Chronicles of the Lazy Knitter
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Chronicles of the Lazy Knitter

Bag A New Friday Freebie!

I've been thinking about quick-knit projects lately, thus the previous Friday Freebies on scarves. Today I'm presenting patterns that can produce a beautiful but practical  year-'round-useful item: a basic bag that can be dressed up or dressed down, felted (or not, if you prefer, but felting adds a great deal of strength and durability), dyed or knit in any range of beautiful colorways, appliqued, beaded, embellished, embroidered or just knit and used the way they are in the patterns! This spectacular quartet of bag patterns is from Lion Brand - and they've really aced it with this group! KUDOS to you, Lion Brand!



The PLEATED Bag



The SMOCKED Bag



The RUCHED Bag



The LOOPED Bag

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Posted by Gloria Patre at 9/3/2010 10:33 PM | Add Comment

Maxine To Brighten Your Day



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Posted by Gloria Patre at 9/1/2010 8:53 AM | Add Comment

Just A Little More Enabling


I thought I'd pass along a little heads up' on what's been going on at Wild Geese Fibres . My good friend Barb has had to allow the techies to do a little surgery on her website so it's much healthier now. What's more, she's decided to do a little fiber-related Garage Sale-ing there too, starting with some very nice spinning & knitting books and back issues of Spin Off. She has also told me she is going to start posting odd lots of yarn and fiber that are left over from the custom mill she has been dealing with. They have decided not to do private custom orders any more, just spin their own label yarns, so Barb says there's stuff from them that she's going to clear out at a nice discount.... I'm just saying.... not that I think you need more yarn, but the quality on this stuff is unbeatable. If I were you, I'd slip on over there a couple times a week for the next few weeks just to have a peek at what she's posting... might be worth your while... I'm just saying...



In other news, Barb has finally given me permission to spout off about her new book! (available at both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca ) I've known about this project for nearly 6 months now and my jaw is getting sore from having to keep my mouth shut about it! LOL!! I'm so excited, I can hardly wait to get my hands on it!! All her own original designs too - now that's mighty impressive! And if that's not enough she has - not one but TWO - knee-high sock designs out in the latest edition of Vogue Knitting magazine, Fall 2010 (not the Early Fall edition), AND in the March and April Yarn Forward magazine:  O!Ropa hat and socks! Whew! Can you say knit-your-fingers-to-the-bone for samples? I had a good laugh though, she was complaining about a hole in the handknit socks she was wearing, it made me think of the plumber's wife whose pipes always leak! Perfect for everyone else, no time for your own! ROFL!
So here's to YOU, Barb! I'm mighty proud of my fellow stubble-jumper! Well done you! Cheers all!


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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/30/2010 8:15 PM | Add Comment

More Scarves For Friday Freebie

The first Friday Freebie scarf pays homage to the traditional Ecru Aran knits that last forever and get handed down from one generation to another.


The Diane scarf from Lion Brand puts an interesting spin on the wandering cable and mimics a Calla Lily! Simple enough for a beginner to tackle yet a satisfying quick knit for the more experienced knitter! Break out the 100% Merino for this baby!



If you're looking for something a little more feminine and elaborate to knit, how about this lovely Lamina scarf from Knitty? As you can see, it's multi-tonal friendly, but I wouldn't get too carried away. I'd stick to shades of the same color so as not to take away from the lace stitches.



Last but certainly not least is the Magnolia scarf from Classic Elite. This scarf is SO classic! They knit it in a silk/wool blend and I say why not? In fact I can't think of a single yarn you wouldn't want to knit this in! It is knit in two pieces, from each end and then woven or kitchenered together in the middle - that's how you get such nice lace on both ends. Talk about your "Zen" knit! Can't you just see this thing being knit to a great length without the knitter noticing? And if you want a really terrific men's scarf,  just skip the lace ends and use the main body pattern. You'll end up with a scarf that will get worn until it actually wears out! Cheers all! Enjoy!

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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/27/2010 8:51 PM | Add Comment

