Tag: nylon

Knitting

Knit Camp Adieu

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graphic of a catamaran with pink sails and popcorn kernels sweeping up from the bow

All through my retirement years, pattern designer, author, and Knit Camp leader, Marie Greene, has helped guide my knitting journey. She recently announced a slow shut down of Knit Camp. The small business model is no longer viable in today’s economy. While this transition will occur over the next 10-months, I am already wondering who will be my new “go-to” resource. So many choices to investigate.

Some Knit Camp activities, including the weekly conference calls, have already ended, while other benefits will continue. For the rest of my membership, I will receive a free pattern each month. Her well-designed patterns are technically edited and test-knit before release. Over the years, her designs have ranged from mittens and shawls to holiday decorations and sweaters.

Marie’s annual fall Mystery Knit-A-Long (MKAL) launched on October 1 as planned and the three-color, triangular shawl is already on my needles. As with any MKAL, the “clues,” that is the different segments of the pattern, will be released over a set time. The pattern notes describe the Popcorn Catamaran shawl as “an ode to creativity and whimsy while featuring subtle layers of color.” Having cast on the first clue, I already know there will be mini bobbles with clues coming once a week to my in-box.

I fully enjoyed this summer’s virtual Knit Camp Retreat at the Coast. This fifth annual online learning experience featured sessions taught by Marie, as well as a talented roster of guests instructors. There are no plans to offer this event in the future. However, the Olive Knit Tours to Scotland this fall and Ireland next spring will occur as planned. I just will not be flying to those misty isles to see the sheep in the heather.

I will miss the friendly, safe online environment, where Campers shared their Works-in Progress (WIPs) on Wednesdays and Finished Objects on Friday. Where the focus was on fiber and not political divisions. Where the biggest worries might be a day of yarn-chicken or managing time zones for an online book discussion from Oregon to Minnesota to England, Australia, and Japan.

Thank you Marie Greene and fellow Knit Campers! Happy knitting!

Graphic credit:  © Marie Greene, Olive Knits.

Knitting

Joining a Gift-A-Long

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two skeins of beetroot colored yarn

Just in time for holiday gift giving, over 200 indie designers are hosting Gift-A-Long 2025. Launched last evening at 5:00pm US EST, this knit-a-long / crochet-a-long (KAL/CAL) will run through December 31 at 11:59pm US EST. 

Unlike other KALs in which I have participated when there has been one pattern shared by one designer, the gift possibilities of this KAL are endless – from caps to cowls, from scarves to sweaters, and even stuffies. While all patterns by the participating designers are eligible to be knit or crocheted, only projects made from purchased patterns will be eligible to win prizes. This unique marketing technique had me scanning patterns and checking my in-house yarn inventory last evening.  And, this morning, with pattern and stashed yarn selected, I cast on a lacy scarf in this vibrant beetroot colored New Zealand merino tweed.

Happy knitting!






Knitting

Mystery Knit-a-Long: Bubble Wand Shawl

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Only the barest details were revealed before the start of the fall Knit Camp mystery knit-a-long (MKAL).

  • The title: Bubble Wand Shawl – inspired by the whimsy of bubbles flowing gently through a wand.
  • The yarn: Fingering weight in five contrasting colors. Ahead of time, designer Marie Greene, shared recommendations for fiber content, including the brand and colors she chose for her initial sample. Sleuthing knitters were welcome to make their own choices. I opted to match the Knit Camp sample rather than resorting to the color wheel to find complimentary and contrasting colors that, when put together, played well.
  • The schedule: Five clues released, one per week in October. MKAL participants graciously kept undercover the developing design by posting progress pictures only after a new clue was revealed. As my early October schedule included hosting visiting Swiss cousins this led to my late start so I benefited from seeing my fellow Knit Campers’ progress reports.

The Bubble Wand Shawl began with a five-stitch cast-on. A four-stitch increase on every right-side row – one stitch added at the beginning of the row, two along a central axis, one at the end of the row – provided the shape and size. From that simple cast-on, the stitch count grew through the final lacy edge and a bind-off of 389 stitches. The Stroll Fingering blend of 75% merino wool and 25% nylon, knit using a larger than recommended needle size resulted in an airy fabric with a lovely drape that wraps nicely around the neck and shoulders. Now, I just need a lucky recipient.

Happy knitting!

