Browsing Tag

knitting

crafting

Knitwishlist: Tara Stiles x Wool & the Gang

I’ve graduated! Now that I’ve more free time, I’m excited to devote my time to all those projects– such as this one- that have fallen to the wayside. If you follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that I’m working through the Brooklyn Tweed Stranger Cardigan by Michyio. I’ve finished the cabling and now I’m working at the stockinette, but as much as I love the yarn, I’m starting to get a little bored. However, it’s the best kind of stitch to work on when marathoning television (need to catch up on Game of Thrones and Doctor Who!).

Now enter the collaboration between Tara Stiles and Wool & the Gang; it combines my two favorite cathartic activities: yoga and knitting. I’ve been a fan of Tara for a while– I adore her relaxed and gracious personality and approach to yoga– and when she started tweeting about her knitting adventures with Wool & the Gang, I fell in love with their company. Their branding and design is so fresh and forthright, and their tag line? “Fabricated tales.” Be still my fantastical heart.

I need this hoodie in my life. The color is perfect!

I need this hoodie in my life. The color is perfect!

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As if I couldn’t be more obsessed, the mint and hot pink colors in the collection are right up my alley and absolutely perfect for summer. The price tag is a little steep but considering it’s pima cotton, it’s not much more expensive than other non-acrylic yarns from comparable companies. That being said, I still wish the patterns were available on their own, but it seems as the pieces are only sold as kits. In any case, I still have quite a project backlog, so the price is probably a good deterrent to keep me on track.

Do any of you have some knitting or crafting projects that you’re excited about?

May 30, 2013
crafting, photos

On the Needles: “Greenhaas” (Koolhaas Hat in Evergreen)

My final semester is proving to be as challenging as I thought it would be! Luckily I’ve been channelling the pressure into “stress!crafting” (see also: stress!baking and stress!cleaning). With my dad’s birthday coming up, I chose to knit up a gift and the popular “Koolhaas Hat” by Jared Flood (Brooklyn Tweed) seemed perfect.

Evergreen Koolhaas Hat

Evergreen Koolhaas Hat 02

Evergreen Koolhaas Hat 03

At first the cables seemed quite intimidating, but after having worked two swatches to get the proper gauge, they’re actually pretty fun! Since it’s only a single stitch being held, I’ve been working the cables without a cable needle à la Grumperina.

Speaking of swatches, here’s the second swatch I made:

Oyster Heather Mink Heather Evergreen Koolhaas swatch

As you can plainly tell, there are three colors, only one of them actually being used in the final product; all three are the same yarn! In all honesty, this pattern was chosen not just because I know my dad will appreciate it, but because I’m also trying to whittle down my yarn stash (shh… I would like to think my father would appreciate the resourcefulness and pragmatism!). I had so little the other colors and just barely enough green for the hat, so I did what I had to do. It’s a pretty looking swatch though, right?

February 28, 2013
crafting, miscellany, philobabble

Stitch by Stitch

I have a penchant for procrastination. Although I finished this before the end of June, I didn’t block it until the second week of July and only photographed it on the 31st. Yes, that’s quite a bit of time in between. While the project deserves a comprehensive post of its own, I want to take a moment to discuss productivity.

I’m learning that I work best in obsessively focused, isolated periods of time. While I do have different projects all going at the same time, I can’t work on one for an allotted amount of time and then move on to the next, repeating day after day until completion. I need to work until I feel like I’ve reached a significant milestone before I can put it down and sometimes one project takes all my attention away from another.

It’s a process that can be as ineffective as it sounds. The key is in specificity; if I don’t detail the steps, I keep going until I can’t anymore– which is usually due to frustration or fatigue. Liberal list-making, here I come!

I’m always fascinated by the creative processes of others; how do you work best?

August 11, 2012
crafting

On the Needles: Season’s Shawl

Yes, I’m still working on this knitpicks kit. However (!), I feel confident that I could complete this within the month. Three weeks to finish one more chart pattern of twenty-something rows…

Hmm, we shall see. Let’s hope I don’t get too distracted into power-reading George R. R. Martin’s A Feast for Crows. I just finished A Storm of Swords and holy plot developments Batman! So much happened!

There’s also the matter of Tigana and Kushiel’s Dart, which I’m reading for The Sword and Laser and Vaginal Fantasy book clubs, respectively.

The colors of the yarns still blow me away though. Throughout the piece there are two strands yarn that are worked; sometimes it’s the same type, other times it’s two different colors or fibers. The colors were always the major selling point for me, the lace work secondary.

Even then, the patterned charts aren’t as difficult as I thought they might be, but it’s just all the double checking that kills me. Between the pinks and the orange/yellow section I messed up a step so I had to rip out about five rows to fix it- le sigh, but it all worked out in the end. Or am I speaking too soon?

After this, I still have the Gallatin Sweater to finish, but I’m really hankering for a simpler project to work up. Preferably a single color. Bulky yarn, perhaps? A cowl, even? Anything I can finish within a long afternoon during a TV marathon? #InstantGratificationFTW #ILoveHashtags

Any summer projects on your plate, crafting, creative, or otherwise?

June 7, 2012
crafting

Finished Object: Cloverfield Cardigan

July 2011 – December 2011
Size: 18 months
Pattern: “Cloverfield Cardigan” by Vickie Howell, Petite Purls Spring 2011 issue
Yarn: Stitch.Rock.Love Sheep(ish): Robin’s Egg(ish) (2); Chartreuse(ish) (1); White(ish) (1); Olive(ish) (1)

If there is anything that I will associate with this cardigan, it’s that it was a testament to my procrastination. However, it was also the first time I’ve sewn buttons on something I’ve knit, so although I am embarrassed a bit, there’s still some pride involved!

Yes, this was meant to be a gift and I only finished it sometime last week. If the recipient wasn’t in the UK, that wouldn’t have been much of an issue. Also, it was meant to be a gift sent in time for her birthday, which was in November. I know, I’m terrible. However, the completed size is meant for an 18th month old, and it was only her first birthday, so really, I suppose that from the beginning I started this with my procrastination in mind! ;)

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December 28, 2011