Vine Cloth Pattern

I've been in the repetition of the Quaking Aspen Shawl and felt the need to deplete my stash, make something that could be finished quickly and would be easy enough to cut my design teeth without too much pain.

What took care of all three?

A very simple washcloth/dishcloth design.

Everyone knows that handmade dishcloths make great little hostess gifts or other little "I was thinking of you" goodies.  Not so true if you went out to Target or the local pharmacy and picked a stack of those scratchy cloths and gave them to the hostess -- right?

I'm thinking of making a stack of these for favors at my next wine and cheese gathering - I'll adapt the colors to a theme for the night and everyone will have a nice little gift to take home.

Right now  - I'm the only one who has knit this pattern up.  I'd certainly appreciate it if you'd let me know about any errors (or feel free to ask any questions).  And I'd be really tickled if you'd send me photos of your finished pretties.  (I'll also post this on Ravelry, so we can all gather there -- okay?)

 

Vine Cloth

By Peggie Arvidson based on Hanging vines stitch pattern found in the daily stitch a day calendar 2012

(perfect hostess gift for the wine lover on your list)

For the green/yellow: I used about 1/4 of a skein of Peaches and Cream multicolored cotton yarn.  For the Blue and brown, I used less than one quarter of each the brown and Blue.  Both Peaches and Cream cotton.

Size US 8 needles.

You can adjust your needles to get the "feel" that you want in your cloth.  If you're a tight knitter like me 8 or 9 probably would be excellent.  If you are a loose knitter?  try a smaller needle.

Additionally -- if you'd like this more in a towel size -- cast on more.  The pattern is in a multiple of 8 plus 6 for the 3 edging stitches on either side.

Cast on 34

Rows 1-4: Knit

Row 5: K3; (K2, K2Tog, YO, K3;) 4times;  K3

Row 6: K3; purl 28; k3

Row 7: K3; (K1, K2tog, YO, K4) 4 times; K3

Row 8: K3; P28; K3

Row 9: Knit across

Row 10: K3; P28: K3

Row 11: K3; (K3, YO, SSK, K2) 4 times; K3

Row 12: Knit across all 34

Row 13: K3; (K4, YO, SSK, K1) 4 times; K3

Row 14: K3; P28; K3

Row 15: Knit across

Row 16: K3; P28; K3

Repeat Rows 5-16 twice (or as many times as you want to get the length you prefer)

Repeat Rows 5-14 a final time

Knit 4 rows

Bind off

You can embellish by adding stripes and adding a little crochet “rope” at the corner to hang the cloth!

What makes an Original - Original?

I feel like I should be singing, "Oops I knit it again."  over and over and over. 

I've been knitting nonstop since my last little jaunt here.  However, it seems my brain is reluctant to write AND knit.  This is disconcerting.  To say the least.  I fancy myself someone who writes.  A writer.   Because obviously writers, write.  Yet.  Other than morning pages my ability to sit here at a keyboard and actually WRITE has evaporated. 

My ability to sit at my keyboard, peruse twitter, spend hours searching patterns on Ravelry and you know, generally read knit blogs on end -- while knitting -- that skill set is most definitely intact.

No idea what that's about.

And frankly. It pisses me off.

Still.  What I've been thinking in the far recesses of my mind while doing all this mindless perusing and very important knitting is this:

What exactly constitutes an original design?

(remember, I've spent HOURS of my life perusing patterns).

I mean.  If I just sit down with a set of needles and some yummy hand-dye and start knitting and purling away -- every once in a while adding a stitch here and a yarnover there - and eventually end up with something, say, the size of a lap blanket -- is that an original design?

What if, after I've followed a dozen or so different basic mitten patterns and start riffing on colors and ribbing -- all because my brain has moved from auto-pilot to a need to do something to keep it entertained while making the dozenth pair?  Is that, technically, a design?


I'm thinking this may be a lot like writing (ah! A connection).  

It's been said there are "no new ideas" in the world of publishing.  Just new ways of saying things.

You know the classics have been done a billion and a half times (boy meets girl; man's inhumanity to earth; girl doesn't dig boy; the poor shall overcome, etc.)  yet new movies, books and stories are told every day. Right?


