Handspun Katriel

What a lovely surprise it was for me this week, upon logging on to Ravelry, to discover that one of the front page projects featured in Sarah's Community Eye Candy post was a version of my Katriel shawl design. 

Ravelry member Muriel's Handpsun Katriel was beautifully knit in gorgeous yarn spun with the colors of autumn. Just perfect for the beginning of meteorological fall. Great job Muriel!




photo: Muriel

Knitting Bucket List & Free Pattern

Do you have a knitting 'bucket list' of projects or techniques you'd like to accomplish? I certainly do! Somewhere along that list has long been a desire to knit one of Norwegian company Dale Garn's exquisite stranded stitch sweaters. 

Daleofnorway.com, the company's sister ready-to-wear site, offers intricately-patterned, classic sweaters commanding hefty prices in US boutiques (including the Peace Sweater pullover below, priced at $349 US)

 
With the recent release of Dale Garn's Peace Sweater design as a hand knitting pattern - for free download on Ravelry - I might just have to bump the project up a bit higher on my list! 

What does your knitting or crochet 'bucket list' look like? 




Top photo - Dale Garn
Second photo - Daleofnorway.com

Congrats Ravelry - 2 Million & Counting!

Can you hear the amazing sound? It's the sound of millions of needles clicking, and crochet hooks hooking, in the hands of over 2 MILLION Ravelry.com members as of last Wednesday! 

In honor of the occasion, Casey Forbes, one of Ravelry's founders, posted a fun 'ravatar' (that's Ravelry + avatar in case you wondered) project, asking members to add the words or number "two million" to their photo. You can see all the ravatars entered here. 

I started with my current version, featuring my Bosc hat.

Then I went to Picnik.com to make use of their photo editing toys. I wanted something playful and colorful. I had a ton of fun and in 10 minutes ended up with the version at the top of the post.

I am so thrilled for the Ravelry team, and so grateful for all the wonderful fun, knowledge, and community they've brought to the online stitching world. 

Thanks Ravelry, for everything, 

and here's to the next 2 million!!

2K Faves Knitting Pattern Flash Sale

Brandywine Falls, one of the first patterns available as an online download from Robin Ulrich Studio, reached a Ravelry milestone today of 2000 favorites (doing a happy dance)!!

To celebrate, I'm offering a 20% 'flash sale' savings on the purchase of the pattern through Wednesday, January 11th at midnight EST. To receive the discount, enter coupon code: brfalls2k at checkout.

In honor of the occasion, I gave the pattern a little graphic 'freshen-up' so if you already own the pattern, be sure and download the latest version for your knitting pattern library. 

Since this pattern first appeared online, so many pretty versions have been made by talented knitters. I love every single wrap as each knitter puts their own personality into it. I celebrate that individuality. You can see more details about all of these projects, on the Ravelry Brandywine Falls projects page.

A gallery of a few of my favorites (photos not mine, see projects pages for details):

 

I thank those who've marked my designs as Ravelry favorites, I truly appreciate it! And it looks as if a few other of my patterns will soon be approaching milestone numbers as well...

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

Someone, please pass me the smelling salts, because I about fainted dead away when I saw the response to my new pattern, the Bosc Hat. THANK YOU to everyone for the kind comments, and for making this pattern the #1 hottest pattern on Ravelry.com (holy mackerel!) for all day yesterday.

I'm sure that for many of the wonderful designers out there whose work I greatly admire, having their design on the top 20 patterns list is a ho-hum, all-in-a-day's-work kind of thing, but for me it was very exciting. 

And for those of you who've asked about the photo, well, this one was rather difficult, but the final shot of the gold hat was the result of me running back and forth from the camera to the exact pose spot 68 times while trying to maintain composure, hold completely still, not gasp for breath, and not mess up my hair (a monumental task in itself).

With the Christmas holiday upon us, I also wanted to share just a few seasonal ideas, like this rosemary tree. 

I've had this little tree for about 5 years now, having purchased it at the grocery store for only a few dollars thinking that even if it died, the dried herbs themselves would be worth the price.

