Fueling a Creative Holiday

Most years we have the opportunity to take off or greatly reduce our workloads the last two weeks of the year. We focus more internally and work through personal projects. It feels natural when we honor it, the winding down of one cycle as another begins.

This year, my creative fire caught just a few days before Christmas. We made it over to the LYS, Yarns, Threads & More, formerly Yarn Durango on Dec. 20th. I knew there was no way anything would be completed or shipped ‘on time,’ and didn’t worry, knowing whenever the gifts are received, they’ll be appreciated.

Rubies Wrap
I switched gears, put down some other things and focused on this wrap for my husband’s grandma. When we headed to the LYS, I had a scarf, shawl or wrap in mind and wanted it to be red. Grandma gifted us her portrait one year, and she looks vibrant in a red top. Not to mention, she lives in Razorback Country.

The LYS had Malabrigo Rios in Cereza—Spanish for cherry, and an Argentine wine grape variety. I paired it with Plymouth Kid Gloss in Cherry. I’ve been kinda obsessing about mixing in mohair since I read Tin Can Knit’s posts about this layering technique. It adds softness, warmth, bulk and GLOW to the knit-work.

BTW, my mom knit and gifted me the hat I’m wearing that happens to match perfectly.

For the pattern, I turned to my trusty Japanese stitch bible, picked out ribbing for the ends that continued up the sides like a border, and a lacework pattern that reminded me of grape clusters to make up the body. I didn’t use the mohair in the border, dropping and picking it back up intarsia style. Guessing at the finished size, about 65 sts were cast onto 6mm circular needles, although the pattern is worked back and forth. It was completed in about 3 weeks. There were a few snafus, that only I will know about, like the fact that the pattern grew and shrank in width throughout and the last hank of yarn was a totally different weight!

Ears!
In the last knit round-up, Knit Wit, I wrote about the inspiration behind this hat. Before I even left the store, we were scanning ravelry for ideas and patterns both for the animal ears that stick up and the hat flap ears that hang down. Some time later I found and bought the earflap hat w/furry ears pattern by Larisa Vilensky. On a piece of graph paper, I charted out bunny ear shapes based off extensions from Larisa’s pattern but still had to make some adjustments on the fly as they ‘shaped up.’

What held up the wearing of the hat was that there was nothing to hold up the ears! I started down the path of playing with moldable plastics and was not satisfied with the results. I’ll eventually find another use for that material. The other option was plastic canvas, as I’d found a resource online who talked about creating their version of this exact same hat, using the canvas to stitch thru. The stitching created the shape and tension needed to perk those ears up. Just last week, I thought, “What have I got to lose?” and started trimming out canvas and stitching. The results were fabulous and the satisfaction almost instantaneous. Now I wear those ears with pride!

And here’s another ‘oops’ secret I’ll let you in on, the ears are backwards. The hat pattern is meant to have 3 textured diamonds in the front and two in the back; but when I went to curve the ears, I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t know that anyone but me will ever notice…

Sparkles
About this time last year, I shared a post that included some of my jewelry designs. Over the recent break, I finally got around to re-working this bracelet. A dear friend gifted me with a Lulu Dharma wrap bracelet in labradorite several years ago for my birthday. What really was the most meaningful thing about this piece of jewelry for me (besides the gift giver) was its namesake, whose brand translates as ‘Whimsical Purpose.’ I wore this practically non-stop for maybe three years? Wear and tear had popped the fastening button off, and I’d reattached it. The threads holding the beads was starting to fray, a few beads had been chipped or shattered and fallen off, and the leather cord was disintegrating; so it was time to recycle it.

I pretty much copied the original design in a wire version. This wire I think is used for welding and is pretty flimsy. So far I’ve only lost one section of beads and am doing a better job of taking it off to sleep or bathe/soak. Found the chain and fastenings at my local bead store in Durango, Beads & Beyond.

I’ve been trying to think of a way to show off this necklace design, and now that we’re talking jewelry, this seems the best time. Last year my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. To honor the occasion, we picked out this stunning pendant by Navajo artist, Albert Jake on Southwest Silver Gallery, which is actually locally owned/operated. The design problem was finding a necklace that I liked to hang it from. I’m still looking to find an option by another talented, regional native to support local craftspeople. In the meantime, I set out to create the necklace as seen in my mind’s eye.

