New This Week On Ravelry

This is a long entry full of all kinds of knits for all kinds of tastes.  Most of what I put up here I notice either because I, personally would love to knit this or I hear from the Summit Yarn Knitters that they are looking for something specific.  Sometimes, the choice is just beautiful or the price is right.  OR, it is something by a favorite designer and I want you know it is available.  Feedback is especially welcome on this column because I know it can be exhausting going through all the pages each week of new patterns on Ravelry.  My one question for this week:  FRANKLIN HABIT IT IS PAST MID-AUGUST AND STILL NO TRIANGLE SHAWL…YOU KNOW THE ONE…DESIGNED IN HOMOR OF YOUR MOTHER…WE ARE WAITING IMPATIENTLY…PLEASE, WHERE IS IT?…FRANKLIN, MORE PLEASE?

a pretty little scarf with lots of tweakage possibilities

 

nice use of seafoam stitch!

 

Now that I have overcome my intarsia fear, I can envision the remote possibility of knitting this.

 

this seemed like a Donna knit to me...or for anyone who likes neat scarf patterns!

 

nice sweater with Fall looming near!

 

I love knitting mittens like this...they are knitter's crack!

 

nice easy knit...great gift idea

 

great idea to move the increase spine stitch around in a zig zag...loved it! Who says it has to stay in the middle?

 

this would be AWESOME IN ZAUBERBALL!!!

 

great idea!

 

great slouch hat...loved the colorwork!

 

another great slouch hat with a textural twist!

 

There are always new moms coming through looking for Soaker patterns...this looked like a good one!

 

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this sock pattern...can't believe it's free...get it quick!

 

love the texture and THE PRICE IS RIGHT...I will definitely be knitting this as a gift!

 

a sweet easy knit

 

this is designed by Clara Parkes...do I really need to say anything more?

 

This incorporates intarsia...it gave me some ideas...Bwahaha!

 

Here is the update on my Stephen West Earth & Sky Mystery KAL:  I am loving this, the fabric, the movement of the colors and this, too, has given me some future design ideas.  Thank you Mr. West…great Knit!

Earth and Sky Shawl in the Sonoma Collection from Sundara Sock yarn

 

Take care.  I have more catch up posts to write but needed to clear these photos first.  If you hear anything about Franklin’s new shawl please let me know.  I have yarn waiting.  Sigh…

loads of love, light and laughter always,

Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn

 

 

 

Stephen West: You Sold Me On Intarsia

I thought I hated intarsia and I could not have been more wrong. Of course, I deviated from the pattern on the second clue but the fabric and play of color is mesmerizing me. I think I am spectating as much as I am knitting. To see lots of photos of the KAL go either to Ravelry amd the Spoiler page for this KAL or search for it on Flickr where there of tons of pics as well.

yours, newly obsessed with intarsia,
Mary Ellen

 

MORE AWESOME Customer Projects

Debbie Branning and I have been working together on the Stephen West Mystery KAL, which turns out to be intarsia…usually something I tend to avoid what with cats and dogs who steal balls of yarn and run with them.  Knitting a project with one ball of yarn is challenging enough, let alone three to four balls of yarn or more.  BUT, I had these four balls of beautiful Sundara sock yarn from her trip to Sonoma Wine Country just waiting for the perfect project and I believe this KAL to be just that project.  Of course, I am making it up a little as I go along, but so far I like the results.  If you are a member of Ravelry, you can see all the different ideas on the Earth and Sky Mystery KAL Spoiler Page…each one is more beautiful than the next.  If you are not a member of Ravelry…well, what are you waiting for?  You are really missing out on an amazing community of people and fiber artists.

Debbie's Mystery KAL through Clue #2 and just at the beginning of Clue #3, knit in Elsbeth Lavold's Silky Wool, which is currently on sale for $4 a skein.

 

this is my shawl with all four colors working their way through the knitting...Sundara Sock

 

Here is Lisa modeling her completed Peas Please! Vest, designed by yours truly using Orenberg lace technique.  Lisa knit hers from Picaboo, a Pima cotton and Bamboo blend by Frog Tree Yarns in a beautiful shade of Robin’s egg blue.

Picaboo Peas Please! Vest, pattern design and copyright by M. E. Langieri for Summit Yarn Studio

 

Martha and I have been hooked by Romi Hill’s Small Shawls, and here is the latest one completed, Merope:

This was knit from Abstract Fiber's sock yarn...both Martha and I feel that we would like to see the bottom lace edging worked across the top as well, so more yarn would need to be budgeted in for that.

 

I am working on a new shawl pattern for people who love working on straight needles only.  This will be knit on US13s with bulky weight yarn…chunky alpaca from Frog Tree Yarns.  However, until I have the sample done and the pattern typed up, you will have to come by the studio to see.  Soon enough I will be able to share.  It is long and just sits on the shoulders so nicely.  There is NO LACE involved and it only took me four days to knit the first one.  There will be an alternate with a lace edge, but first things first.

Debbie's Giovannina shawl is making great progress!

 

finally, here is the daily dose of cute:  the back story is that Daisy the Dog had the nerve to take up space on my husband’s lap…Sputters is trying to nudge her off his lap in this picture:

Sputters and Daisy trying to own Gary!

