The yarn booty

Don't be jealous of the goodies I brought home from my trip to Lorna's Laces.



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Lorna'a Laces

I'm on my way to my knitting meetup where we are going to get a tour of the Lorna's Laces facility here in Chicago. I'm so excited!


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Mixing it up with a little crochet

I'm relaxing today. I finally started making myself this queen Anne lace scarf after starting and stopping many times due to yarn fail. It's pretty easy to memorize and goes really fast. It's good mindless work that I can do whole I surf Ravelry for more projects.










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knitty goodness

Ooh, the new Knitty is up!

Poor neglected blog

I am still knitting I swear. I finally finished up my Wing-o-the-Moth shawl after a year of hibernation, I just love Anne Hansen's patterns. I tend to knit a little less in the summer because my summers are usually filled with visiting family/friends and making wedding dresses. I just got over a serious cold (it was the plague if you ask me) and being laid up for two weeks gives a person a chance to think. I'm trying to decide what to do next. I have dusted off my knitting machines and would like to make another video but need some input as to what people want to know. I probably don't know a lot more than most people but I'm willing to share my experiences while figuring it out. So speak up and let me know what machine knitting stuff you want to watch me fumble around with. I'm a pretty good hand knitter too so I'd be willing to make videos about that too. I'm off to go clean my machines and fondle my yarn.

Fan lace tutorial

Here we go. Now, I'm going to warn you ahead of time that my camera work is lacking. It was the best that I could muster at 4am all by myself.
Fan lace part 1: A better look and a short explanation


Fan lace part 2: Casting on


Fan lace part 3: Getting started


Fan lace part 4: Making lace!


Fan lace part 5: More explanation


Fan lace photo diagram (click the photo for a larger view of my shaky mouse hand tracing of the path of construction)
I hope that this helps to explain things. I would have written out instructions but I just couldn't figure out a good way of wording it.

I have been knitting, a lot. I swear I have

Not only have I been knitting by hand but I have been knitting by machine and crocheting. I have been a busy little beaver, just not a blogging beaver. I just learned how to make hairpin lace. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Thank you Stitch Diva for the inspiring pattern. Check me out:
I just acquired yet another knitting machine. I love eBay. This one has a ribber and I can't wait to figure out how to use it. I'm in the process right now of making some youtube videos to show how I created a fan lace pattern I saw on ravelry. My next post will have the videos.

I have finally mastered the kitchener stitch!

I can't tell you how many of my hand knitting projects have gone oh so wrong because I had never taken the time to learn how to properly execute the kitchener stitch.
These socks make my brain so happy. I love flip flops but I live in Chicago and flip flop weather is brief indeed. My mother is going to shake her head at me and say "child go put on some shoes".
I'm 35 years old and my mom is still trying to dress me. Gotta love her though.
I think I will be making a pair in white as soon as I get to the craft store to pick up some more yarn. I like it when a project comes together.

End of Summer

As the little bit of warm weather we get here in Chicago is going to wind down pretty fast thoughts of what I want to knit to keep me warm this winter are swirling around in my head. I have missed my daily knitting over the summer. I still knit but not as feverishly as I do when it's cold. I haven't touched my knitting machines at all in the past few months and I look forward to continuing to learn how to use them. I think leg warmers will be my first order of business, I am a child of the eighties after all.
I have a lot of quilt work on my plate right now as well that I can't wait to finish so I can relax and make something for myself. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed as of late because I have had so much to do. In addition to just taking care of the homestead I have remodeled my sewing room, done a lot of work to get ready for my website re-launch, written content for the re-launch of my quilting podcasts, and started writing a guide for people whom are organizing group quilt projects. It has been difficult organizing my thoughts and taking my business more seriously as I get more work. I have never been good at the business end of things but have discovered that I have to get good at it and it has been a long road full of resistance to specifics and planning. I'm an artist and I just like to "do" but if I want to continue on and be successful I have to make plans and carry them out.
I don't even know why I just rattled all that stuff out, I guess it's been heavy on my mind.

I'm still alive

I have been knitting but I have just been to swamped with work and remodeling to share. I'll get back in the swing of things soon.

Knitty goodness

The summer Knitty is up! I will be casting on the Seascape stole tonight.

My obsession with knitting is good for my soul

Just in general I try not to be too new age-y when it comes to spirituality but sometimes it just works. When I am knitting I find myself feeling very calm and at ease. There is only the stitch.
The type of work I do is always detail work. I need good light. I have to wear glasses. I have to pay attention. When I knit things like hats or scarves I can make a mistake and fudge a little to make things work but when I am knitting lace every stitch has to be correct for the pattern to emerge. As I knit I mentally say each repeat of the stitch pattern to myself like a mantra. When I am done the lace is a testament to my patience care while I was knitting. I have blended my daily meditation into my craft. The knitting has helped me to be more present and take more care in my quilting projects and in my everyday chores. Being still and doing something very repetitive give me a chance to think about my concerns, my fears, and my goals.
In this world full of distractions I have found a way to be quiet. I am thankful for my knitting. I am thankful for the meditation. And it doesn't hurt that I have something useful when I am done.

I'm in love

Yes, another shawl

I had to do it. I had to make another swallowtail shawl. I made it larger than the pattern called for by adding a few repeats. I think it turned out just gorgeous.

Ooh shiny!

I'm adding beading to my knitting for the first time. Having the right tools for the job really helps in this instance. I have a tambour beading hook that makes sliding the beads onto the stitches go like a dream. I can't wait to finish and block it.