This was Nancy, the owner’s, reminder to order silver finishing cones and my guide for how I’d construct the necklace.

Wouldn’t you know when I walked into the bead store in Durango, it was a trunk show day. During a trunk show the place is festooned with a rainbow of gemstones. Walking around with my pendant, looking for the perfect matching shade of blue, I found it in a hank of Afghan turquoise heishi beads. I love the look of hanks and really just want to buy them all to restring as-is and wear a big ole rope of beads. I asked the people behind the counter for tips to create that look. They recommended stringing onto fishing line and had almost all the components on hand. What I had to return for was the finishing cones since I didn’t really know what the diameter of the finished necklace would be. On a separate trip I found some handmade Thai silver cones that just barely fit, and finished off this masterpiece perfectly.

WIP: Sampler Poncho
This was one of the projects I set aside when I focused on the Rubies Wrap. On two separate trips, I bought these cakes of Arenaria yarn from EY Select in Primavera from the yarn store in Silver City, which sadly no longer exists and also means they’ve been hanging out in my stash for a few years. I got the idea to design another poncho, but I knew there wouldn’t be enough of this one type of yarn. I also wanted this yarn to be a big-ole cowl-like neck on the poncho. Jessica Cooper’s Square Sampler Poncho pattern for a crocheted poncho is crafted in sampler style squares and then assembled. Aha! I could find fun knit patterns to try out from my Japanese stitch bible, and I could switch up yarns for even more of a patchwork effect. So on that December trip to the LYS, we found a couple of shades of Malabrigo Rios that compliment the sage to forest green of the Primavera and reserved the last cake for the neck embellishments. Seven of sixteen squares have been crafted so far. It’s fun to run through a square in just a day or two and try a new pattern the next day.

There are a few more things I completed or am working on knit-wise, but they are related to gifts, so I’ll keep them ‘under wraps’ till they’ve been gifted. Then I’ll be sure to share them here, too; and maybe they will inspire and fuel your next creative holiday.

December 4, 2019November 28, 2019

Lily Pads

As I finished up these leaf lace socks and I tried them on, my big ole feet reminded me of lily pads; so off I set to find a crochet pattern for lotus flowers. Found it on Make My Day Creative. The sock pattern was what first attracted me to the Knit Noro book, and the interesting vest constructions have got me plotting my next big yarn purchase. Mentioned in the last textile post, the socks are knit in malabrigo sock, fresco y seco. The lilies use embroidery floss, separated into 3 piece strands; a .85mm crochet hook and attach to the socks via safety pins for lots of accessory options: pin them to a hat or wear them like a brooch.

November 4, 2019November 27, 2019

Knit Wit

“Knit Wit,” my husband claims is his most recent term of endearment as I show off my knitwear to his grandmother. She just calls me a smart ass.

I don’t know why knitting has come so naturally and am amazed at my own acceleration, learning and trying new things with success. The year has flown by and it’s time for a project roundup before the list gets any longer or I forget any more details.

Camisoles Give me a camisole or tank top over a bra most any day. Having worked in the outdoor industry for a number of years and living in the mountains, I really appreciate a wool base layer. I was getting frustrated finding replacements for those pro-deal base layers that are showing their age after a decade, when I stumbled across Knitted Bliss’ Underneath It All pattern.

Of course I couldn’t just follow the instructions outta the box and had to play with switching up colors on the first design, which I dubbed the Bon Voyage version, using Huasco sock in toco toucan and Malabrigo sock, cote d’azure.

The next iteration, Butterfly Maiden, needed a fancier lace and some color-work, inspired by the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible and AlterKnit, respectively. The straps got thicker, and the only thing that needed a little refining on this idea was the bottom lace is a little high and tight, showing off my love-handles. I should have added a few more panels around to give my hips room and some length to the body. It still works as an undergarment. The yarns are malabrigo mechita in lynx, leftover cote d’azure from the Bon Voyage version for higher contrast on the flowers & butterflies, and dewberry for the lace, trim and straps.

Kim models the Fired Earth cami that I finished for her at Rhythms on the Rio

The latest version that I’ve done, I made for a friend. She makes beautiful pottery, and I offered to trade her a knitted tank for a couple of mugs. We share a love for v-dubs and have camped together a few times. Seeing her first thing in the morning in her trademark, comfy bright orange sweater drove me to find that Kimmy Orange at my local yarn store in Durango. Malabrigo delivered with terracotta, thus this version suitably became Fired Earth. The contrasting, darker yarn is also a malabrigo, marte.

