May 2010
39 posts
Manhattan for the day.
Heading to SoHo for yarn and other treats!
daphnepuerto.com →
Check out my online portfolio. I’m in the process of adding more work, so be sure to follow because it’s secretly a tumblelog!
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A tip for searching on Ravelry:
They tell you to adjust needle size to match gauge for a project. I’ve learned to adjust the project to my gauge.
It’s a combination of having small feet and knitting at a looser gauge that makes it hard for me to find a sock pattern. If I’m using 2.75 mm needles I need to work around 50 stitches for a good fit, but the patterns I find for this needle size require 60 - 70...
I'm obsessed with stripes.
Just want to get that on the record.
An EXCELLENT website on ways to reuse or recycle... →
This is to motivate myself to finish.
On the needles:
Sock #2 of Heart & Sole Rustica, about to turn heel
Tacky Sweater, need to knit sleeves
Stuffed Hare, need to knit ears
Sock #1 of random green yarn, frogged, need to find a pattern and stick to it!
Do not start any new projects until these are completed! I have finished the layette, and included a hat, socks, diaper cover, and a precious plush heart rattle!
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Upcycle.
What do I do when the restaurant I work at switches from white aprons to black aprons? First breathe a sigh of relief because black aprons are easier to keep clean, then wonder what to do with the dozen white aprons I have amassed. Being a resourceful knitter, I instinctively want to make yarn from them.
After cutting, knotting, braiding, and coiling, I almost have a rug. I should also mention...
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Since childhood, one of my favorite hobbies has been collecting books. I find them in library toss-outs, thrift stores, used book stores, and other places people abandon books with hope that someone appreciative will discover them. I hoard my collection of hardback books, but I pass on my paperbacks without hesitation. Paperbacks are meant to be shared. They are not designed to last the way my...
CNN: China's famed Pearl River under denim threat →
The blue jean capital of the world’s textile industry is destroying the Pearl River.
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Don't hate on the DPNs. →
In the past - I’ve been a hater…. Double Pointed Needles - UGH. However, in testing my zig zag leg warmer pattern this weekend I tried 3 options:
a) Regular needles, i.e. they would have a seam
b) Circular needle, maybe a 12-14 inch (?)
c) DPN’s
Let’s just say that option a) didn’t win b/c of…
Everyone IS always hating on DPNs! They are my preferred tools for small diameter knitting...
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I've almost finished my tacky sweater!
It looks just how I dreamed it would! All that’s left to do is the sleeves. I went headfirst into this project - the only other wearable garment I have made is a vest. With the vest and this sweater I intended to follow a pattern, but immediately strayed from it. I am so proud of myself for making things that fit without a pattern! It really is a freeing experience, and I think many of you...
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Rugs of felted granny squares of wool roving yarn. →
Felting giant pieces is what fashion designer Dana Barnes has turned her attention to lately. And yes, it does break washing machines. View the New York Times article for more reading, and an eye-watering slide show.
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Update on the earmuffs.
Remember the irregular mittens I mentioned a few months ago? I threw them in the washer hoping they would magically come out as fluffy, tangled muffins of wool. That didn’t happen. The wool I used must be quite sturdy, because they have the same form as before with one difference: they’re hard. I could stab them with needles to loosen the fibers, or cut them into something else that is...
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Having worked on so many socks recently has skewed...
Those tiny needles make average sized needles look giant. I feel like I’m giant-knitting — it’s novel.
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I made a pair of socks for my six-year-old brother that turned out to be too short for his feet. He refuses to return them until I knit another pair.
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Guernsey, jumper, pullover, sweater, jersey,...
I’m making another item I consider to be a knitter-ly duty: the tacky sweater. The design I’m aspiring for is not tacky, but the yarn I’m using is. A lot of the chunky wool-acrylic blend Katia Graffiti was under $30 on Ebay!
I have it in the grey colorway. I’m convinced that with black pencil pants, flats, and the right accessories I can make it chic.
The New York Times writes: Warm and Fuzzy... →
The North Circular, a few supermodels and someone from Rag and Bone making knitting even cooler
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Even when your gauge is right, the pattern can be...
These sock patterns are tricky. I guess my feet are smaller than average because I always end up going down a size on the needle. Let this be a warning to anyone who hasn’t knitted socks.
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Knitting coincidences.
I just realized that the designer of the Pulsation Socks is Amy King, the designer of the Oatmeal sweater I was admiring in the Winter 2009 issue of Spin-Off. This kind of thing has been happening to me more frequently. Am I too obsessed with knitting?
Learning by duplication.
In an effort to become more familiar with lace designs, I’m making this sock for an appreciative aunt:
Pulsation Socks from Spunky Eclectic (click for free pattern)
I have a good intuition for sizing, gauge, and yarn substitutions, but I haven’t done much lace knitting. Practicing with other people’s designs will help me understand what is actually happening when I YO, SSK,...
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Fabric to covet.
Echino Ni-co by Etsuko Furuya available at Purl
Congo Sweater
by Danish knitwear designer Marianne Isager
2320 S St. NW
Textile Museum for the afternoon
Browsing Barneys is always a treat.
My goodness how I love knitted toys.
Kinderware Rattle. Darling, and at $12 it’s even cheaper than doing it yourself. Made by a women’s cooperative in Lima, Peru.
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In the 1500s, no self-respecting man was without...
(I learned that at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.) In fact, stocking knitting is what democratized knitting. Everybody needs socks! And knitting is especially perfect for socks because it is uniquely stretchy in comparison to other fabrics. Read this Knitty article. I believe knitting at least one pair of socks is a knitter-ly duty.
Below is a fine pair of stockings from the collection...
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When doing two successive decreases (like for...
Make the first decrease a “slip, slip, knit” (SSK) - this makes the stitch lean to the left.
Follow it with a “knit two together” (K2TOG) - this makes the stitch lean to the right.
Thus, the stitches will lean against each other and help close the gap that can appear between successive decreases.
Adapt the order of the decreases if you are decreasing at the beginning...
Debbie Stoller yarns now at Michaels!
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Somebody's getting new socks.
It’s not me, but I had to try them on. I’m so proud to finally finish!
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Having too much fun on Darcel blog.
Truly, colorful vector spaces make my heart beat faster. And that he accompanies witty one-liners with these colorful vector spaces? Well, it makes me feel like this.
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It’s hard to put down the knitting with all the suspense of wondering what the next row will look like.
Washing a knitted piece is “fulling,” not “felting.”