Week of 11/7: Customer Projects

First up are two completed Arsenic and Old Lace Afghans, one from Corina in the Netherlands and the other from a new friend, Mellane Blevins.  Mellane made hers larger and put a simpler picot border on (which I love).  It is over the sofa in her living room and the family loves it.  I received her email this morning and it absolutely made my day.  Please keep sending photos…they thrill me!

 

Mellane Blevins Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan...beautiful!

 

Corina's Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan...love it and the kitty!!!

 

Lourdes is using OPERA to make Bella's Mittens and they are sparkly and lovely.

 

The back of Lourdes' Aran Vest...I think I need to make one of these.

 

Suzy's newest sweater adventure in Fair Isle.

 

Suzy used short rows to shape the shoulders and then grafted them together. Perfection!

 

Suzy's Juniper Moon Farms fair Isle Sweater...on hold until the former sweater is completed.

 

Beautiful slippers made in Cascade Fixation.

 

Schaefer Yarn's Anne in the newest colorway: Jane Austen. I am knitting Merope, by Rosemary Hill, at Martha's suggestion. It is a great pattern and the repeats are easy to follow.

 

Evelyn A. Clark's Prairie Rose shawl...back in production now that I found the pattern.

 

a bicycle covered in pink crochet!

 

Completed Sock #1 of Jamie's first sock design...she did it all by herself!!! Yay!

 

There is also a great new cowl on the Purl Soho website.  This is a free download and I love the design.  Take care and stay Light!  loads of love and light,  Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn

 

 

 

Romi Hill’s 7 Small Shawls eBook Customer Projects WildLife

Rosemary Hill’s eBook, a mere 101 pages, titled: 7 Small Shawls should be more aptly titled: Potato Chips and Pistachios–bet you can’t stop at just one.  In the last 10 days, admittedly stuck inside with asthma, I knit three of her lace creations.  No end is reasonably in sight…I catch myself mentally scrolling through my stash, trying to decide which yarn would best suit which shawl.  I am hoping to do one of each of the shawls for a display for the studio…besides the ones I intend to have on hand as gifts and for my own greedy yarn-lust-lover-of-all-things-knit.  The rib stitch in Alcyone is just begging me to turn it into a cardigan for this winter.  I have only 15 rows remaining of Celaeno, which is knit out of an old skein of Opal…I had empty needles and was in a hurry.  Today, I even got to work one row of Martha’s Merope…so totally hooked.

The patterns in this collection are well-thought out and in both written and charted instructions.  Ms. Hill uses — AND I LOVE THIS — one symbol to mean one thing.  When I am tired, I don’t have to ponder which side of the shawl I am on…I just follow her CLEARLY CHARTED DIRECTIONS.  Besides being fun and “hideously addictive” (and that was meant in a completely POSITIVE sense), these patterns are also a lace-knitting education that has me asking myself, what is my “lace point of view”…if I wanted to design lace, where would I be coming from?  I am completely inspired and filled with knitting wonderlust.  Kudos to Rosemary Hill…you are a fine designer and I am enjoying this journey very much.  Here are some photos from today:

I am at my son's football practice blogging. This is the gestalt view of Celaeno over the steering wheel.

close-up view of a flower at the edge of this shawl...a beautiful Estonian stitch which Romi Hill has transformed into a quatrefoil. Brilliant!

close-up of a leaf in Martha's Merope Shawl being done in Abstract Fiber's Black Opal.

Kathy is halfway through her Lady Jane shawl (my design)...which is edged with lace as you go...no top edge to do later. This is Koigu but the colors did not photograph true...my cell phone is feeling bright today.

This morning’s class was attended by both Suzy and Debbie.  Suzy is hard at work on her Vitamin D sweater (by Heidi Kirrmaier) and it is beautiful.  Debbie completed her cotton summer cardigan and we proceeded (with ease) to the next steps of Franklin Habit’s Giovannina shawl.  Here are photos of Debbie’s completed sweater:

Debbie lengthened the pattern and it is very flattering.

Debbie chose to lengthen the sleeve to just below her elbows and it looks perfect.

It took me all day to create just the initial pile of yarn to take with me to Sock Summit ’11 for my classes and to choose which projects I wanted to bring along.  You know, even with that marketplace and all those vendors, I could run out of something to knit and that would be a disaster (said tongue in cheek).  Packing books for trips used to be this challenging too before the advent of the Kindle.  Tonight I hope to spread it all out on my bed and make some choices.  Honestly.  Mostly I am torn between working on “Tina’s Sweater” and Romi’s shawls…and I am not yet ready to decide.  My usual “one-in-every-color” tactics are not helping with this situation either.  PFAD (an no I will not translate).

