Fashion's Warm and Fuzzy Trend and the Life and Misadventures of Simcha

For whatever reason you can draw your own conclusions clothing trends have sharply veered toward the soft and fuzzy. It's as if collectively we need to cocoon ourselves and be comforted as we traverse the landscape of our daily lives.  At least that's how it seems here in Southern California where you can't walk into any clothing store without noticing all the plush and fuzzy jackets and hoodies this winter.  And it must be the same everywhere because Knitwear designers have taken note of the trend and have embraced the very warm and fuzzy "kid mohair/silk" with cultist devotion.  Never have I seen so many new designs for sweaters, hats and shawls incorporating kid mohair/silk.  But to truly get that "on trend" fuzzy fabric you can't just "incorporate" kid mohair/silk.  You have to go all in.  Go big or go home.  Double down.  And that's exactly what this shawl does.  It doubles down and is knit with kid mohair/silk held doubled yes doubled throughout and wow what a super trendy and super fuzzy shawl it is.  Trust me wearing this you will be the object of envy of anyone close enough to pet you.  You better hope no creepy entitled politicians are lurking nearby.

The pattern itself is brilliant in it's simplicity.  While there is a lace design that gives it an ephemeral quality there are panels of garter stitch that give it needed density and structure.  There's 150g of kid mohair/silk used in the design.  That's 1,475 yards and that's a whole lotta kid mohair/silk.  The reason that the shawl is not overwhelmingly large is, as I mentioned above, that you hold the yarn doubled throughout. The finished size is just perfect to wear over a sweater for an evening out or on a cold day.  And leave the jacket at home cuz you won't be needing it.  
       


Over the years I've knit a lot of fingering weight shawls.  But I have to confess that knitting shawls with fingering weight yarn just isn't doing it for me any more.  I still knit a lot of socks and sweaters with sock yarn but not shawls.  I've also discovered that while they look pretty I don't really enjoy wearing sock weight shawls.  They aren't really that warm and some part of my anatomy is usually exposed.  But large shawls that are warm, soft and fuzzy are calling to me.  And this one is perfection.

PARTICULARS: Sinja designed by Katrin Schubert (German knitwear designer); US 6 needles; 3 skeins (150g) A Homespun House, Kid Mohair/Silk, colorway Velvet, (50g / 492 yrds per skein).  No modifications whatsoever.  I had 9g left over.  

N.B. I can't even pretend with a straight face that this is my first foray with kid mohair/silk.  Way back in 2007 I posted my beautiful lacy Dove shawl.  But this is the first time that I've used it held doubled throughout.  While my Texture Time shawl knit designed by Stephen West incorporates melted baby suri (which is similar to holding kid mohair/silk doubled) it is used as an accent and not the main yarn.  But I do love it and am tempting to knit more of his designs that incorporate melted baby suri including his Wonky Starfish shawl, Suriously Holey Shawl, Flying Foxtail Shawl, and Hiberknitting Cowl. 

To see other projects that either use or incorporate kid mohair/silk see Birch Shawl, Silver Birch Hat, Kobuk Hat, Calm Sweater, Willow Wrap, Anisette Stole, Trieste Shawl, Personal Pattern, Bella Mittens and a personal favorite The Fleur Wrap.   

The  Life and Misadventures of Simcha ~

I haven't shared much about Simcha the last few years.  Yes he's mellowed with time but rest assured he still oozes personality, intensity, and gamesmanship.   Including his intimidating deadeye stare that I managed to capture above.  If he had lived in days of the Old West he would have been a gunslinger.  On the right side of the law, of course.  More of a Sheriff.  "The sheriff" is actually one of his nicknames because he likes everyone to get along and behave - including Steve and myself!  And let me assure you that Steve is a big misbehavior. Snicker.  While some might find his deadeye stare intimidating that's only because they don't know that he has a heart of gold.

Until next time be well, love well and before winter slips away try adding some warmth and fuzziness into your life!  If you are looking for an instant fix of fuzz here's my totally unsolicited and unpaid plug for a product that Steve and I love (I should clarify that for any product mentioned on the blog it is always unpaid and unsolicited unless stated otherwise).  In any event the product is ~ ta dah ~ Malden Mills Polar Fleece sheets.  Starting last year Steve refused to switch back to regular sheets in the summer so we now use them year round.  Nuff said.  A ton of retail stores carry them but I buy them on QVC.

Knitspot 2018 Pairing Club and Bake Sale Cookies

I really love this cowl and Simcha does too!  It's the first of four projects in Anne Hanson's (Knitspot) 2018 Pairings Club. This club pairs food with knitting so how could I resist?  And I have always loved Anne's designs so it was an easy decision to join.  This first installment was inspired by Anne's love of sweet corn and her childhood memories of growing up on a working 10-acre farm upstate New York.  The Entrope yarn (spun to resemble handspun) beautifully captures the colors and texture of fresh sweet corn and was the perfect choice for this project.

