## Saturday, January 4, 2014

### Into Infinity: the Moebius

Our Winter project has just launched, with a small "practice piece" called Driftwood Infinity Necklace.  It uses a true Moebius cast-on, called the Chain Infinity Cast-on (the tutorial for this special cast-on, along with this project file, is already posted at the winter group.)  We are discussing various options for casting on a Moebius project and selecting materials.

BadKitten was kind enough to make these two short videos, describing what is unique about a Moebius Strip.  In the first she just explains the difference between what happens when you just cast-on and join in the round with a twist, and make a true Moebius cast-on.  It is all about having one continuous edge.  In the second video she just geeks out a little as she talks about what makes the surface of a Moebius unique.  I shot these using my digital camera and although the images are good the sound sucks.  Turn your volume up and accept my apologies!

You can read oodles more about what a Moebius is here.  If you are intrigued and want to know more about my winter group project, check out this post, or send me an email: BadCatDesigns@verizon.net

## Saturday, November 30, 2013

### Into Infinity...

Is everyone ready for winter?  I am ready for lots of knitting, and lovely wool yarn.  I am not ready for trying to get to work in the snow or wind chill.  This project will see you through the cold, dark months and back out into the light!

If you are ready for the knitting part of winter, join me for my Winter 2014 Group Mystery Project. What mystery???  There is a photograph, right?  Well, consider that just an appetizer!  Let me tell you a little more...

As many of you know, BadKitten, my model and fiber co-conspirator, left for college in September.  But I think very few of you know that she is studying math (among other things.)  She always finds ways to combine craft and math, and so this entire group is about infinity.

The sum of the infinite series converges to some real value $a$.  So as I see it, the sum of this infinite amount of love and now seemingly infinite amount of knowledge will converge to be BadKitten, the young woman and no longer the child.  And the possibilities are infinite...

How in the world does this relate to knitting?  I am so glad you asked!  And it is more than just wanting to have an infinite amount of yarn, OK?  There are two different project sets:

The first is all about the Möbius strip or Möbius band ( or , also Mobius or Moebius.  BadKitten actually knit one of these before I did and totally turned me on to the potential, from a design point of view.  Dare I say, it is infinite??  There will be four projects in the set.  Two use one skein of special sock yarn (Malabrigo Sock and Hidden Brook Farm Painted Glitter Sock, But many other options are possible.) One project uses one large skein of Soft'n'Single ColourWave from Lara's Creations and the fourth uses one skein of Linen from Marks and Kattens.  We are using two different moebius cast-ons, one of which I think I made up!

The second project set is all about fractals.  This is a modular project, and I will be showing a blanket and a stole or shawl as options.  You can make the blanket any size you like.  I am showing options using KnitPick's Fingering Chroma and Wisdom yarn's Limerick, but there are oodles of other choices that we will discuss.  These designs work well using a yarn with very long color repeats.

All told, the group will cover 6 different projects, at a minimal, with an infinite number or possibilities!  Did I catch your attention?  Here is the fine print:

