PDXKnitterati

Berroco Wizard yarn review, Minerva entrelac

Posted on December 29, 2024 | 2 comments

Minerva entrelac scarf knit with Berroco Wizard yarn — Minerva entrelac scarf

I’ve enjoyed playing with this new-to-me yarn. This is Berroco Wizard, 85/15 Superwash Wool/Nylon. It’s a very light and lofty chainette, classified as bulky. Recommended needle size is 10-10 1/2 (6-6.5 mm), but I’m using a US9 because I like the fabric better. I knit til nearly the end of the ball, and the result is a short scarf, but long enough to cross over my chest. Based on the light and lofty fabric, I decided that this version would be a great Minerva scarf instead of a cowl. You get to see more of the entrelac fabric if it’s not doubled up around your neck.

I’m planning an entrelac class at Hook and Needle in Vancouver, WA on March 29, and I wanted to see if this yarn they carry is appropriate. Why yes, it is. If you’d like to learn to knit entrelac with me, you can do so in person at Hook and Needle, and also at Vogue Knitting Live in New York City on Sunday, January 19. Minerva is bi-coastal! You can use this lovely yarn for a scarf, or you can use a gradient yarn for a different effect. The pattern gives instructions for both scarf and cowl.

Or a different color changing yarn for a short or long cowl. Knitter’s choice!

About the Berroco Wizard: I loved knitting with it. It’s very airy, so the fabric is pretty fluffy in hand. That’s the other reason I wanted it as a scarf rather than a cowl; it wants to drape itself artfully. Sometimes you have to let the yarn tell you what it wants to do! I highly recommend it; it’s fun to knit.

Are you looking forward to learning new things in 2025? I know I am!

PS: The Wizard colorway is called Fluorite.

2 Comments

Posted in classes, Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged Berroco Wizard, entrelac, entrelac knitting, knitting classes, minerva cowl, Minerva entrelac, minerva scarf, vkl nyc

Korknisse rabbit hole

Posted on December 24, 2024 | 9 comments

small cork korknisse wearing an orange and purple sweater and hat knit from malabrigo worsted

How it started

small cork korknisse wearing an orange and navy blue sweater and hat knit with malabrigo worsted

And then this happened

3 korknisse wearing sweaters and hats knit with malabrigo worsted

Followed by a couple more. They’re addictive!

five cork korknisse wearing sweaters and hats knit with malabrigo worsted

This all started because I wanted a little red one for the neighbors, like my Stopover Korknisse above. I may knit a couple more today while procrastinating about wrapping presents. If you want to knit some too, here’s a quick set of instructions. The original pattern is in Norwegian by Manne, and is only available via Wayback Machine/Internet Archive. I’ve adapted it for champagne corks.

I used Malabrigo Worsted for most of these (Stopover is in Lopi). US 5 needle, worked in the round.

Sweater: CO 18 sts
2 rnds k1p1 rib.
1 rnd stockinette
2 rnds 1×1 colorwork
BO round in neckline color

Hat: CO 16 sts
2 rnds ribbing, 3 rnds stockinette, then decreases every other row; 3 per decrease rnd. If you work the first dec rnd as K2tog, k2, k2tog; (k3, k2tog)2x, that will make your following dec rnds simpler. You’ll knit one fewer st before the dec on each dec rnd, until you have 3 sts remaining.

This all started because I wanted a little red one for the neighbors, like mine above. I may knit a couple more today while procrastinating about wrapping presents.

4 korknisse with sweaters and hats knit with malabrigo worsted, and a can of spam macadamia nuts

Here’s a crew of korknisse from 2014. I’ll catch up with my current Kona post…soon!

9 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged Knit, knitting, korknissse, malabrigo worsted

Under pressure, holiday edition

Posted on December 23, 2024 | 3 comments

a hawaiian honu green turtle rests on lava rock

I’m a little slow getting ready for the holidays, but I work best under pressure. We arrived home from Kona (Hawaii) on Thursday night, and Friday I put new lights on the porch.

blue and white icicle lights decorating front porch gutters

It wasn’t raining, so the timing was perfect.

wire christmas tree on top of the piano with assorted ornaments

I put up my tree, on top of the piano. That surfing Santa is finally getting his legs glued back onto the surfboard this year; one of our cats knocked him off the piano years ago. I also put up the Christmas stockings on the mantel.

five handknit christmas stockings hanging from the fireplace mantel

Old picture, same stockings!

christmas wreath with knitted bow made from wire lights

I’ve added my knitted lights bow to my Christmas wreath. I’m skipping the knitted ribbon with dpns, because last year the dpns got…moldy? Mildewed? Gross, whatever. The bow is fine by itself.

bottles of Irish Cream made with Tullamore DEW whiskey, and two korknisse with knit sweaters and hats

I made a double batch of Irish Cream from the recipe in this post, and I’ll make one more batch today.

ginger molasses cookies decorated with icing

I helped a friend decorate cookies. Aren’t these cute?

a little cork person wearing a knitted sweater and hat made from orange and purple Malabrigo worsted yarn

And I knit this little korknisse for Carole at coffee this morning.

