weaverknits

Living the Two-Chapstick Life

2012-01-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

Last year I had a dream. I dreamed that there were two Chapsticks on my desk, the messy desk shown in the previous blog post. I moved my laptop and—there they were! TWO OF THEM! It was a great dream. I told everyone in my family about it.

Let me explain. I don't like to be anywhere without Chapstick. When I find myself in such a situation my lips feel immediately parched and I can think of nothing else. Once I had to walk out of a movie that was in progress to go walk to the nearest drugstore to purchase a Chapstick. Not that I use the Chapstick that many times a day, really. I just need to have it.

So I need to have a Chapstick next to me when I work on my laptop at my messy desk. But two? I can rarely find two Chapsticks in my apartment, even though I know they're everywhere.

Chris gave me this for Christmas:

I don't make resolutions for the new year, but I do pick a motto for the upcoming year. The motto for 2012 is a tossup between "Living the Two-Chapstick Life" and "Full Throttle." I like to think of it this way: "Full Throttle: Living the Two-Chapstick Life."

Nothing's going to hold me back!!! What are your mottos for 2012?

S T U D I O

2012-01-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

My current home office:

My new studio:

The building is a converted mill in Peabody, Massachusetts, north of Boston.

My room used to be the Men's Toilet.

'
We started moving my stuff in yesterday.

Go Chris! He was thrilled to be getting all these boxes of yarn and knitting books out of the house.

A view from the inside. The space is 480 square feet, so that's actually a large pile, dwarfed by the space.

This weekend: Industrial shelving, corkboard, and scraping off one of the walls to paint it yellow. For those of you in the Boston area, there will be a Studio Party in about a month, so stay tuned!

Schedule for January and February

2012-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going places and teaching things! Here's where I'll be and what I'll be doing for the next few weekends:

Jan. 21 and 28: I will be teaching a Design Your Own Triangle Shawl workshop at Black Sheep Knitting Co. in Needham, MA. Interested in what this means? We'll be doing stuff like this:

And this:

But not from a single pattern (although I do include a booklet with some of my recipes to participants). From your own mind! I describe the basics, and then everyone gets started and shares ideas. Want to see more? Some of the sample designs for the workshop are currently in the window at Black Sheep!

Feb. 11: I'll be teaching Color Theory from 10 am to 12 pm and Triangle Shawls (see photos above) from 1:30 to 4:30 at The Creative Stitch in Hingham. I've taught here before and this shop has a really vibrant community of knitters, so I'm expecting to learn a lot from participants!

Feb. 18 and 19: I'm going to BALTIMORE! I'll be teaching Triangle Shawls (above) and a combination Color Theory/Albers Cowl class at Woolworks, which is a beautiful shop just north of downtown Baltimore. I visited Woolworks briefly during my last trip to Baltimore and expect great fun this time around.

Now I'll share my favorite image of the week: It's from Ron Paul's speech after he came in second in the New Hampshire Republican primary. This is not about my political leanings or my opinion of Ron Paul or the content of the speech. (It does, however, reflect the fact that I follow politics very closely.) You do not need to watch the entire speech. Watch the beginning and look directly to the left of Ron Paul (that would be Ron Paul's right). Here it is.

Do you see it?

The giant. The tiny, tiny man in front of him. Crazy.

Western Michigan Knitters

2012-01-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

are seriously devoted knitters. After Jennifer wrote an awesome column about me for the Grand Rapids Press in advance of my visit, Country Needleworks in Jenison, Michigan was packed with knitters of all ages, levels, and interests. Just note the number of knitters in the backgrounds of these photos--there they are, knitting, talking, shopping.

My mom and sister brought me a mocha near the beginning of the event (I've learned to drink my calories when I know I won't have a chance to eat):

I loved sharing this experience with my family (and giving them a sense of what I do).

Ruth Boelkins, a lovely and talented knitter whose daughter is in my mom's class, modeled the Whiteness sweater. Notice the knitters in the background. That table was always full of knitters working. This place is serious!

I answered questions and showed off my samples Note the paucity of books. I sold out of books well before the end of the event, but the knitters were kind enough to place orders. More books are in the mail to Country Needleworks! Priority Mail! This morning!

Ruth was wearing a Try-Works in red. It's SO different in red. Here's the back view of the two of us:
And the front view, with both of us looking like we were caught unawares:

Here's the full Weaver fam/Boelkins fam shot. Notice Dud's Netherlands Football scarf (and handknit sweater, of course).

If you missed the event, or if I had sold out of books by the time you arrived (I think this is the definition of "sell-out." I am officially a sell-out), fear not! A large Priority Mail If It Fits It Ships box is on the way, and I'll be back to Michigan soon, promise!

Happy Holidays and off to Michigan!

2011-12-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

WESTERN MICHIGAN, HERE I COME!

Live in the greater Grand Rapids area? Around for the holidays? I'll be leaving Boston on the morning of the 26th to come to Grand Rapids to visit my family for our traditional post-Christmas Christmas celebration. We wake up on the morning of the 27th and pretend it's Christmas, with stockings and everything. My mom pokes her head into my room and says, "Merry Christmas! Coffee is ready!" and then we talk about waking my sister up.

I have a special event this year, too. I'll be at Country Needleworks in Jenison, just outside Grand Rapids, from 10 to 2 on December 28. I'll have all the samples from White Whale Vol. 1, some of the samples from Craft Work Knit, and copies of both books. I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of knitters I know through email and knitters I know through my parents. Come see me!

I'll probably be wearing this:

Happy holidays to ME! Yesterday I made myself a Schmatta while watching Moby-Dick, the William Hurt as Ahab version (good TV but not really Moby-Dick, I think, with the exception of some of the whale chases and William Hurt brooding in his cabin), on TV. This pattern was my excuse to buy a skein of Malabrigo Rasta and elevate my army surplus fall and winter jackets (which are truly schmattas, but, like most of my clothes, I just keep wearing them because they're functional, comfortable, and because I like their aesthetic better than the other women's stuff out there).

If you need a gift for, say, tomorrow, and have some bulky yarn lying around, you can have one or more handknit presents in a matter of hours. Pick your Christmas Eve TV marathon (mine is Oddities), and have at it. This one, however, is MINE.

I also made a Moss and Ferns in some worsted weight oddballs. Here it is as worn:

And here's the full-on shawl view:

I had to cut the "fern" charts short because I ran out of the green/blue yarn, but it's big enough without them. I used size 13 needles. Like the pattern? You can buy it for $5 here:

So, happy holidays to all! If you live in western Michigan, I hope to see you on the 28th!

Baltimore and Connecticut

2011-12-17T18:04:00.001-08:00

Pardon the photo-heavy post. I've had too much adventure over the past week and a half to write it up. Just thinking about it makes me both exhausted and delighted.

For those of you who didn't see me last weekend (and I saw a LOT of you), here's where I've been. I drove to Easton, MD last Thursday, about an 8-hour trip. As I entered Maryland, I caught a photo of the sunset from my car. It was lovely to drive, listen to the radio, let my mind wander, and NOT WORK.

On Friday, I drove in to Baltimore to meet Wendy, whom I met online when she was working on her Oranje, and the owners of Woolworks. I crossed the Bay Bridge on my way. Stunning!

The store is cozy; lots of wood and beautiful yarns. I did some Albers Cowl modeling.

Note Wendy's Oranje, the White Whale books, and the yarn behind us. I love this photo. After this, we all went out for sushi. I'll be returning to Woolworks in February to teach some workshops; details to come!

Saturday was the Sanguine Gryphon open house. This is the Easton studio, which is large and full of light. About half the space was filled with yarn for the event.

There was custom dyeing in the portion of the space that was not filled with yarn.

Of course I got some yarn. It was difficult to settle on a sweater's worth of any one color, so I got a lot of different things with plans for colorwork projects. The reds at the top and the red-violet on the right were for my sister, who is already turning them into a large scarf of her own design.

There were THREE Oranjes at the open house!

After I left Sanguine Gryphon, I stopped by the Neighborhood Fiber Company holiday party and open studio. Karida's live/work space is beautiful (note that Karida is on the couch finishing the last square of an Albers Cowl. To the right are kits for The Lamp shawl and the Albers Cowl in Karida's yarns--The Lamp was designed using her Maisonette DK yarn. Karida's color sense is a perfect match for mine!).

I came home with two yarns I haven't used before: Loft and Penthouse Silk Fingering. The Penthouse Silk Fingering is on the second shelf on the right. Even in this mediocre photo it glows. I'm excited about the possibilities; it's been a while since I've designed or even knit with anything other than wool or a wool blend.

After leaving Karida, I drove to Essex, CT for a book signing at the Griswold Inn store. I arrived around 1 am. Note: The power plant in Elizabeth, New Jersey is absolutely beautiful at night.

I was there with the fabulous Gail Zucker, of whom I did not manage to get a photo (I was pretty tired). She, however, got LOVELY photos of the event and the store, which you can see here.

In sum, thanks to all the generous, lovely people I met last weekend. If you missed all this, I'll be back in February, so get in touch: ann@annweaverknits.com. Happy, happy holidays!!!

Road Trip Agenda

2011-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a frenzy, and the only photo I managed to take was of a Starbucks right across the street from another Starbucks. Look closely. You might have to click to make it big. It's there. It's absurd.

I spent some time in my cubicle this week. Note the nameplate. It appeared while I was in Germany last summer. Because I don't do any editorial assistant work but do just about everything else involved in publishing, I edited it to accurately reflect my job duties.

Tomorrow I leave for Baltimore in the early morning. I'll be hanging out in Baltimore on Friday, visiting the Neighborhood Fiber Company open studio and the Sanguine Gryphon open studio on Saturday, and driving up to Essex, CT Saturday night for the Griswold Inn Holiday Showcase, where I'll have books, patterns, kits including Neighborhood Fiber Company and KnitinK yarns, and even some handknits for sale, like the Albers Cowl shown below. I've started knitting Albers squares to wind down after long days of editing and working on complex designs. I use them as examples in my color theory workshops, but perhaps this one will find a new home with a non-knitter.

One important note: Because the Sanguine Gryphon is disbanding into two companies, there will be a period during which the patterns I have designed for them will not be available. Ambergris will continue to be sold by one of the two new companies, but I'm not sure how soon it will be available. It will also be included in White Whale Vol. 2, which will come out sometime in late spring/early summer 2012.

I will be offering Possum Belly Hobo and A Tea Tray in the Sky as individual pdfs, but I need to take new photos and revise the instructions and layout so the patterns are consistent with my self-published style. I'm ridiculously overwhelmed right now, so I don't know when this will happen. If you've been thinking seriously about making any of these three designs, I recommend purchasing the pattern from Sanguine Gryphon before December 29.

Thank you in advance for your understanding. I don't want anyone to be waiting, impatient and disappointed, to make one of these garments.

So, onward and upward!

Places I will be (lots of them)

2011-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

In addition to organizing space for next year, I've been working out the logistics of many events taking place over the next two weekends. If you're in any of the following areas, here's where you can find me and my stuff!

Saturday, Dec. 3: I'm having a trunk show with garments from both my books at The Black Sheep Knitting Company in Needham from 11 to 2. It's shocking, I know, but I've never been to The Black Sheep before but have heard great things. I mean, check out the site--it looks gorgeous!

Sunday, Dec. 4: I'll be teaching a Color Theory workshop at Snow Goose Yarns in Milton from 11 to 12:30. I think there are still a few spaces in the class if you'd like to join. The cost e $35 and I'll be providing color wheels for everyone! If you're interested, call Snow Goose at 617-698-1190.

On Sunday my things will also be available at the KnitinK booth at the Boston Bazaar Bizarre. Adrian will have copies of both my books and kits in many colors for a pattern I just finished using her vibrant, soft, amazing She-Hulk bulky yarn. Here's a photo of the new design, which will soon also be available as an individual download:

It's based on a chapter in Moby-Dick called "The Hat," and I'll be playing with the design and offering a few versions in White Whale Vol. 2. Unlike my usual super labor-intensive designs, you can make this project in two nights for about $24!

Friday, Dec. 9: I'll be in Baltimore hanging out. Yep, I'm taking a road trip. In the area? Contact me!

Saturday, Dec. 10: I'll be stopping in at the Neighborhood Fiber Company Holiday Party + Studio Open House. I love Karida's yarn and can't wait to shop from the huge selection at this event. Karida will have kits for The Lamp shawl, which are a REALLY good deal, and for the Albers Cowl! Her color sense is amazing, and I'm honored that she's using my patterns to showcase her yarns.

