By Hand, With Heart ... hand-knit designs

Review: New Stranded Colorwork

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:38:00 +0000

Today, we got a few boxes from Amazon (BamBam's birthday is the end of next month ...) and one of the books was actually for me ... and about knitting. I just spent the last couple of hours since dinner reading this book ... drooling over this book ... and plotting my next project!

Mary Scott Huff's newest book, The New Stranded Colorwork: Techniques and Patterns for Vibrant Knitwear is an amazing mix of knitter's "eye candy", glorious and unique use of color and traditional/classic designs that mean that this book will be usable for a knitter for many years to come.

Personally, I bought the book because I fell in love with the pattern on the right front cover: Norwegian Blue is a gorgeous combination of blues, taupe and a blaze of red! Wow!

But as I first browsed through the book, I found many more beauties: Timberline (which is knitted for a man, but I'd make it for myself!), Kjersten (a gorgeous jacket in green and black with accents of red and orange that look great rather than gaudy), Kiss that Frog (which would be a great sweater for one of my boys), the Johnny Jump-up Leg Warmers (which would be a perfect Christmas present for my little ballerina), the Bee's Knees (which , altho it's designed for a toddler, I would make for my String Bean who LOVES bees but I would change the border from sage green to a pretty pink), and the lovely, final design which is called Wedding Belle and is meant for the Bride once she realizes that the gorgeous gown she chose is a bit nippy and needs something other than her groom's jacket! These are gorgeous.

The really cool thing about this book ... for me, who can't follow directions/rules to save my life ... is that the design motifs are charted. So, I can lift a piece from here and an element from there, with a color scheme from another and I've got a unique sweater or hat or leggings or socks or whatever!

I also love that she's got very clear and concise directions for the techniques she's used throughout. And some of these techniques are extremely unique to Ms. Huff -- she suggests making two sleeves at one time by casting on the sleeve stitches together, with steeks between and then slicing, sewing and finishing off the sleeves! Genius! She also clearly describes how to add the traditional (but optional) ribbon bands to the sliced fronts and recommends a certain kind of thread that "buries itself into the knitting without kinking" -- cool, huh?

I do have one small quibble ... the Koi Vest (that's shown on the front left cover) hasn't been finished properly ... the armhole flares out and should pull-in (either a case of the shoulder sts not being slanted properly or the facing band being too thick -- either way, a detail that should have been rectified especially as it is featured on the cover ).

Also, the felted bag that is shown on the front cover is an oddity that doesn't fit with the other designs -- a case of "which of these items doesn't go with the others"? It's a very funkey design, with its flower appliques and neon color scheme while all the others are classic styles with colorwork that, well ... works!

Hmmm ... I wonder what they were thinking?

Even those couple of designs aside ... check out this book -- it really is a great addition to my knitting library!

Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve
By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Designing: books and software resources

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went up to a local Catholic school and talked for a full 45-minutes (which was NOT enough time) about knitting and bending/breaking the "rules" and designing your own. I brought some of my "library" with me, but thought I'd do a full post about all the great resources out there for hand-knits design.

Software:
I didn't mention this in class ... but I should have. Software is not a necessity but a really great "nice to have". I like that the software does much of the number-crunching/drudge type stuff so I have more time to knit -- always a good thing. There is a company called Knitting Software which has some of the best, easiest to use, most versatile design software out there. Carole Wulster (and now her family, too) started this company back in 1990 ... a computer programmer and knitter, she created the first version of Sweater Wizard (now in Version 3)... than went on to create other software tools for knitters. I was blessed to be able to help beta-test some of these software programs over the years and have used them extensively in my own design work for the past 15 years or so. Here are all the software available to help knitters design so we can spend our time KNITTING!

Stitch and Motif Maker -- to chart textured or colored stitch patterns (some books STILL don't chart these and it is so much easier for us visual folks to see what the stitch should look like rather than trying to follow the words (or worse, abbreviations and symbols!)
Sock Wizard -- to design socks that fit! You can input foot length, ankle diameter, leg length, whatever to get a sock pattern that really fits
Knitting Math Wizard -- for quickly "doing the math" of placing even decreases or increases, getting the appropriate angle for sleeves, etc
Print-a-Grid -- for printing out graph-paper blanks that is exactly what your gauge is -- the right sts and rows to the inch so you can really see what the pattern will look like (especially great when graphing intarsia or picture knitting)
Swatch Wizard and Mitten Glove Wizard -- these are two new programs that I haven't used yet but look great. Swatch Wizard keeps a database of swatches so you can "remember" exactly what you got with which needles and which yarn; Mitten Wizard allows you to design mittens with directions "written" for 4 or 5 dpns, 2 or 1 circulars knitting!

Books -- Here are the books I really like for designing ...

