Knitting

Fritillary Socks MKAL

March 24, 2024March 23, 2024 annbh3562 Comments

With only a trio of socks to my credit and having sworn off this particular article of clothing 1,258 days ago, a new mystery knit-along (MKAL) has piqued my interest. The five clues that will evolve into the first sock will be released April 1 (no fooling) through April 13. Then I get to do all the work again to make the pair, hopefully, finishing in time for the second sock party just days into May.

Fritillaries, a flowering herbaceous perennial with bell-shaped blossoms, inspired this new knitting pattern. Whether the design will capture the delicate checked petals is yet to be discovered but the pre-clue notes promise cables – my favorite stitch.

Happy knitting!

Graphic credit: © Marie Greene

Knitting

Variations on a theme

February 10, 2024 annbh3565 Comments

hand knit peach colored shawl with lace edges on a wooden hanger

hand knit fuchsia colored shawl with lace edges and crystal beads on a wooden hanger

At the pattern designer’s recommendation, I knit my first version of this shawl in a multicolored self-striping yarn. The lacy border took a back seat to the fabric’s vibrancy and I wondered what would result if I knit this same design with a solid or subtle tonal yarn. I quelled my curiosity first with the peachy project and then knit a second shawl in deep fuchsia. Both skeins had arrived in yarn club surprise packages and, utilizing good stash management practices, each just needed the right design.

The combination of fingering weight yarn and a slightly larger needle results in an airy body of garter stitches. An unusual double yarnover (yo2) at the beginning of the lace row creates an elongated fiber filigree. And, I added a little glitter by incorporating a pearlized pink Miyuki seed bead on each lacy tip. Now, wrapped in tissue paper, each shawl is safely tucked away awaiting a giving opportunity as a silent auction donation.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Pathways to Peace KAL

January 3, 2024January 3, 2024 annbh3567 Comments

A hand knit lace shawl in multi colored pinks and greens on a wooden hanger

A first of the year reporting on an end of the year project.

Earlier Project Peace knit-alongs (KAL) featured an original new pattern custom designed specifically to reflect that year’s theme but simplicity framed this 2.0 KAL. In preparation, Healthy Knitter Christina Campbell suggested choosing from among one of her earlier designs or the Anica Shawl. I chose the latter and paired her recommendation with a wonderful single skein of merino blended fingering from South Africa that was hand dyed exclusively for the 2022 Strickmich yarn club. Yard by yard, the bold Happy Crowd colorway revealed a self-striping vibrancy well outside my normal, often monotone, palette.

The Anica Shawl pattern incorporated a well-tuned balance of restful repetition perfect for Project Peace reflections. Yet, the artful lacework held my attention and produced a comfortable wrap featuring airy eyelets along one side and a picot border on the opposite. The result was so charming that I claimed this shawlette as my own.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Project Peace 2.0 – Pathways to Peace

November 30, 2023March 21, 2025 annbh3562 Comments

Green knit shawl with multicolored pink border on hanger — *Peace In Place Shawl – a 2020 Project Peace Knitalong with Christina Campbell*

A little bit of joy arrived in my in-box this afternoon with an email from Christina Campbell. Her knitting patterns always offered that perfect blend of artistic interest and gentle repetition that encouraged self-care, meditation and, yes, peace. Between 2016-2020, I participated in four Project Peace knitalongs (KAL). Then life intervened and her blog was silent. But she has returned letting her readers and fellow knitters know that “… after two years of reading, writing, time in Shetland, walks in the woods, and releasing a lot into the compost pile, it is time to emerge.”

Her 2023 Project Peace theme will be Pathways to Peace. While she will not be releasing a new pattern, she has promised a daily blog post to help guide our steps on that path. She is encouraging knitters to choose their own pattern, possibly one of her earlier designs, like my Project Peace shawl from 2020. Back then we were slogging through yet more days of pandemic distancing and the theme Peace in Place created a textured triangular wrap with a lacy contrasting border.

Happy knitting!

Knitting

The Tuesday Night Wrap

November 15, 2023 annbh3563 Comments

handknit lace scarf in two-toned gold yarn draped on a wooden hanger

A mystery knit-along (MKAL) requires confidence in the designer that your time and (more importantly) your precious yarn will not be wasted. As I was very pleased with my version of The Aquarelle Shawl (an April 2022 MKAL), I cast on The Tuesday Night Wrap the very afternoon the first clue dropped.

The early details alerted the 100s knitting along that the pattern would be released in four parts, create a rectangular wrap in two sizes (either scarf or larger shawl), and require two different yarns (one fingering and the other a lace weight mohair) best if undertaken in complimentary colors. With Miss Marple serving as the pattern inspiration, lace work was a must as her character is always adorned in lace – lace collars, lace gloves, even lace wound in her hair.

With finished dimensions of 16 inches by 67 inches, this scarf is wider than I would normally feature. Although the softness of this lovely merino fingering yarn, hand-dyed by Heather Best at Sew Happy Jane, will wrap nicely for squishy, cuddly warmth.

Librarian’s bibliographic note: Miss Marple, Agatha Christie’s popular knitting sleuth, was introduced to readers in a short story published in 1927 and entitled: The Tuesday Night Club.