Sunday, Dec. 11: I'm part of a very cool Holiday Showcase at The Griswold Inn in Essex, CT. Old-time coastal New England and Moby-Dick knits are a perfect match. I'll have copies of my books, kits for The Hat (see photo above) in KnitinK yarns and for the Albers Cowl in Neighborhood Fiber Company yarns, and even a few finished items for sale, including at least one Albers Cowl and a few hats. Gale Zucker will be there, too, with copies of her books, including Craft Activism.

Finally, I'll be visiting my family in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the holidays, and am planning a visit to Country Needleworks in Jenison. More details soon!

Now it's time to attack all the copyediting and knitting that I need to complete in the time I'm not going to all these places!

Kicking off year two of a small business with some space and some yellow

2011-11-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

Weaverknits LLC will occupy nearly 600 square feet of industrial/flex space on January 1. Chris has promised to help me paint one of the walls yellow (after I was strongly drawn to another, more expensive space because it had a Yellow Wall).

I see weaving, blocking garments, storing yarn, samples, and books, teaching workshops, a large table for laying out garments for measurement (I can't imaging doing this without having to push my coffee table against the apartment door), and a desk for writing and copyediting.

And more.

There's a small "office" room with a window off this room, too.

In other news, KnitPicks has a new Wool of the Andes color called Caution. Look how it brightens up the pile of knitting stuff by the side of my bed! I'll be knitting all of that into a new design for publication early next year. It's an amazing, amazing yellow . . . on the golden side, deep enough that it isn't retina scalding. Imagine the possibilities for well-placed Caution in colorwork!

Space

2011-11-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

It's official. The amount of crap in my very small apartment is not only testing my husband's patience daily but also making me feel crazed and claustrophobic. One can only write and copyedit full time from a desk that abuts one's bed and use all available surface and floor space as a "knitting studio" for so long. I feel myself reaching the end of the period for which this has been acceptable.

I am in search of space. Above: the future home of Weaverknits LLC?

Sunday Yarn Adventure

2011-11-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Today I rewarded myself for all the boring editing work I've waded through over the past few weeks (which is part of the reason the blog has been so quiet . . . well, that and the fact that most of the things I'm knitting are secret things that won't be revealed for months and months). Most of my days are spent working at my large desk in my bedroom/office. About 18 inches to my left is this:

They wake up and get feisty at least once during the late morning/early afternoon: CAT FIGHT!

This is good for some comic relief.

In addition to the copyediting, I've been working on a lot of new designs, including a hat knit from my friend Adrian's amazingly saturated chunky yarns:

She dyed these four colors to match four Color Aid cards I gave her. They are RIGHT ON, too. Amazing! Designing accessories is so much fun. I've made two versions of the hat already, and have a third, more complex version in mind. Because it takes about two hours to make one, I can improvise while I'm knitting an actual hat, rather than in swatch after swatch, like I do for sweaters. The hat will be in White Whale Vol. 2 (release date TBD, depending on how much other work comes my way in the next few months), but will be available as a kit from Adrian at this year's Bazaar Bizarre, so look for it!

So anyway, this afternoon I went to Gather Here in Cambridge, a gorgeous knitting and sewing store and workshop. Somehow I had not yet visited Gather Here . . . I don't know. It's unfathomable. Life is busy. I saw some of the coolest people I know, met some new people, and got a lot of new yarn.

I'm wearing the simplest version of the new hat here (with details concealed on the left side) and holding hand-dyed yarns from Dirty Water Dyeworks and hanspun yarn from NJ Stacie Made. It was a good day. A relaxing day. Now it's time to get back to work.

Color honesty destash!!!

2011-11-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for the compliments on my new shawl! It's been getting a lot of wear. For those of you interested in trying overdying, I use Cushing Acid Dyes. Those little packets have instructions for how to mix the dye. This website gives all the necessary information. It's easy!

I feel like posting about that purple shawl has made me much more honest about my taste in colors. I've found a few more yarns to destash based on the fact that the colors do not inspire me. I admit it: There are only so many hours in the day, and I'm not going to spend them knitting things in colors that aren't my first choice, especially because I have such a gigantic stash that contains all the colors of the rainbow. These colors are some of my first choices.

Or these, as used in my sister's nearly complete Albers Shawl. I found this in her bedroom when we visited her last weekend. The outermost color will be a mushroomy brown.

Before posting about the purple, I (egotistically? Solipsistically?) though that if I didn't like a certain color, none of you would be interested in it, either. Now I know there's a home for everything, except, perhaps, hospital green. But I'll keep those. Or beige. But I don't have any of that in my stash. And while many of you are not yellow fans, those of us who are, watch out for us. We make up for our small numbers with our commitment and enthusiasm.

THE YARN IS ALL SOLD! Thanks everyone! More to come... some for sale, some contests. This is actually a lot of fun!

So here's some yarn I'd like to pass on to loving homes. The theme seems to be harvest colors.

SOLD! Eight skeins of Knitpicks Gloss in the now-discontinued color Pumpkin. It's more of a rust color, I think, like colored leaves. Too autumn for me, not ORANGE enough. $18 plus $7 shipping, and it can be yours! 1,760 yards. Go crazy!

Two skeins of Spud & Chloe Outer in natural, which appears to be discontinued. Wound the one skein to make a cowl, then realized that a cowl in this color wasn't great with my pale complexion. $9 plus $5 shipping. Whee! I bought this yarn for my next cowl or shawl:

And finally...

Nearly five skeins of Rowanspun DK in a mossy green. I bought this about 12 years ago and still haven't knit it into anything, so it's time to pass it on. It's been stored in a sealed bag but may have a few random cat hairs. $15 plus $5 shipping.

Email me at weaverknits77@gmail.com if you're interested!

Overdye success!

2011-11-06T08:42:00.001-08:00

Some black dye and and the dying pot...

Ta da! Dark plum. A little blotchy, but that just adds to the depth, I think. I've been wearing it every since it dried. Success!

And the winner of 238g/about 525 yards of purple yarn, determined by random number generator, is... commenter #7, Loribird! Email me your address at weaverknits77@gmail.com and I'll send you some PURPLE.

I LOVED reading all your color comments. I was laughing all week! I wasn't surprised that yellow and orange were difficult for a lot of people, and yes, "hospital green" is a tough one, too, although I think it has great potential. You guys are great!!!

Predjudice and Favoritism on the Color Wheel

2011-10-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

When I teach Color Theory, I don't teach students what colors look best on them. I figure that by the time we're young adults we've all gotten plenty of feedback about which colors "really bring out" our eyes and which ones make us look pale and sick. Perhaps some of you were even assigned a color "season" through the Color Me Beautiful program. (Wow, I just looked that up and found that it is still going strong. Who knew? I remember when my aunt got her "colors done." She was a Winter. She told me I was an Autumn).

I argue that everyone can wear every color, in moderation, mixed with other colors. I wear all of them. However, if yellow is my Superman of colors, purple is my Bizarro. When organizing my stash, I found this partially finished Wool Peddler's Shawl, in purple (here modeled as a cat blanket because I feel such apathy about putting it on):

I almost ripped it, but it measures nearly six feet across the top, so I worked a few rows of garter stitch and bound off. But I'll never wear it. It's destined to be overdyed. What is it about this blackberry color? What IS it?

I have more of the purple yarn, which is Lorna's Laces Fisherman, a 100% soft wool (merino?), worsted weight, in blackberry (you can see the colors here; this blackberry is more muted than the color in the photo). It's a great yarn, very soft and far more durable than Shepherd Worsted. I don't know why more shops don't carry it. In any case, I'm obviously not going to knit another project from this yarn.

Like purple? Want the yarn? Just leave a comment telling me your least favorite color and how it makes you feel. I'll start: Purple. Lethargic. I'll pick a comment at random at the end of the week!

The Try-Works

2011-10-27T12:00:00.001-07:00

If "The Castaway" was the first vivid chapter from Moby-Dick that I was compelled to capture in a piece of knitting, then "The Try-Works" followed immediately. In this chapter, Melville describes the bloody, infernal process of rendering a whale's carcass into oil.

February 2011: I start swatching for The Try-Works. I wanted the garment, whatever it was (at this point I wasn't sure if it would be a sweater or a shawl) to be as near to black as possible without losing the definition of the cables. Briar Rose Fibers has just those colors.

When I ready Moby-Dick in my college American Literature class, we discussed this chapter from several perspectives, the most memorable of which, for me, was as an illustration of capitalism and industry. And not a positive illustration, as even a quick flip through the chapter makes clear. I chose to feature this quotation from "The Try-Works" in my book:

"Like a plethoric burning martyr, or a self-consuming misanthrope, once ignited, the whale supplies his own fuel and burns by his own body."

April 2011: I finish the body of the sweater with a cable motif that reminded me of peeling blubber and smoke.

Once the fires of the try-works are started with wood shavings, these fires are fed with the scraps of blubber that remain after their oil has been rendered. The whale turns itself into a product for sale and consumption. At what cost?

". . . in front, the harpooners wildly gesticulated with their huge pronged forks and dippers as the wind howled on, and the sea leaped, and the ship groaned and dived, and yet steadfastly shot her red hell further and further into the blackness of the sea and the night . . ."

Melville's vision of industry is bleak.

As much as I wanted "menacing" photos of this sweater, I also wanted knitters to, well, desire to make one. So we took photos in the sun along the blue ocean.

June 2011: The photos.

This has turned out to be my favorite piece in White Whale Vol. 1. Despite the fact that it's probably not wise to wear a sample four or five days a week, I've been wearing it with everything.

October 2011: The Try-Works at Rhinebeck, with Karen of choochoo knits fame, who is wearing a dress of her own design that she probably whipped up in about three days.

In sum: Sometimes a scathing social critique, rendered in images that stick in the mind years after reading, can become something loved and practical. A great sweater that matches everything and fits fabulously. But behind it, a story. And one that's far from clear-cut. This is the goal for me, and I hope to realize it in all my future White Whale work.

Help dig me out

2011-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

I'm drowning in yarn! I've been too busy lately to make much headway on my huge organization plans, but I got a few photos in today.

Note: Everything is sold and off to new homes! Thanks!!! More to come, I promise!

7 skeins of Silky Wool in a lovely dark chocolate brown. I planned a design in this yarn, but after swatching realized I will NEVER be able to capture this color in a photograph. $20 plus $7 shipping. GONE!!! Wow, you guys are FAST!

Nearly 3 skeins of Lorna's Laces Solemate sock yarn. This is over a skein of Vera, the variegated colorway, and nearly full skeins of the semi-solid green and purple. This is a great, crisp sock yarn, but once you've done one project in a certain color scheme it's less appealing to do a second. $10 plus $5 shipping. SOLD!

Claudia Hand Painted Linen Lace, about 175 grams/945 yards. One full skein (100 grams/540 yards) and most of a second skein that has been wound into a cake. It is lipstick pink, the color I used for this design:
World's most washed-out photo of this cardigan from Knit magazine. I'll be publishing the pattern as an individual pdf one of these days (note: this sweater only took about 700 yards, so this is enough for a sweater or BIG shawl). Anyway, you get the idea. This yarn rocks if you like linen. $20 plus $7 shipping. SOLD!

Still available as of 10:08 pm... I'm going to sleep and will check in in the morning...

Help me out people, and drop me an email at weaverknits77@gmail.com.

YELLOW

2011-10-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

I'm back from Rhinebeck, which was fabulous, as always (look how much fun I'm having! Even better photo of the fun here). You can see more of me with old and new friends here. But I think I'll spend this post talking about my favorite color. If you've met me, and particularly if you've taken a color theory class with me, you know how much I love yellow. I believe I said something along the lines of "Yellow is always a good choice," or "I think yellow would be nice" six or seven times the last time I taught. Come on. It is a good choice!

People argue that yellow is a difficult color to wear. That's valid. I advocate mixing yellow with other colors, particularly deep purples and blues and neutrals. Like the Albers Cowl I knit from Icelandic laceweight and wore to Rhinebeck (I'm wearing the Try-Works, too). Or check out the Garfunkel Hat from O-Wool (I saw this sample in person at a trunk show a few weeks ago, and everyone there was smitten). Perfect use of yellow!

In fact, my friend Ann from New Jersey recognized me at Rhinebeck because "someone who looked like me" was reaching for a huge hank of yellow-orange yarn (I bet you can guess which one) at the Seacolors booth.

One of my goals at Rhinebeck was to get some true yellow yarn, the yellow hue, not sunshine yellow, not yellow-orange. Not yellow ochre. Although I love all those colors. I wanted cadmium yellow. I came back with a lot of yellow.

Front to back: Sami from Creatively Dyed Yarn in "Yellow Breeches" (the truest yellow hue I could find and also the one with the best name), Annapolis from Maple Creek Farm in "Bright Yellow" (it's got sparkles in it!), Seacolors Yarn worsted, and Briar Rose Fibers Abundance. Look for a few of these to make appearances in White Whale Vol. 2 and Vol. 3.

