Knitting Feeds

Breathing a huge sigh of relief that another school year is over! Now summer can truly start. We've been keeping it slow & relaxed on our days off: sleeping in an hour later, hanging out at the beach, treating ourselves to Rita's in the hot afternoon heat (totally addicted to their mango ice & vanilla custard gelati) & enjoying some easy summer meals. We even recently found a hidden local gem, a secluded creek with its own tiny deserted island & a dock just big enough for my beach chair. While the guys play with their kayaks & paddle boards, I've been making good progress on my cozy memories blanket.


being kind to my future self by weaving in the ends as I go along
A blanket might not be the most ideal summer project but adding those colorful squares is addictively fun. Keeping it in a lightweight cotton project bag makes the knitting more manageable.


As far as the summer reading list goes, I have a delicious stack of novels just waiting for some attention. I am midway through this one by Alice Hoffman and really loving it. The story is set in New York City during the early nineteen hundreds and is a compelling mix of history, mystery and love story, all of which is my cup of tea.

I hope that your summer is off to a good start as well. We are heading to the ocean next week so I am counting on getting lots of knitting and reading in.

Monday was a stinking slag heap of a day. Monday’s scene was scrambled, it couldn’t get itself together, and despite noble, persistent and good-natured attempts by yours truly to bring it around and call it to its higher self, Monday didn’t even try to work things out with me. I tried with Monday, I really did. I tried going for a training ride – it’s been so hard to find the time and energy, only to get a stinking flat tire. (Which I changed, with no amount of struggling for good humour.)  I trudged through it, attempting to charm it into submission, but Monday proved too much for me, and after spending the evening’s knitting time trying to untangle a ball of yarn that had contorted itself into something that looked like it had been in a toddler’s toy chest for a week,  I fell into bed that night thinking the best thing an optimistic person can after a day that’s clearly out to get them, which was “well, at least it’s over.”

Tuesday? Tuesday wasn’t as bad as Monday, but let’s be clear, it lacked the joie de vivre and decent good sense that any day attempting to follow a train-wreck of a Monday should have had. Tuesday didn’t even try.  I gave up on Tuesday last night when it rained on me last night and the porch roof leaked.

Today? Today is, rather literally, sunshine and roses.  I went for a training ride by myself, and it was nothing short of lovely. Not too hot, not too cold, very sunny but I didn’t get a sunburn, my inbox is almost sorta kinda under control, and I am finally ready to start the edging on this baby blanket.

The chart I devised even works, and I have a clever idea for the corners that I think will work, though I’m not far enough off from Monday and Tuesday’s pale curse to go so far as to say I’m confident. My jeans fit just right, and tonight I’m having dinner (it’s Joe’s turn to arrange it) and a cuddle with Elliot Tupper, and he has learned to smile and has the beginnings of a clumsy laugh,  and does his best to pretend he likes me best. (Joe will argue and say it’s him that’s the favourite, and even that charms me.)

Happy Summer Solstice, my friends (except for Cameron and other knitters in the Southern hemisphere – for them it’s one of my favourite days, the Winter Solstice. Light a candle. As of today, the light is on it’s way back to you.) Tonight we’ll sit in the garden, ignore the weeds, and marvel at how long it stays light.

How’s your day?

Like many of you, I have more things on my to-do list than any reasonable person could hope to accomplish in a month of Sundays. Nonetheless, this hasn't stopped me from adding another task to the roster. Here's what happened.

As you well know, I have for years worked diligently to ensure my entire stash fits into its designated cupboards in a reasonably organized fashion.

The problem? Inside the cupboards, yarn is stored in assorted non-matching bins acquired over time. Many are a tad too long to fit comfortably, so they sit lengthwise on the shelves, eating up valuable real estate. Others fit okay, but they don't stack securely and teeter precariously. Add in the wear and tear some are showing after years and years of use, and a litany of minor annoyances has grown into a true aggravation. 

I inadvertently added to the problem when I ordered a handful of Grignasco skeins to supplement those already in stash. Lush and lovely in subtle shades of steel and cloud, this yarn became the tipping point. 


I prefer to keep like yarns with like but to accomplish this, I had to empty, rearrange and repack several bins, just so the Grignasco skeins could share a common home.

During the process an ancient bin gave out, cracking at the corner, which prompted a fresh spate of rearranging and repacking. Technically, everything still fits in the cupboards, but now, bins that were once comfortably full are close to overflowing, and more containers are teetering precariously than ever before.

All of this is a long way of saying I'm now on a mission to find clear containers that fit neatly on the shelves and stack securely. I could be knittting, swatching or designing something new. I could be cleaning my home or weeding the garden. 

