tentenknits

a book report: Vintage Baby Knits

I'm just about hitting that wave of my life when everyone around me seems to be getting preggers or having babies!   My dear sfam (sister from another mother) blog friend Nonnahs, my first college friend, a friend from hs, a family member - everyone has got wonderful news to share.  And what is "Aunty" Margaux to do?

To be honest, I only have made very limited baby things. When I say Limited I really mean Two Things - a baby hat and dress.  I tried to make a Wallaby sweater for my husband's cousin and didn't even get past the sleeves and I believe it's sitting in a dark corner of Patricia's shop (remind me to get that from you, ok, Trish!?)... so when I saw that there was a baby book signing at TNNA I figured well why not but I did not have faith I was going to find anything to make from it.

Enter, Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. HELLO!   Patricia can attest to the fact that I couldn't PUT IT DOWN.  This book is chock full of great baby/toddler knits!  I am so excited to make not one, not two, not even Three, but like four things from this wonderful pattern book!

Kristen Rengren has done a fantastic job at collecting such wonderful and classic knits.  From baby bonnets, to sweaters, to cute toys she has combined that sense of vintage/classic with the modern.

I am reminded by something a wise yarn wholesaler at TNNA said to Trish and I when we were talking about how much we both loved this book.  She said, "If you can put your fingers over the cute face of the kids in the book and still want to make that sweater than you know it's good!"

Now, try not to get your monitor all messed up with your finger prints ;-)... And does this blanket look familiar to you? 

It seems that the honeycomb stitch is going to be very popular one this fall!

I cannot say enough how excited I am about this excellent collection of wonderful and inspiring baby knits. The only problem now is to decide which to cast on first!  Run don't walk to your LYS to get yourself a copy!

Throwback Knit

In doing some re-organizing in my apartment this past week I came across this long lost FO.  The Cable Eight top from Interweave Knits, Spring 2005 (ravelry link).  It's funny what you can and cannot remember about your old knits.  Like I can't remember working those cables or weaving in the last yarn but I can remember getting the yarn it called for at my new-to-me LYS. I can remember knitting this on my flight to Honduras that summer and I remember having to crochet the borders of the arm openings thinking there was no way I was going to get that right but being so happy and proud of myself that I did.

It was one of the first actual garment pieces I made and therefore went blindly into trusting the yarn and directions.  I even got the same color as the modeled piece in the magazine. As a new knitter you do that, you get each piece the exact same because in some way you think it will help in the success of getting that "perfect FO".

I probably have worn this top about 3 times since 05.  The tank itself is a little on the heavy side which is what doubling the cotton worsted weight will do.  If I knit it again I may opt to just use a bulkier cotton like the Blue Sky.

Oh and if you think I stopped at just making one of the Bumble Up scarves, guess again.  My AC has been cranked in order for me to whip out another!

I just loves my summer knitting.

Bumble Up!

Wow that was fast.

Pattern: Bumble Up Scarf (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Outer in Soapstone & Flannel
Size 11 circs
1 fabu button!

I cannot tell you how much I wanted to make this scarf since I first saw the cute tease cards that Spud & Chloe sent to my LYS.  I love just  the look of the honeycomb stitch, and its unbelievably SUPER easy. (I really mean it this time!)

On top of it all it was superfast to knit up.  I started this scarf yesterday afternoon at around 3pm, took it with me to happy hour and finished it this afternoon.  My other project right now is the Featherweight Cardigan using lace yarn and size 6 needles so you can only imagine my joy to knit this.

The yarn is soft and shed only a little bit. I would so use this again for another scarf and maybe a matching hat.   I really think this stuff is going to fly off the shelves.  Love!

Time to pump the AC in my apartment so I can wear this around for a while before I have to store it for the winter.

bumble

A little instant knit gratification doesn't hurt now does it?  My LYS, Patricia's Yarns just got in her shipment of Spud & Chloe yesterday.  I skipped my knit butt over there and promptly casted on for this gem, the Bumble Up Scarf.  I have a gut feeling that I will be making more of these, a whole lot more.

The yarn is soft and very lovely to knit with.  It's been shedding only a little bit, but that's to be expected with a chunky cotton blend.

The sun has finally shown itself after what it seems like a month long absence and too many overcast skies.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Re-knit-ergized

Ohio.

Buckeyes.  LaBron James.  Presidential Primary.   TNNA?

Well for the last two years I've been involved in the knit industry (if i can really say I'm involved) has lead me to the great city of Columbus to the ever inspiring Needle Arts Trade show.  I was ever so happy to join Patricia owner of Patricia's Yarns in Hoboken to offer whatever two cents I could.  We documented our day to day on Patricia's shop blog PY Knits - trying hard to seeing everything and everyone!

Patricia and I walked the show again this year with fantastic shop owner, Craig, from Loop. Booth after booth was filled with yarn, patterns from old and new vendors alike.  My favorite booth by far was Blue Sky.  They have a fantastic new line of yarn coming out called Spud & Chloe.  ADORABLE.

It was also so fun to put faces to names and voices to pictures that I've only encountered through the internets.  Kate from Fibre Company was one of the first people I was excited to see and learned that one of her more popular and unpublished works was finally going to be coming to a LYS near you!  Wait for it, Wait for it... ;-)

I also enjoyed randomly crossing paths with Kate Gilbert who I totally felt was following me and not the other way around. (ha, as if!) Or perhaps I like to think I was just being pulled in by her fantastic knit designing gravitational pull.  Either way, it was a delight to see her and to learn that while her patterns are phenomenal, so is the designer behind them!

I also met a fantastic new (to me) designer Coralie Meslin.  Her patterns have been featured in Vogue Knitting (Ravelry Link), Takhi Stacey Charles magazines, and in the fall I'm sure we'll see her stuff in Interweave and beyond. It was fun for me to pick her brain and to hear how and when she got started.  Persistence is key people!  Just keep trying and submitting and designing. (now to only find some time ;-))

It's no wonder one can feel so inspired to knit and design - you're in a huge room with hundreds of talented people. Their creative wavelengths are bound to cross yours - not to mention knit sensory overload.  Everywhere you looked there were either gorgeous hanks of yarn or beautiful knitted sweaters. 

As if my knitting fingers weren't going fast enough they now have more incentive to get moving.  What's great about this 'knit high' is that I can share it and hopefully get others as excited about knitting as I am.  Thank you again to Patricia for generously having me with her... :-)

If you happen to be in town this weekend we are most definitely doing something for World Wide Knit In Public Day!

 

Hope to see some of you there!

Happy Knitting!

L,
M