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Originally uploaded by plainsight.

I can actually see most of my yarn, know more or less what I have and it even looks nice up there…

I got rid of a lot of yarn–but I probably could purge even more. There are some skeins in there, I know I’ll never get back to and I’m holding onto them just because they’re pretty. Tuesday night, there’s a big Yarn Swap here in DC, so I plan on giving a lot of it away instead of swapping, since I don’t have room for much more.

I still need to find a nice way to keep my works in progress accessible. Right now they’re in one of the cupboards, but “out of sight, out of mind,” I’m afraid I’ll never work on them if they stay in there.

If you’d like to see the rest of my basement re-org, you can visit my Flickr Set

Technorati Tags: crochet yarn design knitting

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Originally uploaded by plainsight.

I finished this shrug up at the Savory Cafe Stitch n Bitch tonight–it’s the one made with the super-soft Classic Elite Bamboo. The color is a dark taupe–it goes great with black or off-white–or red tones. I think I may edge the sleeves, but otherwise, it’s done. I’ll be writing up the pattern for my class, and after it’s tested I’ll have it available here as well…

The Savory group is a lot of fun–it’s big–we have almost 20 people show up each time. Everyone has very adventurous projects–big sweaters, beautiful felted bags–some amazing crocheted beaded jewelry. And we also have Wallace, knitter, designer, teacher and storyteller extrordinaire.

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A clever web surfer over at Crochet Partners just let us know about a lecture series in CUNY’s contiuing education department. Daina Taimina and David Henderson or Cornell University will be visiting to lecture on the Hyperbolic Plane–a difficult to understand mathmatical concept that’s made easier with crochet! There’s a picture of their model on the lecture’s web site.

I wish I could go–I would love to hear impressions from anyone who does!

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Just a quick post, since I should be sleeping… I’ve been working up a sample of a new shrug for the class I’m teaching in September at StitchDC. I love the yarn we’re using… We chose this bamboo yarn from Classic Elite–one of the softest silkiest yarns I’ve ever seen. It’s such a dream to work with, the stitches look great, and it will be super for beginners, because it’s easy to rip out as well! I’ll have a picture and pattern for the shrug soon…

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Originally uploaded by plainsight.

After searching for an affordable protective sleeve for my powerbook, I gave up and crocheted this one using Lion Brand Landscapes (very nice to work with, I’d never used it before). I’ll be writing up a pattern once I figure out the changes for the 15″ and 17″ macs. Now that I jumped on the “cozy” bandwagon, I wonder what else I can cover… maybe my bike?

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Originally uploaded by plainsight.

I came back from my 2-week jaunt across the country last night to find lots of goodies on my porch, books to review, yarn for an article, and a big box from the Seattle Mariners! I won this Bernat Boa yarn kit at the Stitch and Pitch and I didn’t even know it! I just love those big colorful needles. I may just have to make a bright blue faux foxtail poncho with the pattern book they sent me… or, maybe not. What would you do with all this fur?

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Originally uploaded by plainsight.

As promised, here’s the kerchief I made while at the Stitch & Pitch in Seattle–it’s actually designed for an adult-sized head, but Selma was the only model available, so there you go.

I haven’t written up a pattern because the yarn I used — Rodi by Mondial — was just something from my stash, and as it turns out, it is discontinued. It’s a great microfiber yarn with a shiny thread running through it. If you know the yarn and know of a good substitute, let me know!

I arrived in northern Wisconsin on Wednesday to visit family and have a couple of days at our little cottage on a lake in northern Wisconsin. August 9th is my grandmother’s 89th birthday, so I wanted to make her something. I didn’t have room to bring yarn with me, since I was travelling with the kids, and I also wanted to be sure I picked a color/style she’d actually wear. So after some consultation, I went shopping at the local big box store that I normally boycott–but it is the only place in that sells yarn in town. The small selection at the store included lots of novelty yarns at reasonable prices as well as the worsted weight acrylics frowned upon by lots of stitchers I know. I started to wonder where yarn snobbery comes from… Does price=coolness? When Coats and Clark, the makers of Red Heart also make a “high-end” line called Moda Dea and large fiber manufacturers sell the same yarn to brands with a variety of price points and distribution options, why does brand even matter? I personally never shop by brand, only by feel, weight, color, etc. Beyond the look and feel, my ideal yarns come from sustainable fibers with a low impact on the environment, i.e. organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, soy, etc. And of course, when I’m designing for publication, it makes sense to use yarns that are affordable, easy to find and have a track record. It is a lot to balance.

Oh, so what am I using for Grandma’s shawl? I chose a midnight blue color of Red Heart Symphony–a faux mohair which is the most realistic I’ve seen (a boon for vegans and those with wool allergies), and I’ve mixed it with a variagated Red Heart worsted in colors my grandmother likes. The result is really stunning–like water colors. I’m using a big hook (size P) and a simple shell stitch. I’m not quite sure how the shawl will take shape, but I’ll post a picture when it’s done.

I just finalized arrangements to teach a shrug-making class at Stitch DC in Capital Hill. We’ll be using the pattern from the Alpaca Silk shrug, and the class is open to complete beginners — tho’ it should also be interesting to advanced beginners and intermediate crocheters since we’ll be talking a bit about fit and construction.

I’m so glad to be teaching in DC, and I’m hoping soon to get some classes lined up in Takoma Park where I live.