Heads UP: Free Patterns

Just an FYI thanks to Kate:  if you go to the DROPS website, there are beautiful free patterns to be downloaded…many which are in the regular books (that are still for sale) but for some reason the individual patterns are free.  Go check this out and let me know what you think.

Reminder:  THIS FRIDAY FROM 3-9PM Wine and Yarn at Summit Yarn Studio with Eve Ellsworth and Schaefer Yarns.  There are also some new yarn companies to preview and special orders will be taken that day.  Come, have fun and get Woolly!

Have to go work on 22″ of stockinette (22″ out of 72″ but after the 22″ there is a decrease every right side row)…send me good vibes, as I do to you!!!

loads of love, light and laughter always,  Mary Ellen and Zoo

 

Recent Pattern Uploads to Ravelry

Every day I go through all the recent uploads to Ravelry.  There were quite a few I thought deserved a mention this week, so here they are in no particular order:

I plan to knit this...in my spare time...sigh.

 

this looks like a nice quick gift

 

both this sock, the zebra sock and the ebook are available on Ravelry...you can also find the patterns printed up beautifully by Frog Tree Yarns through your local LYS.

 

an easy tea cozy to knit

 

LOVE THIS!

 

this can be found through ravelry...love this stitch pattern! want to do it in a triangle shawl!

 

many of my customers are on the look out for a brim hat to knit...this looks like a great option.

 

I purchased the above pattern and fully intend to make this.  I love this designers patterns and ideas.  Look her up as a designer on Ravelry!

 

There is tons more; these are just the things either I found personally interesting or know that my customers are on the look out for.  Ravelry is such a great resource.  As I see more, I will keep you updated!  Take care and remember to subscribe to Stephen West’s KAL…it is sure to be great fun!

with loads of light,  Mary Ellen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arsenic and Old Lace KAL — new free pattern

And so, our journey is nearly over.  After this week there are just five more weeks to go!  It makes me sad.  If there is something you would like to do next or for me to design next, please send a comment or email.  I absolutely live for design challenges!  That said:  here is some beautiful lace that knits up quick and is quite enjoyable.  When I have a few more hours in the day I will write the scarf pattern out for you using this stitch pattern!

Here is a photo of a swatch I did to turn this into a lovely scarf:

Really, all I did was add an edge at each side of the insertion so that the pattern read:  Seed 5, K1, YO, K2tog…pattern row on RS…SSK, YO, K1, Seed 5 for all right side rows, and all wrong side rows would read:  Seed 5, purl to last 5 sts, end seed 5.  The cast on for this scarf would be 37 stitches.

a dishcloth I turned into a cute square for a baby blanket or to use as a motif in just about anything.

I have been hard at work creating samples to show the incredible versatility of Pediboo yarn by Frog Tree Yarns.  The above square is often knit by local ladies as a washcloth.  They were kind enough to share the pattern with me because at first I thought I would like to do this in intarsia.  However, I think it looks adorable with the twist stitch used for the sheep’s fleece!  Here are some other things I have come up with using Pediboo:

close up of the sheep

Traditional crocheted Pineapple Square using a 3.50mm hook

Amy is hard at work on a pair of slippers using Magic Loop technique which she learned in microseconds!

and your daily dose of my beloved Nikkers:

Mommy, it is time for NO MORE COMPUTER!

My friend Lisa and I registered for Sock Summit 2011 today.  And we were side by side on two computers and lucky to get the classes we did.  We were right there the minute registration opened with classes closing right and left in front of us.  I don’t know how we got so lucky, but we got most of the classes we were looking for…good thing since we are flying all the way out to the west coast for this.  Can you imagine all that money for airfare and maybe not getting any classes!  That would have scorched me!  Anyway, so incredibly excited may be up most of the night from the adrenaline rush!  I have classes with Cookie A, Cat Bordhi, Franklin Habit and my much loved Clara Parkes!  Hooray!

