stitch marker

12 days

Sebastian is a strategist. He knows Santa chooses from your list, so he's put only one thing on his list. It's something he thinks Papa doesn't want him to have, so he has hidden the list. (He says Santa can see through the drawer to read it in there.)

Every year we're sure this is the last. The last where he'll believe so deeply in this wonderful, wonderful thing. I hope not, but just in case we're going to love this year all the more.

p.s. He is getting the thing.  The one thing. A drum set, lord help us.

17 days

like grilled cheese

This hat. It's so satisfying to cast on with wool, knit some cables, make a hat for a cold man.

 

would you want to make a potholder?

It's been a really long time since I started up a knitalong.

It's ironic that I've been so focused on writing my new book, I let the main concept of my first book go to the dogs. I have been remiss in asking all of you friends whether you'd like to knit and send me things!

Yesterday, I had reason to search in the cards and notes that you all sent me when you mailed me afghan squares years ago. I was digging for Heather's address and soon found myself sitting wistfully amidst a pile of lovely notes and letters and cards and tags and bits of tiny artwork. I'd forgotten the power of people all knitting something together. I resist the sentimentality of it, but then again, sitting on the floor in my yarn room, I find it's true.

So, who wants to make a potholder?

Not many things evoke a grandma's beloved home better than a knit or crocheted potholder or dishcloth. When I spoke to dozens of designer and knitters, even those whose grandmothers were the no-nonsense, non-decorative type recalled a handmade dishcloth or two hanging from a faucet. Or perhaps a scorched but pretty potholder on the oven door.

I'm going to be at a vendor fair on December 3rd here in my neighborhood, at one of my favorite places--Cooper's Coffee Shop.  (I wrote good portions of my book at Cooper's, sitting at their wooden tables.) I'll be selling the book at my table, and I'm thinking that a vivid collection of colorful, perhaps kitschy, potholders/dishcloths could be a perfect complement to a book about grandmas.

It would be a mini art installation/fundraiser. 100% of the proceeds would go to a charity. I'm thinking of our library's Raising A Reader early literacy program for at-risk children. (I work for the program, so it's dear to me.) However, I'm open to the idea that it should be an inernational charity instead, to represent our knitting community. What do you think?

Here's what it would be like:

• You sign up to send me one or more potholders/dishcloths by the end of November.
• You can use any pattern, any technique (knit, crochet, woven) and any yarn you like. You mail them to me.
• If you'd like, put your name and location on them so people can see who donated them and where they hail from.
• I'll enter you once per item into a drawing for a copy of My Grandmother's Knitting or other wonderful prizes, like free patterns.
• I'll post photos of your work.
• And brag about it on ravelry.
• Every potholder/dishcloth will be sold for something like $10 (tbd) and all funds will go to the charity.

The pattern above is a dishcloth pattern--designed after a classic doily--by Judy Becker. Grandma's Fan Dishcloth appears in My Grandmother's Knitting. I'll provide the pattern for Grandma's Fan Dishcloth to anyone who signs up for this KAL and wants it.

I'm amazed the holidays are coming. How can it be that I'm already getting set for a holiday fair?

Eeeep.

the time goes

It seems like things take a long time to drip like molasses from beginning to end. And then a month is passed and I'm not sure why. But it's November. Just almost typed October. Yup.

It's gorgeous knitting weather, blustery and ripe with autumn color. The leaves were swirling onto our skylight this morning, and I woke up to a a yellow storm above my head. They made little skittering noises on the roof, like little paper-light animals. I didn't know these sounds before we moved up to the attic. It's all old and all new.

garter in grass

I love this green color, especially with the speckly, woolly gray all around it.

Really, I've loved this particular green forever. When I was little, I learned that emeralds were my birthstone. My parents gave me a real emerald ring, and I was so proud, though I probably lost it more quickly than anyone hoped. A lost green star in a sea of house and woods.

I was quietly thrilled to include emerald in my palette for this year's book and patterns. It's so lush and deep and relaxing and yet vibrant. It's grassy and sunny, yet evokes the dark and mysterious center of a jewel. It stands up to equally lush colors, like deep turquoise, or plays well with neutrals. How many colors can do all that?

This project pairs that green with a color that I find similar to my favorite flower, Queen Anne's Lace. It's very-nearly-soon-almost finished, and it's the next pattern for my KAL Line.

In the meantime, I am selling all my self-published patterns for buy 1 get 1 free until tomorrow, 9/30. It's good for individual patterns (not e-books). If you're in the market, please visit my store and scroll down to the single patterns. Just put 2 in your cart before checking out, and one will be deducted.

fearless fashion

Last night, I got to hang out with nine lovely women. We went to happy hour and had wine and Italian food, then went to the opera grand opening. During happy hour, we sat around in our gorgeous gowns and talked about what we wore as little girls.

