Seven essential tools in my knitting bag

Posted on July 24, 2022 | 7 comments

I’m pretty streamlined when it comes to tools; I love things that are inexpensive, portable, and useful. Here are seven things you’ll find in each of my project bags. (I only have three project bags, so it’s not difficult to stock them with my favorite tools. Monogamous knitter? Pretty much.)

Susan Bates Universal Row Counter

It’s a row counter! It’s a stitch marker! It’s my favorite knitting helper. I use this at the beginning of my round, or one stitch into the row if I’m knitting flat. It keeps track of my rows/rounds, and I never lose it in my knitting bag because it’s always attached to my knitting. Perfect!

Clover flexible stitch markers

A row counter keeps track of your knitting vertically, and stitch markers keep track of your knitting horizontally. Marking off pattern repeats helps keep you on track before you go too far astray. These soft ring markers are simple and effective. Don’t forget to have some locking markers too, for catching dropped stitches until you can fix them!

Tape Measure

Keeping track of my progress is fun with my tape measures. The Lantern Moon sheep is my favorite. The tail comes out to measure in inches and centimeters, and pops back in with the push of a button. Cuuuuute.

Cable Hook, J shaped

A cable hook is for…cabling? Yes and no. I usually do my cables without a hook, unless the cable is wider than 3 over 3 stitches. But I find a cable hook to be very helpful for holding a stitch while I manipulate other stitches, as in a brioche 4 stitch decrease. The J shape is essential for this; it holds the stitch securely and also gets out of my way. I like the thin metal ones better than the thick plastic ones. The J hook is also great for fixing mistakes in a column of brioche, like this: https://youtu.be/bgWr2TrXvOk

Susan Bates Handi Tool

This small tool is a lifesaver! It has a crochet hook on one end, and a knitting needle on the other. It’s perfect for picking up dropped stitches, and for working tiny repairs.

Snips (kitty or puppy or octopus or…)

I mean, you could break the yarn (tough with linen), or you could use these cute snips!

Bent tip tapestry needles

You’re going to need a tapestry needle to sew in your ends. I really like the bent tip needles for scooping into my stitches. Bonus: This cute little case has a place on the cap where you can attach your snips. That keeps everything you need for finishing your project, all in one place. There’s so much satisfaction in a finished object!

These are the seven essential tools in my project bags. What do you like to keep in yours?

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Bossy hat!

Posted on July 23, 2022 | 5 comments

I finished the hat with the criss-cross stitches, and the earband with the sunbursts. I love them both. I think the name for them is Bossy, because the yarn tells you what to do.

You may remember that I frogged a perfectly good sunburst hat to knit the criss-cross version. After all of that, I think I like the sunbursts better after all!

But I’m not going to frog it and knit it again. That would be silly.

These, along with my Shall We Dance cowl, show the ideas we’ll address in my Planned and Assigned Pooling class at Knit Maine in September. Students can choose which project they’d like to make; the class yarn (Yarn Snob Wonderful Worsted in Cabana Boy) can do any of these things. I’ve written up the class notes; do you want it to be a pattern, too?

What tickles your fancy? Have you tried planned pooling or assigned pooling? Or is it on your bucket list? So many questions!

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Loose Lace Quick Fix

Posted on July 15, 2022 | Comments Off on Loose Lace Quick Fix

Say that three times quickly!

We’re having a gorgeous week, and I’m making the most of my outdoor space. I’m currently swatching for a little cowl, and it’s not even brioche! The yarn here is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Cackle. I have 75g left from my Brioche Knit Love book projects, and that’s enough for the kind of cowl I want. I hope.

The edging features this favorite motif of mine. It’s called cats paw, but I see it as a flower. What I don’t like about it today is that the stitches above the yarnovers look sloppy, and it detracts from the motif.

So now I’m knitting through the back loop on the stitch above the yarn over, on the next right side row. (It wouldn’t help to knit through the back loop on the very next row; that would close the eyelet.) I love how it makes the center of the flower pop. But the stitch above the upper right eyelet looks a little prominent (more so in real life than in this picture).

It looks better if I twist the stitch in the opposite direction. Now it mirrors the one on the left perfectly. I *could* twist all the ones on the right side of the motif this way, but it’s fussy and doesn’t really show in real life. So just the top right one for me! You do you. I definitely like this better than the first picture!

We had a milestone last night. Puddletown Knitters Guild has been Zooming through the pandemic, but last night we had our first hybrid meeting!

I was impressed by all the equipment it took to make this happen. Multiple mics, sound mixer, speaker, 2 laptops, projector, 2 extra iPhone cameras. There was probably more than that involved; that’s just what I could see. Thanks so much to the guild for making this happen, and in a new space (we outgrew the old one).

