Smallest Friend

Party Recap

2011-03-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Irina and I opened a shop!

Saturday was the big party and it was crazy!

The shop was packed full of people for most of the night. It was so fun and exciting. So many people came to hang out and wish us well (and shop, thankfully)!

The night was a total blur of hugs and champagne and confetti (more on the confetti part later).

I'll be sharing more photos of the shop throughout the week as I continue to recover from the craziness leading up to (and including) the party.

Two Lions: Family Love

2011-03-11T06:11:00.000-08:00

This is my little sister's band.

They are really good and worth a listen if you like folk music at all.

Which you should.

I especially like the third song.

I've been super MIA from this blog. I've been spending my days working my normal job and then heading straight to the shop to work on getting ready for the opening (TOMORROW) grabbing a beer with friends and then going home to fall into bed. In short; super busy. I've also been reading Jane Eyre. I read on the train and it's the one part of the day that I don't obsess about the shop. I think it's really been helping me stay sane. Well, sort of sane.

Few & Far Between: The Secret is Out!

2011-03-01T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yikes!

March 1st.

February was fine but March is exciting. Do you want to know why?

March is the month that I will be opening a shop with my good friend Irina. A real store. double yikes.

We have been planning for the past three months (this is part of why the blogging around here has been a bit scarce) and now the opening is almost here! Here's the deal.

Our shop is called:

If you've been reading the blog for a while you might know that I've been an assistant for my lovely friend Siri, over at her shop Treehouse, for the past year. Siri loves her sweet little shop (and so does everyone in the neighborhood) but she's also ready to take a quick break and it just so happens that Irina and I are ready to have a shop... So we are opening a pop-up shop for three months while Siri goes touring with her awesome band and works on her beautiful jewelry line and cool stuff like that! Siri wrote a great newsletter which you can see here.

And while Siri is off having her adventures, Irina and I will be here in Brooklyn tending to our store-within-a-store. Few & Far Between will feature beautiful vintage apparel and home goods alongside hand crafted jewelry and accessories by some of our favorite independent designers.

I am so excited. This is a total dream come true for me and I can't wait to show you some photos of the shop as we start to move our huge vintage collection in and get everything styled and lovely. Want to see some sneak-peeks?

We also have a Tumblr HERE and a Facebook page HERE.

One last thing for now; the big opening party is going to be on March 12th! If you live nearby you should mark your calendar. If you don't live nearby, tell a friend. I'll have more information coming soon so stay tuned!

Choices

2011-02-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to decide what to knit next:

28's Big Sister 77 by Lynne Ashton,

Deirdre by Linden Down (she also designed the Estelle, which I knit last year),

or Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark.

I think anyone of these would be perfect for early spring. But which one to choose....

What are you dreaming up for spring knitting?

Long Hair, Warm Weather, Dreaming

2011-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

I think I have a new favorite photographer. Her name is Irina Werning and she did a whole set of photos of people with really long hair.

Love it.

Lodekka

2011-02-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

I'm only slightly obsessed with Lodekka, the double decker bus turned vintage shop in Portland. Just slightly... I think.

Inhabitat has a nice article about it and some sweet peeks inside.

More of the Same

2011-02-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Playing with Noro and a solid yarn again. I love how the sapphire blue glows against the pale tan.

I Love this Video

2011-02-05T10:02:00.001-08:00

Handmade Portraits: Mabel Pike from Etsy on Vimeo.

Fun, Natural Fun

2011-02-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning as I was heading out the door to go to work I realized I had a problem: I only had 5 pages left in the book I was reading, no small knitting projects in progress, and and hour long subway commute each way.... I'm just not the kind of person who can ride the subway for more than a couple stops without anything to do. It makes me nuts.

So I opened a drawer and grabbed two balls of yarn that looked okay together and seemed to be about the same weight; a ball of handspun from the Union Square Farmer's market in dusty blue and some Noro in greys and blues and browns. I crammed a size 6 circular needle in my purse and ran out the door.

Two long subway rides, one short subway ride, plus some downtime at work and I had a finished hat by last night.

It's just a simple kid's cap. I cast on 70, did 1x1 rib for and inch, then alternated 4 rows of the blue with 2 rows of the Noro, decreasing after about 5 inches. Easy and cute. So cute, in fact, that I'm now making one for myself with the same ball of Noro and some tan handspun from the same farm. I love alternating the self-striping Noro with a solid, it's fun and creates a really pretty effect. I wonder if I could get away with doing something like that for a cardigan for myself... would it look too dorky? Would I care? Some things for me to think about...

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Evelyn Roth

2011-02-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this video a lot since I saw it on the Craftzine blog yesterday. The video suit gives me mild panic attacks.

New Pattern Time!

2011-02-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice little headband for keeping your ears warm on days you don't want to wear a hat. It is secured in the back with a button which is nice because you won't mess up your hair pulling a headband down and you get to use one of those cute buttons you've been saving.

Seed Stitch Headband

You Will Need:

-Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (Less than half a ball) or 4 strands of any worsted weight yarn held together

-Size 11 Knitting Needles

-Tapestry Needle

Gauge: 4 stitches in seed stitch = 1 3/4 inches

K=knit, P=purl, YO=yarn over, K2tog=knit 2 together, SSK=slip slip knit2tog

Cast on 7 stitches.

