As you know, I’ve been scouring the local thrift stores in search of ruined wool, and I haven’t been having much luck in that department. On the other hand, I’ve been finding an amazing cache of hand knits too beautiful to destroy even for the sake of felted art. The jacket above is one example. The . . . → Read More: I Have a Fairy Knit-mother]]>

As you know, I’ve been scouring the local thrift stores in search of ruined wool, and I haven’t been having much luck in that department. On the other hand, I’ve been finding an amazing cache of hand knits too beautiful to destroy even for the sake of felted art. The jacket above is one example. The amazing thing about these sweaters is that they are all in my size. Some petite knitter with long arms has been donating great things to the thrift stores of Juneau. Last week I found a sweater that was minutes from completion, just a little button band to tidy up. Today I found a well-loved, impeccably knit fair isle and this jacket knit in heavy wool in one of my favorite shades of red. I may never need to knit a sweater again, which would be fine with me, because, as you know, I could be happy making hats and shawls forever.

Who is this knitter? I’m afraid she may be deceased. Her progeny must not have the superior taste she possessed: why else would they part with her beautiful things? Maybe she bore only giants and these smaller knit gems didn’t fit anyone in the family. Or, maybe she’s still living, and she loves to anonymously give away her creations. I suppose there is the possibility that my fairy knit-mother is not just one knitter, that the sweaters I’ve found are a random assortment of creations. I may get more clues if the hand knits keep turning up.

I’ve always had a thing for sheepy yarns. You know the kind I mean. They smell earthy, feel a bit like lanolin. They maybe even have a bit of straw left in them (Spinners call this “VM” for “vegetable matter”). When I lived in Maryland I was surrounded, north and south, by . . . → Read More: Feeling Sheepy]]>
photo credit: JOE MARINARO

I’ve always had a thing for sheepy yarns. You know the kind I mean. They smell earthy, feel a bit like lanolin. They maybe even have a bit of straw left in them (Spinners call this “VM” for “vegetable matter”). When I lived in Maryland I was surrounded, north and south, by amazing fiber festivals. Now, here in Cordova, I’m not. I don’t get to make yearly expeditions to see and pet sheep and alpacas. In the absence of the festivals (like the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck that I just missed this past weekend), I’ve been knitting a lot with these artisanal yarns.

photo credit: Hav n Knit Lover

I love that they often have a story–the farm where the sheep were raised and the mill where the wool is prepared becomes part of the yarn’s entrancing qualities. Often, you’re buying these yarns directly from their maker at fairs and markets, so you cut out the waste of distribution, and you can hear the yarn’s story firsthand.

So, I love what these yarns are: rustic, earthy, sheepy.  I also like what they’re not: mass-produced, machine-washable, each skein identical. The lack of mass production and distribution leads to some design difficulties. My new designs come about in one of two ways. Either I consciously set out to create a new pattern for my line or for another publication, or, I’m making something for myself and decide later to turn that into a design. If I start out for publication, then the availability of the yarn is one of the first things I consider. Will people be able to find this yarn–is the color still being made? How much will it cost for someone to make a whole sweater out of this yarn?

photo credit: Hav n Knit Lover

Lately, I’ve been working on two sweaters. Both are knit in an artisanal wool that’s only available in the United States in one shop–it happens to be here, in tiny Cordova, Alaska. Dotty, who owns The Net Loft, our amazing little wool shop, has a 20+ year relationship with a small New Zealand farm and mill called The Little Wool Company. The yarns she buys from Anna Gratton, the fiber artist who creates them, are wonderful corriedale blends that are soft and long-wearing and make sweaters perfect for life in Alaska–or life in any winter climate.

So I need to make a decision. If I’m to release patterns for these sweaters, do I need to re-knit them in yarns that are more commercially available? I think that might defeat part of my purpose of using artisanal yarns in the first place. I want to encourage the use of yarns from small producers, not just promote some specific yarns.

I think I can compromise. I already write my patterns so that they’re not yarn-dependent, but that doesn’t mean that any yarn will work for any pattern. It was the qualities of the yarn in the first place that led me to these particular designs. However, if I swatch in various yarns that have similar qualities, and demonstrate how to adapt to them, you, as the knitter will feel comfortable adapting the pattern to different yarns, and choosing yarns that will work for you.

I’m thrilled that these types of yarns are getting more attention these days. Jared Flood’s new Shelter line and companies like the Imperial Stock Ranch, and even larger yarn manufacturers are extolling the virtues of supporting local farms and small mills. It seems like more and more knitters are attending fiber festivals and meeting the sheep, the farmers and the yarn makers. And why not? Our crafting materials deserve careful attention. Consider the number of hours put into crocheting or knitting a sweater. It doesn’t make sense to choose materials simply based on what someone else used.

