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This has been a week for dyeing. Every day there's something new and exciting coming out of the pots. Mid-week we had unseasonably humid weather that slowed the drying process. It's crunch time for an upcoming event, and I have a schedule to keep. There's no time for a lag in production.
Here's a sample of what's been brewing. This one reminds me of berries mashed and mixed together.
Reminiscent of the summer gone by.
And a cheery blue.
Subtle variation with hints of green.
On the needles . . . I'm finishing the garter border of Yvaine. Mindless, comfort knitting is good at a time when everything else requires more focus and attention. Out of necessity I started a new pair of fingerless mitts. The cold, early mornings have been too much for my hands. Crazy as it seems I have been unable to locate one pair of mitts for myself in this house filled with wool, so the only option was to make a new pair.
I considered several patterns but time was a-wasting. In the end I settled for an old standby that fits well, knits up quickly and is practical.
This is the beginning of a pair of Maine Morning Mitts by Clara Parkes. The yarn is Bartlettyarns worsted weight, colorway dark heather. This hard wearing yarn with colorful flecks is produced locally here in New England. These mitts are a great one skein project. Note to self - it wouldn't hurt to have more than one pair.
Our neighborhood is gearing up for the festivities this weekend, my own yard included.
There's talk of adding lighting. Every year our display gets more elaborate.
While I'm on the subject of spooky, take a look at this creation. I am in awe of the detail - bones, vertebrae and even teeth.
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My color inspiration for the week comes from the neighbor's yard. There was a bold, dazzling display of color that lasted for a day or two. And then it was gone.
A reminder of how fleeting the season is.
I don't have Pogona out of my system. I'm smitten with the way it wears and would love to have it in a couple of colors but am resisting the urge to cast on another one. I'm feeling weak in the resistance department so will see how long I can hold out. There's a beautiful gray I took out of the dye pot yesterday . . .
Instead I've picked up Yvaine, the cozy shawlette I ditched for Pogona.
Yvaine is a trusty traveling companion, pictured here on the road. Forgive the poor lighting and somewhat off colors.
This design is really what I need right now. I'm gearing up for another event, and life is a bit more chaotic. Yvaine is straight ahead, cruise control knitting; the yarn, Bertha, is a dream to work with. What more could I ask for? I've modified the pattern with one more stockinette/seed stitch section. After that it's all garter to the finish line. Full steam ahead.
I love DPNs. I love gnomes. Imagine my delight when I came across these. Go ahead and take a look. Be sure to watch the charming video clip. While I want some gnomes in the worst way, I'll have to satisfy myself with buying the pattern for now.
And in the kitchen . . . I'm always on the look out for new and interesting recipes. I don't like complaints about boring food, so I'm excited when I find something that looks like it will go over well. Some recipes make the cut, some don't.
My latest find - sweet potato biscuits. I love them. I love them so much that I don't care if anyone else likes them.
They are perfect for the season with a taste that is not too strong, not too bland. This recipe is a keeper.
Last week I was mesmerized with Pogona (Ravelry link). The magic lasted through the weekend. Before I knew it, Pogona was off the needles - a limp, lifeless heap in my lap.
Without wasting a moment I gave it a bath and put it on the wires.
Time to dry.
Over the years I've used different methods for blocking. For a long time I loved using all pins. I think it reminded me of a past life when I had time for sewing. Then I used a combination of pins and thin, smooth yarn as a guide.
Lately my preference is blocking wires. They work especially well with a piece like Pogona that has straight lines and a geometric look.
Pogona has side-by-side panels of knit and purl.
The perfect combination for contrast and texture.
By the end of the day Pogona was dry and ready for wear.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Lillian, colorway Gourd. Lillian is 100% Superwash Merino, 100g / 400yd. Lillian is firmly plied creating a yarn with spring and bounce. You may remember seeing this same colorway in Paula. I liked it so much I had to repeat it.
Pogona is a delightful pattern to work. It was my traveling companion for a week and was easy to pick up and put down. And yes, I could talk and work on it at the same time.
I can't say enough good things about the finished product. Pogona has wonderful drape and can be worn several ways. The design is practical yet elegant. With the geometric shaping it stays in place. There's no need to constantly rearrange it. I will definitely make Pogona again.
This past weekend was the annual Head Of The Charles Regatta. It's the world's largest two day rowing event and attracts people from all over the world. As the name implies it's held on the Charles River.
Rowing may look easy, but it's hard work. Those rowers are in excellent shape.
And for those of us who don't row, it's fun to watch.
You can't beat a walk along the river on a nice fall day.
I recently came across a discussion about knooking - knitting with a hook. Using a crochet hook that has been adapted with a cable on the end it's possible to knit and purl with the hook. The cable acts like the second knitting needle and holds the live stitches. Someone was thinking outside the box when they came up with this one.
I haven't thoroughly explored knooking. For instance I'm not sure if it's possible to do all the knitting techniques with knooking - increases, decreases, cables. If you're interested, there's a Ravelry group devoted to the technique, and YouTube has video clips of knooking to create the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Maybe one day I'll have time to play around with this intriguing technique.