Shopping is done. There are a few presents to wrap, a little more housecleaning to do (tomorrow, because it needs to be tidy the day after). And we’re hosting Christmas dinner here on Wednesday.

Lots of pictures in this post, so I’ll do a Hawaii post separately. We had a great time!

Are you ready for the holidays? I actually cleaned the wax off our menorahs, so I’m ready for Christmas AND Hanukkah!

3 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged christmas, christmas tree, christmas wreath, holidays, irish cream, knitted lights, knitting, korknisse

Keep your friends close…

Posted on December 13, 2024 | 4 comments

…your enemies closer, and your knitting tools…closer yet!

While I’m working my Peekaboo motifs, I need stitch markers, and a cable hook for working the brioche 4 stitch decreases. I’m not always sitting next to a table, so it’s easier to wear my tools on me.

This is just a silk cord with a hook finding (it’s half of a necklace fastener; there’d be a little ring to slide onto that silver J). It can hold stitch markers that I use to note where a motif begins and ends. The gold cable hook can hang on the silver J, too, or in the little loop that the silk cord is threaded through. The decorative pink stitch marker is for weight, so that the necklace hangs down instead of flopping around.

Each of the motifs on the Peekaboo Cowl had me using the cable hook. Having that hook on my person kept it handy!

The same is true for the Peekaboo Shawlette (coming soon).

How do you keep your cable needle/cable hook handy? I don’t use one for most cabling, but when I need it, I need it!

4 Comments

Posted in Knit, Other craftiness

Tagged algorithmic knitting, brioche 4 st decrease, Brioche knitting, brioche plus pooling, cable needle, knitting necklace, Knitting tools, peekaboo cowl, Peekaboo motif, Peekaboo Shawlette

Yarn, yarn, yarn

Posted on December 10, 2024 | 4 comments

I finished the knitting on this entrelac piece, but I haven’t decided if I want to seam the ends for a loop cowl, or keep it as a shortish scarf. The light and airy fabric doesn’t want to be a single loop, so I’d have to make sure it’s long enough to be a double loop. Or I could leave it as a shortish scarf, held with a shawl/scarf pin. I think that would show more of the little squares, which is the whole point of this piece! So I may have just talked myself into a scarf. Onward!

I’m still on my brioche + pooling kick. Yarn Snob’s Black Orchid is so pretty! I chose Silver Fox to go with it, but after I started knitting the two together, I’m not so sure about the combo. The black is really more like a deep dark purple, and the gray feels “cold” next to it. It doesn’t help that I haven’t actually seen my knitting in daylight! But I think I’d like it better with Winter (cream) to warm it up a little. I’ll have to take one more look in the morning before frogging. I do have Winter waiting in the wings.

In the meantime, I also have this yarn from A Chick That Knitz; it’s Hibernation, with a choice of either Caramel or Silver Fox (yes, another Silver Fox!) to go with it. I’m starting with Caramel, but as you can see, everything is up in the air until the swatching is done.

Are you gift knitting for the holidays? I’m shopping my samples; that takes a lot of pressure off!

4 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged A Chick That Knitz, assigned pooling, brioche plus assigned pooling, knitting, yarn, yarn snob yarns

Sample sale wrapping up

Posted on December 1, 2024 | 2 comments

Cherry Blossom Wrapture, Trailing Leaves, Star Flower, Nymphaea

Thank you for your response to my sample sale! Most of the smaller items are sold, but the bigger ones are a little slower to move. Incentive time! I’m dropping the price of the remaining items by $10, so it would be equivalent to free shipping. I’m planning to mail everything out at the end of this week, so this is your chance for handmade gifts, without having to make them.

You can link back to the full sample sale post here.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with all of the DH-side relatives meeting up in St. Louis. It’s been a few years since we’ve all been together for Thanksgiving, so it was a treat. We managed to successfully prepare Thanksgiving dinner in our Airbnb kitchen, and then transport it to our party room at Mom’s assisted living center.

I think the best part of these trips is that the next generation gets to spend time together, and we get to spend time with them, too.

I didn’t have a moment to knit until I was on the plane headed home. The entrelac is close to yarn chicken stage; I’ll be finished soon. (Is it cheating if I use a scale?)

2 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged pdxknitterati sample sale, sample sale, thanksgiving

PDXKnitterati sample sale

Posted on November 25, 2024 | 6 comments

My sample bins are overflowing! It’s been 8 years since I had a sample sale, and it’s time to make some room. Now you can have PDXKnitterati originals, and you don’t have to do the knitting!

Items are named clockwise from top left in each set. The names are hyperlinked to the pattern pages so you can see more pictures, not necessarily in the color/yarn that’s being offered, but it helps to know the shape.

