Fashionknitsta Thursday: 12/3/09

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Here at Knit Purl the holiday season is in full swing making me (and I hope all of you!) feel extra inspired. Thanks to a long weekend of pursuing the internet from bed, I have tons of things to share with all of you on this lovely Thursday.

The first thing I have to share is some wonderful photos of the "Fashion Collective" event that took place at the Armory on October 12th. Artist and costume designer for Portland Center Stage, Fuschia Lin, showed a retrospective of her work from 1999 to present. We first got word of this event when Fuschia commissioned one of our lovely customers, Laura, to knit a custom pair of toe socks for one of her designs. Knit with Koigu KPM Solid color 1150 and Shibui Silk Cloud in Blossom held together, these really turned out to be a wonderful addition to the collection.


Here is a link to a review of the show from the Portland Mercury by Marjorie Skinner. In addition to her work for Portland Center Stage, Fuschia has designed costumes for Bjork and Karen O., has sold her designs in Paris Boutiques, and has been featured in a number of magazines making her a real treasure for Portland. Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Fuschia!

Last week while visiting my parents I found the cutest Fair Isle Cowl that I am still kicking myself for not taking a photo of. It's from H&M which unfortunately does not have an online store, so I'm still working on tracking down a picture of one. Anyway, I have blogged about several cowls in the past, but it had really never occured to me to mix that trend with the comeback Fair Isle patterns are making right now. I took my search to Etsy and, of course, found some wonderful things. My favorite are the designs from Elf518's shop including the pattern for this absolutely adorable owl cowl:

She doesn't have a pattern for this one, but I really love it and couldn't not share it:

Ok, so I know those really aren't very traditional, so if you are looking for a more classic I also found a great pattern on Ravelry for only $3. Alicia's Fair Isle Cowl by Sheila Joynes:

This one is much more along the lines of the one I saw, I think it would be really nice (and quick!) out of the Malabrigo Worsted Merino in Tuareg with Sunset as the accent, oohhh or the Madelinetosh Tosh Merino...there really are a lot of options with this one. I shall have to ponder.

Next on the agenda today is a really fantastic Etsy store, Spinthread, that our fabulous felting teacher, LeBrie Rich, showed me. The piece she was calling to my attention were these super funky Pom Pom Neck Huggers:

Really fun (and really easy to make!) these accessories would be a great conversation piece as well as keep you nice and toasty. Now, these are really neat, but the embroidered jewelry she has really caught my eye:


Hand embroidered and backed with lace, these geometric necklaces are such a beautiful and unique take on the floral and gem bib necklaces we have been seeing so much of lately. In addition to the necklaces she also has brooches and earrings in the same style, definitely a shop worth checking out.

There is so much more I want to share with you all today (for example, knit plankton!), but shipping calls and I shall have to save them til next week. Hope everyone has a lovely (and warm!) weekend ahead of them, stay tuned for next Thursday's edition of Fashionknitsta and until then, stay chic, blogfans!

-Lindsay

skif sweaters, wicked plans, and spoilers

Let's see, let's see... so much has been happening in the past fortnight, it's hard to keep it all organized. Starting in order with the title:

1. Skif sweaters.
I finished mine (little happy dance) and was overjoyed to see WrenSu's super-spiffy Mateo in the Knit Purl flickr group's photo pool. And because so many people (including my coworkers) were enamored with the thought of a finished skif sweater, it was relatively easy to get a couple of modeled shots for the blog...

Project specs:

• Pattern: Neptune/ Button-back Pullover by Skif.
• Yarn: Joseph Galler Inca Cotton in "Ecru", 4 skeins.
• Needle: 4.5mm/ US 7 32" circulars.
• Idiosyncrasies: the sleeves are 3" longer than specified in the pattern.
• Review: loved the pattern and ADORED the yarn.

Of course, all y'all already know that I bought yarn for a second skif sweater before I finished the first. But I was good and persevered and only just CO last night (honest). I'm finding the second one just as hard to put down as the first was... This is looking like it's going to be a dangerous trend.

