Edmund Crown/Hat from Literary Knits

One of my 2012 Christmas gifts was Literary Knits by Nikol Lohr (see post). To quote myself:

Subtitled "30 Patterns Inspired by Favorite Books," Literary Knits is just that: a collection of patterns inspired by novels, specifically the author's favorite literary characters.  The patterns are grouped into four categories:  women's accessories, women's shawls and garments, items for men, and items for children.

This fall I finally knit one of the patterns from the book: Edmund Crown/Hat, which was inspired by the character of Edmund Pevensie of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. When I visited one of Russell's sisters in May niece #2 requested leg warmers. I love nothing more than appreciative handknit recipient, but I knew that if I knit something for her I'd have to knit for her three siblings as well. The Edmund Crown/Hat is what I decided to knit for niece #3.  I used purple as the base color since it is her favorite and I had some lovely leftover yarn in both purple and pink that I thought would suit.

Project: Ella Crown/Hat
Pattern: Edmund Crown/Hat
Yarn: South West Trading Company Optimum DK in Lilac and Rouge
(the eagle-eyed among you may recognize this yarn from the literary yarn bomb)

I love that this pattern is reversible so that one can wear it crown-side out or as a nondescript single-color toque.  However, I'm really not crazy about how the pattern came out. Lohr includes two different sizes, but the youth/small adult size differs from the child size only in the instruction to use a larger needle size. I wanted to knit the larger size, but I suspect that I would have had much better luck if I'd made the effort to modify the pattern to add a repeat (and using a lighter yarn and/or smaller needles as necessary) rather than relying on larger needle to do the work.

The larger needle size left my knitting far more loose that I like and the colorwork section horribly irregular. When I soaked the completed hat so I could even out the colorwork during blocking it grew so large that I had to risk putting the hat in the dryer (against care instruction) to get it back to a size that might actually fit her head. The dryer worked fairly well to resize the hat, but I ended up having to soak and dry again because I failed to realize that I'd need to shape the hat to the best of my ability before (and during) drying so it didn't get locked into a misshapen mess.

literary yarn bomb

I spent a couple of hours yesterday trekking around Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, helping with the installation of a yarn bomb.  The yarn bombing was organized by the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Historic Fund, which runs the cemetery's tour program, as part of their second-Sundays program.¹ Today's programs includes a "fashion show" tour of the yarn bombing and, later in the afternoon, a wildlife/nature tour.

I also made Russell come along.  Here he is at Washington Irving's grave.  Tombstone cozy (in colors of the American flag since WI was America's first professional writer) not knit by me.

I mostly contributed mittens to the project.  I knit mittens for a Jesus statue, whose fingers are long lost (project on Ravelry).

and a set of three pairs for a group of children who died falling through some ice in winter.  Each section of their tombstone features a different flower (lily, rose, violet), which dictated the color choice for the mittens (projects on Ravelry: lily, rose, violet).

I also donated an unloved scarf to the cause (project on Ravelry).

Just to bring this back to the literary -
In addition to being buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  Irving played an important role in the establishment of the now-famous cemetery.  He named it, or more accurately he petitioned for its name to be changed from "Tarrytown Cemetery" to "Sleepy Hollow Cemetery."

1. Obviously today is the 3rd Sunday of February, but we had a visit from Nemo last weekend which called for a rescheduling.

A Song of Ice and Fire-themed knitting (and gift-giving)

In my post on A Game of Thrones, I mentioned that I'd been working on an A Song of Ice and Fire-themed package for a secret swap. Well, now that that package has been (joyfully) received, I figured that I'd post about it.

The package was more specifically themed for House Stark and the northern lands. It included:

• spinning fiber from Dripping Fiber Studios in a colorway called "The Wall," which I special ordered,
• a double-pointed needle holder from Babylove Designs (my partner really wanted a DPN holder and I chose this one because the fabric read "winter" for me),
• a pair of Arya's Gauntlets knit by yours truly (I'm not crazy about these; more details below),
• Stitch markers from Little Skein in the Big Wool (I purchased a Big Bad set, but I thought that this particular wolf would work as a dire wolf just as well)
• an ice and fire lip balm set from Kisstixx, and
• a couple of goodies from See's Candies (specifically a Bordeaux treat and a Scotchmallow tree).

Here's a better image of both (one of the) mitts and the stitch markers -

Project: Winter is Coming
Pattern: Arya's Gauntlets by Julie Coburn
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, "Tern" colorway

While I love the stitch pattern for the mitts (which is supposed to resemble chain mail), I’m not crazy about the construction - specifically the fact that the pattern does not include any increases for the thumb joint.

