November 2010
24 posts
My favorite wool sweater.
It’s a tissue-thin turtleneck that does an amazing job of keeping me warm, despite its lightness. Unfortunately, some time ago it was attacked by an evil wool-eating insect and has at least fifty holes in it. I’m darning the larger holes and needle felting the smaller ones. The repairs are adding an interesting texture to it!
October 2010
48 posts
Etsy article on pricing your handmade goods →
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Traveling to Atlanta for a sisterly visit...
Traveling is an anxious situation for a knitter. You don’t want to run out of yarn.
I’ve decided to bring Damson and Damson only, since I started it six months ago and forgot about it three months ago. I better finish it.
Miss Marple is my favorite detective.
And she knits. Before breakfast.
Do you know how long it takes you to knit...
I’m going to time myself to see how long it takes me to complete my next project.
I have lots of white yarn left over from my "Soft"...
I’m going to make a pretty headband/earwarmer in the simple and interesting seed stitch.
I’m inspired by these headwarmers from Anthropologie:
Wintermallows Headwarmer
Snow Rose Visor
And this:
Photo: Mr. Newton (mrnewton.net)
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Hit the thrift stores today.
I spent $25 total on:
a cardigan hand-knitted from wool and mohair (in Italy, so says the tag). It’s a raglan with embroidered flowers on it.
full-length 100% wool herringbone weave coat that fits (I’m rather petite so it’s hard to find coats that fit)
a yoke pullover hand-knitted from what feels like wool and alpaca. This one is in need of a few repairs.
four balls of...
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Halloween is just around the corner.
Knit up the friendly pet bat I designed! His name is Flippy, he’s fast, and he’s free! (Rav)
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The Hallowig is coming along nicely.
I love this yarn. I would consider making stuffed animals from it — even though it’s yucky, industrial acrylic.
Once I finish the wig, I’m going to knit bat silhouettes and sew them onto it.
“All of us who labor in the arts know that it can be a lonely existence. We often...”
– Kent Nerburn
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Shelter yarn needed to be knitted into cables.
I finished a new Fall cap that I knitted from Shelter. This is a pattern I improvised, using the cable chart for Anne Woodbury’s Log Cabin Socks, found in Handknit Holidays. It’s the same cable pattern adapted into Boyfriend Socks by Alice Bell (Rav).
This is on my queue of patterns to write for the public. Next time I’ll make it with a more draping yarn, and wear it slouchy.
...
I love the smell of wool
alainmr:
spundone:
pyrrhosrepublic:
alainmr:
mimisaurus:
pyrrhosrepublic:
I’m always breathing deep into my scarves. Probably makes me look weird.
This.
Knitters have your back, yo—first thing I do when I get back from the yarn store is smell my newly purchased yarn. And again when I ball a skein. And again while I’m knitting. And again while I’m wearing it.
Glad I’m not the...
I love the smell of wool
pyrrhosrepublic:
alainmr:
mimisaurus:
pyrrhosrepublic:
I’m always breathing deep into my scarves. Probably makes me look weird.
This.
Knitters have your back, yo—first thing I do when I get back from the yarn store is smell my newly purchased yarn. And again when I ball a skein. And again while I’m knitting. And again while I’m wearing it.
Glad I’m not the only one!
I like it...
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It's hot outside. The sun is beaming down on me.
And I’m knitting something I just might keep for myself. The truth is, I own maybe ten things I’ve made.
I’m enjoying working with Shelter from Brooklyn Tweed. At first glance it reminded me of a sturdier Imperial Stock Ranch yarn, and after knitting with it I can say that the two are similar. One thing I love about the two yarns is that I can use them right off the hank without...
If you can tell me where to find the black and...
I will do something very nice for you.
Alexander Wang
Photo courtesy of SSense.com
Spundone by dp is on Facebook
Like it
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Halloween
thebrassknuckles:
I finished Thomas’ Halloween costume a while ago, and forgot to post some pictures. Here they are! We had a photo shoot in our living room.
This needs a new word for awesome.
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Photo shoot with Emily
I had such a great day.
