One of my favorite recently learned knitting tips comes from Colleen Borodkin who works at The Net Loft, here in Cordova. When she’s guesstimating how much yarn to spool out for a long-tail cast on, she uses her shoulder width as a guide: 20 stitches per shoulder length. So if you needed 100 stitches, you’d pull off 5 shoulder-widths of yarn. It’s a measuring stick that’s always with you! It works for me too, and works best with worsted weight yarn, bulkier yarn needs more inches per stitch, so add a few extra lengths to compensate.

Of course, if you’re casting on for a giant project you may want to use both ends of your ball instead of a tail—take the two ends and tie them together, then make your slip knot or just a loop. Since you’re pulling from both ends, you’ll never run out or have too much. Just cut the outside edge before you start knitting. That becomes your tail.

This morning I met with my new contract crocheter–she’s a new but very talented crocheter and she worked up one project for me already, and we’re starting on another. I’m so excited to have someone in town to work with, it means I can design a lot more. We have had torrential rain and gale force winds the last few days and everyone is sick of it. The rain has let up at least for the moment, so I’m headed outside!

It’s amazing the energy that seems to be happening this new year. The few listservs I am on are abuzz with ideas, it’s exciting to hear about new technologies and trends in publishing and the web new books coming out in crochet and knitting. (I’m particularly excited to see Dora Ohrenstein’s new book Creating Crochet Fabric, and I’ll post a review as soon as I can get my hands on it.) Right now I’m reading Myra Wood’s Crazy Lace, An Artistic Approach to Creative Lace Knitting. It’s a wonderful book that teaches how to knit lace without patterns. I loved Myra’s first self-published book Creative Crochet Lace, and this book does not disappoint either. It’s a groundbreaking new look at lace with fabulous techniques and ideas.

I want to thank everyone who participated with me in making ornaments in December. I’m sorry I only got to 18! I would love to try again next year for 24, so I’ll start looking for ideas sooner.

We spent our Christmas holiday in San Francisco with my brother and his family. It was fun to be in the city, and do big city things–I got to go to a real bar with live music including my sister-in-law Sara’s best friend Kristen who sang some great holiday tunes and a visit by one of my favorite singers Jonathan Richman:

We went to the movies and saw Avatar (fun, but we were sitting too close for the 3-D effects, and it made the print look blurry), and took the kids to see The Princess and the Frog which was great! I loved the music and the actors and the story, AND the “old-style” animation.

After leaving the theatre, we were wondering through downtown looking for a Japanese restaurant that was open on a Sunday afternoon and we walked right up to the Museum of Craft and Folk art. It was true serendipity. I had e-mailed Sara in November to say I really wanted to see their current exhibit, but then I forgot about it. The exhibit is called Open Source Embroidery and it is a great intersection of craft and technology, and it really appealed to my geekier side.

I loved the quilt of web colors.  (Little known fact: a million years ago before I was a knit and crochet designer I was a web designer!) Each hexagon was embroidered with it’s HTML color equivalent:

The kids enjoyed the more hands-on pieces in the exhibit including a chair that played music while you embroider on it, and graph paper where you could draw a pattern which would then be interpreted by a computer and turned into music.

Here’s a slide show of our visit to the exhibit which continues at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art until January 24th.

Now that we’re back I’m quickly throwing myself into a slew of new projects I had been saving until the new year. I’m preparing to teach, take classes and work on an upcoming book project at Cat Bordhi’s visionary retreat in February.

For the first time in years I won’t be attending the winter TNNA show. I’m sad I won’t get to see friends, but I’m excited about the new things that are brewing within the Stitch Cooperative. We have TWO collaborative books coming out this year and much more exciting stuff in the pattern department.

I’m working with Julie Holetz on new issues of Inside Crochet magazine and we’ve got some great designs in the works there. In fact issue 6 will be out pretty soon with a great cardigan by Robyn Chachula among other things. (Oh, and Julie made the trek to our airport hotel to visit when we were stopped over in Seattle on our way home to Alaska, and I can prove it with a cheesy self-portrait!)