Instead, I've been totally preoccupied, scouring the interwebs for affordable storage solutions that won't break the bank.



So yes, indeed, I blame it on the Champagne.


PS: If you have yarn storage suggestions, feel free to share.

They call it "frogging" or "tinking," and sometimes "ripping out." I guess it really depends on what you're doing. If you've just found an error and have to go back a row or two, it's called "tinking," or "tinking back."... Wendy

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Original Pattern: Dissent and Misty Meadow Knitter Extraordinaire: Joy (Ravelry ID) Mods: Combined elements of two different shawls into one new shawl! Details can be found on her project page, here. What Makes This Awesome: It sounds complicated to combine two different shawl patterns, but Joy did it brilliantly and made lots of common sense

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As a dyed-in-the-wool swatcher. I love experimenting with new stitches, testing different types of yarn, and playing "what if."

What if I:

• Change the yarn or fiber? 
• Change the needle size?
• Use a different yarn weight? 
• Work alternating rows in different colors? 
• Twist a stitch or slip it instead?

          Test Swatch: Drumlin Reversible Afghan

My fascination with reversible stitches helps fuel these what-if scenarios, and there are weeks where I happily devote every hard-won knitting minute to the soothing task of swatching.


          Test Swatch: Breidan Reversible Afghan and Wyndfael Reversible Mitts


For better or worse, this obsession has existed for a very long time, so through the years, I've compiled an extensive list of reversible and potentially reversible stitches.



       Test Swatch: Tikkyn Reversible Afghan

Lately I've had little time for anything but the projects and patterns already in progress, so recent swatches have been practical rather than experimental. The sole purpose of these was to illustrate how yarn weight affects scale:


         Test Swatches: Lucben Reversible Afghan


Frankly, I miss the fun of experimental forays.

          Test Swatch: Which is the right side?


It's time to mend this hole in my knitting life, so periodically I'll be spotlighting some of my favorite stitches in varied yarn combinations.
          Test Swatch: Twegen Reversible Afghan


We can examine them, discuss the pros and cons, explore their best uses, play with fiber and needle combinations, and see how these variables influence the end result.
          Test Swatch: Dojeling Shawl

        Test Swatch: Alaris Wrap

Along the way, we'll have a chance to share our best go-to stitches and perhaps discover some new ones to add to our personal lists of all-time favorites.

So what's your swatch story: Do you avoid it altogether? Swatch for fun? Swatch only for upcoming projects? Do some mix of the three?


Wishing you and yours a very Happy Father's Day!

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Hello there, happy Sunday! Pattern~ Petunia Dursley's socks Yarn~ Wren House Yarns in the colorway Rocketpop It is so lovely to stop and be able to chat with you all. I have been feeling that "late for something" feeling. Do you ever feel that? Despite not really having anything that... Andi

Random thing the first: I got on my bike this morning and took about sixteen deep breaths before pushing off and going to the gym.  (Did I tell you about this? I’ve started picking up heavy things and putting them back down again. I’m absolutely terrible at it, but that’s not the point. Avoiding osteoporosis and staying strong is the goal, so it doesn’t matter that I’m a pathetic weight lifter. I’ve got the bar low. Literally and figuratively.)  Four trips across the continent, a retreat and several birthdays in a row have finally managed to knock the organization off me and left everything a mess. (The fact that my unpacked suitcase is still in the middle of the living room is a terrible sign. Note to self, tidy that.) I’ve also given up trying to make a blog post with flow.

2. The retreat was great, as it always is, and the yarn bombings were beyond compare – as you can imagine from a group inspired by World Wide Knit in Public Day. (We tried to knit in public, but when you’re at a knitting retreat it’s hard because knitters are the public. We did our best.

3. We had some fantastic yarn bombings this time, but I think this was my absolute favourite, metres and metres of icord, knit from leftovers and wound through the railing on the landing of the Inn.

The best part of it was watching it grow. The first morning there was a few rows, then the next morning it was a little bigger, and by the last day it was as you see it, the whole thing filled in.

Nobody saw how it got to be there either, it was like a vine that only grew in the night. Non-knitters thought it was cool, but the knitters were bananas for it. (That’s a lot of i-cord.)

4. On Wednesday, which just so happened to be my birthday, I left Port Ludlow at 8:30am, and staggered through the door (after a car ride, a ferry ride, another car ride, two planes (one cancelled and re-booked) and a taxi) at 2:30 am and it was not the best way to spend your birthday ever devised.  I admit, it had a lot of knitting in it, which should have been decent groundwork for a birthday, but failed to deliver.  I tried to be chipper about it, because I was travelling with Jen, but the truth is that I miscalculated how I’d feel about it, and it wasn’t awesome.

