Handsprings

Finished a crochet scarf, Handsprings,also inspired by Elsie de Wolfe (Lady Mendl). Cole Porter wrote about her:

When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up

Now turns a handspring landing up

On her toes

Anything goes!

A simple chevron stitch pattern, worked in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter: Fossil, Blanket Fort, Plume, Woodsmoke.

I have mixed feelings about this. I like the way the points form a ruff-like collar which frames the face(you have to imagine the face since my poor Anna Bolena doesn't have one and I was in no mood for a selfie.) I originally swatched for this in Brooklyn Tweed Loft, a fingering weight yarn, and there was much more contrast between the Fossil(cream)and the Woodsmoke(beige)which I liked better. If I were to do it again, I would make the whole thing narrower.


To see more completed craft projects visit FO Fridays at Tami's Amis.

Doctor WIP

Enough! My notes tell me I cast on for the Longshadows stole in October, 2012. 

Yes, you have seen this before, but it still looks pretty much the same, only the hosta leaves in the background have progressed into their fall tones.

By October 1, 2013 it will be finished: stitched, washed, blocked, and photographed.

Bold words, but here's the man who's going to help me:

18+ hours of audio

I think I have a good enough handle on the stitch pattern that a few scary passages won't derail me, and if I stay up late to listen, so much the better.

To see how others are faring with their Works In Progress visit Tami's Amis.

Today is Tools-day

From time to time I post about tools that I find useful for crafting--tools not limited to gizmos and gadgets for crafting, but including materials, websites, books, magazines, tutorials, and apps that I come across and enjoy using. From now on, I'll do it on "Tools-day."

My crafting these days consists of crocheting and knitting, but once in a blue moon I want to go back to kindergarten and create a pile of paper schnitzel for cards, signs, or gift tags.

Enter: The Graphics Fairy. Vintage image overload and crafty decor. I won't be printing up a matched set of Halloween tea towels any time soon, but if I wanted to, I could get the images from TGF's Halloween round-up.

The Graphics Fairy Halloween

If you don't like Halloween, choose 
your theme or season. 

There are 40,000 images to choose from.

Inspiring? Maybe.

Fun? Yes.

Time Suck Extraordinaire? Definitely.

Lady Who? FO

Lady Mendl Crocheted Cowl

Lady Mendl (also known as Elsie de Wolfe), and the name of a new crochet pattern, free on ravelry. There are more pictures on the pattern page.

Inspiration comes from many places. I loved the stitch pattern for the crocheted cowl, and in trying to find a name, I concentrated on the color possibilities. I toyed with names like "Homecoming Queen" and "Choo-Choo, Rah-Rah" because I could see it being worked up in team colors and worn to a football game.

Then I started focusing on the overall shape of the stitches which looked like a lattice or a trellis. In looking at trellis images I came across a familiar name:  Elsie de Wolfe. Fascinating life, but one thing she did was introduce treillage as indoor decor. Married to a sir, she was also known as Lady Mendl.

She loved her accessories (and foofy dogs), and if these photos are any indication, she also loved bold patterns. 

Good dressing is largely a question of detail 
and accessories   

 --Elsie de Wolfe.

Lady Mendl Kicks Up Her Heels

To see what else is new in the world of FO (Finished Objects) visit Tami's Amis and click the links to the busy crafters' blogs.

Plum WIP

Ever since I took the picture of the beach plums, I've been craving something from that palette. Plus chevrons. Thus, the WIP of the Week: a swatch. I love the yarn (Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Jamieson & Smith jumper weight),the colors, the pattern, but can't face the 10,800 stitches the inifinity scarf I envision would require. My inner knitting GPS is screaming "Recalculating! Recalculating!" We'll see how it works out in the heavier weight yarn I've ordered.

The other WIP is the pattern pdf for this black & white cowl, which I've reworked a bit:

I'll be crocheting the reverse colors today. Look for the FO and a link to the free pattern on Friday.

To see what the world has been WIP-ing, visit Tami's Amis. 

Last Rose of Summer Striped FO

I love this color combination of Bark brown and Rosa Rugosa pink.  There are a few beach roses still blooming out there, but by the first week in September most of the branches are covered with the orange hips.

Quince & Co Osprey in Rosa Rugosa and Bark.

I used my Seamless No-Purl Garter-Stitch-in-the-Round Cowl pattern for this,(free on ravelry)and I have updated the pdf with additional instructions for working stripes. Because this yarn was thicker than what I used for the solid color sample, it worked up at a tighter gauge, but still has plenty of drape.

Visit Tami's Ami's to find more finished projects. The weather in Massachusetts is actually cool today, so I may have a chance to wear my FO.

Blogkeeping

1. No Reply? (Sigh!)

I kept wondering where your comments were hiding. I could see them on the posts all right, but the gmails letting me know they were there stopped popping up.

What's that you say, Google? You fiddled around with the interface and now you are sorting my mail for me? And it's my fault I ignore memos and I didn't notice the cute new tabs for "Social" and "Promotions?"

I find it easy to ignore visual signals. I might never have noticed if I hadn't heard my brother-in-law and sister hadn't been complaining about the tinkering.

Found them now. Thank you for commenting.



2. Dynamic View 

If you are reading these posts on a desktop, laptop, or tablet, you can change the way they are displayed. At the top of the post is a drop down menu. It reads "Magazine" because I changed it yesterday from "Snapshot," but you can check another view if you prefer.




3. ravelry

If you are on ravelry, you can find me there as katrog. If you "friend" me, my blog will show up in your "friend's blogs" listing. 

Back WIP

Completed the back of the Caissa sweater and cast on for both the right and left fronts. The pattern is very straightforward, and the decreases aren't very complex, so working them both at the same time shouldn't cause problems.

Those may fall into the "famous last words" category. I can see myself cranking across both pieces with the same strand of yarn despite all my color coded stitch markers.

The weather has continued warm and humid, downright clammy, with only sporadic patches of sunlight, so I haven't made as much progress as I might, either with knitting or photography. We caved and put on the AC last night to cool down and dry out the house, so the house is tolerable today.

Worked on another item this week, but finished it, so that will be revealed on Friday.

In the meantime, visit Tami's Amis to see what other progress has occurred this week.

Beach Plum Palette

More signals of a changing season. Beach plums ripening. My friend Deb made beach plum jam. I settled for playing with the palette.

Now I am craving both a piece of toast and a plum-colored sweater.

But there will be no cast-on Monday around here until the current sweater, socks, and shawl are finished.

While none of them are summery,none of them, alas, are plummy.

For those of you in the States, hope your Labor Day isn't too laborious.