ferox mitts

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Talitha

bulky yarn often gets a bad rap

(for being, well, bulky),

but i so adore it.

let me

tell you just exactly why

that is…

you can easily find

a plethora of intricately cabled patterns

worked in beautifully fine fingering and sport weight yarns.

they are lovely, and they should be as they take ages and ages to knit up.

the time is the price you pay for

the final project’s delicacy.

truth be told,

it’s easy for me to lose motivation

what with all the notes i have to keep

just to keep from losing my place

in the mass of numbers involved in

pulling off shaping and cabling and textures

in these light weight yarns.

then,

there is bulky weight

where 1

(yes, i said 1)

properly placed

decrease

can make a curve that

hugs your wrist just the way it’s meant to

and the drama of a single cable twist can carry an entire design.

i admit that i’m a sucker for the drama of bulky yarns

like ‘frosting-chunky’ from delicious yarns.

their semi-solid colorways make me swoon a bit

and with a pattern like ‘ferox’

(you can actually knit these in a weekend)

there’s no reason you have to choose just one color.

i decided on ‘grape’ for this first pair, but i have my eye on ‘burnt orange’.

don’t you think this shade

will be the perfect pick-me-up

to whip up for myself

some weekend this winter

when the snow has washed out

all the colors outside?

i do!

‘winter’ taken from 8:22 of genesis.

bottom yarn photo courtesy of ‘delicious yarns‘

modeled photos shot by leslie of blueeyedcrafty photography

cable needle necklace in top photo hand crafted by leslie wind

Save

the details

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Talitha

i am more likely

to be moved (in any direction)

by the details of a thing, than by the big overall picture.

for as long as i can remember,

i have always been that way.

and with two new patterns to be released this week

i’ve been poring over the pics that

leslie (of blueeyedcrafty photography) took

and, as always, it’s some

of the details that have captured my attention.

do ya want a little sneak peek of those details?

yup, that’s what i thought…

here are the outcome of some ‘supplies’ i grabbed at michael’s

last week and put to good use,

a close-up of cozy stockinette stitch

by nice and knit worsted

in ‘kelp’,

and the play of friday’s fleeting sunlight

through the lattice of a little covered bridge over a local stream.

these photos,

are so emotional for me.

each one captures feelings about light and shadow,

safety and bravery.

the fact that two knitwear photo shoots also resulted in these shots

is a small testament to art happening in unexpected ways

and in unexpected places,

and that’s the way

it should be.

‘light’ taken from 119:105 of the psalms.

math and the choices it makes

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Talitha

you know when a pattern says

something like ‘decrease 12 sts evenly over the next row’?

that makes me nuts. as a designer if i wanted to do the math myself

i’d be writing my own new pattern, you know?

i always feel frustrated when a pattern

expects me to do the work

instead of instructing

me on what

to do.

this week i stumbled upon

‘eskmimi’s knitulator’ over on pinterest.

not only is it cute as a button, but it’s waiting there

at all times, ready to do the work. how cool is that?

you just tell it how many stitches

you’re starting with

and how many stitches you want to have at the end of the rowand it will tell you how exactly to space either increases or decreases to get the job done.

it’s sort of a pattern lifeline, right?

i so bookmarked it.

besides finding this fun tool this week,

i also released a new pattern.

the pattern (wait for it) is called ‘lifelined’. yup, it sure is.

well, only i released the first part of the pattern.

as the pattern stands right now,

it uses super bulky yarn

(which if you know me at all, you know i love).

the next part of the pattern is the modifications for using

other yarns: bulky, aran, worsted and dk weight to be exact.

that’s all being tested right now.

when it’s done, i’ll send out a pattern update

so that if you already bought ‘lifelined’

for super bulky yarn,

you’ll get an updated pdf with the numbers for yarns

all the way down to dk weight.

pretty good, right? but, there’s more.

also being test knit right now

is a slight variation on the variations that can make a similar neck wrap (or shawl)

out of sport weight or fingering weight yarn.

this pattern of variations might get knit up in the heavier weights, too

if the math works out. still in the number crunching phase at the moment.

so, while i’m pondering the options

and you’re waiting for them to be seeable,

at least i can show you ‘lifelined’ as it is in the super bulky of lana grossa ‘ambiente’.it’s not a triangle, but has five points.

so when deciding just how to drape it around yourself, there are lots of options.

obviously, i love options.

i’m feeling chatty, but itching to knit,

so i’ll end here and go play with some yarn.

i give you permission to do the same.

but only if you smile.