Maybe we're drawn to design, like words, that put a new spin on an old classic.  Or use a voice (vision) that allow us to see the same old thing in a new way?  I'm not certain.

This knitting thing has been a passion for much longer than I anticipated last snowy, cold winter when I picked up yarn and needles.  I figured it would get me through the winter and then I'd be done with it.

Knitting has become a way for me to create something out of nothing and I'm starting to think about things like "how would I make that?"  or "could I design something like the shawl I loved in a magazine and combine it with a new stitch pattern that I saw on my stitch a day calendar?"

Questions.

So what do you think?  What constitutes an original design?


And in the meantime, here's some of what I've been knitting:

My take on Ashton Shawlette

 

 

 

Cherry Blossom Boneyard

The start of a Quaking Aspen

Avoidance techniques

The fact that I've written more posts here than on the blog that is related to my income is telling.  What it tells remains to be seen I suppose.  Still it's interesting to see how my brain works.  In my mind the fact that I'm writing (and knitting and crocheting) means I'm taking action in my life.

Taking action is my default.  I move and take action.  I used to do it (unconsciously for the most part) to avoid feeling or digging into my not so proverbial stuff in my closet.  Now I do it because my muscle memory insists that moving and doing are my normal.

And frankly there is nothing wrong with doing, right?  Still.  What is it that I'm avoiding or shoving to the back-burner in my business life?  Will making more hats and gloves and socks and mittens (and a SWEATER) miraculously bring out the truth I'm clearly trying to avoid? 

This is a knitting and making blog after all.  So many deep questions just send me deeper into my stash.  Still, I'm wondering what my compulsion to stash is really about?  Is it about the yarn? 

So here's (some of) what's on the needles at the moment:

 The second ducky sock.  it's making me happy to make it.  moving quickly and luxurious to feel.  Probably too heavy and loose for "real" socks but they should be a welcome addition to my wear-in-the-house socks.

I'm also working on a sweater for Michael.  (it's grey!) and a pair of amazing sockies for Butter and a shawl that is way too complicated and still amusing.  The scarf for Dad and oh yeah.  I made a hat this weekend.  The Pattern of the Day in my calendar was a neat little intarsia pattern named Mountain Lake.  I cast on a few times intending to make a swatch. But you know, it had to be in the round.  And my dpns were otherwise occupied (see socks above) and the smallest circulars I had were the perfect size for a hat.  So while the hat is too small for an adult head, it is great for a child.   Yes.  I made a whole hat so I could try a pattern.  I liked it.  (and it was good for avoidance too -- I mean, you can't be called too much of a slacker if you make a hat in a weekend, right?)  Okay - don't tell the non-knitters that you can.

Jammies at Noon

I dare you (or anyone you know for that matter) to be unhappy while wearing these socks.  Hell, I suspect just being in the presence of someone who wears these should cheer you right up. 

The fact that there is only ONE of these socks at this moment is not a problem.  At all.  because I'm going to start the second one right away.  In fact I'm going to avoid the boring second sock curse simply by reversing the colors.  Don't think I can or should?  Watch me. 

I've always known my propensity for wearing mismatched socks would come in handy.  See, these are the socks I have on right now.

sadly, I did not make these

Yes.  They ARE cats on one foot and dogs on the other.  I am an equal-opportunity pet-lover.  (and yes, that may well be the bottom hem of my green "Life is Good" Jammies you see.  There is nothing wrong with wearing jammies at work.  If you work at home.)  But since you noticed I'm on my way to clean up and put on grown up clothes.  Now.

And if any of you have a pattern for dog socks (or cat socks) or can point me toward one -- I'll gladly make myself a pair of dog-cat socks.  Thank you very much.

Is there Such a Thing as TOO MANY?

Last night Michael watched me cast on a fun par of socks.  He's fascinated by the entire process of knitting I think.  He watches me intently.  As though by watching the hands and the yarn and the sticks he's going to find the meaning of life.

It's cute.

I've offered to teach him how to do it, but he says no.  He'd rather watch me. 

He'd be really good at it though because he's an engineer and a math whiz.  I feel certain he'd never have the issues with pattern repeats and counting that I do.

