I can't begin to express how fortunate we were to be her humans and how much we miss her. She has slept by my side almost every night and kept me company while I work, since the day we adopted her. The emptiness where her playfulness used to be is deafening.
We adopted her in April 2007 and she was unfettered chaos. She destroyed my knitting, tore up books, and earned the moniker, "the stealth pooper," pretty quickly. Even so, it's impossible to think of her adoption as a "rescue" because she was the most loving, playful, outgoing pup from the start and if we hadn't scooped her up, some other lucky family would have.
Thea was a glorious weirdo, unrepentant hussy, and had the most amazing sense of humor. She seemed to always find humor in life and that rubbed off on all of us.
For me, it was love at first sight. I still remember seeing her photo on the rescue site and being instantly smitten. And then we got her and she was ten pounds of trouble in a five-pound sack.
I took this last picture the day she got her diagnosis. Her downturn was fast and unrelenting which was a kindness in its own way. She was unambiguously ready to go when we made the call. But that's all thinky logic stuff and it is doing fuck-all to cut through the grief. I miss her so much and wish I could kiss her head again.
I don't have any good way to wrap this up or the energy to regale you with the many wonderful stories I have about her. I just loved her to pieces and miss her terribly and I can't believe how fast she went from being her sweet goofy self to gone, but I am glad she isn't suffering and that I had so many wonderful years with her.
]]>The gift-a-long ends at midnight eastern time on Wednesday which means you only have a matter of hours to save 25% on thousands of patterns from hundreds of designers.
I decided to look through the shops of some of the participating designers and picked out a few eligible designs that looked like they'd be fun to make or fun to wear. Links below the image.
Trellis & Chevron by BabyLove Brand | Tablet Braid by Janelle Martin | Peacock Tail Feather by Christa Veenstra
Rigel by Helen Gipson | Roses and Ivy by Julie Yeager | Irish Rover by Kirsten Hipsky
Estuarine by Stephannie Tallent | Mint Coffee Mandala by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk | Grow Your Molecule by Elena Fedotova
As you can see, there's lots to love in the GAL. Check out these designs and many many many more over here. If you buy a pattern during the GAL, you can join in the various KALs and CALs for a chance to win prizes. And remember, the discount ends at midnight eastern on Wednesday. After that, all patterns turn back into pumpkins and you'll have to leave the ball. Use code giftalong2016 to get your 25% discount until then.
And, if you happened to miss them, my eligible patterns can be found here.
]]>A few years back, I participated in the Gift-A-Long and I'm doing it again this year. For those of you who aren't familiar the organizers describe it like this:
"The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by a rather extensive list of independent designers. From November 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm US EST to December 31, 2016 at midnight US EST there will be fun games, contests, and 8 KAL/CALs that will help you get your holiday knitting done with companionship and fun! From November 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm US EST to November 30th at 11:59pm US EST tons of indie designers will be discounting between 5 - 20 of their patterns 25% for this event. Use coupon code: giftalong2016. You can read all about the details in this post: click here or on the FAQ page in our group pages."
My eligible patterns are shown in the graphic above and are viewable in my GAL bundle on ravelry. To get all the details and join in the fun, check out the Ravelry Group. You'll find pinterest boards of all eligible patterns from all the designers as well as details about prizes.
]]>
But the new edition of Twist is still waiting for you, if you haven't seen it yet and as always, I feel genuinely privileged to have a place in its virtual pages.
My first of two patterns is Lithograph a half-circle shawl design worked in twisted stitches and lace. For the submission process, I made a mini-prototype to show how the increases would blend into the background of the latticework.
The final shawl is worked in Lisa Souza's Polwarth Wool and Silk yarn which is a breeze to work with and so lovely to touch. The silk gives it plenty of drape while the wool gives the piece some substance. It's a perfect choice for this pattern.
My second design is Antrea, a beanie, slouch and cowl pattern suitable for anyone. Knitters are probably aware of the general submissions process for patterns and they see the end product, but in between those points, yarn companies, designers, and the members of the publishing and editing team, all try to wrangle a zillion moving parts to make the magazine. Yarn is often being shipped to other countries and then the sample shipped back to tech editors in a third country before being handed off to the publisher for photography and anywhere in there, a missed deadline or late delivery can throw the process off kilter. So was the case with the yarn for Antrea. It was originally scheduled to go overseas, went missing, alternate yarn was shipped and the orphaned yarn, finally tracked down, needed a home. Having finished up Lithograph fairly quickly, I volunteered and was told that I may only receive one color so I should plan a design that didn't require two different shades.