5. I felt bad about this until (while I was just thinking about whinging about our cancelled flight) a friend I was texting with said I should call a do-over. This is apparently a completely legal birthday manoeuvre that I have somehow gotten to be 49 years old without knowing.  It turns out that if a birthday looks like it’s about to go sideways, you can call a do-over, as long as you do it before you’ve had the whole birthday. (This is, I suppose, a way of making sure that you don’t cheat and get out of hand, trying to get more birthday than you properly deserve.) I get the feeling that you need to call it before there’s a cake with candles in or something else that’s irrevocable, but luckily for me, all I’d had was a frisking at security. (Hardly seems like it would count.)

6. I have decided to have my do-over on Sunday, when I can see my family and have dinner with them instead of getting that Happy Birthday text message with the balloons over and over again, which while thoughtful, is not even a little bit the same.

7. I have not seen Elliot in 10 days, which is a record. Joe got to see him day before yesterday and I am so jealous I could die, but that’s unbecoming, so I’m trying to get over it. Not only have I called do-over for Sunday, but also dibs on the baby.

8. The blanket is not done but I am getting close.

That’s a lie. If I’m lucky I’ll finish the border today, and then I still have the edging to do.

9. Thank you to everyone who sent donations for the ride for my birthday – trying to get everyone on Team Knit (that’s me, Jen, Ken, Cameron and Pato) to their goals is an amazing Birthday gift, and all I really need. I was especially charmed by the donations of $49.

10. This is because I am now 49.  I think what I love best is that PWA is going to be absolutely flummoxed trying to figure out why on earth someone would donate $49.  (For the record, our Lady Jen was 43 on June 12th.)

11. Tomorrow, rain or shine (because we’re running out of training time, we have to ride even if it rains) Team Knit will ride their bikes 92km. (That’s 57miles, for my American friends.) We’ve all set our phones so that they ding when we get a donation for PWA. The ride tomorrow has a lot of hills, and I can’t tell you what that ding does when you’re halfway up one. Puts the whole thing in perspective.  The only member of Team Knit that won’t be on his bike tomorrow is Cameron, who’s still working in Australia, and spending a lot of time worrying that I am going to ride my bike faster than him because he’s not able to train.

12. To be fair, this is pretty much my goal.

Karmic Balancing Gifts? Game on. I just have time for a few. (PS, if you missed how this works and have no idea what we’re on about, then see here.)

First up, from the rather amazing Lucy Neatby, we have a gift of 10 of her amazing DVDs. I’ve got all of these and they’re amazingly helpful, even if you’re not into the topic. (By the way, if you’re not the DVD type, you should try her craftsy classes. Lucy’s a really, really great teacher.) Lucy will be sending Knitting Essentials 1&2 to Erin F.

Sock Techniques 1&2 to Clair S.

Knitting Gems 1&2 to Amanda H

Knitting Gems 3&4 to Janet A

and Intarsia Untangled 1& 2 to Evelyn U. I hope you love them as much as I do. (PS, don’t try to watch while you’re knitting something unrelated. It’s disastrous.)

Next  up, three great gifts from Sarah at Sea Turtle Fibre arts in Calgary. First, she’s got this gorgeous set of gradients that she’s sending to Meg W. (She’s including a co-ordinating skein of Charcoal, you lucky duck)

a Kit to make this Goldfinch Shawl by Drea Renee, including the pattern and 3 skeins of their Riptide MCN Sport for Emma F.

and last, but certainly not least, a set of our three of their most popular Rainbow colours on Ridley Sock: Dark Side of the Moon, Rainbow Brite and Rainbows and Unicorns will be going to Patricia J.

So perfect for Pride month Sarah, thank you!

More Monday, assuming tomorrow’s ride doesn’t kill me. (Oh, the hills.)

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My Favourite Articles and Links This Week An interesting source of inspiration: The Museum of Failure. I wish I could search on Netflix for these genre labels. Summer can sometimes feel like a bit of a creative slump, so here are 13 ways to nurture your creativity this summer. I can’t believe I just read

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I have been dragging my feet on this blog post, all because I was disappointed with my photos. But considering I took a full day yarn dying workshop and tried my hand at dyeing yarn for the very first time, it seemed a shamed to not share the experience because of less-than-great photos. So here

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Have you ever had a project simply elbow its way onto the needles? That's precisely what happened here:



As a general rule, I try to have no more than one large project on the needles at a time. Since I was already eyebrow-deep into work on the summer rainbow afghan, I was determined to wait, but this hot little number just wouldn't take no for an answer.



