The knitting tree

Okay - so I guess I'm in the knitting slash holiday decorating mood!

I made a knitting ball wreath (no pics yet as I need to still hot glue gun it together) - and had some left over knitting balls.  I have this tree in the family room that has small knitted items.  I also have antique doll house chairs on it along with antique suitcases and teddy bears.  Well - I suddenly had the urge to place the left over yarn balls on this tree to add more color.  Then I grabbed my moms ancient metal knitting needles that comes in the most beautiful colors and sporatically stuck them in the tree.  I must say, I'm loving it!  I'm afraid that I may not be done with this knitting/holiday decorating mania!

How does a knitter decorate for the holidays

How else but by knitting scarves for the mugs!

I actually got this idea from a very old Bon Appetit magazine.  They were featuring a small town in up in the mountains of France (Chamonix, I believe...and I have been there so it caught my attention).  Years later, World Market ended up selling these mugs scarves (lucky me!) so I bought what they had and knit up the rest myself. 

To knit up these scarves, I recommend sock weight yarn on a size 1 needle.

CO10 sts for a flat scarf - working up a small 1x1 rib along each edge until scarf measures 17 1/2" long.  

If you want to mimic the store bought scarf:

CO20 sts and join in the round. 

Knit until scarf measures 17 1/2".  BO all sts, add fringe to each side -- approx. 1 1/2" long (cut 3" lengths).

Block well to prevent curling.  

If desired, embrodiery candy canes, Xmas trees or snowflakes on one end of the scarf.

It may be alot of work - but it is so worth it.  I have had these scarves for at least 10 years and I don't feel festive until I drink my coffee out of a scarf laden mug!

Cheers!

Photo shoot on.....THRUMMING!

Gee, I think this makes "thrumming" the longest lived story on my blog to date!  I know you are tired of this - but  I just finished a photoshoot and have to share the latest photos.  After this, it gets published and I'm done blogging about it.  I promise!

  So....keep in mind that I stuck a nursing mamma to a newborn in a size small vest - and she still looks damn good!

 Love this pose - love how photogenic she is.  Did I mention how much I love this collar?????  www.opulentfibers.com is where I got the merino/silk blend roving. 

Yup....more thrumming

I know, I know...once I get onto a technique, I run with it until I can run no more.  Well -  I have all this excess roving sitting around and I am trying to use up my stash so I can justify this addiction.

I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun in hot pink and I made the buttons by creating a simple bobble with the roving and yarn held together.  Size shown is a 2T and took 1 1/2 skeins (approx. 175 yds of super bulky 1-ply wool).  Pattern will be written in toddler to size 8 years. 

I now have a skein left of each color or there abouts and left over roving too...oh no, I may have to make matching something!

Thrummed Outer Vest

After making 2 of the Outer Vests for my trunk shows, I finally found the time to make one for myself.  I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun yarn, color "Sable" and the roving is from www.Opulentfibers.com .  The roving is a wool/silk blend, color "Nut".

This vest was taking too long to dry so I put it in the sun.  Well - the cat found both the sun and the cozy vest to snuggle up with - pins and all.  He's known for chewing on feathers and fur so I was worried that he might have gotten his mouth on my thrummed collar.  Thankfully, it didn't appear to be wet.  I'll be adding the leather toggles to it as soon as it dries - then I'm wearing it!  It's getting quite chilly here and I'm excited to pair up this vest with some jeans tucked into some brown boots with a turtleneck. 

Fibers Fusion Northwest

This weekend was the first annual Fibers Fusion Northwest Expo.  I was fortuneate enough to be invited to teach Twining and alongside my class was a drop spindle class going on. 

 This event was a plethora of fluff and color!  Definitely more of a spinners world than a knitters world -- but that didn't stop me from finding treasures to purchase!



My  caramel roving is one of the colors in the top center of the picture



I found some roving that was a mix of wool and silk in the warmest and richest caramel color that I plan on using on a thrummed vest for myself.  I think it will be gorgeous!

Thees fibers came from http://http://www.opulentfibers.com/  out of Portland and I was instantly drawn to her color pallettes. 

 

After the class was over, the class coordinator gave me the most beautiful hank of yarn (pictured below).  I was more excited for the unexpected hank of yarn than I was for the check!   It was such a warm thing to do and exactly my colors!  

You may find your favorite hank at her etsy shop:

http://www.saukedinfarm.etsy.com/



color way is Peanut Butter and Jelly and the photo doesn't do the colors justice.  Gold tones through out with a splash of grape jelly

I look forward to going back next year - and maybe this time, taking a drop spindle class!



Loving this design!!!!!!!!

OMG-----I am all over this new design!  Still need to finish up the final touches....but I couldn't stand to wait any longer to reveal this new design!  The collar is thrummed using black roving.  I thrummed both sides of the collar where as the natural colored vest below was only thrummed on 1 side.  By thrumming both sides, it gives the allusion of fur!  And it is way too cute on as well.  Knit out of Brown Sheep Burley Spun on a size 15 needle basically took me a couple of evenings to complete and less than 3 skeins for this size M vest. 

The thrumming here is thinner and only on 1 side of the collar giving it a more natural fleece collar.

Pattern has length options from cropped as seen here to just below the belt as pictured above.  Just depends on whether you like your belt and your shirt tail to show or if you like it covering the entire beltline.  Vest is knit in 1 piece with a faux seam - hence, no seaming which is bulky when using such fat yarns.  I am even thinking that you could add a single thin row of roving around the armhole edge to create the look of a fur-lined vest.

This has been such a fun design to create.  I need to knit this up in children's sizes as well--which should be 1 skein of Burley Spun.