The recipe that came paired with this project was a delicious corn chowder dish that was contributed by former chef, Katharine, who knows corn well as one should living in Ohio or really any part of rural America.  I'm looking forward to corn being back in season so that I can experience it at it's best.  I really didn't expect a vegetable to be the inspiration for this round but I'm glad that sweet corn was the featured food ingredient.  It brought back sweet memories of the summer that my family drove across country from California to Minnesota and we passed acre after acre of farmland.  The small family farms were the best.  They often had signs out front selling their produce to passers by and you could get out and wander through the fields.  Some of the best sweet corn that I've ever eaten was from those roadside farms.  When I look at this cowl I'll always think of corn and remember that wonderful summer vacation.

Although it's late Spring and starting to warm up I've had a few chances to wear this cowl on our morning hikes (I'm hard hearted and I've not given this cowl to Simcha). It's a bright and fun addition to my wardrobe. Worn with a long sleeve blouse and a vest it provides just enough warmth to my neck and chest to protect me from our chilly winds.  It's a DK weight yarn and the colorwork adds some heft too so it definitely keeps you warm, as you would expect from a rustic woolly accessory.  The gradient yarn has three main colors (light yellow, bright green, and a marled yellow and grey.  While some might not have been pleased that the marled color did not contrast well with the grey design I think that just added to the unique beauty of this piece.  I don't want something that looks "off the rack" that's why I knit.  It really is striking in person and I couldn't be happier with it.  I also have enough of both yarns left to make myself matching mitts which I will get around to at some point.  There was a coordinating hat design included but I thought this cowl with a matchy-matchy hat was not a look that would suit me.  If you look at Simcha and visualize him wearing a matching hat I think you'll see what I mean.

Particulars: Hectare Cowl, Anne Hanson's Pairings Club 2018 (Knitspot); US 5 & 7 needles; DK weight yarn, Feederbrook Farm (100% bluefaced Leicester wool; 260 yrds./100gms) and 1 skein Bare Naked Wools Kent DK colorway Tide Pool (60% merino wool/40% romney wool; 300 yrds/116 gms).  This is a fun and easy pattern to knit and I made no modifications whatsoever, except for the cast on.  For my cast on I used the Twisted German Cast On which is my favorite for stretchy edges.  My finished lightly blocked dimensions: 10" x 28."

Previous Anne Hanson patterns I've knit include Greenshadows Lace Scarf (blogged) and Pine and Ivy Lacy Shawl (Ravelry only).  For additional colorwork projects (include my tips) see Sunset Highway (sweater), Stranded in Toronto (hat), Osebury Rock (scarf) and Hebe (hat).


Bake Sale Cookies

After a long winter of baking breads and seasonal treats to share with friends and family I'm ready for Spring.  Spring is a time when I bake for myself and there's nothing I enjoy as much as a good crisp chocolate chip cookie.  I have a variety of recipes that I like but this is a favorite and I've made it many times over the years (case in point you can probably tell the pictures are from different batches!).  I hope you will enjoy these cookie as much as I do.

These are called Bake Sale Cookies because they make a large quantity and everyone loves them so it's a good and reliable recipe to turn to when you need to bake and share cookies.

Yield ~ 4 dozen good sized cookies ~

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups (12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark or golden raisins
1/2 cup shredded (sweetened) coconut

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and cover baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
2.  In a small bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
3.  In mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla.  Add eggs one at a time and mix just until incorporated.
4.  Remove bowl from mixer.  Using a wooden spoon stir in flour mixture.  Add chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, and coconut and stir until incorporated.
5.  Drop dough onto baking sheet by rounded tablespoonsful.  Baking 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cookies rest for 2 minutes before removing with spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

Adapted from cookie recipe in Parade magazine May 11, 2003.

Until next time be well and love well and be sure to sweeten your Spring with a gradient cowl and cookies! 

Old World Gingerbread House and Snow Queen Scarf

Food is an important part of the holidays for me.  It's not like that for everyone.  I've actually met people who don't recall any special food from their childhood associated with the holidays other than that they had a turkey dinner.  My Steve is one of those people.  It's taken us a long time but after 30 years together we've come up with some wonderful food traditions for our holidays and without a doubt building a gingerbread house at Christmas is at the top of our list.

The origins of our tradition began with a trip to Chile many years ago and our stay at the Hyatt Hotel in Santiago where in lobby they had an actual gingerbread house (made of cookie dough and frosted) that you could walk inside and from which they sold individual gingerbread houses and cookie boxes. During our stay we consumed several of these delicious houses in an embarrassingly short period of time and have been left wanting more ever since.

