Knitting

Green Beanie – Just in Time!

December 22, 2015 by Mary Jane 1 Comment

Because you might just need something new and fresh for the final holiday knitting push! It was all I could do not to make another…so many possibilities. I want to make one in grey and white! As my holiday gift you can get my Green Beanie pattern for half off through the end of Christmas Day!

I confess that I made Green Beanie a while ago and promptly forgot about it. I just found it at the bottom of my stack of winter stuff…we haven’t needed much this year since it’s been so mild. I decided to write the pattern up before I lose it again. Sophie obliged, and we walked around her neighborhood for the snaps.

It starts with a slight curl in the cast on fabric, proceeds to corrugated ribbing creating vertical stripes. Meanders with a little stockinette stitch graced with a favorite motif found….in many cultures… and found in my book 200 Fair Isle Motifs: A Knitter’s Directory, motif #153.

I used Quince & Co Lark, because I have a lot of that lying around (lucky me!) because it is local to me, and I like it. You could use just about any worsted weight yarn, or heavy DK. The ever present Cascade 220 comes to mind. I’m going to make my next one in Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

I chose two greens, very close in value so the stranded colorwork pattern is subtle. Sometimes I just don’t want a loud pattern, only a hint. The vertical stripes of the ribbing are the main event. Students: See how different placement of the same colors show up differently? File under experiments with color.

Deets:
Finished Size To fit head circumference 19 (20, 21), with about 1 inch of negative ease.
Yarn Beanie shown in Size Small Quince & Co Lark, (100%American wool; 134yd [123m] /
50g). MC #130 Split Pea, #128 Snap Pea, 1 skein each. Any worsted weigh yarn should work.
Dive into that stash!
Yarn Amounts You will need about 130 yds of MC, and about 80 yds of CC.
These amounts are generous, you might use less!
Gauge after blocking 9 sts x13 rnds = 2 in (5cm) in corrugated ribbing using smaller needle; 10 sts x 11 rnds = 2 in (5cm) in fair isle pattern using larger needle.
Needles US 6 (4 mm) & US 7 (4.5 mm) 16” (40cm) circular needles, US 7 (4.5 mm) double pointed needles.

Find the Green Beanie pattern on Ravelry!
Happy Holidays!

Quick Knit Gifts – You can do it!!!

December 16, 2015 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

Making one of these projects is in the realm of possibility!

Fishbones has an easy peasy colorwork pattern that is easy to memorize and fun to work.The top is finished with stripes and an optional pom pom. Knit in DK weight Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light.

Kristen Kapur Made the gorgeous purple Stopover. Here’s what she said:”Calling this my Long Weekend Stopover since I cast on on Thursday and bound off on Sunday. Excellent pattern, I’ll definitely make another”. You see, only four days! It uses Light Lopi.

Kelly Mitts take a little more consentration, but they might be fun. You could eliminate the fingers, and just finish with ribbing – that would make them faster. They are knit with Swans Island All American Collection Sport weight yarn.

And there’s no question you could whip up some Instant Mitts. The pattern is free!

Lichen Mitts – Swoon Maine Book Signing

December 10, 2015 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

Hey Portland Peeps! Portland Maine that is…. There’s a book signing this Satirdau at Portland’s cute little local yarn shop Knit Wit. Designer Carrie Hodge will be there with stacks of her serenely gorgeous new book Swoon Maine ready to sign, joined by fellow contributor Cecily Glowik MacDonald and me! We’ll all be there from 1pm – 3pm.

You can pick up yarn for a project while you’re at it!

It is entirely possible that you could knit my addition to the book – Lichen Mitts – by the new year. Carrie took such marvelous photos there is no need to even explain my inspiration. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve been with me during the whole journey of these mitts, from when I first picked up my lichen covered granite rock on Nash Island last June. Knit Wit has the Quince & Co Lark yarn I used so you can get started!

We all hope to see you there!!!

Knit Wit Yarn Shop

247A Congress Street

Portland, Maine 04101

207-774-6444

If you live 3,ooo miles away and can’t make it this weekend, be sure and order a copy of Swoon Maine direct from Carrie. It is so much more than just a collection of gorgeous well thought out garments, it includes an essay from my neighbor Bristol Ivy, drawings by Karen Gelardi and photo essay inspirations from Pam Allen, Beartrice Perron Dahlen and Hannah Fettig – and of course Carrie’s beautiful photographs that capture the essence of Maine. It’s a local effort – even tech edited and printed in Maine!

Lichen Mitts Specs:

Quince & Co Lark Yarn (100% American Wool; 50g/134 yds [123 m]) Worsted Weight.

2 skeins Kittywake (MC) – about 150 yds [137 m] worsted weight yarn needed.

