Tallulah on my Mind

The place: Tallulah Falls, Georgia.

Balmy southern nights, steamy days. Welcome to the Albert-Evans family reunion.. the first within memory. It is quite something to see cousins, aunts, uncles and others that last seen, were kids like me, and are now going gray, like me. It was a bit surreal but wonderful to see everyone again. Unfortunately, no pics were taken of the event itself.. I forgot my camera. But I do have a remembrance sock.. Tallulah.





These short but very sweet toe-up socks begin with my newly favorite round toe and feature a beaded openwork rib, a sculpturally fitted back, and just a hint of beaded ruffle at the top. The first sock was improvised and finished on the plane trip home. The first pair is a gift for my mother and her pair contain no beads, but my pair (yet to come) has to have them! I am hoping that the beads, inset into the openwork rib pattern in the front and around the top rim of the sock, will give an impression of sparkling water drops that catch the light now and then.. a lovely effect.

I am also including instructions for working heel stitch over the toe-up heel turn, and making length adjustments based on the individual knitter's row gauge.

See Tallulah's emergence here.. soon!

With Sprinkles on Top

I have had the pleasure of working with quite a few indie dyers now, and the Pico Accuardi Dyeworks folks are among the very nicest. They share space with Lantern Moon in a warehouse near Portland, Oregon, and recently on a visit to their digs, I came away with a very interesting skein of Acid and Weed sock yarn, which results from a dye process that involves acid overdyes on a ground of natural plant dyed yarn.

Meet Sprinkles. Now part of my new Jack in the Pulpit Socks. Photos are the lovely work of Vivian Aubrey.









Folks who are part of the Pico Accuardi Dyeworks sock clubs (two) will be getting this kit this year. Otherwise, you will have to wait until June of 2011 to get your hands on this. Acid and Weed sock yarn is available in other colorways now. Check the Pico-Accuardi website for retail outlets.

And watch for the August retreat. Deb's family owns a legendary Italian restaurant here, and I have heard that there will be wonderful food!

Dog days

Yes, we are in the dog days, and here in San Diego it is beastly hot. The impulse is to be lazy and do absolutely nothing... Yet, work continues in a rush after the high of Sock Summit, and in its aftermath I follow the muse to wherever she is leading...

I have several as-yet secret projects that will be revealed in their good time, and in the meantime here are some lovely links for you:



Aphrodite on the Twist Collective Blog!!! Somehow things all look more beautiful on this site.. please do take a peek at Sparklefaerie in her glory...

Joy of Sox is now out! My project is called "Afternoon Delight" and the book is a gorgeous and sensuous delight. Please do check it out...



For this design, I used Sundara FSM in robin's egg, one of my favorite colorways ever, and I can't say enough lovely things about this yarn and especially how it is with beads.. splendido!

Hoping coolness will return soon...

To Socks and Beyond

Someone told me recently that my two new patterns, which will be debuted at Sock Summit 09, are “way beyond socks.” I just love that phrase. In a way, it was a great complement, as socks are rather prosaic knitted items and I strive for the unique and well, special. But functionality is key too, as for all sock-like knitted items that are expected to perform well and look awesome.

Form and function.. both so important, don't you agree?

So here, without any more ado, are my two newest creations.

Continuum, so named because my inspiration for the cable design was the Tibetan never ending knot that symbolizes the interconnectness of all beings. Continuum is a cabled and beaded series of leg warmers in three lengths, in dk weight yarn. Here again I thank my friends Sparklefaerie and M.Scott, her able and willing photographer.



The shortest version, cuffs that are meant to go over boots or knee socks.



The longest version, thigh high and bell bottomed leg warmers that drape beautifully.





And these shortie leg warmers, so cute on Sparklefaerie, that warm your knees when your boots aren't quite high enough.

Next, Blossom Dearies, beaded baby booties that are meant for the most angelic of little feet. I named them after one of my favorite singers as a tribute to her tiny but perfect, angelic voice.







Thanks to Zoe Gee, mother of the little angel in this picture, and the angel himself, Teijo Tso.

These patterns will be found at the Sock Summit vendor area at the Carolina Homespun booths and at WEBS. And after Sock Summit, elsewhere of course.

Happy journeys.. to socks and beyond!

