Summer Squares Take Nine: We're Blocking DarkStar

I finally finished the DarkStar Stole, so I thought I would show you how I block. First, I soak the piece in cool water for a bit. "A bit" is at least 30 minutes, and usually more. Just leave it alone...

This yarn is wool, so I just left it alone in the water. Don't play with it... When it is ready for me, I gently press the extra water out and rolled it in a towel. I then thread my blocking wires through every beaded point along the edges on all four sides. After that, I pin the wires out as evenly as I can manage...

It was late at night and it was hard to manage...

Close-up of the corner, where you can see how the wire goes through the points.

Some edging detail. You can really see the beads (I think.)

And just a bit more pattern detail...

Pattern re-cap:

The DarkStar Stole, from The Summer Squares Suite

Yarn: EmmaLou from LandOLace (1200 yards)

Beads: Japanese 8/0 Transparent Amethyst Rainbow (20-30 grams)

US size 1 knitting needles and a US 14 crochet hook

I will be off-line for a few weeks, so I posted the third and fourth squares for this project at The Summer Squares group today. The fifth square will be posted over Labor Day weekend, and the border and edging after that! Out Summer Squares group will run through the end of September, but is now closed to membership. The individual patterns and the full chart set will all be available in October. Enjoy the rest of you summer!

Summer Squares take eight: Dark Star

For those of you following my Summer Squares Project, today brings us to the final chart for the second project (The Blue Quartet.) I posted the Quartet Edging chart earlier today at the Summer Squares group. Today also brings us to the first chart for our third project! The third project is a stole called Dark Star. There are five squares, which are just knit one after another. Once the five squares are done, a border is picked up around the entire rectangle and knit in the round. Once the border is complete, an edging is added. This is the one project in The Summer Squares Suite that has (optional) beads. I am using EmmaLou yarn, from Land O Lace, in a fabulous color. There are several close shades of purple and the effect is almost like crushed velvet to me. You cannot appreciate it in this picture. I have a 1200 yard skein. The beads are Japanese 8/0 transparent light amethyst rainbow. I am using a US 1 needle. You can see more of the project in today's video. The picture is of the first square in this new project and is called Moonshine. You see it still on the needles, in a totally unblocked state. It will look a bit different blocked... I have also been playing with some fiber my friend Judith sent me, in preparation for a fun winter project a few of us will be doing. The colored skein is tencel and sw wool, but our project involves merino/silk fiber, which still has to be dyed. The small white skein is actually a sample of that fiber. It involves spinning, beads and lace. That is all I can say! The spindle is from Elizabeth, at Greensleeves. It is called a Vixen and has a Satine whorl, a Mahogany shaft, weights less than 1 ounce and spins wonderfully.

My video today is about a different technique you can use to add beads to your lace. Instead of using a crochet hook, I take a "dental floss threader" and a length of beading thread and use that to both store the beads and add one to my knitting when needed. For me this technique is slower, but it does avoid the possibility of dropping a tin of small beads! You can get beading thread at most shops that sell seed beads. You can get "floss threaders" at most large drug stores, and on line here. It costs US$3.29 for 25 of them, in a nice plastic case! You will have a lifetime supply for yourself and a few friends. I use them for adding beads, as you see in this video, but I also use them to string beads onto yarn when I knit with beads pre-strung. You might need some in you knitting bag...

I'll be back next week with the second square in the Dark Star project, and maybe a video of how I block this project. Until then, keep knitting!

Socks are nice...as long as they have lace on them.

I interrupt my usual programing to introduce a new sock yarn. Jade Sapphire Yarn Company just release Sapphire Sox. Here is the deal: 330 yards per skein, 25% Cashmere, 63% wool and 11% nylon. It comes in a bunch of interesting colorways, as you would expect from Jade Sapphire. The one they sent me is called Soul Mate...and I enjoyed the way that it striped. The yarn is soft but not delicate and was a pleasure to work with on a US 2 needle. I can't speak to wear, because I knit mine and JS took them as samples! With the nylon content and the nice twist, I suspect they will wear well. You can grab my pattern at the Jade Sapphire website or at my Ravelry pattern store. It is free. If you want the yarn, it will take a bit more effort. If you are lucky enough to be at The Sock Summit, there are two vendors there who have some. If not, ask for it at shops that carry JS yarn. They should be able to order it. Now I'll get back to knitting...

