In Case I Need to Exorcise a Nightclub. You Never Know.

Some events render purses an encumbrance. Some clothes do not have pockets. So I made myself a utility belt. I used a couple of pouches from the army surplus store, the strap from a pair of old cargo shorts, and some heavy duty canvas.

The embroidered amulets come from old grimoires, via A.E. Waite's Book of Black Magic.

I'm kinda in love with it.

Painless Provisional Cast On - Part II

Last time, I covered my favorite way to start a provisional cast on. Today, I'll go over getting the stitches from the cast on live and workable, and how to graft the ends together.

Make sure your last row was a wrong side row. Leave your stitches on their needle. Now, let's examine the cast on edge. With the right (knit)side facing, push back that little chain of waste yarn. You can see the live stitches peeking out:

                                     Take a double pointed or circular needle, and insert the tip
                                                    through the right leg of each stitch.

You are going to end up with one less stitch than you cast on. This is that inevitability I mentioned. No matter what you do, this is how it will be. This is immutable knitting physics. Sure, you could cast on an extra stitch at the beginning, work it just once, drop it off your needle and save it for later. Or you can try to fudge it by tucking the tail of your working yarn into the edge. Unfortunately, either technique will throw your graft off, and actually wind up looking weirder. For now, accept your fate.

When you have picked up each stitch, you should have something that looks like this:

       The end of your provisional chain is on the same side as the tail of your main yarn.
                                         Pull this end of the waste yarn out of the chain, thus:

     The chain should zip right out, or at least come undone with a little tugging.

                                       You now have two sets of live, untwisted stitches.
                                       Your cast on edge, with it's one less stitch:

You might notice something peculiar about this edge. Right where the garter and stockinette meet? That's right - it looks like everything is shifted half a stitch! This is because we're picking up the stitches from their bottoms instead of their tops, which means that what we're really dealing with is the part of the stitch that falls between, linking the stitches together. This is why one less stitch.
Since this post is so photo heavy, let's tackle that graft behind the jump...

Exquisite Stitching: Yumiko Higuchi

Yumiko Higuchi is amazing. I found her on Pinterest, and quickly became obsessed with her perfectly balanced compositions and flawless stitching.

She scatters blossoms over linen, then transforms the fabric into charming little clutches. This combination of heirloom needlework and functional object, is irresistible.

These crustaceans are my favorites amongst her new works - those expressive claws!

Painless Provisional Cast On - Part I

 

The provisional cast on method is everywhere these days. Just check out all these beauties a quick Rav search brings up. It's an invaluable tool for very particular situations - sort of the allen wrench in your toolbox. Generally, you'll be asked to use it when you knit something sideways, and want to join the ends seamlessly. It basically gives you a set of "live" stitches as a cast on, held by waste yarn which can be removed easily when the stitches are ready to do their thing. It's a little fiddly, and can be a bit daunting if you haven't done it before. I thought I'd share my favorite method for a provisional cast on, with some tips and lots of photos to make it as pleasant as possible.

First, grab your supplies:

-Knitting needles; I just used dpns, but use whatever you're going to use
  for your project.
-Crochet hook; while the size isn't important, it will be easiest if it is close to the millimeter size of your needles. You don't need to know how to crochet to do this, so don't worry if you're not bi-craftual.
-Waste yarn; this can be anything - smooth cotton in a strong
  contrast color works best.
-Working yarn; that is, the yarn you will be knitting with to start your project.

OK, let's go!

Getaway - Yachats, OR

In October, we were lucky enough to spend a couple of days at the coast in a gorgeous beach house.

The view from our bedroom.

The locals.

One of the best things about the trip was the chance to cook a big dinner of fresh seafood in a nice, big kitchen. We bought Dungeness crab, sea bass, and big fat prawns.

I think I could live on the Coast. I'd even love the wild, dangerous storms. Realistically, I know I'd miss the city, but I'd like to believe I could sit and watch the waves and be perfectly happy. I hope it's not too long before I make it back.

Rejuvenation, Grand Ave. Portland OR

Rejuvenation is best known for their incredible selection of antique lighting fixtures and household hardware. If you're the kind of person who gets excited about vintage knobs, it's an excellent place to while away a cloudy afternoon. The back lot is always full of neat old stuff. Those stone lions make me think of The Haunting (the original 1960 version, of course). Wouldn't they look wonderful with some cobwebs?

 I'm doubtful about what these cabinets were once used for. They don't look like card catalogs. Seeds, maybe? What I do know is that I'm completely in love with them. Maybe it's my inner apothecarian, but I adore anything with lots and lots of tiny drawers.

                                      Andy promises he will build me some one day.

The tubs all have amusing names. The one on the right is called "Basket of Kittens".

Levallois Knee-highs

My life as a knitter is increasingly defined by the quest to find the perfect combination of enjoyable work and wearable end product. If I'm going to spend hours and weeks on a project, I want to make sure it will be an instant favorite when finished, something I wear often and happily. Likewise, I want to spend all those hours and weeks as pleasantly as possible. It's an endeavor to find the right blend of ingredients: yarn I love to handle, a pattern that keeps me entertained but never feels fussy, and plenty of signposts of progress (lest my relaxing pastime turn to drudgery), but always worth the attention.

More and more, I find myself returning to classic stitches. These knee-socks use the little arrowhead stitch, which is usually near the beginning of the "lace" section in any compendium (my perennial favorites are Barbara Walker's first two treasuries).
I like to think it is one of the Ur-stitches, discovered by the original knitters when they first started to play with yarn overs and decreases.

            If you'd like to make these for yourself, you can download the pattern here
                           or visit my project page on Ravelry for more details.