Anne Berk was the speaker, and she talked about her favorite kind of knitting: intarsia, or Annetarsia! I’ve taken her Annetarsia in-the-round class; she made it so easy. She and I have the same attitude about knitting: It needs to be fun!

If you’re interested in learning intarsia, Anne’s book is a great place to start. You can find it here.

Is intarsia on your bucket list? Brioche? (I have a book for that!) Lace? Stranded colorwork? Do tell!

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Blueberry desserts, on repeat

Posted on July 14, 2022 | 2 comments

I finally got around to baking that blueberry nectarine galette, and it was delicious.

Served à la mode. Happy Bastille Day!

It took me a while to get to it, because I had a hankering for cobbler, and I needed the kids to come over for dinner to help eat it. I took it outside to cool, so Calvin couldn’t get it. Love that early evening light, so directional!

This is the first time I’ve made the galette this large. I think I prefer them smaller, more like a hand pie. So I’d make a half recipe of the crust here, which I usually do, but divide it in two next time. (A quarter recipe per galette, which is the size of the one in the collage below.) And then just fill it in with whatever fruit is on hand. Which means blueberries, for now.

I’ve put 2 gallons of blueberries into the freezer, but during blueberry season I’m always looking for ways to use them fresh. I’m dreaming of a parfait with a crushed gingersnap bottom, vanilla pastry cream, blueberries, and whipped cream layered.

Like the blueberry cream pie (upper right corner), but in 8 ounce jelly jars. Or! Crushed lemon wafer cookies, lemon curd, whipped cream, and blueberries. Also in cute jars. Tall small mouth jars? Short wide mouth jars? A baked crust in the jar? Hmmmmm. As long as the berries keep coming, I have time to play.

Do you like to play in the kitchen? I’m always thinking about how I’d like to tweak things!

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Blueberries galore

Posted on July 9, 2022 | 11 comments

The 25 year old blueberry bush is in overdrive this year. I’m picking, picking, picking. Two gallons so far, and there’s more. We have some raspberries, too.

So far I’ve baked a blueberry cobbler for a friend recovering from knee surgery, a blueberry cream pie for tonight’s happy hour gathering, and I’m planning to bake galettes tomorrow. DH won’t have the cobbler or pie (can’t present those with a chunk cut out!), so the galette is for him. Recipe posts are hyperlinked, in case you need to make these, too.

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Done and undone

Posted on July 1, 2022 | 8 comments

I finished my assigned pooling hat with the sunbursts/flowers. It’s cute! I tried it on, and it’s a little snug on me. It measures 17” around; those sunbursts do pull in the fabric a bit. The hat in the above picture isn’t blocked; blocking will make the sunbursts prettier.

Calvin’s already good-looking enough!

I haven’t blocked the hat yet because I also want to knit a hat using this criss cross stitch I used in my Criss Cross accessories and Tilt Shift Wrap. I needed to know if I have enough yarn to do that.

Now that I’ve started, I’m pretty sure I don’t have enough yarn to knit both, and I think I’m more likely to wear the criss cross stitch, so I’m frogging the sunburst hat while I knit the criss cross version.

I don’t mind re-knitting; the yarn is ridiculously entertaining. I’ll knit a sunburst headband with the yarn that’s left from the skein. It’s been fun figuring out how big (how many wraps, how many stitches) I need to make the sunbursts and criss crosses look their best. This will vary depending on your yarn! I’m teaching this very fun class at Knit Maine in September. We’ll be using this exact same yarn in class; it’s Wonderful Worsted from Yarn Snob yarns in Cabana Boy.

The winner of 3 months of Knit Camp from Olive Knits is…Quite a Yarn Blog! I’ll contact you for info to connect you with Knit Camp. Congratulations!

And finally…

(Project bag from NerdBirdMakery).

Who ever thought we’d be set back by 50 years? Outrageous. Women’s rights are human rights. Dissent. Protest. Effect change. Let your voice be heard.

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Norwegian purl, in brioche

Posted on June 25, 2022 | 9 comments

I learned a new thing! I learned a new thing!

I’m not a continental knitter, but I can make a decent continental knit stitch. My purls, however, have been abysmal. I needed to make a little video about the end of the round in 2 color brioche rib on dpns. I always make a video for English/throwing, and one for continental/picking. And I finally decided it was time to figure out how to purl less awkwardly.