*K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1*

Repeat this seed stitch pattern on every row until piece measures 20" or 1.5" less than the circumference of your head (remember the headband will stretch).

Now you will put in a button hole:

K1, P1, K1, YO, K2tog, P1, K1

Knit in seed stitch pattern for 3 rows.

K2tog, K1, P1, K1, SSK (5 sts)

K2tog, P1, SSK(3 sts)

Bind off remaining 3 sts

Sew on a button and you're done!

Coming Soon

2011-02-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

This past week I've been super interested in quick projects. I'm talking like less than 2 hours... or even less than 1 hour. And that's how this new Seed Stitch Headband was born. And I've already made six of them...

I'm hoping to have the pattern up later this week. It's just way too overcast this morning to take any decent modeled photos. Irina and I were actually planning to do a little photo shoot this morning for a couple of different projects but we had to cancel because it's so dark out. Boo hoo, oh well.

Easiest Ankle Warmers

2011-01-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

I'm just popping in to share a super quick pattern with you all. It's almost too simple and silly to be called a pattern. it's more of just loose guidelines... But first, a quick story:

Anyway, yesterday I picked up my That Girl cardigan after letting it sit untouched since September. I decided to make it long sleeve, did some calculations, checked my gauge, measured things, wrote things down. I was being a very responsible knitter. I knit the sleeve one way and then decided to go for a different look. I ripped back, recalculated and started again doing special decreases of my own design. But things didn't look quite right. I wondered, "Why does the sleeve look so wide?"

I counted the stitches and discovered that there were 64 stitches on the needles and not the 54 that I wanted. What tripped me up?.... Subtraction.

I had told myself over and over in my head that 76 minus 12 is 54. boo hoo.

So that project is currently hiding in a heap under the bed waiting for a day when I feel more confident in my basic math skills.

But I despite my lack of brain power (I blame the cold) I did want to make something yesterday and feel productive. I picked up a pair of huge size 17 needles and a ball of Lon Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Oatmeal. You may have noticed I use this yarn a lot. I just like it. It's big and affordable and you can put it in the washing machine. Good things.

I started knitting and within 3 episodes of Seinfeld I had these:

Here's how they are made:

Cast on 16 stitches on size 17 needles with a super bulky yarn (or you can hold four strands of worsted weight together).

Knit garter stitch until the piece is 12 inches long.

Bind off.

Sew the cast-on edge to the bind-off edge.

Weave in the ends and you're done! You made something in less than 2 hours!

And I have to say that I did feel a lot better after I finished knitting these. Like, okay, I don't know how to subtract 12 from 76... but at least I can make something to keep my ankles warm.

Sick Day

2011-01-26T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hello.
I'm home sick today. Here are the things I'm thinking about doing:

I started knitting this sweater soooo long ago. I'd love to get it finished in time to get some wear out of it. The problem is that I think I made some adjustments to the pattern and I'm not sure if I wrote them down anywhere.... Also, I just can't seem to decide if I want it to be short sleeve (as the pattern is written) or long sleeve. Long sleeve will take longer but I think I would wear it more.

I also should get started on this pile of vintage dresses to be mended. Some of them are mine and some are for the secret project. And now that I think of it there are actually more dresses in need of mending in the craft room... yikes.

The third one from the bottom is a gorgeous dress from the 60's that I was wearing last night and I sneezed so hard that a little section of the zipper ripped out. haha.

I'm also reading Love in the Time of Cholera for the third time and listening to First Aid Kit's album The Big Black & the Blue for the hundredth time and absolutely loving both.

It's snowing like crazy here. On a clear day you'd see the Empire State Building in the distance. Not today.

Hope you're cozy and well.

Nature and Kneesocks

2011-01-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

I just came across the work of Tereza Vlckova via all the mountains. I love it. I didn't realize how badly I'm yearning for springtime and cotton dresses until I saw these photos.

Blizzard

2011-01-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

Time Lapse NYC Snow Blizzard from K Taro Hashimura on Vimeo.

I'm loving this video of the blizzard we had in New York a couple weeks ago. It wasn't a super crazy blizzard but the video is still really beautiful time-lapse.

I'm going to Connecticut tomorrow to do some stuff for the big project I'm working on. So exciting! I'm hoping to get some knitting done in the car so maybe I'll have something interesting to show you tomorrow night.

Have a rad weekend!

Linen Learning

2011-01-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

The other day my friend Irina and I were doing some clothes shopping for a big project we are working on. It's a project I'm excited to tell you about soon... Anyway, one of the dresses I found that day was made of this beautiful woven linen in rich jewel tones. I grabbed it and carried it over to Irina and whispered*, "Look. I found one that's 100% linen!"

She replied, "What's linen?"

And I paused for a second and then said, "Well, it's made of flax and it's uhh... like, really nice..."

Yeah, not super eloquent. I was so happy to stumble on this video today on reMade USA's blog.

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

It's a bit long but absolutely mesmerizing and gorgeous. I love learning more about fibers and textiles; learning how things are made.

