Off the Needles || Foliage Wrap

 The Foliage wrap (by Anne Thompson).  If you saw my previous post about this, you'll remember that I received some Crazy Sexy Wool from Wool and the Gang to try out in one of my projects.  Since I already have an abundance of scarves and cowls, I decided to do something a little different with it and found this pattern on Ravelry.  I had a little less yardage than the pattern called for, however, so I made some modifications on the number of rows which was made up by the larger gauge, in measurements.  Before blocking I wasn't really sure how it would turn out, but it flattened nicely and spread out a little for a fit with a little more ease (though not much more).

The belt is what makes it work.  This is a pretty bulky knit, and drawing the garment in at the waist gives it a bit of a peplum look, in my opinion.  I like it with the black pants, but it could easily be paired with a  dress as well.  The pattern page shows it worn upside down, with the leaf edging as the collar.  I   didn't notice that until just now or I may have tried it that way for some of the photos as well, but I'm curious about it now-- on the next wear, definitely.

Since I normally work in pretty small gauge, this is by far the bulkiest piece I have made to date (aside from accessories).  The speed is a nice change from what I'm used to - talk about instant gratification!  It may have taken a while to get some final photos of the project, but this was finished within days of the previous post.

What gauge do you knitters prefer working with?  Are chunky knits your thing, or do you get wrapped up in tiny gauges like myself?  I might have been won over to projects like this one, just every once in a while...

New Pattern || Exoskeleton

This pattern has been a long time coming, so to say I'm excited to finally release it is an understatement.   I experimented with elongated stitch a few years ago, which involves a series of drop stitches creating the unique oval texture you see in the body of the shawl.  The entire time I was knitting it I kept thinking of watching roly polys (or doodle bugs, everyone has their own name for them) in my back yard as a kid.  The crossing and length of the stitches in this pattern reminded me of their little shells, their exoskeletons.  Thus, the origin of the name, Exoskeleton.  While I chose the name based on an association with the stitch pattern, I think a shawl in itself is a sort of second skin, another layer of protection and warmth.

Thank you to my lovely friend Jenna for modeling for me, despite the fact that it took me over a year to put the photos to use.  Cheers to shawl season!

You may purchase the pattern in my Ravelry store or on Etsy.

On My Needles || Still Light Tunic

It seems like I've had a slew of "On My Needles" posts lately, but have a stack of finished projects in my studio just waiting for a photo shoot to wrap them up.  One of my plans for this weekend is to work on getting images of some finished pieces, so by next week you should be seeing completed projects instead of just those that are in progress!

This is my Still Light tunic, designed by Veera Valimaki.  I had never made anything she designed before Whispers, so it's funny that the very next thing I cast on was this project.  It's been on my queue for a couple of years now, and I actually bought the pattern back in 2012 or 2013, so I felt like it was time.

The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss in the Robot colorway.  I normally like vibrant colors for my knitwear projects, but this time I decided that I need a neutral piece in my wardrobe.  Plus, I also love brightly colored and patterned tights, and this would be perfect to wear with those.  My gauge was a little smaller than what the pattern called for, so I added in some repeats and length, which i will go into in further detail on my final post.

Overall, this pattern entails a ton of stockinette.  It's knitted top down, a really simple construction, and is great for mindless/meditative knitting (my favorite kind!).  The space above the pockets sort of balloons out, and then comes back in.  It looks like a flattering fit in the pattern photos… we shall see.  As long as the form turns out right it will be a perfect, cozy layering piece for the fall and winter months with a soft blend of wool and silk.

I just have a few more inches of stockinette stick along the bottom to go, then the ribbed edge, sleeves and pockets.  Maybe by Halloween there will be something to show for it...

52 Forms of Fungi || #32

Sarcosphaera coronaria.  A grayish rubbery (in appearance) egg shape forms only to break open and reveal a beautiful purple interior.  It's like the geode of fungi!  So beautiful.  This is another great example of a species that just stunned me with its unique features when I was researching new forms to create.  As if there's a species of fungi that doesn't have that result.