We had a local tragedy…a barn burned down fast and hot.  Martha, an equine vet, was there to help and wound up rescuing her newest baby, Phoenix the black cat.  There are lots of other animal photos today…here is the cuteness:

Phoenix is about 6 weeks old and too cute.

this is a zeeboo...

Jamie sent us these photos...a Zeeboo is a miniature bull...similar size to a small goat named Mimi.

Nikkers gets his purr on.

Sputters watches over Brian playing video games.

Chris sent a photo of the ocean and said she saw dolphins today for the first time all summer:

Just an early FYI:  we are starting a new way to raise funds for great charities this year.  With the help of some of our knitters and donations from some of the suppliers of Summit Yarn, we will be raffling off ($5 a ticket) handknit items each month.  The first item is from yarn donated by Donna McGranahan of Skacel Yarns:  a beautiful skein of Filigran called:  Indian Summer.  Martha will be knitting this up into a medium sized shawl which she and I are creating together  with inspiration from Rosemary Hill.  Stay tuned.  Here is a photo of the yarn:

yummmmmmmmm.....Thank You Donna McGranahan and Skacel Knitting!!!

Today is the first football practice with full pads, and so in accordance with prevailing custom you are being subjected to my proud-parent photos:

Brian in full football pads and his father just glowing with football pride!

what can I say...I put the local orthopod on speed dial.

with love, light and total unimpeachable excitement about going to SOCK SUMMIT ’11,  Mary Ellen

go…go get your knit on!!!  xoxox

 

Sunday Photoessay

Have been laying low…still wheezing with the humidity and pollen.  I have three stars on every level of Angry Birds Seasons and knit two shawls this week.  Almost done crunching numbers for the new baby sweater pattern.  Want a chocolate milkshake more than Tina Newton ever wanted beer o’clock.  Am grateful beyond all measure for the ability to have unlimited texting because trying to speak just makes me wheeze more.  Martha has been keeping me company quite a bit…God Bless.

Here is a photo of the shawl, Alcyone, also by Romi Hill (in her 7 Small Shawls eBook which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND):

ALCYONE, by Romi Hill...I began knitting this with a stockinette background. Did 100 rows and decided what I liked best about this was the rib texture. Frogged and am now happy as a clam. Will wash and block this tonight.

 

Martha finished Asterope. This is done in Aisling Yarns sock yarn and took only one skein. Also by Romi Hill/7Small Shawls. Did I mention I HIGHLY recommend this ebook?

 

I also have the Colfax Shawl on needles.  I woke up to the yarn for that, 600 plus yards of Jaeger Spun Zephyr (merino silk) scattered to the four corners of my room.  Since it was in the BOTTOM of my purse with a ton of stuff on top and right next to my head that night, I have no idea how I slept through the noise Nikkers created making this total debacle.  He also chewed the tip of my bamboo addi.  Good thing I love him as much as I do.  I wound yarn for an hour and a half.  Then repaired the needle with a superfine nail file and clear nail polish…clear nail polish is just a gift from the Gods, don’t you think?

and here is the daily cuteness: (Nikkers and Daisy took turns napping on each other last night)

Nikkers on Daisy, both on hubby, with Whitney sleeping on his feet

 

with loads of love, light and laughter,  Mary Ellen

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Live Oak Shawlette

This pattern is the WHOLE reason I purchased the current issue of Knitscene Fall 2011.  However, now that I have had time to peruse the entire issue there are enough projects in this one issue to keep me busy for at least a couple of months (haha…if I stay awake 24 hours a day and do nothing but knit).  Really, there are at least three sweaters and two other scarves I fully intend to knit just in this one issue; making it worth much more than the purchase price.