*I don't know why I was whispering. Sometimes I whisper when I'm excited and nerding out. Especially if I'm excited and nerding out about knitting or fabrics. yeah.

First Timer

2011-01-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

Remember that swatch I showed you? It's for a new project that I'm feeling excited about. My very first stranded colorwork project! Is it intarsia? Umm, I'll have to check the definition. Anyway, the project is a pair of gloves from the winter 2010 edition of Spin-Off magazine called, simply, Norwegian-Inspired Gloves by Erda Kappeler. I couldn't find it on Ravelry to give you a link but I might scan in a photo from the magazine just to show you what I'm working towards. Here's where I'm at so far:

I'm changing a couple of things: The pattern is for gloves but I'm going to try to change them into mittens. I just think handknit gloves in anything heavier than sock yarn look really bulky. Like big monster fingers. And secondly, I'm changing one of the charts. The original pattern has a chart on the back of the hand for (what I think is) a rooster and I'm doing a deer chart instead. I might do a different animal on the other hand. We'll see.

SNOW!

2011-01-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it started snowing. Hard.

First I decided to swatch for some new mittens using some scraps of worsted weight yarn. Some is Cascade 220 and some is some random thrift store wool. It looked like this:

The project I'm planning for is knit in the round. To get a more accurate swatch I knit across then loosely brought the yarn back to the right hand side of the right side of the knitting... Uhh. Does that make any sense? It's a way of swatching in which you are knitting a flat stockinette swatch but you only do knit stitches (no purls) as if you were knitting in the round. The back of the swatch ends up looking like this:

After knitting on that swatch for a little while I went out with Logan to walk around in the snow storm. We went out around midnight. I was snowing fairly hard but it wasn't too cold out and the night was beautiful. I realized as I was walking that I was wearing 6 hand-knit items... Really! My socks, cardigan, hat, mittens, shawl, and scarf were all hand knit by me. Logan was wearing a scarf from me as well.... Wow, a lot of hand knit stuff. When I finally came in from the cold I looked like this:

Haha, icicle eyebrows are funny.

Olek Again, Again

2011-01-09T21:07:00.001-08:00

I feel like I just wrote about Olek's work really recently... Well, here she is again:

OLEK AND THE CHARGING BULL ON WALL STREET from olek on Vimeo.

Back

2011-01-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

Hi.

Still here. It's been taking me a while to get back to reality after a big break from work and a great trip back home.

And you know what else? I realized the other night, while discussing the holidays with a friend, that I knit about ten gift this year. I feel really good about that. But you know what I feel slightly less good about? I didn't take a photo of a single one! Seriously, not one. And that's a big part of why there's been silence here on the blog. Oh well...

I think I'm going to start another Brambles Beret today. The one I made in the fall (or was it the summer?) went to my sweet friend Berit. No photo, of course.

Also, while I was in Minneapolis I saw the photos of Alec Soth at the Walker Museum. Have you heard of him. I really like his work but one photo in particular has been stuck in my mind. Maybe you'll like it to:

photo by Alec Soth

Sand and Stones

2010-12-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Irina got her Christmas gift early:

They are fingerless mitts of my own design and I've been making them for a few people on my Christmas list. These particular ones were knit in Noro and I love how the colors worked up. It reminds me of sand and stones.

Are you still trying to finish (or start) making any last-minute gifts?

I know I am.

Marimekko, for me?

2010-12-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today Logan came home with a couple of really lovely mugs. They were a holiday present from the family he works for and they're Marimekko and so so so pretty. They look like this:

I'm not really the kind of person to buy designer dishes. Things break too often at our house and I'm happy finding sweet stuff at thrift stores. But to receive some Marimekko as a gift? I'm very happy about that. When I was looking for the photo of the mugs I couldn't help but admire some other stuff from Marimekko:

Check out this tea set!

And this print!

Yes. I do like them very much.

All Our Most Brilliant Friends

2010-12-11T22:21:00.001-08:00

I've had this song stuck in my head all day.

Hope you're having a nice weekend!

Luv-able & Hug-able Recap

2010-12-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

I went to the opening of the Luv-able & Hug-able show last night and it was great. There was so much awesome work and a lot of things from people I hadn't heard of before. Everything in the show is for sale and if you buy something they take it right off the wall for you and wrap it up. I bought a little something but I can't say what because it's going to be a present for someone who (I think) reads the blog.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show:

These awesome dogs are by Keighty Crochet. They are so creepy cute!

These dolls are by Evangelione. So rad. I wish I had taken a better photo of their hair. It looked really sweet. And the outfits too! The adorable bear is by Kumanta but I couldn't find a link for that artist.

And, if you've been reading along, you might know how much I love anything made by Hine Mizushima. I just think she makes such great work. Check out the wreathes she made for the show! Do click the link if you're not yet familiar with her stuff. You won't regret it.

And lastly this cute lil guy. I love it! Unfortunately, I can't remember who made this one. If I figure it out I'll let you know.

There was way more amazing stuff at the show and you can see more of it at Gallery Hanahou's site.

Granny Time?

2010-12-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

So, it's about two and a half weeks until Christmas.... can that really be right? Yeah. I think so. Yikes!