And it remained just a wistful reminiscence until Steve suggested that we try making our own gingerbread house.  And so we did.  With a success that has left us giddy with delight and has amused us in the process more than I can say. There is something very fun about frosting and decorating a gingerbread house that will bring out the kid in everyone. Just you wait and see.

The most important part of making a gingerbread house is to use a wonderfully rich and flavorful gingerbread  because a large part of the fun is eating the house.  And when I thought about it I realized that I already had the perfect recipe that I had been using to make gingerbread men for many years. This recipe works beautifully to construct a gingerbread house and makes exactly the right quantity and it is so so so much better frosted and coated in candy!

A couple of housekeeping points before I get to the recipe.  It's best to plan on making your gingerbread house over two days, although it can be made in one.  I recommend that on the first day you make the gingerbread dough, let the dough chill, and bake the individual house pieces.  On the second day you can make the royal icing and decorate the house.  I like to ice the entire house as it will keep the gingerbread fresh and tastes wonderful.

Old World Gingerbread House Recipe ~

Gingerbread Dough:

1 C. shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves or allspice
(note: if you like a lot of spice you can increase the ginger and cinnamon by 1 tsp and and the cloves by 1/2 tsp.)
1 C. granular sugar
1 C. molasses
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. instant coffee moistened in a little hot water (I use espresso powder)
5 C. All purpose flour

Royal Icing:

1 lb. sifted confectioners sugar
3 egg whites
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Suggested Decorations:

Candy Canes (You can use them whole or crush them for sprinkles)
gum drops
skittles (original soft style work best)
multi-colored sprinkles and sugars
Avoid unwrapped hard candies that will melt in the frosting

DAY 1 ~

Prepare the Dough Steps:
1. Cream first 6 ingredients;
2. Cream in sugar and molasses;
3. Add in beaten eggs and coffee (or espresso);
4. Add flour 1 cup at a time. After adding 3 cups stir in the last 2 cups by hand.
5. Allow dough to chill in the refrigerator several hours or until it's easy to handle.

Baking Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 325 to 340 degrees (I generally preheat to 340 degrees) and prepare baking sheets by covering with parchment paper or silplat.
2.  While oven preheats download a gingerbread house template.  I highly recommend the free King Arthur Template. I divide the dough into half and I use a full half of the dough to make the 2 sides of the house.  I then divide the remaining dough into 4 pieces to create the roof (2 pieces) and the ends (2 pieces).  You want to divide the dough like this so that you use all your dough and that way you know your house is of the right thickness.  I typically have only enough scraps left over to make a small gingerbread man.  This style of gingerbread is meant to be thick and if it is too thin it will be dry and not as enjoyable to eat.

3.  Bake approx. 18-20 minutes (with my oven I generally preheat to 340 degrees and bake for 18 minutes) and cool on a wire rack.  You can then proceed to setting up and decorating your house or wrap the pieces well (air tight) if you plan on decorating the next day. If you intend to wait longer than a day to decorate I would freeze the house pieces until you are ready to keep them as fresh as possible.

DAY 2 ~

1.  Prepare a surface to construct your house.  I like to use a cutting board but any flat surface will work.  Lay out your gingerbread house pieces and find some soup cans that can be used to stabilize the house while it sets.  Before preparing your icing review the entire King Arthur Template for tips on how to set up your house.

2.  Preparing Royal Icing as follows*:  whip eggs whites until creamy and add either lemon juice or cream of tartar. Then add powdered sugar and whip until soft peaks form.  At this point I recommend you remove 3/4s of the icing and place into a sealed plastic bag (sealing the plastic bag will keep the icing soft) to use later for icing the house.  The remaining 1/4 amount of icing should be whipped until stiff peaks form (the longer you whip it the faster the icing will set and the harder it will dry). This firmer and fast setting icing is used to set up your house.  Scoop this icing into a small plastic bag and make a small cut in one corner which can be used to pipe out the icing as needed. Now follow the assembly steps in the King Arthur Template.  Once your house is assembled allow it to set 2 to 3 hours (or until firm) before icing and decorating.

3.  When your house is set use the icing you set aside earlier to ice all surfaces (icing all surfaces will keep the gingerbread fresh longer) and quickly decorate before the icing sets.

4.  Allow decorated house to set for a minimum of 8 to 12 hours (the longer setting time is needed because you are using a softer icing which is more enjoyable to eat that the firm icing used to set up the house).

*Alternative icing options:  1)  You can make two batches of icing.  The first batch (whipped until firm peaks) can be used to set up the house and the second batch (whipped to soft peaks) can be used to ice and decorate the house; 2)  If you are pressed for time you can simply use the firmer icing to both set up the house and decorate the house, but I don't recommend this as the firmer icing isn't as enjoyable to eat as the softer icing.

I hope this will become part of your family Christmas holiday traditions!

Adapted from Yankee Magazine recipe for Gingerbread Gentlemen (1993 issue).