Bliss, Debbie -- Design it, Knit it: Secrets from the Designer's Studio
Budd, Ann -- The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns and The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns.
Ellen, Alison – Hand Knitting: New Directions
Epstein, Nicky – Knitting on the Edge, Knitting Over the Edge, Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Embellishments, and her Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers
Fanderl, Lisl -- Bauerliches Stricken 1 , Bauerliches Stricken 2, Bauerliches Stricken 3
Newton, Deborah -- Designing Knitwear
Vogue Editors -- The Best of Vogue Knitting Magazine: 25 Years of Articles, Techniques, and Expert Advice

Many of these books should be at the public library, so you can check them out (literally!) before buying. The Fanderl books, although in German, have the stitch patterns charted so it doesn't matter if you read German or not! There are many other great stitch-ionaries out there and Ethnic/folklore pattern books are great for inspiration. I particularly like the new Interweave book by Marianne Isager, Inca Knits: Designs Inspired by South American Traditions, packed with beautiful designs inspired by the clothes, textiles and pottery of South America.

Other supplies you might like to have:

sets of knitting needles in all different sizes; I've used this Boye set for more than 20years. The Boye set is similar to the Denise Set or the Options Set from Knit Picks.
graph paper
calculator

The above should get any novice designer a great start ... post a comment or email me (bhwh.mary at gmail.com) if you have questions or would like other suggestions for books, materials, and yarn!

By Hand: knitting needles

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:37:00 +0000

(modified from Kids’ Knitting, by Melanie Falick -- a book every knitter should have on the shelf)

Materials:

2 or more colors polymer clay (Sculpey works great) or anything to use as the end-cap – acorn, wooden bead, button – to ensure your stitches don’t fall off
1/4-inch or 3/16-inch dowel cut into two 14-inch lengths
pencil sharpener
fine-grit sandpaper
mineral oil or any type of oil that the wood can soak up
craft glue

Note: a 1/4 inch dowel will make a size 10 needle and a 3/16 inch dowel will make a size 8 needle. Any size dowel can be used, but smaller ones tend to break and larger ones are hard to use.

STEP 1 -- To make the needle ends:
1. preheat oven to 250 degrees for clay
2. choose a main color of clay and roll into a 1/2 inch ball. Don't make the ball too large or it will weigh down the needle. Repeat for 2nd ball.
3. break off bits of 2nd color and press tiny dots onto larger balls. Roll them around and around until you have a nice smooth ball.
4. press each ball onto 1 end of each dowel piece. I flattened my balls so that the needles wouldn't roll when on their sides -- you can make any shape you want.
5. lay dowels on baking dish (such as a pyrex pan) so ball hangs over; place in oven, making sure balls do not touch oven shelf.
6. bake according to clay directions -- about 30 minutes for Sculpey.
7. cool about 10 minutes. Remove balls from dowels and set aside while you work with dowels.

STEP 2 -- To make needles:
1. using the pencil sharpener, sharpen one end of each dowel until tip is as pointy as a dull pencil. You can make double-pointed needles by sharpening both ends! You don’t want the point too sharp as that will split the yarn as you knit.
2. rub each dowel with sandpaper until very smooth, making sure that each point is dull. All rough spots need to be sanded off, else yarn will stick to needle.
3. with a paper towel or clean rag, rub the dowels with mineral oil until shiny and extra smooth. Replace clay balls, using glue to secure clay to flat end of dowel.

You can use anything for the end of your needle to keep the stitches from falling-off – an acorn cap, bead, rubber band, etc. The important thing is that it doesn’t catch on your yarn but does hold the yarn on the needle.

Happy knitting!

Books: Designing tips from a pro

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:54:00 +0000

No, I didn't write this one ... altho I wish I had.

Debbie Bliss has just published design it, knit it: secrets from the designer's studio.

I really like this book. But then, I really like Bliss' designs ... I'm definitely an anglo-phile when it comes to anything knitterly and Bliss is one of the best! I'm entranced by her palette of subtle, soft colors and her Aran-inspired designs are gorgeous. Besides, she has her own yarn company -- how cool is that?

But, back to the book review. Bliss used the "tools" of the designer as her chapter breaks:

body shape -- both making the most of it and hiding what you don't like

color -- what works and what doesn't and how to tell before spending lots of time!

texture -- using stitches to 3-d your knitting

kids -- the special details you must include when designing for the little ones

details -- finishing and embellishments that don't overwhelm.

As she points out, these are each tools that can be manipulated -- either together or individually to design a hand-knit garment. Sometimes, the tool of color is the focus -- and shape, texture and details follow from the chosen color. Other times, it might be that the shape and texture work together and the color is chosen to highlight those.

She includes a workbook at the end -- with pattern silhouettes (with one filled-in so you can see how to play with these), knitters' graph paper in 6st x 8r gauge, and a stitch gauge that you can use in the book or take out and keep in your knitting bag. The workbook pages -- the silhouettes and the graph paper -- are clearly labeled "photocopying permitted" so that you can take them to your printshop and have copies made with no copyright issues.