It's getting down to the wire for holiday knitting and general making of things. Time to decide who's going to receive a handmade present and who's getting something store bought.

I've been thinking about these crocheted Granny Square Slippers from the Purl Bee a lot. I have some Manos laying around... this could happen.

Right?

photo via The Purl Bee

Iranian New Art

2010-12-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

How beautiful is this fiber art?

These works are by the Iranian New Art group, a "collective of Iranian artists and students who use recycled and natural (typically fiber) materials to draw attention to the ecological and social issues of their homeland."

So inspiring.

Images via the Textile Arts Center blog. Click the link for more information and amazing photos.

Luv-able & Hug-able 2010

2010-12-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again... Time for the Luv-able & Hug-able show at Gallery Hanahou!

I'm genuinely excited for this show. I go every year and it's always a really fun time with lots of amazing and inspiring work (not to mention super cute). This show is a must-see if you're in the NYC area.

See you there!

p.s. If you can't go to the show in person, you can check out all of the pieces on the gallery's site. And I think they go up for sale online the day after the show (something like that).

Hi

2010-12-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

I'm knitting and knitting away. Not much to share at the moment but I've been test knitting a new pattern and I'm hoping to have it up here soon. I just want to make sure I can write it out in a way that will make sense to other knitters (it's a simple pattern but I'm new to pattern writing).

I saw a photo on Pip's blog this morning that I think is so stunning.

It's a photo by Erwin Olaf.

I'm in love with the color yellow right now.

A Touch of Vintage

2010-12-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hi.

So, if you've stopped by here once or twice before you know that I love to knit... right? And you might also know that I like spinning yarn, and crocheting, and doing some dyeing as well. Show me pretty much anything crafty (especially wool-related) and I've probably tried it before or want to try in the future.

Something else that I really love is vintage fashion. I feel like about 90% of my thoughts are about knitting, vintage dresses, and eating.... yeah, I think that's about right. So I'm going to start sharing that side of myself here. Not all of the time, but sometimes. Just images that I think are inspiring or photos of neat things I've picked up. Things that I think are beautiful or striking and that I think you might like as well. The knitting and crafty things are staying, though, and I hope you will too.

This morning I stumbled on the website The Selby. Have you visited before? The site contains photos by Todd Selby, a photographer who captures images of people in their personal or private spaces and they are just lovely photos. The photos of Jamie and Anthony at their home in Brooklyn are gorgeous:

I love the gold velvet chairs. They are so beautiful. I also like that there is a ton of stuff hanging on the walls. Sometimes I feel like my walls are too cluttered with little paintings and embroideries but after seeing these photos I'm thinking maybe my walls are actually a bit bare...

Madewell Made Yarn

2010-11-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Check out the window displays at the Madewell store in Soho.

So cute, right? Click on the image if you wanna see it bigger.

I had to snap a photo. I want to knit something BIG now.

Autumn in Central Park

2010-11-18T05:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to spend most of my day in Central Park. It was chilly (but no uncomfortably so) and very windy but really beautiful

I spent about an hour sitting by the boat pond, listening to This American Life and watching the little radio-controlled boats struggle against the wind.

Lovely.

Bulky Beanie

2010-11-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

Have you started making holiday gifts yet?

I'm working on it.

Sort of.

Slowly.

But I think this new hat pattern is really going to speed things up for me.

I designed this hat as a pattern that can be knit in a day or two and then given away. It looks good on women and men and even older kids and the hat can be thrown in the washing machine so there's no chance of your lovely handmade item being ruined in the wash. It's definitely not revolutionary or anything but it's the kind of thing I like; simple and classic. Also, I was able to use yarn that was left over from knitting my Acorn Head which makes me feel like the yarn was free!

It's the kind of thing you could knit a pile of and then decide who to give each one to later. I like to do that. Do you do that?

I think you could wrap up a this hat with some homemade cookies, or a box of tea, or a book and it would make a very sweet gift. Can you tell I'm starting to get excited for the holidays?

Well, anyway, here's the pattern. I hope you like it.

Bulky Beanie

You Will Need:

- Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (The colors I used were Denim and Cilantro, less than half a ball per hat)

- Size 13 Circular Needles or DPNs

- 1 Stitch Marker

- 1 Tapestry Needle or Crochet Hook (to weave in ends)

Cast on 36 sts.

Place stitch marker and join to knit in the round.

Work K2, P1 rib for 6 rows (feel free to use a 1x1 or 2x2 rib if that's what you prefer, I just think the 2x1 rib looks nice and tidy).

*K6, M1* repeat to end of round (42 sts).

Knit stockinette until hat measures 6" from cast-on edge.

*K5, K2tog* repeat to end of round (36 sts).

Knit one round.

*K4, K2tog* repeat to end of round (30 sts).

Knit one round.

*K3, K2tog* repeat to end of round (24 sts).

Knit one round.

*K2, K2tog* repeat to end of round (18 sts).

Knit one round.

*K1, K2tog* repeat to end of round (12 sts).

*K2tog* repeat to end of round (6 sts).

Cut yarn, thread through remaining 6 stitches and pull to close up the hole. Weave in ends and you're ready to do some gift giving!

p.s. If you like the sample hats I knit, they are both for sale at Treehouse.