1 skein Honey (CC) – about 60 yds [55 m] worsted weight yarn needed.

One set each US4 [3.5 mm] and US5 [3.75] double pointed needles

Stopover for the Holidays!

December 1, 2015 by Mary Jane 2 Comments


 Photos: Kathy Cadigan courtesy of Fringe Supply Co.

Holiday shopping madness makes me uneasy. I would rather relax and knit at a leisurely pace, go for a walk, or have a cup of coffee with a friend. But then I want to make stuff for my loved ones … and there is never enough time!

I have a few patterns that are just right for the season. Stopover. If you have your heart set on knitting a sweater, this is the one for you. It goes really really fast. Some makers have knit it over a weekend. Others have finished it by knitting a few hours in the evening over a week or two. Which means it could be done by the last day of Hanukah and for sure by Christmas. Or failing that, New Years!

As for other gifty things…pop over to Fringe Association…Karen Templer’s temple of all things beautiful…beautiful, simple, elegant, inventive. Every post is a pleasure to read for ideas to ponder and inspire. This season’s Holiday Lookbook includes great things for knitters yes, but lots for non-knitters alike. In particular, I’d love to have the jumbo sized Deluxe Canvas Tote bag – a step up in sophistication from the LLBean bags I’ve used for years. They come natural or black as shown above, perfect since the first thing I do to break in a new canvas bag is spill coffee on it. See photographer Kathy Cadigan’s version of Stopover? – the full shot is on page 23 of Fringe Supply Company Holiday Lookbook 2015.

Find lots of other versions of Stopover on Ravelry. The KAL is on through New Years Eve, join us if you want to make friends with fellow Stopover knitters.

Stopover Deets:

A modern Icelandic style lopapeysa worked at a loose gauge for a deliciously lightweight garment. Stopover is knit entirely in the round with subtle waist shaping Inspired by my week long Stopover in Iceland!

Yarn
Shown in Ístex Létt Lopi (100% Icelandic wool, 109yds / 100m, 1.76oz / 50g).
I have a preference for airy light icleandic wool, but other springy Aran weight wool or wool blend yarn would be suitable.

Finished Size S (M, L, XL) Bust 37 (40½, 44, 48) in, 94 (103, 112, 122)
Sleeves are offered cropped or traditional long.

Needles US 10½ (6.5mm) 16 and 32 inch (40cm, 80cm) circular needles, US 9 (5.5mm) 32in (80cm) circular and 1 set US 9 (5.5mm) double pointed needles – or size necessary to get gauge.

Green Colorway:
#9423 Lagoon Heather (MC)
#1406 Spring Green Heather
#1404 Glacier Heather
#1409 Garnet Red Heather

Blue Colorway:
#1403 Lapis Blue Heather (MC)
#1406 Spring Green Heather
#1404 Glacier Heather
#9427 Rust Heather

Pattern in English and also French!
With purchase you get both and can choose which you prefer to download.

click below to see Stopover the week it was finished!

Look At The Sky

November 20, 2015 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

It’s the time of year when things should be slowing down here in the Northern Hemisphere.
It’s getting dark, and it’s getting colder.

For a lot of us, the pace of life just doesn’t seem to slow down like we’d like it to. But I urge you to try. If only for a moment or two. Give yourself some time to do absolutely nothing.

Once you catch a breath, you can begin to plan for future adventures. I’m lucky that my work takes me all over and I get to visit strange and wonderful places. Maybe I’ll be in your neck of the woods this coming year. I’ve posted a list of places I’ll be teaching on my classes page. Some you might just be able to pop in, others might take a little more planning.

There’s a piece of advice I was given, that I come back to again and again when I veer towards panic and my head threatens to fly off –

Look at the sky.

It helps.

Just look at the sky.

the Modern Natural Dyer

October 30, 2015 by Mary Jane

Have I got a treat for you! A giveaway – a chance to win the sensational new book The Modern Natural Dyer and a natural dyeing KIT of your choice to go along with it!!

I’ve been patiently waiting for this book to come out. Kristine Vejar is such a wonderful warm sharing person – I knew her book would be the natural dyeing book we all want. She’s been studying natural dyeing for years, since she was first bitten by the bug while studying in India years ago. Passionate and curious about the art, she’s got endless interesting stories to tell. In 2007 Kristine started A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland California, a gorgeous retail shop with with indoor and outdoor studio workshop spaces and her garden for growing dye plants. Destination!!! It’s where she conducted the research for this book.

The book is fantastic. Of course it is. The pictures are so gorgeous, you really don’t need any interest at all in dyeing to want the book. The first two chapters introduce us to different dyes derived from nature, followed by a look at various fibers and how and why they react to dyestuffs. Chapter three, Dyeing 101, is one you’ll refer to over and over again in your future dyeing projects, because …. once bitten you won’t want to stop!