The group will begin enrolling now.  We will discuss techniques and materials.  The first project will be posted January 1st, 2014, and we will continue on until the spring.  As with all my group projects, we will use YahooGroups and I created a unique group for this project.  All project files will be posted at the group as PDFs and you will be in charge or downloading any files you want to save.  Although this group is not attached in any way to Ravelry, I will add the project pages there, for anyone who wants to add their projects, and we can open a discussion forum there if anyone would like that.  The cost for access to the group and all the project files is $16 (US dollars) payable through PayPal. This is payable to badcatdesigns@verizon.net, via PayPal. If you need me to send you an invoice or have any other questions, please send me an email request with Infinity in the subject line. Once payment is received, an invitation to the BadCatInfinity group will be sent to you and you can join and introduce yourself! It has been a little while since I had a nice, big group project and I am really excited. I hope you can join me! Andrea ## Saturday, August 31, 2013 ### Winter Extravaganza Wrap Up! At long last, I am sharing some finished projects from my Winter Extravaganza project. I would like to thank everyone for a great group and especially thank those who sent me there photos to include here! If you would like to see all the project details, check our this link! If you would like to buy a copy of the pattern, you can do that right here: If you want to see all the finished projects on Ravelry: check them out here! You will be able to see the yarns people used and how they customized the piece for themselves. Without further fuss, and in no particular order... From Dawn Yarn: Kaido Lame Beads: Silver-lined gold #8 Japanese seed beads From Gala! From Jean I missed the instructions to move the start of the first 39 or so rows one stitch to the right so I substituted YO/K2tog for the double YO/double central decrease to make the start easier. It produced a lovely flower, Yarn: Classic Elite Pirouette Color: Caribean Sea 3.5 skeins Beads: #8 silver lined seed beads Blocked size 66 x 23 From Cynthia I blocked it to the same measurements as yours, on a size 4 needle. The yarn was YarnArt Kid Mohair Transparent, Color 3. It’s 60% Kid Mohair and 40% Acrylic. I was terrified it would block horribly. My fears were unjustified. It was wonderful. From Sue I used Iridaceae lace yarn, Iridae, in Emerald US 4 needles Emerald 8.0 beads Did a garter stitch instead of ribbed borders From Sheila Yarn is Crystal Palace Kid Merino, color, Ultra Blues, 6 skeins Beads are dark amber or root beer ABs 8/0 - chosen for their complimentary contrast to the yarn. I made a tapered sleeve and added more beads to the corners and sleeve details. From Mary Rose! Ouida, at STITCHDRAGON is offering the Winter group a lovely prize for three winners (a circular needle of the winner's choice!) Names drawn from BadCat's hat, the three winners are: Sheila, Cynthia and Jean. I will be sending you an email with details! Also, all gallery participants will be getting a gift of the Ravelry pattern file for The Winter Wrap, so keep an eye out for the link. ## Wednesday, May 1, 2013 ### Lucy's Gift I released a new pattern today. It is free and available on Ravelry. Just follow this link to get yourself a copy of the file. You can make this small shawl in any yarn you choose. Here is what I did: I used one ball of Einband yarn. The yarn is produced in Iceland, using Icelandic wool, by the Alafoss (Istex) company. Each ball weights 50 grams and is 273 yards. The sample used just one ball, in a color that matched Lucy’s eyes, but feel free to use more if you want a larger piece. Lucy was actually as soft as cashmere and had a double coat. Icelandic sheep also have a double coat, but are not particularly soft. They are very rugged and can survive the Icelandic winter in style. We took to calling them BadAss sheep on our recent trip and Lucy shared that same quality. Small package, big attitude, strong will. I might knit a second sample in fine, gray cashmere and use a few purple crystals, because she would approve… -I am working on a second sample in Malabrigo Silky Alpaca and will share photos once I finish. This piece was inspired by the Hallgrimskirkja church, which I visited recently while traveling in Iceland. The church has long, clean lines and sits high on a hill in Reykjavik. It can be seen from off shore for quite a distance. I dedicate this project to my darling cat, Lucy (affectionately known as LucyFur) who died on March 26th, 2013. She was my constant companion, lap warmer and blocking assistant and she will be terribly missed. She was a tiny kitty, weighting in at just over five pounds, but her purrsonality was enormous. Please consider making a small donation to the Humane Society of New York if you enjoy knitting this project. You can make the donation in Admiral LucyFur’s memory, and they accept PayPal. Meow on sweet gray girl… ## Sunday, February 10, 2013 ### BadCat's Winter 2013 Extravaganza At long last, I can announce my winter project! And not a moment too soon, because we just got the snow storm of the season... Champagne Powder, if you have ever been skiing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This project is all about the process. I wanted to get back to the process, which is really why I love to knit. I wanted to lose the rules, the stitch counts, and just have some fun. I promise that all lace knitters will find something lovely here, but it might not be the same thing for each of you. If you are feeling frisky and creative, and you trust me not to lead you too far astray, please join me! Project options include a fairly simple stole, and a winter wrap. The wrap is really an unstructured jacket, with sleeves and a collar of sorts. There will be some nice lace work, just a little bead knitting and lots of choices. If you are looking for a pattern to simply follow, step away from the monitor. I might make you sad. If you are willing to let go a little and frolic in the snow, come on in. This project is worked in a lace weight kid mohair blend and I suggest you use a similar style yarn for the wrap. I have a table with many options ready to share at the group site. Each knitter will take their own measurements, and use a generic recipe and their own measurements to make a unique wrap. If you are hesitant to jump in with both feet, you can work on a stole while the project unfolds. Most lace weight yarns will work well for the stole and we will discuss yarn choices at the group. This project will be like all of my previous group projects, based at a dedicated Yahoo Group. Once you pay me I will send you an invitation to the group. You must be willing to have a Yahoo account and use the group in order to participate. All the project files will be posted at the group's file section. The files will be PDFs and you will be able to save them to your own computer. A new file will be posted every 1-2 weeks, as the group works together on the project. The project will be posted in sections over about 6-10 weeks. All discussion will take place via email through the group. We can share chat and photos on Ravelry but all discussions will take place through the Yahoo Group. Once the group is finished you should save all your project files to your own computer for future use. The pattern will be available on Ravelry at a future date but is not included in the group project. If you are joining just to have that pattern file please come back in June (about) 2013 and it should be available through my Ravelry page. If you want to come play in the snow with me and join the winter group, you can either send me a PayPal payment (directly to my email address if you are familiar with the process) or send me a request for an invoice. The cost is$11 US.  I apologize but I can't take other currencies.  PayPal can set you up with a US dollar payment.  If you have any questions please feel free to email!