Some continental knitters hold their left index finger up in the air, and wave it back and forth to move their yarn. I can’t get my index finger to stay up in the air; I hold both hands close to the needles. With Norwegian knitting and purling, the index finger stays down, and the yarn is scooped off the left index finger by the right needle. Works for me! Here’s a little video of my new Norwegian purl in my brioche.

I keep the yarn to the back the whole time, even on the brioche knit rounds where I need to make the sl1yo. Instead of bringing the yarn to the front, I duck the right needle behind it. Whatever works! I always tell my students, as long as you get the results you want, you’re doing it right.

Do you throw, or pick? If you’re a picker/continental/hold yarn in your left hand knitter, how do you purl? Have you tried the Norwegian purl? Inquirin’ minds wanna know!

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Embellishments!

Posted on June 24, 2022 | 7 comments

I’m thrilled to be June’s guest designer for Knit Camp, which is an app community by Olive Knits (Marie Greene). Marie is a dynamo! She’s also the founder of Library House Press, which published my book, Brioche Knit Love.

This is the Embellishment Cowl. It uses one of my favorite flowery fancy stitches, plus quilted lattice slip stitch. It’s knit with two contrasting colors of fingering weight yarn. I used Schmutzerella Yarns Spectacular, which has a blingy sparkle in it.

You can knit the quilted lattice in one color or two. Beads are optional, but highly recommended, especially on the single color quilted lattice. Embellishment! I knit all three of these cowls using the 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn.

The Embellishment Cowl pattern is exclusive to Knit Camp for the first 45 days, and then I’ll be able to offer it here, too.

Curious about Knit Camp? One lucky winner will receive a free THREE-MONTH membership to Olive Knits’ Knit Camp app! This is your chance to discover the amazing Knit Cam community AND gain early access to exclusive Knit Camp patterns, discounts and more. Knit Camp membership includes free monthly patterns, video tutorials, livestreams, expert pattern support, virtual field trips and SO much more! A $75 value.

Open to followers worldwide, this giveaway ends June 30, 2022. Winner will be posted here, then contacted directly. Prize is non-transferrable and is subject to Olive Knits terms of service.

To enter, check out the Knit Camp app here, then leave a comment and tell me which part of Knit Camp interests you most.

I’ll keep you posted when I can offer the Embellishment Cowl pattern myself!

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Assigned pooling progress

Posted on June 22, 2022 | 2 comments

I started knitting another Shall We Dance cowl with the Cabana Boy from Yarn Snob, but my heart wasn’t in it.

I already have two of these cowls, and I wanted to play more with the yarn. Also, this kind of pooling requires me to actually look at my knitting to make sure the colors are stacking the way I want them to, and I like to read my kindle and not pay attention!

So I’m playing with assigned pooling. If the yarn is orange, it’s time for a sunburst! They’re slightly pink at the edges, because I want them to be 5 stitches wide. I like them! But, as is usual for my design process, I’m probably going to frog this (again!). I thought I’d like the rolled brim, but it wants to keep rolling, and that makes it hard for me to know when to start the crown shaping. I think I’ll like a sleeker k2p2 rib.

I’ll probably do a taller version of this criss-cross stitch, too. But for a baby size hat, with a rolled bottom. I think there’s enough yarn to do two hats (one adult, one baby), but I’m not sure yet. The play continues!

What are you knitting?

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Introducing: Whale Watch Cap and Cowl

Posted on June 13, 2022 | 5 comments
samples knit in Anzula for Better or Worsted

Whale Watch is two patterns in one! It features a 2-color brioche cap and cowl, knit in the round from the bottom up. I designed this set as a quick start teaching piece for my 3 hour classes, beginning with 2 color brioche rib, and then introducing simple increases and decreases. Whether you prefer cowls or hats, I’ve got you covered.

Frolicking whales and soaring gulls will keep you entertained at sea, at the beach, or anywhere!

samples knit in Malabrigo Rios

Pattern uses worsted weight yarn in 2 contrasting colors. The yardage is close, but you can get a large hat and tall cowl with 200 yards of each color, if you match my gauge. The pattern includes instructions for both the cap and the cowl. The cap can be knit in 2 sizes, and there are two different ways to finish the crown.

taller cowl above, shorter cowl below

The pattern is on sale for 15% off through June 20 with coupon code ORCA. It is available through Ravelry here. You can also purchase this pattern from my Payhip store here; the same code works in both places.

I’m looking forward to using this pattern for my class on the Vogue Knitting cruise at the end of August. I’ll also be using it at Knit Maine in September. I love that it’s all-in-one, both cap and cowl. I’m streamlining!

Thanks to tech editor Jen Lucas, and test knitters Ann Berg, Debbie Braden, and Melissa A. Rowe.

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