Tag: Knoontime Knitting

  • Make Something Monday

    Make Something Monday

    What\’s In YOUR Wallet? or Bag?

    Happy Monday, Dear Reader!  I\’ve gotten some of my design mojo back and have been playing with some different knitting designs.  This morning, as I waited for the bus, I checked the Bus Tracker tool.  It said the next bus wouldn\’t be there for 27 minutes.  Aside from making me late for work, that meant I had time to get some knitting done.

    Then, mid-row, what do I see but a bus? Holy crap.  Try stuffing size 10 needles in an already over-stuffed knitting bag and grabbing everything to get onto the bus.

    MONDAY!

    WIP

    This is what I\’m making with my size 10 needles.  One of my books has an afghan on the cover that\’s made out of triangles.  I decided to take a twist on that idea and using a base of 35 stitches, make a sampler with leftover yarns and different textures.

    This is a Turkish Stitch done in Lion Brand Homespun.  It\’s a boucle-type of yarn and difficult to see stitch definition; however, I like the less dense look of the fabric.  I find the juxtaposition of the bias pull of the stitch with the decreased edge for the triangle to be an interesting opposition.

    What are you working on?

  • Yarnglee

    Yarnglee

    So, I\’ve been on a major yarn hiatus.  I\’ve been doing calligraphy like a madwoman; I\’m filling notebooks with the stuff (and no, that\’s not a typo; yes, I mean more than one).  Let\’s just say I had to order a second set of practice markers because I used up the ink in the first set.  See what I mean?

    But I\’m feeling the bug again.  I\’m beginning to see that this is part of my normal pattern (which only took me fourteen years to figure out, but let\’s not go there, kthxbi).  I seem to set knitting aside around May or June and pick it up around September or October.

    We celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary this year – yay! – and went down to southern Illinois and St. Louis to poke around.  One of the shops had some lovely Lana de Oro and I had to get some.  I\’m thinking socks.  50% wool, 50% alpaca.  Michael picked heather grey, I picked heather lavender:

    The lavender has bits of other colors in it, more as shading than a true ombre.

    The lighting is weird because I took these outside.  I tried to get a close-up and the camera changed the coloring.  Sigh.  Must.learn.Photoshop.

    Can you tell I\’ve been playing with the grey hank?  ~blush~  But this is the grey with the lavender; I\’m thinking that I\’ll use a small mosaic in the cuff of each sock in the opposite color.

    It\’s really not as pink as it seems in this picture.  But I\’m excited.  I may even use the toe-up technique, though I think I should do the first set with practice yarn first.  We shall see.

  • Friday Funnies

    Friday Funnies

  • A to Z Challenge, Day 12: L Is For Llama

    A to Z Challenge, Day 12: L Is For Llama

    Yum.  Llama fiber.  Soft, warm, and easy to knit.  I prefer alpaca because there\’s a wider range of colors and alpaca are more friendly, but I can\’t deny the gorgeous sheen of the fibers of llama.  Vicuña is a related fiber that\’s quite luxurious but harder to find because the vicuña are very shy and much harder to cultivate than either llama or alpaca.

    Think that alpaca is only the purview of knitters and other textile artists?  The famous designer Loro Piana cornered the market on the stuff in 2010 and last year announced a 60% stake in an alpaca ranch.  I\’ve seen quotes of the alpaca fiber suits of his that go for $20,000 USD.  No, that\’s not a typo.  $20k.  That\’s enough for a down payment on a house.  Yikes.

    Why is the fiber so desirable?  It\’s lighter than wool and warmer.  The natural colors are quite wide and alpaca has the only naturally-occurring black animal fiber – black sheep are actually only black on the tips of the fiber, not at the root.

    I could go on, but I won\’t bore you with fibernautics.  But I will ask you this:

    What\’s your favorite fiber to wear?  Wool? Cotton? Fur?  Microfiber?  
  • A to Z Challenge, Day 11: K Is For Knitting

    A to Z Challenge, Day 11: K Is For Knitting

    You had to see this coming!  OF COURSE K IS FOR KNITTING!  What else could it POSSIBLY be for?  Really now.

    I took my first knitting class in 2000, after a friend at work recommended Sharon Shoji as an excellent instructor.  In my first class, Sharon taught us to knit plain knitting all the way through ribbing.  After an initial struggle with the ribbing, I got the hang of it.  We progressed through textured knitting to cables and lace and from there, I was totally and completely hooked.

    In 2008, I started this blog.  Shortly after, I decided to start Knoontime Knitting, where I focus on the crafts that make me totally bonzo:  knitting, of course, but also needlepoint and embroidery (my first textile art, in fact), weaving, calligraphy, and pysanky.  I love to make things with my hands but didn\’t allow myself to do much of it until I took my classes with Sharon.

    What I have learned informs my writing process as much as my textile arts.  See, it\’s like this:

    1. If you keep going, you\’ll end up with enough knit and purl stitches to make a scarf, or a sweater, or an afghan. 
    2. Dropped stitches don\’t always mean the piece is ruined.  Sometimes you just need to undo a little bit.
    3. Some mistakes make the piece more beautiful and unique.
    4. If you let it, knitting will soothe you the way flowing water does.
    5. Learning new techniques keeps it interesting.  Always be a beginner.  Zen mind, beginner\’s mind.
    What has your hobby taught you about life?

  • Happy New Year!

    What’s on tap for 2013? I have a full year planned for you, so let’s get started:

    Happy Fifth Anniversary to My Blog!

    We\’ll take a peek at:

    • Favorite posts
    • Top five best – readers’ choice
    • Revisit guests and interview them

    Happy Fifth Anniversary to the Writer’s Retreat!

    • Focus on the blog
    • Interview founding members, where are they now?
    • Festival of Picture prompts and other events
    • Relaunch of the Forum, March 1, 2013

    A Year of Stash Busting!

    • TKGA Master Knitter
    • Full stash list and tools list
    • New designs and launch of website

    Noon and Wilder Coming Out Strong!

    • Highlight books and stuff we have planned
    • Redesign of the Noon and Wilder website

    A Blog A Day Keeps the Blues Away

    Belly, Belly, Belly

    • Belly dance, costume, strong core, teas to support the belly, and mehndi on the belly
    • Belly balm
    • Extra special body day
    • Belly cleanse
    • How to hide or show off your belly, depending on your preference

    What are you excited about in 2013?

  • Join Me for a Chat with J. M. Cartwright

    Join me today at Knoontime Knitting for a chat with author and gardener J. M. Cartwright. She talks with me about her passion for green things and how it informs her writing process.

  • Update from the World of Weave!

    I have some news from my weaving classes and pictures, as well as an announcement about WeaveSpa.  Check it out on Knoontime Knitting!  And another entry, here!

  • New Stuff!

    Here is Chapter 11 of New World Order, for your reading pleasure.

    And I\’m blogging about two new knitting projects at Knoontime Knitting today! One is a Spring Bag and the second is a Camera Bag. Enjoy!