LollyKnitting Around » Scarves, Wraps, Shrugs

Weekend Knitting + Rocking

lolly — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:54:59 +0000

When a chair this inviting comes into your life, you just have to rock with it. Little back story: If you follow me on Twitter or Pinterest, you probably know that I have a thing for modern design. Last fall, I started searching for the perfect modern rocking chair. I found one in February at a local furniture studio, but the price was *ahem*, out of range. So, when I received notice that this studio was having a huge sale, we just decided to check it out and see if the rocker was included in the festivity. Just my luck! The stars aligned just right – we got the floor model at a deep discount… the week before my birthday! Walked right out of the store with it. I couldn’t be more excited about rocking (and knitting) away in this thing.

I spent some time breaking it in yesterday while I worked on this cowl that I started last week. It makes for a pretty great knitting chair. The only thing that would make it better? A handknit colorwork pillow, of course! I have some ideas in mind for that, but I probably won’t be casting on until the new year…

The call of the new Madelinetosh Merino Light was strong – and this unique slipped stitch patternreeled me right in. This is the Brick Road Cowl by Madelinetosh (Rav link), and it looks much more complicated than it is. I am closing in on the halfway point, and then I will reverse the colors for yellow bricks with the green/grey background. I chose the Candlewick and Terra Verde colorways for this one – picked them up while visiting my parents in Pennsylvania. It’ll be a stylish reversible neckwarmer for the coming winter.

Albers Cowl: Complete

lolly — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:02:02 +0000

My friend Em said that this Albers cowl is “how Lolly got her [knitting] groove back”… and she is right. Not that I totally lost it, but my knitting production has been a little slow. This project’s simplicity, modern design elements, and history was the perfect match for my desire to stash bust some of my fingering weight yarns. It really appealed to me, and it was such a great knit – can’t wait to make more! Ann Weaver of WeaverKnits (Ravelry link) had this great design idea, inspired by the “Homage to the Square” body of work by Josef Albers.

3 squares – made up of other squares. It’s just so meta! Choosing the colors from my stash was just as much fun as knitting the simple garter stitch squares. Row upon row of, building a wearable accessory. Lolly the builder. I didn’t pull out my T-square, but I did use the tool of my trade: yarn and needles!

I choose my yarns on texture – I went for 2 or 3 ply yarns with a sheen and sproingy quality. I wanted to play with some palettes, so I used the following yarns for each block (inside out)

Block 1: Cherry Tree Hill – Louet Gems, Louet Gems, Koigu KPPM

Block 2: Louet Gems, Cherry Tree Hill, Three Waters Farm

Block 3: Shibui Sock, Louet Gems, Claudia Hand Painted, Koigu KPPM

There will be more squares in my future. This project refined my “picking up stitches” technique, and now I am itching for more. A larger scale version (worsted weight on size 6 or 7 needles?) would make a great baby blanket… or even a rug…

This project was a rainbow of colors and fit well into this year’s Project Spectrum time frame. Today is the last day for reds and oranges, and with some of the leftovers (a stashbust within a stashbust!), I whipped up this pair of orange baby booties for my as yet-to-be determined nephew/niece, due in October. It would be great if I find the fortitude to make a color-themed pair a month for the new baby… my own personal challenge.

Better plan my GREEN pair next!

Hip to be Square

lolly — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:17:34 +0000

A return to the elements of knitting – yarn, needles, and elementary garter stitch. Such satisfaction and joy in simplicity. I could continue to wax philosophical about it… suffice it to say, this is the perfect kind of knitting for me right now. It came to me at just the right time.

Square #1 complete – 33% – layers of squares constructed on top of each other. Not only is is a fabulous fingering weight stash bust, but it is producing some that I love to look at.

Square #2 underway – 33%. Squares of Cherry Tree Hill, Koigu, Louet, built one on top of the other.

I feel like a knitting architect.

Sites & Knits in PA

lolly — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:24:20 +0000

Kris had a conference up in Connecticut and I decided to go along for the ride. We decided to go the in-land route through Pennsylvania; we stopped by Gettysburg to visit Kris’s brother, went to a fabulous used book store in Harrisburg, went to a hockey game in Wilkes Barre, did some hiking in the northeast mountains on our way to Connecticut.

Promised Land State Park, Pennsylvania

The snow began to fall steadily at the state park, so we cut our hike short. There were already large snow drifts and several closed roads. We didn’t anticipate all the snow, so we actually didn’t have all of the layers that we typically would have for snow hiking. Next stop – a little less snowy – was Raymondskill Falls, outside of Milford, PA.