Ah well. The socks.

Remember when I told you I let each of my C600 gal pals pick a body part and a color for their Christmas gifts?  (Eventually I'll get around to explaining C600 - the name).

So Sbelle picked fingerless mitts in pink (not really a body part, but she's a rebel).  I made her those cute Mitt Envies in pink (and the yarn is Ella RAE not Mae - just fyi)

what will I do when my model heads to college next fall?

And Tjane picked her head and told me to surprise her.  But she wanted something slouchy to wear after hot yoga.

She got TWO hats - because I'm cool that way (and the hats were really piling up around here)

she couldn't decide between this and the Slouchy Copy Cat in Miss Babs Violets in the Grass.

And now there's Butter's gift to be done.  She picked cozy footie socks for wearing around the house and luxuriating.

That's why I was casting on again last night.  I've cast on a few different yarns and swatches but haven't gotten what I wanted for her just yet.  But I pulled some Amazing Aurora (Lion Brand) from my stash and voila! It's a win.

Which brings me to Michael.  He accused me of NOT being a finisher.  This gets under my skin somehow.  Which is clearly something I should meditate on and wrap my head around.  But that's another story altogether.

In the meantime he made me enumerate all the projects I had going at once.  quickly I deduced which he had SEEN and which he hadn't.  I gave the number of what he's seen.  Smart, right?


How can he say I don't finish things?  Didn't he see what came out of that yarn basket at Christmas?  Oh, and didn't he notice the lapghan that I finished in a day?  Yeah. 

So what say you?  What's too much?

Lazy Knitter Get off your ...

I haven't written here in a while because I think you may be bored with simple, daily run downs of what's on the needles. 

There is also the fact that I apparently cannot count past three.  This is tough in K4, P4 ribs btw.

Recently I realized that I'm a lazy knitter.  Or that my desire to remain a slug in one place is the source of much of my creativity.

I'm inventing a new hat pattern (I'd show you a picture but the hat is downstairs and I'm not, so it will have to wait til I get off my arse and head downstairs to take a picture.  Hopefully I'll remember to bring my camera or it could be another few days....)

The pattern is being invented because I had written a pattern down and left the pattern upstairs (where I am now) and my yarn and needles were downstairs (where the TV is).  Once I was snuggled between my honey and my sweet dog with the blanket over my lap, my wine on the coffee table and the needles in my hands, I wasn't about to head upstairs for a pattern.

I figured I could make something up as I went.

At first I had stage fright, but then I figured if it really was sucky I could unravel the whole thing and follow a pattern.

I'm working it in EllaMae - in black and pink on US#8 circulars.  I cast on 80 stitches, worked a k2, p2 rib for about 2 inches and then sort of decided to wing it.  The first few rounds reflect that (but imperfections like that are my 'calling card')  Now I'm in a rhythm and run a solid round of K, then a round of k2, sl1, k1, then another round of k2, sl1, k1, and then switch the color and do the three rounds again.  simple.  and I'm actually kind of tickled by the way it looks.  If only the hat were here, I could show you.

But it's not.

This Knitter's 2012 List

Yesterday I flipped through a copy of The Knitter's Life List by Gwen W. Steege.  I was at the library - supposedly doing some work to prep the business for the new year, but really, I was basking in a little quiet time and trying to wrap my head around all that happened in 2011 and get a grip (yeah, right) on the new year.

The book had some really nifty and innovative ideas and I'm a sucker for a check-list - nothing makes me happier than crossing things off the to-do list.  Sometimes I write things on my daily list that I've already done, just so I can cross it off.  (sad but true confession).

Here's a list of intentions for my yarn-life in 2012:

• create one intarsia-something - hat/mittens/scarf
• improve my color skills - instead of relying on the yarn to change colors, do it myself
• make a sweater that I'm  happy to wear (right now I'm leaning toward a 3/4 sleeve cardigan)
• get the designs perfected and then the goodies listed on my etsy shop
• attend at least one fiber show
• meet more local fiber heads in the area
• start a monthly gathering for knitters and crocheters

***********
On another note - here's that scarf I made for Michael - he even agreed to model it for me. (isn't he adorable?)