I made a fun hat for my sister-in-law for Christmas which will certainly end up being published sometime this year, and right now I’m working on a little scarf in 100% Yak yarn from Bijou Basin Ranch. I will post pictures as soon as I’m done.

During the crazy ramp-up to Christmas I took Stefanie Japel’s class on Teaching Online Classes–and I plan to start offering my own online classes soon. I have some fun class ideas lined up but I’d also love to hear what YOU would like to take a class on. Leave a comment on this post letting me know your thoughts and I’ll enter you in a drawing to win this adorable little Japanese crochet book full of cute accessories that I picked up during my mad rush through Daiso–a Japanese store in San Francisco which is GREAT for buying stocking stuffers.

The book has amigurumi toys, cute little purses and flowers and even a lipstick cozy. All the patterns are done using charts so there’s no need to know Japanese. The contest will be open until Friday January 8th. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas!

I looked forward to getting Reversible Knitting: 50 Brand-New, Groundbreaking Stitch Patterns because I’m a big fan of Lynne Barr’s book Knitting New Scarves. Lynne’s innovative and clever approach to knitting continues in this book. The book begins with a section on “faux crochet,” where Lynne was inspired by crochet’s ability to go in different directions. But she didn’t try and copy crochet stitches, she used the concepts of crocheted lace as inspiration to come up with innovative new knitting techniques. I especially like the stitch “tilted,” which is a bit like a lacy open entrelac in that you’re creating discrete little sections of knitting. There are nice step-by-step photos in all sections to get you through any tricky bits.

In this book, reversible doesn’t mean that the fabric is the same on both sides. It means that Lynne has considered both sides of the fabric when creating the 50 new stitches featured and both sides are interesting–there is no “wrong side” or “right side.”

The patterns in Reversible Knitting aren’t reversible in the traditional sense either. They are all interesting, some fascinating and created by some of the most exciting minds in knitting including Norah Gaughn, who not surpisingly has a sweater that can be worn upside down or right side up, wenlan chia who has the sweater I’d most like to wear a bulky cowl necked sweater called “Winding Path,” Debbie New, Lily Chin, Cat Bordhi and Veronik Avery.

I guess I still have hats on the brain. I’ve been trying to finish a lovely lace shawl, but it’s a little slow going, and I got sidetracked on Wednesday. It was James and my 14th anniversary, and I wanted to make him something even though he’s not here. I’m leading a knit-along next week on Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Maltese Fisherman’s Hat (from the Knitter’s Almanac), and I thought it would be good for me to have made one before helping others through it, so I chose to make that for James. (Shh… don’t tell!) It is a bit of a silly hat (I’m kind of a fan of silly hats), but quite warm and practical around here with the ear-flap-neck-warmer. And, everyone in town who’s seen it so far has wanted one, which either says something about the weather here or our collective taste in head-wear. Or both.

Here’s my friend Erica modeling the hat.

The hat is constructed beginning with the ear-flap neck warmer piece, which is shaped with short rows. Then you cast on a few extra stitches for the front and start working in the round.

Elizabeth calls her instructions pithy, and they are. Hardly line-by-line, they take up about a paragraph. I love this about EZ patterns-you still get to think a bit.

I made the hat in the pattern gauge, but in the knit-along I’ll teach how to make it using any weight of yarn, figuring a new cast on, short-row details, etc.

The pattern ends, “make the tassel of your dreams.” That’s about my favorite knitting instruction ever.

Well, this hat actually isn’t new. It’s been in the wholesale catalog for the Stitch Cooperative for some time, but somehow I didn’t realized I never released it as a retail pattern. So here it is! I designed this pattern last year and my friend Lisa knit the sample for me. It’s become my favorite hat. I love that it’s loose enough to wear without smooshing my hair, and the bright red color makes me seem more awake and alert on chilly Cordova mornings. Here’s my friend Heidi modeling the hat last year back in Maryland.