Take care, must get back to work!  with loads of love, light and laughter always,  Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn

 

In no particular order…

I tried on the completed sock for the May Summit Sock Club this morning (I was not brave enough to last night at the end of the day…too tired if something wasn’t right…ostrich maneuver…head in sand)…and it fit beautifully.  I had to make one minor adjustment to the heel turn and I believe everyone will enjoy this knit very much.  The pattern is written for three sizes, much like a pattern from Blue Moon RSC.  I have to play with my new charting program, but hope to have charts to go along with the written out directions.  The stitch pattern is a multiple of twelve stitches and easy to follow along with one “work” round to every three “I can visit” rounds.  Here is a close up of the cuff, of which I am proud…one pattern flowed to the next and to the next one last time:

Cuff of "May Flowers" sock pattern...a new design by M.E. Langieri

Chris came by this morning and is hard at work on this past month’s socks, probably nearing the toes as we speak.  She is working on a few projects…one of which is a secret, at least until I guess what it is.  Lisa came by this afternoon for a private lesson and got back to work on her “Peas Please” vest…she is really very close to done.  Of course, she has found three or more other very tempting patterns; among them a pair of socks by IrishGirlieKnits (be sure to go check her out on Ravelry…great designer and all around sweet person).  Lisa is almost done with a garter triangular scarf out of a Great Adirondack Silk Sock yarn (if memory serves) and we found just the perfect yarn to edge it with in a coordinating color up on the shelves.

I have finished writing the sock pattern and also begun the second sock of this just in case I get any last minute tweaking ideas for the pattern.  I hope to have kits ready this Sunday, May 1st.  All the components are here, I just need to spend some quality time with my computer.  After a little angst this past weekend, I am also back to work on the Serenity Wrap for Frog Tree Yarns out of a beautiful color of their Alpaca Melange.  This yarn is soft, with a minimum of fuzz and a lovely hand…very soothing to knit AND in a gently heathered color range that is just not to be resisted.

The cats were quite agreeable to posing this morning:

Smidgen: "Mom, you really expect me to keep these boys in line by myself all day?"

Sputters: "I am king of this hill!"

Nikkers: "My mom is about to post a raunchy joke, so stop reading if you think it might offend you! I did tell her to think twice. sigh..."

One of my friends forwarded me this joke, and I confess, it makes me laugh…

part one

part two

part three...the end.

Take care and have a lovely twenty four hours.  We have gone straight from winter into summer today and, witch that I am, I am melting menopause on legs.  Time to go get the square ready for tomorrow…looking forward to this lace pattern!

with loads of love, laughter and light always, Mary Ellen aka thehumanloom

 

Swatch…why?

I just completed some yarn comparisons for a company as a consultation and it was a total blast.  For the last seven days I have been elbow deep in either merino or alpaca…real hardship case. (giggle!)  I was also delighted to see how many of you read and/or reacted to my soapbox blog about swatching.  Here is some more evidence to help you see what I see when I look at different yarns.  Below is a photo of the three swatches of merino candidates for a new machine washable yarn, one of which was an epic fail.

The blue sample felted, while the two white samples stood up well to three washings. I have doubts about the middle sample, that it might perhaps felt given enough washings. The right-hand sample was just awesome!

While knitting with each I became very aware of how differently they each felt in my hand.  The differences were less obvious when just looking at the skeins before knitting them.  The moral:  yarns feel different after you work with them, if a yarn catches your eye but you feel unsure about it, buy just one skein and dance with it…you might find you like it very much.  Read the label and then see if it lives up to what the label promises.  Can you get gauge with the needle suggested on the label?  Is it really washable?  Are there tie-ons in the skein?  Does it really weigh what it says it does on the label (use a postal scale)?  Be wary of hand-dyed yarns that approximate their yardage…always buy more than you think you need.  If you are purchasing at a Fiber Festival get the business card for each yarn you buy and stick it into that yarn…that way if you need more you know who to harass  contact.

this sample was very fuzzy to begin with and felted during the third wash

this 2 ply was nice but the hand felt "off"...just not as soft as it should

This 3 ply yarn was my favorite, with great stitch definition, zero fuzz after washing three times and was the softest of the three yarns.