According to Wikipedia, it grows in the mountains within coniferous forests, forming underneath humus on the forest floor and often appearing after the snow begins to melt away.  It can also apparently bioaccumulate toxic chemicals such as arsenic.  I wonder if it may be cultivated for bioremediation?  It's amazing what nature can do.

I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine yarn for this phase, which was so graciously provided to me by Berroco.  Just a couple of phases are left to create from the stash they sent me, on top of the 20 forms left to complete the series.  Violet crown cup utilized the Steel Cut Oats and Lavender Mix color ways. No matter the gauge of Ultra Alpaca used, one of my favorite parts of this yarn (besides the softness) is the stitch definition.  I use it for so many projects!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

Wool and the Gang || Crazy Sexy Wool

 To be fully honest, the blogs that I follow are a little heavier on design than they are on knitting.  While I love knitting (obviously), I find that the hip curation of fashion/lifestyle/home decor by design bloggers piques my interest a little more strongly.  Furthermore, when their posts come full circle to tie in knitting or nature (my other obvious interest), I'm all the more intrigued and energized by it.  Thus, my feelings about Wool and the Gang.  I first came across this company a couple of years back through one of the aforementioned blogs and really dug their crisp, minimalistic, modern aesthetic.  Upon looking into them a little further, I discovered their focus on quality, sustainable craftsmanship in fashion, and an emphasis on sustainable and recycled yarns.  WATG designs simple knitting patterns that may be purchased as kits or separately as yarn and pattern to encourage handmade fashion… and if you're not a knitter you can buy the garments hand made by one of the WATG makers.  Pretty basic, huh?  Basic, but personal, and with beautiful products to boot.

When WATG reached out about getting some of their yarn into my hands to try out, I was clearly all about it.  A week later, I had two balls of Crazy Sexy Wool in my possession, in the Magic Mint colorway.  When I think of mint green, I picture… well, the walls in my study, because that's one of our colors of choice when it comes to home ambiance.  Rather than the sherbet green, this shade of the yarn is more of a cool, minty blue.  I can almost smell peppermint when I look at it… or maybe that's just my essential oil diffuser.  No matter.  Color often drives my instincts when it comes to yarn selection, so when I opened the package the day it arrived I was instantly drawn to the vibrancy of the hue.

When I reached in to grasp the yarn, an involuntary sigh definitely happened as my hand melted into the softness.  This is some seriously soft yarn.  Super bulky, too - probably one of the bulkier yarns that I have worked with.  I'm also a sucker for single-ply yarns.  Whether it's the case or not, I always feel like I'm knitting with handspun yarn when I work with single-ply.  With some single-ply yarns the fiber will pull and break apart in the middle of a project, but I had no such experience with this yarn.  It's just as taut and strong as a plied one.

As someone with an abundance of cowls and oversized scarves, I decided I wanted to try something a little different with this 100% Peruvian wool.  Since I normally work with a pretty small gauge it was a difficult decision, but I finally settled on a variation of the Foliage Wrap by Anne Thompson, a vest with a large leaf edging around the bottom.  Given my lack of experience with bulky non-accessory garments, this may or may not be the final form of the yarn.  If I don't like the project after it's blocked, I may frog it and go for a hat instead.  No tears lost over a little more time with this chunky goodness.

Each ball of Crazy Sexy Wool has 87 yards, and I must say that I am impressed at how far one ball of the yarn takes you - much farther than I expected.  The vest is nearly done, so expect photos of it soon, or, you know, photos of some other mystery garment if I decide in the end that the pattern doesn't work for me after all.  Another bonus: working with US 19 needles goes a lot faster than US 3.

Wool and the Gang provided the yarn for this review, but all words and opinions are my own.

