Archives for May 2014

For those of you who don’t know this, I have a daughter who lives in NYC. She just had a birthday, and since we hadn’t seen each other since last Christmas I was overdue for a Dose of Daughter.

Last Friday, I was up at 3:30 am to catch my flight – and freely admit I’d stagger out of bed that insanely early only for someone I love. I stayed over at my uptown sister’s informal B & B, otherwise known as a very comfortable couch.

The early flight meant that my daughter and I had an extra whole day to visit, and she was kind enough to take Friday off from work so we could really enjoy ourselves. And by “enjoy,” I mean mostly shopping and eating, though not necessarily in that order. Dinner at Hotel Chantelle on the Lower East Side included this duck pâté with all the fixins.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous – sunny, 70s, and breezy. Exactly what a day in late spring should be like. Perfect for a guided tour of my girl’s new neighborhood (she’s moving in early June) as well as a trip to Brooklyn for a visit to Smorgasburg – an artisanal food fair held every weekend in Williamsburg. In other words, more eating.

In the midst of Williamsburg’s beanie-wearing crowd of twenty-something hipsters, I felt ostentatiously uncool.  But my lack of urban hipster cred did nothing to impair my appetite. 🙂

And Sunday gave us more sunny skies, inspiring a walk with my daughter around the reservoir in Central Park.

I had a bit of a thing going for the Central Park bridges that lead to an outer path. Each one was different, and each one had its own wealth of beautiful, graceful design details.

After the exercise, it felt a bit less gluttonous to go to my sister’s apartment for brunch, even though she made a french toast casserole that was as decadent as it was delicious. Got to see my niece and nephew, a rare occurrence but a happy one.

Then back to the airport and home by dinner time. It was a lovely – and much needed – break from my routines.

I’ve been asked to provide some cost-conscious yarn substitution options for the projects in Knits That Breathe, and am glad to do so with this caveat: whenever substituting different yarns for those used in a book’s samples, be sure to make a generous swatch, block the swatch, then – and only then – verify your gauge.

An 8″ x 8″ swatch would not be out of line in this situation, because you want to be absolutely certain that the yarn will behave and perform similarly, if not exactly, like the yarn used in the original sample.

Ok, now I’ll take off my schoolmarm hat 😉 and make the following suggestions (and please understand that I have not necessarily worked with these yarns – the suggestions are based on my research about their appearance, gauge, fiber content, and the success of similar projects):

Elann Lara is a 5-ply, 100% combed mercerized cotton (sport weight); 138 yds./skein @ $2.98. I’d try this as a substitute yarn in Still Waters, Sirena, or Pochette. Elann has a Bag Blowout sale on this yarn right now, @ $22.00/bag.

Elann Lustrado is a 4-ply, 100% mercerized gassed cotton (fingering wt.); 185 yds./skein @$3.48. Try this option for Flutterbye (for a less sheer version because of the slightly heavier weight), Still Waters, Sirena, Sail Away Shrug, Zephyr, or Iced Frappuccino.

Elann Sonata Soft is an 8-ply, 100% mercerized cotton (DK wt.); 115 yds./skein @ $2.98. Try this for the Pacific Coast tunic, Splash cardigan, Sail Away shrug, Breezy tunic, Haven.

Elann Ornaghi Filati United is 55% Bamboo/ 45% Cotton (Aran wt.); 92 yds/skein @ $2.98. Try this for the Splash cardigan, Breezy tunic, or Pacific Coast tunic, Haven.

KnitPicks CotLin is 70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen (DK wt.); 123 yds./skein @ $2.99. An option for Breezy tunic, Pacific Coast tunic, Splash Cardigan, Haven, or Iced Frappuccino.

KnitPicks Shine Sport is 60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal® natural beech wood fiber (Sport wt.); 110 yds./skein @ $2.99. An option for Pochette, Sirena, Still Waters, or Zephyr.

Classic Elite Firefly is 25% linen, 75% viscose (Sport wt.); 155 yds./skein.
Classic Elite Provence is 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton; 102 yds./skein.
Classic Elite Cerro is 85% pima cotton, 15% alpaca; 150 yds./skein.
Classic Elite Classic Silk is 50% Cotton, 30% Silk, 20% Nylon; 135 yds./skein.
(See retailers for pricing; Classic Elite yarns are not as cost-conscious as those listed above, but are nonetheless a good value for lovely product.