After that the book is broken down into 4 sections, dyeing with whole dyestuffs, dyeing with extracts, dyeing with indigo, and surface design.

The subjects themselves are project based, which at first I wasn’t sure about. I thought … oh right … publishers always insist on projects…. I found myself being like one of those people I complain about who say “but I don’t want a red sweater” when they look at a pattern, oblivious to the fact that it could be knit in a different color. But reading through the projects, I realized that it is a perfect way to introduce the topics covered, instead of a lonely generic way. Take the first project dyeing a 100% cotton onesie (43g) with tea… ok I have no babies (wait my nephew has two – count ’em 2 new ones!)… but you don’t have to dye a onesie, you could take any cotton of similar weight, and follow the same recipe. At the end of each project Kristine has a little TRY section with ways you can further explore the technique covered, in this case, your pantry.

Kristine generously supplied me with not only a book but a kit. I chose the Northwoods Hat Kit with madder as the dyestuff, which means I would be following the Dyeing With Extracts section. This section has my favorite four pages of the whole book, the shade cards for protein based-fibers and cellulose-based fibers….dream of the possibilities!!!

The Northwoods Hat Kit comes in 3 colors red (madder), yellow (weld), and purple (logwood). I love madder. I love the idea of madder. I want to take a madder-adventure traveling to where madder grows wild! Cloth dyed with madder was found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, it has been cultivated in Central Asia since 1500 BC – the Vikings used it!

Because I am me, I had to try and get two colors with my madder. I wound my yarn into one large skein and one small skein. The small one being about 8 yards…from right shoulder to left finger tips is about a yard – that’s how I measure.

Then I went through the steps in the book.

Scouring (1 ½ hours)

Mordanting (1 ½ hours)

…and finally dyeing…for me 3 hours because I wanted two colors. I deviated from the instructions here. Looking at the shade card, I decided I wanted the small skein to be a light pink, so I only used an eighth of a teaspoon of madder extract. I felt like a mad scientist measuring it out. Then I followed the directions, using both skeins, heating slowly and stirring as long as called for and I got the most delicious pink…coral…salmon? An amazing color and an amazing feeling – energizing! I helped madder make that color! I took out the small skein and cooled it, rinsed it and set it to dry. Then I added the rest of the vial of madder to the dyepot with the large skein still in it. It immediately sucked up the new dye! I processed it as before, only now I was having a hard time keeping a low enough temperature on my wee stove top. To my dismay after I let my mind wander, I found the dyebath simmering! Ghastly! So beware – my yarn was slightly felted in a couple of places.

When the yarn was dried I quickly knit up the Northwoods hat. I shortened the ribbing by an inch and inserted a small simple fair isle pattern (#75 in my 200 Fair Isle Motifs book). I also made the body an inch longer before I started to decrease. I have enough yarn left over to make a big pompom if I wanted. I only wish I’d used a more solid fair isle pattern because I like the pink so much. I think if I filled the pattern, instead of just the outline of diamonds…I’m tempted to rip it out…but hey…I could always get a kit and make another!

The color in real life is more like the image of just the yarn – not the silly selfie.

So dear readers…you’ve got the chance to win The Modern Natural Dyer and your choice of a natural dyeing kit.

Clockwise from top left:

Flowers At My Fingertips : Dyeing with Whole Dyestuffs – you dye both cotton and wool fabric directly with flower blossoms, and then sew the fabric into a sewing kit. Includes seeds to grow your own dye plants.

Northwoods Hat Kit : Extract Dyeing Protein-based fibers – you dye Quince & Co Puffin wool yarn which you knit into a hat.

Sock Hop Kit : Extract Dyeing Cellulose-based fibers – you dye ready made organic cotton socks.

Waves Bandana Indigo Kit : Indigo Dyeing – you dye two white cotton bandanas, trying bound resist dying to create a pattern.

Click on the links to read more about each kit.

If you’d like to be in the running for this fantastic prize, comment below which kit you’d like and why. In a week, Friday November 6th, I’ll be randomly choosing a winner.

The Modern Natural Dyer and the series of natural dyeing kits which accompany the book – are all available through the A Verb for Keeping Warm website.

You’ll have other chances to win, follow the blog tour!

Oct 20 STC Craft

Oct 23 DIY Network

Oct 26 Mason Dixon Knitting

Oct 28 Leethal

Oct 30 me!!!

Nov 2 Very Shannon

Nov 4 Make Something Blog

Nov 9 Heather Ross

Nov 11 Tolt Yarn and Wool

Nov 16 Made by Katrina

Nov 18 Ysolda Teague