This is the first project using one of the gradient combos we looked at a few weeks ago, and I'm eager to see how it works out. Each strip will incorporate a slightly different mix of these colors, ranging from light to deep:
If things work out as planned (feel free to laugh, I am), the colors will create a warm gradient that travels across the finished afghan on a diagonal path, from the lower left to the upper right.

There's no doubt about it, having two afghans on the needles slowed knitting progress to a crawl, but hopefully the final results will be worth the wait. The rainbow design is currently in the finishing stages, and once it's done, I hope to see this project move from a snail's crawl to a turtle's ponderous but comparatively peppy pace.

What unexpected projects have found their way onto your needles lately?


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Original Pattern: Savannah Chaps Knitter Extraordinaire: Sarah (Ravelry ID) Mods: Changed the original zebra pattern to a unicorn! More photos can be found on her project page, here. What Makes This Awesome: Who knew a zebra could look so magical? I’ve knit the original pattern before, and I love it (plus, it’s actually 3 patterns in

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Happy Sunday! It is time to get to have a little virtual meet and greet with another wonderful Indie dyer, in this case two-Jennifer and Christina. The dynamic duo is a sister team and their passion is expressed via their shop , Wee Chickadee Woolery. Let's chat... When did you... Andi

Knitting time has once again been quite limited, but slowly and steadily progress is occurring. The last time we saw this summery rainbow afghan, it looked like this.




Since then, the strips have been seamed ...




and the afghan body has been assembled. You can also clearly see the jade and mint banners that depleted two favorite greens and temporarily put a planned gradient project on hold.

At this stage, with all the lumps, bumps and curling edges, I always have to remind myself not to panic. The vivid version looked like a hot mess, too, until the borders corrected the curl and blocking eliminated the lumps.
The combination of fresh rainbow shades, cottony feel and light drapey fabric make this the perfect choice for cool summer mornings and evenings. Between that cheery prospect and the fact there are multiple projects standing on the sidelines clamoring for attention, I'm eager to turn this WIP into an FO and get it into the rotation.

Looking for the pattern? It's now in the tech editor's hands and should soon be ready for release.

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My Favourite Articles and Links This Week These gigantic crocheted urchins are so beautiful!! I wish I could see them in person. Knitting as espionage during World War I and II. 13 easy things to reduce stress in your day-to-day life. If you are interested in Pinterest for small businesses, I was on the Business of

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Randomly on a Wednesday: Subtitle – things I have done since last we were together.

1.  I applied all your suggestions in the last post, and the baby blanket is way, way bigger. This picture isn’t even accurate – because since I took it, I’ve picked up stitches all around the sides, and I’m working the border pattern in the round. Hope is on the horizon with this one, because tomorrow I leave for the June retreat, and I’ll have a whole bunch of travel time. I’m sort of excited. (About the retreat too, although I’m super psyched for the knitting time.)

2. Jen and I went out and did a training ride together. I’m behind on my rides (you would not believe how completely crappy our weather has been) and Jen is even behinder- since she had to wait for school to end and her job to be over to be able to get out there, but get out there we did. A rather good showing of 50km, with no whining, which you should all be really impressed with, considering our ages and the way you can’t knit while you ride a bike.

Jen’s the same as me that way –  her behaviour is mostly yarn led, and we’re both better people when our knitting is in our hands. It’s a wonder we can cycle at all, now that I think of it.

3. I made Elliot a sweet little sun hat (that I assume he’ll wear if summer ever arrives here.)

It’s the Baby Sunbonnet from Purl Soho (they have stuff besides knitting stuff – who knew?) and it wasn’t too hard. It worked out really nicely, actually. There was only one problem.

It was a little big.  I’ll make him another one.

4. By the way, I think it’s way more embarrassing to have a sewn thing come out the wrong size than a knitted thing. It’s not like it changes with blocking or it’s all scrunched up on a needle, and there’s no gauge to shaft you. It’s just… a mistake. Failure to measure.

5. Meg and I spent an afternoon making her a wrap skirt, perfectly adjustable for the post-baby changing figure. She can just keep cinching it in. Elliot was super helpful.

6. That one came out the right size.

7. I flew to Portland on Sunday to meet up with Stephen, so that we could surprise Debbi for her birthday. (There was a party organized, we didn’t just show up.)

