Unparallel'd

Now boast thee, death,

in thy possession lies a lass unparallel'd*

Defarge Does Shakespeare with hooks.  Once in a while.  Sometimes. 

Today I'm featuring another crochet design from Defarge Does Shakespeare. 

Inspired by one of my very favorite plays, Antony and Cleopatra. 

Unparallel'd, a crocheted and beaded necklace. 

Classy.  Simple.  Elegant. Love the photo. Love the snake, too.

Unparallel'd designed by Beverly Army Williams

See all the patterns in Defarge Does Shakespeare.

Order the book, digital and/or print format.

Sign up for the newsletter, info, raffles, plenty of hey-nonny-nonny.

If you are on ravelry please go favorite this design or any of the other Defarge Does Shakespeare patterns that catch your eye.

*Fun Trivia Question:  What actress used these lines as an epitaph?

WIP-ing and Driving

Yes, of course I know when my brother's birthday is. This year it's the day before Thanksgiving. The year he was born it was a day or two after, an early Christmas present. Siblings being what they are, I am sure we referred to him as the 6-pound turkey .

Absolutely Blue Absaroka

But, since I won't be seeing him on his birthday, but on Thanksgiving, I have plenty of time to finish this scarf, don't I? Even if I can't bake, cook and knit at the same time? Good thing I chose a pattern that doesn't need wet blocking to look finished, though. I ought to mention that the yarn was purchased to make him a scarf for the birthday he had about six years ago. Classic Elite Wool Bamboo. 

So, this year I am thankful for the yarn stash, and thankful for everyone who takes a look at my blog, and to Tami for hosting the fun that is WIP Wednesday. Also thankful for The Graphics Fairy website which is a trove of vintage images. They don't make them like this anymore. Alas.

A Selfie-ish FO Friday

As much as I love yarn, I love words more, and was delighted to read that the Oxford Dictionaries has already named its 2013 Word of the Year: selfie--even though I've been doing more of one of the runner-up words lately:binge-watch;)

Yes, acknowledgement for the picture-taking method beloved by knitters and crocheters who've been doing it for longer than the term has had wide currency. Many of those selfies, of course, are of the "taking a picture in the bathroom mirror with a camera or smartphone appearing where one's face would be" sort. I am so glad my phone now has both front and back cameras.  

I read about it in Nancy Friedman's blog about words, Frittinancy, which I recommend. It is very funny and I particularly enjoy her comments on business names. 


As for the FO portion of the title, the free pattern is up on ravelry for the Sweet Teeth Crocheted Cowl that appeared previously as a Finished Object.

For the selfie: also finished the Fisher Hill Crocheted Cowl, and am in the process of writing that one up as well. This was begun and finished so fast that it hasn't even made it into my ravelry notebook. 

Too bad about Daylight Savings Time--
ran out of natural light, but for better or worse you can see my face

More Quince & Co. yarn:  Lark in the Lichen colorway. have enough yarn left for an ear warmer.

Just for fun: Archival (vintage 2008) hallway selfie with bonus exploding head flash.

Creature from the Stash Lagoon

Sometimes I think my photos aren't very good at all, but when I see something like that mirror shot, I believe I can say I have made progress in five years.

Visit Tami's Amis to see what else made it off the hooks and needles this week. There are sure to be a few selfless in the mix.

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. 

Danger to Everyone...and Socks!

Take a teenaged girl with dangerous abilities and an unusual family history, send her to a psychic boot camp run by her aunt, add a meeting with a new boy--and include some knitting! How can I resist? 

Heather Ordover, host of the Craftlit podcast and editor of the What Would Madame Defarge Knit? books, has written her first novel, Grounded: The Seven (Book 1), a Young Adult title.



You can pre-order now for delivery in the first week of October. 
Grounded is available in various formats, both print and digital, and an audiobook is in the works. I ordered an autographed paperback and a Kindle copy. Sign up for the mailing list for updates and offers and to find out about patterns inspired by the characters and KAL's. 

I'm hoping for some tips that will give my pointy sticks some super knitty powers, but, if not, I know the book will be a blast and the ravelry group will be a fun place to hang out.

Cooperating

The Knitgrrl herself

I've had the pleasure of having patterns with essays published in the two What Would Madame Defarge Knit volumes published by Cooperative Press. 

Shannon Okey, aka Knitgrrl,is a real innovator in craft publishing, especially on the digital side. Cooperative Press titles reflect the creative visions of the individual knit and crochet designers, not a corporate editorial board.

Her business model is innovative as well, and designers are well compensated.

Take a look at the gallery, and sign up for the mailing list for a chance to win a prize. (E-mails are only sent with real news and offers, so they won't be cluttering up your mail box.)