But not only has it not died, it's grown about double in size and my husband has decreed that I am no longer allowed to pot it up larger lest it become too mammoth to be moved indoors for winter. Since he is the one who carries it in, to grow in a south-facing window with the aid of additional grow lights, I had to agree. :)  

The tiny glass bell ornaments are part of my favorite collection of vintage ornament shapes from the 1920's-1950's. They are just the right size for my little tree.

We also have a regular tree in the living room, complete with lights.

As a long-time sewing enthusiast, I have a small assortment of vintage household and sewing tools from my grandmothers, like the old folding yardsticks shown here. These jointed sticks are easily bent into fun shapes such as a star, shown single in the photo at the top of the post, or layered as seen below.

 

I love rooting around in drawers to see what I can 'find' to make use of without purchasing anything new.

Boxwood or other greenery is easily formed into a simple wreath and can be tied with a scrap of ribbon or as here, a length of burlap. 

For those who celebrate Hanukkah, I loved this local store display of plain white candles in unmatched glass containers, although the contemporary glass menorah/ hanukiah is quite lovely too.

The mirror placed underneath multiplies the effect of the candles and glass. This is such a pretty tabletop idea for anyone at anytime of the year.

I hope you find a few inspiring ideas here, I'm planning to do my wrapping and baking today and tomorrow, and will try to squeeze in another post before Sunday - we'll see. Happy knitting everyone!

Knitting on the 'Net & a Savory Summer Recipe

I read recently that knitting is the single largest interest group represented on the Internet.  Along with Knitty.com, Ravelry.com is, of course, the biggie for knitters, crocheters and fiber enthusiasts of every stripe, but Facebook, Twitter, and thousands of blogs and podcasts help promote this activity.

Ravelry members can search for the newest and hottest patterns (check out the photo above with my Sothia pattern in the top 10 for all of the last month - squeee!!), including photos of thousands of projects knitted from those patterns and knitters' comments about them, and find information about yarn, yarn shops, fiber festivals, knitting, crochet and spinning techniques, and much more.

An excellent story that's been all over the knitting Internet since it ran in the July 6th, 2011 issue of Slate.com, outlines the merits of Ravelry, and compares it to community-based giant Facebook.

An invitation to participate in the beta testing phase of the new Google+ community recently came my way and I have a feeling it too will eventually have success as a community for knitters. 

Thanks very much to Gill and to Hal for sending me links.

I love using Ravelry but haven't gotten nearly as involved on Facebook.  Quite frankly, I simply don't have the extra time to devote to being involved in more online activities more than I already am.  I'd rather be knitting!  However, I can see how people will enjoy and benefit from different aspects of internet knitting tools and groups.

And then there's Twitter.  I don't really have all that much to say, but I did finally break down and sign up for a Twitter account after a friend invited me to take a Twitter seminar with her.

In the past few days I've, surprisingly, enjoyed reading updates from accounts I 'follow', including knitting tips, yarn shop updates, and blog and podcast announcements, like those from favorite podcasters Stash and Burn, The Knitmore Girls, and the Knitting Pipeline (more detail on these and other shows in an upcoming post).

A lot of seemingly random thoughts and, shall I say, 'quirky' and somewhat amusing tweets shouting out about knitting tweeters' recent activities, the bodily functions of their children, and what their hotel room smells like, are also frequently posted.  

I've replied to a few tweets, figuring that most people who tweet to their large interest groups using a worldwide, totally public forum, are happy that someone is reading their posts, and have connected already with several really nice, interesting knitters and knitting-writers. I'm still learning the ropes, and don't know how much time I will really have for it, but again, I can see the benefits for many.

Tweeting by me will probably happen only sporadically, but should prove occasionally useful in sharing small bits of knitting information, announcing new blog posts and pattern info., or keeping my friends and family up on my doings.  I promise to not tweet about bodily functions.

Don't forget about my 'blogiversary' free knitting pattern and yarn giveaway coming up this month!  

Comments on any post through July 21st, 2011 qualify for entry, full rules are outlined in this post.

The garden is growing like crazy now that the warm weather has arrived.  I picked a huge basket of snap peas, any others lingering at this point will be left to harvest for next year's seed.

 

My husband has been working on a rose arbor we designed for the climbing New Dawn rose we planted last year.

I've harvested masses of garlic already, currently drying in the sun awaiting braiding for storage and gift-giving.

