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my creative space

My creative space today is a progress report on last week’s space.

mend wool sweater

The sleeve repair went smoothly, mostly because it was stockinette and straight forward kitchener stitch. I didn’t have yarn close enough in color so I “borrowed yarn” from the sweater’s seams. It wasn’t an exact match, but better than what I had on hand. I used stash yarn to re-seam the sides.

mend wool sweater

The ribbing was a little more difficult. The mended spots were definitely sturdy, but they weren’t the prettiest. I used yarn from my stash for the nitty gritty details and then duplicate stitched over the grafted parts with the sweater seam yarn for a nice looking finish.

I’m still trying to decide if the attention to detail with the duplicate stitch is worthy of praise or borderline crazy. Either way, I think it looks really nice.

What’s going on in your creative space today? Share in the comments! Then head over to Kirsty’s blog to see what everyone else is up to today.

resources: The grafting methods I used were kitchener stitch and weaving method for holes, both from knitty.com. You can also find really good grafting articles in the Interweave Knits Spring 2010 issue and in the Spring/Summer 2010 Vogue Knitting.

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sewing for socks

hand knit socks

I recently refashioned a messenger bag for my friend Carrie. She asked if she could pay me in sock yarn. I laughed and told her I had too much sock yarn, but she was welcome to knit a pair for me out of my stash. I was surprised when she said yes. Of course, she’s a much faster and more dedicated sock knitter than I am.

hand knit socks

They are one of the best fitting pair of handmade socks I have ever worn, and this has got to be one of the best craft for craft deals ever. I’ll be posting about the messenger bag refashion this week.

stash: Socks that Rock Bella Coola from the 2007 sock club. Pattern is Carrie’s own design. (ravelry link)

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thrifty thursday

red sweater for unraveling

Last weekend I hit a few church sales that turned out to be a total bust. I decided to stop by Goodwill on the way home just to window shop. (Hey, I was in the neighborhood!) Not only did I find this great sweater, but when I checked out it rang up half price!

I have been thinking of making some Nebraska football inspired (i.e., red, red and more red) accessories for my shop in the Fall. I really like the black and red plied yarn for Husker Blackshirts fans.

recycle: The sweater is a super soft cotton/acrylic blend with perfect seams for unraveling. Score!

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my creative space

wendy johnson toe up diagonal sock

Is it any surprise that knitting is in my creative space today? I finally cast on the sock that was on my to-do list. When I took it to knitting group tonight, I think everyone was shocked that I didn’t bring a crochet project. I was shocked that most of them had brought crochet projects.

While we’re still on the subject of knitting, let me tell you a little gauge story. A few weeks ago when I had a lot on my mind and life was kind of crazy, I did a gauge swatch for this sock. I got the proper amount of stitches and then abandoned the sock until I was on retreat. Last weekend was so relaxed and peaceful. Can you guess what happened when I cast on? Yep. The sock was huge! I had to go down a needle size and eliminate four stitches. (I refused to go down to a size 0 needle.) Just an example of how our mood and emotions can affect our craft.

progress report: In case you are following along, I’m almost finished that to-do list of mine. The two linen skirts have been hemmed and the drawstring has been converted to an elastic waistband so they hang more evenly. I also took pictures for some etsy listings. Just need to find the time to get them listed. Maybe Friday?

pattern notes: Yarn is Sockittome by Cherry Tree Hill Yarn. Pattern is Diagonal Lace Socks by Wendy Johnson from Socks from the Toe Up. You can download the pattern for free, but make sure to check the errata on ravelry before you start knitting.

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retreat recap: contemplative knitting

contemplative knitting anne ginn

Our Sunday class at retreat wasn’t really a class, but more of an exercise. Anne led us in a morning of meditation and contemplative knitting. I wasn’t sure how this was going to work for me. I’ve never been good at meditation. Things are always popping into my head — what’s for dinner, need to email that file, got to finish the laundry. When Anne suggested we try for 10 minutes I didn’t think I would make it, but she offered a tip that really worked for me. You pick a word — something with no emotional attachment — and when a random thought enters your mind, you say that word to bring yourself back to meditation. It worked. I was really surprised. I went the whole 10 minutes.

Then we tried contemplative knitting. It’s the same type of meditation, but this time with a few balls of yarn and needles in hand. We knit for 15 minutes: any amount of stitches, any stitch pattern. The key is to be aware of the yarn in your hands making each stitch. This time something amazing happened. The random thoughts that went through my mind were no longer about mundane things. They were creative ideas about patterns, designs, projects, color and texture. I still used my word to shake them away, but I was excited that they were there and that I remembered them afterward.

I’m so glad Anne came and shared this with us. I’m hoping to incorporate contemplative knitting into my daily life and creative process. Now I just need find a quiet time in which to practice it.

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retreat recap: fair isle

I usually don’t write about retreat experiences because my mind goes to such a peaceful and relaxing place that a small blog post doesn’t ever seem to do it justice. But there were a few things this weekend that I need to share. First up: the fair isle class.

knitting retreat fair isle class

Thank goodness this was the first class on the schedule because it took a lot of brain power. I knew I was going to be knitting with two yarns, but hadn’t really thought about the how: with two hands…at the same time…picking and throwing. I have never knit the English/American way before!

The teacher was great. She showed us how to do it and somehow we all did—just like that. Following a chart helped keep my mind off of Oh My God I’m Knitting With Two Hands and it just clicked. Once I got the tension in both yarns correct, it was smooth sailing.

knitting retreat fair isle class

My mind is already racing with design ideas. Plus, there’s a whole new world of patterns that are now possible. First on the list is a new fall hat for Bella using the chart we used in class. I can’t wait!

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progress report no.1

crafty to do list

Yesterday I made some small progress on my to do list.

  • removed the sleeves and collar from my shirt
  • pinned and sketched a (rough) line for the new side seam
  • chose some sock yarn out of my stash

Blog posts might be light this week, but I’m going to do my best to keep on track. Hope to post more progress tomorrow!

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knitting and planting

planting seeds

Today was another slow day. I feel bad for my daughter. She’s getting bored with this mama-isn’t-feeling-well business. I tried to make today all about her. Most of the morning we hung out on the living room floor. She did her thing and I worked on another charity blanket square.

After lunch, the sun came out, and we spent some time on the deck planting seeds. She painted this little flower pot in school for Mother’s/Father’s day and her teacher put a packet of marigold seeds in it.

planting seeds

We planted a few in the pot and some other small containers I found in the garage. She was having so much fun that I decided to make some paper pots so she could keep on planting. Toilet paper rolls cut in half also work well. You can just drop the whole thing in the ground when it’s ready!

planting seeds

It was a good, but tiring day. I am ready to be feeling better and back at my sewing machine. Those upholstery sample totes are calling my name!

stash: Acrylic yarn from my stash. I don’t remember where I got my PotMaker. I’ve had it a long time. It’s just like this one.

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my creative space

my creative space

Are you sitting down? My creative space is filled with knitting today. Yes, I said knitting. Can you believe it? It’s been awhile.

Our local guild is making squares for charity blankets again. I took a break from this last year, but the year before I met my goal of 12 squares — one a month. I was hoping to meet that goal again in 2010, but here it is almost May and I’m on my first square! We’ll see how many I get done.

There were some lovely creative spaces last week listed on Kirsty’s blog. Did you check them out? You should!

stash and pattern: More acrylic from my thrifted stash. These skeins must multiply when I’m not looking! The patterns are being chosen by the group. This is the January square listed on the Hanks website.