New yellow yarn means more destashing. Keep your eyes open this weekend for a post filled with yarn looking for new homes.

I interrupt this Moby-Dick to bring you...

2011-10-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

Rhinebeck news! I'll be there Saturday and Sunday, walking around, shopping, and meeting vendors and friends.

I'll have copies of my book with me for sale, so just find me and ask! If you want to chat and don't happen to see me (I'll be the one in the Whiteness sweater with the messy hair and Elvis Costello glasses), stop by the book sales area on Saturday between 2:30 and 4, where I'll be at the Craft Activism table, promoting this totally awesome book in which I have the honor of being included (see below).

To be clear, Craft Activism will be actively promoted in the book area. White Whale Vol. 1 will be in my bag... or, more likely, my husband's bag. Punk rock! SEE YOU THERE!

It's here.

2011-10-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

White Whale Vol. 1. A concept that became some sketches and a bunch of yarn, then some garments, then a book with photos and illustrations and quotes from Melville.

You can buy it now: $22 for both the print book and pdf (plus shipping)

$12 for just the pdf

The pdf contains all the patterns and pattern information that is in the print book, but does not include Matt Kish's incredible illustrations.

Concept to book. It's magic. I'll be posting more about the individual patterns and their inspirations over the next two weeks as I decompress.

White Whale Vol. 1 Preview

2011-10-02T06:26:00.001-07:00

Hard copies arrive at the house Wednesday. If you have gone, or can go, to J.P. Knit & Stitch this weekend, you can have a look at the draft copy and the samples. Like the cover? Wait until you see the interior. It's all thanks to my genius sister and Matt Kish, the artist whose illustrations are featured throughout the book. Here's the full cover image.

Here's a preview of the first pattern: The Castaway, based on the chapter of the same name.

After I finished Ambergris, this was the first Moby-Dick pattern I conceived. I came up with the idea for the photographs before I considered the details of the hat, because the image of Pip bobbing in the water, driven crazy by the vast emptiness of the sea around him, made such a strong impression on me during earlier Moby-Dick readings. Even though I hadn't read the novel for years, I could remember the sentence about Pip's head "showing like a head of cloves" on the surface of the sea.

Chris was a great sport. The texture of the hat is not actually bobbles; it's worked in the round and doesn't have large individual protrusions. I wanted to keep it unisex if worked in the right color.

Once I swatched and sketched and decided on my texture pattern, I found the perfect yarn: Lorna's Laces Honor. So soft and warm, so lush. As I knit with it I called it "Lorna's Laces Awesometown." The hat takes only one skein of the MC and about 30 yards of a contrasting color, for which you could use a second color of Honor or another complimentary DK-weight yarn you have in your stash.

Note: The hat blocked out fabulously after its salt water bath. And now it smells like the sea.

The individual pattern is ready for download for $5.00 now:

Waiting for the whole book? The price will be $22 for both perfect-bound hard copy and pdf version. You can shoot me an email if you positively cannot wait and want to preorder.

The Amazon.com box felt like a cinderblock

2011-09-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

The wait is over and I have my copy. The only other book I've preordered and then anticipated with such impatience was The Pale King by David Foster Wallace.

It's absolutely overwhelming. The cover is beautiful, the paper quality is exquisite, it's HEAVY. (I recommend splurging a little and getting the hard copy.) In order to properly digest it, I've ordered the edition of Moby-Dick that Matt used for this project in order to read it with the drawings. I'm hoping to create the ideal Moby-Dick experience for this period in my life, when my own work is also connected to the novel.

Now, as a result of my plans to wrestle my life and environment into something that is not threatening to destroy my marriage and my sanity, I need to remove three things from the apartment. Rule: One thing in, three things out.

The first thing out is 11 skeins of Berroco Inca Gold. This yarn is soft and durable, and shiny, too.
$35 plus $10 shipping. SOLD! You guys are FAST!

Next up: One of my favorite yarns these days, Briar Rose Fibers Abundance. I used this yarn for Vert & Horiz in Craft Work Knit, and this skein is enough to make sizes XS-L. Abundance is also featured in White Whale Vol. 1. As much as I love this skein, it's time for me to design with another of Briar Rose's multitude of bases. $18 plus $8 shipping. SOLD!!!

Finally, a 60/40 Merino/bamboo blend from Yarn Hollow, a talented indie dyer from Michigan. This is a gorgeous hank of yarn, 620 yards, enough for a vest or fabulous shawl. $10 plus $7 shipping. SOLD!!!

Interested? Email me at weaverknits77@gmail.com. And that concludes today's in-and-out, grey/purple themed destash.

The Candles

2011-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

All the yard-arms were tipped with a palid fire; and touched at each tri-pointed lightning-rod-end with three tapering white flames, each of the three tall masts was silently burning in that sulphurous air, like three gigantic wax tapers before an altar.

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapter CXIX, “The Candles”

In anticipation of White Whale Vol. 1, I give you The Candles, free in knitty Deep Fall 2011. The sea, the palid fire. A long, seaworthy jacket, just like second-mate Stubb would recommend:

“They laugh at long-togs, so, Flask; but seems to me, a long tailed coat ought always to be worn in all storms afloat. The tails tapering down that way, serve to carry off the water, d’ye see.” (Moby-Dick, Chapter CXXI, “Midnight—The Forecastle Bulwarks”)

Thanks to The Fibre Company for the yarn, Shipyard Point Glassworks for the buttons, Caro for the photographs, and Amy at knitty for believing that I could accomplish this within the necessary time frame. I'm finding that it takes at least three or four inspired people to make a great design, and I couldn't have done this without them.

I Own Enough Yarn To...

2011-09-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

knit hats for the entire Chinese army, if I had the time.

wrap around the Earth 18.2 times.

crochet an Empire State Building cozy.

Maybe an exaggeration, but I'm trying to purge while I'm between large design projects. I'm donating some of it, but I want to offer the nicest stuff to you guys here, for cheap! All this yarn has been stored in sealed bags, away from my cats. Today's theme: Yellow and yellow-green:

ETA: You guys are something. It's all gone. However, there will be more, grouped according to color, because I'm like that.

6 skeins of Malabrigo Worsted in Butter (light creamy yellow-natural): $20 plus $8 shipping: $28 SOLD

3 skeins of Fibre Co. Organik in Sulphur Springs (1 is wound into a cake): $15 plus $8 shipping: $23 SOLD

3 skeins of Sundara Yarn DK Silky Cashmere in Prickly Pear (160 yards each skein. I made this from just under 3 skeins of this yarn): $30 plus $8 shipping: $38 SOLD

I LOVE all this yarn, but I've made a project from each of these yarns, and just can't see myself using any of them for a second project, what with all the other as-yet-unused yarns I have.

So, if you're interested, email me at ann@annweaverknits.com. Let's get this party started!

Photo shoot fun

2011-09-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

A happy birthday, job, and knitting for fun

2011-08-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a happy birthday. My family knows me well; the presents were primarily estate sale finds:

A fur collar made of little animals, with feet, heads, and tails still attached. I can't wait to rock this thing when cold weather comes.

Chris found this SCRIMSHAW RING. Click the picture for a bigger view. It's a ship! I think of it as a whaling ship, though I don't know that the details support that. It's perfect. This was serendipity.

Also in the whaling theme, I now own this and this (which was a present from Matt himself, the honor of which is still sinking in. I hope my book does his work justice). In situ photos as soon as we get a custom mat cut to frame the two side by side. If you're a fan of Matt's work, he's selling many of the original pieces from the book here. All of them are collected in one book, but seeing the originals is a very different experience. They're full of texture and detail that can't be communicated on a printed page.

My parents, knowing my fondness for Crows and my fear that they were discontinued, sent me a case of them. I've noticed that they're much softer and chewier than any I've purchased in the store, and attribute this to the fact that the Crows at the store have been sitting on the candy shelves for quite some time.

And yes, I'm knitting. Lots of secret designs, but also some shawls for a new workshop I'll be teaching this fall, Design Your Own Triangle Shawl. The shawl pictured on the right is one of the examples for the class; the yarns on the left will become a second example. The beauty and fun of these new designs is that they aren't designs at all; they're instructions and inspiration.

I'll be teaching the workshop at Fibre Space and right around the corner from my house at JP Knit & Stitch in November (along with Color Theory for Knitters in October, which will be great preparation for the shawl class). The class will include a booklet that illustrates the effects created by different types of increases, simple combinations of knit and purl, how to create different shapes, and how to achieve different striping effects, ruffles, flared edges, and so on. So if you're in the DC or Boston area, come participate! I'm working like crazy on this one!

Oh, and for those of you who know how crazy my job has become, and how near I was to running away from it, I got a raise and will have someone to help me with the next huge wave of my largest project. Whew!

Woody Guthrie has some words

2011-08-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Billy Bragg and Wilco recorded "Christ for President," written by Woody Guthrie. Let's see some of this in the U.S. Republican primary, shall we?

"With a job and a pension for young and old, we will make hallelujah ring!"

Two skills I lack

2011-08-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

1. Feeding myself. But I have Chris to help me with that. Tonight I came home to this note on the apartment door.

The pan on stove already had butter in it. The egg/vege mix in fridge already had salt and pepper in it.

2. Moderation. This upcoming design is BIG BIG BIG, worked in Canopy by The Fibre Company, with glass buttons made to look like beach glass by Shipyard Point Glassworks. You'll see this one pretty soon, and it will be FREE. Now, back to it!

Milestone

2011-08-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

I have done it. I have designed a triangle shawl. I've made a bunch of these, all improvised, and finally received enough requests for a pattern for this one that I reknit it, with a few changes, and wrote down the instructions. I even got my friend Amy's cute boyfriend David to wear it for photographs, because unisex triangle shawls seem to be all the rage lately.

The zig-zag yarnover pattern on this one is geometric rather than lacy, so I think it works.

The yarn is Studio Sock from Neighborhood Fiber Co., which is crisp and bright. The shawl takes about 300 yards of the main color and about 130 yards of the contrasting color, so you can make it with leftovers. Several test knitters are finishing up versions in other indie yarns, so I'll be posting photos of those, too. Though I generally prefer to design sweaters and more epic things, it's cool to make a pattern that will show off all the variously colored hand-dyed yarns out there.

Want to make one? The pdf is available for $5 right here. Summer knitting at its simplest.

Infrastructure

2011-07-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Things wear out. Break down. Sometimes it's sudden, sometimes not. I think I forgot to mention that New Mulva, our vintage Volvo, had a blowout on my way home from the tall ship cruise in Maine. This was my first-ever blowout, and it was scary!

My cell phone was dead (if you know me, you know that this is common. And that if it's not dead, I might have left it at home. Or in a bag that I don't have with me. Or it's just been muted for several days, so I have no idea that people have been calling me). So I did it old school, jumping up and down and gesturing wildly by the side of the road until a Maine state trooper pulled over and called Triple A for me.

When the trooper asked me what happened, I actually said, "I just had a flat tire the likes of which I have never seen before!"

With the new tires on, it was hard to ignore the plastic piece dragging on the ground under New Mulva's front bumper. Chris told me it's called an "air dam." We ordered a new one. Check it out: old one right, new one left. Repairing the infrastructure!

We also know why New Mulva's air conditioning doesn't work: It's just a big clump of rust. Nice to have that cleared up.

So, aside from the car events, what have I been doing during all these postless weeks? Working. Like. Crazy. At my jobjob. To the point that I now wear two wrist braces to fight RSI. I don't want the equivalent of a blowout or even dragging plastic pieces.

I did 40 hours in four days from Sunday to Wednesday last week, then took off for Maine for a long weekend of nothing... photos of that next post. For now, if you want to see some Moby-Dick project preview shots, check out Matt's blog, which you should be reading anyway!

Behind the Scenes

2011-07-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Sister Beth taking the first batch of photos for the Moby-Dick project.

Mad Hatter Cardigan

2011-07-10T12:30:00.001-07:00

Brand new from the Sanguine Gryphon... A Tea Tray in the Sky!

It's a top-down round-yoke cardigan knit in one piece using fingering-weight yarn; sizes are 32-52 inch bust; the sample is 36 inches around. The colorwork is a slipped stitch pattern, so only one color is used per row. This is one of those designs that just made sense--I've been wanting to use a plaid pattern for some time, and mixing it with some floral elements (my first time using floral elements). Just click the link above to order!

The working title was "Garden Punk." I knew it was right for the Sanguine Gryphon. I mean, they styled it with a top hat.

I'm SAAAAILING! I'm really sailing! I'm a sailor, I sail!

