Part of the answer is self evident, at least I think it is. I have something to say. It may not be relevant to any one but me, but it satisfies something in me to put words onto the page.
I started blogging about 14 years ago, July 2011, about the same time I started to publish hand knitting patterns. I started the blog to promote my designs and hoped to become a new and important knitting designer. That did not go quite as planned… LOL!
What did happen is that I discovered that I liked to write/blog about what I was doing. I loved to take photographs of my knitting, take photographs of where I lived, take photographs of anything that caught my eye and share those with anyone willing to listen!
I am not a particularly good writer, or so I am told. Too many words, too many styles, too much or too little punctuation, just too many. But I don’t really care…
I blog for me, and anyone else who cares to listen. Thank-you!
Happy Reading
Lynette
My most favourite place in the World. A salmon bypass by the Canyon just outside of Nanaimo. It is calm and quiet and always cool and beautiful. Populated by deer, eagles and of course salmon. Calm, clear and so relaxing.
My Sunrise sweater is finished! I am quite pleased with it! And it fits perfectly!
In tidying up my workroom I have stumbled across a couple of other sweaters for myself. The Pink Juniper Moon Beatrix is the next one on my list to finish. I love the softness of this yarn. It is sooo light and sooo soft! And it knits up so quickly! The other sweater did not pass muster and was quickly ripped back and rolled into a ball, waiting for a different style to work into. 🙂
You may note a bit of a trend here… most of the sweaters I knit for myself are tunic length. I hate to be cold and a longer sweater keeps my back nice and toasty! I do have a plan for another piece, most likely a vest, longer, with split sides, a knit belt, and colourwork, colourwork in the Muhu style. Which is bright! Oh so bright! Just my style.
Roosimine and Knitting an Estonian Garden
Embroidery on Knitting
So much inspiration!
Eco Scandinavian Chunky
Oh these socks just make my toes curl! are they not amazing?
I will have to revisit my pattern Knitting and Estonian Garden, for some Roosimine patterns to add to the vest. Roosimine is an embroidery style technique from Estonia that is worked on your knits as you knit. It is quite common for knits to have surface embroidery to add details.
I will not be using a fine yarn. I am going to work with a new Chunky, Eco Scandinavian Chunky. It is new this year from Estelle and it is a lopi style yarn. You can see the colours I picked. I may need to add a green or blue. Still thinking on it! Swatching should commence this week.
And Finally! I have written up a little pattern that hightlights my current mindless, evening or travelling project. i hope that you will like it.
Crystalline Lattice
This Cowl, Wimple or Scarf pattern is the perfect project to mop-up of all of the left-over bits of laceweight silk mohair that we all seem to be collecting. This is a tube scarf, that can be something different at different lengths. Right now it is only Cowl size, but as it becomes longer it will grown to be a Wimple (a tube that covers both neck and head) and then a scarf. I am aiming for a scarf myself. So, until it is a scarf the pattern will be free.
The very basic atomic shape of a natural crystal as it grows is a lattice. So here we are growing our own crystal. Mine shows as shades of purple. What will your Crystalline Lattice show?
It is a super simple pattern, 7 rows, slipped stitches, stockinette and little garter stitch. The slipped stitches are twisted as we slip them, it gives them a very linear, ropey appearance.
As you work through the repeating pattern you can change up the colours of the mohair/silks. I am working with 4 close shades, and rotating them from lightest to darkest. But I am thinking of making a second scarf, and picking up all sorts of bits to make a really wild colourway with no stripe the same and/or no pattern to the colour stripe sequence. Or maybe I should get some earthy tones and make something a little more organic. This pattern could go so many places.
Here are a few of my thoughts, and reasonings as to why I choose to use these symbols in the GreenMan Shawl. I think that the need to work towards the renewal of our environment has more to do with some aspects of our past. From when we were closer to the environment and had more understanding of why it was so important to our well being.
This is a circular shawl. Why?
Circles are magic. Circles in knitting are even more magical! Where else can you take a straight line and make it do circles and spirals.
Knitting is a straight line.
Knitting is a straight line made with curves.
Every individual stitch is curved.
It is tremendously fun to take something that most people think of as a straight line and make the knitting run in circles, hence my love for circular shawls.
In history, in folklore, in magic, circles are powerful objects. They hold, they contain, they encompass. They can be everything and nothing.
I love to knit circular shawls.
A circular shawl is very important to the concept behind the GreenMan KAL. Because circles are magic. Because the Green Man is an ancient and powerful concept. Because I may be more than a little superstitious and have a tendency to be intuitive and to trust my intuition.
