Many ends, not yet an ending.

The Blanket, Still a Work in Progress:



This does NOT mean that all pieces are completed and seamed together, not by any stretch, but things are Coming Along. I hope to post more soon.

Knits of the past

Ran into these pictures today and since I have been very neglectful of my camera of late, thought I’d post these past projects.

Baby Blanket
I was inspired by all the log cabin knitting going on over at Ann & Kay’s, especially by this photo. The blanket was for a friend who is a graphic designer, and I wanted it to be bold and bright – this seemed just perfect. I bought three different brands of cotton, all with their own textures, to get a set of colors I liked.



Specs:
Yarn: Blue Sky Cotton, Rowan 4-ply Cotton, and Manos del Uruguay Cotton.
Needles: I think they were size 7s?
Pattern: Garter stitch in basic log-cabin format – start with a square, *bind off, rotate and pick up stitches, knit a stretch* repeat.
Border: I crocheted on a narrow red border – probably 2 rows of single crochet. I was skeptical about the need for a border, but it really makes it a finished object, not just “I was knitting, then I stopped.”

Wrist Warmers
I love Excel. I love having a small stash of Cascade 220 to whip together the occasional last minute birthday gift. After making the first one, I wanted the second to not match exactly, but I wanted to make sure that I liked the stripes and that they landed in good places relative to the first, the thumb, etc. So I drafted up what I had already knit, row by row, in Excel, and played ‘til I got an arrangement I liked. This was such a last minute gift, actually, that I actually finished them AT the “birthday dinner.” They were put on immediately after they left the needles and worn rather a lot, so I never managed to snap a picture.



I also think this was the project that I figured out how to use my Denise needles to do them on 2 circs. I used to change the tips all the time so I wouldn’t have to buy more needles (yes, every freaking half-round, I clicked them on and off). The secret is to assemble 2 circs, each with one “correct” size tip, and one a size smaller. You arrange the needles so that on each circ, you’re always knitting off of the smaller one onto the larger one. What you’re knitting off of doesn’t affect the size of the stitches, and once you have them set up that way, you don’t have to change the tips. I’m totally in love with my Denise needles, despite my general aversion for all things plastic.


Specs:
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: Probably size 7.
Pattern: A classic AmberCake Fakin’ It. 2x2 ribbing in a tube. Thumb holes made by working a buttonhole.

Adventures in Inspiration

I've been really busy making and checking out what other folks are making lately, but NOT so busy taking pictures of my own stuff, so enough about me. Let's talk about them.


Song of Saint Joan
Pamela Niskanen
Photo by Jason Mandella

Just this weekend, me, the Mr., our roommate, and a pal of hers headed out to check out A.G.A.S.T. the Annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour. We were definitely more agog than aghast. We saw work by two friends of ours and a lot of other folks besides. First stop was our friend Pamela who's got a welding studio and a great sense for sculpture. She makes some pieces that have moving parts and all her pieces are really just stunning. I'm not often very interested in sculpture, but she's got it going on. Check her out at: www.pamelaniskanen.com.

We meandered through several other studios to slowly make our way to the Brooklyn Artist's Gym where we saw some nice charcoal drawings done by our friend Courtney. In that building, we also met an amazing oil painter, Debra Goertz, whose website does no justice to the beauty of her paintings. She and the Mr. also had a grand conversation about favorite radio shows, as she was playing Jonathan Schwartz, a regular at our house.

As always, it was inspiring and fun to see so many people doing so much work. So many people doing it, going for it, being it. I'm glad they're there and that they share their work.

I totally blog, f'real.

Marci just won't let me give up on the blogging before I begin, so here I am. Less than a month since the last post. Made this a while ago, but it's new to you:



Zippy Pencil Pouch made from upholstery fabric with upholstery fabric applique. First one with the Ever-Intended and Finally-Implemented Pull Tab.

Made as a birthday gift for a friend of a friend. I almost changed the shape entirely but she does great artwork and she's the type who draws a lot and always has her stuff with her, thought it might be good to leave it long enough for pens/pencils/markers. It was supremely satisfying to see her delight and know that it is being USED. She actually had been carrying her pencils in a ziploc and tried to not mess with it in the middle of her party... but in the end, she really just couldn't wait and tranferred all of her stuff right away. Yay!