On My Needles || Whispers

I feel like I should state up front: this was not at all an original idea.  The Whispers pattern by Veera Valimaki has been floating around in the back of my head, appealing to the part of my brain that regulates "start-itis" since it appeared on Ravelry one day.  It's an adorable, feminine pattern that's great for the changing of the seasons (or even summertime, if you use some plant-based fiber).  I was sold on the prospect of making one for myself after I saw Cassy's project on Knitthehellout.  She used this gorgeous ombre dyed yarn by Black Trillium Fibres on Etsy, and I couldn't stop looking at the FO, it was so pretty.  I went online to check out the shop and ended up buying myself a 31st birthday present of the Lilt sock gradient kit in plum and downloaded the pattern.  Normally, I'm not one to copycat, but I give Cassy full credit for this brilliant idea and hope that mine turns out half as great as hers did.  Truth be told, it's already bound off and waiting for blocking - hopefully I can get some finished photos in the next few weeks!

We're nearing the beginning of Autumn here in Oklahoma, which is music to my ears!  Today is supposed to be the last miserably hot day before we get hit with a couple of cold fronts that should keep us in pleasant territory for a while.  This means it's hiking season again!  I'm excited to get in a little outdoors time this weekend.  What are your favorite things to do during the transition of seasons?

Off the Needles || Ruckle

Ruckle.  I've been getting into knitted tunics lately.  For a while, it was cardigans and then I had a couple of knit tops turn out a little long and now here I am, enveloped in an oversized knit garment with all the comfort in the world.  I still stand by everything I said in my previous post about this project.  If you get tired of mundane, top down construction, this pattern is for you.  It does involve some seaming at the end, but the yoke and the bottom edge make it all worthwhile.

The pattern is free on Ravelry, designed by Norah Gaughan.  I used Berroco Lago in Deep End for my project.  It drapes beautifully and I've been wearing it in August in Oklahoma without too much misery from the heat.  Works great layered over a dress or with jeans!

On My Needles || Ruckle

With each passing season, I tend to do some serious reorganization on my Ravelry queue.  The length of it is massive.  While I know I'll never actually knit EVERYTHING on my list, it's nice to have a place to record those "things I'd like to make" whether it's because of unique construction or texture, striking color combos or just because it's the perfect garment for that season.  Ruckle has been on this list for quite a while and though it never really hovered near the top, summertime hit, the desire to knit a garment made with plant fibers that would be breezy yet interesting overcame me, and I wanted to start something new while on vacation.  I decided to cast aside my concerns that the fit of the tunic would hug a little too tightly in certain places and just go for it… it has openings on the lower sides, after all.

Ruckle is a design by Norah Gaughan, one of my favorite knitwear designers.  This pattern is actually free, if you decide to make one for yourself!  It's knit with Berroco Lago yarn, a worsted weight rayon/linen blend.  I decided to go with the Deep End colorway, after the rich, blue shade stood out to me.  Does anyone else find it difficult to choose colors for a new garment?  I try to go with hues that I haven't used very much or at all on other projects, but somehow it's hard to go with something that unique from my usual color choices.  I'm just really drawn to bold, cool tones.  Alas…

This design has a very unique construction.  You start with panels that make up the top of the shoulders, wrapping around the neck.  The stitches for the body are picked up from these panels and knit top-down from there.  That large garter stitch section that spans from sleeve tip to sleeve tip seems to take forever, but the body goes relatively quickly after that.  At the bottom, short row shaping forms the lower part of the tunic.  I'm still working on the garter section of the 2nd side, so it will likely be another week or two before I have finished photos for this one.  Finishing up some designs of my own has been taking away from recreational knitting, but the good news is that I should have a new pattern available very soon, and another to follow shortly after that!  I hope you're having a great Friday, and enjoy your weekend!

Lichen Collaboration for START Norman

Back in April, I made mention of a collaboration that I worked on with Sarah Hearn for the threshold: the promised land exhibition, part of START Norman.  Sarah is a visual artist who also showed work in Rare Earth at Plug Projects in Kansas City last year.  A kindred nature-inspired artist, much of her work involves lichen -- a group of organisms that has strongly grasped my attention as of late.  I've been in awe of Sarah's beautiful macrophotography of these intriguing life forms, intricate paper cutting, and thought provoking installation since I first saw it.  Clearly, I was all about working on a piece together for our site specific installations in Norman.