Celtic Patriot Afghan I hadn’t had a crochet project in a while. For some reason I really wanted to make my youngest brother an afghan. He’s a 4th of July baby and I wanted to do a red, white and blue blanket that didn’t look anything like the patriotic options you usually find with stars and flags. Instead I combed thru Lion Brand’s patterns til I found the Celtic Afghan, featuring three different kinds of crocheted cables. Crocheted cables?! I was intrigued.

Of course I couldn’t just leave it at learning how to crochet cables, I had to throw in the idea of adding the color with intarsia, making the stripes resemble a flag. It took several initial attempts and rip backs before I got the cables figured out. Then it quickly became apparent that I was using up the different colors at different rates, so I altered the original stripe idea and still had to go back to the store for more yarn to get the length I desired. He’s not a little baby anymore.

I usually avoid acrylics and synthetics. I try to make wise choices when it comes to fibers, yet I know I have a long ways to go. In this case, and with the volume of yarn, I chose to use Major yarn in bluebird, crimson and silver blush. I know it wears soft and fuzzy, washes easily and should last forever. I enjoyed having a large project to work on during the winter, but it couldn’t travel so I had to work on something else at the same time. Because of it’s size and material requirements, it may be a while before I take up another blanket-sized project.

*WIP: Lacey Lea*f socks in fresco y seco

Socks For my other brother I decided to make a pair of fishy socks. Like the camisoles or eating homegrown vegetables, I don’t think there’s anything like the feeling of a hand knit pair of socks. I plan to make many more for myself, too. They’re fun portable projects. I just finished the first of these leafy green ones in about a week. I’ll share more when the other’s complete.

One Fish, Two Fish are knit with malbrigo sock yarns. The blue was leftover impressionist sky and the orange mechita I bought to contrast it. The sock pattern came from Tallada by Jane Dupuis in malabrigo’s book 4 with the Escher fish courtesy of Alterknit.

Using the same idea, I made these shorty Shroom socks for a mushroom hunting friend of mine. The idea started from the mushrooms in AlterKnit. Socks a la Carte gave me the idea for the frilly tops and I found a ribbed pattern in the Japanese Stitch Bible that reminded me of mushroom gills. While the red is another malabrigo sock, the white is urth yarns harvest fingering in ecru.

San Juan Seasons Vest It all started when I picked up a couple of hanks of malabrigo’s rios in teal feather during a trip to Silver City, NM. I envisioned first a sweater. Then over the years I continued to collect autumnal colors, and after adding the wooly wonka in peacock from mooncat fiber in Taos, I began hatching this idea for a vest. The overall pattern came from Cambio by Stephen West in malbrigo’s book 4. I had the hardest time understanding the construction of this vest, and spent a few hours pinning together hand towels or dressing up dog toys. I wanted to get it right with all the techniques I planned to cobble together.

The back was knit in the round using patterns from the Japanese Stitch Bible then steeked open. Same for the front shawl piece that was a collection of patterns from Alterknit. I’d read that slippery yarns like superwash don’t steek well. There have been quite a few loose ends I’ve had to catch in the seams or pull to the inside, but it seems to be holding up well so far.

Woodgrain Hat As I wrapped up the show with Grandma I showed her the rainbow collection of Greenwood Fiber mini skeins in earthen hues stardust that I’d been staring at on my desk for months. I’d decided I wanted to try a brioche style hat pattern contrasted with the leftover Tulgey wood hubby had picked out for his Bees hat. What I couldn’t decide was what pattern to make. Grandmother and grandson both voted for the Blue Flake pattern from Drops Design. I had to add two more repeats and improvise as the yarns and gauge I used were smaller than the pattern. It turned out to be a quick knit. Done in less than two weeks.

WIP: Ears If you’re a Bob’s Burgers fan, you’ll recognize Louise’s signature ears. My husband says I channel all of the characters, and usually resemble Tina the most, but when I saw this neon pink, soft as a cloud, Cumulus yarn from Juniper Moon farm in Taos, it screamed, “My Ears!” It’s still a work-in-progress because I need to figure out how to keep the ears up. I’ve been experimenting with molded plastic but haven’t made time to work on it in a while. When it meets completed and wearable status, I’ll have more photos and notes about the pattern. I’ve got a whole Louise inspired outfit in mind.