I also love that sixth and spring books did a hidden spiral binding and used paper with a slight matte finish so glare on the photographs and pages is minimized. The palette of colors used throughout the book is beautiful and very inspiring to me.

Bliss has included 15 original designs, three in each chapter, that serve to illustrate her design tips and guidelines. A few of these designs are worth the price of the book alone! I love the simplicity of the "Button Detail Top" and the simply sophisticated "Gater Stitch Jacket with Vent" and especially, the "Bobble and Cable Sweater"! Wow!

However, there is one thing that drives me nuts with these gorgeous, famous-designer books -- when the garments shown are just simply wrong!

For instance, the "Fair Isle Cardigan" is a work of art -- until you look at the full picture on page 48 -- the stripes (and therefore, the bands) don't line up! AND, the sweater doesn't fit the model. Or, the baby jacket on page 84 -- the rolled hems are cute, but the rolled closure looks messy and unfinished. The "Cabled Band Cardigan" on page 111 is a beautiful sweater -- but again, the buttons don't line up properly and there are gaps and the hem looks uneven. Finally, the "Cardigan with Ribbed Sleeves" (page 121) doesn't have enough of a front band to keep the edge from curling back -- a very messy finish (especially as this sweater is one of the designs in the "detail" chapter!). These photos are taken by professional photographers of items designed by a pro, knitted (assumingly) by a pro, "styled" by pro stylists ... and we still have this?

Bottom line -- I really like this book. But, and maybe this is why I'm a designer, I would have to change a few of her designs to make them up ... larger bands, neater buttons/buttonhole placement, etc. Also, a caveat that Bliss omitted on her "Garter Stitch Coat" (which I so want to make for myself ... if I ever get the time to knit for me!) .... garter stitch grows ... and grows ... and grows. This coat needs to be knit at a fairly firm gauge (or tension, for my British readers) and I think I'd even stabilize the neck and shoulders with a bit of ribbon or single-crochet along the seams.

Have you read this one yet? What are your thoughts or comments? Let me know in the comments below.

Happy knittin'
Mary C. Gildersleeve
By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Hats: Do you love to knit 'em?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Well, if you do and you design your own knitted hats or get inspired by another's designs, have I got a cool project for you!

Annie Modesitt and Quarry Books have teamed up to publish a book called 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats (with an estimated publication date of July 2010). From now until July 1, 2009, you can submit images of knitted hats you've made ... the top 3 original designs will win $500, $300, and $200 while the next top seven original designs will get copies of the book and page credit ... and the number of different hats you may submit is UNLIMITED!

Not a bad deal and hats are so fun to make as the temp goes up ... why don't you try it out? But don't forget to have fun ... that's what knitting is about ... creating while enjoying the journey!

Where have I been?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:04:00 +0000

I just saw this on Lion Brand's blog and can't believe I've been missing it all these years ....

Seems that back in 2005, a wonderful woman had a brilliant idea to bring knitters out of their homes and out onto the streets. This thing is big! They have WWKiP Days all over the world .... now, altho I'd LOVE to be able to knit in London, or Buenos Aires, or even New York ... I'm here in my little corner of Northern Virginia ...

But that's ok because I can knit in public on June 13th and June 20th ... and no one can tease me (even my family) because I'm part of something bigger ... something that knows no borders .... the world knit in the round as it were.

So get out your needles and yarn and head outside ... check if there's a group event nearby or be brave and just knit out in your front yard ... or on the train ... or bus ... or in the car and know that you, too, are part of something bigger!

GWOY: June 2009 Swatches

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:35:00 +0000

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE to do swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn. The GWOY is erected twice a year at the semi-annual National Needlework Association's conferences -- one in January and one in June -- and I've participated since about 2003 (maybe even earlier) only missing occasionally (for things like moving to another state/country!). The swatches are from the latest yarns (either color, content or company) and are designed by the members of the Association of Knitwear Designers. Barry Klein and his helper, Heidi, from Trendsetter Yarns work hard to get the yarns out to us in a timely manner ... and it's always "christmas" when the box arrives!

Here are the swatches I made for the June 2009 convention in Columbus, OHIO ... [All the yarns this time (except the Dale) were "medium 4" as defined by the Yarn Standards committee.]

Baby Boutique (from Plymouth Yarns) is a microfiber/nylon with a wonderful hand. This feather 'n' fan swatch was knit on 7s, in the round to make a circular swatch.
Bambino from Be Sweet is a gorgeous organic cotton/bamboo blend that knits up really nicely on 7s. The swatch is a lace edging ... this would make a great summer top/sweater.
Camelino from Knit One, Crochet Too, is a sensual blend of merino/camel that knits up great on 7s. This cuff swatch is a mock-cable that decreases down to a k1p1 rib. The rich purple color is hard to photograph ... but trust me, this one is a beaut!
Dale of Norway's Heilo is a classic! I love using this yarn (and in fact, I made many of the designs in my knitting books from this stuff). Here, using #2 dpns, I knit a toe-up, mock heel flap (actually short-row heel) and loose bo at cuff. The stitch definition with this yarn is gorgeous.Kraemer Yarn's Perfection -- a washable blend of acrylic and wool -- is knit here on 8s. This yarn is so new it's not even on their web site yet! I did the "pointed eyelet lace" ruffle from Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge", decreasing down to sockinette and then to k1p1 rib ... I love the way the "lace" looks like leaves ... I think this would look wonderful as the cuffs on a sweater ... or even the hem as the lace doesn't curl but gives 3-d depth! This stuff really is wonderful to work with and I apologize to Kraemer for originally posting this wonderful yarn as one from Plymouth!