Snow Queen Scarf

Before it gets lost in the shuffle I wanted to quickly share this scarf knit in a thick opulent combination of silk and wool, that makes me feel positively queenly when I wear it!  I purchased this yarn as a club offering several years ago from The Verdant Gryphon and the designer/dyer took her inspiration from The Snow Queen, one of Hans Christan Anderson's well known fairy tales. Although not nearly as well known as The Little Mermaid.  If you are not familiar with his work, all of his fairy tales are sad but they are beautifully told to reveals how through acts of kindness or selflessness anyone no matter how far they have fallen or how lowly they are in this world can achieve redemption. A thought provoking and interesting subject to explore no matter your age and is one reason his stories are worth telling and retelling through the ages.

While I chose not to use the design that came with this club offering I absolutely love the yarn and am also glad that I have the beautifully illustrated copy of The Snow Queen that came with it.  As always these clubs are risky as you have no idea what color, pattern and notions will be sent.  That being said I have rarely been disappointed in a yarn club.

Particulars:  Saroyan (free pattern) designed by Liz Abinante (Feministy.com); US 9 needles; 2 skeins The Verdant Gryphon, Codex (worsted 52% silk/ 48%wool 234 yds/113g per skein).  My only modification was to use 2 colors instead of a solid color.  To knit this using 2 colors simply twist the yarns intarsia style.  To maximize the amount of the light blue color I knit the entire edging in the contrasting color instead of simply the leaf.  Lightly blocked dimensions 66" x 10" (at widest point).

Wishing You a Merry Christmas ~

With the success of his calendar shot Simcha announced that he's available for kisses and autographs. For a price. Le sigh, despite our best efforts he still has a working dog mentality.

Until next time be well and love well and from all of us at The Knitting Blog by Mr. Puffy the Dog, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Yankee Doodle Shawl and Simcha Stories

Being a proud American I couldn't resist naming this my Yankee Doodle shawl!  For non-Americans that is a reference to a popular folk song during the American Revolution.  It's the Doodler of course designed by Stephen West.

I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but it seems shawls keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Where will it all end, I ask?  When I first began knitting shawls 10 years ago I would buy a single skein of sock yarn, knit a very lacy pattern, block the bejeebers out of it and have a shawl.   But that's old school.  

There has been a seismic change afoot in the designing world that makes it an incredibly exciting and interesting time to be a knitter.  Today's designers use little lace work and it's rare to find a new pattern release that doesn't use at least two skeins of sock yarn and can run anywhere from 800 to 1,000+ yards. This shift to more use of color and materials with less lace work makes for more modern looking shawls. A change that is being noticed even by non-knitters although they don't understand the reason why today's knitting looks different.  Suffice it to say they're nonplussed when they see a project like this.  I recently had a gentleman comment "that's not my grandmother's knitting."  I'm sure he meant it as a compliment although I had a grandmother who knit wonderful cozy slippers and I loved her knitting.  But I understood what he was saying to me.  The shawl looked nothing like what his grandmother would have knit in shape or color.

Leading this charge and redefining what modern knitting looks like is knitwear designer and Instagram phenom Stephen West who designed the Doodler shawl I am wearing and has amassed incredible portfolio of amazing modern designs.  He's not afraid of color and uses the term "shawl" loosely.  I absolutely love his work and although it's only August something to keep in mind is that he has an annual mystery KAL usually in November that you can keep tabs on in his Ravelry group West Knits Fan Club.  

You have to be careful with these multi-colored projects though.  You do after all want to have a shawl that you can wear when all is said and done.  You can pretty much count on a Doodler with a neon green wing span, a black accent color, and a sparkling rainbow trim being a hard shawl to find an outfit for.  So I don't throw in completely with Stephen West on that score who is a big fan of bright color and extreme contrasts. He can pull off that sort of color combination beautifully.  But then he has a unique sense of style. Speaking of his style you need to see his music video Baby You're a Knitter as it will give you a taste of his crazy fun personality.

Particulars: The Doodler Shawl by Stephen West; 3 skeins Hedgehog Fibers Skinny Singles (colorways Urchin, dark truffle and Monarch); US 4 needles.  My project page on Ravelry has some "tips" for conserving the main color yarn as the first color runs very tight and many people ran out during the KAL last year.  I finished with literally a yarn or less of yarn in the main color.  I made no modifications whatsoever although I did not block the shawl aggressively. You can see that I did add the embellishment on the edging and I'm very happy with that decision.  It's a small aspect of the design that adds a nice finishing touch.  Finished blocked dimensions: 47" x 18" (as opposed to the 60" x 24" of the pattern dimensions).  I chose to block to a smaller dimension as I thought I would find a smaller shawl in this pattern easier to wear.

N.B.  There are several things to be aware of when knitting a shawl like this that uses multi-colored yarn/skeins.