This shawl is full of superstition. It starts on Friday the Thirteenth of September. Usually considered unlucky, the number 13 has always had a positive influence in my life. The Green Man is a figure of legend and lore. There will be mistletoe in the Oak and Acorn band. and there is power in the spirals that form the knitting of the shawl. Our knitting spirals out from the center of the shawl.
A spiral that spins clockwise (from the inside-out) represents growth, expansion, evolution, harmony and cosmic energy. It can also represent the inner (spiritual) and outer (physical) worlds and the connection between the two.
The center of the spiral is often associated with the Source, God, or One Consciousness, out of which everything emerges. The spiral emerging from the center and expanding outwardly in all directions in an everlasting manner represents creation, cosmic energy, and infinite possibilities. It also represents the cyclic nature of the universe.
22 Powerful Spiral Symbols & Their Deeper Symbolism, by Lyza Hayn
The spiral and the Green Man are related in their basic representational meanings of growth, rebirth and future possibilities.
Together, the oak tree and acorn represent the cyclical nature of life. The oak tree, with its roots firmly planted in the earth, represents the past and the present, while the acorn symbolizes the future and the potential for growth and change.
The Oak has for centuries represented strength in thought and purpose, the Oak stands for longevity. It stands tall in growth and last long when used to create the things of man. The Acorn, the seed of the Oak, is a symbol of fertility and growth, but also of wisdom because of the slow growth of the Oak, the Acorn also represents the slow passage of time as wisdom is attained.
And Mistletoe, because it produces berry’s in Winter and is evergreen, represents rebirth, life and fertility!
I hope that I have entertained you, enticed you and made you curious.
Apologies to “Queen” here – Knitting is a “kind of magic”!
Tomorrow we are going to Surrey (across the big water). The World Men’s Fastball Championships are there. So we are going for a day of ball! I am going to be knitting as well as watching and there is nothing like Ferry travel to enhance one’s knitting time!
I will be taking a half knit sweater for myself. I started it a couple of years ago with some beautiful Italian Wool from Gathering Yarns. Just a basic top-down v-neck and since the yarn was limited I had to get creative with the colours. Just some simple striping but it is very effective with the slightly varigated colours.
It is such a rich yarn, full of texture and the two colours are blending beautifully.
Why wasn’t it finished a while ago? Well, one time when I tidied, the project went in one place and the yarn went in another. I would find one and never the other. So this time when I found the extra yarn I put in on my desk, after I had cleaned it up and had a clear surface! Remember that big clean up? Yesterday I stumbled across the project! A match! And it is so close, arms and maybe a third of a body and it is chunky!
Looking for the next project? I seem to be in constant search lately. I have several projects on the go. My main focus is the Greenman Shawl and it is really taking over. I am already planning the next section. But I do need to look to my classes for work as well. What is your next project?
I am working on the thrummed mittens to go with the headband. I do enjoy thrumming such a relaxing way of working in colour. And I love the wool I am using, Shelter, by Brooklyn Tweed.
Look deep into my mitten. Doesn’t it look warm and cozy?
And for something new I am going to try to finish off the sleeves of an old sweater. Knit with Mountain colours hand dyed Weavers Wool it is gorgeous. It is now slightly felted and starting to wear at the end of the sleeves. So I am going use an old English (or European Technique of finishing things that wear with leather. I found an absolutely stunning piece of leather from Gala Fabrics last time I was there. It is a glorious shade of blue and is perfect!
I’ve been talking a great deal about the Green Man Shawl, something for a new KAL.
So what is a Green Man?
I guess it depends on how you want to research the motif. The Green Man as art is mainly that of a face covered by foliage. It is known as a foliate motif and is found in art across the globe dating back in Europe to at least the 1300’s, and is much older in other cultures. Many art historians think that the motif was from India and then was carried across Europe. It was often seen on churches or in the art of the Celtic monks.
The motif could also have been brought across the European Continent even earlier. Many ancient Roman sites in Great Britain have contained masks that relate to the Green Man.
So basically the Motif is old, ancient even, and has meaning throughout many cultures. In folklore the Green Man has many meanings. He symbolizes fertility and harvest, regrowth and change. Peter Pan, Robin Hood were Green Men. They symbolized the need for change. We are in need of change.
Green Man as a concept has inspired artists and authors alike over the 500 years. And he still inspires today. For many modern pagans, the Green Man is used as a symbol of seasonal renewal and ecological awareness.
I take a lot of photographs and I am constantly in awe of the beauty of this world. It is all around us and you just have to look. I have been looking.