I'm excited to share the photos of our collaboration with you now, which Sarah so kindly captured for us.  This work is a colony of two lichen interpretations: Parmotrema perforatum (perforated ruffle lichen) and Peltigera canina (dog-lichen).  My contribution included the moss growing among the dog-lichen, and apothecia and ruffles throughout the perforated ruffle lichen.

In addition to the collaboration, Sarah placed several mini-installations of lichen throughout the site, and designed a scavenger hunt for visitors to use in finding them all!  They blended in quite well to their surroundings.  She added my two Succession installations to the hunt as well.  I loved this engaging concept, and hope it was a fun way for visitors to learn about and connect with nature.

After this project, I've found that I can't stop observing lichen whenever I see it.  I'm captivated by it!  This is a subject matter that you will likely see more of in the future.

52 Forms of Fungi || #31

I've always loved looking at photos of this type of fungi - the brightness of the colors and stacked/fanned out growth habit are very beautiful.  Sulfur shelf, or chicken of the woods mushroom, grows on living or dead trees, often on the main trunk.  Its presence on a living tree indicates extensive decay and increased potential for tree failure.

This is another piece which Berroco so kindly provided yarn for me to create.  Made with Ultra Alpaca, the color ways shown are Masa and Grove Mix.  I still have a few more phases left involving the lovely Berroco yarns!

This structure was knitted as part of my 52 Forms of Fungi project. Check out more of the forms from this project.

52 Forms of Fungi || #30

Cedar-apple rust (or hawthorne, or quince, etc) is one of the most alien looking natural wonders that I have witnessed in my area.  A multiple host disease, it passes back and forth between eastern red cedar and apple.  It affects other trees in that family here as well.  The cedar stage involves the formation of these bright orange, gelatinous tendrils coming forth from a dark brown gall-like sphere in the spring months. Red cedar doesn't seem to come to harm from it, though the other host will develop protrusions of its own on its leaves and continually defoliate.  We've had problems with hawthorne trees in the landscape due to this… they just don't do well.

The fruiting structures are fascinating, though!  I love observing them.  The first year I noticed this disease was a very prolific year for the structures, and I remember just being awestruck!

Rusts don't fall into the same group as the other things knitted for this project, but they're still in Kingdom Fungi so I think that's close enough--don't you?  If anyone has photos they have taken of cedar apple rust in its fullness, please post one on my Facebook wall and I will share it with the page!  We didn't get much rain this spring, so the ones I saw (below, at the bottom of the post) had already dried up by the next time I went out.

An added bonus: Here is what the eastern red cedar stage looks like when the fruiting structure is just starting to form!

Off the Needles || Featherweight Cardigan

Phase four in my saga of Hannah Fettig patterns.  This cardigan was knit with lace weight yarn.  Yes, lace weight!  It certainly lives up to its name, however, as it's light as a feather.  Featherweight.  As I've said with all of these Knitbot projects, despite the small gauge the stockinette pattern makes it a breeze to get through.

I added an inch to the body length since I'm not a big cropped top type of person, though it's still not what I would call a "long" garment by any means.  Perfect for a high waisted skirt or perhaps worn over a tunic, however.  I had to block it a little more aggressively than usual to stretch the arms a little, because initially they turned out a little tight.  The cardigan is fitted, but has great drape so it's not the sort of piece that I feel like I'll be tugging on all the time or uncomfortable in by any means.  This will more than likely go into my bank of repeatable patterns and eventually I'd like to have one or two more in solid colors!

The final comment I have about this project is related to my folly in recognizing that my yarn came in different dye lots.  I was halfway through the first sleeve before I noticed that the yarn used for the body was much duller than the rest which had more of a chestnut hue (the living room where I mostly knit is rather dim…)  Since both sleeves were knit with this other dye lot, it turned out rather symmetrical and to be honest I don't really even notice the difference much.  Sigh of relief!

