Sommer Designs

You would think this has turned into a knitting blog.

Not that there's anything wrong with that - I have compiled quite the list of knitting blogs in my bloglines - inspiration central in my book. After I finished Airy, I did spend some time in the studio (as a matter of fact), although it was mainly to try to make sense, and organize the train wreck it's become.

Everything used to be so neatly organized. Now, it's bursting at the seams (ha ha!) with fabric and supplies. That can only mean one thing - and that's that I've been way too lax with my production and way too enamored with my newfound hobby. Somehow, I have to figure out how to work the balance. My hobby has to stay where it belongs, which is downtime (whatever that is).

But I'll start next week - after my vacation. (*wink*)

Back to my hobby: It seems I can't stay off needles very long. As soon as I finished Airy, I cast on my cowl for the trip. I just wanted to get the rhythm going! I'm actually glad I did, because once again, I ran into issues. I have a problem with k1,p1 rib - I stop, and then can't remember where I was. Do I purl now, or knit now? I know there's a way of looking at the last stitch to determine, but it looks the same to me.

I ripped out the cowl I was planning and started the Pashmina Cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It's a better choice for a trip - around and around and around. I can pick it up and put it down anywhere. And this yarn? Delicious. Once you get some length, it has the most beautiful drape.

So, okay! I'm off tomorrow morning - spending some much needed time with the family alone and away from electronic distractions. Hopefully we won't kill each other - I plan to return completely and totally refreshed, and ready to jump back into the studio for studio work!

Business NOTE: All orders placed between March 31, 2008 - April 6, 2008 will be processed on Monday, April 7, 2008.

Enjoy your week!

[eek. I still have to pack!]

Airy Scarf ~ fini!

Love, love, love this pattern! It was a cinch - even for me, the novice, ADD, dyslexic knitter! I finished this morning, and I really could have finished last night, but these old eyes were done for the day. I only used 1/2 the skein of Kid Seta, so there's another half for another Airy. This is quick and easy, and [I decided] would make an excellent gift! But, duh, that's why they named the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts, right?

A couple of notes from my experience [take them with a grain of salt]:

1. Since I have a tendency to cast on tightly, I held the two needles together, and cast on holding both; then just slipped out the second needle. This gave me enough space to begin since this is a fine yarn and I had a hard time picking up a strand occasionally.
2. Once I started a row, I held the new row/piece with my right thumb or forefinger while pulling through the yarn. This kept it from sliding too much.
3. I used metal needles because I thought the yarn would catch on bamboo, but it was really slippery. Hence, number 2. I wish I had super pointy needles, which would have helped the pick up.
4. The pattern says to repeat 9 more times after the third lace row. If you measure at this point, it's nowhere near the finished size. So I knit another repeat and then finished off. I'm glad I did, and glad I didn't just keep going until the finished size measured, or else it would have been too long (after steam blocking). I wanted a short scarf.
5. There are corrections, but they are minor.
6. As I said, easy peasy.

What's next? Well, besides my trip project, I might just challenge myself with another lace scarf pattern. It's a bit addicting, you know?

Don't worry Beki, I've been cheating too.

I had a little giggle over my coffee at 6 a.m. this morning when I read Beki's post about cheating on her fabric. It's true. That's the way it feels when I get preoccupied over something else. There's that nagging guilt in the back of my mind, and if I wander into my workroom, there's all those bags cut out on the worktable (probably best to avoid that area in the next day or so...).

It all started when I was trying to think of a project to bring on our Spring Break road trip. I wanted something quick and easy and not too bulky, and then I remembered that I saw a simple scarf somewhere. Of course, I tracked it down very quickly - the Airy Scarf in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It's lovely.

Have I sang the praises of this book yet? No? Well, it's wonderful. The photography is beautiful, and there's such a wide range of projects. What I really like about it though is that the projects are broken down by hours. So this project falls under the 4 hour completion chapter - which is not very generous (time-wise) for me.

The only problem with finding this is that I decided that I needed it made right away. None of that working on it while on vacation for me. I want to wear it on vacation. (I'm going to San Francisco for crying out loud - I've got to spiff it up a notch.)

The pattern calls for Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which I do not have. I do have, however, Kid Seta Mohair. I haven't forgotten about the Kid Seta - I posted about it last year, about how beautiful it is, and how it deserves more experience then I can provide. I had tried crocheting with it, and ended up with a knotted mess. It was too fine, and I was too scared.