1.  You need to check for color fastness before beginning your shawl.  My post on knitting multi-colored shawls gives a few tips on what you should do before casting on; and

2.  You might want to consider how aggressively you block your shawl. Sometimes less is more and in this case I only lightly blocked my doodler (see my finished dimensions above).  My post on the Lunna Voe Shawl discusses creative blocking such as I used here.

Simcha Stories ~

It's been a long time since I've shared a Simcha story.  We still go for our daily hikes but he's no longer the terror he was his first few years so there's not as much fodder to talk about.  He's still an imp though and likely to be to the end of his days.  Part of his personality is a contrariness that runs deep in his spirit.  If you want something from him he will be loath to part with it.  So it happened that we found a ball on our hike and I wanted to throw it for him.  But he didn't want to give it up, even though he loves to chase a ball.  Being the firm disciplinarian that I am I decided to ignore him. I lay back on the grass with my arms outstretch above my head, closed my eyes and enjoyed the warm sun soaking into me.  After a few minutes of pure blissful relaxation I felt a gooey slimy ball being placed very gently into my outstretched hand.  It was time to play ball.

Until next time be well, love well, and have fun picking out your fall and winter projects!  PS I'm very excited about the project up next.  Hint it's the perfect Fall and Winter piece. 

Malton Oolite Scarf and Simcha's Pumpkin Passion

It seems like I look forward to Fall forever and then it flies by in a remarkably short period of time.   And I never have the time to do everything I would like to do.  So instead of getting down on myself for things I would have liked to have done but haven't had the time for, I instead focus on doing just a few Fall activities that I really enjoy.  This year I've been having fun playing with and decorating with all sorts of pumpkins and gourds and they make me smile every day when I see them about my house and garden.  I display them on the first day of October and leave them up through Thanksgiving, which for me is the official end of Fall.  No matter that the calendar may say otherwise. Once Thanksgiving passes, then too Fall is gone like the leaf that falls into the river and floats downstream to disappear from view.  Immediately my thoughts turn to Winter and Christmas which loom large.

But whatever else is happening in my life you can count on the fact that I have also been doing some Fall knitting!  The lovely scarf I'm wearing is knit with yarn from Ysolda's 4th installment of her 2015 Shawl Club.  Note that I say it's knit with the yarn from her club, but not that it is her design.  I must confess that when this kit arrived I was not of the mind set to learn the brioche stitch so I (to my mind) adroitly substituted a pattern that maximized the beautiful colors and lofty yarn to make a fabulous long flowing scarf that I absolutely love wearing.

Because it's the colors and texture that makes this yarn special I did not think the pattern needed to be anything fancy.  And because it's all about the yarn, one of the many things that I have really enjoy about this club is hearing the backstory to the yarns that Ysolda includes with her kits.  In this shipment Ysolda describes the yarn and inspiration as follows:

Spun in Yorkshire from a blend of Lustrous British Longwool Titus was the first yarn from wonderful Leeds wool shop Baa Ram Ewe.  We had it dyed in the mustary gold Ilove so much and Joe from BRE took a third of the batch round to local dyer Victoria of Eden Cottage Yarns.  Inspired by the color combination of flowers over leaf Victoria overdyed the perfect partner for some welcome harvest time sunshine!

And this yarn really does create a fluffy fabulously cozy scarf to wear.  But it's definitely a cold weather scarf because of the alpaca and nature of the wool.

Particulars:  Light in Shadows by Nilija Uimonen; Baa Ram Ewe (Titus) yarn exclusive colorway (Malton Oolite set - Ysolda's 2015 shawl club) in collaboration with Eden Cottage Yarns who over dyed the coordinating color in tangerine; 475 yards combination British wool and UK Alpaca spun in Yorkshire; US 6 needles.  Only slightly modified by using the tangerine color on the border until I ran out and then switch back to the yellow for the final few rows. For previous 2015 Ysolda's shawl club projects see: Stac Shoaigh; Caer Idris; and Cockern Tor.

The MisAdventures of Simcha  ~

Simcha agrees with me that Fall IS the best season and he told me (with body language) that he also loves having pumpkins all over the property.

Although he does have some anxiety about those pumpkin stealing coyotes....

Until next time, be well, love well, and enjoy Fall in whatever fashion suits you best!

Fingerless Mitts and Simcha's Corner

You'll laugh when I tell you how long ago I began these fingerless mitts.  It was back in June 2009 and the only reason I recollect the date is that I added the project to my Ravelry notebook!  I'm not sure why I waited so long to finish them up.  They are super soft and will be fantastic to wear this winter. I guess it was just a case of too many WIPs.

Which brings me to the topic of knitting and "work in process" otherwise known as WIPs, UFOs, or generally "projects on the needles."  I have been thinking about this topic lately after Andi (MySistersKnitter) brought up the subject on her blog.  You see some knitters are very prone to having many projects on the needles at one time.  The down side of this obviously is that it takes much longer to finish any one project.  I used to be very prone to having WIPs as evidenced by how long it took me to finish these mitts.