When I swatch a yarn for the first time I like to really put it through its paces.  I use all kinds of stitch patterns: stockinette, garter, seed, cable, lace, and slip stitch.  This tells me how the colors in the yarn will pool or not, what kind of stitch definition I can expect, and whether a certain kind of stitch works better with the yarn than any others.  If I am working with worsted weight yarn, I cast on 30 stitches so I can measure my gauge in the middle of the swatch…i.e. no where near the edges.  This way, my gauge numbers are as accurate as they can be.

Another issue:  if a yarn does not swatch to gauge within one size of the recommended needle size…be concerned.  This is a yarn that has not been given the proper attention by its company and will not work out well for you.  That said, you also have to know your own average gauge for the weights of yarn you work with.  Like, I tend to need to go down one size from the needle recommended to get perfect gauge…sometimes.  Catch me on a stressful enough day and all bets are off.  Know your strong points and your limitations.  No judgement…just know what works for you and have fun.

loads of love, laughter and light always,

Mary Ellen and Summit Yarn Studio  ;-D

 

YARN MY LOVE

There are so many beautiful fibers out there:  wool from any number of breeds, alpaca, llama, camel, plant fibers, silk, vicuna, quiviut, bison, musk ox, cashmere, angora rabbits, angora goat and more.  Each fiber I work with I do more than read the label.  Sure the label tells me what weight the yarn is considered.  The label makes needle and recommendations.  The label tells me how to launder my yarn.  The label will never love my yarn as I do.

Yarn is like a musical instrument.  It has its own life and moods.  It has shapes it would like to be.  It even has its own personal space requirements.  Just because the label pronounces the yarn to be dk weight does not mean that is what the yarn wants.  Some yarns are fuzzy…that fuzz needs room to bloom.  Some yarns have extra SQUISH or loft (they are filled with air).  Yarn needs to be wooed.  It wants you to take a good long look at it and see how it will shine best when you create a fabric with it.  Love your yarn.  Go ahead…give it a name that is just between the two of you.

The pattern for Wednesday is ready and test knit.  It is an old-fashioned knit/purl pattern and I already have ideas about transforming it into a ribbed sock.  It is the fourteenth square of the Arsenic and Old Lace KAL but would be equally at home as a scarf to knit up now and put away for a Holiday present.  The next sock club sock is half-written and I have sorted out most of the kinks.  Once I get through the heel part it will be easy going from there to the end of the sock.  Yay!  The stitches for this sock came from a Japanese stitch dictionary and the architechture of the sock was inspired by Cat Bordhi, from a pattern she published in 2008 in Knitter’s Magazine.  The yarn is from Colinette and got here ON TIME so I can knit my test sock with the actual yarn for once and for all.  There are still four kits available for the May Sock Club.

This is Donnas first completed sock and fits her foot perfectly! The stitchwork is impeccable.

The Summit Sock Club for April was/is a huge success.  We found a couple of typos so please check in if you haven’t already.  Not only was this a success with the knitters, but Frog Tree Yarns has purchased the pattern!  The feedback from our knitters was:  the pattern was clear and easy to follow, a quick knit and very enjoyable.  It is always such a thrill to see something I have designed knit by someone else.  There is still one remaining kit for this month if anyone is interested.  The yarn is one of my favorites from Pura Bella Yarns in NY…superwash merino + bamboo + silk = bliss.

The sheep needles are moving quickly and I am loving working with the raw silk from Colinette, Yume.  We also have in some Hullabaloo from Colinette as well, which I hope to get out onto the shelves tomorrow.

Some of you asked how we came up with the name for the brothers, Sputters and Nikkers.  We adopted these two characters from the vet after our dear yellow lab, Rosabelle, passed away.  The vet could not tell them apart so they were both called the same name:  Sputnik.  Since our home is filled to the brim with individuals we split the name in two:  Sputters and Nikkers.  I can tell them apart because their personalities are so different…and I am their Mom.  They also love their Dad quite a bit, as demo’ed in the following photo shoot from Sunday morning:

Sputters...

Nikkers noms on Gary

And now I am running, not walking, home because home is blissfully male free until about 7:40pm.  Take care and keep talking to me…it gets lonely when you don’t comment…and what about this incredible full MOON?

loads of love, light and laughter,  Mary Ellen and zoo…  ;-D