Designs by KN blog

Have you ever had to give a PowerPoint presentation? I don’t do these things. I’m the shy and retiring type who would rather sit in my knitting corner at home than have to be out and about. I would make an excellent hermit.

Nevertheless, sometimes work commitments and new experiences must be faced. Even though I tried to escape the challenge facing me, it became apparent that a PowerPoint presentation was in my future.  I have taught knitting and crochet classes at the LYS but those were in a comfortable setting on a topic I was happy to share knowledge about, and there were never more than 4 people in front of me. Today I found myself facing a room full of 25 professionals, giving a portion of a PowerPoint presentation on a work-related topic, which I had extreme doubts I could do without croaking on the spot.  My part was only 15 minutes of the hour-long presentation but that was enough for me. During her part of the presentation, my co-presenter spoke words to this effect: “To get to a place you have never been, you need to go by a road you have never traveled.”  And so I have, and lived to tell the tale.

Despite my dry mouth, eye irritation, choking voice, thumping heart, lapses from the script, and post-presentation shakiness, the audience appeared to be interested and congenial, no one left the room, they ”got” our touches of humor (in an otherwise potentially boring presentation), applauded at the end, and responded with encouraging comments like “that was great!”

Now I can breathe again.

What one needs after a stressful day of PowerPointing is a long bout of soothing knitting or crocheting. I plan to spend many hours this weekend working on the Warm and Chic baby set mentioned in the previous post (from Chic Knits for Stylish Babies, p. 82.) The sweater is almost finished — here’s a bit of how the front and sleeves will look:

The photo of the little beret I wrote about last time actually garnered some “oh so adorable” comments from those who’ve seen it:

Next I will tackle the overalls and then the set will be complete.

As mentioned last time, I seem to be unable to avoid challenges.  Today I found out that PowerPoint presentations and fine-knit 3-piece baby sets have something in common: they can be supreme challenges.  I’m traveling roads to get to places I’ve never been before (and surviving with the comfort of needlework at the end of the day.)

But I still think I’d make an excellent hermit.

You can check out the hermit’s 230 published knit & crochet designs and free patterns at Designs by KN, Piece by Piece and Ravelry.

Does the following statement strike fear into your heart?

Gauge: 30 sts & 40 rows = 4″ in stockinette stitch on a size 3 (3.25 mm) needle

Or does it say to you “I’m up for a challenge, let me at it!”?

Throughout my stitching life, I’ve had a few complex projects come my way and have discovered that apparently I cannot resist a challenge.

Such is the case with the current project mentioned in my last post, the 3-piece baby set “Warm and Chic”  on page 82 of  Chic Knits for Stylish Babies: 65 charming patterns for the first year by Patricia Wagner (Watson-Guptill Publications, c2007, ISBN 978082309995). A coworker chose this pattern for a special gift for her friend’s first grandchild (a girl) but did not want to use typical pastel baby colors. She is looking ahead to when the baby is older so asked for the 12-month size. We agreed on a beautiful shade of burgundy and soft silver gray with touches of cream for the color combo for this set.  Due to the excessive cost of the European yarn called for in the pattern, I am substituting with a soft 90% superwash wool/10% nylon blend fingering weight sock yarn from Plymouth Yarns “Happy Feet” purchased from Patternworks.

I started with the hat and (unbelievably) was able to match the “so fine” gauge, although I went down to a size 2 (2.75 mm) needle.  Oh … so … fine.  My fingers look like tree stumps compared to the diameter of these needles!

The pattern as written requires some interpretation to understand (the crown decreases are lacking in clarity.)  The instructions are written for flat knitting (due to the Fair Isle patterning) but after completing the hemmed edge I decided to convert the whole thing to circular knitting, stranding the colors VERY loosely in the Fair Isle section (which was a challenge of its own). I am not a fan of hemmed edges (they flip up) and this hat pattern starts off with one. I am probably going to have to run some elastic or ribbon through the little hem “tube” to pull it in.