Last night, around 11pm, I completed my version of Live Oak Shawlette.  From Cast On to Bind Off bottom edge I did actually knit it precisely as per the pattern (Donna, I am serious!).  Because I had 800 yards of yarn I did THREE (3) repeats of Chart A to lengthen the shawl, instead of just one repeat.  Doing that many repeats plus the final chart b, took a little over 600 yards of yarn (so one skein of Jaeger Spun Zephyr Silk/Wool will be enough for this shawlette).  Since I had yardage left over I knit my standard sawtooth lace edge across the top.  For the more courageous of you out there, if you do this with enough yardage, IT WOULD BE LOVELY to pick up stitches across the top edge, do one row of stockinette to make the stitch count right and THEN DO CHART B across the top edge as well.  This is a beautiful leaf edge border designed by Rosemary Hill and I cannot compliment her creativity highly enough.  I will use that beautiful leaf edge in other places in the future, like maybe the edge of a sweater, or the cuff edge of a toe-up sock.

Here are the numbers as I knit the scarf:

The beginning of the scarf and two repeats of chart a took about 400 yards of yarn.

Through three repeats took about 520 yards of yarn,

and through the end of chart b took about 630 yards of yarn.

After edging the top, as I shared earlier, I still had enough remaining yarn to keep in my stash for an emergency bind off of some future scarf.  I used FINDLEY, a new merino/silk laceweight yarn from Juniper Moon Farms, which will be arriving here in late August.  We will be having an open house to highlight this new yarn, with samples already made in each of the different types of this yarn.  The Open House will be in the afternoon-into-evening of Monday, September 26th.  You are all welcome to attend, so please put this important date on your calendars.

close-up of the expanded lace section of Live Oak, by Romi Hill

 

close-up of the top edge of my version of this shawl -- I used the same edge as in WHIPPED

 

shawl before blocking...note cats circling in the background...!

 

I am casting on the COLFAX SHAWL By Angela Tong next, in Zephyr, in a deep claret color.  More on this in future posts!  The UPS man (Andy) just came with the yarn for a new sweater design I have in mind and copies of Cat Bordhi’s Zebra Sock Pattern.  The pattern is beautifully done with great detail…no too much…just right.  If you are interested in learning her new heel with a minimal financial investment, then this is the pattern for you!  I also have the yarn for the Zebra Socks in stock waiting, if that is the version you would like to knit.  Just let me know!

and your daily dose of cuteness…this is how I woke up:

Nikkers and Sinfonia to my right....

 

Sputters to my left (Smidgen was sunbathing in the window)...

 

with love, light and laughter always,  Mary Ellen (stay HYDRATED in this heat folks…and pass the word along!)

XOXOX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reality Check: It is JUST sticks and string folks

Maybe I am getting old and soft, but I am of late really struck by the amount of suffering there is in this world.  There seem to be two kinds:  the unavoidable suffering life is going to shoot at us no matter what we do to be good and follow the rules (or not), and then the self-inflicted suffering that most of us are completely unaware we are even inflicting upon ourselves.  Whether or not you believe in destiny, karma or fate, there are things that are going to happen to us, things that challenge the fiber of our souls deeply…and these things can not be avoided.  Every single human being has to deal with tragedies of some sort…everybody has a story.  The minute we assume somebody has a perfect life, we fall into the pit of stupid assumptions.  Everybody has a story.  Not everybody deals with their story.

I notice many knitters take out their baggage on their knitting.  Whether there has been a recent argument, or a long-standing frustration that comes up with the struggle of learning something new, knitting often takes the hit for issues that run deeper.  This is when I pull out my old saw:  KNITTING IS JUST STICKS AND STRING.  Knitting does not have a personal agenda towards you, it is indifferent.  If it frustrates you, put it in a ziploc baggy and put it away from yourself.  Then go knit on something easy.  Let yourself complete something you know how to do.  Give yourself the gift of that feeling of completion, of “I can do this!”.  Later, when life’s bumps have smoothed themselves over, go find a LYS and take a lesson.  Allow yourself to be a student and to be taught.  Learn to PRACTICE not PERFECT.  Most often, it is our own inherent need for perfectionism that trips us up and gets in our way, impeding our progress.  How do I know?  I am an absolute moron and a complete type A personality.  I have been there, done that, continue to do that, and have the tee shirt.  Have faith and compassion for yourself.

Just "LET IT GO" is the best and most useful advice I ever received. Not good at letting things go? Go find a pebble and throw it into a creek, river or lake. Send all the angst you feel with that pebble. Note: I said pebble not boulder.

 

I got the go ahead yesterday to get the new baby sweater pattern I designed for TNNA, written up for Frog Tree Yarns.  I have almost completed the smallest (newborn size), and have one already knit in the 18 month size.  I would like to have sizing available through a 30″ chest…so will be crunching numbers for the next couple of weeks and then test-knitting to make sure I got it right.  Stay Posted.