Jonathan

2010-11-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to this song a lot lately. A lot of Jonathan Richman in general. He's just great, I think. A girl actually got mad at me at a Jonathan Richman concert in Chicago because I guess she thought I was yelling too much between the songs. I was just really excited... gosh.

But anyway... this is a really great song. Sorry about the weird video.

I'm working on a couple of new patterns right now. One is the pattern for mitts that I mentioned a few days ago (still writing that out so that it makes sense on paper) and a beanie pattern in some super bulky yarn. The hat will probably come out first because it's just a lot easier to write out. It might even be here tomorrow...

Olek Again

2010-11-11T14:44:00.001-08:00

I know I've written about Olek before... but her work is incredible.

Find out more here.

Hexagon Love

2010-11-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

The lovely and sweet Pip, of Meet me at Mike's, has posted a new tutorial on how to crochet hexagons!

So cute, right? I learned how to crochet granny squares from one of Pip's tutorials so I'm excited to learn how to make hexagons too. I think you could make a few of these in red and green and give them as Christmas presents with a little loop tied at the top. Little crocheted tree ornaments? I bet they'd be a hit.

p.s. Remember those crocheted pearl necklaces I made a few months ago? I've made some more... They are for sale at Treehouse along with some of my knit stuff. Hooray!

New Pattern Soon

2010-11-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hi. I've got a lot of projects going right now. One of them is a pair of mitts. I wrote up this pattern last winter and now I'm test knitting it in hopes to have a new (free) pattern for you within the next few days. I'll also have a new pair of pretty green Malabrigo mitts for myself so it's a win-win situation...

100

2010-11-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hello hello hello

So, did you know that this is my 100th post? It is.

And the time between this post and my last post has been quite a while.... Why? Because I thought, "Oh gosh. One hundred posts. People do something cool when they reach 100 posts like giving away a cool prize or doing some meme or something. I should do something like that!"

And I thought and thought and then forgot about it for a while and then resumed thinking but well I don't know. I guess I didn't think of anything. But I missed writing in this space the last couple weeks and so I decided to just say thanks. Thank you for reading the words I type. Even if you don't comment or whatever. I love looking at the numbers on my Google Analytics page and wondering who's knitting the patterns I've written or maybe being inspired by something I've tried making or maybe just cringed at one of my horrible jokes... I like feeling like people are crafting along with me...

So yeah, thanks.

And because I can't stand to have a photo-free post, I thought I'd just post something a bit random. A Halloween photo!

I made this costume about an hour before going out on Halloween. Can you tell what I was? I'll give you a clue.

Brambles and Shakti

2010-10-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I knit most of my Brambles Beret. Then I took this photo:

Later that day I finished the hat but I'm holding off taking any more photos of this thing until it's blocked. Blocking might happen tomorrow but I'm not sure... I really enjoyed knitting this hat and it went really fast. Each row of the chart was different enough to keep it interesting but not so different to make it annoyingly difficult. I'll definitely be knitting another one soon and I really recommend this pattern.

I cast on for a Shakti hat this morning. I'll give you an update on that later. For now I'm just home from the bar and off to bed!

Bowerbirds

2010-10-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I pulled myself out of bed (I've had a cold the last couple of days) and went to see Bowerbirds play a show in Manhattan. It was beautiful and amazing.

Casting on Brambles

2010-10-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

I cast on for a Brambles Beret from the latest issue of Knitty today. I'm using some vintage wool yarn that Michelle gave me. The color is such a pretty dusty gold, it reminds me of curry.

I'm excited to knit this hat because I usually just knit my from my own Simple Slouchy Beret pattern (I've probably knit about 15). That pattern is just so easy and mindless and I really like the plain design of it (it is my own pattern after all).

I think Brambles is going to be a really great pattern to knit, it has some cables and texture but not too much craziness. A ton of people have already knit this hat and they all look really cute.

What's your favorite pattern from the new Knitty? Did you make anything today?

Visiting Mochimochi Land

2010-10-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

I went to the opening of the Greetings from Mochimochi show at Gallery Hanahou (as I said I would) on Thursday and it was really great. I have just a few photos to share:

There were fat little unicorns prancing up onto a rainbow and getting eaten by big purple guys, and ghosts in a graveyard, a rat-infested city, and a god with an Elvis-stule pompadour sitting on a cloud. There was also a train with a knit cover that would randomly begin whizzing around the track and which made me slightly (and perhaps unreasonably) giddy every time it started up again.

I made a super short video if you'd like to see the train in action.

It has been estimated that everything in the show took 200 balls of yarn and over a million stitches to complete. I think those numbers almost put the enormous amount of work in perspective (but just almost). I strongly suggest that you see this show if you can. It will be on display until October 29. More info is here.

Greetings from Mochimochi!

2010-10-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

What are you doing tomorrow evening?

If you're in the New York area you should be going to the Greetings from Mochimochi show at Gallery Hanahou.