To my surprise, knitting with fingering weight yarn on size 2 “so fine” needles is speeding along quite well. Here is my progress so far:

ETA 2/20/11: and here is the finished hat (I did add elastic to draw in the lower edge for better fit):

I will tackle the sweater next and last of all the overalls, using size 3 needles (ETA 2/20/11: I started the sweater and it is going much faster!)  Yes, this is a labor of love for a dear coworker who I’ve known for 20 years, and who can resist creating special heirlooms for babies? And yes, I can’t resist a stitching challenge, as evidenced by these projects from my past:

#12 Queen of Hearts Sweater by Perry Ellis, from Vogue Knitting, Spring/Summer 1985

Galaxy Afghan by Mary Ellen Thompson,
pattern published in Woman’s Day Crochet Showcase

Asian-Inspired Baby Set by Jennifer Lindsay,
from Vogue Knitting on the Go: Baby Knits Two

Reconstruction project, Embroidered Tunisian-stitch Sweater,
personal property of an acquaintance. Her mother made several of these and I reconstructed this one to re-fit the daughter.

The UPS man’s glove repair (my first “job” for the LYS)

Before & After (a whole ‘nother story you don’t want to know!)

In looking through the Designs by KN pattern collection there are a few “so fine” designs available (none as complex as the above, though!)

Peachy-Keen Placemat

Cottonfish Bib

Scalloped Lace Baby Socks

C.O.O.S.

And for crocheters:

Sweet Soap or Sachet Bags

“Go Green” Lacy Shells Bag

Chain of Love Bookmark

Kids’ Rainbow Treasure Bag

Hope you have time to try some “so fine” stitching yourself this weekend.

Will keep you posted on the masterpiece baby set in progress.

As revealed in previous posts, my day job has been in a library setting for the past 20 years. You’d think that all we do is get to read, being surrounded by books, books and more books. Well, we do read: things like emails, office documents, memos, packing slips, invoices, budgets, bibliographic records, authority records —  all that behind-the-scenes stuff that’s required to do our jobs. But while handling hundreds of incoming new materials a day with the goal of moving items out to the hands of patrons as quickly as possible, we do get to visually scan book covers and title pages and CIP pages, but beyond that there is no time for recreational reading except on breaks.

When I assisted in needlework and yarn shops in the past, I noticed a similar scenario. You’d think that shop owners and staff would get to spend their time knitting, crocheting and stitching, being surrounded by yarn and needlework supplies and all. Not so! There was never enough time in the shop to work on projects for any length of time, as we were helping customers choose yarn and patterns and tools, or teaching, or manning the cash register, or meeting with sales reps, or doing the books and taxes, or restocking, or placing supply orders, or cleaning the floor and dusting the shelves.  There, too, I was exposed to new craft books arriving weekly, but again there was only time for a quick visual scan of the cover, the title page and the pretty pictures inside.

Now, back to the library …  this past week I was introduced to two titles I had never seen before.  I have been commissioned to knit a 3-piece baby set for a coworker’s first grandchild. I was shown a pattern from the book Chic Knits for Stylish Babies: 65 charming patterns for the first year by Patricia Wagner (Watson-Guptill Publications, c2007, ISBN 978082309995) [see, those CIP pages come in handy sometimes!]  Beautiful fine-knit baby set photos and patterns are found inside. I only hope my commissioned set will turn out as well.

The second book came across my desk as I was working through a cart of materials to catalog: Vickie Howell Craft Corps: celebrating the creative community one story at a time (Lark Books, c2010, ISBN 9781600594687).  From a quick glance at the cover, title page and photos, it looked interesting because it was full (really full) of true stories about other crafters’ lives and how they got their start in business.  I started reading it last night.  It’s a fascinating read, giving anyone who enjoys creative pursuits a sense of belonging to a welcoming community with a rich history that embraces a whole spectrum of crafty expression and innovation.  What’s even better is it led me to the Craft Corps site, where visitors are invited to share their own stories and become a member of the Craft Corps (see button in sidebar).  It’s akin to what happens in our local history department at the library:  staff are contributing to the Veterans History Project by working to capture and preserve personal accounts and memories of those that have served our country in the armed forces.