Live Oak Shawlette:  This is a wonderful knit.  Rosemary Hill is a great designer and what I especially like is that she charts using one symbol to mean just one thing.  She is straightforward and her knits are a pleasure.  I am in the final three rows of this shawlette.  I did extend it and will post the numbers for yardage and final measurements once I have it on the ironing board blocking (tonight hopefully).  The issue of Knitscene Fall 2011 is really worth the purchase price and I urge you to go get a copy ($7.99 for the whole magazine).  If, however, you only want the patttern for the shawlette, I think you can probably buy it online from Interweave on their website…single patterns are usually available that way.  Here is a photo from earlier today:

I love the texture inherent in this particular lace and would love to see this done in Elsbeth Lavold's Silky Wool!

 

This is how I began today:  fresh strawberries from my son’s garden in my oatmeal…YUM!

and your wildlife for the day:  first up, Donna Arnold sent in a photo of baby birds waiting in their nest for their mom:

I think this is in Donna's yard.

 

Nikkers takes a rare bath on Gary's lap.

 

Sputters loves his Papa.

 

and last, and my favorite:  catnip induced high leads to tangled cats:

with love, light and a reminder to

remember to laugh out loud whenever the chance presents itself!,

Mary Ellen

 

 

 

 

Smell The Flowers

my son's grouping of annuals in his experimental garden at the studio

 

When we pull into the lot at the studio every morning it makes me smile to pull up in front of the fullness of these beautiful flowers.  My son fusses over them first thing and then again when we get back from lunch.  Now that the weather is hotter, we are going to have to stop by on our off days as well to make sure things don’t get wilty.  We had a gentle rainstorm this morning; I could hear it on the roof before I got up.  There were still little drops caught in some of the flowers and on the leaves.  Here is my favorite picture from today of this:

flowers cupping drops of this morning's rain

 

We had the weekly gathering of The Omigami Heart Tribe.  I think with this full moon our hearts are feeling a little tender with memories of people we have had to part with sooner than we planned.  We still had a great time.  Both Ardis (aka Carol) and Lisa were knitting on the Simple Triangle Goddess Stitch shawl I published sometime in one of June’s blogs about Noro yarn.  When I find it again I will turn in into a pdf so we can all enjoy it…it turns out to be fairly popular here at Summit Yarn.  Lisa is using the last of the Lace Weight Noro and Ardis is using Noro Silk Garden Sock.  They like the pattern because it is versatile and also easy to work on in a social setting…meaning you can talk, knit and not mess up…always a plus.  Lourdes is busy at work on GIOVANNINA  and we are all setting our sights on Franklin Habit’s newest, Anna for August.  Debbie was woefully absent, but making good money…so we missed her but we understand.  YOU GO GIRL!  Be sure to be here next week though…that’s when we start our magic loop sock club kits together.

Skacel's Multitonal Filigran...the yarn GIOVANNINA calls for ( I have the same green Franklin knit it in if you are interested).

 

Lourde's shawl so far...I love the smooth transitions of color in this yarn. This way the lace stitch is not lost in the varying color tones.

 

I spent the morning and lunch alternating between the final rows of the baby blanket for Frog Tree Yarns in the ever beautiful Pediboo and Uncle Dude’s Chemo Cap, also in Pediboo…bright orange to help keep him feeling cheery.  Lisa and Lourdes both brought goodies.  Lourdes brought Brian, my son, plants for his garden…yellow seedum and lungwort.  We are taking these home to our secret robin paradise garden today.  We have a spot just for them and some garden art to mark them.  Lisa brought a basket full of goodies for dinner tonight…eggs, lettuce, basil, swiss chard, blueberries ( I feel a crumble coming on…) and a beautiful vase of fresh cut flowers.  The flowers are right here next to me.  LISA:  did you notice the one coneflower is the exact color of Dream in Color Smooshy you got last week?  Love that color.  Here are photos:

Garden Dinner Basket...YUM!

 

One of many photos I took of this flower arrangement. I am going over to Lisa's this week and hope to spend some time in her garden with my camera. Her garden is a living art exhibition and I love being there.