The cool ruching affect is achieved by dramatically increasing and decreasing the stitch count as you work the hat. I’ve been thinking about making one in blue. I have a skein of Hazel Knits in a light aqua that would do the trick. Ironically, while I was putting together this post, I got a call from my friend Lisa who knit the hat saying, Hey, I’d like to make that hat again, do you still have the pattern? So it must be the right time to release it.

The details: Knit with one skein of Pagewood Farm Chugiak Handyed Sock yarn (100% merino, 450 yards/5.5 oz) using size 2 and size 3 circular needles. Gague 23sts/4 in. in stockinette st. with larger needles.

Finished Measurement: Hat Circumference, 22″ at brim. The hat has a loose fit.

$5.00

Downloadable PDF

This pattern is available as a downloadable file in PDF format. To read this file, you will need appropriate software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free here.

By purchasing this pattern, you are granted a limited license to download the pdf file to a single personal computer and to print out a hard copy of the pattern, solely for personal non-commercial use. Any other use, including commercial reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission or republication, without prior written permission from Amy O’Neill Houck is strictly prohibited, and is a violation of intellectual property rights. Garments created from this pattern are not to be produced for commercial purposes, nor are they to be made into items for sale.

Wow. Where did September go? Things have been so busy around here–I spent a little over a week at the beginning of the month playing with mushrooms and lichen and fiber, and I have lots to show and talk about, but I was waiting until I had washed most of the yarn that I dyed so I could show you the finished product. So that’s my next post. I’ve also been spinning again. My wheel had been put away for almost a year, and at the end of the summer I started spinning when Selma and a few friends in town wanted to learn to spin, so I’ve got some handspun to show you in a future post as well.

Today, I had a lovely surprise in the mail. Emily McKeon who’s part of the family that owns and runs the Denise Needle Company sent me a set of the new Interchangeable Crochet Hook set that they’ve recently released. I have played with a prototype hook and cord for several months now, and I am thrilled to see the finished set. The hooks have a lovely feel and a great taper and point.

But you may be wondering, what you’d do with a set of interchangeable hooks and cords. The most obvious use is Tunisian crochet. Having cords of differing lengths and hooks of various sizes all in one place will make it easy to work on a variety of projects, and change gauge mid project just by changing hook sizes. (The set has 12 hooks ranging in size from 4 to 15 mm). I’m most excited about playing with mixing knitting and crochet. I think there are a lot of unexplored possibilities there. There are also uses for knitting–for instance, say you’re knitting along with your Denise needles and need to pick up stitches along the side edge of something. Pop on a crochet tip and the picking up just got easier. Or, the Denise folks suggest that using a hook tip in your right hand while teaching knitting might make things easier for a new knitter. So, I’m looking forward to digging in and figuring out things to do with this new tool.

It’s interesting (and a relief) to finally begin to dig down into my virtual and actual to-do piles now that I’m  catching up on things after the move. In May, right before moving, I was putting the finishing touches on a few new patterns, getting them ready for the Columbus TNNA trade show, having photoshoots and finalizing pattern details. Then, the movers came, and the actual “publishing” of the patterns got delayed. (Even though I had mentioned most of them on the blog back in the spring). So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing them one-by-one.

Since we’re already on the subject of soft and warm yak yarn, I thought I’d start with Yogan’s Hat.

This was my first experience knitting with 100% yak down, and it was lovely and natural feeling, and perfect for being next to sensitive baby skin. The yarn was soft and springy while I was working with it, but after I finished the hat, I gave it a quick wash and it bloomed and softened even more.  The beautiful chocolate brown is the natural color of the yak. As with the Cosmopolitan Cowl, I actually got the inspiration for this pattern while at TNNA looking at the beautiful pictures of the yaks in Eileen and Carl’s booth. The Yak who inspired the cap was named Yogan so I named the pattern after him.

This is Lars. I grabbed him at a neighborhood Easter egg hunt back in Takoma Park and convinced his mom to let him be my model.

You can buy the pattern PDF for $4.00.

If you have a yarn store and you’d like to offer the pattern to your customers in print or via PDF download, please visit The Stitch Cooperative.