It’s difficult to know what a yarn is like, and how it’s used in a garment, if you’re just looking at a picture on a screen. If you’ve never knit with something yourself, you don’t know how it’s going to work at a particular gauge or in a particular stitch pattern. All the more reason, I think, to use yarns you have access to, and can touch and feel rather than simply buying the yarn used in a pattern.

photo credit: Lori_NY

In order to make yarn substitutions intelligently, you need to know some things about the yarn. There are the things that are usually printed on a yarn label: fiber content, meters per gram, suggested needle size. This information only hints at what a yarn can be used for. Other details that might be helpful are: number of plies, method of spinning (worsted, so the yarn is smooth, dense, great for texture, or woolen, so the yarn is lofty, warm, matte).

The yarn I’m using from The Little Wool Company would probably be called “heavy worsted.” It’s got three plies, and the recommended gauge is 4.5 stitches per inch, which gives a solid “winter-weight” fabric. But, I found by swatching that this yarn puffs incredibly when blocked so it fills in any spaces around it. I tried knitting it on US10 needles, then 10.5, and finally ended up with size 11, knitting at 3 sts per inch. The bulky gauge finally gave me the soft drape and hand I was looking for, and I loved the fuzzy halo that appeared in the yarn after it was washed and blocked. There’s no standardized way to describe the quality of a yarn when it’s knitted. Gauge says nothing about drape–so If I said, try for a gauge of 3 sts/inch, then knitters would probably choose bulky yarns and end up with sweaters much heavier than the sample I’m creating.

I would much rather you choose the yarn you want to knit with, and choose what gauge you like with YOUR yarn. All this is a rather long-winded way of saying I want to continue writing patterns that are yarn-independent, but I also plan to provide more information about the qualities of the yarns I’m using that will help you decide what to use in your patterns. It might help if I knew what details would help you. I know sometimes you choose a pattern first, and sometimes you choose a yarn first, but what kind of information do you WISH you had when you are choosing or substituting yarns?

I’m writing this in my text editor because a Russian satellite has apparently drifted from its proper orbit and it’s messing with our Internet access here in the cloudy, rainy North. Sound like a conspiracy? Maybe. But usually this time of year there’s something interfering with our communications. Sun spots. Storms. Brown outs. . . . → Read More: Drifting Satellites and Books in the Mail]]>
photo credit: indi.ca

I’m writing this in my text editor because a Russian satellite has apparently drifted from its proper orbit and it’s messing with our Internet access here in the cloudy, rainy North. Sound like a conspiracy? Maybe. But usually this time of year there’s something interfering with our communications. Sun spots. Storms. Brown outs. This time, a wayward satellite. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Two books came in the mail yesterday, and I wanted to share them with you.

The first is Gifted: Lovely Little Things to Knit and Crochet, by Mags Kandis. Mags is co-owner and former creative director of Mission Falls yarns. Although the subtitle of says “lovely little things to knit and crochet,” the book also has small felting and sewing projects. In fact, half the projects involve some kind of felting or fulling. The designs are small—intended to be made quickly for gift giving. There are even a pair of upcycled arm warmers made from a thrifted sweater. The sleeves are felted, then trimmed and embroidered for a pretty chill-stopping gift. I love the “Weekend Socks,” They’re Norwegian sweater-inspired footwear in a light blue grey and white with bright contrasting red toes and heels.

Mags doesn’t shy away from bright colors, and her choices shine in projects like “Baby’s First Felted Feet,” tiny felted slippers with needle-felted polkadot embellishments. I was surprised to discover that there are recipes like “Ginger Syrup,” “Tomato Jam,” and Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix sprinkled throughout the book as well. If Gifted is a nice collection for the versitile crafter who loves little felting projects. I were simply a crocheter who did not knit, I would pass on this book because there are only 6 crochet projects—one is a show stopper: a lovely patchwork felted granny bag. Instead I would buy Kim Werker’s Crocheted Gifts, also from Interweave which is a beautiful collection of crochet accessories and home projects to make and give.

Perhaps this is the time of year to be releasing “gifty” books.The other craft book in my mail box today is from Potter Craft, titled, Simply Sublime Gifts: High-Style, Low-Sew Projects to Make in a Snap, by Jodi Kahn. One of the practical fun things about this book is the “Supply Closet.” A list at the beginning of the book that tells you the basics you’ll need for completing projects. Of course, there are specific materials for some projects not listed here, but it’s a great way to make sure you’ve got the essentials.

These are “low-sew” and “no-sew” projects using iron on transfers glue and other fun crafty materials to embellish things you buy at the store. The first project is a set of pretty linen towels made by using ink-jet iron on transfers and a repeating design you create with wrapping paper. There are some tricky substitutes for sewing like a little pouch made with washcloths, duct tape and staples.

Jodi loves unusual materials, like the shammies she used to make baby jammies, and the notebooks made out of cereal boxes. Some of them verge on the ridiculous, like the “fabric cans” with screen printed Campbell’s soup labels. My favorite project might just be the shopping bag upcycled from a pillow case. Not only does Simply Sublime Gifts have some fun-to-make project ideas, it also provides some creative inspiration—once you’ve learned how to transfer images from your computer onto fabric, and “sew” with duct tape and staples, you could go on to invent your own gift ideas.

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 . . . → Read More: How long is your tail?]]>

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!

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. . . . → Read More: Book Review: Reversible Knitting by Lynne Barr]]>

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.