Top - Loft; Skirt - Forever 21

On My Needles || Villeneuve

We've got a big family vacation to Florida coming up, and I found this free pattern hiding in my Ravelry library last week and probably got a little over-zealous.  It's a perfect swimsuit coverup, am I right?!  Anyway, I realized I had some sport weight cotton that might work so I came home to swatch on Friday.  After discovering that my gauge with the sport weight was right on (with anticipation of a little stretching out when I block it) I went into emergency vacation knitting mode.  Well, here and there.  Knitting is a little sparser these days what with a garden to weed and bees to stare at (wouldn't have it any other way).

One detail I really like about this top is the rounded hem on the front and back, which reminds me of a raglan baseball tee.  I'm making it a size larger so it will be nice and breezy rather than fitted, to wear around the pool or walking over to the beach. The pattern is Villeneuve, which is free on Ravelry, and my yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport in Crocus.  Are you working on any summer projects?

Succession

It was an honor to be involved in threshold: the promised land at START Norman.  While I was taking down my work recently, I wondered how the space would be transformed in the coming years.  There's some fascinating history there.

Here are some full scale images of my installation.  I hope to have some photos of the collaboration to show in the near future as well.

Knitting Pattern || Urbanite Garland

It's amazing how fast a year can slip through your fingers.  Granted, this past year has been a whirlwind of accomplishments… sometimes other things just have to wait so you can make sure they're done exactly the way you want them done.  I designed this pattern a couple of summers ago, and my lovely friend modeled the garment for me last summer as I was preparing to release it… and then Momentum Tulsa happened.  It's been chaos ever since, until recently.  I'm very excited to show you this headband, the Urbanite Garland, which is now available both in my Ravelry store and on Etsy as a PDF download.

The original prototype for the design makes a regular appearance in my wardrobe, in particular on windy days or those when my hair is a little unruly but I don't want to wear it up.  A versatile piece, it fits into a lot of different styles and only takes a few hours to knit.  So if you're looking for a new summertime accessory, something to throw on after a day at the lake or on the way to dinner with friends after a long day at work, this is the perfect piece.

On My Needles || Featherweight Cardigan

Featherweight is my fourth Knitbot project, and the gauge just seems to keep getting smaller!  I started out with the bulky Effortless Cardigan, moved on to fingering weight Walpole and Brise, and now I've arrived at lace weight.  For a sweater.  It's true to the name though, light as a feather, and I'm sure it will be a welcome addition to my wardrobe come the cooler mornings and evenings in the garden this fall.

Another simple stockinette stitch cardigan that boasts a lack of seaming, the project has gone relatively quickly when I actually have a chance to work on it.  I added a couple of inches to the length of the body because my torso is long and there's nothing I hate more than tugging on a top all day because i can feel a breeze on my back.  I'm currently in the middle of the second sleeve and hope to finish that and move on to the collar this weekend.

For this project I went with the recommended yarn, Malabrigo Lace.  It's my first garment in a colorway of various hues, so it's been interesting to see how it knits up.  Unfortunately, I did not realize until I was into the first sleeve that I ended up with two different dye lots.  The yarn I joined for the sleeve has a much richer brown hue than the body - I must have been winding the skeins in a dim room not to have noticed it.  There was enough for the other sleeve, however, and I think I'll have enough to do at least part of the color in this same cake of yarn so it will at least look symmetrical.  It's not all that noticeable unless you're just staring at the garment as you would be if you're, well, knitting it.

If this turns out well, I may add it to my list of pieces that I may someday in the future want a second one of… after I work on some bulky weight projects, that is.  Just got yarn in for one yesterday.  :)  What are you working on?

Off the Needles || Toulouse

I'm trying to get caught up on knitwear, so hopefully I'll have a few more posts in the next few weeks.  On a side note, purchases in my Society 6 shop currently have free shipping, through Sunday the 11th!  If you've been coveting one of those tote bags, now is a good time to go for it!  And now to the project...

