Cutie Patootie

I made these for a friend, or actually for the new baby that friend just delivered. You can snag the free pattern HERE.

For some reason, the first one made me think of Elton John singing “B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets”. I can’t explain that bit of whimsy, but I sang along while knitting the second bootie.

Fortunately, they knit up quickly!

If I made them again, I’d do a temporary cast-on, so that I could graft the sole and avoid the bumpy seam. But then, any baby these would fit can’t be a baby doing much walking, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

 

What's with the knitted bar across the top?

That's NORO Silk Garden, a scrumptious wool and silk blend, knitted up in a nameless pattern stitch from an Aran sweater (knit in alpaca) that my husband bought for himself in South America. (Why, exactly, is it that I didn't know him when he was making these trips and buying alpaca for very low prices?) The wool is dyed so that it changes colour slowly: this one goes through greens and blues and purples, and it makes the transition about once per ball (100 meters or so). It’s beautiful stuff, almost - but not quite! - too gorgeous to knit.

I splurged on the NORO to make myself a sweater and it’s turned out to be a really good investment, stash-wise. I've had it four years and have knitted and frogged it (“rip it, rip it”) at least four times. Maybe it will be my knitting nemesis. Maybe not.

The last version was a Chanel-type jacket, which has been frogged. The only momento that remains of its time on my needles is the picture above.

I'm developing a plan of what to do with it next. Maybe the fifth time will be the charm!

Knit for a Cause

The members of RWAOL are knitting and crocheting blocks (and ultimately joining them into afghans) for WarmUp America.

I drafted up a pair of patterns for blocks with a heart in the middle, which are available for free from my blog.

FYI you'll need the instructions for the first one to do the second one.

Shadow Heart

Shadow Heart Variation

Knittin' Mittens

I knit mittens for my local food bank, as there are lots of little cold fingers around here in the winter.



It’s not that big of a deal — knitting is a good way for me to sort out plot tangles and mittens are perfect because I have the pattern memorized. Plus, it’s good to give something back to the community around us.

If each of us did one thing every year to make the world a better place,
imagine what a force for change we could be.

Meet the Beast

This is my sweater coat, from Kaffe Fassett's book called Glorious Color. The pattern is Chinese Rose.



The coat has dozens of different wools in it and is enormous. (No wonder we call it The Beast!) Wearing it is a lot like wearing a big fuzzy blanket, which only makes sense on perfect autumn days — no wind, no rain, neither too hot nor too cold. I wear it maybe three times a year, perfect autumn days being a bit of a rarity in these parts. Maybe there’d be more perfect days if I lived in England...

I also made the jacket in the Chinese Rose pattern (in the same book) as a gift.

Visit
Romancing the Skein,
a joint blog
for writers who knit.

 

 

 

Psssst - I finally broke down and wrote a heroine who is a knitter.

Jen and her knitted fruit star in All or Nothing...

Loopy for Lopi

Everyone loves Lopi Alafoss, because it knits up so quickly and Icelandic sweaters are so striking when they're done.

Here are a few of mine:



Obviously being outside on a sweltering summer day disoriented them — that would explain why they’re upside down in the picture.

Note how they’re also huddling close for comfort. There’s something cozy and comforting about a Lopi sweater, no doubt about it.

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