YELLOW

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...

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.

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

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

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

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...

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!