But lately I've cast aside my wild side and consider myself a monogamous knitter. Partly this has come about because of my recent spat of KALs which has forced me to focus on a single project.  But I have also come to realize that I like being current with projects as I feel my projects are more contemporary. Well, as contemporary as knitting can be.  Although some things are timeless.  Like these mitts.  Still, I am happier having fewer projects on the needles and have begun being more selective of what projects I begin.  But as I look around me I can see that I still have more than just one or two projects on my needles.  I can see that I'm still a WIP.

Particulars:  Veyla designed by Ysolda; 1 skein Blue Sky Alpaca, Royal Alpaca (leftover yarn from my Swallowtail Shawl); US 3 needles.  I knit the small size and my only modification was to knit an extra 2 rounds after the cuff (i.e. instead of K10 I knit K12 rnds).  Like all Ysolda patterns this was easy, fun, and gives a wonderful result.  I've knit many pairs of fingerless mitts so instead of linking to them all, I'm just going to point out the ones that I wear the most Kyla Mitts; and those that I enjoy wearing the most because they are so soft and cozy Wild Wild West Gauntlets (my original design) and Lace Me Up Mitts and oh yeah, my favorite handspun fingerless mitts Albina Armwarmers.  To be fair I've given a fair number of fingerless mitts away so just because I don't mention them doesn't mean they haven't been worn and enjoyed.

Simcha's Corner ~

It's been a long time since I've shared any pictures of Simcha or tales of his adventures!  This should by not be taken to mean he does not still get into mischief.  Part of his charm is that he loves to play err tease and will never completely give up his aspirations to rule this roost.  However, he has finally graduated from sleeping in his crate at night and has complete unfettered freedom of the house when we are out and about. This coming of age came at age 6.5 years and, frankly, wasn't a day we were sure would ever come to pass. Surprisingly while we are away he doesn't rip apart the house, get up onto the furniture, or snoop in rooms where he shouldn't be as we feared he would.  Instead he lays at the front door and patiently awaits for our return. It's such a joy to drive up and see him watching for us through the windows.  It's almost as if he's been on the lookout for us.  Hum.  That reminds me of when I was a kid and we would watch for our parents to return so we could quickly turn off the TV and straighten up the house.  Maybe I should qualify this by saying that I don't think he gets into mischief while we are out and about.

And as you can see he's still full of vim and vigor and loves to engage in rousing play with his buddies.  We try and give him a full life and opportunities to express his energy, knowing that he really would have preferred to have been a police dog or had some such manly occupation.

Until next time, be well, love well and enjoy these lazy days of late July as soon there will be a touch of fall in the air.

Knitting Socks and Simcha's Corner

Here be dragon socks.  Fun and fanciful my Smaug socks are named for the mythical dragon Smaug of Hobbit fame. I was somewhat amused to learn that the phrase "here be dragons" actually was historically used to designate dangerous or unexplored territories on maps in imitation of the medieval practice of drawing dragons and sea serpents and other mythological in uncharted areas. But not to worry, unlike unexplored territories these socks do come with charts.  For those who seek peril these are the prefect accessory for the adventuresome sock knitter.

Sometimes I forget that not everyone knits socks as much as I do.  But I'm reminded occasionally because I'll have a reader ask me what pattern I recommend for a first time sock knitter.  And since this pattern is not a good choice for a new sock knitter I am going to share with you a couple of sock patterns that I do recommend for someone interested in knitting socks for the first time.  The first pattern is from the imitable and prolific knitter Yarn Harlot who has a free pattern she describes as "shockingly simple" called Step-By-Step Cheat Sheet for Socks.  And, for comparison, Susan B. Anderson has a free sock pattern which basically is the same but that I find aesthetically more pleasing.

My other suggestion is that you choose a yarn in a light color which will make it easier for you to see the stitches on small needles.  I would also suggest choosing a yarn that is hand dyed and/or variegated as you want the yarn to do the work of making the socks fun and appealing as you won't be adding a fancy design. Simply using a solid color yarn will result in rather boring socks. Not that there's anything wrong with a solid colored sock.  I'm not saying that in the least considering I've just knit a pair.

And lastly I'll conclude with some of my favorite dragon books (all links are to Amazon):

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

These all make great summer reading if you haven't experienced the magic before.  Or if you have.... experience it all over again!

Particulars:  Smaug Socks by Clair Ellen (a Hungarian designer known as Wimpwoman on Ravelry) 1 skein Luxury Sock by Pigeonroof Studio (colorway Tansy); US 1 DPNs.   Very well written and fun pattern to knit.  I was just teasing when I suggested peril above.  I made no modifications whatsoever.  As a word of caution I love the yarn that I used for these socks, but this yarn is probably not the best choice for someone making socks that will receive high wear as it's a soft yarn with low twist.  These will only receive slight wear probably around the house.