I stay pretty close to home. Most of these images are from around Nanaimo or the West Coast. Whistler, Bute Inlet and the west coast of Vancouver Island.
While I am not a modern pagan, or perhaps I am, (obviously a conversation for another day), I have been inspired by the Green Man images I have seen, in books, on the internet and in conversations about the image.
To me, Green Man is the modern environmental warrior. A symbol for the modern generation. Of making small and large changes in our lives with the environmental future of our planet in mind. As a long time reader of science fiction and science fact, where the future of our planet has always been up for for speculation, my head is filled with a myriad of ideas. Will we destroy ourselves or will we reinvent ourselves or will we move ourselves outward into the rest of the universe. I think all three.
Change takes a monumental amount of personal energy, a destruction of current self. I am slowly making my own personal changes and watching the changes happening and also not happening around me. I want to encourage others to think about the changes they can make. They don’t need to be big, small changes, incremental change is the most sustainable and can, when added together create a major shift. Think of water on stone… We are the stone.
I am an optimist at heart. I really believe there is a future for our world, the only question is, will humanity be a part of that future. Our choice. Our actions will make the decision.
Google Green Man. The images are amazing, inspiring, beautiful, ugly and all places in between.
This is my Green Man. My third attempt at capturing the feeling in knit. I am happy with it now. The next step is to incorporate it into my shawl.
My swatch is knit with Estelle Eco Shetland Worsted
What do you think? Should I give up my day job? LOL! I am satisfied.
In the Summer I always try to finish up a project for myself. A sweater or vest, something new that I can wear to work.
This year I have at least two things on the go. A light and airy mohair sweater knit with Amitola Brushed by Louise Harding. This is a heavier mohair and silk blend and I am knitting it quite loosely. I love mohair’s loft when the you let the fuzz fill in the stitches. It makes the garment light but still cozy! This sweater is underway and will be knit from sleeve to sleeve. The Amitola has a long, slow stripe and it is showing beautifully. I am barely through 60 grs of the first ball. I think that I will have plenty of yarn. I am knitting on a 6.0mm US #10 – this sweater is knitting up fast!
The Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed yarn is going to take much longer to knit. Right now it is going to be a vest. But I am loving it so much and I think I have enough yarn, so it might turn into a full sweater. I am loving the stitch pattern. Time, as always, will make the final decision. And yardage, where is the rest of the yarn? Somewhere in my stash!
Summer is also when I make tea cozies. They are small and fun and I think I might design a class around a new idea I have.
Last week I bought a new toy. It is designed to hold my phone as I video myself knitting a new technique. You have already seen it at work as I ripped back my last hat!
The weather here is back up to being hot again. So I am looking at small projects as well. Beading something, anything, is always good for hot weather knitting.
I also love to knit shawls in the Summer. Tomorrow I hope to have the Green Man motif ready to show.
Do you have a “colour” ? Something you know you love to knit with. Something that you “lean” towards. Something you sometimes are unaware of. I do. Apparently I wanted a co-ordinating set. LOL!
Don’t they look great together? I guess I will have to finish the gloves sooner rather than later!
Below are some random images of this Summer and Summers past! They are part of my inspiration as I dream up new ideas.
Have you ever made thrummed mittens? Or slippers? Well I am working on a Thrummed Headband. It has an easy shape and will be easy to learn the technique so that you could make mittens or slippers if you wished!
2) Cables
A simple cable hat?
Or maybe a not so simple cable hat?
How about a reversible cable scarf? As you can see this idea is still in the very early stages!
3) Maybe something more long term, with once a month meeting/classes.
I am planning a Knit-a-Long. KAL for short. The Green Man KAL. This will be a lace shawl for the more advanced knitter. It could be knit in a fingering or lace weight yarn, knitters choice and there will be how to video’s attached for those who don’t live in the area and in person classes for those who do. Techniques we will cover include circular cast-ons, adding beads (if desired), three dimensional embellishing, some interesting lace techniques and finishing with knitted on edging. Sample below is knit with Schoppell Zauber Lace 100. Right now I am working on the chart for the the Green Man and will share updates as that comes together.
4) Of course I will run the Fear of Finishing Workshop – an in depth look at some basic and not so basic finishing techniques. Including the best start to create the best finishes and things the pattern always forget to tell you.
5) I am thinking of a designing a new tea cozy this fall. Something with birds I think!
6) A class on mending is in the works as well! Darning socks, fixing holes with some creative mends and swiss darning the old fashioned way!
I am also looking for new ideas. What do you want to learn? Can I teach it in a class or does it need a workshop? I could teach something in Mosaic Stitch, or maybe Twinned Knitting? Some simple fair-isle mittens or cowl for gifts?