Summer Squares Take Seven: Finishing the Quartet and A Survey of Estonian Books.

We are still moving along, over at The Summer Squares Group. Today I am posting the last chart for The Blue Quartet squares, plus the Blue Quartet border chart. I have more info on that to follow...but I thought I would add a small book review to my post today. Not a review, really, but more or a survey. I am now the lucky owner of three knitting books that came from Estonian. How cool is that! Thanks to Malle, I am lucky enough to have a copy of this amazing new lace book from Estonia. First, I want to say that this book is a hardcover, large format book with very high quality photography. My pictures of the book are pretty bad, because I turned my flash off to avoid glare. The book, on the other hand, has wonderful, clear pictures and equally good charts.

There is a large section on the history of this knitting style which I only wish I could read. It looks wonderful, but the pictures tell a great tale, even without the words. There is a brief English introduction and an English chart key.

There are photos of classic knitted pieces, and patterns and charts for all the components of each piece. There are also great technique photographs. This is not a pattern book for projects, as much as a history and technique book. Included is a very good collection of traditional Estonian lace stitches in photographs along with clear charts. Using the information they provide, you can knit yourself any of the classic pieces shown in the book, but you will have to do some figuring for yourself.

This is a gorgeous book, and if you are lucky enough to get yourself a copy you will enjoy it!

I have another lovely Estonian book, which was given to me by my daughter's friend. She picked it out for me while visiting relatives in Estonia! How nice is that? Very...

This is a book on knitting mittens and gloves. This one is actually a project book. Again, I can't read the content, but I think these are modern patterns based on traditional mittens and gloves. The technique photographs and the charts are excellent. I have not made any of these yet, but I won't have any trouble following the charts. These gloves are especially nice.

Finally, I do own a copy of this book, which is an amazing collection of Estonian stitches, with black and white photographs and charts that are very usable. The charts have some errors and are sometimes hard to read. This book has become hard to find, and when you can find it it costs too much. I hope the publisher see the overwhelming response to the new Estonian lace book, and considers re-printing this classic. It would be wonderful to see it re-done with better photos and charts, but honestly it is worth having it just as it is, so I vote that they re-print it however they can!

There is a section in the back of the book with photographs of finished garments that use the stitch patterns. The pictures are fun.

Along with "basic" stitch motifs, there are a few centers and edgings. Many wonderful things!

If I have another opportunity to get a knitting book from Estonia I will say yes without seeing the book. They know how to knit, they use good charts and I love the traditional work. There you have my opinion!

Now, back to the task at hand, today we have The Cello square and the Blue Quartet border, already posted at our Summer Squares Group.

Nice picture above and bad picture below!

I have no video for you today, but maybe we can block something for next week. Let's see how much knitting I get done. Just to remind you, next week I will have the Blue Quartet Edging and the 8th square posted at The Summer Squares Group. The 8th square is the first square in our third project! I better get back to my knitting...

The Summer Squares Take Six: Adding Beads...

Happy weekend! We are at the half-way point of our Summer Squares Project, and this week brings us to our 6th square and the 3rd square in The Blue Quartet. Our square this week? The Viola... What did you expect? Again, this is from the series of blocking photos, still wet and with ends hanging out. Don't mind the noise.

There is a technique video at the end of the post, but I though I would distract you first with some food. I made dinner last night for my parents, and (as almost never happens) it was just us adults! My mom had given us a cookbook last year which has some excellent ideas. The book is Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. I highly recommend it. First course: Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp. The recipe calls for dill but the dill I got tasted horrible, so I swapped it for mint from my garden. Really yum.
Next I made a salad. The Contessa has a similar idea using butternut squash, which I could not get. Instead I roasted some fancy carrots. The walnuts were soak in a maple sauce before I roast them. Double yum.

Again, a modified recipe from The Contessa for Roast Pork Loin. I added some mango juice to her marinade, because I had it in the fridge. As some of you know, we rarely eat meat because Bad Kitten is a vegetarian and I can only put one dinner on the table. When the Kitten is away...triple yum on a rare occasion!

Finally, I had some local pickle cukes so I made these fresh pickles using red onions, dill and cider vinegar. They filled out the meal perfectly.