My modifications: for the thumb I picked up 20 stitches rather than 16, knit the 6 rows of ribbing that I was supposed to knit, then decreased to 16 stitches and knit 10 more rows. When I blocked the mitts, I manipulated the thumbs to indicate directionality.

word: mondegreen (redux)

Mondegreen (the mishearing or misinterpretation of a oft-heard phrase) is one of my favorite words.  It was the subject of a featured-word post back in March of 2010 (see post), but I've been wanting to post about it again.

'Tis the season for carols and my most recently discovered mondegreen comes from "Deck the Halls" -
Hail the new year's Latin lessons (actual lyric:  Hail the new, ye lads and lasses).  But, my desire to post about mondegreen has nothing to do with the holiday season, but rather with knitting and yarn craft. 

In September, indie yarn dyer Verdant Gryphon debuted a new yarn (a worsted weight blend of 60% Blue Faced Leicester wool, 20% baby camel, and 20% silk) called Mondegreen and they are using misheard song lyrics for all the colorway names.  This pleased me on so many different levels, even more so when I received one of the preview skeins (my review).  I made a pair of mitts for myself and they have have been getting quite a bit of use now that the weather has gotten colder.

Project:  Mondegreen flip-tops
Yarn:  Verdant Gryphon Mondegreen
Colorway / mondegreen: Two chickens in fried rice
Actual lyric:  Two tickets to paradise (Eddie Money, "Two Tickets to Paradise")

I loved knitting with the yarn so much that I requested a sweater quantity for my birthday (thank you, Mom!).

Colorway / mondegreen:  I wanna freak out and stab you
Actual lyric:  I wanna reach out and grab ya (Steve Miller Band, "Abracadabra")

I've also been keeping an eye on the new colorway releases not because I need more yarn (though knitting with this yarn is a joy), but because I'm getting such a kick out of the colorway names.

the Hufflepuff scarf or proof that I love my sister

Normally I'm happy to have any excuse to include knitting projects on this blog, but I needed a bit of distance from this seemingly neverending one.

Last fall my sister requested a house scarf (she's a Hufflepuff) like the ones in the Prisoner of Azkaban film (here's a shot of Hermione in hers). She wanted it in time for the release of the final movie.

I started it on December 19th (plenty of time, right?), but I didn't finish it until September 26th (far, far after the film's opening day). Why'd it take so long? Mostly because the scarf is double layered. It was knit in the round, 90 stitches per row, and required 9 skeins of yarn. My progress was so slow that I avoided working on the project. Eventually, though, I forced myself to knit the scarf exclusively (I always have quite a few different projects on the needles at a time) until I finished it. Finishing it the day before my birthday was my birthday gift to myself.

Happily my sister loves the scarf and has gotten compliments on it whenever she's worn it.



Pattern: Prisoner of Azkaban Scarf by Lauren Kent
Yarn: Knit Picks Capra (85% Merino Wool, 15% Cashmere) in Honey and Black
Full details: Project on Ravelry

Sock Innovation

Sock Innovation: Knitting Techniques & Patterns for One-Of-A-Kind Socks by Cookie A.

Unconventional, rule-breaking socks are part and parcel in this unique guide to sock knitting that includes 15 new sock patterns. The skills of the average sock knitter are increased through design exploration and advanced stitch manipulation, treating the sock as a knitted canvas where elements are strategically and intentionally placed. New designs of floral lace patterns, angular geometric shapes, and unusual cables are presented along with detailed instructions on modifications to suit needs and aesthetics. The incredible range of style and complexity in this guide runs from sweet and simple to delightfully imaginative.

I received this book for my birthday last fall and while there were a number of patterns in it that I knew I wanted to knit, I've only just now gotten around to trying any of them. For my first Sock Innovation project I decided to go with the simple, yet elegant design that is probably my favorite pattern from the book, Kai-Mei (pages 129-133).

I'm really pleased with the results.

Kai-Mei was inspired by a Renaissance woman. It features a lace panel that begins on one side of the heel flap and crosses diagonally across the top of the foot. Starting the panel from opposite sides makes the left sock a mirror of the right (pictured).

Project details and more photos are available here on Ravelry. If you are a knitter who doesn't have a Ravelry account, go join, you won't regret it.

