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Month: September 2009

Fall

The leaves are turning a bit. As our weather becomes crisper, I am reminded of what inspired me to knit. The fall always brings back memories of when I was a young girl and wanting to play outside. I would dash out the door without my gloves or hat, and barely a jacket. Feeling the burn on my little ears from the biting cold, I’d try to ignore the fact that I needed anything besides my little legs. My mother would quickly call me back to the house. I’d be fitted with a thick hand knit hat and cozy knit gloves. As a child, we try to ignore the fact that we need comfort and that playing is the center of our world. As an adult, I keep going back the memories of how I was loved and cared for. Learning to knit was a part of that for me. Now as I full time knitter, I cherish the fact that I can outfit my loved ones with the same simple accessories that I needed as a child. I want to cloak then with hand knits, to shield them from the cold. Though, in the back of my mind I feel my mission is more than that. Secretly I want to protect them from the harsher times of life. Of course, I would never tell my family this! But...

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Cowls, Cowls, Cowls

I am thrilled at the current hot thing for Fall 2009.  Cowls are all the rage!  The wonderful thing for knitters is that they are very simple to make and look great in big yarns on big needles. Trabaojos del Peru is the perfect yarn for a fall cowl.  The yarn is soft, cozy, and warm around the neck and works up fast on size 13 needles for a gently draping cowl.  The blending of colors makes the knitting a joy to watch develop.  The size of this cowl makes it quite versatile- around the neck, or over the...

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Design!

It has now been several weeks since I started at Plymouth Yarn Company. I’ve been working closely with Creative Director JoAnne. Many of my patterns have been designed and made. It has been so thrilling to see the final product! The process to go from idea to finished pattern is definitely not short. I wanted to talk about the basics of how a pattern is made. I usually get my ideas late at night, between half awake and almost in dream land. My sketch pad is right by my bed side just because of this! Usually my ideas come from what I observe in nature and from the past. I love mixing modern and new together to form a completely new and joyous knit; a hand knit that looks as much fun to make as it is to wear. I’ll sketch several versions of the knit I have in mind, tweaking each one… perhaps changing the trim width, making the collar larger or smaller, working on the stitch details. I’ll swatch the stitches I plan on using from my sketch with the yarn I have in mind. Sometimes, the swatch I make is perfect. However, sometimes it takes practice to perfect that one stitch. Like a fellow knit designer once said, “It takes many frogs to make the perfect prince.” Once I have the perfect stitching and the best...

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DIY

Do It Yourself An era of DIY’ers has emerged, not just as a popular cable network, but as a way for people to express themselves.   It will make you feel as you have accomplished something.  You feel proud for trying something.   Try a new yarn or a new pattern.  Take a class – learn something new.  Experiment with color. Our Hand Dyed – Trabajos Del Peru, 100 % Fine Merino Wool, is a perfect yarn!  I just love the subtle texture and the color – OMG – just beautiful.  Try this 2 skein cabled scarf! Materials: 2-100g Hanks of...

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