Pearl is ready for her close-up, but I have a feeling the news media might have other things to cover today. Nonetheless, my new book, Knits for Bears to Wear is officially released today. (A friend of my mom’s in upstate New York even confirmed a sighting in the wilid). Pearl did insist that I clean up the mess in my studio just in case a rogue reporter mistakenly stumbled on over to Cordova. I am excited about the book launch–we’ll be having a party to celebrate at my local yarn shop, The Net Loft on November 19th.

The book has over 20 outfits for soft toys–that’s right, they don’t have to be for bears. The patterns can fit bears, American Girl Dolls, and any soft toy. Each pattern can be easily customized to exactly fit your toy with a simple little “customizing sidebar” we built into each pattern. You do a couple of easy calculations, and you’re ready to knit!

I also, can finally tell you that I’ve been asked to do a sequel to Knits for Bears. A yet-to-be-titled Crochet for Bears book will be out in spring of 2010. I’m working on it now, and without the wonderful group of sample knitters I had helping me with Knits for Bears, it is a little more challenging, but I’m delighted to be designing on a small scale again–it’s a process that allows for creativity in ways that human garments do not.

OK, back to my regularly scheduled obsessive watching of the election results!

Wow–I just realized this is the FOURTH Halloween that I’ve been blogging, so I have a bit of goolish content on the blog that it might be nice to revisit.

In 2005, my first year with the blog, I made a crocheted Halloween Treat Bag for a class. You can get the bag on my Ravelry store, but this week only, I’ll e-mail it for free to anyone who leaves me a comment on this post requesting the pattern.

In 2006 we carved a “knit-witch” pumpkin:

Speaking of which–I’m hosting a pumpkin-carving party later this week, and we’re contemplating making our own apple cider I’ll take pictures and report here if we do.

Ghoulish Snacks: Make this easy Halloween snack that jay brought home from preschool last year:

Bake and decorate Halloween Gingerbread Cookies with my recipe from last fall:

And of course, there’s Selma’s Hermione Tie which I made just this weekend:

What are you making this year?

Selma decided to be Hermione Granger for Halloween, and we’ve been collecting supplies: my mom sent my brother’s graduation gown which I will alter for her robe, she’s selected a chopstick for a wand, and asked me to knit her a tie. She chose the yarn: Lamb’s Pride worsted for warmth because she thought the tie would make a nice scarf after Halloween.

The knitting was simple enough. Truthfully, as James is underway, we had the most trouble tying it: “Selma, hold still!” I grumbled, while trying to read online instructions and tie at the same time. I think with a little more practice, I can get a neater knot.

Here’s how I made the tie, in case you’re trying to dress a little wizard this season as well. (The pattern is a quick write-up of my notes and tested only by me, so let me know if you see anything strange.)

Materials
Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Color A (CA): Raspberry #M-83 and Color B (CB): Sunburst Gold #M-14 (less than one skein of each)
US Size 8 needles
4.5 mm crochet hook
1 stitch marker

Wide Point
With CA, CO 3 stitches
Row 1: K1, yo, pm,  k1,  yo, k1
Row 2: knit
Row 3: knit to marker, yo, sm, k1, yo, knit to end
Repeat rows 2 & 3 until you have 13 stitches

Begin Color Changes
Pick up CB
Row 1: knit to 2 bef marker, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, knit to end
Row 2: knit
Rows 3-6: Change to CA, work rows 1-2 two times.

Work color change rows 1-6 until tie measures 13 1/2 inches

Tie Decreases
Continuing to work lace pattern and color changes, over the next 6 rows, dec 1 st at each edge on RS rows  until only 7 sts rem.

Work even until tie measures 53 inches. End with CA.

Ending Point
Continuing to work center eyelet pattern, dec 1 st at each edge on RS rows until only 3 sts rem. Final row: k3tog. Do not fasten off.

Edging and Finishing
Pick up final stitch with 4.5mm crochet hook, and with RS facing, sc evenly around all edges of the tie, join edging round with a sl st. Fasten off. Weave in ends. Block gently so tie lays flat.