What style of project would you like to see? A simple shape to show up the new technique, a pillow perhaps, maybe bolster style with knitted on fringe for finishing. Or a new hat, a pillbox or cloche style, something a little different from your basic beanie.
I am off to dream up and then knit up some new samples. I hope that you have a dreamy week as well!
An i-cord bind-off creates a very defined edge with almost no give. It is perfect for adding stability any edge that needs a little extra something to keep everything together. It is also a very strong edge and was often used in traditional sweaters, such as Fishermen Ganseys, at shoulder joins to help those seams keep their shape.
In the Beach Bucket pattern I am using the I-cord bind-off in a contrasting colour to both highlight the edge and define its shape.
The video will give you an understanding of how to create the I-cord to start the bind-off and the basic steps of the bind-off.
I have cleaned and organized everything. OK – everything might be a bit over the top but I have accomplished a few very necessary jobs!
I have unearthed my computer desk and my yarn winding station. My stash has been realigned and in some cases reassigned to different locations. I have filed away multiple stacks of papers ie. trashed or recycled them. There is still one stack of papers left to organize into different files. That will wait until next weekend.
You can see that it is a bit of mess.
As I dug in, I got a little distracted along the way…. knit a thing…. wound some yarn.
The little cowl is a test knit of a new yarn that is coming to Mad About Ewe. And I love it! 70% Superfine Merino (non superwash) and 30% Yak, this DK weight yarn is supersoft, bouncy and easy to work with. I think I may need a new sweater. The Funnel Cowl and Mitts are complete. Click here to link to the pattern on Ravelry.
The yarn being wound is Chantal, a special hand dyed silk from Fleece Artist, Iceberg colourway. It was one of the yarns from their 25th Anniversary celebration in 2013. This huge hank weighs in at 350 grams, 700 yds and should knit to about 18 sts in 4 inches. I am close to half way now and it has no knots so far. Because it is silk and is stretchy it has to be hand-wound and it is a bit of a mess from being in the cupboard for so long. So it may take a couple of days.
I hung a few pictures that have been gracing the cupboard floors. That felt good. Everyday I have been trying to do one more thing that would get me closer to my goal.
There have been a few distractions through the week but after each one, I got back on track and kept on working. I started this project last Wednesday and it is still not quite done. It most likely will never be “done”. I really don’t work too well in a tidy space, but now the chaos is a little more tamed and much closer to “done” than it has been in a while.
My White Lavender it in full bloom.
I started this post over a month ago. So much has happened creatively in that month. Was it tied in to the cleaning? Maybe, so lets see….
I have submitted ideas for patterns to three companies – Laine, Birlinn Yarns and Ancient Arts. Laine and Birlinn were not interested in my ideas and I won’t hear from Ancient Arts for a couple of weeks. My “secret” project is complete and gone! As soon as I can I will share – I was very pleased with the results!
On the up side of submitting ideas to magazines and being rejected, I now have lots of ideas to pull from if and when I am looking for something to knit! I know we can’t like all the things and if my ideas don’t fit their vision they usually work well for mine!
Fall KAL – The Greenman KAL
I am working on a new shawl pattern. You may have noticed the two “swirl” centers I have started. They are the center of the Greenman Shawl. I hope to have the idea all pulled together in the next month, so please keep it in mind.
I am working one in Schoppel Zauber Lace Ball 100 (currently purple, but it is a striping yarn so that will change). It is a lace weight.
I am teaching a new technique at work right now. Dip Stitches, as in stitches that are created by dipping down into your knitting and pulling up loops of contrast colour to create almost an embroidery look! Meet Beach Bucket, soon to be released on Ravelry – most likely next weekend! The turquoise version is knit with Noro Kashirukuru and Silk Garden for the detail yarn. The grey version is knit with West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Shetland Tweed in pink tweed with grey. It is not complete yet. I am using it for demonstrating techniques in the class.
I have started a couple of sweaters for myself – we will see how those go – they almost never get done as I get too distracted by other knits!
I am planning on picking up the dress again in September. Right now it is too hot to knit with double layer Lopi Einband on my lap! I have been thinking and planning how to proceed. I noticed that a few others look like they are interested! Looking forward to picking it up again.
I lived in Malaysia when I was much younger and I have many fond memories of the people and the country. One of my favourite memories is the hedges of Hibiscus flowers, such beautiful blooms. So every now and then I try to keep a plant alive with varying levels of success. This is this years attempt!
I hope that your Summer is going well. Mine is certainly going by very quickly! Lots of ideas and never enough time to knit them all!