2011-07-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is where I was from last Sunday to this Thursday:

I had the good fortune to be offered the position of knitting instructor/onboard consultant for two knitting cruises on the Isaac H. Evans, a tall ship that sails out of Rockland, Maine. There were advanced knitters, there were intermediate knitters, there were two people who learned to knit. But there was more. I swam in the cold ocean (how can you resist an offer to jump RIGHT OFF A BOAT?)

I ate three lobsters at a lobster bake on the beach of a small island.

I even got to climb to the top of the mast and look out over the ocean. There were seals frolicking around the ship.

Oh yeah, and I did some knitting of my own. Remember this? I'm reknitting it using Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s Studio Sock and actually writing up the pattern. It should be available by August.

There's more about the trip on my flickr page. Have some time this September? There's another knitting cruise with bunks still available starting on Sept. 6. Seriously, it could not have been more awesome.

The Next Big Thing

2011-06-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry there's been a lot of silence around here. There's a new self-published project in the works. Smaller than Craft Work Knit, which nearly destroyed me, and more of a collaboration.

It's four patterns, each of which is based on a chapter of Moby-Dick. It's an offshoot of the Ambergris pattern I did for Sanguine Gryphon this winter--once I started rereading Moby-Dick, the ideas came in a torrent. This first small booklet will be out at the end of September, and will be followed by a few other Moby-Dick volumes, until I run out of ideas or have designed enough patterns to create a lovely large hard-cover compilation book that no one will buy.

I'm thrilled to be using some of Matt Kish's illustrations in this project, which, combined with my sister's incredible graphic design skills, promises to be as much inspirational concept book as knitting instruction booklet. After Kathleen told me about Matt's Moby-Dick blog, I spent several days reading every entry and gushing about it to everyone I know. I don't want to share too much about my book, but if you like Matt's work you can pre-order his book, which includes all his Moby-Dick illustrations and will be released in October.

Yesterday the buttons for the projects arrived: All custom glass shank buttons from Shipyard Point Glassworks. Those large, deep red ones are 3/4" in diameter and so, so rich. Chinaski was getting way too curious in this photo; I think I was yelling at him as I took it.

Of course, there's also some new research.

I am thinking that my knitting will become more and more conceptual until it has no audience whatsoever. Things seem to be heading that way!

Sickening!*

2011-06-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

If you've been following my blog, you might know about my love for Ru Paul's Drag Race.

This past week I was fortunate enough to meet some of the ladies from Season 3 at Club Cafe in Boston... including Raja, in all her amazonian, gender-bending, fierce amazingness.

Here I am, trying to hold my own while she channels Ziggy Stardust:

Here she is with my friend Sarah, who scored us tickets to this event:

And here's a photo I can't believe I was able to shoot from the crowd:

There are a few more photos on my flickr site.

*Sickening: Something that is insanely good.

Guumon at FOE in Northampton, MA, through June 7!

2011-05-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

If you've been following this blog for a while, you might remember my first custom Guumon, a collaboration with my friend Brian Mahony. Brian (who lives right across the street from me; isn't that awesome?) currently has a big shown at FOE in Northampton, MA, and, while I was in DC during the opening, Chris and I took a roadtrip there yesterday.

I have a new custom piece in the show, which combines a traditional Scandinavian geometric motif with some freeform crochet.

It was an honor to be in the company of a lot of famous artists, including the likes of OsirisOrion and blobpus (who did the paint job below):

Check out my first custom Guu in the top row!

If you live in the Northampton area, or are planning a trip to WEBS in the next two weeks, stop by. Even if you miss the Guus, stop by the gallery; I love places like this where, if you love the art enough, you can actually afford to buy some of it.

She's Electric: The Retina Scalder Goes Live!

2011-05-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

It's knitty surprise time once again, and in the spirit of spring and color theory, here it is:

This is the result of a challenge posed by knitty and Lorna's Laces yarns: I was tasked with "doing my thing" with some highly variegated, super bright yarn, full of different contrasts. If it is not yet clear, my "thing" is creating garments. Sure, it's easy enough to make a variegated hat, or shawl, but what about a sweater? For an adult?

Lorna's Laces chose the colors. They pulled no punches. The yarn arrived, scalding my retinas when I ripped open the packaging ("Retina Scalder" was the project's name while it was in progress). However, driving home from work a few weeks ago, the Oasis song "She's Electric" came on the radio. Which made me think.

I like that song.

It's a great name for this sweater.

I'm particularly pleased with that back detail.

Because really, once the yarn is knit up and on a person, it's not scalding at all. It's stunning. This cardigan is a compliment magnet. And look, no pooling!

It's just as bright as Oranje, but it's knit in one piece from the top down, with a slipped stitch waistband pattern that only uses one color at a time. Color knows no difficulty level.

P.S. For those of you have watched recent seasons of America's Next Top Model, NOT THAT I RECOMMEND IT, my sister (who took these photos) told me to "Smize". Can you tell? I was smizing in that first shot!

Team Weaver: Recent Activity

2011-05-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Lil' sis Beth curated a show at the RISD student gallery called The Body. It included some really cool embroidery.

Team Captain Mom wrote an eloquent tribute to my grandma that was featured in the Grand Rapids Press (scroll down... you'll even see a photo of her with one of her students).

The Dud, well, he's got 14 more days as a high school math teacher before retirement. Go Dud!

However, did you know that, while widely considered the most rational, level-headed member of Team Weaver, he's a driving force behind boxes filled with random notes written on free stationary from a wide spectrum of organizations, envelopes covered with stickers from same organizations?

Note the purple Buzz Lightyear valentine that's been repurposed as an anniversary card. Yep.

And... I'm in the middle of a copyeditpocalypse. Ann gots to get paid!

Color Theory in Action: Fibre Space in DC

2011-05-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

After extensive preparation on my living room floor (if this looks like fun, you can get a set of Color Aid cards for yourself here)...

... it was time to teach! Last night I returned from Fibre Space in Alexandria, Virginia, right outside Washington, D.C. If you think the website looks awesome, the store itself is a hundred times as awesome. Danielle, the owner, stocks yarns and books from the latest, most cutting-edge indie dyers and designers, along with all the classics and everything you'd expect from a full-service yarn store.

There's also a room for classes and workshops, with a huge chalkboard. I taught Color Theory for Knitters and an Albers Cowl workshop. Both were filled with creative, engaged students, full of energy. Here are a few of the color theory samples; I should have taken some photos when the table was COVERED with Color Aid cards and their corresponding yarns. Chaos!

Check out this AMAZING swatch that came out of Color Theory class!

And now I give in to my exhaustion and take a nap.

No more fake spring!

2011-05-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

REAL spring is here!

Somehow several weeks in April just... "got away from me" is the right phrase, I suppose. Thinking about this time, I wonder what I was doing. I remember feeling very busy and generally not great, but don't recall what I accomplished. Even attempting to create a mental "bullet list" is difficult, probably due to the not feeling great mentioned above.

So, as an aid to my recall, I'll be posting small updates this week of things that I have done/have happened to me over the past few weeks. Here's one: I got a new pattern published in the most recent issue of Yarn Forward, or, rather, Knit, The Magazine Formerly Known As Yarn Forward (or just "The Magazine" for short, perhaps), which does not appear to have a website yet.

It's an elusive publication.

Here's a photo of a little guy wearing it (he looks like he's ready to cry or has just stopped crying):

I called it the Albers Baby because I did some intarsia on the back. I've been thinking about new ways to create geometry and play with color, and a small project seemed like the right place to use some intarsia. It's VERY easy intarsia because it's all straight lines. I was able to knit most of this on various Greyhound buses.

It's all garter stitch and it's knit in one piece. Cool, right? The sizes are 6 months to 24 months. If you can't find a Knit magazine, the pattern will be available as an individual download from my website and Ravelry with additional sizes (I'm thinking up to age 4) in a few months.

What else have I done? Updates to come.

New Designs and Mitred Crosses

2011-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

Front and center: I hope I'm not the last knitter out there to begin Kay's Mitered Crosses blanket. If you haven't begun, or at least purchased the pattern, or at least become aware of the pattern, check it out. All proceeds go toward the relief efforts in Japan.

In our house, "blanket" means "cat fur magnet," so I decided to make a long scarf instead, either one or two squares wide and many square long. I'm using Noro Sekku, which is a sensitive twiney laceweight yarn that breaks if one so much as looks at it with displeasure, but which also blocks out fabulously and is light as can be. I've accumulated many balls of Sekku thanks to its placement in a basket to the right of the cash register at Windsor Button; it's like a Snickers bar, I can't resist. (Note: It appears that most stores no longer carry Sekku, and that the yarn itself may be discontinued. Working with it, I can understand this.)

Background: A lot of new designs, dark things all. I've committed myself to a new book(lette) that will be available this coming September, as well as several self-published individual patterns, so it's time to get to work. The color palette is dark; the theme is dark. Call it my reaction to a recent overload of "easy femininity."

Tax and Hotpad Successes

2011-04-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I did it! I filed my taxes to nearly-broke-even results (better than expected for someone who gets a lot of 1099s for random work) AND successfully participated in the POTHOLDER SWAP 2011!

5 hotpads, double-sided. What's odd is that I had to force myself to create something that wasn't at all "work" related. I don't think I would have completed them without my grandma's death, which both rendered me incapable of working on new designs and inspired me to crochet, because she taught me. She was the queen of afghans and taught me to make granny squares when I was 7 or 8. I think she'd be proud.

The pattern: Knowing that I might struggle with the deadline, I went simple with Maurice's Modern Vintage Potholder pattern. However, I did do tiny stitches with a US 1 crochet hook and size 3 crochet cotton! Here they are:

The obverses: Pastels reminiscent of bathrooms with embroidered towels that are not at all absorbent and color stories from recent issues of Interweave Knits.

The reverses: Op art! Eyeballs!

The rings: something Bicycle Boy dug up out of his tool/supply box. Back cog ring spacers or something.

Tags so you know they're from me.

And it's all in the mail, in a repurposed Interweave rejection envelope. Turn that frown upside down, right???

Black hoodie, orange, scotch.

2011-03-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have a new profile illustration, thanks to Andrew Kolb. Be sure to check out his stuff, but only if you like FUN. I traded Andrew a customized hat for the illustration, a hat that, because the pattern will be published this fall, I cannot yet show you. Craft for craft barter, hooray!

And hey, if you want to read more about me, or want to read thoughtful, informative reviews of new knitting books, check out The Knitting Scholar. I had a chance to meet Deb in New Jersey, and she reviewed my book (and was kind enough to include my lengthy responses to the a list of questions she sent me).

Knitting for love

2011-03-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

My dud is the latest recipient of a handknit sweater. I think he's been wearing it for the last week, nonstop.

It's about a million stitches, knit in worsted weight at a pretty tight gauge. I've made three sweaters using this pattern, Easy Raglan from Green Mountain Spinnery, all in Greenwood Hill Farm Merino worsted weight. Something about this combination makes it irresistible to men. Chris, sitting next to me as I write this, says "it's a sweater made out of tiger blood and Adonis DNA" (he was the recipient of the first one I made).

Hey Dud, at least take it off to sleep, okay?

Interim Activity

2011-03-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who expressed your sympathy about my grandma. I just returned from Michigan and am attempting to return to some sort of routine, which is not easy.

While I take stock of all the copyediting and designing work that needs to be done, here are a few photos from the new book, Simply Circular, which includes a new design and a re-issue of one of my earlier designs.

The Aurora Shrug: Super easy; includes underarm gussets for ease of movement. I'll be wearing this one a LOT this spring. Worked in Manos Silk Blend, niiiiiice. The editor picked the colors, which are even more dramatic than what I suggested in my submission--I love that!

Here's a photo of me wearing it:

Bohemian Rhapsody: Originally published in Circular Knitting Redefined, this version is also worked in Berroco Peruvia, a warm, durable wool available in a fabulous range of colors. It's the same yarn I used for the Johnny Rotten Jacket, and, interestingly, I knit these two within weeks of each other. For two different publishers. Peruvia: The Yarn for Jackets with Lapels.

Grandma

2011-03-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

My grandma died last night, after a day filled with her favorite activities: shopping and going out for lunch. She got home, and her heart stopped. She was 88 (mom, correct me if she wasn't 88).

As a tribute to Grandma Snapper, I've created a flickr set of just a few of the pairs of socks I've knit for her over the past few years: Grandma Socks. No matter how busy I've been, Grandma has received a handknit pair of socks every Mother's Day and every Christmas since I was able to knit socks. Every time I saw her, she would explain that she deliberately walked around her retirement community shoeless, fishing for compliments on the socks. I'm certain that if the compliments were not forthcoming, she actively drew attention to the socks.

When I published Craft Work Knit in September, I gave Grandma a copy. Wait, no, she INSISTED on paying for a copy and put a check in the mail. Again, I'm fairly certain she used her socks to lure her friends and neighbors into her apartment to show it off.