For me and this Leah Thibault pattern… well, it was love at first sight.  Knit Scene debuted their Winter 2012 collection and as soon as I spotted this design I knew I had to make it.  I had to add it to my closet.  The bow adds a romantic, vintage inspired detail that does not adorn anything that I own as of yet… but it definitely appealed to me.  I mentioned all of this in my progress post about the garment.  Just like I mentioned the yarn that my mom passed over from her magnificent stash.  Cascade Alpaca Lana D'Oro.  It's so soft and cozy, I may have to purchase more for a future project.

To be honest, I cast off on this project over a month ago, but blocking and photo shoots fell to the bottom of my to do list, what with Succession and Niche both in progress this spring.  Now that they're done, perhaps that Lanesplitter will make an appearance next…

Back to the pattern - it really was a simple knit.  Stockinette, no seaming, simple details.  I didn't need to make any alterations, so I don't really have all too much to say about it - the fit turned out to be perfect!  I like the layered style with the other blouse, but it would look great on its own with a pair of jeans too.  How would you wear it?

layered top - Loft; wool skirt - thrifted; tights - Target; shoes - Kohl's

Succession / 52 Forms of Fungi || #29

I love polypores.  Mushrooms are cute, but there's just something fascinating to me about finding a tree with a ladder of conks growing up the trunk.  They pose a challenge to knit, mostly due to the shape and attachment element, but the colors are especially pleasing to the eye when I get to work on them.  Knit Picks Palette really has become a favorite yarn of mine, simply because of the fact that with 150 shades to choose from it's pretty easy to create that fade from light to dark when necessary.  I have a giant basket full of probably about 1/3 of the colors they offer - HA!

Anyway, what we have here is resinous polypore, created as part of my Succession installation for START Norman (on display for another week!).  The fruiting structures of this species are rather fleshy - I've seen them on trees before and remember the sponginess when poked.  They typically grow on very rotted wood - fallen logs, dead wood, old stumps, etc.

Succession / 52 Forms of Fungi || #28

I knitted velvet foot fungi as one of the species of my Succession installation for START Norman this month.  The exhibition, Threshold: the promised land, incorporated several site-specific installations at the Old Lumber Yard on Main St in Norman, OK.  I wrote more about the background of the project and my installation in my introductory post.

Velvet foot fungus is an interesting one.  It is commonly cultivated for culinary use, but the cultivated mushrooms look completely different from the ones that grow in the wild.  I already knitted the cultivated version last year - the enoki mushroom.  On a side note, I finally tried cooking with them and I highly recommend it!  We used them in Tom Kha Gai, a favorite recipe in our household.

Anyhow, according to Mushroom Expert, this species was also the FIRST MUSHROOM TO ENTER OUTER SPACE.  That's right, these guys were taken on a shuttle mission to study how fungi would react in low gravity.  Pretty cool, huh?  Beyond that, they grow in clumps on decaying stumps and the caps tend to look a little rubbery.

Niche / 52 Forms of Fungi || #27

Burnt orange bolete is the final species that inspired an installation for Niche at Martin Park Nature Center.  I can't believe the exhibit has almost been up for a month!  I will be a little sad to take it down this weekend, but early next week I'll share some photos of the full installations for those of you who don't live near Oklahoma City or weren't able to make it out there.

In honor of the closing of my exhibit, I've also made a few additional burnt orange boletes which are now posted in my Etsy shop!  A little piece of Niche for your very own home… Check out the listing here.

As a forester and arborist I'm relatively familiar with the nature of the relationship between mycorrhizae and tree roots.  I've heard/read all about how they benefit one another and how that symbiosis works, but there is little pointed out in my arboriculture resources about the fruiting bodies of the mycorrhizal fungi… It's been fun learning more details about some of these species and "putting a face to the name" in terms of different species of fungi that benefit trees by increasing root surface area, thus aiding in the absorption of water and minerals.  Nature is just too cool, you guys.

See more creations from Niche.

Check out the rest of the 52 Forms of Fungi series.