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| Wait a moment… that’s not yarn. |
Inspiration for Totem
I am a liberal arts major, and was a straight A student throughout high school. This was not because I love to get good grades, but rather because I love to learn (grades were just a bonus). I like knowing about things I had no knowledge of.
Totem has the genesis in several different ideas. I was on the train home from one of Michael’s and my many journeys , and I had just finished Totoro, a slipped stitch pattern idea I had been playing with. I was proud of the design, but I knew that this slipped stitch technique could be pushed father; that I could do more with it.
So I started noodling around with the leftover yarn I had from Totoro. Because it was a highly varigated yarn, I knew I wanted a design that did a good job breaking up pooling. The first idea wasn’t quite right, so I pulled out some more yarn and made this first swatch.
Okay, that pattern was pretty cool. And the slipped stitches looked pretty neat. But I didn’t think it was enough. Was this really that different from what I did in Totoro? I’d already done slipped stitches once, and a new pattern had to be interesting enough not only for me to knit the swatch, but different enough to be accepted as a unique pattern submission. What else could I do?
I thought maybe I could add a cable, but I get frustrated when cables vanish in highly varigated yarns, and I wanted this to work with yarns like the one I was using. I’d just finished reading through The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt, and I remembered that she had used another type of slipped stitch – a wrapped stitch. Wrapped stitches would be perfect – not only would the necklace around the stitches stand out because of the yarn’s highly varigated nature, it would break up any pooling that could occur. Sweet.
So I swatched some more, and I thought the pattern was doing well – but it was getting awfully repetitive. Was there any way I could break it up periodically with something else? I went back to my pinterest board to look at stitch patterns I had favorited – nothing. So I went on Ravelry hoping that if I gave my brain a break something would pop up.
I came across a post that thesexyknitter (otherwise known as Sarah Wilson) on raverly posted about her pattern, Jon’s Sweater. It uses slipped stitches and the lateral braid to create a wonderfully subtle texture. I’d never heard of the lateral braid, but it looked so cool.
How hard could it be?
So I learned how to do it, using this video.
And then I added it to the pattern.
So now I had the pattern that you see here. It has the lateral braid, the slipped stitches, the wrapped stitches, and it’s the picture that I sent to Sockupied for my proposal.
What do you think? Have you ever done a lateral braid? How about wrapped stitches?
Traveling by Train to New Orleans
About a year ago Michael and I began planning a trip to New Orleans via train. It was supposed to be a trip to celebrate Michael graduating from his Master’s program. Unfortunately, his class schedule got changed around, and he has one class to do after the wedding.
Still, we weren’t going to cancel a trip just because of that.
This week we’re traveling via train from Washington, DC to New Orleans, then New Orleans to Chicago, and finally, Chicago back to DC again. We’re taking sleeper cars for all the legs of the trip – which is probably Michael’s (and mine, to a lesser extent) preferred way to travel. We get fed, sleep in comfortable beds, and best of all, don’t have to deal with US airports, which are a nightmare.
For me, I get concentrated stitching time while we are on the train. I’m well on my way to finishing the second sock for a design I’m under contract for – the pattern is mostly written also.
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| The Quarter Stitch |
Among the sights we’re taking in New Orleans, we visited The Quarter Stitch, a LYS in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
It’s a sweet small store – beautiful light. They’d changed locations since the last time I visited them 5 years ago – but they have a very similar selection of yarns. Many purples, greens and golds – nearly the colors of New Orleans, especially around Mardi Gras time. Some solid workhorse yarns good for beginners, and then some hand dyed yarns – like Mountain Colors and Malibrigo.
The Quarter Stitch is interesting, because unlike a lot of other yarn stores, I think they rely on more tourist traffic than a typical yarn store. As such, their selection is geared much more toward impulse buying and small projects – I would be hard pressed to find enough yarn for a something larger than a shrug. Still, it was a treat to have a yarn store close enough to the tourist part of the city that I could go there while also exploring the rest of the Quarter.
Totem
The official description: To work with the color shifts of handpainted yarn, Totem uses a type of slipped stitch in a geometric pattern that resembles the monumental cedar sculptures. A lateral braid creates the illusion of knit stitches rotated 90°.
Published in: Sockupied, Spring 2013
Craft: Knitting
Category: Feet / Legs → Socks → Mid-calf
Published: January 2013
Yarns suggested: Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock
Yarn weight: Fingering / 4 ply (14 wpi)
Gauge: 39 stitches and 52 rows = 4 inches
Needle size: US 1½ – 2.5 mm
Yardage: 430 – 600 yards (393 – 549 m)
Sizes available: 5 3/4, 7 1/2, 8 3/4″ circumference and 8 1/2, 10 1/4, 11 3/4″ long
This pattern is available for download for $7.99.
