Mitered Mobius

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Now I am really happy. This knit combines the three things I have been designing all into one piece. The Baktus scarf which is knit in garter ridges, the Moebius, and the Mitered Diamond Neckwarmer.

Directions are the same as the Mitered Mini Neckwarmer EXCEPT that I used DK weight yarns and size 6 needles. The neck covering part is much, much longer and would have been even longer, if I hadn't run out of the magenta colored wool.

This is just what I have in mind to keep my neck and shoulders warm this season. I hope you'll give it a whirl, and send me pictures.

Mitered Mini Neckwarmer

This is probably the easiest and fastest project to chase the chills I can devise.

I alternated Mini Mochi Merino and Happy Feet Merino (both superwash) and size 3 needles.

Diamonds are 25 st and then 25 stitches are picked up off the finished four diamond set and made up the neck covering. Then the collar is joined with a three needle bindoff at the front.

That's the whole pattern!

Because of the garter stitch pattern, there is plenty of stretch, even before blocking, so it lies flat and close to the neck. The Mini Mochi yarn is spun in graduated in colors and the Happy Feet is a painted multicolor yarn.

The colors are very Autumnal and the yarns are so soft and delicious on the bare skin, since they are really sock yarn, and I think I could make this over and over again in many color combinations.

Pattern: (For those unfamiliar with mitered diamonds see this post) Cast on 25 sts for mitered diamonds, and pick up and cast on 25 for second, and third diamonds. For fourth diamond, pick up 25 sts from edges of #2 and #3 diamonds. Finish fourth diamond and pick up 25 sts along main diamond set. Alternating yarns knit in garter ridges for appropriate neck size. Finishing with three needle bind off...which means picking up stitches from the other side of main diamond and using the stitches on needle to make the bind off on the wrong side.

Let me know if you have questions...fibermania at g mail dot com

Mitered Mitten Pattern

Yarn: Light worsted or DK
Sized for Women's hand small
Needles: Size 5 double pointed needles, for larger sizes increase needles and yarn appropriately
Mitered Diamond based on 25 stitches = 3.5" diagonally or 2.5" on a side. See this post for mitered diamond/squares directions.

Crochet Cast-on See this video

For demo purposes these different colors will help to show the two sides of the top diamonds. It might help to make a similar sample to test gauge and to experience the technique.

First Diamond: Crochet cast-on 25 stitches and make diamond (green), slipping first stitch of every row to facilitate picking up later stitches.

Second Diamond: Unzip crochet waste yarn, exposing 25 live stitches and make second diamond (yellow).

Third Diamond: Pick up 25 stitches along edge of first diamond (two-colors) and make third or side diamond.

Make 4th, 5th and 6th(front and back diamonds) by picking up stitches from previous diamonds.

Side Diamonds 7 & 8 are where the right or left hand thumb will be added.

Left mitten. Picking up stitches from previous diamond, make #7 side diamond: pick up 7 stitches and then cast on 8, and pick up ten from the rest of the diamond. Knit diamond as usual, which will result in a gap between the new diamond #7 and the center front diamond #6. (#5 is the reverse diamond in this case).

Make #8 side diamond by picking up stitches as usual.

Thumb: With new yarn pick up stitches in gap between diamond and continue to pick up15 stitches total on three needles, evenly divided. Knit in rounds to just short of desired length, *K2tog, K1* repeat for two rounds. With darning needle pull yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight, fastening off yarn on the inside.

Bottom mitered triangles: Pick up 25 stitches and knit as usual with this exception: On right side, k1, k2tog at beginning and k2tog k1 at end of row, as well as center decreases. Ending with five stitches, bind off.

Cuff: Pick up stitches for cuff evenly around end of mitten, count the number and make a note to repeat this number on the other mitten.

Right mitten: Make thumb gap on side triangle #8 and continue as for Left Mitten.

Any questions? Email me

Draft Dodger (Simplified)

In the previous version I discovered that the back diamonds needed to be longer and wider than the front, so in this version I added more base stitches to those. The front diamonds are based on 25 stitches and the back diamonds are based on 29. Version one is blogged here.

I also left off the scalloped edge and changed the neckline to a mock turtleneck. And lastly, for the simplified version I used only one yarn throughout.

The neckline is short and stands up nicely keeping away the chill.

The larger back diamonds balance out the shape better.

The Free Pattern is now available here.

Workshop Announcement

Next August 30-September 3 (2010, where does the time go?) I will be teaching again, for one week only, because I am RETIRED. I forgot all about being retired when I was invited to come to the Fabrications Retreat in Kalamazoo MI and teach two classes. One is a two day dye class, ala The Lazy Dyer, and the other is a three day fusing class, “The Art Quilt: Design and Improvisation”.