Patterns From SchoolHouse Press



Recently I decided to treat myself to some patterns from SchoolHouse Press . For those of you unfamiliar with SchoolHouse, this is the home/distributor of Elizabeth Zimmerman's patterns and those of her daughter Meg Swanson. I have been a huge admirer of EZ's "Green Sweater" ever since I read the story of it in Twist Collective, and how the pattern was written after her death, working from the 60 year old sweater with no notes to guide, just the actual sweater. The daunting task was gifted to Sunday Holm and after much trial and frustration, she emerged victorious. The sweater is knit from the hem upwards in the round, right to the shoulders. Then a steek is cut, since this is a cardigan, and there is an underarm gusset and wide sleeves. It's really a marvel of knitterly engineering - but would we expect less of Elizabeth? Not to say I have the hutzpa to knit one, but even just reading the pattern through is very interesting!
I purchase her Butterfly Vest pattern, which, I think, was her first published pattern. It has in-depth photo instructions for both the pattern and several of the knitting techniques employed. I was very pleased!
I also purchased  the Box-the-Compass pullover pattern because it intrigued me. Another of those "what if we do this?" projects Elizabeth and Meg collaborated on. I just love how they go into the details of why "doing this" produces "that look".
And how could I shop there without buying a copy of her Baby Surprise Jacket with all the variations in size  for adults and children too? It's a 6 page, double sided pattern. A very good value, in my opinion!
I couldn't resist getting a few back issues of Spun Out, with patterns for the Naglar Sweater (reverse raglan), EZ's classic Shetland Shawl, the Pelerine (a sort of poncho-shawl knit in the round) and EZ's timeless directions for circular sweaters knit from the top down. Each is something I would cast on tomorrow if I didn't have some aren't-you-finished-that-yet? projects on the go right now.
Last but not least, I indulged in one DVD - the Guernsey Sweater - because I really wanted to see at my leisure, how the thing is constructed as well as those lovely pattern stitches.


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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/26/2010 9:59 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

Fiber Weekend Part 3



The third  batch of fleece I started on, but didn't get finished, is the second 1 lb lot I bought from Katrina's Wool World. It's lovely white Jacob fleece - a bit of a surprise for me as all the Jacob I've previously worked with has been dark. There is a bundle of gray that she included with it and I plan to card it into the white. It has been thoroughly washed and just needs the veg picked out. I'm hoping to get it finished soon as I'd like to get it carded it so I can spin it. There's just something about Jacob I love. True, it isn't the baby-bottom softest wool but it has so much character and I just love how it feels in my hands when I'm working with it. There's just something so fresh yet primitive about it, it just appeals to me!
So that's the last about fleece for now, I promise something different for tomorrow! Cheers!

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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/25/2010 11:14 PM | Add Comment

Fiber Weekend Part 2

Fortunately the Shetland wasn't the only thing I worked at on the weekend, granted it was the most emotional, for obvious reasons! Recently I purchased two 1-lb lots of washed fleece from Katrina's Wool World, a trustworthy Etsy shop. There was no shorting on weight here! What's more the fiber was already washed - all I had to do was pick out the veg.



This one pound lot is a wonderful Merino cross Rambouilette fleece. The tips are slightly sun bleached, which is only to be expected with a naturally black fleece. The last ram we had for our commercial flock was Rambouilette so I had a pretty good idea what to expect for the fiber. The Merino cross aspect was just a bonus! It was fine and springy like Rambo with an added dimension of softness from the Merino. I was SO pleased to handle this nice clean wool! All told there was barely a handful that was waste. I tried to get a shot to show you just how intensely curly this fiber is. I spread a bit out across my knee - it reminds me of African hair!



The best part, is that it cards out quite nicely and doesn't retain this intense curl. However, this fleece is going to get dyed before it gets carded. I'm aiming for a reddish-brown and I think it will be safest to dye it in pans in the oven. At least that's the plan for next weekend, now that it's virtually veg-free. Cheers all!

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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/24/2010 7:52 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Fiber Weekend

It's raining again so I am especially glad I spent much of my weekend outside working with fleece. I have several pounds that I decided do do myself and it's a job that really need to be done outside because of the fine veg matter and dirt.
The first job that (really) needed doing was a 1 lb bag of Shetland fleece. I bought it from an Ontario eBay seller at the same time I bought the lambswool that was no where near 1 lb. At first grab, it seemed to be fairly nice.



All I wanted to do was pull out the coarse hair and veg matter and put it into net bags to wash it. I have read that some Shetland is fine enough that the hair doesn't really need to be removed but that certainly wasn't the case with this lot! There are actually 3 grades of fiber in this: very coarse hair, fairly fine hair, and ultra-fine down. I pulled all the coarse and left about half the fine hair. The first few handfuls on top were not bad at all, not too dirty or much veg. Then I pulled out this:



And after pawing through it to find something fit to salvage, I dumped out the rest of the bag:



Maybe it doesn't show too well in the photos but this is TOTAL garbage! It is full of second cuts, ground in veg and dirt. I threw away llama fiber that was cleaner than this! I pulled and sorted for nearly 2 hours and when all was said and done this was all I was able save:



I'll eat my hat if there's 4 ounces here. I was totally disgusted! (The white bag is the garbage) To be shorted by almost half on the lambswool and then to get a pound of something only fit to be called skirting that should have been tossed, not sold. If this didn't teach me my lesson about not buying fleece on eBay, nothing will! Cheers all!



