13: K2tog all around. Then K2tog until only 4 or 5 stitches are left. Thread tapestry needle and pull tightly. Bring yarn to inside and weave in end.

You can try stripes, patterns, different textures, novelty yarns, and add bangles, baubles or beads. Or for those who care for them…pom-poms.

The Red Scarf Project for 2007

I just finished my contribution to the Red Scarf Project. Knit on the diagonal (bias) from a DIY Network pattern with bright red variegated yarn (Bernat Softee Chunky), it went very quickly and will hopefully brighten some foster kid’s life. This is a great effort by knitters everywhere and I am pleased to be a part of it.

Read about the Red Scarf Project:
http://www.orphan.org/red_scarf_project.xhtml

The Pattern: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_4329628,00.html

Get busy. January is almost over!

Knit Happens

From time to time (more and more often, I see) news of my knitting wanders onto my other blog. Some of my readers are not particularly crafty, I know, and don’t care much about the merits of Opal and Koigu yarns. Lately…that would be in 2006…I’ve been pretty involved with sticks and string and it has occurred to me that I could have a knitting blog and put all this fiber jabber there and spare the rest of my readers. Of course, as is true with most all of my life adventures, there are some humorous moments and some that bring tears. Which may, or may not, be something you want to read about. But to add to the fun and novelty of the whole thing, I have learned to use a digital camera. Unfortunately, the truly awesome items I have made have been given away, so the photos are mostly of the tragic mistakes and the ones that never made it to the finish line.

January 2007 has brought some severe weather to Portland and that means I am home more than usual and watching Law and Order reruns and knitting away. I don’t need an excuse to knit, but I am glad the weather is providing one nonetheless. So…welcome to my crafty corner. The name comes from the Olde English word cnyttan which means "to tie, to knot, or to join." The syttan part is self-explanatory.

Sock It To Me

My new project, as if I don’t have enough things going on already, is SOCKS. Well…to be honest…right now it is SOCK singular, but there is always hope a pair will eventually emerge. Kelley, my co-worker at Friends of the Gorge, has been having Stitch ‘n Bitch parties and it seems the younger women are all into making Socks That Rock. She brought me the pattern she has been using, and I found it a great excuse to buy some beautiful hand-painted wool I had been admiring at the Knit-Purl (http://www.knit-purl.com) yarn shop. I only shop there on the rare occasions when I get downtown. Which is where I was earlier this month to meet with Kelley on some website-related stuff.

We talked business for awhile and then switched to knitting. She’s on her third pair of socks from this pattern. I have struggled with socks in the past, including an unfinished pair of garish argyles (yellow, red and black) started when I was in college. Having a Sock Tutor might just make a difference though, and she seems very confident about helping me with the picking-up-stitches part that always has defeated me. So here I go again. On size ONE needles and using Koigu KPPM wool. When will I finish them? Will I wear them IF I finish them? Place your bets now.