I got on a plane first thing in the morning, and so did Stephen, and we met there and went for a walk in the Rose Garden (Fine. We ran. It was ambitious and we ran out of time.) and then we grabbed a hotel, put on pretty clothes and showed up at the party. I’m pretty sure we took a couple years off of Debbi’s life.

8. I flew back the next day. I’m still not sure it was all smart. (I am kinda tired.)

9. I drove Cameron to the airport, because he has to go to Australia for work for five weeks, and I’m not really sure that’s how either of us imagined getting ready for the Rally  – working together as Co-Leads on different continents, but work is work, and we have to pay the bills, and it’s going to be harder on him than me, so I’m trying not to whine. He’s going to do his best from away – and I’m going to pick up the slack here. He packed himself off on the plane with his brand spanking new socks in progress in his carry on (and his almost finished thumbless mittens in his suitcase. It’s like he’s a totally real knitter now- he’s 99.5% of the way there. I’m withholding the .5% because he didn’t worry about being underyarned for the voyage.)

10. I am packing, because tomorrow I head back to the West Coast (I know. I was just there. I know, you’ll say I should have stayed, but I really wanted to have a few days with Joe, and to see Elliot and there was a fundraising meeting last night that I thought was really important because fundraising is behind for the Rally this year) and did I tell you that Jen is going with me? It’s her birthday this weekend (and almost mine) and so we’re celebrating – knitter style. We’re going to party like animals. (By party we mean go to a knitting retreat. It’s the same. Six days away where you only talk about knitting, do work that’s about knitting, hang out around around knitting and only are with knitters? That’s like the non-knitters birthday equivalent of hookers and blow. We’re meeting at the airport at dawn and we’re gonna let the good times roll. )

11. We did a lot of baby holding. It’s super competitive around here. Stay strong Pato. Don’t let the Grampas get him from you. They’re circling like buzzards.

Remember when we looked at different color lineups, so you could help me choose an ombre or gradient for a new afghan? I was experimenting with various combinations designed to use up leftovers, partials and orphan skeins, and asked for your input.

Here's a quick update. Based on your feedback to date, the green gradient is your top pick ...

while this cool combo is running a very close second.

With your sound counsel in hand and a fresh design concept in mind, I was ready to cast on.
Unfortunately, I immediately ran into a hitch. Several greens in the winning combos above wormed their way into the summer rainbow afghan, which means the mint is nearly gone, and the jade and teal shades are severely depleted.
I can't speak for you, but sometimes my need to cast on outweighs every other consideration. Because it was a grey, rainy day, this warm, cheery combination seemed the ideal way to counter the gloom.In a relatively short period of time, I'd made just enough progress to begin easing my need to get this project on the needles. Since then more progress has occurred, but that's a topic for another day. 

Meanwhile, I'm dealing with the classic knitter's dilemma: On the upside, I'm accomplishing my goal to put leftovers and partials to good use. On the downside, as colors dwindle or disappear, so do my options.
For a very brief moment, I thought about standing firm and trying to find a way to work with just the colors that remain. In the end, the yarn always wins, so I'm off to search replacements for the mint, jade and teal, and yes, start the whole cycle all over again.

To see all the options and cast a vote for your favorite, visit Ombres & Gradients: Which Would You Choose? and share your picks in the comments.
To read more about ombres and gradients, click here.

It's been a wonderful week of celebrations around here :) My niece graduated from high school. Hard to believe that the tiny screaming baby that I saw come into the world is now the confident and caring young woman smiling before me. I am so proud of her, but a part of me wishes that time wouldn't fly by so fast.


This past Sunday was National Cancer Survivors Day. One of my closest friends and I marked the occasion by taking a river cruise down the Choptank River. We ate a delicious lunch, watched the gorgeous scenery pass by and laughed a lot. It was a beautiful day to celebrate life and friendship.

This Friday is the last day of school for the little guy. It's been a successful school year and I couldn't help but cast on a celebratory sock.

pattern: froot loop
These are going to be my Summer festival socks to usher in the season. With all of the sad events happening right now, it seems even more important to celebrate and be grateful for all of the joyful moments that life has to offer, both big and small.

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And the winner of the Pom Pom Quarterly Giveaway is … Nicole! The draw was randomly selected based on comments, and her winning comment was: “I love Fete! It might be the bright color, but I love the splash of grey against the pink. It also looks like a statement necklace knitted right onto the

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Happy Sunday! How was your week? Mine was rather busy as it tends to be after a three day weekend. So busy that it had me grabbing my knitting project more often than usual during lunch breaks. Which reminds me how grateful I am for knitting. As I was knitting... Andi