 

Take care!  Time to start plan your holiday gift knitting and there are tons of markdowns at Summit Yarn to help you!

with love, light and laughter always,

Mary Ellen aka TheHumanLoom

 

New On Ravelry: recent uploads in review

It seems to me as I scan both the new uploads to Ravelry, other blogs, and the search items here on my blog there are a few things you guys are looking for:  Shawls Not With Lace, Always an Interesting Scarf, Blankets of Note, Anything With Leaves and a Good Sock To Knit.  The hunt has been fruitful this week.  Some of the patterns are unbelievably free and those that are not are clearly worth the purchase price.  I hope you find this helpful and inspiring!

For starters:  STEPHEN WEST’S mystery kal is up to clue #2 out of 4 clues but the first two clues don’t have you doing very much.  If you have not yet begun, you can this week and stay in the fray with ease.  And FYI, if you have wound your balls on a ball winder, then just work from both ends of the balls for now.

I love the whole concept behind these socks and have been going through my beloved scraps of BMFA to do a pair of these.

love the texture in this cowl!

support a great cause...I will always be a child advocate!

love the use of the sunspots stitch pattern here

Here is a NOT LACE SHAWL which is fun, easy to knit and reversible! YAY!

This is MY TOP PICK OF THE WEEK: colorful (or not if you choose), pleasing to the eye, interesting to knit, exceedingly portable. Undeniably great!

Clearly, this is a designer to keep an eye on in the future...and did you notice the word "FREE"?

Another NO LACE SHAWL with beautiful Celtic Cables...this is in my queue.

Ahh, Fighting the Vertical Oppressors...an interesting sock to knit and full of inspiration!

LOVE this knit sideways shawl, especially the play of the diagonal design against itself at the central point of the shawl!

Other patterns to go look at:

• The Sofya Cowl, a two-color knit by Jennifer Dassau
• Fair Isle Hat by Mary Ann Stephens coming in this Fall’s Vogue Knitting
• Lace Shawl by Candace Eisner Strick, also in this Fall’s Vogue Knitting
• American Brilliant by Sharon Winsauer — if you liked or loved Arsenic and Old Lace then you will LOVE this
• Men’s Swimsuit by Dale Peterson…let me know what you think.
• Soap Sachet by Sara Gresbach…a great last minute gift to let someone know you care!
• Knittens by Wendy D. Johnson…LOVE THEM!
• Shipwreck Shawl in Knitty Spring 2009…saw this at Sock Summit and fell in love!

Here is some final wool to love!  Take care and more later…love and light always, Mary Ellen

 

Jet Lag Suckage

At Sock Summit I learned two new terms, suckage (referring to the tendency of a stitch pattern to pull stitches in tighter) and bloatage (the tendency of a stitch pattern to make a fabric wider/bigger than it would be in stockinette stitch as a baseline).  Who would think sitting all day would be tiring?  Lisa and I flew home Monday without event and went straight home and to bed.  Yesterday, I went to work, then straight home and to bed at 5:30pm.  I am still not far from beddy bye again today.  It was so much easier to go West than to come back East to home.  I feel like my brain is stuck in the twilight zone of STUPID.

Anyway, the studio was busy today.  The Omigami Heart Tribe met today.  Debbie and I got to work on the new Stephen West Mystery KAL.  He only released a small triangle which included a little intarsia and I have hopes for a bigger portion next week.  Here is a photo of mine:

Clue Number One of Stephen West's Mystery KAL

 

Lourdes is working on the July Summit Sock Club kit and it looks beautiful.  She had a Happy Accident with the pattern resulting in increased stretch and a prettier lacy look to the leg.

Lourdes' July Sock knit in Dream In Color Smooshy...every color is beautiful!

 

Corina sent in a photo of her beautiful completed Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan.  She made it with three colors and it is such a thrill to see it done:

Corina's completed Arsenic and Old Lace Afghan! YAY!

 

The sale in the studio continues.  Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool is marked down to $4 a skein and all Debbie Bliss Yarns are 50% off suggested retail price.  Jean came for a private lesson and walked out very inspired afterward to create artwork with her knit felting.  She took advantage of the sale and stocked up on Debbie Bliss bulky weight donegal tweed…looks like she has some great ideas in mind!

I photographed the swatches I made in some of my classes.  It turns out Lisa and I got to knit outside the convention center in the evening and it was lovely.  I showed her how to knit bobbles without turning the fabric back and forth.  We also reviewed a chain edge bind off.  Lisa’s swatch, we laughed, looked a little like a Barbie bustier.  Here are the final photos of Portland:

swatches from my class with Cat Bordhi and Franklin Habit

 

Lisa's bobbles and chain bind off

 

The Convention Center in Portland Oregon.

 

We saw beautiful mountain peaks on our flight home:

And Jamie tried to distract me wonderfully during the Summit by sending photos of Black Stallions and shirtless muscled young men, as well as photos of my beloved Mimi the goat:

Mimi the Guard Goat...don't mess with this goat's horses!

 

And of course, there is nothing so sweet as coming home and being surrounded by those we love most:

Sputters gets a belly rub!

 

I am surrounded in my room by all the cats and dogs oh my!

 

Summit Yarn is also going through some growing pains.  Due to home-schooling course changes for my son and a change in his activities schedule (football and tennis) the studio hours will have to change just a bit.  Wednesday will become the short day that Thursday has always been and Thursday will have more hours.  So the studio hours will be as follows for the rest of the summer:

Tuesday 10:15-Noon, 1-5pm

Wednesday 10:15-Noon, 1-3pm

Thursday and Friday 10:15-Noon, 1-5pm

Saturday 10:15-2pm

for the remainder of August closed on Sunday and Monday (we will return to being open 7 days a week after Labor Day Weekend).

Take care and thank you for your patience during these growing pains!  with love, light and laughter always,

Mary Ellen