FINISHED SIZE 5¾ (7½, 8¾)” (14.5 19, 22 cm) foot circumference and 8½ (10¼, 11¾)” (21.5 26, 30 cm) long from back of heel to tip of toe; to fit women’s U.S. shoe size 6½ (8½, 10½). Socks shown measure 7½” (19 cm).
Notes: To accommodate a deep heel or high instep, you may choose to add additional stitches before the heel in the mini-gusset section, then decrease them in the purl column in the beginning of the leg.
If your foot circumference is larger (or smaller) than your ankle circumference, you may cast on more (or fewer) stitches in the foot section and decrease (or increase) as needed in the columns of knit stitches that divide the front and back of the sock.
Debating if the pattern is right for you? Got questions? This is the place to ask them!
Totem is Out!
About 15 minutes ago I was taking a break from working on writing a pattern for Sockupied that will be coming out in the Fall.
I was scrolling through my Google Feed reader when I came across this post on Knitting Daily. I’m going through the article when I notice the socks – and my first thought is, huh. I made a pair of socks in that colorway (by Three Irish Girls). Then I go… oh wait… that IS my pattern!
Totem, I’m happy to announce, is out. You can buy it on the Interweave website, and it’s a true steal. And it’s on the cover of Sockupied! (They’re the red ones, seen to the right.)
In the upcoming days I’ll be talking a little bit about the inspiration for Totem, early iterations, the design process for this sock, and a variety of other things!
Have you looked at the new Sockupied yet? Anything you see in the magazine that you’d like to work up?
Yarn Bowl and Ripping
This MLK weekend Michael and I went home to his parents. The trip was threefold: we wanted to exchange Christmas gifts with his family, Michael needed to do some work for his father’s company, and I needed to meet with the wedding photographer for wedding photos. It was going to be a really packed weekend.
There were some great highlights to the weekend: I had a lot of fun with Michael’s mother and Michael’s family friend and neighbor (Sue). We met with the photographer to do studio shots, and then went to the church that Michael’s parents help build for some “location” shots. It was great. We also worked on a surprise that I can’t talk about much more, because Michael might see. We also did some great wedding planning with Michael’s parents, Sue and her husband Larry. It was lovely.
There were also some real lows to the weekend. I had a lot of nervousness about making sure my dress was ready and getting ready for the photos. Doing hair and makeup is not my strong suit, and in previous occasions I’ve always had the luxury of having a room-mate, my mother or my sister available to help me. (Or basically do it for me.) I can style my hair, but nothing fancy. I really spent a lot of time stressing about all those details before the photo-shoot and it culminated in a bit of an emotional meltdown the morning of taking photos. I ended up crying, which only distressed me more (because my eyes are getting red and face blotchy). Michael managed to talk me down, and I was able to turn it around, but it was quite a bit of a low point.
Also, on the train ride home I managed to realize that my math was REALLY off for the sock design I’m working on right now. It involves slipped stitch cables, which really draws the fabric in tight. After getting a few inches into the ankle, I gave the sock a REALLY hard look, and decided I had to put the stitches for the afterthought heel on a holder so I could try on the sock. The sock didn’t even get over my heel.
So… Rip rip rip went the entire weekend’s work.
Not a great feeling.
I came home really sulking about the need to rip. Michael and I began unpacking, and that’s when my mood began to lift. One of the things to come out of our suitcase was two Christmas gifts. One, the yarn bowl that you see at the beginning of the post. Sue gave it to me, and it was a lovely gift. A yarn bowl is something I’ve been wanting (we’ve had them at The Yarn Spot), but couldn’t justify buying for myself. The one Sue gave me is lovely – SO my colors.
The second gift? It involves a story. Michael’s family is big on doing slideshows when they get together to share what has been happening in each others lives. I love the tradition, both because I get to show off my photography, and because I like sharing our adventures. When Michael and I went to Assanteague I took a picture as we watched the sunrise. When we showed it to Michael’s parents it apparently left an impression. For Christmas they had it printed and framed for me. It meant a lot – that they would treat my photography as something worthy of being framed and shown off.
So I guess you gotta take the highs with the lows – and hold the highs in your mind and let the lows go. Meanwhile, I’ll be knitting.
Moving On and Changing Focus
When I was younger I used to get the most awful growing pains. Often they would come at night and leave me tossing and turning as I tried to find a position that would work so that I wouldn’t feel the pain. Luckily, like most children, I grew out of the pain (and my clothes!) and settled into my new skin. But I still remember those wakeful nights.
