Janet Knits

Lotus mitten

  I've been making this little mock-up of my lotus mitten, inspired by the logo of my local yoga studio.  I was more concerned about the look of the lotus than I was about gauge and size, so the mitten is a little snug on my hand.  I also want to move the lotus up the palm a few more rows and I'm going to change the color gradations to mimic those on the cuff.  So, this is just one small step in the creative walk.  I also hope to try out different background colors (a light camel, perhaps) and maybe even a different cuff pattern.  The corrugated ribbing has a nice look and makes for a snug wrap around the wrist, however, it is predictably inelastic. 

   The unusual thing about this week is that I've set the knitting aside to work on other deadlines.  More to come.

I plan to use this as the back of the mitten with the lotus revealed when the palms are "up".

Slow Knitting

Have you heard of the slow food movement?  I read about slow money yesterday in the paper.  The slow movement seems to be gaining traction in the media now.  I think that slow knitting is another facet of the whole concept and as rapidly as I knit, I think I could found the segment.  Quality garments, made by hand, with an emphasis on the process of the making.

I thought about this as I finally completed my own Selva, designed by Angela Hahn.  What I could say about this project could certainly be read in her blog comments about the project, but I will dare the repetition.  This skirt was a delight to knit because  lots of repetitions (30, no less!) of the pattern stitch worked in the round made for a great knit.  I was listening to all sorts of books on CD.  The project did take hours and hours of this sort of slow knitting. 

 I like the way this skirt fits. When I began Selva, I was dubious that a hand-knitted skirt could look good, but I think this one does.  The heartsof oak pattern does help smooth out any bumps in one's figure.  The final test will be in the actual wearing of the thing. 

I also must thank my husband, for the fantastic sweater (not knit by me) to coordinate the whole outfit, and to Anne from The Grey Colt , who helped my husband find the sweater to give to me at Christmas.

Mitten Class

Mitten - Bulky yarn
Originally uploaded by jsd0530

I've scheduled a class for mittens at the shop. Here's the prototype in Baby Alpaca Grande, a bulky weight yarn. The pattern is by Ewe and I Originals, with three sizes and two weights of yarn. I'll be casting on the worsted weight version today.

Chunky Cabled Tam from Knit 1

Chunky Cabled Tam from Knit 1
Originally uploaded by jsd0530

The forecast is for temperatures around 30 F with little or no precipitation. I'll be walking the mile to Miss Chickpea's Funky Fibers wearing my new hat. Yeah!

I blocked the tam on the plate base of my mother's soup tureen. Before blocking, the hat was definitely tight around my big head and not looking too slouchy. After blocking though, the hat works on me. Very exciting. Also, the ten-year old wool seems to have weathered the past decade without moths or rust. Thank you Morehouse Farms!

Cabled Chunky Tam

chunkytam
Originally uploaded by jsd0530

I need a hat - desperately - to continue to walk to work during the winter months. The chunky tam on the cover of Knit 1 promised a quick solution to the problem. From my stash, I pulled out some very old (10 years?) Morehouse Merino bulky. The last stitch was worked on December 31 and the completed tam is drying, blocked on my mother's serving plate. Complete photos available when we return home.

You'll notice that Selva provides the background for the hat-in-progress. Once again, Selva takes a back seat to deadline-based projects. Will Selva ever be complete?