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

Now this is cool ....

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Here's a picture of the first United States president who knits!

Now, see, if this was a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Obama ... well, I just might have voted for him! According to Lion Brand, this was just after FDR and Eleanor got married -- now that truly is love .....

WooHoo: it's out!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:36:00 +0000

Please celebrate with me .... Margot, my publisher at Hillside Education, just posted that my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home is available for pre-order (with a shipping date of June 15th). If you get a chance to read a copy, please let me know what you think. And my good friend over at 4real, Elizabeth Foss, kindly wrote the foreword for me!

Enjoy!

Free Pattern: Lent/Easter Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:52:00 +0000

Wow ... I haven't posted here for a while! But my knitting needles have been so busy, I haven't had time to post.

Here is a Lent/Easter basket I designed for our family celebrations based on an idea in Hannah Fettig's Closely Knit -- a book I highly recommend you check-out: she has some amazing ideas in there!

I made the basket in maybe 3 hours -- finishing in plenty of time to set our table for Ash Wednesday (Feb 25, 2009), the first day of Lent on the Catholic Calendar. We kept our basket filled with an alms box, rosary box (for evening prayer) and flowers (to remind us that Easter -- and Spring -- WERE coming!).

Fettig's version of the nest was for a palm-sized nest with eggs for pincushions. I changed her design, working from the center-out, using thicker yarn and created a nest large enough to hold our Easter goodies: a family's worth of peeps, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, DVDs, family game and a parade of "custom-designed" hard-boiled eggs.

We're still using this basket for our Easter celebrations -- in the Catholic Church, Easter Sunday lasts eight days (till today) and the Easter Season is celebrated thru Ascension Thursday (when we believe Jesus ascended to Heaven) and ends on Pentecost (the day when the promised Holy Spirit comes down to us on Earth, the birthday of the Catholic Church!). Good thing I made this big!

I've decided to offer this pattern to you, my readers, as an Easter gift. It's mindless and fun knitting and really looks like a bird's nest in this glorious "dark sheep's gray" from Bartlett Yarns.

Easter Nest Basket (inspired by Hannah Fettig's "pin cushion nest" from her Closely Knit)

needles (dpns/circs as needed): US size: 10.5, 13, 15
yarn: 1 skein Bartlettyarns "Bulky" (80 yds, 4 oz.) in dark sheep's gray

w/ 10.5 dpns, CO 4 and join. K rnd;
k 2 in each st (8); k rnd on 8 sts;
k 2 in each st(16); k rnd on 16 sts;
*k1, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (24); k rnd on 24 sts;
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (32); k rnd on 32 sts;
*k3, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (40); k rnd on 40 sts;
*k4, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (48); k rnd on 48 sts;
change to US 13 needles
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (64); k rnd on 64 sts;
*k3, k2 in nest st*; rep from * to * rnd (80); k rnd on 80 sts;
working even on 80 sts, change to basket st --
rnd 1-2: *(p7, k3)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 3: k rnd
rnd 4-5: *(p2, k3, p5)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 6: k rnd
change to US 15 needles
rep rnds 1-6 of pattern; BO loosely (or do another few rnds to finish ball of yarn, then BO loosely).

Wash in hot water to felt; while drying, fill basket with plastic bags packed in to help shape (or use a large platter/bowl to shape). Here's a close-up of the side of the nest with the basket stitch just about-visible after felting.

ENJOY!

Sometimes I sew ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:04:00 +0000

I don't just knit (although my kids would tell you I do!). Here are some basic sewing books that I've found that are quite good ...