I spent ten hours today helping to set up the coral reef exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — this is a project I’ve been volunteering my time to for months.
I crocheted and chatted with Margaret and Christine Wertheim, and I have to admit I was a bit starstruck at first.
I made hyperbolic forms with videocassette tape. For hours. And ended up with a...
Psychology Today: What do you think is the most troubling general misconception about introverts?
Dr. Laurie Helgoe: Wow — it’s hard to choose. I am very troubled by the tendency to define introverts by what they lack. Introversion is a preference, not a fallback plan. Introverts like being introverts. We are drawn to ideas, we are passionate observers, and for us, solitude is rich and generative. Think of all that goes on in the playground of solitude: daydreaming, reading, composing, meditating — and just being, writing, calculating, fantasizing, thinking, praying, theorizing, imagining, drawing/painting/sculpting, inventing, researching, reflecting. You get the idea.
I'm pretty sure I dreamt the instructions to an...
I need to quit.
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What to do with all the snippets of fuzz from my...
I was thinking I’d felt them into balls, or use them to stuff knitted toys. It’s a good idea to save those ends of yarn to stuff things instead of throwing them in the trash.
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Santa Hat
From Melanie Falick’s Handknit Holidays (Ravelry). I used leftover Stitch Nation Full o’ Sheep from my “Soft” project, which I triple-stranded, and leftover Farmhouse Yarns Andy’s Merino. Andy’s Merino is an amazingly plush yarn in gorgeous colorways.
I love my public library!
I’m so lucky to have two libraries very close to me, and both are stocked with all kinds of knitting and crochet books. For the weekend I’ve picked up:
Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden
Vogue Knitting Crocheted Hats (I’m currently loving the speed of crochet)
Handknit Holidays by Melanie Falick (her books are wonderful)
All photos Amazon.com
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Wispy Beret
I’ve recently made several hats, including a beret with beautiful yarn from a local handspinner. It’s 100% alpaca, and amazingly soft. Alpaca is a unique fiber — I often find that it is cool to the touch, is incredibly smooth, and wears just as warm as wool. It’s my fiber of choice. If you ask me, it’s even better than cashmere.
Did you know that most cashmere is...
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Even better
I’m committed to exclusively buying yarn from companies that locally or fairly source their materials, which will be evident in future projects of mine. I will buy handspun whenever I can get my hands on it.
I’m excited about extending the handmade quality of my work down another level. There is a back-story to every yarn out there, and I want to make sure what I’m supporting...
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Floating Doilies
This was an alchemy order on Etsy. I was commissioned to make a set of coasters of a chunky, modern doily resting on something soft. I’m so thrilled with my creation! I even designed my own doily for this project, and will be incorporating it into other items. Meet Floating Doilies.
Drinking glass cushions
Wrapping the doilies in soft cotton, with the hand-made envelope and...
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Photo courtesy of Barneys
Fairisle Sequin Sweater, Marc by Marc Jacobs
Photo courtesy of Barneys
Raglan Cardigan, Evisu
My yarns were separated by color,
but now I see it makes much more sense to separate them by weight.
I keep my yarn housed in crummy plastic drawers, but would love to invest in a nice shelf unit for them. I currently have 70 - 90 balls of yarn. (shame)
How do you organize your stash? How big is your stash?
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Soft
I decided against the ligature between the “f” and “t.” This is a rough shot — I’ll be taking better ones soon.
New challenge.
My local yarn shops are really good about carrying locally made yarns. I find that I’ve been unintentionally buying mostly yarns that are handmade, and I’m going to turn this into a new commitment: support hand spinners, or at least yarn manufacturers that locally source their products. Commercial yarns are often a lesser quality product, and they underpay farmers for their wools.
pyrrhosrepublic:
Logical non sequitor, A+
Fun fact: Steve Martin was a philosophy major, and he said one of his early formative experiences was when he learned about logical non sequitors and tried to compare them to comedic non sequitors.
It changed what I believe and what I think about everything. I majored in philosophy. Something about non -sequiturs appealed to me. In philosophy, I...
Fabric.com sells yarn and ships free for orders of... →