February 28, 2019February 26, 2019

Completion

With the wintery days, there’s been plenty of time to complete a few projects while warding off cabin fever. It’s so good to see the snow, which has drastically changed our drought map. We guesstimate we’ve seen about 5ft in the week since Valentine’s!

All of these projects were mentioned in more detail about the yarns and patterns in my last textile post about creativity. Completion means it’s time to wear or share and enjoy the hard work. But if you’re like me and have learned to love the journey just as much, there’s a little bittersweet to the end of a project. There’s no more doing to be done. No more thinking or solving or working. The good news is by completing, it opens the door to start something new.

Seashore Eclipse Shawl This was a circular shawl that I decided to add an after-thought steek, cut it open and finished the edge with a simple crochet border.

Jewelry

I dabble from time to time in jewelry making. I come by it honestly as my paternal grandmother and her parents were jewelry makers. Dad even taught me how to make chainmail. Here are a few that were finished, recently.

On our last trip to Silver City we visited the gem shop and I found these turquoise chips for a couple of bucks. I’m still a novice when it comes to wire wrap. You can tell it didn’t turn out anything like I had planned (from my sketch). That’s one of the fun things about the creative process.

*The tourmaline chain idea was inspired by* Jen Volkodav Designs.

African turquoise mandala bracelet – Evolution, So Hum…

I also found this pendant in Silver City at the gem shop. I ordered a slew of assorted silver bead caps from Amazon and used some of the cord I bought for the mandala bracelet to simply string and knot some lapis lazuli and hematite beads. Now those bead caps are inspiring some other ideas…earrings maybe?

January 13, 2019February 13, 2023

So Much Creativity, So Little Time

Do you have a stack of projects in progress PLUS a mind full of all your next great works? I sure do. I’ll try to catch up here on some better photos from my last roundup, what’s done, what’s in progress or temporarily on hold, and maybe a peek into some future ideas.

Better Photos

As promised in the last textile post, better photos.

Cobalt Kerchief – This one I recently gifted to a friend, but got a snapshot before I dropped it in the mail.

Wood Nymph Poncho – I actually prefer to wear this ‘backwards’ (with the longer portion in the back) most of the time.

Mom wearing her Tsunami Shawl and the dress she made to go with it during a ‘family reunion’ this Summer.

What’s Done?

Technically, these next three fall into the category of ‘done,’ but as you’ll see with the last two; they are telling me I’ll probably revisit their design.

Bee Hat

Have I mentioned that Hubby has been ‘bitten by the bug?’ He’s not ready to take up the needles, but he is very supportive of my habit and contributes suggestions for projects, mostly for him and mostly hats. During a trip to Durango yarn, he picked out a malabrigo yarn, Mechita in Aureo, that screamed, “BEES!”

When the knitting blogs I follow all started touting Andrea Rangel’s book, AlterKnit, I knew my knitting was going to take a more colorful turn. What do you know, it includes a Bee pattern! Synchronicity at its best.

At some point, I picked out a navy to contrast with the flecked gold, but Hubby wanted Brown. So when we were on vacation in Taos this Summer and stopped in Mooncat Fiber, he picked up another skein of Aureo and Wonderland Yarns, Queen of Hearts in Tulgey Wood—we’re both guilty of expensive tastes.

I mostly followed Andrea’s Bikey Beanie pattern at an intentional, larger gauge (Hubby prefers at least a 22″ hat circumference), and added a fancier ribbing pattern that reminded me of a honeycomb from my other favorite new book, Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida. Now I just need to snap a photo of him wearing it.

Tanzanite Lingerie

Hubby turned 40 last year, and my gift to him was a lingerie set for me. With the help of Lucy Hague’s Illuminated Knits, I figured out how to add some color to the shorts and top. I love the shorts, and will some day make another pair. The stockings are comfy, but I’m not sure that I like the elastic in the tops, and they still slouch if I try to wear them around town. Guess I will have to look into some garters or keep ’em for the bedroom and around the house.