There will be more informations in the coming weeks as their website is under construction at this time, but I already have a link in the sidebar, but here is a preview:

Fabrications Retreat

We will remain in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Radisson Plaza Hotel; however, our format will be a little different this time. There will be 2, 3, and 5 day classes available. You will have the opportunity to work with two different teachers, or simply attend the retreat for the days you're available. Session 1 will be our two day classes and the beginning of the five day classes. It will take place August 30th and 31st, 2010. Session 2 will be three day classes and the end of the five day classes. It will run from September 1st through September 3rd, 2010.

Our teachers for session 1 & 2 (five day class) are Elizabeth Busch, Carol Soderlund, and Laura Cater-Woods.

Session 1 (two days, Mon. & Tues.) teachers are Melody Johnson, Larkin Van Horn, Beth Ann Williams, and Laura Cater-Woods.

Session 2 (3 days, Wed, Thurs., & Fri.) are Melody Johnson, Rayna Gillman, Beth Ann Williams, and Laura Cater-Woods. Laura's class is a guided studio that will allow for students to come into the class for 5 days or just for a couple days.

Melody and Beth Ann are teaching different subjects in each session. The website will have all the class information within the next few days.
Tuition + lunch will be as follows:

Session 1: $360.00

Session 2: $525.00

Sessions 1 & 2: $850.00
The deposit is $150 for sessions 1 or 2, $200 for both. I will be accepting checks, money orders, credit cards, and paypal. The Radisson is offering us the same room rate as they did this year, approximately $99 per night for double occupancy. You will need to reserve your rooms by calling (269) 343-3333. Be sure to mention you are with the Fabrications Retreat.
To register, contact me via email: cathy at fabricationsretreat.com

My Baktus Scarf

I just had to try this Baktus scarf which everyone seems to have made already. I used a whole skein of Sophie's Toes Hand Dyed sock yarn, dyed by my friend Emily Parson, with the teeniest bit of leftover yarn.

Smart people figured out how much their yarn weighed before starting off and then when they were half done they knew it by how much the remainder weighed. I was too lazy to do that and it worked out anyway. Imagine my surprise.

Blazing Foliage is the color and it is 100g or 350 yards. I used #2.5 circular needles (so I don't drop and lose the second needle..) and it was a quick knit, great for tv watching.

It is about 65" wide from tip to tip and the back neck measures about 15 inches. Just light as a feather and soft and cuddly. I am sure it will be my newest favorite. Until the next thing I tackle anyway.

Speaking of the next new thing, I had this idea of back and front triangles like a kerchief, made with mitered diamonds, but knew I would run into trouble at the shoulder line. I figured that if I added a narrow and decreasing section on either side of the diamonds it might fill in that space and make everything work. While it may have worked on paper, I had to make a mock-up mini-version to make sure. See the squared off sides? That's the wedge for the shoulders.

Instead of finishing off the diamond completely I stopped decreasing the diamond and continued in ribbing. This trial showed me how the final product might look and will lead to a regular size version.

I will frog this and let it simmer before I try it for real.

Pattern for Simon Cowl

Yarn: Sock or fingering weight, or light sport yarns work best for the drape.
Needles: Size 3 US
Cast on: 50-60 stitches depending on how tall you want it to be. I used 56. Note: I used a crochet cast on, picking up my stitches from the back loops of the chain, so that later I could unzip the crochet and have live stitches, facilitating the three needle bind-off closure.
Knit in garter, alternating two colors, and cut and changing colors whenever it suits you.
So that the cowl lies flat against the body I added short rows every 5-7 ridges. Here's how>>>

At the bottom end of the knitting, knit about 20 stitches and bring yarn to the front, slip the next stitch wrapping yarn around the slipped stitch and bring it to the back and turn work.

So that you can see what this looks like:

Knit back to the start of the row and turn. Knit that same row again and when the wrapped stitch is reached, pick it up along with the stitch and then knit them both as one.

That's it.

I made my cowl about 22" long before blocking. After blocking it was about 25" long. Then I joined the ends with a three needle bind off on the inside, making it totally invisible on the right side.

Perfect Bliss

It's a dream come true for Dave. And here he is enjoying it completely. It's 56 degrees outside and 102 in the water.

He is not so happy to have me standing in the noodles shooting this picture. He imagines people on their way to church catching a glimpse, the wife horrified and the husband swerving off the road. We are cited and then arrested for indecent exposure. As if!

It has been raining all month and all last month and we hope to see the sun today. This will be a celebration of Dave's 55th birthday (September 28) and Brooke et famille will come for dinner and maybe a sing-a-long.

Draft Dodger #2

I am gonna get this right if it kills me.

My cool weather gear involves long sleeve t-shirts, some of which have no collars. I get drafty at the back of my neck and knew I could fix this problem with a knit like this.

Since I love modular knitting, it had to be mitered diamonds. And to make it even more fun I added a border of points, which I couldn't find a pattern for, and had to devise on my own. I think they may be leaning more toward scallops than triangles.

This is where the fun begins, trying to shoot myself in the bathroom mirror. I got one really perfect shot, except that when I saw it on the screen I noticed lots of toothpaste spatters on the mirror, obfuscating my creation.