Alvarez, Beverley – Kids Can Sew: Fun and Easy Projects for Your Small Stitcher – Barron’s Educational Series, Inc (Hauppage, NY). 2004. Barron’s does a great job with producing craft books for kids that are attractive, well-laid-out and have fun, doable projects. This one focuses on using a sewing machine to make all kinds of fun things to wear and use. The directions are a bit minimal, so you do have to have a little experience with sewing to use this book.
Cantrell, Alice – Sewing with St. Anne – Little Way Press (Twain Harte, CA) 2002. I really like the clear, clean explanations of hand- and machine-sewing in this book. The projects are very cute and useful. Again, I think this one errs on the gender-specificity of its presentation. Boys should also learn to sew!
Cantrell, Alice – Tea & Cake with the Saints: A Catholic Young Lady’s Introduction to Hospitality and the Home Arts – Little Way Press (Twain Harte, CA) 2007. This book has great little projects to make a house a loving place of beauty of creativity.
Cherry, Winky – My First Doll Book: Hand-sewing – Palmer/Pletsch Publishing (Portland, OR). 1994. This innocuous book will have a child sewing his/her own dolls in no time thanks to the simple, clear and direct instructions. Creativity is encouraged by describing different ways to do the face, clothes, hair, etc. Don’t let its size fool you.
Cherry, Winky – My First Embroidery Book: A Name Sampler – Palmer/Pletsch Publishing (Portland, OR). 1994. A great first step with embroidery is stitching on gingham – the squares make for easy positioning of stitches and regularity of stitch size. Another great, easy to follow stitching book that has tons of great advice and information.
Cobb, Mary – A Sampler View of Colonial Life – Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT). 1999. This is the kind of cross-curriculum book I love to use in my home-educating adventures: this one combines American History and needlework by explaining the history of the colonial sampler and teaching the reader how to make the sampler (from making the cloth through the stitching and on to creating other stitching projects like a copy book).
Davis, Tina – See and Sew: A Sewing Book for Children – Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York) 2006. This is a fun, spiral-bound volume that starts with the basics and really teaches children (both boys and girls!) how to hand-sew. I particularly like the retro look of this book which gives the idea of hand-sewing as being a traditional, homey well-loved craft for children.
Fryer, Jane Eayre – The Mary Frances Sewing Book – LACIS Books (Berkley, CA) 1997. Reprint of a volume from the early 1900s that teaches how to sew through a story about a little girl and her imagination. Lovely, vintage feel with interesting projects, aimed at older girls or adults.
Gagnon, JoAnn & Corrie Gagnon – Stitches & Pins: A Beginning Sewing Book for Girls – Bunkhouse Books 2002. This is a great project book from a homeschooler and her daughter. The projects are useful and include great, clear instructions.
Kanamori, Miyako – Happy Gloves: Charming Softy Friends Made from Colorful Gloves – Penguin Group (New York). 2007. This is one of the cutest books I’ve seen in a long time. All the projects in this book – for making squirrels, chipmunks, ducks, dolls and even teapots – are created from knitted gloves! And are they cute!
Karol, Amy – Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The essential guide to a whole new way to sew – Potter Craft (New York) 2007. Fun and funky projects that gently lead the reader not only toward sewing but also give the reader the confidence to go beyond the projects and create your own!
Llimos, Anna – Easy Cloth Crafts in 5 Steps – Enslow Publishers (Berkeley Heights, NJ). 2005. This is a great fabric craft book for pre-sewing fun – the projects go from easy to hard (although none is too hard) and use glue, staples or tape to make the objects. This one is fun for the younger kids who are too little for real sewing. The projects are fun too!
McAllister, Buff – Sewing with Felt: Learn Basic Stitches to Create More Than 60 Colorful Projects – Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA). 2003. The wonderful thing about learning to sew with felt is that you don’t have to worry about fraying edges and you can just worry about stitching the felt to the background. This book walks the reader through every step of the way – encouraging the reader to go beyond the wonderful projects shown. This is beautifully illustrated and the directions are clean and clear.
Nicholas, Kristin – Kids’ Embroidery: Projects for Kids of All Ages – Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York). 2004. Nicholas was former creative editor for knitting yarn company Classic Elites Yarn and famous for her colorful designs. Here she brings her beautiful color-sense to a step-by-step book on embroidery, explaining all the basic stitches and suggesting amazingly fun projects. If you only get one book for your kids to learn embroidery, you should get this one!
Rothschild, Sharon Franco – Sweater Renewal: Felting Knits into New Sweaters and Accessories – Potter Craft (New York). 2008. So you have a pure wool sweater you accidentally shrank or you see a sweater in a thrift store that has beautiful colorwork but is the wrong size – this book will help fix the situation. Rothschild has over two dozen projects that demand that you find wool sweaters to shrink. These projects get the creative juices flowing to go beyond her clear directions and start creating your own recyclables.
Ryan, Jenny – Sew Darn Cute: 30 Sweet and Simple Projects to Sew and Embellish – St. Martin’s Press (New York). 2009. For simple, but fun, sewing projects, this book is one of the best. The projects are practical (glass case, laptop bag and bibs to name just a few) while developing a sewing skill-base. This book includes patterns for making a crochet-hook case and a multi-pocket crafting apron. Very cool!
Sadler, Judy Ann – Kids Can Do It: Embroidery – Kids Can Press Ltd (Tonawanda, NY). 2004. This is a beautifully illustrated, step-by-step guide to embroidering. An added bonus: the projects are cool!
Sealey, Maricristin – Kinder Dolls: A Waldorf Doll-Making Handbook – Hawthorn Press (Gloucestershire, UK) 2001. A classic! This one leads the reader step-by-step through the process of creating the beautiful cloth dolls that are a traditional gift for all children in Germany. These dolls are gorgeous and come in all sizes. Beautiful!
Stapleton, Dorothy – Kids Can Quilt: Fun and Easy Projects for Your Small Quilter – Barrons Educational (Hauppauge, NY). 2004. This book might even get me quilting. The projects are fun and look doable with the great illustrations and directions. My 8-year-old daughter can’t wait to start – always a good sign!