On the needles . . . I've been cruising right along on my latest obsession.
This is Pogona (Ravelry link) by Stephen West. A while back I made Herbivore (Ravelry link) also by Stephen West.
As with many shawl-type garments the construction starts small and grows larger. Stephen has fun with geometric shapes to create interesting yet practical garments.
Pogona is basically a two row repeat. Once I established the repeat, it was smooth sailing.
Now I'm at the point where the stitch count has increased significantly and the rows are taking longer and longer to complete. A single two-row repeat increases the stitch count by 14.
A view of the center section.
It reminds me of a giant piece of candy corn. At this rate I'm sure Pogona won't be on the needles much longer.
One of our fall rituals is roasting New Mexico green chile. If you're ever in New Mexico in the fall, you will see large roasters at grocery stores and farmers' markets. You can get fresh green chile roasted right there on the spot. The air is filled with the pungent, smokey aroma of the roasting peppers.
I always order fresh green chile in the fall. This year I kept putting it off until one day I realized (with prodding from my friend Martie) that the end of the season was upon us. I placed my order just in time and yesterday received my shipment.
Fresh and shiny and green. But not for long.
This week my color inspiration is green chile from the Land of Enchantment.
Let the roasting begin!
It's the middle of a crazy, busy week - a week stacked with too many appointments, meetings and just plain running around. I'm ignoring an irritated, scratchy throat on the verge of becoming a full blown sore throat. I know I'm due to come down with something, but I've convinced myself that if I ignore it, it will go away. At this point all I can do is hang on for the ride and stay focused on the weekend. Truth be told my weekends are no different than my weekdays, but it's a psychological thing. And so for today I have tidbits of . . .
THIS AND THAT
~ I love to see dogs wrapped in wool on cold winter mornings. This design is cute, and the model is so well behaved. An accessory that every dog should have.
~ I am often amazed and in awe of what some people feel inspired to knit. Take this knitted timepiece. It really tells time. While I would love to have one hanging on my wall, I know I can't devote precious knitting time to making one.
~ And how about this car sock? Notice the windows. Even the wheels are covered. This is the work of fiber artist Olek, and you can find more of her work here.
~ And finally, 'tis the season for candy corn. Candy corn with eyes. I might have to give this pattern a try - too cute to resist.
There's knitting progress to report, but that will have to wait until next time. Instead I leave you with this.
Freshly brewed from the dye pots.
Shades of blue.
As sometimes happens knitting projects are started only to fall by the wayside or to the bottom of the bag. Such was the fate of my Sleepy Hollow Socks until I resurrected them. I don't know when I started these socks - I should keep better notes. I was enamored of this design when I started it, and it didn't fall out of favor when I put it down. I think I encountered some kind of knitting emergency that moved these socks down a few rungs on the must-knit-now ladder.
In any event I'm one with them now and loving every minute of it. The element of these socks that has captivated me is not the lace pattern throughout the leg or the seam-like ribbing down the back of the leg. Rather, it's the heel flap that doesn't require picking up stitches.
The heel flap stitches are to the left. The section of purl bumps is the gusset that is worked right along with the heel flap. While I can knit a heel flap and pick up the stitches in my sleep, this all-in-one method requires a bit more concentration. I'm completely absorbed by the process. Very clever indeed.
The gusset stitches are set aside.
The heel is turned.
After a series of gusset decreases it's just a matter of knitting the foot.
I'm in the home stretch and already looking forward to starting the second sock so that I can repeat the process all over. And I'll probably use this method again with other socks.
Since I have Sleepy Hollow under control, I rewarded myself with a new project.
Given my recent history it's no surprise that it's another shawlette. Details to follow.
The last few days have been a whirl of pattern ideas. Mixing and matching yarn to pattern. Some combinations work, some don't. I don't want the pattern to get lost in the yarn and vice versa. It's always a balancing act.
For starters I have this new project on the needles.
This is Yvaine (Ravelry link). I needed a project that was simple but not completely mindless. A traveling companion.
I needed a pattern that wouldn't detract from the yarn, something that wasn't too busy. Yvaine is simple stockinette with a few rows of seed stitch thrown in for texture. It fits the bill.
The yarn is Dirty Water DyeWorks Bertha, colorway Seaweed. Bertha is a blend of 80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon. It's deliciously soft for next-to-skin wear.
I have a short list of projects that I'm anxious to start, and Yvaine will soon have to share my time with another. I'm just waiting for the yarn to dry.
In the midst of my pattern search I stumbled across these oak leaves. Be sure to check the sidebar for more ideas. The acorn gnomes are particularly cute. I haven't made any of these yet, but I'm tempted. Even though these are wee little projects, I know they could easily consume all of my time.
I saw this sign on a recent trip to the orchard, and it made me smile.
Remember to be considerate of pumpkins. Until you carve them.
My color inspiration for the week is no surpise.
Pumpkin goodness.