Knitting · Travel

Park Shawl

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snow covered mountain in the distance against a blue sky with trees and craggy rock in the foreground
Glacier National Park – July 2006
two-toned taupe and speckled pink and green hand knit shawl on on wooden hanger
International Peace Park Shawl – April 2024

Just off my needles is Christina Campbell’s International Peace Park Shawl. Her inspiration for this simple asymmetrical shawl knit in two colors, came from Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world’s first international park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The design begins and ends with solid segments representing the two bordering countries, color shifting stripes portray the mountain ridges, and the delicate lace segments depict the fragile nature of peace. 

My knitting journal usually documents December projects designed by Christina when I have joined 100s of other knitters participating in her annual Project Peace knit-alongs (KAL).  The delicate hand-dyed merino fingering skeins from last June’s Hand Dyed Happy Yarn Club are reminiscent of craggy peaks after snowmelt and spring flowers dotting high mountain meadows.  The pattern sat in my queue while I waited for that just right combo of yarns since, after three visits, Glacier National Park remains among my favorite natural places with these fond memories…

  • A mid-summer visit with nieces and nephews when thirteen of us hiked a glacier trail.  The sun sparkling so brightly off the snowpack there were sunburned calves, despite a slathering of sunscreen. 
  • When, despite a sunny June day, we could only venture as far as Lake McDonald Lodge as heavy, late season snowfalls blocked Going-to-the Sun Road.
  • And the thwarted plans to visit Glacier’s Canadian counterpart, Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada, due to lack of proper documentation.  We had incorrectly assumed drivers’ licenses were sufficient IDs and we learned (too late) that without our passports, US customs would not allow reentry.  Instead, we simply enjoyed rustic Rocky Mountain scenery on our side of the border.

Happy knitting on happy trails!

Knitting

Double Diamond Cowl

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an incomplete handknit cowl in rust colored tones with a lace pattern of repeated diamonds resting on a marble background and a green yarn bowl in the upper left corner
A Work-in-Progress
handknit cowl in rust colored tones with a lace pattern of repeated diamonds on a marble background
Double Diamond Cowl
stitch detail of a handknit cowl in rust colored tones with a lace pattern of repeated diamonds on a wooden hanger
Stitch details

With seven cowls tucked away in tissue paper with protective lavender sachets, I recognize I should pause from knitting any more of these wardrobe accessories.  This particular article of clothing is a favorite among pattern designers.  As proof, I need only refer to the last three collections of new patterns that I’ve bought.  Within the knitting universe, cowls provide a quick project that often enables the knitter to explore a new or challenging technique on a small scale with the added benefit of putting into service a beautiful, but solo skein of yarn.  I am less certain of their popularity among those seeking soft, squishy neckwear.

My latest finished object features a two-tone, double-diamond lace pattern.  Rather than relying on bold contrasts, the color shifts are subtle.  The pattern specifically called for “analogous colors – or colors that fall next to each other on the color wheel.”  The Double Diamond Cowl is part of Marie Greene’s recently released D is for Diamonds Stashbuster Series.  Fully embracing the spirit of the project, this fingering weight yarn came from my stash of lovely hand-dyed fibers acquired while participating in Heather Best’s Hand Dyed Happy Yarn Club. 

Happy knitting!

Knitting

Fritillary Socks MKAL

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logo for fritillary sock mystery knit along with bright pink blossoms nestled in a dewy field

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

Pathways to Peace KAL

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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

A Sheep Story: MKAL

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two skeins of yarn with aqua varigated tones on the left and peachy colored on the right

Who doesn’t love a mystery? Whether on paper or film? Puzzle or yarn? As a reader, channeling one’s own powers of detection against the author’s controlled revelation of details which may or may not be clues leading to the discovery of whodunit. As a knitter, reveling in a new stitch and then trying to deduce where the design will go next.

Despite our Minnesota days feeling nothing like spring, it is nearly time for Marie Greene’s spring mystery knit-along (MKAL). Her new pattern will be revealed in four clues, over 10 days, April 3-13. The advance teaser alerted MKAL participants that this will be a triangular shawl in two contrasting colors, knit from top-center down, incorporate texture and special design elements, and the accompanying story will feature the adventures of one rambunctious sheep – hence the title of the MKAL and the shawl – A Sheep Story.

The March surprises in my Sew Happy Jane Hand Dyed Happy Yarn Club subscription could combine nicely for a lovely A Sheep Story mystery shawl. But, my April box arrives on Friday, so I will make my final decision with two new skeins in hand.