There are tons of others too ... but these are the ones I particularly like. The Winky Cherry and Tina Davis ones are lots of fun!

Books: for brand-new or nervous knitters

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I love knitting. I love knitting books almost as much! I love to read about techniques, ogle the gorgeous fair isle or aran sweaters, read about how others do what they do when they ply two sticks and a string. I love to read ... and knit ...

Another thing I love is recommending knitting books. Many people ask me for advice on this book or that ... or I give them my critique even if they don't ask! I take pride in sifting through the knitting twaddle that's out on the market (and there is quite a bit!) and only recommending the ones that I own (or really WANT to own) in my personal knitting library (which, needs must, be kept small so dh doesn't go over the top).

As I said, I love recommending the good knitting books. For instance, here's a blog post on a fairly exhaustive bibliography I put together back in 2007; then there was the post about discovering two books with my designs in them; a post about MY book; recommended books on sock knitting; a post about some recent "finds"; and my most recent post on books for those who wanted to go beyond garter stitch.

But today, I found a book that will help all the beginners and nervous knitters out there. This is one that I am so impressed with and can't believe it was published 4 or more years ago and I'm just seeing it now. This will be my new "go to" suggestion when folks ask about starting out or wanting to go a bit ahead.

First Knits: Projects for Beginning Knitters by Luise Roberts and Kate Haxell is a perfect book for those who have never knitted ... but want to try ... as well as for those who have started knitting but don't understand some of the technical terms or want cool but easy projects, etc.

This book will guide you slowly, step by step, through your first garter stitch projects including how to measure a swatch, "get gauge" and other techniques. Then you'll move on to purling, ribbing, cabling, shaping, colorwork, button-holes, and more! The illustrations and text are very understandable and detailed.

The projects you'll make include garter stitch booties, garter stitch hat with flaps, cushion cover, backpack, heart cushion, adorable stuffed rabbit, knitting a true, in the round cap, cable handbag, lacy shawl, jacket socks, striped throw and a baby jacket. And these things are not only really cute, they're useful and fun and span old and young alike.

Although this book is a paperback, the cover is made of heavier-than-usual stock with overleaves that include basic abbreviations, tips and other information for quick reference.

This is definitely a book to add to your wish-list if you want to knit ... or want to knit better ... or want to teach someone else! Really excellent!

Books: when you're ready to go beyond ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:28:00 +0000

... a garter stitch scarf.

Here are some books that are currently out in the book stores that are really great for learning about knitting and going beyond garter stitch.

1. Melissa Leapman's new book, Knitting Beyond Scarves has wonderful illustrations and directions for increasing, decreasing, purling, reading directions, etc. Her projects are a bit "young" but I really liked a few of them and thought they'd be fun for new knitters to try. She's got a style that is very attractive but easy to follow.

2. Knitting School: A Complete Course is also excellent and should carry you pretty far in learning all the ins and outs. This book covers lots of things that many of the other how-tos don't. I like this as a reference-shelf book that you'd look into when you're stuck or don't understand a particular instruction.

3. Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti is a chatty, really well-done book about how to knit, follow directions and make things. This is great if you want a gentle approach. It's a classic that doesn't have the glossy, fancy pictures but definitely covers ALL the basics. A fun book to read (ok, if you're a knitting-geek, that is!).

4. Debbie Bliss' How to Knit: The Definitive Knitting Course includes some great projects. She walks you through the process quite nicely. This is the one my teenaged daughter uses alot when she has a question about how to do something or for a simple project. She covers doing things like cable patterns and color-work ... but starts the reader out with baby-steps to earn confidence.

Those should help anyone trying to go a bit further with their knitting. There's so many knitting books on the market now that it can be hard to find those truly worth buying and keeping. Please post in the comments section if you have any other books that are "must haves".

GWOY: January 2009 swatches

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 23:53:00 +0000

The Great Wall of Yarn for the January 2009 TNNA convention is one of my favorite things to do ... I love getting the latest yarns ... playing with them and designing with them .... knitting up swatches that show the yarn to the best advantage.

Here are the swatches I did this year (only two as the package was crushed by USPS and one skein was lost in the mail ...):

This one is O-Wool's (fully organic wool) "Legacy Bulky" in a lovely clay. I used #10s and did this cable pattern (with slight re-drafting of stitches) from Melissa Leapman's latest book Continuous Cables (which is one of those books every knitter should have on their shelves if only to do these cool, out-of-nowhere cable patterns!) This yarn is luscious and knits up beautifully! This yarn would make a spectacular hoodie with cable patterns throughout -- can't wait to start designing one.