Here's how the show is described on Gallery Hanahou's website:

"In her first solo show, craft artist Anna Hrachovec stretches the possibilities of knitting as a medium to create an expansive and wacky landscape installation. Crash-landed aliens, rat-infested skyscrapers, giant ants, and everything else that comprises the 8-foot installation is entirely hand-knitted by the artist, who used 200 balls of yarn and more than a million stitches to make it all come to life. And just for fun, the piece includes a working model train – converted into a silly knitted monster, of course!"

Fun stuff! You can find our more about Anna Hrachovec at Mochimochiland.com where she also maintains a great blog. The opening party is tomorrow from 7-9 pm and I've really been looking forward to it. Openings at Hanahou are always really casual and fun and there's usually a very nice amount of champagne...

Hope to see you there!

Knitting and Teaching

2010-10-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hi. How are you? I'm fine. It got colder here... Finally. It's even cold enough for me to wear my sweater. I'm starting to like this sweater more the more I wear it. I'm still not totally in love with the fit and design but it does do a good job of keeping me warm.

I'm also knitting a new cardigan. It feels like it's going so so slowly. Right now it's sort of a weird vest. I've started on one of the sleeves but i'm changing the design from a short sleeve cardigan to a long sleeve one, and that makes it even more slow going as I figure out what I want to do. I'm really happy with the yarn I'm using. It's 100% wool from Australia and it's soft but it also feels quite strong. It's also a very nice color. This photo doesn't really show the color well, it's really a pretty goldy-tan color and I like it a whole lot.

And lastly, I will be teaching a Beginning Knitting class this Sunday the 10th! It will be held at Treehouse Brooklyn and it's going to be a lot of fun! I will teach everyone how to knit using chunky knitting needles and we will be making beer coozies that kind of look like beer can sweaters (but not with sleeves or anything cheesy like that). I feel like they are the perfect thing for autumn barbecues and chilly bonfire parties to keep your beers from making your hands cold. Totally appropriate for the season and also perfect for gifts!

I hope you'll take this class with me or consider taking the other rad Treehouse classes coming up this month!

Please click HERE for more info!

Tell your Brooklyn buddies!

Still here. Still knitting.

2010-10-04T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hi!

So I know I've been slightly absent lately... But I've been knitting a ton. It's really true. I've been working on gifts and a new cardigan. Here's proof (in case you're skeptical):

This is me knitting at in the backyard of a bar in Williamsburg. And I have some other things to tell you about too. But I'll share more tomorrow. Remember when I mentioned taking a beer brewing class? Well I did indeed brew beer and tonight was the night for bottling said beer.... All 48 bottles of it... And I'm really happy about it but also exhausted.

Watch This

2010-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Love this.

Thick and Thin

2010-09-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

A little while back I found some yarn hiding in a drawer. It looks like this:

It's some of my very first handspun yarn and it's so crazy. It goes from super thick lumps to weak sections that are thin like thread.

I guess I spun this yarn about a year and a half ago and I think it's fun to see what a better spinner I've become. Spinning was really hard for me at first. When my wheel arrived in the mail I sat down at it and couldn't get the hang of it at all. I couldn't get the wheel to move continuously or at an even speed and I didn't draft the wool at all which made it even harder (definitely self-taught...). I seriously might have cried that first day... Rage tears... Just a little.

I'm certainly still not perfect but I've improved a lot.

Thank goodness.

Beer!

2010-09-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Remember how I mentioned I was going to a Beer Brewing class? Well I went and it was super fun! It was held at 3rd Ward here in Brooklyn and taught by the folks behind Brooklyn Brew Shop. I was so into the class and really trying to listen and pay attention that I didn't take any photos. Then as I was looking for beer recipes through the BBS website I stumbled on this photo:

That's me on the far left. As you can see, I was being a very astute pupil. haha

This is Erica and Stephen. They were very nice teachers.

My friend Irina and I are going to go out and buy supplies today so hopefully we'll start brewing tonight!

Also, did you know that a new a new Textile Arts Center has opened in Brooklyn? It's in Park Slope and I think it's technically already open but they're having a Grand Opening and Premier Gallery Exhibition on September 17th! I think it's going to be really fun. You can find out more about all of that here.

Hi

2010-09-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

I watched too many episodes of the This American Life tv show a couple days ago and felt bummed out... Then I watched this and felt better. Maybe you need to feel a bit better too?

I promise there will be proper craftiness around here soon. I've been knitting like crazy on a new cardigan it's just so slow going...

Oh, Hine

2010-09-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

I've blogged before about how much I love the needle felted work of Hine Mizushima.

This video only makes that admiration grow stronger.

I've been making stuff lately but none of it seems interesting enough to share here... Mostly I've been trying to enjoy these last few hot days and nights while I can. I think that's okay.

p.s. If you click the link to Hine's blog, the image she has in her header is three octopi. I almost bought the green one at a show at Gallery Hanahou last year and now I'm wishing I had... Oh well.

p.p.s. I'm taking a beer brewing class at 3rd Ward this Wednesday night! I'm super excited. I think there are still spots open but the registration deadline is today. Maybe I'll let you know how it goes...

p.p.p.s. Is my craft blog becoming a crafts-and-beer blog?

p.p.p.p.s. I'd be okay with that.

Spinning Experiment

2010-08-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got a package the other day. It was some wool I bought from Skeinwinder 123 on Etsy. It is so nice and pretty.