2. Wicked Plans.
Oh, there are so many, really. Leaving this many slightly crazy knitters alone together always makes for interesting results. We've got, upcoming:

• a Tips & Tricks column by Judy Wilcox
• the SKIF KAL will resume in September with a yarn sampling and emergency aid class to follow through December(ish).
• a Getting Raveled party & meetup (info forthcoming)
• and, finally, a Sock Club KAL group on ravelry
  

3. Spoilers. I promised you spoilers... and here are two we're willing to part with:

• LavenderSheep's Sock Club yarn, clicky here for a little spoiler.
• Koigu is going to lead as planned. You have no idea (unless you've heard us panicking in the shop) how worried we were just a week ago. It had seemed that Koigu wouldn't have their yarn ready in time for the Club, but it's been shipped and should arrive at the store soon. And, while these are neither the pattern nor the colorway we've commissioned for the Club, I'm even more excited by this news because of the Fortress Of Solitude socks I just finished:

I enjoyed working with the yarn so much, I'm really looking forward to getting my own Sock Club September kit.* And I suppose it's not too much to tell you that there just might be speckles (like those seen above) on our soon-to-arrive yarn, too. Ooh!, there's another spoiler.

And now I've got to go... we've got a rowdy Sip'n'Stitch group up there tonight and a newsletter to get out tomorrow.

*Did you honestly think that half the staff here weren't the first people to sign up?

A Rock Star and the News

Where to begin... there is just so much news on the yarnfront... Mind you it's not good news. Tragic news is the best word to describe it actually. The best way to take the sting out a bit is to sandwich the news between some happy news.

Happy news: we have a rockstar in our midst and her name is Esther Hynes. Since Esther lives in California we do not have a current photo of her. I imagine she looks like this. Here is a picture of her with her sister.

As you know, rockin' is a tough job. You're traveling to the next gig, eating food on the road, and you need to make sure you look hot for the next show. You just wore the black lacy outfit at the last show and you'd like to bring out something colorful for that very special groupie you've had your eye on. Something like this:









The "Butterfly Poncho" from Knits from a Painter's Palette. It can be worn in two different ways making the costume changes between sets easy.

















You would really like to wear the "Kimono Jacket" that Maie Landra designed in the Vogue Anniverary issue, but you've been knitting for one year and you are only 25% done:


It uses a crazy amount of Koigu, but the color change keeps you entertained and the blues and greens really makes the color of your eyes pop. Perhaps you can finish on the way to your next gig in Portland. Yeah, 'cuz you're a Barracuda.

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Now for somber news: in May the Malabrigo factory had a fire.

(Told you the news was tragic.) We will take the sharp inhalation of breath as a response similar to our own. We are sick. Pit-of-the-stomach-stabbing-pain sick.

The good news is the mill is still running, but because they are in Uruguay and have to deal with Uruguian bureaucracy, they haven't even been given the okay (as yet) to return to rebuild the warehouse, or start dyeing again.



The delay means any Malibrigo yarn available in the store right now is all we can get. All of it. I want Lace Baby in "Amoroso" for my next SKIF project, but it's not gonna happen. We would love to get more to you but we can't. Because they can't. Because of Uraguian beaurocracy, the space-time continuum, and the Ides of March. No more.

At least, no more for awhile. The rumor mill has the first Lace Baby being available sometime in April 2009. So there you go.

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Now even more somber news (anyone need a therapist yet?): In keeping with the theme of rumors, or fires, or Pit-of-the-stomach-stabbing-pain we are loathe to announce...

You might need to sit down for this...

Our good buddy Lars (good ol' Lars), of Unicorn Book Publishing, told us the news...

We are loathe to announce: the warehouse fire that destroyed the master copies of Poetry in Stitches.

Yeah that's gonna sting for a bit. Try some aloe or some antibiotic ointment.


Can you even believe it? It seems getting a copy of this book is like trying to kill a windmill. So, the first editions that those smart knitters have (The Blogger is not one of them) is like gold, wrapped in platinum and coated in diamonds.


Eventually there will be more. For everyone who signed up on our list (all those names we painstakingly recorded) do not worry. We plan on making big announcements when we hear more about the return of the book. Just keep us updated on your shipping address if we are to mail your copy to you.

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After all that gut-wrenching pain, I leave you with a bit-o-pretty:

Zena.
Isn't she just divine?












I sprinkled some Catherine Lowe Alpaca in the mix and now I must have more. See the pretty plum color (as opposed to the chocolate or blueberry color)?


Knitting it in was akin to heaven.


My yarn diet is collapsing in a big way.