It was perfect for this project, but had I crossed the threshold? Could I handle it? I have such a fear of failure that I almost didn't try. But I did - and yes, it's still superfine. And yes, the first few rows were not pretty, and I pulled it out twice. But then I forced myself to go beyond those first few rows, and it began to take shape. That's what I love about knitting. How a project takes shape right before your very eyes. And as you continue, the confidence builds, and YES I CAN DO THIS!

Oh my gosh. This yarn. It's like a cloud. It's like air. Knitted, it's like cotton candy. The lace rows are still a little troublesome for me. They are a YO, K2TOG row [that's pattern-speak for 'yarn over' 'knit two together'], and I have a hard time picking up the two strands to knit together. But I just do that row slowly and take my time.

I think I'm halfway done. I can't wait to finish this - and I can't wait to wear it! It's really an easy pattern, and as it says in the book, perfect for learning the basics of lace knitting. I'm doing it! It's working!

Of course, now I have to figure out what I'm bringing to knit on my trip. But I think I've decided: a couple of months ago I traded sweet Sarah for a skein of her cashmere. I was planning on making the cashmere cowl with it, and had started it about a month ago, but messed up. I'm feeling a little more confident about working with superfine yarn. I think I'll frog (pull out) what I've done and give it another go.

I think...I might be a knitter.

And I am happy about that.

Now she tells me.

Itty Bitty Hat corrections...for anyone who is attempting...

Glowing Colors: Panel Two - fini.

So, it doesn't look like I will make my self-imposed deadline of finishing this by the end of March. Once again, I put it down for an extended period, and once again, when I picked it up, I was kicking myself because it is such an easy, fast knit. Three quarters of the second panel was knitted/finished while watching Michael Clayton a couple of nights ago (loved! - that scene in the end, in the ballroom? - it's worth the entire movie!) (sorry. tangent.)

With this second panel, I tried to stop the sides from curling by knitting the first stitch of the purl side, but it didn't seem to help at all. I don't know if it's worth continuing with the third panel, especially since they will be pieced together in the end, and this is a bulky acrylic yarn that won't block.

I'm sure I could finish this in the next two days if I just rented a bunch of movies and sat on the couch, but I'm way too impatient to sit around knitting all day. Of course, I fantasize about days like that, but the reality is, I'd be jumping up every 15 minutes to do something. The curse of craft ADD!

In the meanwhile, I've almost got our Spring Break trip all planned. We are heading north next week - a night in Pismo Beach, a night in Santa Cruz (and hopefully, we will begin our exploration of colleges on the way - I can't believe we are looking at college in the near future! Yikes! When did I get this old?) and then two nights in San Francisco - which I can't wait for! It's been years since we were there with the kids, and now that they are older, I'm planning much different sites to see; ones that Scott and I will be able to enjoy and appreciate, and hopefully they will too. The two big boys are interested in Film School and Architecture - I hope SF wows their socks off. It does mine.

Of course, all this travel talk lends the big question: what will I bring to knit?

My new ORANGE pillows.

Totally digging orange lately. What's not to love? It's bright and happy. This was that fabric from Ikea - I surprised myself by starting and finishing these in a day...less than a day actually. Maybe an hour. I was going to put a zipper in them, so they could be easily removed for cleaning, but I bought the wrong size zippers - so I sewed them shut. No matter - my family will use and abuse them until they rip off and then I can just hoof it back to Ikea for more fabric in another fabulous and colorful pattern.

It was SUCH a beautiful weekend (over 80 degrees people!) and I got so much done! None of it outdoors, which is a crying shame, but I had so much creative energy I couldn't let it go to waste. And if I had gone outside, Scott would have forced me to help him rebuild the back fence that is falling down.

I played around with some patterns and made two bags - neither of which are the shoulder bag that is giving me grief. Speaking of which: I had been using it for about a week and decided there are many things about it I don't like - so it's really back to the drawing board on that one. The other two bags were simple: one of them was inspired by a cross between a bag my friend Kelley has, and another I saw at J. Crew. Both still need some tweaking, but I'm pretty happy with the direction they are headed (and glad I don't have to start from square one again, like some other bags). There was also another apron-type prototype that I worked on, which still needs some tweaking, but not much.