Inside town, we went to the Grey Towers National Historic Landmark and as we were driving to find a spot for lunch, we happened upon a yarn shop (Kris actually pointed it out!) and we stopped by for a quick peek… and a quick purchase.

As Kris drove, I knit. I had searched for a pattern that I could get excited about to bring on the knitting love again, and I found it in the form of the Albers Cowl by Ann Weaver (Ravelry link). I am so excited about this knit and the artistic inspiration behind it… I am planning a whole post on it very soon, but I will gladly show my progress after some hours of driving:

This is serving as a great stashbusting project, and my first time with simple modular knits – I love this process. I have some great color combinations in my head, and I am excited to see how they work together in these blocks.

I have ambitious plans for blogging this week. I have lots of tell you… meetings with great knitters, a pilgrimage to “America’s Yarn Store”, and even some finished knits to share. Here’s hoping my blog mojo AND my knitting mojo are back to stay!

I am not ded.

lolly — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:01:49 +0000

Rather than making excuses for over a month of radio silence, I will just say – HEY! Thanks for the messages and emails. LollyKnitting Around is not down or on an extended hiatus.

Of course, I have a lot to catch you up on, so, I’ll let the photos – and a few words – tell the story:

Late October: lots of apples – mom and dad and I did a little daytrip over to West Virginia where we bought a couple of bushels. I did a lot of canning and baking – like these apple cider cupcakes, for instance.

More floor + painting! The entire second floor of the house is done: Kris’s office, my office/craft room, the master bedroom and closet, the hallway, and half the stairway to the first floor. Lots of work and lots of reward. It feels like a whole new place, even though we moved in 9 years ago this month.

Mimi + Baby V came to town! It was such a joy to see them both – Baby V turned one at the end of September. She’s the belle of the ball and seeing my sister and her was an absolutely wonderful treat. I had a Baby Owlet sweater waiting for her arrival. Full details about the pullover are on my Ravelry notebook page.

I turned 30. It wasn’t all that bad.

Thanksgiving with the W family – wonderful times! We were rocking the red this year

Haircut (bangs are back!) and a new tweedy vertical stripe scarf. Ravelry Notebook Page for the scarf here!

House is decorated for the holidays and while still under renovation, things are pretty ordered. More renos to come – first floor flooring, and some kitchen upgrades… but that can probably wait till 2011.

~ More knitting to share next time ~

Thanks as always for reading

Making Old New Again

lolly — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:01:07 +0000

In my first year of knitting, way back in 2003-2004, I was intrepid. I wanted to learn all I could about yarn and stitches… I had a very patient knitting group, all of them much more experienced than I was. They helped me learn many things – and one of the best things was how to be fearless. When I wanted to start a lace pattern pretty early in my knitting career, with some of the nicest yarn I had ever worked with at the time (a gift from one of the group members) I didn’t blink. I just went for it.

…

Fast forward to 2010. Project was not forgotten, but was not “dealt with” so, it was continuously buried in my yarn closet. While I was pretty fearless back then, I didn’t have patience and stay power, so it was set aside for another time… and consequently never finished.

Back then, I knew nothing about construction and gauge. So, when I pulled this project out of the closet over the weekend (part of the big clean out for the wood floor installation), I decided to just deal with it. In the process of working through a few more rounds, I remembered the basic lace pattern that I had started on years ago… and I realized that this project could be repurposed and made new again – this time as a scarf or a cowl.

So, I did just that.

…and then I wrote the pattern for it…

…and made it available for free on Ravelry…

:: Blushing Lace Cowl ::

Funny that I jumped in so readily back then, and now I don’t knit much lace (if I can help it)… but as I was knitting up one last repeat, I realized it isn’t all that bad. Of course, this is a simple lace – not charted or complicated. Easily memorized. Doable. It’s quite a liberating feeling to have a project off the needles after nearly 7 years.

…and I happen to have some more Rowan Kidsilk Haze – just enough to make another version of this cowl – that I would be happy to give away to a commenter… leave a comment if you are interested in 1.75 balls of KSH in the 606 colorway! I will choose at random on Sunday evening (October 3rd).

…

Socktoberfest is nigh! I am quite excited about our sixth celebration – and some 1300 people on Ravelry are also excited! It’s not too late to join the fun! You can join us anytime in October. While I am planning to cast on for the Through the Loops Mystery Socks, I also decided to get a jumpstart on another pair of socks – that’s 100% allowed in Socktoberfest! the KAL with no rules! – and I cast on with some old stashed yarn from 2006… back when Socks that Rock was in it’s infancy. This skein was a gift, and it’s been waiting in the wings for a few years, now to become the Flammegarn Socks from Nancy Bush’s Folk Socks book – a simple slipped stitch pattern with a ribbed cuff.