This one is BFL in a colorway called Rainbow Soup.

And this one is merino in the colorway Midnight Zephyr (I like these names).

My original plan when I bought them was to simply spin the two together into a 2-ply. Probably sock weight or worsted weight. But when I laid the two big braids or wool next to each other I was starting to have doubts about whether I'd like the result.

Time to spin and swatch...

It was super overcast when I took these photos so the colors are weird but you can at least get an idea...

The 1st swatch (on the left) is a single of each wool spun in to a 2-ply yarn. It's okay but I don't love it.

The middle swatch is a 2-ply made with one strand of the Rainbow Soup BFL and one strand of wool in a Lemon-Lime color. This one looked really cool as yarn but when I knit it up I really didn't like the resulting fabric. Too much contrast.

And lastly, the swatch on the right, one strand of the Rainbow BFL Navajo-plied (making it a 3-ply yarn). This one was the winner! This method involves spinning one extra thin yarn and then sort of hand crocheting it. It takes quite a bit longer that a normal 2-ply, which explains why this swatch is so much smaller, but the result is that you get to see more crisp color transitions.

So I spun and spun and spun and I'm not done yet but here's a taste of the prettiness.

See how certain colors really pop? Like the yellow and red? That's why navajo-plying is so neat. You really get to see those colors.

I think this yarn might end up as a pair of mittens. And I'll think of something to do with that big lump of merino later.

Do you spin yarn? Do you like reading about the process I use to decide what I make? Let me know what you think!

The View From Here, Part II

2010-08-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

For the second time this week I looked down to realize that my knitting matched my outfit. I think that's kinda neat.

I'm using some hand spun that I had forgotten about. I think it's turning into a little camera case. It's pretty cute, huh?

The First One

2010-08-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

I actually finished knitting my Estelle cardigan about... umm... a month ago?... At least three weeks ago. But it took forever for me to finally block it. And then it took a while for me to find buttons (I sewed on three sets of buttons before I was satisfied). And then Logan was out of town for a while... so there was no one I could ask to take photos of me wearing the sweater who I didn't think would laugh at me nerding around in a hand-knit sweater in the middle of August....

Well, here it is, my first cardigan. And I like it.... I don't think I love it, but I do like it.

The suggested yarn for the pattern is Araucania Nature Wool and it just happened to be on sale on yarn.com so I bought it (I got the all the yarn for this sweater for less than $30). And the yarn was okay for the most part but the first skein, used for the yoke of the cardigan, pooled like crazy and there are these big chunks of color that distract from the lace. And I know I should have "alternated skeins to avoid pooling" but well... I just didn't want to. So I didn't. And I guess I paid the price.

I was looking on Ravelry yesterday and seeing a lot of Estelles knit in lighter shades of yarn in solid colors and the lace seems to stand out a lot more. If I were to knit this one again I would do that. I'd knit it in a solid yarn in a lighter shade. Maybe in a cotton blend next spring... with short sleeves... hmm...

One more little issue I have is that the armpits feel low. You might notice that in these photos that my arms look a little short? That's why. Oh well.

I would still recommend this pattern. I really would.

I think a more experienced knitter would have chosen a better yarn, and measured herself, and knit a better sweater. But this was definitely a learning experience. And, who knows, I might surprise myself and end up wearing it a lot... I'll let you know.

Sunset Stitchery

2010-08-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot to show you something I bought in Vermont last month; this crazy awesome 'Sunset Stitchery' embroidery kit. The kit is called 'Indian Chief' and I'm not quite sure how old it is (I'm guessing 70's?) but it looks like all the supplies are still here. It's basically like a paint-by-numbers but with yarn instead of paint.

I opened the kit as soon as I got back to Brooklyn and was going to start stitching right away but after putting the fabric in the hoop I paused... The printed fabric looked really cool with the un-embroidered image in shades of tan on beige. So yeah, I'm still not quite sure what I want to do. For now it's just hanging up in the craft room... waiting for me to decide.

What do you think?

The View From Here

2010-08-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

I cast on for a new sweater last night. I'll tell you more about it later. I was working on it outside today and thought the yarn looked pretty with my dress. Knitting projects should usually coordinate with what you're wearing I think... if you want to be classy.

Crochet Weekend

2010-08-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

For a long time, I didn't really want to learn crochet. I didn't like the way it felt to hold that little hook and I also thought that knit fabric was prettier than crocheted fabric. I enjoyed (and still do enjoy) working on my giant granny square blanket but I didn't have a lot of desire to learn any other crochet methods.

Lately, though, I've been giving crochet another chance. There are some really cool things about crochet; you can get a lot more sculptural, because there is only one "live" stitch, and you can do a lot of free form stuff.

This weekend I have been crocheting.

I have been making some big stuff with this giant ball of yarn. I'll probably show you what I'm making with this tomorrow. Also, the yarn ball is way bigger than it looks in this photo... do I have giant hands?

I have also been crocheting some dainty, delicate stuff.

These necklaces are vintage faux pearls with crocheted cotton threads. I really like how they've turned out and I've got plans for more... It has been so rewarding to work with materials and techniques I'm totally unaccustomed to and see such a lovely result.