I also hastily created a halter top, based off the bodice in my Vintage Sweater, and with fancy cables inspired by the aforementioned Japanese stitch dictionary; but it is stretching more than I’d like with wear. In hindsight, if I’d added cables to the back, it probably would have given the back more structure, combating its tendency to curl. I can’t remember if I’ve washed/blocked any of this yet, so we’ll see if I need to take a tuck in the middle or figure out some other alterations to pull it back together.
Pattern: Tanzanite Stockings, Tanzanite Shorts
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky & Dewberry from yarn Durango (oops! I don’t remember how many skeins I used.)

Seashore Eclipse Shawl

This is the other one that I think needs some alterations. I enjoyed knitting the body of this in a circle; but I’ve decided I don’t like wearing it. I want it to open up like a more traditional shawl. Maybe I did something wrong at the beginning, but even after blocking, it pooches out like a cone or nipple in the middle. Hubby jokingly refers to it as the cosmic bung hole. I’m flirting with the idea of trying to do an after-thought steek along one of the spiral ‘arms’ and cutting it open. I’ll probably have to add another edging to clean-up, finish off that edge. If I do, I’ll be sure to snap more pics and post an update. For more details about this shawl, see my last post.

In Progress…

Birch Goddess Sweater

This is one of those projects that has been years in the planning. It’s been so long, I’m not sure if I’ve got the origins right, but I think I first picked up the book, Northern Knits, during my first visit to yada yada yarn in Silver City, New Mexico; mostly because of the Pia Laceweight Pullover on the cover, although I was also intrigued by the Fair Isle patterns and learning more about knitting (and the culture) from this part of the world.

I believe it was that trip that I also picked up a couple of balls of Plymouth Yarn’s Kid Gloss. This is a super luxe mohair and mulberry silk blend. I’ll admit I shop for yarn with my senses and little regard to my pocket book, which I have to watch out for when I get to the register. If it’s not the color that catches my eye, than it’s the texture or super soft feel. I’ve spoiled myself with this yarn. Everything else feels rough and heavy in comparison.

I’ve never knit with something so light! Some of the specialty yarns in the Wood Nymph hank exposed me to similar yarns and gave me the confidence to try. I stared at these balls for months, thinking I wanted to wrap myself in a fluffy, cloud of a sweater, yet knew that the two or three balls would not yield enough yardage. I searched for patterns, so I could calculate how much I’d need. And then I realized the sweater I wanted to make was right in front of me.

By chance, I found a few more balls in Durango; but the shopkeeper there said she couldn’t get any more from her supplier. I think that’s when I decided to add the gray and white to the teal and mint color palette. But it still wasn’t enough… This yarn does go a long way with just a little, but the lacework pattern is a fairly dense yarn-eater. Lucky for me when we returned to Silver City last November, the colors and yardage I needed were there waiting for me. I dropped all the other projects I had in progress and am now one sleeve away from finishing this dream of a sweater layer. I made up the color transitions myself. I was tempted to blend them more, but I like the blocks of color that show off the subtle, yet complex shades within a single color. Why is it that the second sock or mitten or sleeve seems to take for eva…

Geodesico from malabrigo book 4

While I was on a binge buying books this year, I also ordered this one because I love malabrigo yarns AND it had a wide range of patterns that I liked. Everything from head (hats) to toe (socks), and bits in between (shawls and sweaters). I’ve almost completed the band on this hat and need to go back and double check my gauge before I work on the crown. Not sure how I got so far without paying more attention to that, but I can be a bit of a maverick when it comes to gauge.
yarn: malabrigo rios in teal feather from yada yada yarn

Dragon Scale Mitts

Last but certainly not least, I need to finish the mate to this mitten and add the i-cord edge to the bottoms. Inspired by AlterKnit, I adapted some of Andrea’s patterns to create this design, and changed the cuff based off that Japanese Stitch Bible. I originally thought I might line them and stuff them with some Turkey down to make them super, fiery warm; but they have turned out very snug without much room for that. Who knew Dragon skin could be so fuzzy? I guess the ones who live in the North are.
yarn: Feza yarns Nico in black from yarn Durango; and Schoppel Laceball in Footnote from yada yada yarn

Whew! That’s probably enough for today. Just know there are a slew of projects already in mind beyond what I’ve listed here, and a stash of yarn that is still waiting for me to decide what they will become.

Looking back at 2018, I definitely expanded my knitting library, skills and abilities. I’ve also been working on some illustrations and jewelry. Can’t wait to see what comes out of the creative crucible for 2019.