Simcha's Corner

I love this picture of Simcha because it reminds me of the one thing I know we did right with him and that is socialize him well with other dogs.  I'm a firm believer that good friends make life much more enjoyable.  For everyone, even dogs.  

Until next time be well, love well, and be adventuresome this summer for who knows what magic is waiting just around the corner ~

Victorian Christmas Shawl and Christmas Wishes

 

I am delighted with my Victorian Christmas Shawl that I began on Halloween and have been knitting madly away on ever since.  This project was a mystery knit along hosted by the Yarn Fairy who has a number of mystery knit alongs running all year round.  I am very pleased to say that my finished shawl not only met it exceeded my expectations and considering this was a 1,800 yard blind leap of knitting that makes me very merry indeed.

Clearly this is not a shawl that I am going to wear out to the grocery store to buy a carton of milk. Nor is it intended to be. The design was inspired by the Victorian era when family gatherings and the holidays meant getting dressed in your finest clothes and accessories often trimmed in crushed velvet and other luxury fibers.  I think that the casual dress style of the 21st century takes away from the festive nature of these occasions and is the poorer for it.  What is gained by the convenience of a casual attitude toward clothing is lost by the ensuing mediocrity of monotony and sameness.  And I am not in favor of mediocrity!

Not everyone will agree with me that casual dress makes the holiday season less special and that begs the question what makes the holidays special for you?  And it is obviously more than getting dressed up for me.  It is the time spent with family and I am looking forward to going to my parent's home which is always decorated beautifully and my mom has wonderful treats that are once a year luxuries like boxes of special chocolates and nuts.  I am in charge of baking an English Christmas Cake full of brandy and fruit and and covered in marzipan (recipe link) and my mother always make a trifle (recipe link) and we finish the evening with a flaming Christmas pudding.  But the best part for me is attending a candlelight evening service on Christmas eve with a beautiful message and singing traditional Christmas hymns and then driving around our neighborhood looking at all the holidays lights.  At the holidays I also love the seasonably colder weather and early dark evenings that are perfect for wrapping up in a shawl and losing one's self in a novel in front of a fire.  And those are just a few of the things that make the holidays special for me.

Particulars:  Dickens Victorian Christmas Shawl; designed by Wendy McDonnell (Yarn Fairy KALs); US 4 needles; 8 skeins yarn fairy pixie sock medium (hand dyed for this project) 1,800 yards.   This is a crescent shaped shawl and very voluminous.  I chose not to block it aggressively my final blocked measurements are 31" deep (as opposed to 38" deep) and the wingspan is from the neck down 46" on both sides.  I recommend that you look at some of the other finished shawls on Ravelry and you will see that this shawl looks absolutely stunning blocked to longer dimensions, however, for myself I find a shorter shawl more wearable.       

Simcha's Neverending Story

Simcha hasn't been featured too much lately on the blog but have no fear he's doing great and I thought I would share a quick anecdote.  As you know he loves carrying sticks and the bigger the better and looking at this picture reminds me of something that happened about a week ago. Simcha had fallen behind on our hike and looking back he was nowhere in sight so I quickly darted off the trail and hid from him in the trees (something I haven't done in about a year).  It wasn't long before he came trotting along with a big stick in his jaws as he proudly strutted down the pathway never pausing for a second as he passed by where I was hidden watching him. It took about a minute before I heard a loud kathunk sound in the distance as his stick hit the ground.  I had to suppress a giggle because when he dropped his stick I knew that he had just realized that he had lost track of me.  It wasn't long then before he came running back down the trail with his nose to the ground and then I watched as he stopped and hovered over where I had left the trail and after circling for a moment he followed his nose into the woods where I had hidden and "discovered" me in a joyous reunion. I got a kick out of watching him track me this way because as a pup he would search with his eyes and his nose in the air which is not nearly as reliable as following a scent on the ground and, on occasion, I would  have to come out of hiding and help him find me.  It's sad but true I'm a sneaky mommy who likes to hide.  But it has taught him to be a pretty good tracker!

Until next time be well and love well and Steve, Simcha and I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Honeycomb Hat and Simcha Hijinxs!

I'm so excited that it is almost fall!  For me fall begins the first day of September and lasts until Thanksgiving no matter what the Farmer's Almanac says and it's my favorite time of year.  With a Harvest Moon coming early this year (September 8, 2014) I'm sure that must be a sign of an early fall too.  To celebrate fall's early arrival and to kick off my fall knitting I chose the Tweedy Honeycomb hat.  Or rather the Tweedy Honeycomb"Toque" whatever that means.