Now that you are totally distracted by food, I give you my video for the week. As my usual camera Kitten is away, I had to impose on the local Tom Cat to help me out. Compound that by a cold and you have my video on adding beads using a crochet hook. We have not used any beads in our summer project to date, but that will change. I think you might imagine a little Brooklyn, but I am not totally sure. I was focusing on not dropping stitches while my camera guy was learning the ropes. Let me know if you can hear it...you know who you are.

The piece in the video is coming up in two weeks on The Summer Squares Project, in case you are wondering. I think you will like it. Before that, we have the last square in The Blue Quartet to get to next week (not to mention a border and an edging!) I told you I would keep you busy. Though we are at the half-way mark there is still time for you to join, so get all the details here and email me with questions.

Until next week, knit on!

Summer Squares Take Five: The Blue Quartet

This week finds us up to our fifth square, and the second square of The Blue Quartet. I took a few better photos of The Quartet, so you could get a better sense of the project. This is a small blanket or throw that uses four squares, has a contrasting frame, a border and an edging. The yarn is a cotton/silk heavy lace or fingering weight from Colourmart. You could knit the design in one color, but I think it looks best in two.

It would easily work well in a heavier yarn, for a larger and more substantial blanket. My version is very light and has lovely drape.

This week's square is shown below, still the wet (blocking) photo, but you get the idea! The chart will be posted at our Summer Squares group this weekend. The texture stitch on this one square is different!

My gratuitous summer photos follow...rigging the Sun Fish last weekend on Long Island's North Fork...

Large, nesting birds...

And our unedited video of the week! This week I illustrate how I attached the two panels for The Blue Quartet. Each panel is made of two squares (in blue) with a stripe of gray between the squares. I then knit the two panels together, as follows!

I regret to say that I filmed this video BEFORE Judith lovingly pointed out my lack of appropriate accent...and I fear that this one also lacks that accent. In future videos I will work to correct the issue.

I will be back with another square of The Quartet next week. The Summer Squares project is moving right along, and you are still welcome to join us. See the details at the link above! Until next week, knit on into the summer!

A Midsummer Nights Dream...

I just added two new patterns to my Ravelry Pattern Store.

The Puck Scarf is perfect for your favorite fairy to frolic through the woods. This scarf sits very well on the shoulders. It works with lace weight and also fingering weight yarn. Beads are optional...

My boss carefully supervises the blocking...
The Titania Shawl is a larger version of the same design, and this example was worked in 3/45 cashmere/silk. Thank-you Lara and Steph.

This picture shows the shape of the shawl. Again, beads are optional!

Thanks for looking! Link to my Ravelry Pattern Store is on the upper left edge of my blog!

Summer Squares Take Four: Turning the Corner

Happy Friday! This week's Summer Square is call The Violin. It is part of a project I call The Blue Quartet. The pictures are not very good because it is still wet and blocking. You can even see my ends, which have not been clipped yet. Pathetic, eh? And here you can see the full project, also in a less-than-flattering pose. Once she is dry I will clip the ends and take some lovely cheesecake shots, but until then, you get the idea...

The chart for this week's square and full directions for the project are now posted at our Summer Squares Group, so go for it! The other three squares in this project will follow over the next three weeks, along with the border and the edging. There is still plenty of time to join the fun.

Today we skip the food and take a hike instead. You must burn those calories, right? This view is from a trail just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge (which is one bridge north of The George Washington Bridge) along the Hudson River. The white specks are all sail boats. Very nice, eh?

You didn't know how gorgeous New York is, right?? Well did you know we have Prickly Pear Cactus in New York? Yes, we do. And it is in bloom right now.

We also have some really healthy Poison Ivy. Don't touch...

And we have these funky mushrooms. I feel fairly confident that that are not edible...but I don't know what they are called. They are not in my 'shroom field guide.

Our special video segment this week is about turning the corners on our edging, for those of you still working on The Golden Eye edging, this might be useful. I broke it into two videos. This first one shows you the first half of the corner...

And this second one shows you the second half of the corner!

I really do know that my videos are totally un-edited and slightly scary. I could learn how to edit them, but I would rather spend my time designing and knitting. I could also ask my daughter to edit them, but she would add special effects and a sound track (Green Day most likely or maybe White Stripes) All good, but I am not sure we want to see me knitting to that beat. So for right now they will stay as they are; The Blair Witch Project of knitting, if you will...please enjoy them with modest expectations!

And until next week, knit on! I will be back with another square and I hope a few pictures of finished projects from The Summer Squares group. Have a great weekend!