This second swatch is SWTC's "Jezebel" (a hand-dyed sock yarn) which I did here in a toe-up, short-row heeled baby sock. The pictures don't do justice to this beautiful purple-shaded yarn that knits up in a delicious "hand" on #2 needles. I did a "heart" lace pattern on the top of the foot with a 2x2 rib sole ... than a mock-cable ribbed cuff that would hold the sock on but look a little more "posh" than a simple rib. Gorgeous, yes? Well, maybe you should see it in "real life"!

I love this opportunity that being a member of AKD gives me ... the chance to swatch with the latest and greatest from the yarn companies (with a special thanks to Heidi at Trendsetters for all she does to get this GWOY out, in and up!).

Happy knittin'

For those who think knitting is just for girls ....

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:07:00 +0000

... may I introduce Maury the Knitting Mouse and our new mascot here at By Hand, With Heart.

Don't you just love him? My dear MIL got him for me at Thanksgiving -- something she normally doesn't buy and something I normally wouldn't like, but this guy is just so cute. And not only does he knit, he sings "Deck the Halls"!

Merry Christmas to all my knitting buddies! May Santa bring you lots of great knitting stuff ... let me know what he brings.

Books: Great Christmas ideas ....

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:41:00 +0000

... or uses for your Christmas bucks!

I haven't posted since October 1st ... but I have been knitting up a storm (primarily for Christmas gifts, but also for another knitting book that should be out this Summer/early Fall). I've also been reading lots of the new knitting books that have exploded on the market lately. Here are some ideas for your reading and knitting pleasure:

1. Knitting history -- do you love it as much as I? I love reading about knitting, especially if the book can lay flat and I can knit while I read. If you've already got the classics: Richard Rutt's A History of Hand Knitting, Anne McDonald's No Idle Hands: A Social History of Knitting, and Susan Strawn's Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art than your shelves REALLY need Nicky Epstein's latest opus, Knitting on Top of the World: The Global Guide to Traditions, Techniques and Design. This book is destined to be a classic in the knitting history panoply. Epstein's designs are a bit outre for me, but the information and the suggestions and just the shear inspiration of this work make it worth the money! The pictures and coffee-table styling of the book make it a great read-while-you-knit kind of book.

2. Technique books -- I'm sure you own all the classic stitch dictionaries like the Barbara Walker A Treasury of Knitting Patterns (vol. 1 thru 4), the Vogue stitchionaries (vol 1-3, vol 4 is [shudder] crochet!), or the Harmony Guide books from Interweave Press. Melissa Leapman has managed to go WAY beyond any of these with her latest two books, both on cable knitting: Cables Untangled: An Exploration of Cable Knitting and Continuous Cables: An Exploration of Knitted Cabled Knots, Rings, Swirls, and Curlicues. The first does a great job of dissecting cables and proving once and for all that cables are NOT hard to execute. The projects within the book cover the variety of hand-knit items where cabling looks great. The second book explains how to make design your own cable panels and pieces by explaining how to make cables grow from nothing (by hiding increases and decreases within your knititng) and how to design cables that imitate fancy celtic knots, braids and even nautical rope! Again, the projects are a great variety, using the techniques described earlier. But both of these books go beyond just being simple pattern books ... and this is why I'm highly recommending them for Christmas gifts (or Christmas money spending) ... the last one-third (if not more) of each of these books contain a cable dictionary -- smallest bits of cable pieces that can be joined together to create your own cable patterns. I predict that Melissa Leapman, based on these two books, will soon join the ranks of Barbara Walker and Vogue Knitters as classic authors for knitting designers.

Merry Christmas -- and let me know if you get any knitting books for Christmas that can compete with these.

Check this out!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:14:00 +0000

CHC, a well-known home-educators' resource catalog, is now carrying the book!

Shawls: Tasha Tudor

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Tasha Tudor Day -- shawl and knitting
In the comment section for yesterday's post on my home-school blog about Tasha Tudor Day, Carmie mentions that the instructions for the TT Shawl look pretty un-mindless to her. I thought I'd post what the pattern is basically -- you start with 3 stitches, and purposely add holes and increase a stitch every row until the shawl is wide enough.

This is the mindless part as you do the first 4 stitches each row the same way; all those other stitches are just knit stitches.Here are some pictures and explanations of those first 4 sts:

The first stitch -- and you do this EVERY ROW -- is simply wrapping the yarn around the needle to "make a stitch". This is the second stitch -- knit the first two stitches on the left-hand needle together as if they are just one stitch. You will now have 2 stitches on the right-hand needle. For the third stitch, bring the yarn forward between the two needles as if you were going to purl a stitch. Instead, wrap the yarn around the needle and you'll knit the next stitch. Here are the first four stitches on the right-hand needle.[NOTE: The first two rows don't have you do the k2tog, just the wrap at the beginning of the row.]