A woman across the table talked about her Toni perm and coke bottle glasses (along with eye patch.) I relayed a story about my skinny, stretchy, stripy halter top I wore to ride my purple Schwinn with the banana seat. One woman mentioned how she wore pink plastic glasses and a long (awful) pink gown to a wedding. Later in life, when she saw a photo of herself and asked her mother how on Earth she could let her go to a wedding that way, her mother said, "You thought you were beautiful."

I love how little girls can carry off outrageous style. Can wear things that are absolutely awesome or terrible with equal abandon and joy, and feel so beautiful.

I'm hoping this little dress I designed falls somewhere on the awesome end of the spectrum, while expressing some of that fearless girl style.

Because it takes a special girl--or mood--to wear a giant striped cowl collar.

The collar is truly big.

And it can be done in stripes, as shown, or with a self-striping or special handspun yarn that would work without any ends.

 

I'm fortunate to have this design in the fall petite purls magazine, which offers many free patterns for babies and children. More images and information are here on ravelry: Bizzy Tunic, and the petite purls fall issue is all great.

I had the help of lovely Emma Grace as a model. On most days, she wears a lavender fun fur sweater together with these pink pants or a skirt. Maybe someday she'll sit around with other women in glamorous black gowns and talk about how beautiful she was.

Homemade graham crackers & apple sauce

Actually, the graham crackers are in a previous issue of CraftSanity Magazine. But I have visions of pairing them with the apple recipe in this fall's issue. The visions conjure up something cozy and pure like Autumn Gerda Muller style. Sigh. My October visions rarely come true, because I'm always searching for the kind of fall we had where I grew up on the East Coast. And here it simply starts to rain. It seems like even the rain could be tolerated with some homemade graham crackers and hot chocolate.

This segues very nicely into grandmas' houses, no? Warm places to sit around formica kitchen tables. Cushy beds for taking the kind of childhood naps where there's no deadline and you can drift forever. I have an essay about that kind of nap--and a blanket strip pattern that goes with it--in this fall issue. There's so much more in the issue, with highlights in this video trailer. It makes me wish I could crochet beyond zig zag territory.

The print magazine's available here for pre-order now, and it's $1 off if you order by tomorrow, Sunday the 18th. (Also check out Jennifer's beautiful wooden weaving looms. I was desperately into the weaving looms when I was little, and hers are lovely and in a small size for coasters and such. I'm saving my pennies for one of these soon.)

 

 

winners & garter stitches

I've been sitting in the sun by myself, knitting garter stitch with some gray/white/ice pop colored Noro yarn. I'm  making a project for myself, in the midst of a lot of design work, a moment for something that caught my eye and I just want to make. The Camp Out Mitts. The tops are coming out silver and white like snow, blending into black.

A near perfect morning, in my opinion. A morning on the list of top 10 best kinds, anyway.

It even had some coffee involved, with half and half.

And fruit.

And I have some winners! Thank you to everyone who left comments about your inspiring projects.

Heidi H wins the one-year subscription to Knitcircus.

And the three fall pattern collections go to: Melissa, Michelle (pdxknitterati) and Leahbear. Thanks for all your inpsirational comments about your projects. Leahbear, your sweater project sounds amazing and brave.

Winners, if you would be so kind as to send me your email addresses, I'd really appreciate it. Please send them to dumbmail AT larissabrown DOT net. Cheers!

mica cowl & giveaway

Today Knitcircus released its gorgeous fall issue. I'm fortunate to have my Mica Cowl pattern in there among the beautiful shawls, hats, socks and fingerless mitts.

The cowl is worked flat using varying numbers of assymetrical feather and fan repeats in the body. Stitches are then picked up along the side, and another set of feather and fan repeats are worked perpendicularly. This makes the fabric scrunch up in interesting ways. It's really more of a sculpture, but it's still very much wearable--soft, warm, flattering because it does not slump around the neck (my pet peeve regarding cowls).

The yarn is super soft and yet stands up to hold the shape. This cowl is so light and airy. The Imperial Stock Ranch Tracie is lovely, especially in this color, Desert Landscape. It's oatmeal, silver, plums and peaches and sand all in one. Other yarns that would work include any basic wool like Jamieson's, Bartlett and the like.

To celebrate the new Knitcircus issue and my small part in it, I'm giving away some great prizes! (When I was a kid I loved Price is Right so much. I was just thinking about it at the grocery store yesterday.)

The way Knitcircus works: you can go to their site and see the whole issue, including all the written content like book reviews and articles. Then if you want the patterns, you buy the pattern collection. Today, thanks to Jaala the Knitcircus editor, I can give away three Fall Pattern Collections and one one-year subscription (five issues).

To enter, write me a comment about something you love that you made with a traditional stitch pattern. Let me know why you love it, whether you used the pattern in a new way, anything. I'll draw winners Friday morning, the 26th, at 10 am Pacific Time.

In the meantime, you can fave or queue the pattern here: Mica Cowl on Ravelry.