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April 1, 2003

March 19, 2003

The cats have cabin fever. And my clients in California don't know it's a snow day. Boo. But I'll steal a few minutes to whip up some cookies for dh and log a few rows on the devilish diagonal. I'm ready to top off my first rectangle.

Also, I'm probably just out of it, but are you all aware that there are more than 600 Yahoo groups related to knitting? Everything from HistoricKnits, which deals with mostly pre-17th century knits and Knitting for Cheap to Knitting Nurses (I assume the group is not pornographic). We're insane.

Must get to the novel, before someone calls.

March 18, 2003

Diagonal Knitting on the "Slide" ala Valentina

This works especially well using one solid-colored yarn and one complementary variegated in similar weights.

Using dpns or circs, cast on two stitches in color A. Knit one row. Turn. Beginning with this row, inc. one stitch at beginning of every row until you reach the desired width of your "rectangle." So, knitting with color B now, inc. one stitch at the beginning of the row. (Here's the tricky part.) When you have finished knitting that row, do NOT turn your work, instead slide it to the other end of your needle. Then, picking up color A, inc. one stitch at the beginning of the row, knitting through to the row's end. Turn. Pick up color B, and so on. Get it?

When you reach your desired width, you will substitute the constant increases with this: Inc. 1 stitch at the beginning of your wrong side row; dec. 1 stitch at the beginning of your right side row.

When you reach your desired length, count your "garter ridges" and dec. 1 stitch at the beginning of every row until you have two stitches. Bind off. You will have a lovely, ridgey fabric in the most interesting texture. Enjoy.

BTW, we are having a blizzard today. A source of great celebration here in the Queen City of Plains, where we have been in drought mode for several years. Tra la!

March 17, 2003

Diagonal Knitting

Use handpainted yarn, mix and match novelty yarns with traditional woolens, or pick one color and play with textures, adding slubby cottons, ribbon, silk, chenille, whatever makes you smile. Once you knit diagonally, you'll see knitting from a whole new angle!

Cast on 2 stitches.
Row 1: Knit.
Row 2-?: Knit. Inc. 1 stitch at the beginning of every row.
You will be knitting a triangle. When the base of your triangle reaches your desired width, mark the wrong side of your work and count your stitches. Inc. 1 stitch at the beginning of your wrong side row; dec. 1 stitch at the beginning of your right side row. When you reach your desired length, count your "garter ridges" and dec. 1 stitch at the beginning of every row until you have two stitches. Bind off.

March 16, 2003

Was extremely well behaved at Shuttles yesterday. Only bought six skeins of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton for my mom, a set of Crystal Palace Bamboo circs to help speed me through the crazy kimono and some CP Deco Ribbon in a not-quite-ripe-lemon green.

Have to bone up on diagonal knitting and slipped diagonal knitting today so I can teach it Tuesday night at The Lamb. I've totally forgotten how to wrap one of these diagonally-knit rectangles up. But gotta say, this diagonal knitting stuff can be a great way to use up stash! And even though it's just humble, ol' garter stitch, it stays intriguing--everytime you add a new yarn, something different happens.

Hasta!

March 15, 2003

Bon, Saturday morning, y'all. I'm off to Boulder to see my friend Lisa and her three-month-old bambinos--twins Radley and Francesca. (And, yes, the little darlings were recipients of Nake-id Knitwear, lovely little mint green outfits, courtesy of Jil Eaton, Minnow Knits designer extraordinaire.) And what would a trip to Boulder be without a stop at Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins? Check out the Weather Pixie, we're in for a beautiful day!

Ciao bella!

March 14, 2003

Note the links next door. Nake-id Knits is nothing if not boosterish. Always Buy Colorado (yarn, that is)! Well...maybe not always. But the state does offer a plethora of boutique fiber delights. Judy Ditmore, the babe on the bike in Handpaint Country, is the genius behind Interlacements, supplier of hand-dyed yarns extraordinaire. View and drool...Interlacements. The fabulous Cheryl Oberle, author of Folk Shawls and Folk Vests, also sells her own hand-dyed yarn. And who can resist Serendipity Farms' $50/bag alpaca? Yumbolicious.

Keep your eyes peeled for new links to the Estes Park Wool Market, the Taos Wool Festival and other regional fiber events. If you've never attended a wool festival, you are missing out on llama kisses, classes taught by the best teachers in the biz, and vendors selling the most beautiful animal fibers and yarns you're likely to see in one place. Make your reservations now!

Also, if you're in the Denver area, you can drop by one of our fair city's LYSs. Links and addresses posted to the right. My personal faves are the non-digital Recycled Lamb ('cause that's where my Mommy works) and Strawberry Tree. The places are unmitigated chaos, but full of warmth and humor--just like a yarn shop should be.

March 13, 2003

Can I just say that eyelash yarn is a big pain in the patoot? Last night I incorporated some Flutter into the Devine Diagonal Kimono. (Flutter is a scrawny threadlike fiber with these daddy-long-legs appendages.) Size 6 needles created a this-looks-like-a-mistake effect. Plus the eyelashes keep masquerading as stitches. Argh. Ever rip out eyelash? Ever try to pick up slubby cotton--the next stripe down? I'm not saying the eyelash doesn't create a graceful effect, it's gorgeous. But la Flutter must be carried with something else or doubled. And that's what I have to say on the subject.

March 12, 2003

It occurred to me that I ought to introduce Valentina Devine. (That IS her real name.) Valentina is a knitwear designer noted for her "creative knitting" technique--a kind of log-cabin-quilt-square-cum-abstract-art technique, whereby knitters create large squares from stash, then "embellish" them with funky crocheted scrumblings. Squares then can be crocheted together in a range of garments from kimono-style jackets, vests, coats, shells--anything you can make with a square, diamond or rectangle. Quite freeing to think about, actually.

You can view some photographs of her work at
Lalana-give-me-all-your-money-Wools, yarn purveyer to the stars in Taos. Here's Valentina's work...

Interweave Knits published a fabulous summary of Valentina's technique in its Spring 1998 issue.

My mom did a great job teaching, by the way. And has scrumbled up a lovely peachy green square for class.


March, 11, 2003

Back to the not-ready-for-prime-time Nake-id Knits.

I am in awe of all the HTML goddesses with their way cool banners and facility with Photoshop. Do they teach this stuff in school now? How do you knit and blog at the same time? I was thrilled just to paste my weather pixie onto a template. (Where's the perimenopausal pixie with gray hair and an estrogen patch? It's an attractive demographic. We're supposed to be the ones with the money, that is if we had chosen sensible careers--CPA not writer.)

BTW, does anyone know what these (<<<<>>>>) are called? Carrots? Brackets? Taglets?

Not much knitting going down, when there's blogging to do. Although I'm helping my mother teach a creative knitting class--ala Valentina Devine--tonight. I'll be demonstrating diagonal knitting on a haori jacket I'm making for my mother-in-law.

Bye for now.

© Copyright 2003 Leslie Petrovski. Last update: 11/17/03; 6:30:29 PM.