Grandma was an elementary school teacher, in the family tradition. She had a long, fabulous life. I miss her already.

Shame

2011-03-09T18:38:00.001-08:00

Shame
Shame

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It's not designing, its...

2011-03-05T07:07:00.000-08:00

knitting for love!

Behold, a giant project for a loved one that I am attempting to finish before the yarn for my next few designs starts landing on my doorstep. Such tight gauge. So many stitches. Causing some cramping in the left thumb.

Knitting for fun!

BEHOLD! The Lobby Dishcloth, from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which I finally found the time to make. The color scheme reminds me of Batman, which is cool. It goes in the future gifts box; it was such a pleasure to make that I see a pile of these in the future, as time permits.

Knitting for a purpose!

My armband for the One Hundred and Forty Six+ project, commemorating a victim of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. I chose number one, Abraham Binevitz, and found myself wondering who he was, what country he came from, what job he did in the factory, and also thinking about this tragedy and the resulting reforms in light of the movements for democracy and workers' rights all over the world. I suppose it made me feel less powerless in the face of this rush of historical events. If you have about 1.5 hours to make an armband, consider participating; there are a few numbers left.

Now, time to get dressed and walk down to the spanking new yarn store right around the corner from my house (!!!!!!), JP Knit & Stitch.

Oranje Q&A

2011-02-24T17:07:00.001-08:00

Wow, who would have thought that a World Cup-inspired pull-out-all-the-stops crazy vibrant sweater would generate such interest! I've gotten some fabulous questions about yarn choices and modifications. Here are the answers to the most common, as a resource for all of you thinking about making this project. If your question isn't addressed here, feel free to contact me at ann@annweaverknits.com.

1. I really want to make this sweater in the colors you used. Do you have yarn substitutions if I can't get the Bugga!?

First, there's going to be a big Bugga! update soon, which will include a lot of orange. Sanguine Gryphon is going to let me know when the update is ready to go, and I'll be posting here right away! So stay tuned!

Second, there are two fingering weight yarns that immediately comes to mind as orange sub yarns. First, Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in Citrus is very close. Tangelo is also good, and Glazed Pecan is a nice, more subtle option. Alchemy Juniper is a super-saturated fingering weight yarn, and Tangerine is a perfect orange. Please let me know if any of you have more suggestions!

2. I really want to make this sweater, but not in the color you used. Do you have yarns to suggest?

Obviously I strongly support the yarns I mention above. Here are some more great ideas: Louet Gems fingering, Malabrigo Sock (it's plied so it wears better than other Malabrigo yarns), Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino or Sock (whoa), or... support a local indie dyer! Again, if you have specific suggestions or are having success with a yarn I haven't mentioned, let me know!

3. I am afraid of steeking this thing.

You can do it! This is the very first thing I ever steeked. I followed the knitty tutorial by Wendy and it went perfectly. However, SEW YOUR STEEKS. DO NOT CROCHET THEM. How do I know this? I tried to crochet them and there was an, um, emergency. However, I was able to sew them and the emergency was averted. SEW THEM. Unless you're using a really clingy Shetland-type yarn.

3a. But will they really hold in a superwash yarn?

Yes, if you sew them. Do it with a machine and use small stitches. Sew two reinforcing seams if you're worried. And then don't machine wash the sweater, please.

4. I'd like to make my cardigan with long sleeves. Advice?

This should be an easy modification. The sleeves are fitted at the lower arms, so I think you could leave the cast on numbers as they are without worrying about flares. They'll be straight and rather fitted to the elbow. You can work the sleeve hem facings as written, no problem.

To determine the best length for the sleeve, I would measure your arm from the point at which you want the sleeve to end to your underarm. Then take a look at the Oranje schematic, and see how long the sleeve is, as written, for your size. Just add the difference between the two measurements to the beginning of your sleeve, before any shaping. Does this make sense?

5. Can I make this as a pullover?

Certainly! Just omit the steek stitches from the front. Easy as can be. However, you'll want to read on to question 6...

6. How can I create a more open neckline?

You'll have to do this if you choose to make this a pullover, because there's no way that collar (which is meant to be worn with a few buttons open to reveal the striped collar lining) is going over your head, no matter how small your head might be.

You can stop knitting after you finish Chart B (and the following decrease round) for a wide round neck, stop after Chart C for a smaller round neck, or make a larger, funnel-type neck by manipulating your stitch counts to match the charts. Because the stranded motifs are small, it would be relatively easy to change your decrease rates and maintain a stitch count that will work with the patterns.

7. You're wearing a hat in the knitty pictures. What's up?

Yeah, I had a terrible non-haircut. You can make yourself the hat, though! It's The Opie Hat, one of my free patterns! Make one to match your cardigan! It's very sporty, I think.

download now for free!

8. I have some fingering-weight yarns in my stash that I'd like to use for the two contrasting colors in the yoke. Exactly how much of each color will I need?

Ah ha! I knew I kept the piece of scrap paper with these calculations on it for a reason. Here we go. You'll need VERY close to the same amount of both contrasting colors, so I'll list the amount you need of EACH here:

32 inch: 200 yards of each
36 inch: 230 yards of each
40 inch: 260 yards of each
44 inch: 300 yards of each
48 inch: 320 yards of each
52 inch: 370 yards of each
56 inch: 395 yards of each

9. Seeing that this cardigan is knit at a rather loose gauge for fingering weight, how do you think it would turn out in a heavier-weight yarn?

If you've swatched fingering (sock) weight yarn on US #6 needles, you'll see that the fabric it creates is thin and stretchy, but not holey. However, if you get gauge using sport or DK weight yarn, I think that would create a very nice fabric for this sweater; thicker and warmer than fingering weight would. However, I would recommend sizing up to allow yourself some ease. As it is, the sweater is designed to fit with no ease, which works well when the fabric is stretchy, but might not be so great if the fabric is thicker. If I were to make this cardigan in a sport weight yarn I would make myself the size 36 bust, even though I'm a 32 inch bust, because I'd want to have that ease built in.

You could even use worsted weight yarn, but you'll have to do some calculations to account for the larger gauge. You could make a swatch and figure out your stitches and rows per inch in your desired yarn and then knit the size from the pattern that matches the numbers you're getting (this would be my first choice... just figure out how many stitches you'll need to cast on using your yarn, then go with the pattern numbers that are the closest to the number you get. This will save you having to recalculate everything). You'll have plenty of time to figure out your row gauge and how that will affect your yoke while you're knitting the body. If you find that your yoke is going to be a LOT deeper due to row gauge, you could eliminate some rows from the pattern or eliminate some of the plain MC yoke rounds before the charts begin.

10. The knitty tutorial on steeking recommends that you sew the steeks from the top of the garment to the bottom of the garment. Can I sew them from the bottom to the top?

Yes, no problem!

11. Can this cardigan be worked flat to avoid the steeks entirely?

Certainly. If you feel comfortable working stranded knitting flat, you won't have any problems. For the braids you will have to alternate a knit row and a purl row for the actual braid twisting rows (both are worked as purl rows when working in the round). I've never done this before, but a little bit of experimentation should make it clear).

12. It looks like you've done some crochet edging on the steek edges that are turned to the inside of the body. How did you do that?

To make my steek edges neater, I worked a row of single crochet along the inside steek borders (in the undyed color). I've seen versions that used machine-sewn edgings and grosgrain ribbon edgings, which are also nice. Let me rephrase. The grosgrain ribbon facings are super nice. I've been meaning to do this on my Oranje, but as of January 2012 I'm still wearing it too often to find the time.

Whew! Have more questions? Suggestions? Let me know!

ORANJE!!!!!!! (and hooray democracy)

2011-02-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

There's something I've been waiting to share with everyone. The waiting has been difficult.

SURPRISE!!!!!!!

One of my favorite designs ever. And free for you!

On a more serious note.

I know that a lot of people will be looking at my patterns this week, so, after listening to NPR for hours while driving home from New Jersey yesterday, I've decided to donate half the profits from my downloaded patterns (from Craft Work Knit and my individual patterns--found here and here) for the next week to Avaaz, an organization working to "blackout proof" the protests for democracy across the Middle East.

Those of us who live in democratic countries are blessed to have a voice in our government (even if things aren't going the way we like). I'm taking some time to be grateful, and think about those out there brave enough to fight for this right.

Back to the knitting.

I'm off to New Jersey to see all you people!

2011-02-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hooray! It's time once more to get out of Dodge with a bag of books and samples. I'll be at the Blue Purl all day on Saturday with all my samples and signed books. It's part of the Northern New Jersey Yarn Crawl, baby! I know I'll see Karen, and Kim, and I'll be staying with another knitting Ann who was actually the very first person to purchase a hard copy of my book online... it's all just too warm and fuzzy!

So make the trek if you're in Jersey! I sense big fun.

Thanks, Chuck

2011-02-15T21:01:00.001-08:00

"Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work."

--Chuck Close

What a perfect sentiment for these long days at the jobjob and the nights spent with the new, BIG knitting projects. Read more here, and see him on the Colbert Report here.

Color Theory

2011-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

I spend a lot of time thinking about it, and I'm using some precious design downtime to knit several simple projects that illustrate different principles of color theory.

Currently thinking about: Cold-warm contrast and contrast of saturation, with minimal light-dark contrast.

I've recently acquired some new research and inspirational material.

Soon I'll be not only experimenting with it, I'll also be teaching it at Fibre Space this May! If you live in the DC area, this workshop, followed by an Albers Square workshop, is going to be off the hook... picture a big pile of fingering-weight yarns in different colors to use for experimental swatches (for you to keep, duh), a big pile of my own color-theory-based projects, a full set of Color Aid cards, some great books, and a lot of advice.

Now that I'm back to editing full-time, I splurged on a haircut. After discussing the various mo- and faux-hawk styles available to me, my stylist and I decided to go with something between "David Beckham" or the more extreme "wannabe punk bands from the 2000s like that drummer from Blink 182" (yuck). I think it's pretty spot-on.

Magic

2011-01-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

This week I'm still reeling from the latest Mason-Dixon Knitting posts. I've known that Kay and Ann are magic since I purchased their first book, since I started reading their blog (well before I had my own blog).

I was fortunate enough to meet Kay when I was in NYC this December, and it was awesometown. She's far more than just a fabulous knitter and designer; she's the kind of person who makes me want to knit garter stitch exclusively for the next year and take up hand quilting. And read more. And think about design WAY beyond knitted garments. And she's kind, too. After I explained that the Bolt Bus was not "all that" (don't advertise free wi-fi if the signal is too weak t0 support my remote desktop work, please), she mentioned that she was driving to Providence, home of lil' sis Weaver, the evening of my planned departure. So I got a road trip, complete with pit stop at Subway, with Kay's fam and Olive.

Now, for an excuse to visit Nashville and see Ann. Is the snow here an excuse?

Note: I shoveled off that porch later in the afternoon. That was three days ago. My biceps still ache. It's embarrassing. A year ago I was working a job that was comprised of 10-12 hour days of shoveling motions, and these days 45 minutes of it incapacitates me. It's time to get back to the gym.

Reading Kay's post about the Albers projects reawakened the Albers magic in me. I'm doing a few squares in natural shades of laceweight Lopi based on Albers' grayscale work.

Now, a way in which you can pass on your knitting magic to others: Philly Care Caps. I met Crystal, one of the organizers, when I visited Philly this past fall. I'm sending a few simple hats I made from my handspun this past December, during the "down time" I had between book travel and my January-February design frenzy (still in progress).

That little striped Shacketon-style hat on the right is for a little one! Consider donating a few simple hats; they're guaranteed to be appreciated. Pass on the love! Now, back to design frenzy.

Features: "What's Good" and "Did You Know?"

2011-01-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks for the massive response to Big Top! The pattern is now available for sale through my website and Ravelry here.

Second, I've decided to introduce some themes to the blog to encourage me to post more regularly. I present "What's Good Wednesday," in which I talk about knitting-related things that other people are doing that I'm digging. So what's good?

Today I received a package from Skein yarns: Frog and Toad sock in Industrial Age.

A friend of mine visited a few weeks ago and we drank wine and oohed over the Skein colors, and I splurged and bought these. We were enchanted with the name of this colorway and a little tipsy, but wow, what a good call! The colors in the photo are very close to reality. It's difficult to find colors that are on the dark side without being muddy, and this is perfect.

Oooh! ETA: Skein is having a big store update on Friday, Jan. 28, at 2 pm Sydney, Australia time.

Another new feature around here is going to be "Did You Know?". Perfect example: Did you know that RuPaul's Drag Race Season Three began last Monday? If you've been reading this blog for the past two years you know how I feel about that show, loca, please!