Bring on the socks!!

Perseverance: A Hike and a Shawl

lolly — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:46:14 +0000

Last Alaska-related post. I promise. (I can almost hear you now: Lolly… you have been back from nearly two weeks! Don’t you have other things to talk about?)

The Perseverance Trail is a network of trails that start right above the downtown area of Juneau – you can take various routes and reach the top of Mt. Roberts, climb up Mt. Juneau, or go in between the two to view some lovely waterfalls. We chose the last option – along with Alli and her doggies, we persevered and hiked the miles through some beautiful country. More wild berries. More scenic photo opps. More fun companionship.

Inspired by this wonderful day on the trails – and as a tribute to my time in Alaska – I knit a shawl. That’s what knitters do. And I am calling this shawl “Perseverance”.

Perseverance

Pattern: My own free design – on Ravelry!
Yarn: Cottage Craft 1-ply “Black Cherry” colorway
Needles: Size 4.0mm/US 6 24″ and 36″ circular needles

I think I need to knit a bright green version of this to properly display the colors of trail… but the structure is more what I was after… and I achieved it. The shape is a basic triangle, with textured stitches: basic stockinette, half-linen stitch, reverse stockinette, and garter stitch. I played with the idea of tiers – or switchbacks, as I think of them – to emulate the mountain structure of the shawl. And the increase ridge down the middle even resembles a waterfall!

Another stashbusting knit, I purchased this yarn in 2006. It’s a great 1-ply from a little outfit in New Brunswick called Cottage Craft. I used their 2-ply Maritime Blue colorway to make my Street Smart Hoodie, and it was a great yarn that has worn really well. I believe that this yarn will be the same. It was great to knit with, and it really shows off the half-linen stitch patterning. This pattern would work equally well in a drapey yarn, or one with some more heft. It’s very customizable! If you make one, please link to it on Ravelry so I can see the results!

…and if you want to make it, you can queue it up here – and download the pattern!

PS — So many thanks for your thoughtful comments on my “blogiversary” post the other day. Heartwarming and encouraging!

Knits from Up North

lolly — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:51:30 +0000

Juneau’s climate is tailor-made for handknits. The temperature is pretty consistent, and while we were there, it didn’t rise above 60 degrees. You need warm and dry feet – make socks. You need to cover your neck and chest – make a scarf. You need to keep your head warm an dry – make a hat. Easy enough. You do have to factor in the whole wetness factor – because it rains approximately 150 inches a year (it’s a rainforest) but you just choose your fiber accordingly.

I did just that – and came away with two winning accessories that served me well during my time there.

Yvaine Shawl
Pattern: Yvaine – free pattern from Femiknisty
Yarn: The March Hare fingering weight, colorway “Driftwood”
Needles: Size US 8 circulars
Ravelry Notebook Page

I did start it here, but I finished it there – so I am counting it as an Alaskan knit The pattern was simple and very fun. I really enjoyed the triangular shawl knit process and watching it grow. Yvaine had some textural elements too, so it varied a bit. The yarn really made it sparkle, in my opinion. Loved this variegation the first minute I saw it at MDSW last year.

While in Alaska, I also whipped up a quickie hat. I needed some warmth, and I also wanted a little variety from the one other hat that I had brought with me. So… the Misty Juneau hat was born! I brought this Spirit Trail Minerva along with me (a purchase from MDSW a few years back) and I made this beanie hat in two days. And surprise! the day I finished it – was a misty Juneau day!

I improvised the pattern – very simple beanie design with a wide ribbed brim. Then, I did reverse stockinette the whole way because I liked the way it looked. Here’s the Ravelry Notebook Page. The yarn has a more violet tint than the photos show, with these small streaks of gray in it. I doubled the yarn, and used a 16-inch size 8 circular needle. Tried it on as I went along and bound off when it was long enough.

On the plane ride back to Maryland, I made a lot of progress on an improvised “design” using the basic triangular shawl shape. It should be finished soon, and I will be sharing the pattern.

We had an amazing time in Alaska, and it was hard to leave! I do hope to have another chance to make it back to Alaska to see more of the state – it’s a very special place! I am still uploading photos on Flickr and will be in the upcoming days, so if you would like to see my Alaska set of photos (well, what I have so far!) you can see them here!