A bit of virtual graph paper and a few hours of playing and I had a cable pattern suitable for a unisex set that could be worked in a single color or with a contrasting color in the ribbing.
The SweetGeorgia Superwash DK is super soft and springy with great stitch definition so the pattern pops even in a darker shade. The hats can be worked in a smaller or larger circumference and fine-tuned with a tighter or looser gauge. One skein of each color will make either hat and the cowl in opposing colors dominance.
There's one more bit of new that you've probably noticed if you're friends with me on Facebook, I have a little bit of art with me all the time now.
Oregon Grape blossoms
This beautiful piece was created by Ashton Allen at No Hope No Fear and it's even more beautiful than I could have imagined it would be.
California Poppies, Mayflowers, and Violets
Each flower is the state flower for somewhere I've lived with a hummingbird in back because, well, hummingbirds are pretty.
Lilacs and Anna's Hummingbird
Barring any unexpected issues, it'll be colored in November and the tattoo will be complete. I love everything about it and can't stop looking at Ashton's beautiful artwork.
]]>Then I had a couple of rodents. They did what rodents did and mostly put up with their human and then pooped or peed and I did not know really how to connect with them. I killed most plants I touched. What I'm saying is that I was pretty sure that I just didn't have what was needed to connect with other living things and I was probably more harm than good to them anyway.
In 2000, I met Leo and I really liked him and he really liked me and we liked each other enough that after only a few short months of dating, we decided to quit our jobs and move to the west coast. He had ferrets which were illegal where we were going, so we found a great local rescue, made an additional donation and headed out west. I knew going into this that Leo wanted a dog and I was pragmatic enough to know that the odds of our relationship lasting were something other than 100% so I figured he'd get a dog, it'd be his dog and I would hope I didn't mess anything up too horribly.
My friend is an animal trainer and the company she worked with had a litter of border collie/cattle dog mixes that had a role in a flea and tick commercial. Their human sold the litter to the training company because they'd been a surprise and he didn't want them. The training company quickly adopted them all out except for the last little girl. Her name was Houston
She peed on herself and then crawled up next to Leo. She had been living with trainers for a while so she had a solid sit, stay, speak, and a few other tricks in her arsenal. She was gentle and timid and not at all like dogs I knew. We paid our $1 adoption fee and took her home.
We named her Panda and I began to brace myself for ruined shoes and musky dog smells. But that didn't happen. I once saw her chewing on the tip of my plush Spongebob slipper and told her no in a lightly stern voice and that is the last time I recall her assuming anything was a toy that wasn't given to her to play with. She was eager to learn tricks, affection and energetic.
Panda was a very good girl.
When we lived in Los Angeles, Leo would go on day trips, driving all along the California coast to find dog-friendly places to play. In her life, Panda saw the entire west coast from Tijuana to the Canadian border. She was a nervous dog but not at the beach. At the beach, she was fearless and free.
Leo will hate me for posting this picture but back in her younger days, we'd invite her up onto the couch and she'd sit really close to one of us, push off from her front legs while stiffening her spin and fall onto our arm and rest her head on our shoulder. It was pretty cute.
She grew to love being on the other side of the camera. The sound of the shutter would perk up her ears and she'd come running from another room if she heard it. It was hard to take sock photos but I can't say I minded.
Panda was a really good girl.
When we adopted Thea, she was unsure how to deal with this crazy ball of energy and misbehavior, but she was never cruel. She'd been our only dog for six years and we had a quiet life. Thea shook that all up.
But Thea loved Panda right from the start and she won her over pretty quickly. They became fast and inseparable friends.
Throughout her life, Panda has always been a fetch machine. Neither of her siblings have ever come close to matching her athleticism when it comes to catching "the squirrel."
Panda has been my a central part of my family, my home, my life since 2001. This post could go on forever while I remember the things, big and small, that made her special to me. I could talk about her TV appearances and modeling gig. I could talk about the times she outsmarted us and times she comforted us. I have thousands and thousands of photos of her and looking at them now, I still remember all our wonderful adventures together. She changed me. She made me see the value in being patient and understanding. She taught me to be more gentle and thoughtful with others. I can say, without hyperbole, she made me a better person.
And now I have to learn to let her go. Her decline has been fast. While she was showing her age a bit a year or so ago, the past few months, and the past few weeks, especially, have been hard. We've treated what we could to ensure she was comfortable, but we've always agreed that we'd try to do right by her and not let her suffer. Today, she woke up barely able to walk, uninterested in food and her breath got progressively more labored. It was time. I love my sweet old lady. I will miss her. She'll always be the dog who made me a dog person.
