Tag Archives: worsted

the details

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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.

woodlands scarf

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it is always so interesting to me

to see where an idea started and how it ends up.

today, swan’s island company released their fall 2016 collection.

my ‘woodlands scarf’ is one of the pieces.

if you like the ‘behind the scenes’

part of stories, here

it comes.

i thought that swan’s island was looking for patterns for their bulky weight yarn.

i was wrong, but that’s what i thought at the time.

i love chunky yarns and that attracted me.

so, i sussed out a new cable swatch and sent it along to be considered.IMG_2115sq

and they wanted it in the collection,

but in worsted weight yarn.IMG_1474sq

submitting designs is funny like that.

i once had a super bulky weight design accepted,

but was asked to rewrite the idea for a dk yarn

and you know what? i couldn’t picture it, but it looked great.

creative directors have visions for things that

i can mostly not even begin to imagine.

i just love the woodlands scarf stitches all done up in worsted.IMG_2116sq

in natural colors merino worsted,

both the yarn and the stitches shine, but

i never would have thought to try it without a little

push in that direction.

the photo above is the center back of the scarf.

you knit from both ends and wind up in the middle

where you graft the two end lengths together

so that the cool cable happening occurs right in the very center of it.IMG_2114 up2as a perk for designing it, i get enough yarn

in the yarn and colorway of my choice,

to knit one to keep.

i chose the same yarn the original is in, because it was so nice.

now, how well do you know me? can you guess which of these

gorgeous colorways i chose for my own?

and which one would you choose?

‘keep’ taken from 18:28 of the psalms.

schooled

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we all remember,

the #2 pencils, in classic school bus yellow, right?

i still buy my kids new packs for school each fall.

the thing is, that when you write with them

you don’t feel the edges

of the hexagonal shape, you only feel

the control you have of the overall pencil.

now, i’d tried square knitting needles.

a friend liked them and raved about the control she felt over the stitches

when using them.

i used them for a bit,

but they always felt ‘square’ in my hands.

i could feel the four edges against my fingers as i worked with them.

never could really get used to that feeling.

the extra control i felt of the stitches using them was so great,

that i was sad to lose it when i went back to regular round needles,

but, the squareness through me.

then this past january

i met pam and her husband in their booth at vklive.

the company name intrigued me (indian lake artisans)IMG_0441sat

and they had needles and yarn out to test, so i knit a little.

i expected to feel the edges, just like with the square needles,

but i truly didn’t.

i giddily tried some yo’s and ssk’s.

sure enough, the control was there in spades.

i walked around the exhibit floor a bit more and came back

just to be sure that my wanting them to be wonderful

wasn’t coloring my vision of their reality.

2nd, and 3rd time around

(i am so not an impulse buyer),

they felt just as nice in my hands and i had all that extra grip, too.

i bought a pair of size 10’s on the spot

and used them, and my yarnit,

to knit a little hat in cey chateau over the course of the weekend.

sometimes it all just comes together.

these needles feel to me like finding an old friend in a stranger.

that’s rare, i know,

but when it happens, it’s gold!

if you want to buy yourself a pair

to see that what i’m talking about is true,

use the code ‘talitha’ (all lowercast letters) at checkout

on the indian lake artisans website and they’ve agreed to give us all free shipping.

i’ll be placing my order by the end of the week…

‘vision’ taken from 20:8 of job.

of course, a train conductor

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this is the picture

that i wanted to take today:

‘kelp’ in the sun (it’s nice & knit worsted).IMG_8979crioa lovely box of this color arrived just this week and made me smile.

maybe spring isn’t coming soon, but this is spring-like.

next, below is the picture

that my 4yr old wanted me to take today.

he says that the conductor just trekked across ‘wastelands of snow’IMG_8982 again(see the ‘wastelands’ in the background),

then hiked up the yarn mountain to find spring.

see how he holds a piece of ‘spring’ above his head with his right hand

to show his mastery over winter?

and the sun shone all day.

how was i to know

that one little plastic man

(and my son’s avid imagination)

would be all it takes to lead us around the corner

into sunshine, receding snow, and spring?

someone give that little man a cookie quick,

before he moves on to

greener pastures.

hand one to his 4yr old friend, too.

‘green’ taken from 17:8 of jeremiah.

light as a…

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i want spring,

but no degree of my wanting it

(and i want it pretty badly) will speed its arrival.IMG_8764cropso 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.