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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/23/2010 5:39 PM | View Comments (3) | Add Comment

Friday Freebies A Day Late... AGAIN!

Okay, I admit the week got away on me... who knew yesterday was Friday - really? Apparently not me! *sigh* Talk about making a long week longer! Sheesh!
So today's offerings are all fall-flavored designs. Like it or not, the nights here are getting cold and the leaves are starting to turn a bit yellow. I appreciate this is not the case for everyone, but since today's patterns are scarves, they are small enough to tote anywhere and it's never "too" early to start knitting for windy autumn evenings!



This lovely lacy beauty is the Firefly Scarf from Classic Elite yarns. Such a lovely combination of stitches and it makes a decorative end edge to boot! I say silk or buttery soft wool.... mmmm!



This next design is the Wakefield Scarf from Interweave.com. I really like this design! It is knit on the diagonal which sounds complicated but isn't. What's more it's a fairly easy combination of yarn overs for a lace-y look that's really casual-classic. Now I have to apologize for this pattern a bit. It came as a free pattern in an Interweave e-newsletter but it isn't available anywhere on their site that I could find. So, I cut and saved the pattern to my photobucket and the link will take you to it. It's a single page to print out and SO worth having! It's a Zen-type knit - the kind you memorize and then mindlessly knit away at for the catharsis...
So enjoy - and hopefully next week I'll post the freebies on time! LOL!


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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/21/2010 5:07 PM | Add Comment

Something I've Wanted For A Long Time

I've written in previous posts, how much I am enjoying knitting my Vine Yoke Cardigan by Ysolda Teague. She's one of those "think outside the box" sort of designers and in many ways, in my opinion, as innovative as Elizabeth Zimmerman, my (and millions of others') all-time favorite knitting mentor. For a very long time now I have been interested in seeing more of her patterns but there hasn't been much new on Twist from her, nor did I have any idea where else to look. In several different articles on new yarns and designers and such I read mention of her self published books, "Whimsical Little Knits, volumes 1 and 2" but I admit I never really took much notice. I mean, "whimsical" in my lexicon means things like key fob covers, Barbie doll hats, cell phone cozies and the like. Certainly nothing useful or beautiful. One of the articles in an online magazine had links to many of the designers and retailers mentioned in it, which I utilized - I mean, it's free to look, isn't it? So imagine my surprise, when cruising her site Ysolda.com , I saw some photos of the actual patterns in these books... divine little capelets, sassy hats, feminine shawls and tops, mitts, gauntlets and more! I was captivated! It was blatantly obvious her idea of whimsical and mine were chasms apart! LOL!! So I doubt I need to go into details of what happened next... Ha!
The books are a dual purchase - hardcopy as well as instant pdf download. I was astonished at how reasonable the cost was, considering they were being mailed all the way from the UK. The pdfs are nice because it means you can print out individual patterns and savage the paper if you need to, as opposed to excessively bending the books trying to photocopy them or, (heaven forbid) writing in them as you knit or some other such desecration! These little gems are full color and the photos are excellent! The only big problem I'm having now, is trying to convince myself I really SHOULD finish some of my other projects before casting on one or two delights from these books! *sigh!*




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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/20/2010 10:11 PM | Add Comment