]]>First up is Regent which I love in the deep blue-black Catherine Lowe yarn and in this more rustic, creamy-colored alpaca blend. I think this substitution really highlights how a garment can be redefined by the yarn choice. In the original yarn, it's suitable enough for an evening out. In the alpaca blend, it's more casual and can take you on your errands or snuggle up on the couch with you on a cold day.
Next up is Picard and Kate kept the nod to his red shirt with bright red buttons. The original yarn had exceptional stitch definition, making the pattern really pop. The white yarn is similarly great for showing off twisted stitches but that pale color makes them stand out even better, and with a neutral color choice, the buttons can be little gems instead of being simply functional.
Last, but hopefully not least, here's my new shawl design. Flechir is a 3/4-circle shawl worked from the top-center, out, then each scallop is finished individually. This means your best choices for yarns are ones that are not obviously variegated. The tweedy Northern Lights yarn used here is perfect. Up close, the yarn is several individual shades but they all blend into a harmonious whole from afar.
Here's the gorgeous photos from the magazine.
And here is one of my own photos showing the shape of the shawl. Since it's a 3/4-circle, the shawl falls in soft ruffles when you wear it or you can wrap it snuggly around your shoulders.
What more photos and get all hte details? Check them out:
Regent: Magazine | Ravelry | Here
Picard: Magazine | Ravelry | Here
Flechir: Magazine | Ravelry | Here
And don't forget to check out the rest of the edition here.
]]>
When I was young, my parents moved from Chicago to New England to work for Digital. My mom worked there well into the 90s and in that time, developed many close friendships with colleagues and others in the technology industry. To be honest, I know very little about what my mom did when she worked there and how she interacted with the friends of hers that I met but I do know that I am extraordinarily lucky that she made friends with Janet and Bill. Janet and Bill — that's just how it naturally flows. When I think of Janet, I think of Bill. When I think of Bill I think of Janet.
It's hard to describe how I see the two of them. Perhaps like an aunt and uncle, though that feels too hierarchical and formal. To simply call them my friends is to overlook all the ways they have subtly mentored me to be a better human and provided the sort of unwavering love and guidance I needed to survive the tidal wave of drama that was my adolescence. They have always treated me like the best version of me that they could imagine and I wanted to raise myself to their expectations. And while I feel like I fall far short of who they imagine, I never felt like I let them down. Their love for me has always been calming and accepting and warm and abundant.
So it is hard for me to completely grasp the fact that the man who took me on my first motorcycle ride and my first small-plane ride and who use to make me laugh and think and want to learn more, has died. I have a hard time accepting that there is no longer a Janet and Bill; three words that — strung together in that order — make me feel so loved and welcomed. Bill is family I got to choose and who chose me. I am a better person for having known him and I will miss him terribly.
]]>See, I'm just like the shoot only, sllliiiightly less well dressed. Don't you agree?
The shawl is a modified half-circle design, featuring just enough beads to add a little weight and drape. I love beads, but I find they slow me down when I'm working so I prefer to use them sparingly. I chose a deep aubergine shade to pop against the lilac color of the shawl, though I think gray or silver would be a really nice alternative option, for a subtler effect.
While I include instructions for a standard knitted picot bind-off, the sample is shown with my suggested bind-off. It's worked with a crochet hook using very simple crochet stitches and some pre-strung beads. I love this option for lace because the bind-off basically cannot be worked too tightly to block the piece out well.
I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but blocking lace shawls is one of my favorite parts of the shawl-designing process. It seems like magic; turning a crumpled mass of fabric into something airy, orderly and filled with unexpected detail. Twisted stitches, beads and nupps all pop and yarnovers and decreases scallop the edges in subtle or dramatic ways. But a tight bind-off can ruin the effect and knitters often can't tell how loose the bind-off needs to be until the piece is ready to be blocked. By then, hundreds of stitches may have been bound off, the yarn has been cut and ends woven in. It can be pretty disheartening.
The crochet method joins a small number of live stitches together with loops of single-crochet chains that provide more-than adequate flexibility to block out the shawl as aggressively or lightly as desired and unlike a too-loose standard bind-off, the edge is neat and tidy no matter how lightly the shawl is blocked.
Not a crocheter but willing to give it a try? The pattern includes a tutorial but if you want more detail, I've got an article for that.
Crochet really is my first crafting love and this season, I take you through the basics of holding the hook and yarn, and working all the basic stitches. Crochet is knitting's best friend and knowing how to do both will open new finishing and embellishing options for your projects and designs. It may take a little time to get comfortable with it, but crochet is a great tool to have in your arsenal. If you've never crocheted before, I hope you'll give it a try and if you just need a refresher, I hope the article will get you back on track. I even point you to some existing Twist patterns that already feature some crochet. You won't lack for projects to put your crochet skills to work.