‘released’ taken from 16:36 of acts.

‘nyilt’

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Talitha

as promised

today is new pattern day.

knit up in sport weight sloan (from raventwist)

the fun is in how much room the streamlined shape of this wrapped poncho

leaves you to express yourself in your own way.

my friend wendy and i

stopped

one saturday morning on the way

to hanging with the knittahs, to take these pics for the pattern.i was happy and comfortable and having fun. can you tell?

for me, the best knits are the ones that make me smile.

this one sure did (and sure does).

‘nyilt’ is for sale on

ravelry here.

photos by wmr photography.

‘express(ly)’ taken from 20:21 of second samuel.

light as a…

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Talitha

i want spring,

but no degree of my wanting it

(and i want it pretty badly) will speed its arrival.so here’s a little cowl to pass the time more productivity

(since i find myself staring out into the whiteness

and daydreaming of green).

i used the fibre company’s knightsbrige

which is a soft and airy mix of llama, merino and silk.

it’s as luxurious as it sounds.

…maybe having a few last weeks of cold to wear it in

isn’t such a bad idea after all.

maybe.

‘sounds’ taken from 14:7 of first corinthians.

finalizing

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Talitha

winter is

not done, but i am.

i am done with winter, anyway.

therefore, today is about looking forward to spring,

even if just for a few minutes to give me enough hope to get through the rest of the cold,

you know?

growing things and happy colors and transitioning to warmer weather…

in my opinion, that all calls for a couple of new patterns.here are ‘alaku’ (wrap on the left) and two different ways to wear ‘longing’.

can you believe that the days to wear fingerless gloves outside

(as opposed to double layers of mittens)

are maybe 6 weeks away?

i want to believe.

i really do.

‘forward’ taken from 20:2 of deuteronomy.

winding

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Talitha

a bag knit two layers thick, and a blog post at berroco.

‘winding’ taken from 5:6 of judges.

photo by caryn scanlan photography.

cey & i: blog tour, day 2

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Talitha

today is boot sock day.

appropriate since it’s 15* outside.

these were designed to go from comfy boots to stage shoes

and back again without a hitch.

they’re as pretty as they are practical.

the angora and nylon in the mix make them super snuggly,

while the rich colors and tweediness keep things interesting.

the rocker style (lighter in these photos) is straight ahead ribbing.

the boho version is wide eyelet lace

to sweeten things up a bit.

either way, they’re cushy and warm.

check out the slate falls press blog today for a chance to win the pattern,

and a discount on it if you don’t want to wait.

joanna also asks me

music related things like ‘if you could be an instrument, what would you be?’.

betcha can’t my guess my answer before you look…

‘straight’ taken from 15:21 in proverbs.

kennebec blue and olive

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Talitha

a few months ago,

kelly (of romney ridge farm in maine)

sent me four colors of her new downeast worsted.

we had agreed that i would take the idea of frost farm

on beals island off the maine coast

and capture some of the

memories of her childhood in a hat and mitten set.

my son, upon seeing the yarn, had his own ideas.

‘this,’ my boy told me, ‘is for the bright scarf

that you will make me so i can never get lost’‘and this one, do you see it?,’

‘this one,’ he continued, ‘will be my new coat. i like green.’‘mama, you can make me a sweater in this one, right?

i want you to. it will be so warm.’‘don’t you think these two will be a nice hat?’‘pay attention, mama. like this, see?’‘they will look so good together. can you have it all done by tomorrow?’then he happily headed off to ride his bike up and down