Those are my happy weekend thoughts and accomplishments. I'm also trying to plan a little getaway for Spring Break, which is next week. We must be the only school district that hasn't had our break yet - on the one hand, it's great and hopefully wherever we go will be empty and quiet; on the other hand...

...there really is no other hand.

Sometimes, less is more.

Thanks for the inspiration - have a great weekend!

Bountiful Eye Candy

THANK YOU for all the suggestions yesterday! Just to reply in public: I used the heaviest interfacing I have on that prototype. It's most indicative of my style and the structure of my other bags, and I try to stay true to my own aesthetic. I might try a softer interfacing, maybe fleece, to see if that changes the way the bag sits or stands, or whatever, to get rid of that gap. I did not use a magnetic snap, as I normally would have, only because it was a prototype and I didn't want to waste the time or materials. Maybe extending it, and making it a bit bigger, was also the culprit. I will probably try one more time before I ditch the bag entirely.

After I posted, I skedaddled out into the city to meet a friend for lunch! I'm always a bit strategic about these things and gave myself plenty of time in case I wanted to stop en route. Good thing! I avoid the 405 freeway at all costs, and usually take the coast route. As I was driving up Abbot Kinney, I noticed the sign painted in the Bountiful window - PARKING LOT SALE! I'm sure you know what happened next - my car - it has a mind of its' own. That's all I'm saying.

I love this store.

I could live in this store.

Gorgeousness abounds. I saw that cute pink ladder, up there on the left, and thought, 'how cute would THAT look in my booth?' but not at $695.00.

It just takes my breath away to walk around that store...

Which is a good thing...

because their idea of a sale...

and my idea of sale, are on completely different planets.

With fresh eyes: show & tell - a design process

Yesterday Kelley came over to help me with a pattern. You know, the never-ending-I'm-beating-a-dead-horse-as-well-as-my-head-against-the-wall elusive bag pattern.

That one.

Kelley is so patient. And much better with patterns than I am. I'm trying to keep it simple. I have to keep it simple if I want to add it to the line because I'll be replicating it many, many times.

I showed her all the duds - showed her what I liked and didn't like about each one. Showed her a few patterns I had, and what I liked and didn't like about each one - mainly didn't like. She suggested taking one of my current bags and flipping it upside down and working from there, because that was the general shape I was looking for.

And we made a pattern. Then she went home. And this time, after she left, I only made a shell of a bag - which is what one would normally do when drafting patterns, right? Even the 'real' designers don't start out with everything in place (interfacing, hardware, etc.). They make a muslin prototype. I guess the reason I dislike making the prototype in the first place is that I'm always hopeful it will turn out right the very first time (HA!), and it will be useful and ready for me from the get-go. Wishful thinking!

Thinking out loud: It was a good call to make the prototype shell Kelley. Because, while I liked the overall shape, I wanted it to be just a bit taller/longer/bigger, so I redrafted our pattern and added the inches to the bottom, not the top. The only problem with the prototype shell though, was that it was just that: a shell. I didn't make the lining, and I didn't interface it.

 

So when I drafted the second prototype, I went for it - lock, stock, interfacing and lining. It basically worked, but I'm still not happy with the top. Making the first prototype didn't allow me to sew the curve of the top opening and I don't like sewing curves - my industrial machine doesn't have a drop-away panel and I don't like wrestling with bags.

You see that? I don't like that. It only happens when the bag is full, and really, I don't carry around a ton of stuff, but some people do.

Once again it's back to the drawing board, or worktable. As you can see, when I get a bug, I have a hard time letting go of it. The first incarnation of this bag was made 18 months ago. I put it away for a year, but have made at least 6 various attempts at this in the last 6 months. The vision I have in my head is not making it to the real product. I should probably just let it go, but I'm super stubborn like that. Just ask anyone who lives here.

My favorite {little} visitor.

Oh dear. I know I said I was done with the Itty Bitty posts, but, dang, I can't help myself.

There I was yesterday, supporting Lupus Awareness like any other good vendor in Manhattan Beach, and in walks an Itty Bitty. Not just any Itty Bitty, but the Itty Bitty of my dreams and my worries.

Please meet little Miss Daisy G.  - in her Itty Bitty Upside Down Daisy hat...

Could you die?