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| Classes at The Yarn Spot |
I’ve been kept up with another type of growing pain these last few weeks – as I’ve come to face that the time Tinking Turtle needs to grow, and the time has to come from somewhere, and I have only so many hours in the day. It is with bittersweet feelings that I’ve come to the conclusion that I can no longer fit working at The Yarn Spot into my weekly routine. I need to focus my energy on the great things I have planned for my business. It is not fair to The Yarn Spot that I work for them while my brain is somewhere else.
It would be remiss of me to not mention how much The Yarn Spot has done for me – letting me develop and hone my teaching style, helping me make connections in the industry and teaching me about many of the different things that go on behind the scenes of running a Yarn Retail Business. Thank you very much to Victoria and Marianne for giving me so many different opportunities – and for being very forgiving when I made mistakes.
The Yarn Spot is most graciously hosting a party in honor of this transition at the store. It will be occurring on January 31st from 4-6 pm. I hope you can make it!
Mom’s Bowl of Fruit
I thought I had written about the other present I made for Christmas, until it was pointed out to me that I actually had not. This set of gifts comes with a story.
My mother is a registered Dietary Nutritionist, and she’s constantly looking for ways to engage her clients and classes and demonstrate healthy eating. When we were younger and the food pyramid had just come out, McDonald’s released little toys in the shape of fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, bread, etc. to support the release of the food pyramid. She had the whole neighborhood scouting out the toys so she could get the whole collection. Over the years we’ve gotten her stuffed animals from Ikea in the shape of vegetables and fruit and other things. However, lately her demo toys have become quite ragged, and some of them broken. After a none-too-subtle hint that she’d like some new toy fruit to use, I took up the challenge to create my mother a super-awesome bowl of fruit and veggies.
What did I make her? Well, I needed a good selection, and I wanted ones that were both iconic, and some that were harder to find (IE: don’t come in your typical plastic toy selection for children) I made her: an apple, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, cherries, pomegranate, peas in a pod, and a little set of cherries. She was really excited.
I love giving things I make to my mother. On Christmas day she was wearing one of the pairs of socks I made for her nearly two years ago. She takes good care of the items I make for her, follows the washing directions, and knows how much time each of them takes me. Like most mothers, she also treasures them the same way she treasures the holiday ornament made out of marshmallows when I was three – important and precious not only because they are lovely in themselves, but because her children made them. Inspired by my mother, I’m hoping to make a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables this year – a series of patterns so that anyone can have cute vegetables where they need them. I just got to do some more testing – some of the ones I made for my mother are great and could be written up and published within the month… others, I need to take some time to think about them.
In Conversation with Michael
Me: *wanders into the bathroom to brush teeth and see that Peake is playing with the drops coming out of the shower* “Michael, Peake’s still playing with the yarn droplets, and he’s all wet.”
Michael: Yarn Droplets?
Me (confused): Yarn droplets coming out of the shower.
Michael: Yarn Droplets?
Me: Yarn droplets.
Michael: Don’t you mean water droplets?
Me: *Blinks* Oh, yeah.
My brain just completely switched the word for water for yarn. To be fair, I’m working on a design that has to do with water right now, and is in a waterish color, and I’d spent the last hour knitting and meditating on the intersection of water and land – yarn and water were kinda already twined in my mind.
But I’m kinda glad that it’s Michael who shares my space. He has 5 years figuring this stuff out.
Rosemary’s Hedwig
I realized that I had never gotten pictures of the Christmas gifts I made for everyone up – I had to keep them a secret because well… I wanted them to be a surprise.
Rosemary, my sister, this year got a crochet Hedwig. I’ll quote my notes from my Ravelry project page directly, because I think it says my thoughts about the project well:
Heavily modified Nelson the Owl from Fresh Stitches, almost so that I wouldn’t call it the same pattern.
Different stitch count on body (made body taller and less squat), different stitch count on head, I didn’t do the color changes, sized up the wings, improvised my own feet so that there were toes, no ears, made eyes slightly different. Basically, only thing not changed was the nose. Changed the colors to reflect a snowy owl, made body white, didn’t do the color changes on the belly, embroidered little “ends of feathers” onto body after crocheting, made an improvised set of feet with bobbles turned inside out.
I still think Hedwig looks funny without ear tufts, but since snowy owls don’t really have ear tufts, that’s fine. She reads as a snowy owl, so I guess that’s all that is needed.
Rosemary was happy with it, and all told the project probably only took me at most, probably 5 or 6 hours all told. And that was mostly because I was being fiddly with things, and ripped back a few times to adjust. I also was fiddly with the seaming, so that took longer. I still think it came out crooked, but don’t tell my sister that – Rosemary has a “thing” about objects being symmetrical and I already had to convince her the eyes really WERE the same size.
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