Knitting

Blue & Gold Challenge

September 25, 2023 annbh3561 Comment

one skein of blue yarn and one skein of gold yarn each with a black Muse2320 paper label

Plans are underway for the Zumbro River Fiber Arts Guild (ZRFAG) golden anniversary, 1975-2025, and the Guild has announced a color challenge as one of its many, year-long activities. In 2018, I participated in another ZRFAG challenge that stretched my color palate and technical skills when I knit my first short rows.

As the big reveal of color challenge creations will not occur until October 2025, each artist has time to plan and execute the perfect celebratory piece. The challenge colors are Indigo Blue (representing the waters of southeastern Minnesota, in particular the Guild’s namesake – the mighty Zumbro) and 50th anniversary gold. The colors in the resulting fiber piece, whether knit or crocheted, quilted or embroidered, woven or tatted, must incorporate at least 70% of the challenge colors. Glittery metallic gold is certainly allowed to enhance the festive nature of the artwork.

While on my homeward trek after a riverboat lunch on the St. Croix with my library loving, book reading, wine drinking retired friends – The Directors, I took the opportunity to peruse squishy yarn treats at two shops. And so, reminiscent of my UW-EC Blugold undergraduate days, I have begun my search for the perfect combination of blue and gold, both yarn and beads, as well as exploring shawl patterns that will challenge my expertise and deliver an exhibitable product.

Other items of interest

Brown: September’s Colour Challenge

September 18, 2023 annbh3562 Comments

three different sized brown and cream colored pottery plates

close up of lace detail on a handknit shawl

Even though certain fashion leaders have decreed brown (specifically chocolate brown) to be the new black, I had a hard time finding brown toned photographs to fit this month’s Colour Challenge. While some may think brown is dull, the rich hues can vary from chestnut to pecan or whiskey to fashionista chocolate.

My Dad very proudly decreed brown his favorite color. I always suspected his choice directly correlated to his amazing carpentry skills. There was nothing about wood he did not love. There is a family story that when discharged from the WWII Navy he bought a brown suit with a brown tie to contrast against a white dress shirt, matching brown shoes and socks and that even his new (just having arrived in Wisconsin) winter overcoat and hat were brown. (Lost in the re-telling is the style of the hat whether fedora, homburg, or porkpie.)

Photo details in the colour brown, left to right:

Caradori hand thrown, wood fired pottery
Lace detail of the Orage Shawl designed by Solène Le Roux and knit in Hedgehog colorway
Two copper pots: A 1982 purchase in the famous Khan el-Khalili of Cairo. This public bazaar / souk has provided market space for artisans and vendors since the 14^th century.

Knitting

If knitting was like baseball

September 3, 2023 annbh3564 Comments

hand knit triangular shawl with a cream colored star and orange accents

… the game would be tied 3 Scarves – 3 Shawls. An earlier decision to skip a summer sweater knit-along (KAL) did not result in a knitting hiatus but rather a steady flow of smaller projects, just perfect for gifts and silent auction donations.

Having worried I would be overwhelmed when I committed to two fingering skeins each month from the Happy Hand Dyed Yarn Club, multiple skeins of Heather Best’s rich color combos have gone directly from mailbox to needles. The purple and white shawl with a whimsical bobble edge was a Knit Camp mystery KAL pattern which paired one of the April skeins with stashed yarn. The deep teal was the second in the April showers yarn offering, again mixed with a lovely merino silk blend. Heather’s dye pots yielded totally different hues for August (reminiscent of a large scoop vanilla bean ice cream served in an old-fashioned waffle cone on a hot day) and these were transformed into Martina Behm’s Half Norwegian. My zigzag choice for Sommer Camp.

Knitting

Getting Ziggy

August 7, 2023August 27, 2023 annbh3563 Comments

While zigzags are not required, they are the theme for the 2023 Sommer Camp hosted by Martina Behm. This annual event begins today and provides the perfect opportunity to mix up my knitting repertoire as I have been stuck on repeat. My camp project will be Martina’s Half Norwegian; a new shawl pattern designed specifically for seafaring participants of a knitting craft cruise to Norway where she was the featured instructor.

Since the pattern requires contrasting colors, I’ll be able to use two of my stashed combo skeins from the Hand Dyed Happy Yarn Club. Plus, Sommer Camp will be an ideal bridge from summer fun with Swiss cousins speaking Schweizerdeutsch (Swiss German) while waiting for September’s Knit Camp at the Coast 2023 with Marie Greene.

Photo credit: Martina Behm

Knitting

Celebrating Summer on the Banks of the Mississippi

June 29, 2023March 22, 2025 annbh3564 Comments

vibrant violet handknit lace shawl draped on a wooden hanger

gray and lavender triangular handknit shawl

varigated lavender handknit scarf on a wooden hanger

pink and cream handknit triangular shawl draped on a wooden hanger

two handknit silk shawls, one pink and one green, draped on a wooden hanger

I always have at least one project on my knitting needles just to keep my hands busy and my brain alert while streaming the latest Netflix series or watching F1 cars race on circuits around the world. A tally of projects, February 2022 through February 2023, totals 15 with six items designated as gifts for The Directors – my library loving, book reading, wine drinking group of retired friends. Having missed joining the group due to my April Covid woes, each finally picked a favorite silk scarf or shawl last week. Just in time for the summer solstice.