Prodigal Knitter

lolly — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:42:13 +0000

Returning to her roots.

Not that it’s been that long… but I have had a wandering eye of late. For the most part, the eye has been wandering over a book page (or a few hundred).

The knit that brought me right back into the fold? A simple triangular textured shawl. Nothing jaw-dropping(ly)spectacular, but a fun knit nonetheless.

Another stashbuster, of sorts. I picked up this handpainted superwash at Maryland Sheep and Wool festival in 2009. It’s a small indie dyer with a great color (she’s on Etsy here - even has one skein of this same colorway in stock : “Driftwood”) Love the yarn and it’s knitting up better than I imagined. The pattern is Yvaine (and here’s the Rav link), an alternating stripe stockinette/seed stitch triangle that is knit from top long edge down to the point with a series of increases. It’s relaxing and refreshing.

I knit so many scarves, shawls, and wraps in my early knitting days. I still enjoy this type of knitting very much. It seems that my desire to knit sweaters last year reached an all-time high, and while I still have *many* sweaters that I want to make, I am quite excited about many of the shawl patterns I am seeing on Ravelry. And I have plenty of small yarny batches (1-2 skeins here and there) that are perfect for shawls and scarves. I am not particularly into intricate lace patterns with lots of charts – and I like a more modern look. Additionally, these shawls seem like the perfect portable project with my upcoming summer travels (Alaska, etc.) You’ll will be seeing more of this one, and some others soon…

Snippets

lolly — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:43:10 +0000

They may be a little gnarly and not quite the prettiest of the bunch – but they are OUR strawberries! This is our magical third year, and our little backyard patch has produced a pretty steady stream of these juicy delights. When Kris and I get home from work, we spend a good hour piddling around in the garden – weeding, harvesting, watching the plants grow. It’s amazing to see the progress day to day. We pick our choice ingredients and then go in for dinner. The best part is when we can make the harvest part of the dinner! Our most abundant harvest right now is our salad greens - so we have delicious green each night. This heirloom variety provides yummy diversity (and some laughs at the names of the lettuce – “Amish Deer Tongue”!) Add some strawberries and a balsamic vinaigrette, and you have an instant meal. Perfect.

I have been reading like a speed demon – and if you keep up with me on GoodReads, than you know that I have been devouring graphic novels… still loving this genre. I read the newest Sookie Stackhouse guilty pleasure, Dead in the Family,which left me a little non-plussed, but entertained. I have plans for much more reading this summer – I am going to the library once a week trading in the ones that I read for the new ones I had on hold! Another book review post will be coming soon. I should be turning my eyes to the shelves full of books in my house…

Also watching season finales of some favorite television shows, name “LOST” and “Chuck”. I was happy with both, for the record

The downtime would usually translate to more knitting time, but I haven’t been picking up the needles that much lately. I am continuing my stashbusting efforts, but it seems like a lot of other things are vying for my time… and winning right now. I did finish this scarf – a simple garter stitch number that was knit side-to-side. I used a wool/alpaca/silk blend (Elsbeth Lavold Silky Flamme). I am calling it my Tree Bark scarf because of the ripply texture [Ravelry Notebook page]. The yarn has some thick and thin places which adds to the effect. I threw in a couple of purl rows for some interest. I like it, and it will be nice this next fall/winter.

I joined a new gym and am enjoying their “theater” room where you can work out on the equipment (ellipticals, treadmills, stair climbers, bikes) while watching a movie on the big screen. What a novel idea! They play fun movies too… I just got back from the gym and they were playing Mrs. Doubtfire, which I hadn’t seen since it came out. So silly that I found myself laughing out loud more than once while on the treadmill! I have a great friend who goes with me, so it’s fun to have that little standing date together each weekend.

My youngest sister is in town this weekend, and we are all looking forward to the visit from Mimi, Daniel, and Baby V at the end of June. This coming Monday, my dad leaves for a 4-month assignment in Juneau, Alaska. …and you know me well enough to realize that the wheels started turning in my head planning a trip to visit! We don’t have a date pinned down quite, but we have every intention of going. Should be a great opportunity to see my dad, and for some amazing photography!

After a good deal of reluctance, I decided to join Twitter. now I am wondering why in the world I waited so long. I heard a lecture last week at a work-related conference that extolled this social networking tool and I realized that it could be a good thing… so, I gave it a try this past week. And yeah, it’s great. So, if you want to follow me… I am there. It’s like mini-blog posts!