New Pathways, take two

I posted about New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi after completing my first project from the bookk two months ago (this post). I mentioned in that post that I'd wanted to try out one of her coriolis patterns.

Bordhi's Coriolis architecture takes its name from the Coriolis effect and features a column of stitches that masks the increases in the arch area and then continues to spiral around the sock.

This week I completed my first coriolis project following the Spiraling Master Coriolis Pattern and using the "master numbers" (numbers based on foot measurements and gauge that are supposed to ensure a perfect fit).* I used A Swell Yarn Shop's Duets Sock Yarn (Original) in the Beau Monde colorway and size US 3 (3.25 mm) double-pointed needles.

I have to admit that I'm not completely sure about the master numbers. They didn't seem to work for me in this pattern. Coming out of the first toe I noticed that they were going to be too big, so I ripped back and proceeded to tweak the numbers as I moved from section to section. I'll admit that I may have been overzealous in my adjusting of the numbers, but the result was a very short sock (this image shows the second sock unstretched next to the first). They fit well, but only because the yarn is very stretchy and I know that I'm going to be wearing holes in the toe.

It seems that I'm not the only one who had problems using the numbers with the coriolis patterns. I won't give up on the master numbers just yet. I'll try them with one of the other architectures before I determine whether they work for me or not.

* Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks in my earlier post didn't utilize the master numbers. I knit two pairs using that pattern.

New Pathways for Sock Knitters

New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi

I love knitting socks, but find it difficult to knit ones for myself that fit just right (most sock patterns are written for a much smaller foot than I happen to have). A friend recommended New Pathways for Sock Knitters because of Bordhi's innovative construction ideas and because she offers master patterns that you can customize to fit your foot perfectly.

In addition to the master patterns, Bordhi provides a number of different variations, both practical and whimsical. There's enough in this book to keep any sock knitter busy for quite some time.

I recently knit "Bartholomew's Tantalizing Socks" in Handmaiden Casbah (Ravelry project page).* The pattern follows Bordhi's "Sky Sock Architecture" and is knit from the top down with increases over the arch (along the edge of the decorative stitch pattern). It uses a linen-stitch to play up the color changes in hand-painted yarn and has a sexy slit cuff.

The socks were a gift. I trusted the pattern and they ended up fitting perfectly (photo).
A few notes:
-I knit the socks separately but at the same time one section at a time.
- I did one less repeat on the leg, but it still seems very very long (though I guess I’m used to relatively short cuffs).
- I also did the standard toe (pg 129) instead of the star toe (pg 128). I did the star toe on sock #1, but was unhappy with how it looked so I ripped it out.
- Step 4 of the heel turn was unnecessary and unnecessarily confusing.

I'm definitely going to knit myself a pair of these socks in Casbah. I loved everything about the project. I'm really interested in the Coriolis architecture (it has a wonderful spiral feature) so I'll probably attempt one of those patterns on my next foray into sock innovation.

* On US 2.5 / 3.0 mm double-pointed needles in the Autumn colorway

Getting Started Knitting Socks

Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd

From cast-on stitches to binding off, this handbook details the simple steps needed to turn seemingly complicated sock knitting projects into easy and enjoyable activities. Helpful photographs and instructional drawings ensure that even inexperienced knitters will be able to produce high-quality socks and handle more complicated techniques, such as the Kitchener stitch at the toe. Using instructions for five different sizes—from child through adult large—at five different gauges, knitters can produce styles ranging from delicate dress socks to thick and furry slipper socks. More adventurous knitters can add variety and flair by following one of 16 unique designs or trying one of the dozens of rib, cable, and lace patterns provided. With plenty of tips and a handy stitch dictionary, this guide unleashes the creativity and fun of sock knitting.

I received Getting Started Knitting Socks as a gift when I was embarking on my quest to knit socks. Having used it since March I can report that it is a good choice for novice sock knitters, combining patterns with technique tutorials.

While I had difficulties with its instructions for the Kitchener stitch the first time around, its instructions for picking up stitches are fantastic (the illustrations are particularly helpful).

Though the book focuses exclusively on cuff-down socks (as opposed to toe-up socks), it has enough variety -- between instructions for different gauges and how to adapt the basic patterns to include color changes and different textured patterns -- to make it a viable pattern book.

My first project from this book was the "8 Stitches per Inch Sock," which I knit with KnitPicks Felici in the Hummingbird Colorway. I'll probably knit up a few other patterns from the book, but the book's main role in my library will be as a reference book.