The herbs are beyond profuse.  Chives, parsley, cilantro, onions, rosemary and thyme are all so vigorous I've been clipping, mincing and drying the extras almost daily, so I decided to concoct a recipe to make use of as much as possible. 

I hope you enjoy this deliciously simple appetizer made from fresh chèvre goat cheese crusted with dried herbs. I fell in love with this cheese on a trip to France a while ago, and always look for opportunities to use it.  If you do not care for the strong flavor of, or do not have, goat cheese available, substitute any semi-soft cheese of your choice.

Many combinations of your favorite herbs work well for this recipe, so you might like to experiment by adding a little crushed red pepper, chipotle pepper, wasabi or horseradish powder, dried, minced sweet bell peppers, or anything else that strikes your fancy. The mixture may be used right away or stored, tightly covered, for up to three months.  After that, many herbs lose their potency. 

Try serving this cheese as an appetizer with crackers, toast points or celery sticks, or topping Portabello/a mushrooms caps with herbed cheese slices and broiling for a few minutes.  It also makes a delicious omelet filling.

Truknit's Savory Herb Crusted Chèvre

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black peppercorns

1/4tsp. coarsely ground green peppercorns

1/4 tsp. coarse salt (I use sea salt), to taste
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried, minced garlic, or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, to taste 

1/2 tsp. cilantro
1 tsp. shallots

2 tsp. chives

2 tsp. parsley

4-6 oz. roll fresh chèvre goat cheese

Directions:

In a small bowl thoroughly mix dry ingredients.  

Spread herb mixture onto a piece of waxed paper or large plate, roll fresh cheese over the mixture until it is thoroughly coated.  Coat the ends of the roll if desired.  Pat loose herbs onto any bare spots on the cheese.

Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Bon appétit! 

Autumn Inspiration on the Needles & Hook

This time of year it seems the calendar starts to fly by.  Wasn't it just hot as blazes?  Now the air is cool and crisp with curls of woodsmoke rising from chimneys, mornings are frosty and I'm in the mood for warm, woolie things to wear.  I've winnowed down my works-in-progress (WIP's), but still have a lot going on.

This morning I went to one of my favorite nearby parks and took this photo.

The silvery-frosted leaves and berries against the backdrop of golds, greens and oranges made me want to get stitching!  I went home and dug through my stash to find several candidates but the winner was, hands down, a skein of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn in colorway S242.  

It seems Eisaku Noro must have a penchant for these same shades of Autumn as I have.

I've used the Kureyon Sock to start a crocheted shawlette called Elise Shawl  by designer Evan Plevinski.  This photo shows his shawl, mine is shown in the photos above and at the top of the post.

After the set-up rows, the pattern is a simple two-row repeat worked from the neck down, using only basic crochet stitches like double and triple crochet.  I'm working it with a US size I hook. Fast and fun so far!

Also on my needles are a gazillion prototypes for a hat to match my Lavande neckwarmer pattern, 

a cardigan, from another designer, left over from my vacation (more details when I have photos to share) and a couple of versions of this pattern project.

I'm also playing around with yarns for a variation on the Greyhaven cowl.  And I am excited to announce...

...that Greyhaven was voted as the November knitalong free pattern project for the Ravelry Cowls group!  Thanks to everyone who voted for this pattern.  By the way, I uploaded a new version of the pattern on November 1st, 2010, so if you downloaded one before that date, go ahead and grab a new one. 

This cowl KAL will be going on all month, so it's not too late to join if you still want to.  Some members have already completed multiple versions and are still casting on for more, many looking ahead to making holiday gifts. 

As for KAL's, the Ravelry Anthropologie group Brandywine Falls KAL will continue for quite awhile, so there's plenty of time to join in on that one too.  

This week when I stopped at the post office to pick up my mail, I had a surprise package waiting from my very talented, Chicago-based Ravelry buddy Loren (Twisted1 on Ravelry).  It contained some awesome birthday goodies including cute project gift tags, a Vogue stitch pattern calendar, and most especially this gorgeous scarf she knit for me!

Loren has been working a lot lately with Jane Thornley's amazing tutorials using color and texture in multiple yarns, and designed this scarf herself and titled it Ephemera.  Thank you so much Loren, I love it!  You're so thoughtful! 