Gratis Knits: Spring 2008

Baby Court Jester

Size:
Baby-Toddler

Measurements:
15 – 17” head circumference

Materials:

• 1 skein of DK weight yarn (or light worsted)
• 4mm/US size 6 circular needle and dpns, 12” long (or one 32” long circular needle for Magic Loop method) or size needed to obtain gauge
• Tapestry needle
• Stitch markers
• Pom-pom maker (optional)

Gauge:
24 sts & 28 rows = 4” in St st.

Notes:
I used about 38g of handspun that Fyberduck created for the hat. While we determined it was a light worsted weight yarn, because it was a thick and thin ply, the fabric was a bit too lacy when knit at lower gauges. If you choose to use a commercial yarn for this pattern you will want a fabric that is sturdy but not stiff. The gauge is the most important factor. There is a list of possible substitutions at the bottom of this post but you might find other plump sport-weights or some light worsted-weight yarns work just as well. When in doubt go with a heavier yarn because it will fit a baby at some point in their life.

Abbreviations:

* repeat instructions following the single asterisk as directed
alt alternate
dpn double-point needle
K knit
kfb knit front and back (increase one st)
k2tog knit two stitches together
P purl
pm place marker
rnd(s) round(s)
skp slip, knit, pass stitch over—one stitch decreased
st(s) stitch(es)

I-cord Cast On (á la Ruth Sørenson)

Cast on 5 sts on DPNs or circular needle and k 5 sts. At the end of the row, slide the sts to the other end of the needle and pulling the yarn around the back, k the sts again. You’ve completed one row of Icord.

Continue in this manner, pulling down on the cord occasionally as you go, until the cord is approximately 20” long. Break yarn and thread through the last row of sts, cinching them up tight.

(Now here is the cool part… You may have noticed on one side of the I-cord a slight gap. Some call this gaping a “ladder”. It looks like disaster in a sock, but in this case it is your best friend.)

With your needle pick up K 90 sts creating 1 st in each of the rungs from the ladder starting about 2½ inches from one end of the I-cord. If your sts are off-center when you fold the I-cord in half), do not worry because you can always pull off or add the first few sts at the beginning. Just make sure to end with 90 sts total.

Hat Body (working flat)

Row 1: *kfb, K 19 sts, skp, k 1, k2tog, k 19sts, kfb *. Repeat between the * to the end of the row.

Row 2: P across.

Repeat Rows 1 – 2 once more.

Hat Body (in the round)

Rnd 1: *kfb, K 19 sts, skp, k 1, k2tog, k 19sts, kfb *. Repeat between the * to the end of the row.

Rnd 2: pm to mark start of the rnd and join stitches in the round (being sure not to twist the stitches). K row.

Alt row 1 with a K row until you loose the will to live which, coincidentally, measures about 5” from the I-cord edge.

Dividing the hat into points…

Set up rnd:

K 45, place remaining 45 sts on waste yarn or a stitch holder

Left point:

Fold hat in half with adjustable ties in back, PM, and K the first stitch in the row joining it in the round.

K 3 rnds.

Decrease row: K2tog, K 17 sts, skp, K 1, K2tog, K 18sts, skp, k1. [41 sts remaining]

Continue in this manner by decreasing 4 sts every 4^th rnd, until there are only 5 sts left.

Break yarn and thread through the remaining 5 sts cinching them tight to secure.

Right point:

Return remaining sts to needle(s), PM to mark beginning of rnd, K 4 rows.

Decrease row: K 9 sts, skp, k 1, k2tog, k 17, skp, k1, k2tog K 9. [41 sts remaining]

K three rows

Continue in this manner, decreasing 4 sts every 4^th rnd, until there are only 5 sts left.

Break yarn and thread through the remaining 5 sts cinching them tight to secure.

Finishing:

Weave in ends. Add pompoms to the ends of your hat points or tassels. Decorative buttons are cute too. Go wild; the hat isn’t meant to be serious and the only time one can wear such ridiculousness if they aren’t in the theatre, is under the age of 3 and over the age of 83.

Substitutions:

If you aren't a spinner or can't get your hands on some handspun in an appropriate weight, I suggest giving the following brands a try:

For lots of color Scotia Silk, Great Big Sea, or Blue Faced Leicester DK are nice. Koigu Kersti is a fab choice as well. If you want transitional color, try Migrations, Mitsuri, or Silk Garden. You could try a plain hat too or one with stripes out of Balance or Sublime Yarns Extrafine Merino Wool too.