Libraries, LYS’s, bookstores and online vendors are great sources of excellent craft and needlearts titles. Over the years, I’ve acquired my own personal library at home.  For a break between bouts of stitching and designing, I enjoy pulling a book from the shelf to savor again and again.  Today we are beneficiaries of an incredible wealth of resources due to the publishing “explosion” in the yarn and craft industry. I highly recommend both of the good reads mentioned above. I, for one, plan to spend the weekend actually reading Vickie Howell Craft Corps from cover to cover. It’s so interesting!

Speaking of books, one of my designs is scheduled to appear in Knit Noro: 30 designs in living color (Sixth & Spring Books, c2011, ISBN 9781936096152), due to be released in early summer.  It will be another milestone in the life of DBKN!

Enjoy your weekend.

My newest pattern Mountain Peak Table Topper has just been released for your crocheting pleasure.  While looking back over how it came to be, I was amazed to realize how much an image from the landscape can impress the subconscious and reveal itself later in a design piece, without any intention to do so!

While on a road trip to a Colorado ski area I captured these images along the way:

Once arrived at our destination, I had free time to ponder some new design ideas. For some reason, my mind kept repeating “tablecloth, tablecloth, I think I’d like to design a tablecoth.”

One of the yarns I had brought along on the trip was Lily “Sugar n’Cream” in the colorways Dream Twists and Hot Green.  I had also brought along my design notebooks with blank pages just waiting to be filled in with new ideas, various tools and accessories, and my favorite stitch dictionary.

It took several passes through page after page of stitch possibilities until one emerged as something I’d like to try.  It looked interesting, new (to me), unusual, and different.  With absolutely no inkling of what was in store for the end result, I forged ahead and started stitching.

Looking back, only now do I see the strong influence those triangular mountain shapes had on the finished design — a decorative table topper cloth as bold as the mountains that inspired it … a cloth based on triangles:

From this:

To this:

Isn’t that a curious thing? I never would have imagined it.

Hope you enjoy the new pattern from Designs by KN!

A few minutes ago I posted the following status on Facebook:  “The prodigal sock: while taking to my sickbed today (coming down with something) discovered one of my favorite socks which had been missing since last winter, stuck between the mattress pad & fresh flannel sheets put on yesterday. I welcomed it with shouts of joy! (as much as I can shout with a sore throat)”

While it’s not a hand-knit sock, it is a comfy and cute one, covered in little cat designs, and I am glad to have a reunited pair again.

In my delirious state (from happiness, or from cold/flu?) I was reminded of an article written way back in 2002.  For the past 20 years my day job has been in the technical services department of a library (my knit & crochet designing takes places in free time–that’s why I’m a weekend designer.)  In the article, I described how the behind-the-scenes library workflow echoes the workflow of creating a hand-knit sock. While a lot has changed since 2002, here’s the article as written, which gives you an idea of how materials get from “the back room” out to the shelves and into the hands of library patrons:

T.S. YARNS, or HOW TECHNICAL SERVICES IS LIKE A HAND-KNIT SOCK

(originally written in 2002)

You may or may not be aware that the popularity of handcrafts, especially knitting, has increased dramatically over the past few years, as evidenced by an explosion of new books published on the subject.  Magazine articles are touting the health benefits of knitting (knitting is the new yoga).  Hollywood celebrities are knitting on the set, fiber-related Internet sites are flourishing, and a new acronym has been coined for hip, young, urban knitters (HYUKs).  Here in T.S. we have the pleasure of seeing new craft titles arrive, which has inspired several of us to pick up our needles for some relaxation after a hard day’s work.  Our most popular project?  Hand-knit socks.  You may laugh, but remember what Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:  “I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks……One can never get enough socks.  Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair.  People will insist on giving me books.”  What does all this have to do with Technical Services?