Fiddling Around

Yes, I am on a crazed sock marathon. Yes, I am counting the minutes, hours and days until Sock Summit.

Yes, I have a new sock pattern.. first seen in Dye Dreams' Four Seasons Sock Club this year, and the lovely Dye Dreams folks have generously allowed me to publish it myself just a few months after their club had it.

So.. here it is folks, with another brilliant M.Scott photo to grace the pattern cover. Those are Sparklefaerie's feet inside the socks too, in case you wondered.

Pattern specs:

Toe up gusset heel sock in three sizes with high instep option for all sizes. Beads are included (of course!) and I used the crochet hook add-as-you-go method for this one. So much fun!

In addition to the Dye Dreams' Panda Sox, a new bamboo blend which knits up beautifully, I have used Curious Creek Fibers' Wasonga, which has a very silky feel.

You can now purchase the Fiddlehead Sock pattern on my site and on ravelry.

If you are coming to SS09, you can see them in person! Yay!

Color Riot, or Forgive my Teal

I am in full pre-Sock Summit obsession.. projects crowding around like little mewling babies, all craving attention and all wanting to be made before SS09.

As most of you know, probably to the point of nauseating repetition, I love beads and use them in almost everything I make. A growing number of people share my fascination with beads and how they can enhance (in my humble opinion) knitting designs.

It is however, rare when I find the right bead for the right yarn right away.. usually it takes some shopping around and that can be a process when you mostly order your good Japanese beads by mail order.

So.. regard. This is my latest order from Earth Faire, and EVERY BEAD IS PERFECT! I don't think it is my masterful decision making ability either, because I forgot what I ordered right after I ordered them, and besides I didn't have these skeins of yarn in my possession when I ordered. It has to be serendipity, or grace, or maybe synchronicity. Take your pick.

So take a look, and dream of the socks that will emerge from these yarns and bead combinations...


Because each of these is so wonderful in its own right, here follows a photo of each project.. more for my journalistic desire to record what I mean to do next than anything else.. and nothing is carved in stone, mind you. No promises.

But today, this is my happy color dance of potential bliss...


Oh Mama! STR lightweight in My blue heaven and Turquoise, with mint julep aqua and silver lined dark aqua beads. Yes, this is all one project!


Sweet sweet sweet! Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction in Rose Quartz, with sparkling cranberry lined amethyst ab beads.


Be still my heart! STR lightweight in Corbie with sparkling aqua green lined crystal ab beads.


Oh lordy - I hear the angels singing! STR lightweight in Quilla with dark peach lined crystal ab beads.


Splendiforous! Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock in Turquoise with glacier blue lined crystal ab beads


Elegance! Sweet Georgia Speed Demon in Teal with teal lined lavender beads

OK.. enough of this.. I'm going to wind up some yarn, yeah baby!

Fiddlehead Socks... the teaser

Hello dear readers, who must think I have permanently fallen off the blog wagon.

I am currently in San Diego, land of cactus and persimmon flowers, taking care of my dear son for a while.

Mostly I am knitting up a storm, but finding time to design too.. and this is the latest off my needles, the Fiddlehead Socks:





Pictures were taken in the back yard garden of Kristine Brooks, of Curious Creek Fibers fame. I am indeed lucky to be here in this enchanted spot.

The Fiddlehead Socks will be released in May as part of the Four Seasons Sock Club from Dye Dreams, then in June you can look for the pattern under my name. Lucky sock club participants will be receiving the pattern and the luscious bamboo blend yarn in lovely Fiddlehead teal, which was dyed for me according to my specifications.

Thank all of you who have sent get well wishes for my son Ari, who helped me take the pictures of the socks that you see above.

The Event called Sock Summit

OK.. is there anyone out there who still hasn’t heard of Sock Summit, the event that “takes sock knitting almost too far”?

For everyone who hasn’t drooled over the possibilities yet, Sock Summit takes place in Portland, OR on August 6-9 of this year. You can see all the wonderful details on the website, where the class listings were posted for the first time recently.

And very excitingly for me, I am getting to teach at this fantastic event! Truly, I feel as if I should be the one paying them for the privilege. Once you look over the list of teachers and classes (not to mention the 150 vendors in the marketplace) I know you will agree.