And, thanks to the fact that the copy editing business is slow, I get to sit on the couch, have a drink, knit, and watch it ALL, without any worries about having to go out with my horrible non-haircut (partial unemployment and occasional copy editing aren't financing a haircut these days). Can I get an a-men up in here?

Easy Garter Stitch Yipes Stripes

2011-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

As a respite from my current design work, which has, in the past two days, involved my very first steeking experience and knitting the body of a cardigan in a linen yarn that is killing my hands (it feels like dental floss, I swear, but after washing and drying it feels amazing), I present my latest super-easy pattern: BIG TOP.

My superstar mom modeled it while I was in Michigan for the holidays.

I actually finished this scarf months ago. Here I am wearing it in Ithaca:

I love the pattern-on-pattern look; this scarf is great for a "yipes stripes" effect. Want to make one?

ETA: Wow, people. I sent out about 100 Big Top patterns for the 1-day giveaway, so please, knit them up and send photos! And thanks for reading!

The pattern is now available for $5. You know you want one.

ENJOY!

Stop Traffic!!!

2011-01-12T08:12:00.001-08:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who shared boot and clothing stories. I'm now fixated on getting a pair of Grenson Brogues for myself.

This fall I was able to squeeze out a few handknit presents. My favorite: mitts for my Dud, whose hands get ridiculously cold in the winter (we think it has something to do with altered circulation after his spinal cord injury). In any case, I was inspired by a policeman directing traffic one day on my drive to work, so I made him these. And I made him pose as if he was directing traffic.

Then I told him, "LOOK MORE CONVINCING!"

He was a little bit cranky because it was cold and raining outside. Here's a closeup:

The yarn is Madelinetosh DK in Graphite and Edison Bulb that I purchased at Little Knits on my Seattle trip this fall. I made up the pattern on the go and ended with a braid.

Everything Old Is New Again but Made to Look Old

2011-01-06T09:49:00.001-08:00

Manufacturing gets me down. Above, my Doc Martens from 1991. Made in England, purchased from a mail-order company in California because at the time I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Doc Martens weren't available there. My first big purchase with the wages of my first real job: School Janitor. They cost $110. I was 14.

I wore them everywhere in high school, then in college, after which I began to alternate them with several other pairs of favorite boots. They've been with me for over half my life, have lived in every city I have, and have even traveled overseas with me.

Because I love them, and because they are looking very worn, I looked into buying a new pair, a black pair. I learned that they are now made in China (I was tipped off that something was wrong when I realized they cost just a bit more than $110 now, 20 years later). You can even buy them with a "worn" look. Behold.

There's a "remarkable wearing-in process" taking place in Chinese factories to produce boots of mediocre quality (NOW I realize why so many people have recently told me that their Doc Martens fell apart very quickly. I wondered what they could possibly be doing to their shoes). That's so sad to me.

It looks like I still have a chance to purchase the black ones I want from the original factory here. I'll take 20 years of boot made in England for $100 more; would you?

Oh nooooo 2011!

2011-01-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

When attempting to take a photo of my sister wearing a brand new Wham Bam Thank You Lamb cowl that I whipped up out of some black Schaefer Kathleen, this happened to my camera:

Okay, so the camera dates back to 2004, but post-holidays is never a great time for unexpected expenses. Fortunately I got some nice photos of a few simple designs I'll be publishing over the next month or so, including this one:

As soon as I can get this into my new InDesign template, it will be up!

The Design That Ate My Fall

2010-12-20T18:51:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few of the swatches of my very first intensely cabled design. I worked on this project while at Rhinebeck, in Itaca, in Toronto, and at various events in Boston. I worked and ripped and worked some more. Finally, the finished product, modeled outside the Mutter Museum in Philly:

The other day I got the awesome photos from the Sanguine Gryphon:

It's called Ambergris, named after a chapter of my favorite novel, Moby Dick. I created it for the Sanguine Grphyon's winter line of patterns. I wanted to use traditional fisherman's sweater cables and construction, with a decidedly whale-based theme (whale tail cables up the front, rope and chain cables, and even little harpoon-like ribbing up the sides) and a fitted, flattering shape for women.

It's worked in Free Range, a DK-weight organic wool that is FABULOUS, and is sized from 34" to 54" busts. The sample is modeled by two people who each have a 32" bust, so it's modeled with about 2" of positive ease in the photos above. You can purchase the pattern here. It's a really fun knit, and made me feel super accomplished.

Gimme gimme gimme, I need, I need

2010-12-19T19:06:00.001-08:00

Am I the only one who feels like everyone needs something from me as the holidays approach? That every company is going for some final little push before vacation? If you're sort of a freelancer like I am, that's a whole lot of little demands.

My weekend was full of editing and knitting work, but all from the comfort of my couch.

Add Christmas tree and Yule Log. It's just about manageable.

Button Coil How-To

2010-12-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

The Button Coil: I've gotten a lot of questions about this one, and I've seen a lot of eyes glaze over as I demonstrate it at trunk shows. This post is a step-by-step explanation of the cowl/scarf/coil. With buttons. Here's the original, which was worked in Dream in Color Classy Worsted in Good Luck Jade. It takes about 2 skeins, and was knit on US size 8 needles.

The Button Coil is knit as a long, cabled strip. The cable does not look the same on both sides, but it is visually interesting on both sides (see the fourth photo below for a good look at the reverse side). I believe this is an important characteristic for a casually worn accessory like this, because who wants to think about how to style this thing? Pull it on and KNOW it looks good!

I recently completed a second Button Coil. This one is worked in Sundara DK Silky Cashmere, which creates a very different drape from the original version. I went down to US size 7 needles for this version, and I used two skeins.

If you look closely to the left of the cables, you can see the buttonholes that are worked in the ribbed edging.

Once you've knit your long strip, it's time for the best part: choosing buttons. I was fortunate to have my Button Coil with me at Rhinebeck, where I found the purple glass "eyeball" buttons below at the Shipyard Point Glassworks booth. They didn't have 12 buttons of this type on hand at the show, but it was very easy to custom order them! They arrived a few weeks later. Perfect.

(Note that there are actually 15 buttons below. I have no idea how I determined that I needed 15 buttons rather than 12, but now I have three extras for a future project.)

Line up the buttons across from the buttonholes as indicated in the pattern. Mark the points at which to sew the buttons, and sew them on.

When the buttons are attached, you are ready to button. With the button edge on top (as shown below) and the buttonhole edge on the bottom, coil the strip around, matching the first buttonhole with the first button you encounter. Note: This is how to wrap the coil as tightly as possible. It can be wrapped more loosely, more sparsely, or not at all. Also note how nice the reverse side of the cable looks. Super!

Continue to coil and button, matching the buttonholes with the buttons.

You can get up to three wraps!

And the final product!

This piece has a more luxurious feel to it than the original, thanks to the ultra soft yarn and exquisite buttons, which make little clicky glass sounds as they touch. Wear with your army surplus jacket, your black wool coat, or your grey hoodie and yellow striped t-shirt.

The pattern is available as an individual download for $5 here, and is also included in the Craft Work Knit book and ebook. Enjoy!

No. Sleep. Til Brooklyn!!!

2010-12-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

Toromorrow I catch the bus to NYC, get a haircut and a dye job at Astor Place Hairstylist (my hairstylist from 1995 to 1999), talk at Knitty City, go out for drinks with anyone who's up for it, and crash at a hostel in Brooklyn! In the NYC area? Come see me!

Get your Albers Shawl for $44.40

2010-11-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

So I was just browsing the Web, looking at yarn colors and fibers for some new designs, and noticed that Purl Soho has Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb, the yarn I used for the Albers Shawl, on sale for $11.10 a ball. One ball in each of four colors and you'll have hours and hours and HOURS AND HOURS of knitting entertainment, and someday a finished object that people will want to buy right off you.

I feel like I just found a great yard sale or something.

Check it out.

The pattern is here. That's a total of $49.40. Just sayin.

Weaverknits is not a lifestyle

2010-11-22T22:07:00.001-08:00

Today at work, post-5 hours sleep: Realized I was wearing skinny jeans, old boots, a huge Russian sailor's jersey from a military surplus store in Helsinki, and a faded black hoodie covered with cat hair. Why? Why? Called into all-staff meeting.

Later realized sailor jersey was on backwards and Cyrillic tag had been protruding from front of neck.

Had a fabulous trip to Philly and realized that this is basically the only photo I took.

More on Philly after a good. night's. sleep.

Some Scarves for You!

2010-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

Lookit! I just got my copy of the new book, Simple Hip Knit Scarves, and I have two designs inside. Look, that's one of them rolled up on the green background (love this photo). Both are simple, stripey things, perfect to knit for gifts or for yourself. Stormy Weather, below, took me all of 2 days to knit. It has a bumpy, reversible stripe pattern and fringe, and it's super long! I love that.

The second design is Bryant Park, more of a kerchief than a scarf, meant to be looped or tied as an accent piece... however, wrapped several times, this would be very warm with a winter coat. The stripes on the bias use a slipped-stitch pattern, so you only use one yarn in a given row and, though it's knit on small (US 4) needles, it move along quickly. The pattern is both written and charted.

Enjoy! I got my samples back and am wearing them all the time!

Good news all around!

2010-11-10T19:52:00.000-08:00

Ripped from the headlines... TORONTO!

I was there for a week, and had a trunk show at Lettuce Knit, where you can now find my book if you missed me!

And, in pants news, this just in from Amy:

pants is still in process. I have however acquired one pair. They are supposed to be 3/4-length, but I can wear them ankle-length. The length might be a bit awkward/too short for flat footwear but look good with heals or tucked into boots. The waist-to-hip ratio is absolutely perfect!! They are ralph lauren. Although very un-cheap, they are not, not, not the pair by the same brand that also fit me like a magic glove but cost $998!! I really need to find an outlet.

In other efforts to cover my legs, I guess I will buy more skirts. I've also gotten excited about a pair of those cute woolen shorts! For jeans I'm planning to dredge the racks of Forever 21 (where my one pair of current jeans are from). Bloggers should know that this joe's jeans brand (especially the 'honey/booty fit', apparently that's what it's called!) has been suggested not only by a blog responder, but also two store clerks, and a random shopper, so we must be onto something! I will check it out, though jeans run $150-$200 and i really need to be more frugal after my one indulgence...

Amy

More on Toronto soon. Meanwhile, if you're in the Boston area, what are YOU doing this week? I'll be talking at the Stoneham Knitter's Guild tomorrow night, and will be having a trunk show at Yarns in the Farms this Saturday, November 13. Why don't you come to one or both?

Pants.

2010-10-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

Perhaps some of you, my readers, have insight about pants. Below is a conversation with my friend Amy. We need help.

Ann,

My dear stylist, what does one would wear for pants these days? I am just waking up from my FoggyBottom coma and I need help dressing myself. I have no pants.

Yesterday I spent 4 hours going to 2 malls (this is the way one shops in Atlanta). I was armed with macys and bloomingdale and loft gift cards, hoping to find 3 pairs of casual-nice pants to wear for normal social activities and maybe another pair of teaching/conference pants. I wondered around like a zombie finding tons of beadazzled jeans, black dress pants, and polyester bell-bottoms. I came home empty-handed, remain virtually pant-less, and unsure how to proceed except to avoid social activity.

I'm going to try my shopping spree again the next time I'm in a northeastern city. But, I'm feeling lost and thought I'd ask your trusted insight first: What does one wear these days? Where does one shop for pants? If I were a paper doll, what would you clip onto my legs? What's on your legs? How about the legs of other women who look good?

Whenever this activity tempts you, if you might find it fascinating, let me know!! Amy

Dear Amy,

Oh lord, pants. I have been thinking about your message for days, alternately laughing and sighing. I have very little to offer you for advice, having found my pant niche about a year ago. I either wear very cheap skinny jeans from the Macy's Junior's department (they're about $30 a pair and made to fit my adolescent boy-type figure) or woman's Dickies classic work pants. I own one extremely expensive pair of wide-leg black wool pants that I wear for all occasions for which skinny jeans or Dickies are not appropriate.

However, aside from the extremely expensive pants, these are probably not the most flattering options for your curvy, shortish body.

Would you mind if I post your dilemma on my blog? I think others will have suggestions, and, even if they don't, will be amused by and identify with the struggle for pants.

your stylist, lost in the world of pants,
Ann

Looking through my photostream, it seems that I am always wearing the same pair of Dickies, to be honest. Those of you who have met me know this to be true.

That last one is from Rhinebeck, in my Vert & Horiz sweater, with Kara Gott Warner, editor for DRG publications and Creative Knitting. Check out our shared sense of eyewear and haircut style!

The point is, though, these Dickies have gone from work pants to all-occasion pants.

What do YOU do for pants???