I hope these suggestions are enough to get you thinking, swatching, and making your own beautiful versions of the projects in Knits That Breathe! Please show me your finished projects!

I’ve noticed on Ravelry that the little Sorbet Cardi from Knits That Breathe is not getting the love enjoyed by many of the book’s other projects, and I’m not sure why that is.

It can’t be the design, because who doesn’t love a straightforward top-down design with minimal seams plus adorable lace borders and cuffs?

It definitely can’t be the yarn, because Blue Moon Fiber Arts’ Marine Silk Worsted is heaven in a skein. It feels like cashmere, offers lovely stitch definition, and the Buttah colorway I chose for the sample really reminds me of an icy lemon sorbet.

The blend of silk, SeaCell, and wool gives the fibers an exquisite soft shimmer, fantastic drape, and the perfect amount of shape retention from that small percentage of wool. 

It can’t be the length, which looks great over a tunic, tee, or summer dress.  

So I think it’s just possibly because we haven’t considered all its options, all its versatility.

Perhaps my clowning around in this fun, comfortable, flattering cardi will help you see its possibilities.

A few more things to share about TNNA last weekend. The funny thing about being surrounded by fiber, and knitting, and other knitters, is that by the end of the day I was almost too tired to do any actual knitting. Almost. But not quite… managed to fall asleep one night with needles in hand!

This gorgeous tunic by Brooke Nico, designer, yarn shop owner, and now the author of the absolutely amazing new book,  Lovely Knitted Lace (this particular pattern is available in Knitters magazine, Spring 2014 issue) was on the event floor, and just blew me away!

Running into some of the designers whose work is featured in my first book, Brave New Knits, was an extra treat at the show. I saw Hilary Smith Callis, whose Yarniad designs are so fun and hip and continue to wow me:

Also met up with Kirsten Kapur of Through The Loops, whose designs have been among my favorites ever since I first started reading her blog way back in 2009. Her color sensibility is subtle but rich, and always lovely.

Also spent time with fellow Visionaries and indy publishers Hunter Hammersen (author of the marvelous Knitters Curiosity Cabinet series as well as several other pattern collections), Betty Salpeker (author of Solefull Socks), and Jill Wolcott (author of the Goddess Collection, among other sophisticated and elegant pattern collections), both amazing designers. A productive weekend!

Flutterbye was, more than some of the other designs in Knits That Breathe, a true synthesis of design concept and yarn characteristics. Over the years I’ve made shawls and wraps from Sundara Yarn’s Silk Lace, and thus was already familiar with its behavior. I knew the finished design would have beautiful drape, that it would offer blissfully cool comfort to the wearer, and that it would gleam gently whenever light shone upon it.

As a fan of the handkerchief hem in other garments I own, the yarn seemed to cry out for this design element – it needed that fluttering, wispy, feminine quality that gives the tunic its wonderful movement and makes the knitter feel beautiful every time it floats over her body. And although I’m not prone to adding ruffles to my knitting (In fact, I’ve been known to call ruffles, along with puffed sleeves, “infantilizing”), Silk Lace seemed to warrant just the slightest waft of extra flutter.

The ideas I sketched for the project evolved slowly into Flutterbye, which incorporates all the elements I’ve mentioned above as well as its own ineffable grace.

The word “scintillating” must have been invented to describe Sundara Yarn’s Silk Lace, because its delicate strength and shimmering lustre (or is that lustrous shimmer?) are the very embodiment of the word. Making Flutterbye with Silk Lace was the ultimate pleasure because every inch glides through the fingers like a sigh.

Rich color absorption by the silk renders a pleasing palette of semi-solids that range from bold to delicate. You can’t go wrong. Sundara is a color magician with such nuanced mastery of the dye-pot that she achieves amazing depth and brilliance in every skein. 

If there’s one single tip I can pass along about Flutterbye and the Silk Lace yarn, it’s that a loose cast-on and an even looser bind-off will help you achieve the desired result for your finished garment. The silk fiber has no elasticity, so although the tunic itself has some horizontal give as well as plenty of drape and motion, this is not achieved with any assistance from the actual yarn.

I’ll be at TNNA in Indianapolis over the first weekend in May to promote Knits That Breathe. I hope to see some of you there, and look forward to reporting back upon my return!