If you would like to take a peek at my class offerings, here are the links to those (and yes, they will be all beads, all the time):

http://www.socksummit.com/classes/beaded_cables/

http://www.socksummit.com/classes/beautiful_beaded_baby_bootees/

http://www.socksummit.com/classes/hooked_on_beads/

I hope you can join me there, in spirit if not in the “socks”!

Clubbed

This must be the Year of the Club for me.

Last year, I had a magnificent introduction into the Mysteries of the Club when Phoenix Rising was the kickoff design for the Year of Lace 2008 club.



The success of that design led me to go.. hog wild comes to mind.. when I started getting requests for designs for this year's club docket.

Already this year I have had two club releases, with several more to come.

Forgive me if I indulge myself with a list of past and present offerings.

The first one was for the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club sponsored by the Unique Sheep. My sin was Envy, and this was my initial design:



The yarn is House Blend from Unique Sheep, a lovely dk-weight alpaca blend. The final design was much prettier... in envy green with beads, of course. Sorry I don't have any pics of the final one to show, but you get the idea.

The next was an installment of the Rockin' Sock Club, a design called the Queen of Beads, or as Tina lovingly embellished the title, Queen of Beads Singing the Blues. I became part of the Notorious Sock Knitters World Domination Tour with that shipment and I must say that this has been the highlight of my year in knitting so far.. Blue Moon does rock, and rock well...

And what's up next, you may ask?

I had to balance the Seven Deadly S(p)ins with something, and this is what it was: The Seven Heavenly Virtues of Lace, sponsored by Woolgirl. Can't expose the work in progress to the public eye as yet, but it will be heavenly, at least I hope so. My virtue is Charity, and we are planning an event along with the installment that will bring out this quality in the best way.

Next up is Dye Dreams' Four Seasons Sock Club, for which I am pleased to be the representative of Spring. Do check out the lineup of designers.. I am flattered indeed to be included in this list of luminary sock designers!

I was given the choice of fibers and best of all, colors in this club, and here is the gorgeous color (and beads) I chose:



Next? Why, the Year of Lace 2009!!! For now, suffice it to say that my design will be the summer installment of this prestigious club.

And last but not least, the Shakespeare in Lace Club from Wooly Wonka Fibers. I have my Shakespearean theme, and the gorgeous yarn and beads in hand for the shawl that shall be the December installment of the club. I do hope that it will be bard-worthy.

Here is the lineup for the rest of the year.. I don't know if subscriptions are still open, but do check it out:

March: Miriam Felton of Mimknits is kicking off the subscription kits with a nod to Othello. She’s taking her design theme from Desdemona’s handkerchief, a strawberry motif, done in a drapey merino blend laceweight dyed the color of (what else?) crushed strawberries.

June: Judy Anderson has chosen a lovely soft periwinkle blue silk/merino laceweight for her A Midsummer Night’s Dream project, a triangular lace shawl knit in fairy lace motifs and sprinkled with sparkling beads.

September: Anne Hanson of Knitspot will be chiming in for her interpretation of Macbeth’s Burnham Wood, with a rectangular stole covered with tree and woods motifs in rich earthy hues on a laceweight cashmere/silk yarn.

December: Sivia Harding has agreed to round out the year for us by taking a cue from As You Like it, following the twists and turns of the plot (which resolve neatly in the end!) in the shawl’s lace patterning, and creating a Faroese-shaped shawl knit in a slightly heavier, fingering weight yarn dyed in a deep blue-black ink color.

I think that rounds out the year quite nicely, what say you?

The Excitement Builds...

For those of you who for some weird reason have not yet heard about the Sock Summit, which promises to be the knitting event of the century, you can get up to speed here.

The unholy three, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts, and Cat Bordhi, have been planning this incredible thing under wraps.. until today.

The wraps are off! Now it can be told.. the most amazing collection of knitting teachers EVER. Including Barbara Walker, Anna Zilboorg, Priscilly Gibson-Roberts, Meg Swanson, and on and on. See the entire list and their bios (yes, thrillingly to include moi) on Yarn Harlot's blog and the Sock Summit website.

HEHE!!! The fun is set to start August 6, 2009. Get your socks on...