Again, this is the mindless part ... and takes a while as the finished shawl is 60" wide. You can stop at any time and make this shawl a doll shawl or one for a child (should be approximately the length from wrist to wrist when arms are straight out). This is the nice thing about this pattern as you can stop when you're tired.

Once I get to a suitable length, I will post close-ups of how to do the lace border/bind-off. If the lace part scares you, you can always leave the shawl without the lace edging, binding-off the top as a normal bind-off. It's a very elegantly simple shawl either way.

Oh, and as far as circulars go ... they're easier to use than straights as you don't have the knobs that catch on your clothes, pulling out the stitches you've worked so hard to put on the needles (this has happened a bit too often for me so I almost always use circs). They take a bit of getting used to and I'd recommend a 16" or 20" to start out.

Baby Knitting: Knitted Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:41:00 +0000

Here's a blanket I just finished the other day for a friend. It's a fun design that I've played with before ... but I particularly like the edging on this one.

Spread out, the heart bands make a cross -- which is a very cool motif!

This was made on 10s using 2 skeins of TLC Heathers. You start at the center and work your way out ... so it's pretty fun knitting. Also, since I've charted it, I can change the edging by the time I get that far!

Here's another version of the same blanket ... this time done for a boy in "Blue Moon" (a TLC Heather color) and on 11s (so it's a bit drapier than the one above). Here you can see the cross made by the hearts.

This pattern is charted and tons of fun to do!

Technorati: I make the big time

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:28:00 +0000

Technorati Profile

How cool is this?

By Hand, With Heart ... and DAUGHTERS?

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Check out what 17yod, Kotch, designed for String Bean's "Molly" doll -- hoodie, mailbag, mittens and cap! String Bean today made a matching scarf to complete the ensemble! Guess I should bring 'em into the business, huh?

I'm going to the Fair ...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:43:00 +0000

the Prince William County Fair that is!

I've volunteered to hang out in the Home Arts Building on Sunday, August 10th from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Any guesses what I'll be doing?

KNITTING for two and one-half hours!

And talking about it and trying to get others charged up about knitting.

What more could a gal want or need?

So if you're anywhere near Manassas, VA on Sunday ... stop on by Building "P" and chat, and knit, and chat somemore, and knit some more!

Too cool to miss ....

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:55:00 +0000

Sheep made all from telephone parts by Jean-Luc Cornec at the Museum for Post and Telecommunications in Frankfurt, Germany ....

ht: Uncle Matt

Ethnic Knitting: Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Mary G) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:20:00 +0000

I love ethnic/folkwear type designs ... the versatility, history and beauty of the garments makes them an amazing resource for knitwear inspiration. A place to find lots of great ideas is the Folkwear website with their luscious patterns.

Here's part of an email I got today from the owner of Folkwear ... I've just attached the part where Kate describes some of the exhibits of costume/folkwear available around the country:

If you are planning any vacation trips, perhaps you will be able to see an inspiring exhibition or festival. Some events of interest include:

Clothes Make the Man: The Colonial Gentleman in New England, at Historic Deerfield (Massachusetts), through August 17. www.historic-deerfield.org.
The Finishing Touch: Accessories from the Bolivian Highlands. Includes belts, bags, and other items. Through September 18. Also, BLUE, an exploration of the creation and meaning of the color blue on textiles, with emphasis on indigo. Follows last year's exhibit on RED. At the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, through September 18. www.textilemuseum.org.
Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. Exhibit includes movie costumes, haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, until September 1. Also, Radiance from the Rain Forest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru, brilliantly-colored feathers in high-status apparel and accessories, until September 1. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. www.metmuseum.org.
For Tent and Trade: Masterpieces of Turkmen Weaving. Tribal carpets, bags, tent and camel trappings from Central Asia. Through September 7. At the de Young Museum in San Francisco. www.famsf.org/deyoung.
Pride and Practicality: Japanese Immigrant Clothing in Hawaii, through September 27. At the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, in Honolulu. www.jcch.com.
Belle Epoque Brides, an exhibit of Gilded Age (1875-1914) gowns at the Kent State University Museum in Kent, Ohio, through January 4, 2009. Also, BOLD: Rudi Gernreich, fashions by a controversial 20th century designer, through May 31, 2009. www.kent.edu/museum.
History in Every Step, an exhibit of historic footwear and walking sticks from American and other cultures at the Charleston (S.C.) Museum, through September 1. Also, Bustles, Bicycles, and Ballgowns: Beginnings of Change in Late 19th Century Clothing, through January 4, 2009. www.charlestonmuseum.org.

Unfortunately, many of my "trips" will need to be virtual, but I might be able to catch a few IRL! I'll post those that I'm able to visit.

So how 'bout you? Up for a field trip? If you go visit any of these IRL, please post in the comments so I can live vicariously!