BadCatDesigns@verizon.net  is the email for payments, requests for an invoice or questions!  Please use Winter 2013 in the subject line for my immediate attention.

## Sunday, December 30, 2012

### Sangria Gallery Post!!

We are finally wrapping up the summer project (and not a moment to spare, as the winter project is coming very soon!)  The summer group is closed but the pattern file is available at my Ravelry pattern shop now.  Here is the link!

Without further ado, enjoy the work of the summer knitters!  Details about each project are below the photographs.

Cynthia Peek

Ravelry name:  Femknit

Yarn and how much yardage:  Lara’s Creations, Starlight Entrée, in Berry Smoothie, most of 875 yards

Beads and how many:  Less than half a tube of size 8 8R203 Gold Lustered Pink from Beads at Dusti Creek in Portland, and a small amount of size 6 Czech glass beads in Amethyst Copper from Jo-Anns.

Needles size and finished size of project:  Knit Picks size 3, 70 inches across the top, and 47 inches to the center point

Comments:  This is another beautiful creation.  The simple designs are very effective, and the recommended yarn was delightful to work with.
Cara
Ravelry name:  Stamax
Yarn and how much yardage:  Posh Yarn, Sadie 2 ply lace weight
Beads and how many:  Silver lined Amethyst 8/0 and 6/0
Needles size and finished size of project:  US 3,  finished size 27 x 70 inches
Comments:  Beautiful design and delightful to knit!
Cindy/KS

Ravelry  dcharrison

Yarn  Ruby Slippers Sparkle (lace weight) from Sheepy Time Knits - yardage: used

Silver Lined 8/0 #8-11B (MA) Ruby Rose
Rainbow 6/0 #6-256A (MI) Champagne

Needle size:  US 3 (3.25 mm) ChiaGoo needles

Finished size:  62" wide x 32" deep (approximate based on 2nd shawl - forgot to measure this one before sending it off)

Comments:  Lovely knit, unfortunately or fortunately I chose nearly the same color as another shawl had been done in & given to the same intended recipient - so I got to do a 2nd Sangria!
Name  Cindy/KS

Ravelry  dcharrison

Yarn  Earthen Ruins (lace weight) from Sheepy Time Knits - yardage: used

Silver Lined 8/0 # 8-4A (MA) Dark Golden Amber
Rainbow 6/0 #6-256A (MI) Champagne

Needle size:  US 3 (3.25 mm) ChiaGoo needles

Finished size:  62" wide x 32" deep

Dolly Donhauser

Ravelry name: dollydonhauser

Yarn  and how much yardage: Anzula Cloud in Candy Apple, 119 grams

Beads  and how many: Fusion Beads: SB2843 Size 6 Silver Lined Ruby Red Rainbow Round Japanese Seed Bead, 30 grams

Needles size and finished size of project: size 4, 55" wide by 27" high
Mary Rose

Ravelry name, marydear

Yarn  and how much yardage:  Bernat Baby (the old style with no nylon in it)

Beads  and how many: none for this one

Needles size and finished size of project: US 4

Comments:I am not sure of my yardage as I used up lots of partially used balls of baby yarn that I had in my stash, and had to scramble at the end to come up with enough for the edge!

## Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Sangria Lace summer project is open!  Is you want to join either send me a payment via PayPal or send me an email requesting an invoice.  The cost is US $6.50 for a summer of great knitting! My email address for PayPal payments or to request an invoice is BadCatDesigns@verizon.net The project will be presented in installments and you will have to join my special SangriaLace YahooGroup to participate. You will get a group invitation once payment is received. All the files will be posted at the YahooGroup. The pattern is charted, so you must be willing to work from charts to enjoy yourself. If you have any questions please drop me an email and ask. You are welcome to leave a comment here but be warned that unless you include your email address in your comment I will not be able to reply to you. There are more details and a material list posted here! Let the fun begin!! ## Sunday, June 24, 2012 ### Sangria! My summer 2012 group project is about to go live, so if you are interested in joining me here are the details! First, the group will open on July 1st and I will update the blog with those specs late this week. The cost will be U.S.$6.50 for a great project and some yummy drinks!  We will cast-on mid-July and be done by late August.

Second, I will give you a materials list in case you are interested!  The summer project is a change of pace from our last two projects.  This will be a top down triangle that can also be made as a square.  It is great vacation knitting.  All the charts can repeat and the final chart can be added to any of the previous charts.  In fact I consider this project to be the perfect wedding party project.  You can make several shawls that are related but different.  Plus we are going to sample different Sangria recipes and you can knit and drink Sangria.  It works for me!  Here is the basic material list:

Materials for the Triangle
-1 skein Starlight Semi-Solid Entrée from Lara’s Creations, shown in Crushed Boysenberries.  The yarn is 75% superwash Merino, 20% silk and 5% Stellina and has 100grams and 875 yards per skein.  100grams of yarn with equivalent yardage and some Merino wool content will work.  I suggest using either a semi-solid color, one of Lara’s gradient colors, or a yarn with very long color repeats.  The design offers several possible points to add or subtract repeats, so any fine yarn can work, from cobweb to a light fingering.  If you choose a finer yarn get more yardage.  As for color choices, I suggest a color that makes you think of a summer fruit!  Berries, peach, melon….
-20 grams of 8/0 beads to match your yarn.  Shown in Japanese F023D, matt silver-lined Plum.  Choose something that matches your yarn.  You will need more if you want a larger piece.
-10 grams of 6/0 or E beads with some contrast to your yarn.  Shown in Czech crystal-Bronze lined Ab.  These are for the final edge, so a little zing is good.  You will need more if you want a larger piece.
-US 3 (32 inch) circular needle or size to get gauge (or with a gauge that pleases you.)  If you exceed my gauge you might need more yardage.
-US1 or 2 crochet hook for bind-off if you use the crochet bind-off option as shown
-US 14 crochet hook or size to fit your yarn and beads
-Waste yarn for provisional cast-on
-Yarn needle to weave ends
-Blocking wires and pins
-Stitch markers if you like
-For a square you will need twice the amount of yarn and beads (and more for a larger square) plus a set of 5 double point needles and a set of circular needles in up to 40 inches.  Seriously, you can make this any size you like as long as you have enough yarn.

Now for the Sangria drink materials, and mind you there will be a new recipe each time I post new charts:
One bottle of dry rose wine.  Mine is a French Rose.  Some fruit liqueur.  I had some Triple Sec in my wine closet, but if I had a better liqueur I would use is!  Some summer fruit.  I had strawberries, white grapes and a nectarine.  You also need ice.
First cut the fruit and fill your pitcher.  I diced the fruit and left a few larger pieces over for the wine glasses.
For my petite pitcher I used 3 shots of the Triple Sec to 2 cups of wine.  You can vary this based on how sweet you like your Sangria.  Chill it and let the fruit soak for a few hours.  When ready to serve put a few ice cubes in each glass and pour!

I will be back at the end of the week with details about how to join the group.  In the mean time start considering you materials and make some Sangria!