I'll be home when I'm sleeping

2010-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Was at Rhinebeck (Gale was there taking photos, she's so cool... and I got to be in the photo with the "Rhineck" sign! Note that in the photo above I'm posing with my sample at the Sanguine Gryphon booth, which was mobbed), was home for 3.5 days, put in a 30-hour week at the job, drove to Ithaca (you can see a bit about that on my flickr site), had adventures...

Look how cute Chris was modeling his Grundy during Rhinebeck.

Driving home from Ithaca on Monday I realized I was overtired when the Bob Seger song Roll Me Away came on the radio and I just started crying. Bob Seger + overtired Ann = emotions totally out of proportion to the situation at hand. I'm tearing up now thinking about that bit about the young hawk flying... more posting later. Sleep now.

Can't hardly wait.

I love Seattle THIS ..... MUCH!!!

2010-10-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

A warning: At the moment I am writing from a fog of sleep deprivation. Somehow, over the past seven days, I have managed to complete a 46-hour freelance editing job, in addition to working 30 hours at my regular job and being in Seattle for 3 of them doing knitting book-related things. So that's where I'm at. But I want to update all of you before I crash, wake up to watch Project Runway, crash again, wake up tomorrow morning, and head down to Rhinebeck. That's right, I'll be there, and I'll have books with me for anyone who's interested!

Don't expect to see me at the big shindigs, though. I need some serious recovery time. If you want to be sure to meet up, just email me your contact info and I'll text you! I don't want to miss out on meeting anyone, but I know that large groups will be just the thing to push me over the edge I'm walking right now.

So. Seattle. I love you guys. The Seattle Knitters' Guild was an unbelievably warm, engaged, and talented group of knitters. Perhaps they will publish some photos from my talk (I wasn't very good about taking photos. Really).

I did some other yarn store touring, too. Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island (one of the only photos I took while in Seattle is that one at the top of the post, out the ferry window as he sun came out) was beautiful but pricey. I did purchase their Turkish Bed Socks pattern and some perfect Koigu for a pair, though. However, the Blackbird Bakery next door was my favorite stop. And I'm picky when it comes to bakeries. This one was a winner.

Of course I have to endorse the really amazing shop where my friend Hannah works, The Fiber Gallery. What. A. Selection. Wow. They now carry my book! Look, here it is! You can go purchase it in person! (Speaking of, there are a few small, local places that will be carrying my book, and I am thrilled. More on that later).

Then I taught an Albers Square log cabin knitting workshop (which was really fun; I'll be teaching it again at Knitting Etc. in Ithaca in two weeks) and had a trunk show at Little Knits, which is this incredibly luscious, colorful place... more tempting in person than online, if that's possible. My new in-person friend Vanessa took a few photos of the show and one of us... look, she looks lovely wearing a Transverse Cardigan, and I'm looking stylish but a little peaked, I think. (Okay, but look at all that roving behind us. That's just the roving. There is Madelinetosh yarn tucked into every nook of this place... just go to the Little Knits site, see the colors they have, and imagine them all there right in front of you. And if you're there, they also carry my book, so pick one up along with all your yarn).

Speaking of, I can't believe I wrote all that. It's time for a nap. I hope to see many of you this weekend! I'll be the tired-looking one with the big glasses, most likely wearing my Vert & Horiz, with husband in tow wearing his Grundy and probably a knit accessory as well and carrying a bag of books.

Automobile Trauma and Seattle Trip

2010-10-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Seeing that I'll be in Seattle from next Tuesday through Sunday, I decided to get into work as quickly as possible on Friday to try to accomplish as much as I could before leaving. So I took the car to cut my commute time in half.

And the car died.

In the left turn lane, in an intersection, on a very busy avenue, during rush hour. With my hazards on, while enduring honking and screaming and verbal abuse, I attempted to call AAA, Chris, and work, all the while screaming back at passing cars that NO I CANNOT MOVE MY CAR DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD IF I COULD, MY CAR IS DEAD. Twenty thoroughly traumatic minutes later, minutes that included a truck sideswiping my car while verbally abusing me, a cop arrived and helped diffuse some of the verbal abuse, followed by a heavyset grumpy man (whom I considered a superhero) from Boston Public Works, who used a tremendous truck to pull my poor Volvo from the intersection, followed by the tow truck.

After that experience, the $618 repair bill didn't cause me the slightest bit of stress. It was actually a relief to know that I now have a car in perfect working order that I can drive to Rhinebeck (yes, I'll have books with me), and then to Ithaca the next weekend for a trunk show at Knitting Etc.

But Tuesday I leave for Seattle! I'll be talking to the Knitter's Guild on Wednesday evening (Oct. 6... the blurb about my talk says, "Punk Rock, Bread, and Classic Design with a Twist," which I LOVE) about my experiences designing and self-publishing (and, of course, have all sorts of knits to try on and books to purchase), and then I'll have my books and garments at Little Knits for a trunk show and workshops on Thursday and Saturday. So if you're in the Seattle area, stop by! You can read more details here.

Saturday was my first trunk show, at Windsor Button... above are a few shots of the display. Thanks to everyone who came by! It was so much fun!

NEW WEBSITE!

2010-09-26T08:51:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone!

I now have an official website, thanks to my friend and former contractor cubicle-neighbor Josh.

Here it is.

And another thing: Andrea, who knit the majority of the Albers Shawl, has this really lovely interview with me and a GIVEAWAY for a copy of the ebook on her site, so check it out here!

So much going on; I'll be posting most days this week with more updates! Yay!

MORE new designs! And info!

2010-09-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! My all-new website is THIS CLOSE to being up, hard copies of the book are on their way to me and should arrive tomorrow, and the nice folks at Ravelry are going to assemble the individual patterns there into an ebook. I was hoping to get everything all set tonight, but, frankly, I'm tired. So check it.

So here's more new! I did a design for the Sanguine Gryphon's fall Steampunk line of patterns. Here it is, the Possum Belly Hobo, a zippered jacket with tall asymmetrical collar, lots of buttons, and RIVETS. The pattern also includes full instructions and schematics for both man's and woman's versions, because this is a fitted piece and men and women have different proportions. It's knit in QED, which is 100% BFL worsted AMAZING.

So, not as cool in terms of styling, but here are a few photos of me wearing the woman's version that show the details. The color of this one is Imad Ul-Din.

On the woman's version, the rivets accent the body darts that shape the waist. Don't fear rivets! A rivet gun costs about $15, and you may just be inspired by other things you find in the hardware store. Note: Yes, this is the sweater Chris was grinding.

I didn't knit the man's sweater, Andrea did. Thanks, Andrea! Because I have no idea what I was thinking when I made a submission that involved two adult jackets knit in pieces with two completely different sets of calculations! Go me! Here's a back view; the rivets on the man's version are set in straight lines.

Here's the asymmetrical front! The color here is Tagmata. You have got to see these colors in person. They are to die for. And the twist of the yarn, oh, the twist. If anyone wants to buy me a present, I really enjoy Book Lungs, yup, I'm likin' it.

The jacket body is knit in one piece to the armholes, at which point the fronts and back are worked separately. The sleeves are worked in the round and joined to the body after the shoulders are seamed. I would rate this pattern "intermediate" because it does involve shaping, seaming, and assembly, but a lot of the knitting is simple back and forth, so go for it!

I loved the Sanguine Gryphon yarns and vision so much that I'm working on another design for their winter line, which is BOOK based!

One final note: I did not sufficiently thank Emily in my previous post for knitting the Death Race sweater. When I saw Death Race, the movie, on TV, I had already knit TWO of the other version of the pattern, called Le Mans and coming in the next post, one for the baby downstairs and one for the book, and just didn't have time or desire to make another. Thanks, Emily... your intarsia and finishing ROCKS!

Death Race and Albers Cowl

2010-09-20T17:46:00.001-07:00

The next two designs from Craft Work Knit are:

Death Race: A baby jacket inspired by that jacket Jason Statham wears in the movie of the same name. It's knit in pieces, includes very simple intarsia, and is sized from 3 to 24 months.

Here Leo, our new downstairs neighbor who's just 3 months old, models it. The fact that Leo's parents were expecting was what got me thinking about designing stuff for babies!

He's a little sleepy in that second photo. As his dad said, "The star is fading."

Next, the Albers Cowl, modeled by my lovely mother:

It's the first in a series of patterns that were inspired by Josef Albers' Portrait of a Square paintings. I worked hard to get the proportions just like those of Albers' paintings. The cowl is created by knitting three squares and seaming them together.

This is all about going crazy with the color choices (and using up fingering weight yarn leftovers)!

It's coming soon. Any day now...

CRAFT WORK KNIT: Go Dutch!

2010-09-18T11:15:00.001-07:00

It starts with a whisper...

Behold, the first pattern in Craft Work Knit, the Go Dutch! mittens I started so long ago, made even more relevant by the Netherlands' performance in the 2010 World Cup! I just happened to be watching this match live in a pub in Rotterdam this summer. GO DUTCH!

These mittens are knit in the round, using stranded knitting that, for a few rows, involves three colors. I like the graphic effect of the traditional braid at the cuffs and the more modern arrow pattern (which I chose to indicate speed and momentum!).

Where can I get this book and pattern? you may ask. My website will be live in the next week and books will be available for order! Ebooks and individual patterns will be available for download soon after. For now, just... get excited. I have 11 projects to show you and will post one every day or two until it's all out there!

Brave New Knits trunk show Saturday!

2010-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

If anyone's in the Boston area, I'll be part of a trunk show for the book Brave New Knits this Saturday, September 11, from 12-3 at Windsor Button. Come see all the samples, try them on, talk to Julie, me, and probably some other Boston-area designers, and the vast selection of yarn at Windsor Button.

Now that the book samples are done, I found the time to knit some socks! They're my adaptation of Nancy Bush's Hiiumaa Mismatched Mates, striped in such a way as to use remnants of two skeins of sock yarn. They're a gift and are out the door this afternoon... I owe a lot of people a lot of things for helping me with the book!

Did you know: In addition to being a graphic designer, my Lil Sis creates crocheted accessories and garments without patterns? I'm working with her to write down some of her notes so that maybe others can make them, too. I mean, look at this!

new new new

2010-08-31T19:37:00.001-07:00

Brave New Knits is out. I'll post the far more sedate photos from the book later.

And check this out, too. New new new.

33

2010-08-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

For my 33rd birthday, I sent my book to the printer for proof copies at 10:30 pm!

Then Chris made me birthday cookies with a lit match in place of a candle.

I visited my family in Michigan this past weekend, and we celebrated with this cake (Dud's 60th birthday, Mom's 60th birthday, my 33rd birthday, the upcoming book, all Lil Sis's success):

And I started a business, officially.

To top it all off, I still fit into my junior high graduation dress from 1989.

Isn't it cool that my digital camera managed to take this old-timey film mistake photo?

Brave New Knits preview stuff about ME!

2010-08-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I just received the best little present in my Inbox... an email from Julie letting me know that she's featured me in her latest Designer Spotlight for her upcoming book, Brave New Knits!

Check it out. And just wait until I can show you photos of my project. The inspiration is here.

So that's where I'm at.

2010-08-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

Book content is almost done. T-minus 6 days until it's off to the printer for a draft copy...

I made a pie chart about my life these past few weeks.

So that's where I'm at.

The GUUS!

2010-08-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the Guumon show at the Jamaica Plain Art Market. If you're in the Boston area, it will be up until August 15! Here's a glimpse of all the Custom Guus made by different artists.

Check out more photos of the event on my Flickr page, and on the Guumon page.

And look, I found time to knit a washrag for a wedding gift!

I started a second one, too, but it languished in my bag for too long and turned into a snarl.

Then I was too sick to go to the wedding today.

That is all.

Honey, would you help me grind my sweater?

2010-08-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Most likely the first,
but certainly not the last
time a knitwear designer asks this question.

Things that encourage me to just keep knitting right now

2010-07-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

... since I can see, off in the distance, the end of the sample knitting for the book. Some inspiration for what I will knit next:

Folktale Patchwork Handspun (I just purchased two skeins after waiting several months for Abby, the fiber artist behind Folktale, to reopen her shop after a move). There will be a project in the book using this yarn (I ideally wanted to use my own handspun, but time constraints prevented me. Plus, I like to share products that I love and that others can purchase).

The new Rowan. The cover alone makes me want to knit, makes me happy that I do knit. I actually have the yarns to make that scarf. Today, after 13 hours of work yesterday and four hours of sleep last night, I feel confident that I will make the dress, too. Thinking about what shoes I will wear with it gets me part way there, right?

For some book project updates, see Andrea's blog. She's been a champion with the garter stitch. You'll see... there's. a. lot. of it.

Bedtime! Thanks for the awesome comments about my interview!