Usually I select my knitting projects because there is something about the design that resonates with me.  With this hat the obvious appealing element is the honeycomb stitch and I do love my honeycomb.  Every morning I have a large slice of homemade bread toasted and slathered with honey and for a treat I'll splurge and add the actual honeycomb.  Not everyone likes to eat the honeycomb but I love it.  When I was a teenager my dad kept a hive and we all ate a ton of the honey and most of that was right  from the comb. He kept the hive on the side of our house and on a sunny afternoon when you stepped outside you could smell the warm honey wafting in the air.  I used to like watching the bees land and and trundle into the hive laden with pollen.  It was a sorry day for me when my Dad gave up keeping bees and although it was but a short time in my life the appeal of eating honey right from the comb has stuck.

Another reason that I look forward to fall is that the season awakens within me a desire to craft.  I think an apt analogy is "spring is to lovers as fall is to crafters." Snort.  Anyway, I always like to try different types of craft projects and this year I've been playing with watercolor paints.  I have no background whatsoever in painting or drawing which will be apparent.  But I've discovered that watercolors are a very forgiving medium and work well with stamping, drawing, and collages.  The small journal pictured below with my hat is made with watercolors used in combination with stamping.  I've actually found that my favorite medium is to sketch a picture and then paint it with watercolors and I'll be doing a lot of that in the coming months.  There's just an endless number of things that you can make and decorate with watercolor paints.

Particulars:  Tweedy Honeycomb Toque (free Ravelry pattern) by Kent Turman; US 6 and 9 needles; 2 skeins The Fiber Company - Terra; My only modifications were to a) increase the CO stitches to 88 (instead of just 80) b) twisted rib for 12 rounds; and c) I eliminated rows 24-27 of the chart because I prefer a more fitted toque.  Finished dimensions: 8.5" x 7."

For those interested in honeycomb, I've tried a variety of honeys and some are too sweet for my taste. If you don't like a super sweet honey you are best off with an organic honey or any local honey otherwise I suggest trying the sage honeycomb by Honey Pacifica that I find at Wholefoods. If you would like to decorate your own note journal I purchase small moleskine journals (sold in packs of 3) on Amazon.  Lastly, if you are interested in making your own bread, my post Easter SundayWrap has more about the recipe I follow.

  Simcha Hijinxs ~

Simcha looks so happy here because he is playing a game.  He has control over his ball which he thinks I want.  Therefore whenever I try and pick it up (to throw for him naturally) he will snatch it away at the last second.  He finds this game much more enjoyable than I do and he can play it endlessly.... 

Until next time be well and love well and enjoy an early start to your fall and all the crafts, colors and treats that go along with the season!

A Summer Scarf and Simcha News

This is a small accessory with a big impact and I love it!  It's the Pogona shawl by Stephen West and when knit in a light weight and vibrant yarn it is a perfect summer accent piece that will keep the chill off your shoulders in all those over air-conditioned places like restaurants and movie theaters. To wit I wore it to the swanky El Encanto Hotel in Santa Barbara to take my mother out for afternoon tea!

This is a my first Stephen West design but it won't be my last because I like the geometric element to his pieces.  I'm not sure how well you can see from the pictures but this shawl has a series of triangular shapes and has a combination of stockinette and garter stitch which gives the piece a lot of visual interest.  While typically my taste in knitting runs to the rustic I occasionally like to mix it up with a more modern piece such as this is.

Speaking of rustic versus modern shawls, it may seem that knitting shawls is timeless but there are definitely styles of shawls and colors preferences that change with time.  The more modern shawls mix several colors, have some type of stripes, and are not a typical triangle shape.  And while I have some of these modern designs on the needles, and I do love the pretty colors and different shapes, my true love will always be a very rustic style shawl because the reason that I knit is the process connects me to a bygone era and a slower way of life and allows me to experience what it might have been like to walk back in history.  But I do step forward in time too, as I have in this shawl.

Particulars:  Pogona by Stephen West; US 6 needles; 1 skein Hedgehog Fibers Sock Yarn (383 yards).  My only modification was to only knit 4 rows of garter stitch edging due to limited yarn but I think that was just the right amount of garter stitch edging in any event.  N.B. This is a pretty small shawl and I would almost call it a scarf except for the shaping.  My blocked (i.e. a relaxed block - because this is a merino wool it does not hold a block well) measurement is 50" x 14."

The Misadventures of Simcha ~

Can you believe that Simcha is now four and half years old!  And really, other than the first two years of his house destruction, challenging, constant need for attention, and endless outings and excursions to provide him with proper socialization the time has truly flown by.  It was an agonizingly slow process that took roughly four years to be completely out of the woods.  But I'm happy to report that while he is still full of personality now he is also obedient and affectionate with us.  And at long last we have the dog we always wanted and hoped he would become.  

Until next time, be well and love well and may your Summer be filled with color, sunshine and creativity.