And lastly, I have a companion article to last season's article on Tubular Cast-Ons.
Just as a tubular cast-on gives those edges a professional finish, a tubular bind-offs produce flexible and attractive edges that elevate the quality of the work to a more professional level. Learn to work a standard tubular bind-off and how to adjust the bind-off for knit-two, purl-two edgings like ribbing and moss stitch.
I feel so fortunate to be a part of Twist Collective each season and I never cease to be impressed with the great articles and designs my fellow contributors bring to each edition. Even if you don't like my additions to the edition, I hope you'll flip through the magazine, read the articles and browse the shop.
]]>
It's been a pretty crazy couple of months at the day job—so much so that I never got to tell you about new edition of Twist. I hope you've all seen it already, but if you haven't, I have a pattern and and article.
My pattern, Fortuna, is a half-circle shawl made up of three whole and two half repeats of a sort of free-form cable and lace pattern. Every row of the repeat is different so it's not mindless knitting, but in the DK-weight yarn, it knits up pretty quickly.
The Twist photography, as always, is stunning but I wish it were easier to capture the magic of the silk yarn I was assigned. The cables, stockinette, reverse stockinette and eyelets all reflect the light in subtly different ways and the intense sheen of silk can really play up those variances. The best example I was able to get was on my blocking board, taken at a steep angle.
This is definitely a yarn that is best appreciated in person. It was a pleasure to use. I wrote more about the shawl and offered some styling suggestions over on the Twist blog, a few weeks back. See the post here.
You can check out Fortuna in the Magazine, Shop and on Ravelry.
My article is on tubular cast-ons.
Tubular cast-ons (left) next to conventional cast-ons (right)
When used in the right places, tubular cast-ons can give garments a professional finish. Using this cast-on for cuff-down socks, and ribbed hems on sweaters, hats and other garments, produces a flexible and tidy edge. It's a great tool to have in your arsenal. Check out the whole article here.
Lastly, Helios is now available for purchase as an individual pattern download or as a printed pattern from MagCloud.
It was so great watching all the participants in the KAL, knit their piece over the past few months. A big thanks to all the members of the KAL and to Melanie at Black Trillium for her beautiful yarn and for organizing the knit-along.
]]>There's an interview with me in the newest Knitsy Magazine, and my interview happens to be one of the free previews, so you can hop on over here and read it, if you're so inclined.
I actually hadn't heard of Knitsy before they contacted me. It's a digital magazine that publishes monthly and has an array of articles and patterns. You can find out more about them here and subscribe here.
]]>As it happens, today is also the day you can check out my new pattern, Helios. Right now, it's available exclusively through Black Trillium Fibres. Melanie is hosting a KAL with prizes to be decided. You can get all the details here. I'm pretty excited about this shawl design. I had a lot of fun designing it and the yarn is a dreamy mix of silk and merino in a fine lace weight, which always feels extra special to me.
This piece uses Zimmermann’s pi-shawl construction, starting at the center neck and working out to the borders. The pattern is entirely charted with no written-out instructions and those buying the pattern during the KAL will receive a printed pattern.
With this shawl, I really wanted to play with the way different stitches read as different shades of the yarn color. Against a dark background, the yarn overs read as darkest and least saturated, then the purl areas, then the knit until you finally reach the twisted stitches which are the most saturated and brightest. Those twisted stitches work to form an outline between stitch patterns, giving a strong line of delineation between sections.
And since the yarn is so light and airy, I added just a few beads to the hem to give it a little weight. These are added as you are knitting, using a small crochet hook. They are, of course, totally optional.
I hope that if you are interested in the design and you have the budget and time to knit the pattern and purchase the yarn, that you'll support Melanie at Black Trillium Fibres. She's a local (to me) independent yarnie and she is as great to work with as her yarns are beautiful. If new yarn isn't in the picture for you, but you like the pattern, both she and I will be selling the pattern alone, after September.
I'm looking forward to following the progress of the KAL and seeing people's finished shawls. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to let me know. See more details and photos on Ravelry.
]]>Last month, I ended up with a bag of course cornmeal, of which I needed only a half a cup and I was trying to think of something to do with it. My husband whose father's side of the family is Italian, loves polenta so I figured I'd give it a try. I used Alton Brown's recipe, with some modifications and I'd thought I'd share since Leo dubbed it the "best polenta I've ever had." If you like a more traditional flavor, Brown's is excellent. This is just a more robust version.
Ingredients
To taste:
Garnish:
Preheat oven to 350F
Cook bacon in a dutch oven or other oven-safe saucepan, until crisp and set aside. Remove all but 2 Tbs of the rendered fat. Cook shallots in fat over low heat until translucent. Add garlic, cook until tender. Add broth, bring to a boil, whisk in cornmeal. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 36 mins whisking ingredients every 12 minutes. Check for doneness and cook longer, if needed.
While the polenta cooks, chop bacon into small pieces.
Once polenta is cooked and while still hot, stir in butter and allow to melt. Add sambal to taste. Add bacon and cheddar and season with salt as desired, remembering to taste a bite with some bacon to ensure you don't over salt.
Polenta is ready to serve at this point. To get the results in the photo, do the following:
Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a 9" x 9" cake pan. Pour polenta into cake pan and allow to chill until completely cool. Use the freezer for faster results
While polenta cools, add tomatoes to a small sauce pan, with olive oil, shallot, garlic, 2 sprigs oregano and cheese rind. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove shallot, garlic, oregano and cheese. If the wateriness bugs you, you can cook the tomatoes with the cover off, but I like it and mix it in with the polenta when I eat it.
Once cool, turn onto a cutting board, removing parchment paper. cut into 16 squares by dividing into 4 pieces in each direction. Add olive oil to a non-stick skillet and add polenta, working in smaller batches so as not to crowed. Cook each side until golden brown. Serve on top of tomatoes adding some chopped oregano for garnish.
In the garden
For those of you who don't like polenta, here are some shots from the garden
Hydrangea starting to bloom
Spiral buds of the jasmine
Bowl of Beauty peony
Same bloom, different angle
Regardless of what the calendar would have you believe, it's been Spring in Oregon since February, when the first daffodils started poking their heads out of the ground, but it wasn't truly Spring for me until the new Twist Collective went live about a week ago.
If you haven't had a chance to check it out, there's plenty to love. Whenever I write these post, I think I'm going to list my favorites but them I go and look at the edition and I can never narrow it down. There are just too many beautiful pieces from so many talented designers. As a designer, being immersed in other people's fantastic work is both inspires me and pushes me to try to do better. Even after 12 years of designing, I still find myself learning new things with each project.
My contribution, this season is Zaida.
Photo copyright Fanny Jacob-Lafontaine
I would consider this one of my more ambitious designs. There are no visible cast-on or bind-off edges. Any cast-on edges are provisional and any bind-off edges are grafted. It was a lot of fun to design and I hope it'll be equally fun to knit.
I also have an article about Provisional Cast-Ons in the edition.
I demonstrate four different methods and discuss why I might choose one over another. There's also a tips and troubleshooting section to help you get the best results with your provisional cast-ons.
There are plenty of other great articles in the magazine and, of course, tons of great patterns, so I hope you'll take some time to flip through the edition and check it all out.
]]>Julia (looking stunning in the pattern sample) and I spend a lot of time emailing about what we're working on, what we want to work on and how our published pieces have fared over time. It doesn't sound like much but having a friend who designs makes a huge difference. Whether it's a person to celebrate with you when you are really excited about a piece or someone to vent to when you are feeling frustrated or burned out, having someone around who gets it, is great. But you know your designer friend has gone above and beyond when she is so excited about your next design that she offers to knit a sample for a kid's version and have her son model it for the pattern.
Can you even handle how cute he is? The embroidered heart was 100% Julia's idea, and it's probably the best part of the whole design.
The women's version is knit seamlessly from the hems to the armholes and joined in one continuous yoke. Dart shaping is easily adjusted or omitted to get whatever fit you like. The ships are added at the end using duplicate stitch.
The kid's version is knit seamlessly from the hems the underarms, then worked back and forth in rows. There's a placket on the shoulder for comfort when taking the piece on and off.
Patterns are available individually or as a set for 20% off. You can get the discount either by buying the ebook or by purchasing each, separately. The discount is applied automatically when you buy the second pattern.
If you want to see more photos, read all the pattern details, or buy the patterns, you can find them here:
Women's Version
Children's Version
And if you are trying to imagine other color options, I've put together a few options, based on Shalimar Yarns' extensive color palette.
Row 1 (left to right): billies blues/driftwood, love potion/buttermilk, oyster/waterchestnut
Row 2 (left to right): byzantium/buttermilk, shamrock/buttermilk, american beauty/buttermilk
Whatever colors you choose, be sure there's lots of contrast. Those skinny little legs and arms will show up best that way.
]]>I hope there's another eight years to come.
All pictures taken Friday with her new favorite toy.
]]>