I am close to 'getting' this the way I want it. Next one must have larger diamonds on the back and smaller ones on the front. This can be done. Then I will write the pattern. There might be someone else who needs this kind of mini poncho.

Why am I not making a sweater? I have lots of sweaters already that I love, but it never gets so cold here that I wear them daily. I am not complaining.

The hot tub is not ready for prime time, as the electrical part isn't finished. Underground and underhouse stuff will be completed today and then there is the priming of the system, so maybe tonight we will get to try it out. We checked the view from the road, and we are pretty much hidden. And if you saw anything, you would definitely wish you hadn't.

Hot Tub Today!

Wednesday we went to Chattanooga to find our hot tub. This picture looks something like what we chose. Ours has a white interior and a gray exterior, but mostly everything else is the same.

It never occured to me to get a 2-3 person hot tub, not a great big six person size. But I am being more realistic in my old age and this size is much more practical and sensible. It's not like we have a huge group of friends here that might regularly drop by for a soak. My sister lives an hour away and she has a big swimming pool at her apartment complex, so one would assume that she and the rest of the family won't be using this with us. Pretty much it is just for me and Dave so that is why we chose this model.

Today they will deliver and install it, and I have my loyal and fabulous electrician coming too, to put in the juice to power the thing.

I say that knowing full well that these things never run as smoothly as planned. So far no rain is predicted, so with any luck we will be soaking in hot water under the stars by the end of the day.

Speaking of not running smoothly...my client has responded to the quilt top I made and wrote "the completed top is an absolutely beautiful piece, but unfortunately it doesn't feel like the right fit for us". There were suggestions for changes, but since no money had been exchanged I had the option to pull out of our agreement, which is just what I did. Funny, I don't feel too bad about this. I am happy with the piece and will enjoy quilting it and perhaps it will find it's own home in the future.

As I have mentioned previously, commissions are tricky. There is something about what a person sees in their mind's eye that isn't always possible to reproduce by someone else.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

It was a race to get these photographed before they were all gone. I like to think of these cookies as health food. Ha! But they do contain (more or less) whole grain (oatmeal) anti-oxidant (chocolate chips) and nuts, and fruit (raisins) and coconut which I can't decide but might possibly be a vegetable???

No matter, they are like a staple around here when cookies are needed, and isn't that daily?

Since I was the beneficiary of my mother's Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, it has made making these even easier. To think I used to mix them by hand. Eek.

So because I love you and know you need a cookie break, here's the recipe, adapted by me from the out of print HP Books Cookies by Natalie Hartanov Haughton.

Famous Oatmeal Cookies Aka Kitchen Sink

3/4 c vegetable shortening

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

1 egg

1/4 c hot water (from plumping raisins)

1 t vanilla

1 t cinnamon (essential!!)

3 cups rolled oats

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 t baking soda

1 t salt if desired

Extras: Chocolate chips, coconut, walnuts or pecans, or peanuts, plumped in the microwave raisins: as much as you like, or have on hand or as much as the dough can hold, which is a lot.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking sheets (or use nonstick spray, or whatever)

Cream the shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla and then mix in dry ingredients and the whole kitchen sink of extras.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Make at least 60 (3") cookies.

Eat in bed and get crumbs in laptop.

Completed Top

Untitled, hand dyed cottons, fused, unquilted so far

50x39"

I finished the top yesterday and sent this picture off to the client and am waiting to hear what she thinks. I am very happy to have had the challenge of doing this commission because the parameters were just perfect for me. The client wanted something non-pictorial and chose colors that I love and a size that was just this side of daunting.

I really had no picture in my mind as I set off to work, and procrastinated for days, finding miniscule reasons to put off beginning, but finally, determined to get a backbone, I dove in.

This is the first major piece I have made since moving to Tennessee. It feels good.

I will be quilting it, as soon as I get the nod from the client.

Blindfolded Tightrope Walking

This is not the quilt. This is a collage of its parts.

Blindfolded tightrope walking is what it feels like to design improvisationally. That is, having no idea where you will end up, but just taking a step, taking a breath, taking another step, and deciding. Each part of the design is dependent on the previous part and so trusting your gut is a distinct element of the work.

It is thrilling to work like this, but scary at the same time.

The fabric is the key of course. It is what the quilt is about after all. And if that is good, then it follows that the work will sing, as long as the artist does not get in the way and try to impose something irreconcilable into the work. I am trying to stay clear of preconceived notions.

The top is 3/4 of the way completed...so I have a good start. We'll see where this leads.

Sketching for ideas

Sketching for me is like a can opener for ideas. I don't know what's in my brain (the can) until I start doodling on the page. I may not use the doodle to form my next work, but it gets me on the right track, especially when there are literally zillions of tracks I might choose.

When one begins a new improvisational piece, it helps to have a starting point. I am looking for that with these and other sketches.