$10 shipping and handling to USA addresses, or local pickup if you’re in the Portland area. Leave a comment if you’re interested in a particular piece, and I’ll email you. (I can see your email address; you don’t have to leave it in the comment.)

Lucky Star (Knitted Wit Fingering), $75 (sold)

Star Flower (Dream in Color Smooshy), was $75, now $65

Nymphaea (with beads) (Bumblebirch Heartwood), was $85 now $75

Rain Chain Shawlette (with beads) (Knit Picks Gloss Fingering), $75 (sold)

Cherry Blossom Wrapture (Hazel Knits Artisan Sock), was $95, now $85

Aspen Leaf Scarf (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), $75 (sold)

Lobelia (KnitCircus Greatest of Ease), $55 (sold)

Prosecco Pop (Knitted Wit Summer Slubbin’), was $55, now $45

Trailing Leaves (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), was $75, now $65

Ebb and Flow (Moss Fibers High Twist Fingering), $55 (sold)

Aspen Leaf Cowl (Manos del Uruguay Alegria), $65 (sold)

Shall We Dance (Blue Moon Fiber Arts Plushy), was $55, now $45

Dotty Cowl (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), $55 (sold)

Slip Away Cowl (Malabrigo Rios), was $55, now $45

Twirlywhirl Cowl (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), was $55, now $45

Athena Entrelac Cowl (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), $55 (sold)

Athena Entrelac Cowl (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), was $55, now $45

Lacy Entrelac Cowl (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), was $75, now $65

Minerva (Knit Picks Chroma Worsted), $55 n/a

Madrona Cowl blue (Malabrigo Worsted), $65 (sold)

Madrona Cowl green (Malabrigo Worsted), $65 n/a

Meander Cowl (Delicious Yarns Sweets Sport), was $55, now $45

Snowy Woods (Oink Pigments DK), $65 (sold)

Kerfuffle Cowl (Malabrigo Worsted), $55

Leafy Origami Hat (Malabrigo Worsted), $35 (sold)

Brioche Pastiche one of a kind (Malabrigo Rios), $35 (sold)

Whale Watch Cap and Cowl set (Malabrigo Rios), $70 (sold)

Deep End Hat (Malabrigo Rios), $35 (sold)

That’s it! For now. The bins are still pretty full…

6 Comments

Posted in events, Knit

Tagged pdxknitterati, pdxknitterati sample sale, sample sale

International Springsteen trip

Posted on November 25, 2024 | 5 comments

We went to Vancouver BC to see The Boss.

We had seats on the floor, Row 19. But if you’re short, the floor is not ideal for actually seeing the performers. Thank goodness for the monitors!

The show went 3 hours, 20 minutes. Lots of great music, and the band was in fine form.

This was our Airbnb. The heater in the main area wasn’t working properly, so it was a bit chilly. We had a good time anyway.

The view was great, and we were right by Rogers Arena, the concert venue.

Good friends, good times!

And I got to play with a new-to-me yarn. I’m planning an entrelac class at Hook and Needle on March 29, and I wanted to see if this yarn they carry is appropriate. Why yes, it is. This is Berroco Wizard, 85/15 Superwash Wool/Nylon. It’s a very light and lofty chainette, classified as bulky. Recommended needle size is 10-10 1/2 (6-6.5 mm), but I’m using a US9 because I like the fabric better. Based on current progress, I’m guessing this 100g ball will result in a 36 – 40” length. Perfect for a light and lofty Minerva cowl. If you’d like to learn to knit entrelac with me, stay tuned!

5 Comments

Posted in travel, yarn

Tagged Berroco Wizard, entrelac, hook and needle, minerva cowl, springsteen, Vancouver BC

You’re not the boss of me

Posted on November 12, 2024 | 9 comments

You know I love assigned pooling. And I love brioche. Test knitting is under way for my new shawlette.

I’m designing another shawlette using brioche and assigned pooling, and the pooling was starting to…pool! At the ends of the row, over and over again. This left a big center with no stars.

Highly annoying.

So I frogged back to where there were just two stars at each end, and then I skipped a bunch of yarn so that the next star would be in the middle of the row.

It took me two tries to get it right, so I’m glad I didn’t cut the yarn first. I’ll leave this big loop on the back until I’m fully committed.

I think of assigned pooling as a dance between the yarn’s suggestions and what I want. But ultimately I’m the boss. If we have a disagreement, I WIN. I make the rules for this game!

Have you tried assigned pooling? Who’s the boss of YOUR knitting?

Oh, one more thing!

I’m teaching Thrill of the Thrum, my Thrumbelina thrummed slippers, this Sunday at 2 pm at For Yarn’s Sake in Beaverton. Come learn how to make and knit fluffy thrums into your knitting! This is an in-person class, the better to get a feel for those squishy thrums. Register here.

9 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

Tagged assigned pooling, Brioche knitting, thrumbelina, thrummed knitting