If you are interested in subscribing to Knit Edge, Cooperative's digital quarterly, here's a message from Shannon with aspecial offer that expires the 22nd of August. 

If you are not yet a subscriber to our magazine Knit Edge, issue four comes out next month. Take out a one year-subscription now and you'll not only get three jam-packed issues per year, but you'll help provide us with the cashflow we need to keep things rolling. You'll also get a copy of issue three immediately on the autoresponder we've got set up.

Use the coupon shannonbook before next Friday and you'll get $1 off your subscription AND a digital copy of The Knitgrrl 9, my own pattern best-of, as well as a coupon for $2 off my new booklet on provisional cast ons and steeking, which will be out soon. (And naturally, you will get ALL my love and appreciation).

Been hesitating on a CP purchase, or want to try out a back issue of Knit Edge first? Check out our brand new shop!

Friday = FO + FP

Finished the object and finished the pattern. The pattern is free, downloadable on ravelry.

In the Midnight Hour 

(a crocheted moebius wrap)


Pattern includes line by line instructions, a chart of the stitch pattern, and short tutorial on the moebius join.

Use any light laceweight yarn.  The sample is worked up in Spirit Trail Fiberworks Decima, 70% merino, 30% silk.

Could also be worked at with fingering weight at a larger gauge for a heftier wrap.



Really pleased with this. Started in March 2012(!)and resurrected it in March 2013. Finished the work in May 2013 and the pattern just this week. Hope to work faster next time as I'm no spring chicken and those WIP's and PIP's (Pattern in Progress) are mounting up.

A visit to Tami's Amis is your portal to a weekly celebration of Finished Objects in various crafts.

My FO Flame

Finished! 

In this heat, couldn't bear to put it on and pull up the extended neck into a hood so you could see the whole thing and unfortunately my little display friend Anne Boleyn doesn't have a head. The stitch pattern on the neck/hood section continues the lace and replaces the stockinette with a simple 3 over 3 cable. 

The Lady Is A Ninja from What Else Would Madame Defarge Knit

Definitely didn't love the yarn (DIC Smooshy with Cashmere in Evening Flame), and couldn't find blocking pins to pin out the points. The color is okay. Not a color I would ever wear, so this one is for the gift heap

Since it's my own design, I can't tell you how great the pattern is, but I can say that the book is wonderfully written and edited, and since it includes personal essays on beloved books it's as much fun to read as well as to knit from.

You can see a lot more beautiful projects at Tami's Amis FO Fridays. 

WIP X 2

Progress on two fronts.

The Lady Is A Ninja Cowl KAL:

Finished the yoke.

Over the Helix Cowl:

A few inches finished. 

Weather is so changeable. Hot, sunny, summery for a few hours, then cool, damp, raw for a few hours. Still good cowl weather.

Visit Tami's Ami's WIP Wednesday for links to a world of WIP's.

Books

What (Else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? Have you knit any good reads lately? 

Print copies now available. This time around, color photos of the designs. Comes with a pdf download containing links to tutorials and supplemental information. You can easily print the instructions if you are like me and never met a pattern you didn't want to scribble on.

Take a look at what's inside

My essay Intrepid Lady Detectives and cowl pattern, The Lady is a Ninja, inspired by Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, are among the 28 new designs and essays.

TO ORDER 

FO Friday

Does a book count?

It's alive! What (Else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? Have you knit any good reads lately? 

See the designs.

My essay Intrepid Lady Detectives and cowl pattern, The Lady is a Ninja, inspired by Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White, are among the more than twenty news designs and essays.

Thrilled to be included in such an accomplished collection.

ORDER

Hint No More

No sooner had I published my own hint than What (else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? was previewed on ravelry. Patterns, essays, and--this time around--color photos! Look, favorite, queue, and comment. More info and pre-orders here. Pass the word. Accept my heartfelt thanks.

Here's the prototype for The Lady Is A Ninja inspired by Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Knit in Skinny Bugga!, colorway Z. Cerulea.

Why, yes, that is a lazy-girl phone pic.

Find out more (and see a better picture) on the pattern's ravelry page.

Hint: It's NOT Bigger Than A Breadbox

Crafter's Dictionary: Stealth Knitting, Super-Secret Knitting

Definition: Something you've designed for publication (or knit for a gift) which you are dying to show off but it  cannot be revealed--yet--and all you can do is put your hand over your mouth and do the wink-wink-nudge-nudge dance.

Another Hint:  Design inspired by a stealthy moment in a book that has been read on Craftlit.

Fits over the head and neck.

Order Now: What(else)Would Madame DeFarge Knit?

And More:  W(e)WMDFK? Giveaways & Goodies

                         
Even More:  Heather's Sneak Peek