These necklaces are available for sale at Treehouse. You should swing by!

A Rabbit from Outer Space

2010-08-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Siri and I have been talking recently about the possibility of me producing some sort of knit installation on the front grate of the shop in a sort of knit graffiti type of way.

I decided to try to get some inspiration. Look at what I stumbled on during my google quest.

It's a 200 foot long pink knit rabbit with guts spilling out to make it seem as if it was dropped from space... Need I say more? You can read more about it here. It's really pretty amazing.

Zoe and 'Zza

2010-08-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

I made some stuff today.

I finished knitting a Zoe. It's a really simple little shawl that shows off Noro or other self-striping yarn. I used 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite on size 7 circulars and finished this project in just a few days. This might end up as a Christmas present for someone... we'll see.

I hope you'll excuse the cheesy photo. It's after midnight, 80 degrees, and I'm trying to tilt my head so you can't see my giant zit. You can also see that I used the kitchen scissors to hack off my bangs a couple nights ago...

The other thing I made today was pizza! Logan and I have been talking about making pizza from scratch for a while and it was awesome to finally do it. To be fair, Logan did do most of the hard stuff, especially making the dough. We used this recipe for making the dough and for general guidance. The toppings we used were fresh basil, black olives, and sautéed onions. So good! I seriously recommend making pizza from scratch if you haven't done it before, it's super fun and rewarding.

Trying Wine-Dyeing

2010-07-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

The other night I was having a glass of wine after work. The bottle had been opened a few days prior, was half-full, and the wine seemed just on the verge of being totally un-drinkable. So I settled down on the couch, put on The Simpsons, poured myself a glass... and almost immediately fell asleep.

So, here I was this afternoon with some sour old wine. boo. I decided maybe it would be fun to try using said wine to dye some yarn. I couldn't really find any information about it online but I felt like I'd heard about people doing this before so I just decided to go for it.

I pulled out some nice worsted weight un-dyed 100% wool yarn. I got this yarn at a good price so I didn't mind if I got a funky result.

I also had this big container of mordant in the craft room. Someone gave it to me a while back but I haven't tried it yet so I decided to use this as well. This mordant is alum, it's one of the least toxic mordants, this is lucky for me because I accidentally breathed some in when I opened the container. Seriously.

If you're wondering what mordant is, you can click here.

And the star of the show, the gross old wine! I was ready to begin.

I dissolved some alum in a bowl of hot water and added the yarn. I let this sit for about half an hour, then strained out the liquid.

I poured all the wine over the yarn and then added just enough hot water so that all the yarn was submerged. I let this sit for about an hour but it seemed like the color wasn't really taking. I transferred everything into a pot and cooked it on the stove until it was just about to boil. I was hoping the heat would help set the color. After letting the yarn cool a bit I rinsed it and hung it up to dry.

Anyway, the final result of this little project isn't very exciting:

The yarn on top is the wine-dyed skein. The one on bottom in un-dyed. They're different, but not very different. I don't mind the color, it's sort of a really pale dusty lavender, but I think I'll probably dye it again to get something darker.

After doing a bit more research I found out that I should have boiled the wool with the alum and also some cream of tartar. Then I should have let it dry before dying it. But I didn't have any cream of tartar and I also wanted more immediate gratification so, even knowing what I know now, I probably would have done the same thing anyway.

So in the end, I had a skein of yarn that was a slightly different color than it had been a couple hours earlier and a kitchen that smelled like wet sheep and hot wine... I probably won't wine-dye again. At least not for a while. But I also don't see myself not finishing a bottle of wine again any time soon so I suppose that's okay.

Knitting, knitting, knitting

2010-07-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Check it out! I'm almost done with my Estelle cardigan. It's been hard to work on during this crazy heat but I'm so close to being done that I just want to keep going and get it done. The second sleeve is nearly finished and then it just needs blocking and buttons... and then I just need to wait a couple months for the weather to get cold enough. I'll be ready!

And I also finished a hat with the yarn I spun a couple weeks ago (I wrote about it here). I knit most of it on the car ride up to Vermont last weekend. I just cast on 88 stitches on a size 8 (or maybe it was a 9?) circular and improvised the decreases as I went.

The colors turned out really pretty and the alpaca in the yarn gives it just a little bit of shine. This one might be a present for someone in the Fall...

Oh, and guess who got shipped off to a new home today?

This cute little guy. Hooray! I should be putting the money towards buying an air conditioner... but I have a feeling it will probably be for more yarn... and beer...

VT Love

2010-07-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

Remember when I wrote about how badly I wanted to get away to Vermont? Well, I did it! Logan and I went with Calder, Erin, and Olive Blue (a super special 3-year-old). It was amazing.

It was three days of nature, swimming, sunburns, and delicious food.

Coozie Love

2010-07-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

My friends, Berit and Lauren, made coozies using the tutorial! Aren't they adorable? Hooray.

AND, if you're in the NYC area, I just might be teaching a little workshop during the Treehouse Brooklyn 4-year-anniversary party this Sunday! I'll keep you posted, but either way there is going to be a fun party and you can learn more about that here.