Happy stitching everyone!

The Wool Festival at Taos

Yarnie heaven. That's what my visit to The Wool Festival at Taos (WFT), the coolest fiber fest in the west, felt like.  

Presented by the Mountain and Valley Wool Association since 1984, and always held the first full weekend in October, this festival delights in many ways.  

WFT is large enough to offer a dazzling array of fiber and related goodies, and small enough to allow you to enjoy thoroughly checking out each and every booth before exhaustion sets in.  This is truly a knitting and spinning paradise.

The set up in festival venue Kit Carson Park, in the heart of historic Taos, New Mexico, is ideal with vendors' tents ringing the tree-shaded park, and information, meet-up and refreshment tents grouped in the center.  

 

Although crowds were thick later in the day, shopping was a breeze when we arrived at opening time of 9 AM.  The full-fever pitch of a true fiber frenzy had not yet been reached, but you could feel it brewing in the atmosphere as shoppers dashed from booth to booth to get the best choice of merchandise. 

Vendors, many of whom are from New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and California, were relaxed and friendly, even the staff working the crowded tents at Brooks Farm, Elsawool and other popular sellers.  

 

Sixty-eight vendors exhibited wool and exotic spinning fibers, handspun, millspun and hand-dyed yarn, woven, knitted and felted finished garments, rugs, hats, sheepskin shoes and accessories, hand-made wood fiber tools, buttons, jewelry, body products, and so many other wonderful things I can't begin to list them all here. 

 

 

An entertainment and competition stage, fiber animal pens, workshops, silent auction, fashion show and technique demonstrations rounded out the offerings.  

You know I can't resist the animals, including this mama alpaca and her cria.

These sheep, in a large pen, swirled and flocked together in a tight clump.

I loved the hand-dyed yarn at Royal Fibers Spinnery.

I would've bought cartloads of wool if I could have!  But in the end my pocketbook dictated that I be choosy, so I selected some things I haven't tried before including: Brooks Farm Mas Acero in a grey-brown mix;

 

cushy Elsawool worsted weight, woolen spun Cormo in soft grey;

and some cool natural stone buttons.

A favorite part of this year's festival was getting to meet many fellow Ravelry members, including founder Mary-Heather Cogar (seen taking a photo in the Ravelry meet-up tent below).

Mary-Heather (Rainydaygoods on Ravelry) is such a nice person, and she did a super job of conversing with complete strangers for hours, always with a friendly smile.

The festival's site in the heart of Taos is surrounded by streets lined with intriguing galleries, shops and restaurants, making it easy to walk to a small cafe for lunch and check out a few of the local shops.  

Across the street from the cafe was La Lana Wools, renowned for their gorgeous, naturally-dyed fibers.  

I loved Common Thread (big Indian dude notwithstanding, LOL), a specialty shop offering silks and exotic fabrics by the yard.

Displays were pure eye candy.

In the same block as the fabric store is Weaving Southwest, a large, airy space in this area of tiny boutiques.  

Filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves bursting with yarn, hand-woven rugs, giant looms, knitting tools, and racks of finished knitted and crocheted items, this well-laid-out store delights fiber artists of all sorts.  

 

 

The front of the shop held large boxes of wool, silk, mohair and alpaca yarns at amazing clearance prices of $5 and $8 per 100 gr. skein.

 

The Taos area is, of course, famous for many other things not limited to spectacular scenery, charming southwest atmosphere, outdoor pursuits like cycling, hiking, river rafting and rock climbing, and the Taos Pueblo.  

In fact, because there were so many wonderful sights, smells, sounds and other treats for the senses that I cannot possibly relate them all here, I highly  recommend any knitter, spinner or weaver consider the Wool Festival at Taos for a fiber holiday some year soon, and discover the wonders of Taos for themselves.  

And just one teensy, non-Taos-related note before I close this long post, I am absolutely thrilled to bits that my new free pattern, Greyhaven, has been nominated in the Ravelry Cowls Group for their November knitalong!

Voting closes this weekend, so if you are interested in participating in the KAL, please pop into the group and vote for your favorite pattern in the November KAL thread.  

That's it for now, new knitting projects and recipes coming up soon.  Until then, peace, blessings and happy stitching!