klimt bag

This one burns the eyes: it's a heady mix of reds, pinks, oranges and magentas, with some eye-popping gold, turquoise and yellow accents. It it warm and not at all subtle. Sometimes things take on a life of their own, a personality which dictates the direction for itself. I did the actual knitting over a year ago, and was a bit non-plussed by the final objects. It rested untouched in my UFO box for AGES, until a week ago, when I finally got myself together enough to sew it up into a bag for my niece F, who loves pink and purple (gawk), and who is the loveliest kid on wheels.

She is a teenager, so therefore quite choosy about how she adorns herself- we'll see if this graces her presence or not. It's a tough call- but I DID ask her about colors, and she gave me a very very clear, firm response of "pink and purple". Duly noted.

I lined it with some very soft silky stretch oyster colored velour (left over from a pair of palazzo pants a friend had made and passed onto me, until they got too worn in the seat and ended up in the craft-fabric bin. It's lovely stuff, but did I really ever wear these??
did they look good? It's hard to imagine- I am rather short, and long drapey light colored flowing pants do not really sound like a good idea...)

I then caged several vintage buttons from friends I am visiting. These I stacked to make the clasp, which has a velvet ribbon stitched with silk yarn to wrap around it. I am away from home, finishing this, so it is the product of improvisation and unforeseen results.
Yes Virginia,
this is another last-minute-before-Christmas-on-the-road-craft-project ...
I did my usual three-ribbon strap, a rather gaudy mix of coral Velvet, pink giant rick-rack and orange grosgrain ( Thank you local Jo-Ann fabrics in the mall!) I am not so sure about the colors, but hey, it's not for me.

The bag is knit in a soft mixture of chenille, wool, angora, metallic yarns and a few fluffy novelty bits and pieces. It is tactile to the nth degree, and the design of the big ovals was inspired by the wonderful knitting of Kaffe Fasset.
I hope that she likes it.

It’s been a mighty long time since I posted here, and many knit-related events later….

First:
Finished the hat, just in the nick of time for noel, found a candy-cane striped tube for it as well.
Blocking it- with steam iron, improved the shape almost instantly, and all of the little holes and flaws magically disappeared.
I think I came up with something festive-but-wearable, it actually looks good on, not just funny or silly.

Having accomplished this I THEN started to worry that it was too young for adorable niece Frances, who has sprouted up several feet since last I saw her
(6 months ago) and is most definitely, a young Lady now.

However-she yelped as she undid the ribbons, promptly put it on, and wore it the whole time I was in town- and not for my benefit, either, though she is pretty polite.

She even wore it when visiting with her friends, so I take it to be a hit, not a miss. And it really did look charming on her, though she could wear burlap and still look charming, could Niece Frances…

I am trying to get a photo of her in it sent over to post here.

And on my end, I hit total pay-dirt in terms of knitting x-mas gifts this year.

here’s a photo !

From D & TH.: Beautiful hand dyed, hand spun alpaca from a local Maine farm, in soft muted hues. Adobe, grey-blue, grey...

And from Anne: lovely, exquisitely soft and fine cranberry colored silk/alpaca blend, from the pacific north west- am thinking of trying out some lace with this, I have a not-too-frou-frou “pinecone” pattern I like…

From my mom:
Some sparkly, tortoise-shell mottled angora Lurex fancy fluffy stuff and a copy of Teva Durham’s Loop-de-loop!

I have been coveting that book since day one, and while in Seattle, on my way back to NYC went into the rather deluxe knit boutique “So Much Yarn” (see: http://somuchyarn.com/)
and purchased enough Debbie Bliss cashmerino chunky yarn is a delicious chocolate/violet color to make the “corrugated asymmetric vee-neck” sweater, which I am now wearing as I write this. That’s how behind I am….

I had trouble following the rather eccentric directions, but eventually got it right. I made the biggest size (and I am NOT the biggest person) because the others seemed just too tiny, but the thing stretches like a slinky, so is, in fact rather too big.
Nonetheless, I feel this pattern is an excellent combination of cozy, big and comfortable, while still being sexy and slinky. No mean feat that.

Note to self:
This is the second sweater I have made with Debbie bliss cashmerino. I am NOT allowed to buy it anymore, despite the lovely feel and texture and array of mouth-watering colors. Why? It pills almost instantly. I HATE pilling, and it attracts lint and bits of flotsam like CRAZY, so it very easily looks dirty- yech!
I need crisper, more hard-wearing yarns.

Now, with picture:

Peruvian vampire cats!!!!
I based this design on a very ancient Peruvian textile I fell in love with. It’s for a friend (to remain un-named, on the bizarre off-chance that she reads this blog), who is expecting.

I am making the wonderful “baby Yoda” wrap sweater from “dogs steal yarn” (see http://dogsstealyarn.com/, ) it’s a great pattern, very simple and adaptable. The blue ground is a very soft mystery yarn, something synthetic and very soft that knits up into a cozy, fleecy terry-like substance.
After that?
Dunno.
It doesn’t make much sense to pre-decide, since I almost never actually make what I declare I am going to.
I do have leftover cashmerino, and have been thinking about making a matching corrugated scarf for my sweater, a good idea since I wear scarves daily in the winter.
I am TRYING to make garments that I actually will wear.

Gilded Lilly.
She is almost done. I am heading to M&J this afternoon (see www.MJTrim.com )
For hardware to finish her up. She took ages because I was unhappy with what I’d come up with for straps etc. but once I wrapped this gorgeous turquoise silk velvet bow around her, and held it in place with this Murano glass bauble, I was hooked. The bag looks like a super deluxe gift and is SO much nicer than anything else I’ve seen on the market it hurts.

the photo above is truer color-wise, and below shows the Chanel-style velvet entwined chain strap...

A bit gaudy & flash perhaps, but oh baby, so shiny!

pepermint twist

Note: If your name is Niece Francie, you should not read or look at this posting as it will totally spoil your christmas surprise....

This little goodie is the stocking cap I am currently attempting to make. It is taking A LOT of wool and is very thick, and possibly too heavy to really be feasible(or pleasant) as a stocking cap.

Right now it looks more like a very snarled, potentially poisonous jelly fish, and I am gamely trying to get it done on time, but am less and less optimistic. Live and learn.Perhaps I will send it out to somewhere very cold as a charity hand-knit gift- say Afghanistan- where it's qualities and aesthetic might be better appreciated.

next time I make a stocking cap I will:

• Cast on the suggested number of stitches
• use lighterweight yarn
• use equal weight yarns
• use few colors

My devil-may-care, invent and add as you go approach has NOT worked well with this project, which was intended to be portable. Instead, I have been lugging around big bulky bags of assorted tangled candy-colored wool all week. I will post a picture of the finished item, when it finally happens....