Changes At Etsy and Other Thoughts

It's been a long time since I posted a rant, so I'm good and ready to get my teeth into this one! It seems the forums are all buzzing about the new changes at Etsy.com where so many of us have shops. I've heard the whole range from, "I hate it!" to "I love it" to everything in between! Nothing like a little change to stir people up! I actually found it rather amusing. When you think about it, it's an ideal time to implement some changes - well ahead of the holiday shopping rush so any tweaking can be done with a minimum of inconvenience to sellers and buyers. So many were moping that their "Shop Announcement" box was abbreviated to 3 lines and then put into a drop-down box but speaking as a buyer, it's sure tidied up the appearances of ALL the shops! Buyers don't come to read paragraphs and paragraphs about your latest exploits, they've come to browse and drool (hopefully) over the pictures and maybe give in to the temptation to buy something. Anything that facilitates that, in my book, is a good thing. Besides, there's already a Shop Policies section where you can put all that info and there's lots of room on the profile page (or elsewhere) to put where you're teaching your latest class or selling at a Farmer's Market or Fiber Festival.
I mean, just what is it with people and change, anyways? I would go so far as to say the majority of opinions I read didn't like the changes, yet the reasons, when you actually read them, really revolved around their inability to accept having to adjust. No one actually had any legitimate criticism, like, "such and such doesn't work properly now" or " such and such was a better was to do that" etc. it was all just emotional verbiage.
Before I get going, just let me say, I work on the internet full time. I have built and maintain several websites and run a full-time online e-commerce shop, as well as my hobby shop on Etsy, blogging, and a bit of selling on Amazon.ca and eBay. I don't begin to say that my html is up to snuff but I manage to get by. If there's one thing I KNOW about the internet it's that the only constant is change! Bigger, better, faster, are the mantras so you'd better keep your joggers on if you want to stay current and sell. If change is a problem then you might as well get off the information super-highway before you get run over because there is no bus lane here. Every time Google makes an announcement about upgrades and improvements to their Search engines you'd better be ready to rumble and get your keyboard smokin'. These whining Etsy sellers don't realize how easy they've got it - someone else is doing the optimizing for them. Someone else is doing the html-based search engine-friendly changes that keep customers coming to the shops. Good grief girls, that's why you pay fees to have a shop - and believe me - selling on Etsy is cheaper than selling on eBay (even though eBay has implemented cheaper listing fees with conditions) PLUS you get more appropriate prices for your goods and that's no small thing!
I've heard eBay described as the world's largest online flea market and I heartily agree - but - the millions of users means pretty dang good exposure, if you don't mind selling for bargain basement prices. Etsy is all about respect for handmade goods and paying more for uniqueness as well as quality. I don't care which venue you sell on, the bottom line is the same - you want to make some money selling. Just how much money depends as much on what you're selling as where. The simple reality is that every time you turn around there are going to be changes, all the time, everywhere. Those are the facts of life when selling on the internet, pure and simple. So stop sniveling and grow up a bit! Okay.... I'm done
I wanted to end on a much lighter note so I'll show you some pictures of my latest drugstore find - of all things - a llama! I just couldn't resist those provocative heavy lashed eyes!! LOL!! Cheers all!





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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/19/2010 4:40 PM | Add Comment

A Bit of This And That

Well impatience got the better of my niece so my sister cast off and let her have the log cabin square afghan. It's more like a blankie, but my sister says she can always pick up stitches on it later and add more rounds.
She has lots of chunky yarn left and once the fall comes, she's sure the afghan will come back for a size increase! In the mean time, her daughter is enjoying it and that's what really matters. I have to give her a big kudos - the corners are so tidy and the joins are virtually invisible! I really love the bright jewel colors too! It's making me feel like casting one on!




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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/18/2010 6:31 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

At Long Last - Finished!

It took much longer than I expected but I have finally completed the last 2 skeins of powder blue 4-ply cabled yarn! I can't say it's a relief because I really enjoyed spinning it. What's more I learned a lot and helped develop my technique so I'm very glad I did it. The only thing I'm really glad of is that I can move on to other colors and other weights etc. I'm definitely ready for some new fiber!



I actually managed to use ALL the singles so I don't have any odds and ends left. That felt pretty good! The larger of the two is the largest skein of all, weighing in at 325 gm and a huge 534 yards. The smaller skein is the smallest of all at only 180 gm and 270 yards. If you're not familiar with yarn proportions, ie: the relationship between weight and yardage with regards to gauge, these 2 skeins are also a slightly different yarn gauge than the others as the yarn is slightly finer - a sport weight.... again, proof that it's not easy to "come back" to some fiber and get the exact same yarn you did the first time you spun it!
So here is a statistical rundown: Final weight: 3.8 pounds (1,735 gms) of yarn over 6 skeins for a total of approx. 2,700 yards of finished 4 ply cabled yarn in a powder blue superwash wool. And I couldn't resist the final calculation: 10,788 yards of singles or 6.15 miles (!!) Whew!
 Some final observations are, that although I DID enjoy doing it, I am in no hurry to tackle a project of this size again any time soon. I learned a great deal and my spinning benefited from the practice, so much so that I am convinced I am a much better spinner now than I was before. It's an exercise I highly recommend for anyone wanting to improve their control although I suggest having loads of good movies on hand to dispel the tedium of seeing the same fiber every day! LOL! But the part I found hardest wasn't spinning the singles, it was having to ply twice. Making the deliberately overtwisted 2 ply took a long time - longer than for any other type of regular plying I've ever done - and then it was only half the job. The 2-ply had to be plied again and although it went twice as fast, there were still a lot of yards to do. I will say that the 4-ply is certainly a durable yarn, suitable for an outerwear garment like a cardigan or hoodie but it's superwash and absolutely soft enough for next-to-skin wear. A success all around, but I'm still very, very glad to be finished! Cheers all!


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Posted by Gloria Patre at 8/17/2010 7:28 AM | View Comments (2) | Add Comment
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