I complete a thoughful interview on the topic of knitting design!

2010-07-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Robin Hunter interviewed me on her blog and I managed to stay on the topic of knitting!

Two of the photos include new stuff that will be in my book... just a hint, though!

By the way, does anyone else like Crows? I'm a bit concerned about what this "LAST CHANCE" sign means... are they being discontinued? Or is the Wallgreens in Central Square, Cambridge just going to stop carrying them? Because that is the only store in the Boston area where I have found Crows, and yes, I do stock up when I'm in Central Square.

Nordic Style Custom

2010-07-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

I got to do some fabulously absurd knitting for a show this August:

In the Boston area on August 5? Come check out my friend Brian's Guus and what a lot of other artists have done with them! You can see details of my contribution here.

Oh, and I'm in the new Knitscene, too, and my project has the honor of being the only one modeled by a guy (yay!), as well as that of being one of the only garments that is not being tugged, pulled, or otherwise fiddled with by the model. Everyone! Get your hands off your garments! Are all these poses hiding poor construction or poor fitting, or are they just bad poses? Who knows? Just cut it out!

Back to the hat. This is an awesome hat, cozy and fitted, nice and tight around the ears. It's all in the round, can be made in any worsted-weight yarns, and the ribbing pattern is so intuitive you'll hardly have to look at the pattern! I love it! I almost forgot I made it, but here it is!

Vacation in Review: The Knitting

2010-07-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

What with the upcoming book, I knit whenever I could while on vacation on some big projects. Sometimes the knitting was accompanied by a lot of beer.

To start the trip off on a good note, this was the scene on our first morning in Iceland, after about four hours of sleep during a night that did not get dark. I accidentally put sugar in Chris' coffee, which he hates. Look how stunned he is. Adorable.

That's lace-weight Lopi in front of him; $2 a skein; each skein is about 325 yards.

Of course we visited the Englishe Garten in Munich. I knit when the beer arrived:

While consuming the beer (my knitting appears to amuse me at this point):

And while moving on to the second liter of beer:

I went and took a nap in the grass soon after this photo was taken.

I knit after we hiked up to Blaueishutte in the Alps (1680 meters); a pretty serious hike. We stayed overnight in a big room filled with bunk beds called the "Lager." Don't worry, there is a beer in front of me at this point, it's just not in the photo:

I knit while waiting for the riders in the Tour de France to pass by on Day 1... some three-color stranded work at this point:

And here they come! As Chris notes, my boyfriend is in the front (he's won the yellow jersey for the past 6 days, but has also won the yellow jersey for cuteness):

I'm actually watching the ride live from my couch right now. Will it be a 7th day in yellow for my boyfriend, or will Contador make a move?

I am back

2010-07-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

from here and here.

Seriously, I got to watch every Tour de France rider go RIGHT BY ME over a bridge in Rotterdam a few days ago!

Back to the grind under the nSight sign tomorrow.

Knitting it is!

2010-06-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

I promised photos... here are photos! Teasing photos!

There is garter stitch.

For more and better garter stitch photos, see Andrea's blog here. She's sample knitting massive garter stitch and has much better photos that I do!

There's also yellow. Of course. And swatches. Alpaca swatches.

There is one sleeve completed at the pub during Germany vs. Australia yesterday. 4-0!!! GO GERMANY!!!

Sample Knitter: Do you have mad finishing skills? Intarsia knowledge?

2010-06-10T07:34:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for all the support! I have a sample knitter for this garment!

Please, however, do email me if you are interested in sample knitting. I have many, many projects of various sizes coming up in mid-July, and I'm keeping a spreadsheet of volunteer sample knitters for upcoming work. Just let me know your ravelry name and/or blog address and the sorts of things you feel comfortable knitting or particularly like to knit! My email is: weaverknits77@gmail.com.

I promise: PHOTOS OF KNITTING in the next post.

ISO Sample Knitters!

2010-06-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

Helloooo blog readers! I know some of you have mentioned test knitting for me in your comments, and the time has come! Here are the details (I have also posted these to my Friends of Weaverknits group on Ravelry (did you know I have one? You can join it here).

Here is the general spiel:

I’m working on a self-published collection of patterns that I hope to complete by the end of August. Though I have been firmly committed to knitting every stitch of every design I create myself, for this book there are a few pieces that I am just not going to have time to finish. So here are the details:

You will not be TEST knitting; you will be SAMPLE knitting. The pattern you receive will be technically edited when you receive it, and will be something that I have already knit, most likely in a different size/color scheme/with variations. That being said, the pattern may not be perfect, so be on the lookout for anything that is unclear or incorrect.
Because this is sample knitting, the work must be PERFECT. It will be coming on trunk shows with me and photographed for the publication.
A bummer: You will not get to keep your sample. I will need it for quite some time, and it will likely be handled by a lot of people.

So here’s the deal: I’m going to be posting individual requests for individual projects. What I can offer you:

Payment via PayPal or personal check. The amout of payment will depend on the project you knit.
Credit in the publication for your knitting, as well as a link to your blog/store/whatever you like.

I will send you the yarn for your sample, and send you the pattern electronically.

Here's the first project!

The first project has been assigned! WOW!!! Tune in for more!!!

My family

2010-06-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is my mom and dud, recently in the news:

Just saying.

Post-deadline fatigue

2010-06-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm through with you, Size 4 16-inch circular needles.

I have absolutely no knitting to show you. I have just completed two accessory designs, and the patterns for them, over the past five days. Not because I procrastinated, no, it was because I only had FIVE DAYS once the yarn arrived. It hurts, it hurts me!!!

Behold the trash that has accumulated at my jobjob bus stop. When I started this job 3 1/2 weeks ago, the trash collection included only those two large styro cups with the orange straws. Now there's a new element nearly every day. It's nice to have things to watch.

As a break from knit-fest Memorial Day weekend, Chris and I picked strawberries. We now have gallons of flash-frozen strawberries, 23 jars of jams, and have consumed a lot of strawberry slump. If you read that link, note that the slump is the same as the grunt. Heh heh.

Custom Mittens

2010-05-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

My contribution to Guumon. Details of the project to come!

In Between

2010-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

is where I get my knitting done these days. I have a big train-bus commute to the New Job (which is officially going "fine," but I would be lying if I said I weren't having some trouble adjusting, including a moment yesterday where I ran into a few coworkers in the kitchen and said, "I just need more work to do, you know? Do you have any work for me to do? Because I can't work like this. I need work to do. What can I do?"). So I call the commute "Ann's Knitting Factory."

Behold, 4 sleeves for baby jackets, displayed by the first shoots of our brand-new flower boxes! It's my own design, to be released in the fall. One pair of sleeves for the baby gift, one pair for the sample.

And a pair of booties, the shower gift for the same baby. I think the sole looks like an eyeball. I love it.

Ann's Knitting Factory is opening up a lot of possibilities for me. I believe I'll be able to have the collection I desire ready to publish in September... hopefully 7 patterns in e-book or magazine format. Reasonably priced. And TOTALLY UNDER MY CONTROL. I don't want to disparage publishing in magazines and books AT ALL, but there comes a point where I want full control over my yarn, my models, my photos, my layout, all of it, 100% what I want. It's coming.

48 hours

2010-05-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

On the morning of Saturday, May 8, I was pulling hundreds and hundreds of baguettes out of the oven around 8 am.

On the morning of Monday, May 10, I was arriving at NEW New Job and settling in at my "desk" in my new position as Editorial Assistant. Here is the building.

And here is my "desk" area.

You may ask yourself, "how did I get here?"

Don't worry, I'm not done baking. My current job was unsustainable at the pace it was running (look at my pants in the first photo. Those pants fit me perfectly two months ago and on Saturday I had to keep pulling them up); the bakery is going to be sold and under new management, and, when that happens, I can go back if I want.

The day I realized that New Bakery Job was going to kill me, I got a call from a firm that does all manner of editing, a firm where I had interviewed months before but had been told I was an "unusual" candidate who would be difficult, but maybe not impossible, to place.

Well, there was a place for me. I'm working at least through the summer, and then I'll reevaluate.

And if you're wondering if I miss baking, know that I cried while I mixed my last preferment on Saturday morning.

What can be accomplished when one is unemployed

2010-05-07T15:43:00.000-07:00

After I was fired last year, before the bakery job, I had a LOT of time to knit. And, fortunately, I had a lot of offers to design for publications. Finally, I can show you two sweaters I designed and knit during that period... I believe I did both of them, patterns and all, in about a month. Without further ado, two designs from the just-published book Circular Knitting Redefined:

First, the "Jacob's Ladder" pullover, a standard round neck sweater knit from the bottom up. I knit the sample in Terra from The Fibre Company, which was a treat. I was thrilled that the editor of the book let me use both the yarns and colors in which I submitted my designs (or very close substitutes).

Next up is the "Bohemian Rhapsody" jacket (not my name! Not the name I would have chosen! However, it makes me hum or sing a little of the Queen song every time I think about it... "he's just a poor boy from a poor family..."). An intermediate-level piece, this is the first in a series of sweaters I've designed and continue to design modeled after a man's suit jacket. Again, I got to use the very colors I desired, and I'm really proud of the result. For those of you interested in the design process, here's the sketch for my submission for this jacket. Note the unrefined sketching techniques:

Aside from the fact that it contains my patterns, I highly recommend the book. There are over 40 designs, the photos (as you can see) are SO clear, timeless, and styled to show off the garment (there are several detail photos for each piece that are also extremely well done). The schematics are awesome as well.

In other news, I have a New Job. A NEW new job. I start Monday. Tonight is my last shift at the bakery I've come to call "The Gulag"... 10 pm to 8 am tomorrow... so I have to go rest up. More soon!

Inspirations

2010-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lots of submissions due these days. Lots of projects, too. Oh, and it looks like I'll have a new job soon, a job that hopefully isn't actively trying to kill me, like I'm convinced my current job is.

What I'm thinking about while I'm working:

I just saw the Sex Pistols movie, The Filth and the Fury. Look, Johnny Rotten is wearing mohair!

Josef Albers

Scarves like this (this one is from Savers, but I'm thinking about some knit versions in various yarn weights and fibers):

Looking at that photo reminds me: The other day at work I stayed late and saw some of the early morning customers come in for their bread. A sweet little old man said that I looked like a "nice young man." He was incredulous when I told him that I was a 32-year-old female and said I looked 18 or 19! What do you think? I took this picture as soon as I got home and showered. What a compliment, right?

Dear New Job,

2010-04-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Only 7 weeks ago you were the next step on my bread baking adventure.

I like you, New Job, but you are not what you seemed. Why have all the bakers, aside from the bakery owner, myself, and an intern from cooking school, quit or been fired in these 7 weeks? I know I've worked a few nights by myself now, but I'm trashed. Spent. Exhausted. Hangry (hungry-angry).

I'm about to come see you again tonight, New Job. Be kind.

Moss and Ferns, let me be, I have work to do!

2010-04-12T15:26:00.001-07:00

My latest knitting obsession, creating moss and fern textures and patterns in knit fabric. This shawl distracted me from designs and gifts with approaching deadlines; now it's done and I can get some work done!
I've already planned and swatched for the next moss and fern project, but I'm not allowed to start until a few other projects are complete. At that point I'll write up the pattern for this shawl, too. It's going to take some time, since it isn't a "plug in stitches from the stitch dictionary" project... I just winged it and ripped whenever it got off course. Until then, here's another shot.

I'm loving the colors: Louet Gems fingering in Goldenrod for the main color, and some very saturated Sundara Sock Yarn for the blue contrasting bits.

What's new, stomach flu?

2010-04-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

I've been hiding out in bed feeling sorry for myself the past two days, without the energy to even sit up and knit much. But here I am, at the computer, with an empty digestive system and plans to return to the bakery tonight. Some things that happened before I got sick:

Orange Chiffon Cake for Easter! Yes, I do bake when I'm not at work, but I don't bake bread at home anymore.

New design in progress (a shawl design inspired by my love of moss! When I was a kid I would make a "moss garden" every summer... I would explore around my grandparents' cabin and collect all the different sorts of moss I could find and arrange them in this big green tupperware bowl filled with dirt) with Guumon to customize for a show in June.

That's it for this afternoon's energy. Back to bed.

Tie shawl finito!

2010-04-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Look what I finished for myself!

Clean, graphic, warm, and perfect for travel. You can find the pattern in Spin-Off... lots of inspiration there, and instructions for a very cool twisted border that I chose not to do because I love the clean black and white too much. Because I love the stripes so much, I'm designing my first triangle shawl... it's inspired by moss, and has stripes, too!

Update on GO DUTCH... this pattern will be released in the fall with the rest of the first Weaverknits collection. Hold your breath, hold it!