Screen Queen

Some of you may know that I am the designer behind the latest Rockin' Sock Club offering, Queen of Beads. From where I stand, this is kind of like being the mother of a famous child star. I just looked on the Ravelry pattern startup page and this is what I saw:


My pattern is second after a gorgeous and free lace shawl KAL. Wow. I don't know.. does this mean I have "arrived"????

Having just arrived home from knitterly jaunts to San Juan Island and the Madrona Fiber Arts event, I am tired but elated. And now this.. somebody pinch me.

More to come as I sort through all the photographs, papers, and patterns from my trip...

I Created a Monster

Sometimes teaching people how to make socks is like sowing seeds in the wilderness.. This picture from Susan, brought to me via another student's Blackberry, was one of the best presents I have ever received!

And here's to sockoholic bliss!

Buried Treasure, Unearthed

What is it about cables and beads that is so magical together?

Many of you have been asking about the Buried Treasure Socks pattern that appeared in Yarn Magazine last year, as the magazine is hard to find here in North America.

Good news.. the pdf pattern is now available for purchase on my website and on ravelry!

When I designed this sock, I had wanted for a long time to make intensely cabled socks, and here they are... elegant socks with cables galore, plus a “buried treasure” of glittering beads. The cables cause the leg to draw in more than usual, so the number of leg stitches has been increased to compensate. These extra stitches are then decreased in the gusset with a special technique.

The yarn I used for this pair is Sweet Georgia's Handpainted Sock, and the pattern requires approximately 226 (254) size 8/0 beads. The socks are sized for women’s medium and large. Retail price is $6.00 and download is immediate from either source.

I actually added this pattern to my projects a couple of days ago but ravelry was having a little trouble with accepting pattern uploads then... happy happy, all is fixed now...

Sock Summit

You are all now officially invited to the Sock Summit!

If you knit socks or have ever wanted to, this will be THE thing to do next year, hosted by the amazing trio of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Cat Bordhi and Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The unholy trinity of Knitting Out of The Box. Need I say more????

And get a load of this:


Hehe.. more on this as the news breaks!

Progress and More Progress

So... just to catch up, since I have been back from the retreat, most of my time has been spent visiting with my Mom (she went back home a little over a week ago), answering emails and such, and working at the shop.

But a few things have been getting knitted too.. and here is a little progress report on those.

First, the Dué Amori items now include a pair of long gloves in the works as well as a pair of shorter (gauntlet length) gloves, and the scarf is close to being finished.


The scarf, like the shorter gloves, is being done is Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction in the Quilla colorway, with 6/0 pearl beads. More pictures promised when finished... it promises to be one of the nicest eye candy lace pieces yet, if I do say so myself. Here it is shown about one-half blocked, one half unblocked, and still on the needles for the rest.


The longer gloves are in progress too, and they are lovely in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Seduction in the Tanzanite colorway with silver lined matte amethyst beads that Nancy gave me during the retreat... thank you my dear! They are perfect for this yarn! Here you see the Fan Pattern that begins all of the gloves, and then the beaded lace pattern that continues up most of the length of the glove to culminate in the leaf pattern on the hand, which I promise to show when it's done!

This shows the decreases on the back of the long, opera length glove. I think this view is quite elegant actually...


And here is actually something JUST FOR ME! Yes, I DO knit for myself sometimes, strangely enough! I picked up this beautiful Rowan Felted Tweed yarn at the Beehive when we passed through Victoria on the way to the retreat, and I truly love working with it. The Leaf Yoke Pullover pattern is from a Classic Elite Summer booklet but it will be very fall-like by the time I am done. I love the in-the-round top-down construction and it is a perfect foil for the detailed knitting I am doing otherwise. I am making several mods of course, starting with the leaf cable, which if you can tell is a bit fatter and rounder than in the pattern. What can I say... it's probably pathological the way I just can't do a pattern as written... ahem.

And here is something I had to start, with a great new yarn we are carrying at Three Bags Full, Malabrigo Sock. Hehe... my mom literally walked away with my only samples of my Rolling Thunder sock pattern so I just had to start another pair... right? This one is working up beautifully (if I do say so myself) in the Tiziano Red colorway with some amazing Toho triangle beads. I am really enjoying the knit, even though the most interesting part is done and now it is just ribbing and regular top down sock stuff, which makes it my designated car and bus project for the next little while. Here is a pic of the sock top so far:

I guess I am getting the Fall Knitting Bug...