Consider the humble sock.  Hidden from view, unnoticed most of the time, quietly doing its duty, the lowly sock helps support the body, and is constructed in steps analogous to the workflow in T.S.   To begin knitting a sock, you have to cast on some stitches.  T.S. staff cast on to their computers early every morning before the branches open.  Acquisitions staff cast on to vendor websites searching far and wide for the latest popular print titles, audiobooks, music CDs, CD-ROMS, and DVDs to fill the shelves.  The rhythm of a knit2, purl2 ribbing in a sock cuff is echoed in the hum of our computer equipment and fingers tapping the keyboard all day long.  Receiving staff start the process of working down the leg of the sock as they unpack stacks of boxes that arrive daily.  When they place the new books in rows on carts, a  pattern of colorful book spines begins to form.  Down the leg they go, taking care of receiving and invoicing processes before moving materials on to the next room: cataloging.   More patterns emerge on the journey down the leg (and through the room) as catalogers arrange carts around their desks and begin to thread their way through each item, assuring thorough and accurate cataloging according to standards and current practices.

Then it’s time to turn the heel.  Turning the heel of a sock is great fun, and catalogers really enjoy the moment when they finally turn the heel (corner) and wheel a finished cart over to the spine labeling area.  Once the heel is turned, we work our way down the foot.  A long stretch of plain knitting (and labeling and processing) lies ahead.  Shelf labels and genre stickers are applied to the books, then carts ready for final processing head to the finish: processing (the toe).  Processors deftly and swiftly tackle that long stretch of plain, repetitive tasks to perform quality control and final processing.  Then all the loose ends are gathered up (at the toe), the items are placed in courier crates for distribution, the desks are cleared, the sock is finished, the needles (and book carts) sit empty for just a moment, until we start the second sock……

You may think hand-knit socks are a crazy idea, but I for one know how comfortable they are.  We in T.S. strive to provide patrons with that same comfortable feeling–the feeling you get when you hold a new book in your hands, ready to take it home for a relaxing read (if you can knit while you read, all the better).   Just like the humble sock, T.S. stays hidden out of view and unnoticed, but we are here doing our duty to support the body of library staff and patrons.  So think about Technical Services the next time you put on your socks!

(P.S. Check out the wealth of resources available at your local library on the subjects of knitting, socks, or other crafts by searching title keywords “knitting,” “knit,” “socks,” etc.)

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My former post included a photo of these “sick socks” which were knit the last time I was battling a cold (as I said then, who cares if they don’t match?)

This pair was made using the C.O.O.S. pattern in Red Heart “Heart & Sole” yarn in color 3945 Rustica.   C.O.O.S. is an easy, basic pattern, suitable for beginning sock knitting or for a simple project to pass the time when you’re not feeling up to par.

While there aren’t many sock patterns available yet from Designs by KN, there are thousands of wonderful ones out there to choose, from simple to elaborate. One of my recent designs, Twist’n Stripe Socks, appears in the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street Collection, Book 3 (the Petals Socks yarn for these is oh-so-soft and lovely):

Photo copyright Universal Yarn

For baby knits, there are the Scalloped Lace Baby Socks which coordinate with the Lacy Baby Hat:

For toddlers, there are these crocheted Kiddie Socks:

Be sure to visit your local library or search library catalogs online for a wealth of knit and crochet sock and other craft titles to check out — for free!

Back to my sickbed to rest (cough cough).  May all your socks be reunited in pairs …

Since much of the country is in the grip of icy cold temps and piles of snow right now, you may be spending a lot of time indoors these days, as we are here in Colorado.  If there is a benefit to all the discomfort and inconvenience caused by winter and snowstorms, it might be getting to spend more indoor time crafting something WARM, such as hats, scarves, mitts, slippers, socks and blankets:

Double-Double Crochet Hat

 My Grandmother’s Slippers

Twist Mitts

 C.O.O.S.

Cuddle Cable Baby Blanket

In my last post there was a sneak peek of a new scarf pattern in the works.  The free pattern is now available for your knitting enjoyment:

Wooly Wave Scarf

This project incorporates the popular feather & fan stitch sequence to produce the wave effect. Choose a wool or wool-blend yarn in your favorite heathery color and start stitching.  It also makes a good travel project (if you’re able to get out of the snow and on to the road, that is!)

More free wooly winter pattern ideas are offered at Designs by KN and hundreds of project photos can be seen on my Ravelry page. 

Try to stay warm, everyone, while looking forward to new spring designs to come!