 

After lunch today, Brian and I went out and dead-headed the flowers and strawberries where it was needed.  The sunflowers are amazing and prolific.  The bees are loving them at noontime each day.  We have more blooms on the way.  The Swiss Chard is recovering from The Chard Bandit (I hope you choke on that…you know who you are).  We are already planning next year’s garden and electric fence.

Sunflowers at Summit Yarn thanks to Brian Langieri and his green thumb.

 

If you are on Ravelry and would like a FREE PATTERN TODAY:  Go to the BABY BOWS CAP (search on the Pattern Page).  It is adorable and unisex.  The stitch pattern makes it interesting to knit and I plan to make a couple to take to Sock Summit for the baby shower.

Other items of interest on Ravelry:

>Stephen West is starting a KAL on August 1st.  You can purchase the pattern for $4 (or later for $6).  I plan on playing along and will be posting here about the KAL.  Join in the fray!  I am sure there will also be a KAL page on Ravelry for this and you should absolutely follow that as well.

>Franklin Habit’s newest (and I think best ever) shawl will be released for sale sometime in August.  It is dedicated sweetly to his mother, Anna.  Go to his blog:  The Panopticon Blog to check out photos of this creation.

>Rosemary Hill:  IS A LACE GENIUS.  Period.  The End.  She is to lace what Hanne Falkenberg is to sweaters.  I read over all the posted projects for ALCYONE last night and nobody mentioned the incredible architectural feat she did in this shawl.  Martha just knit it and I posted a photo yesterday and she did not mention THIS THING.  ROMI used short rows in a way I have not encountered before; sure there are no “wrap and turns” or “unwraps”  but the real genius goes way beyond this in how she concealed the short rows.  No.  That is all I am going to say.  You simply must go check this out for yourself if you care at all about your lace education.  I am enthralled.  Thank You Romi Hill!

>Cat Bordhi has also released her first eBook and it is splendiferous (a Tigger reference here is more than apropriate).  This book has both her newest heel architecture AND some new ideas about short rows she invented this past winter.  Again, she is one of just a few knitting architecture GURUS and if this is an area of knitting that interests you…then read everything she has written.  You will be glad.  Her gift is knowing how to get into that quiet place of stillness in her heart and actually listen to it.  Hard to do in the middle of a fast paced life.  Her blog is wonderful and a beckoning hand to help us all feel that same inner peace.  Just Google Cat Bordhi and her home page will appear.  Go there and read her blog.  My favorite blog is the one where she describes a meeting between a large river otter and an unsuspecting deer.

>If you write a blog, treat yourself.  Go to the stats page and click on some of the people who have read your blog…even if the address seems unlikely.  I clicked on “typestatting.blogspot.com” yesterday and discovered a wonderful knitting blog quite by accident; great photos and great vibes to revel in.

>Finally, Debbie has just texted me:  the Free Triangle Shawl pattern was posted within the text of my blog on JUNE 8TH of this year.  THANK YOU DEBBIE!

Take care and look for a new page to appear soon at the top of this blog just for the pets of Summit Yarn.  Nikkers has discovered the cat in the iPad and the phone and it is hilarious.  Will upload those photos for you soon!

with love, laughter and radiant healing light,  Mary Ellen

 

Summer Inventory Reductions Sale

Selected yarns are being marked down every day from now through the end of the summer to make way for new Fall Surprises.  This week we are beginning by marking all Debbie Bliss yarns 50% off suggested retail price, as well as marking the Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool/Silky Tweed BuyOneGetOne Half Off.  There is more to come so be sure to stop in frequently as the specials will be changing.  Spread the Word!  xox

I am almost done with the Heirloom Baby Blanket for Frog Tree Yarns…only a few inches left to go on this remarkable reversible and elegant Christening Blanket.  They will be receiving a big box from me this week, with new swatches, a pink sheep and a sample Fauxberry Scarf.

I read through Cat Bordhi’s new eBook and it is awesome.  What I like best were the FIT DIRECTIONS; so no matter the size or shape of your foot there is a fit specific for you.  It is well illustrated and I am just plain excited to knit those adorable zebra socks…for myself.

Other eBooks that bear looking into are customer favorites at Summit Yarn:  The Small Shawls by Rosemary Hill.  She has completed Year One, which was based on the Pleiades and is taking subscriptions for Year Two, based on the Nine Muses. Year two will have seven shawls but there are promised designs for every one of the Muses.  All of these eBooks can be found on Ravelry.

Take care and enjoy these sunny days!  with love, light and laughter, Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn