Designs by KN blog

Always fun to receive packages. Over the past week various boxes have been delivered containing this and that. Today the box held my contributor copy of the new Crochet: 100+ Patterns Throughout the Year: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar. I have one design in this calendar, the Cross-Cable Cap which can be seen on the January 9 page.

A few weeks ago I received contributor copies of Knitting: 100+ Patterns Throughout the Year: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar.  There are two DBKN patterns included: Elegant Eyelet Ruffle Pin and Holiday Gift Bottle Decor.  Both the crochet and knit calendars are available to order now.

Alas, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to design and write patterns for all the ideas in one’s mind, but I’m glad that a few make it into publication. The most recent is Lacy Gaiter in the book Knit Noro: 30 Designs in Living Color. I’ve made a few of these (they’re fun!) and when my mom stopped by last weekend I gifted one to her in oh-so-soft Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller “Bamboo Ewe”:

Cooler fall/winter weather will arrive some day, and cowls like this one will be welcome. And when holiday time arrives, a crochet or knitting pattern-a-day calendar may be the perfect gift!

Then here are two new DBKN patterns appropriately named:

Heat Wave Ankle Warmers (crochet)

Kind’a Crazy, Kind’a Cute Candle or Silverware Cuff (knit)

The knit project is a small one in cotton thread for heat-wave knitting, and the crochet project will come in handy whenever a welcome cold snap arrives in … November?

Coming in November: a new DBKN design in “60 More Quick Knits in Cascade 220 Sport”

Photo copyright Sixth & Spring Books/SoHo Publishing

No matter what the season, keep on stitching whenever you can.

Best wishes from Designs by KN!

Attended a pre-retirement meeting this week. Yes, retirement from the day job is getting closer. So what do I intend to do with all that “free” time? Hopefully continue with what I’ve been doing in free time all my life: knitting, crocheting, volunteering, designing, teaching, drawing, painting, and writing. I’ve heard from some folks that one is even busier after retirement!

New opportunities present themselves on occasion and one of the most recent is to write articles, book and yarn reviews for a popular e-zine. One article and one book review have already been published, so today I’m doing a practice run with a yarn review of something from my own stash.

Halcyon Victorian Two Ply Wool (100% wool, sport weight, 325 yds per 3.5 oz. hank, 1485 yds/lb, WPI: 14, Gauge: 6-7 sts per in. on size 3-5 ndl)

The label reads: “A perfect pairing with Victorian Boucle or Brushed Mohair for a sumptuous bulky yarn” …

… however I worked with it as a single strand in the projects described below.

I acquired a supply of this yarn when it was selected as the yarn of choice for a design submitted to Knitscene, which was eventually published in the Winter/Spring 2010 issue as Recedere Hat. The pattern is still available for downloadable purchase.

Photo copyright Knitscene/Interweave Press

The generous yardage in the skein would be enough for several Recedere Hats, but I also decided to try the yarn in a crochet project.

On first touch, one notices a distinct vintage feel to the yarn with a characteristic “scratchiness” that is often complained about when wearing items made of wool. Its tightly twisted plies produce a crisp-handed fabric, whether knitted or crocheted, and you may notice some irritation on the finger that carries the yarn if you work with it for long periods of time. But yet, there is something about Victorian Two Ply Wool that keeps one persevering to finish the project. What happens next is rather magical.

Upon gently hand-bathing or wet-blocking the finished item, the yarn softens and blooms into a thing of beauty. When I completed this Vintage Wheel Square Scarf I blocked it which revealed a fashionable accessory that retained its vintage look, stitch definition and shape, yet was malleable enough to drape gracefully:

Halcyon Victorian Two Ply Wool may not be everyone’s cup of tea, yet it has characteristics that make it suitable for projects with an old-fashioned look.  Try it for hats, shawls, shrugs or scarves where it can be worn over a base layer of fabric to counteract the perception of “scratchiness.” It knits and crochets easily enough and you will find a significant change in the fabric’s hand after it is washed/blocked. All things vintage are “in” so consider this option when planning your next wooly “back to the past” creation!

#7 — John Elway’s football jersey number? Some people’s lucky number? Today #7 is one of the numbers featured in the new Classic Elite Yarns Web-letter. Designs by KN‘s Provence Summer String Bag is #7 in the list of favorite patterns!

See the 200th issue of the CEY Web-letter and find the free pattern for this popular bag here.

#7 was certainly my lucky number today!

Once in awhile I get to enjoy the pleasure of lunch at one of the most charming local eating establishments in our community, the Augustine Grill.  This historic home on a corner along the main street in Castle Rock, Colorado has been converted to a restaurant.

Through the years we’ve celebrated anniversaries and birthdays there but sometimes, for no occasion at all, we just go to enjoy a relaxing lunch. Summertime is the best season to enjoy outdoor dining. Tables are placed throughout the backyard garden and one can take in all the beauty and peacefulness of a slower pace, as pleasant wait staff serve you delicious choices from the menu. In mid-summer, the hollyhocks along the fence are sky-high and the rest of the patio garden is abloom with color and lush greenery:

If I were a restaurant reviewer, this unique setting and fine food would rate 5 stars!

I don’t know if exposure to the variety of colors in the garden triggered my subconscious or not, but for some reason I felt like starting another Scrapper’s Stripe Afghan. See any resemblance to summer garden colors and this afghan I designed for the Designs by KN pattern database several months ago?

In my stash was a bag of assorted scrap yarns, and since I was rather tired from a long week, I just grabbed it and started knitting.  Wheelchair patients at the rehab life care center were on my mind so I decided to adjust the pattern a bit to make it suitable for use as a wheelchair lapghan. Modifications for a lapghan approximately 22″ wide by 25″ long are:  cast on 76 sts (instead of 143) on a size 8/5 mm needle (instead of a size 10.5/6.5 mm needle) and work only 3 sts at each edge in seed stitch for border (instead of 9 sts). So far, so good — it’s turning out just the right width for a lap. Also, no contrast side border is worked on this version, just start a new color stripe at random and work the entire row in one color, eliminating the need to use 3 separate balls of color across rows.  Hopefully my revised plan (in these scraps of assorted browns, creams, tans, golds & reds) will end up providing some warmth and cheer to a wheelchair patient.

I really love the quick-knitting and variety-of-interest easy lace pattern used for this design. It will be a good travel project, as there will be car-knitting time today as we head out and about to various destinations this weekend.

Hope you’re enjoying a summer flower display in your vicinity.  Next time I visit the Augustine Grill for lunch in the garden, I’ll take my knitting along so I can sit and stay awhile, enjoying the view, some refreshing iced tea and a delicious summer salad!

Why am I blogging about hats on a hot summer day? Partly because I joined a charity knitting group on Ravelry yesterday, and partly because our area has been flooded with heavy rains due to the current monsoon weather pattern. As I was sharing some projects with the group, I came across these pictures … a flood of hats! Some were made to fill a need to help with Midwest flood relief in previous years, and others were donated to the Snug Hugs for Kids charity drive that my coworkers and I participate in every year.  All of the hats were made from Designs by KN patterns which can be found in the DBKN pattern database (photos can be seen on the DBKN Ravelry page.)

If you contribute your knitting and crocheting skills to charitable causes, feel free to use any of these patterns to make hats for those in need. Here are links to some specific patterns shown in the photos: Double-Double Crochet Hat, Knit Hat for anyone!, Better Late Than Never Beanies, Lacy Baby Hat, Rib-look Baby Hat.

Stitch on!

This  Cozy Comfort Prayer Shawl (mentioned in the previous post) was worked on over the past few days while helping tend to a family member during a hospital stay and subsequent move to a rehab care center:

While visiting the care center, I got a firsthand look at how many of the dear folks who are confined there could use handmade comforts & “hugs” through items like prayer shawls, lapghans, handwarmers, bedjackets, bed socks, etc.  I spoke with the admissions officer about their need for such items and her face lit up as she said they would be delighted to receive donations. They will be calling me next week to talk about it.

During a visit yesterday I saw one resident traveling the hallways in a wheelchair with a colorful granny-square lapghan draped over her legs. Since this was my first experience in such a setting, seeing that lapghan reminded me of the many projects created in my knitting and crocheting life that were made to fill needs expressed by various charitable causes. I wondered about the stitcher who made this particular lapghan and am inspired anew to do what little I can to help in a similar way.

If you are looking for pattern ideas for comfort items, here are some possibilities from the  Designs by KN pattern database that could serve. After I finish this post, I plan to make a pair of Men’s Fingerless Mitts for our family member whose hands are always cold.

Men’s Fingerless Mitts

Ice Chip Mitts

Cozy Comfort Prayer Shawl

Ribbed Pulse Warmers

Ribbed Fingerless Mitts

My Grandmother’s Slippers

Twist Mitts

Shortie Shell Capelet

Easy-Knit Shawl

There aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything one dreams of creating to help others, but at least we can try to do a little something:  one comfort at a time.

Monsoon season has arrived in Colorado and we have been hit with heavy rain in the past few days. Some places in the Denver metro area received so much in a short time that homes and streets were flooded, enough to set cars, taxi cabs and RTD buses adrift in the water.

I’ve been feeling rather adrift lately due to the serious illness of a family member as well as contemplation of a major decision at my workplace. Whenever I feel unsettled, I turn to both prayer and knitting & crocheting to calm nerves and think things through.

I’ve been working on another Cozy Comfort Prayer Shawl because it’s just the kind of project needed right now: not too much brainwork but a soothing, easy rhythm to it that helps pass the time. When finished these shawls are truly cozy to wrap up in. I had at least 6 balls of Patons Canadiana Boucle in my stash, and after trying it out with several types of projects decided it was suitable for this shawl pattern:

To continue the theme of this post (and because we all could use a good laugh right now) here’s a humorous true story I wrote many years ago about, of all things, FedEx!

AN ANSWERED PRAYER

When we moved from California to Colorado 12 years ago, I found a job at the local university as secretary for a newly-created master’s degree program.  One of the director’s first tasks was to write a grant proposal to secure funding for the program.  I typed the document, saving it to a floppy disk in preparation for numerous revisions.  On the final day before the submission deadline, we worked frantically to finish the proposal.  At the last minute, some of the material was lost and had to be retyped (we discovered later we were working with the wrong version of the document).  My fingers flew, and we finished and packaged it up before 5:00 p.m.  I called ahead to the FedEx office to get directions, allowing plenty of time to get there before they closed at 6:00.  I knew the packet had to be mailed that day as there was no deadline extension.  With directions in hand I set out on my journey, confident I knew where to go, even though parts of the neighborhood were unfamiliar to me.  I drove to where I thought the office was located, only to discover dark unoccupied buildings and dark streets.  After travelling up and down the same boulevard several times, I began to worry.  Time was running out and I couldn’t pinpoint my location well enough to figure out which way to turn (this was before the age of cell phones, so I couldn’t call for help.)   Finally, with only ten minutes to spare, I pulled into a fast-food restaurant parking lot and began to pray:  “Dear Lord, I’m lost.  Please, please help me find FedEx before 6:00!”  I decided to give it one more try.  Returning to the same street I had already traveled, I drove on a little further than before.  Suddenly, out of the darkness to my left there glowed one small sign:  FedEx!

The final result?  Our grant proposal was awarded funding and the master’s degree program was on its way!

#   #   #

If you’re feeling adrift right now or facing some difficult decision-making in your life, perhaps you’d like to spend time knitting or crocheting a simple shawl to help clear your mind. Besides the Cozy Comfort Prayer Shawl for crocheters, the Designs by KN pattern line also includes the “I Just Want to Knit” Shawl for knitters. There are several more shawl patterns in the Designs by KN pattern database.

May you find peace in your handwork, amidst the storm clouds of life.

In a previous post, I wrote:

“Recently I was invited to write a book review for an upcoming issue of Dora Ohrenstein’s excellent online e-zine Crochet Insider. An article about the history of my family’s afghans was published in a previous issue of CI, so when I heard from Dora again, of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity. Look for the book review in the new issue of CI coming soon!”

The “coming soon” is here! Dora’s July issue of Crochet Insider has just been published. It offers a variety of articles, photos, reviews and information of interest to crocheters.  Take a look and while you’re there check out my review of Ellen Gormley’s new book “Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook.” The book is quite amazing in its wealth of original and creative ideas for motifs and afghans. I am in awe of how many hours it must have taken to accomplish this work. Congratulations, Ellen!

This was the first book review I’ve ever written, but must say that I enjoyed the experience. If you are seeking someone interested in writing book reviews, please contact me through email kathy@designsbykn.com, the contact page on the Designs by KN website, or on Ravelry. Thank you.

Now go enjoy some time with the new issue of Crochet Insider! and Go Crochet!

Our four spoiled cats are enjoying the coolness of the early morning hours on what will become a very hot summer day. Right now they are contentedly taking cat naps in their selected spots around the house, enjoying fresh air by an open window and the peace & quiet (me too!) before 4th of July firecracker-popping starts in the neighborhood later on.

Yesterday I discovered the Knitting for Pets group on Ravelry. One discussion thread “Show Us Your Pets!” invited photos as well as favorite patterns. I shared our cat family and some patterns from the Designs by KN pattern database:

Andrew – our “head of household” cat – with Cushy Pet Pad and Whaleboy:

Bill – such a good boy, except he prefers to hang out in my knitting chair when I’m not in it! – with Cozy Comfort Shawl and Pet Turtle Toy:

Patches – 20 years old but still amazingly spry – with Vintage Wheel Square Mat:

Jasmine – a big ball of fur who squeaks and likes to “herd” the others in the family – with Pet Beach Mat:

One member of the family no longer with us is Toby – she was a sweet, soft gray companion – with Happy Crab Pet Toy:

Any of these Designs by KN patterns would be suitable to donate to shelters that accept items to comfort animals in need.  If you find a few quiet hours in your day, consider making something that your local shelter would appreciate receiving. The ideas presented here are cat-tested and approved!