Flippancies, as promised

Here is the Merriam-Webster entry for "flippancy"... in case you ever wondered:

flippancy

Main Entry: flip·pan·cy
Pronunciation: \ˈfli-pən(t)-sē\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural flip·pan·cies

Date: 1746

: unbecoming levity or pertness especially in respect to grave or sacred matters

Now, God forbid that I be flippant or pert about a grave or sacred matter. But somehow, these new sockies just make me want to smile.

So, without further ado... here is Flippant!

Someone came into Three Bags Full a couple of weeks ago wearing some thongs (on her feet) with little socks underneath, and they were SO CUTE that I had to make my own version. I have done the pattern in three sizes and two lengths, but I would recommend that you make them with some negative ease, especially the shorter one (pictured above and below). See the previous blog post for pictures of the longer version.



It is such a little project, you can use little leftover bits from other sock projects, like the above sample, which is done in Sundara's Fingering Silky Merino in Robin's Egg. Ahhh.. so very, very nice. The other sample is done in koigu, which is nice too, but silky merino? Mm-hmm. Hands down sweet.

Please forgive my unretouched feet in the photos. I didn't have time to search out someone with a pedicure, so here is proof that I am not vain, about my feet anyway.

Click here for the pdf file of the pattern. And have a giggle on me.

Hey, so what's with all the pink?

Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of pink. Pink in my book is, well, soft, lighthearted (not that there is anything wrong with lighthearted) and sort of namby pamby. In general, I much prefer strong colors with a bit of drama or depth to them. It's just my personality, what can I say. I like to dwell just a little (and sometimes more than just a little) on the dark side.

Maybe it's that summer has finally come to us in Vancouver, but lately I have been entertaining pink in my environment, and it ain't half bad. I think I could learn to live with certain pinks... like these:

Blue Moon Fiber Art's new colorway, Quilla. A poem of vintage-y, angelic, almost-not-there pink.

Pink Granite Sheep to Shoe spinning fiber, also from Blue Moon Fiber Arts... the pink part.

Misti alpaca lace yarn in a corally pink. I find this so yummy.. maybe it's just the texture I find so delicious though.

And what's this????? I know the yarn, koigu KPM in an almost-solid deep magenta, but what the _*&$! is the knitted thing?????

Does this help? Any guesses now????

Next time... my latest little confection for the feet... look for a free pattern right here, soon!

On a Cat Bordhi Roll...

I hope all of you are aware of Cat Bordhi's newest book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book One. I am in love with this book, and all that it implies. Cat's genius has led her to an amazing fact - that socks can fit beautifully with infinitely varying structures. I fully plan to explore the possibilities of this at some time when I have no deadline knitting in sight, unlike the present!

But for now, I am having a great time with some of my favorite sock patterns from the book...


The Slip Stitch Rings sock (Cedar Architecture): my version is done in two colorways of koigu, one handpainted and one semi-solid.



The Cables and Corrugations sock (Riverbed Architecture): my version is done in Nature's Palette yarn in the walnut colorway.



The Tibetan Sock (Coriolis Architecture): my version is done in Koigu Kersti, which knits up at a perfect 7 stitches per inch and sure makes a beautiful sock.



The Coriolis master sock: my version is done in Indigo Moon fingering weight sock yarn, available at Three Bags Full Yarn Shop.


The Hearth and Home Eyelet Sock (Ridgeline Architecture): my version is done in Cascade 220 Handpaints.


The Ocean Toes sock (Cedar Architecture): my version is done in Mountain Colors Weavers Wool in ladyslipper. Yum. You can also see this sock in the book.

The Milkmaid Stocking (Upstream Architecture): my wonderfully decadent version is done in Blue Sky alpaca & silk. Mmmmm. Unfortunately, no picture but you can see it in the book on page 76.

Needless to say, the fit of these extraordinary socks is exquisite and *huggy*. I hope all of you can experience this firsthand sometime soon. And do check out Cat's videos on YouTube.

I love these socks and I can't seem to get enough of them. Anyone else on a Cat roll?