Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: knitting

  • Another Possible Class Project

    Another Possible Class Project

    Would you like to learn how to knit a tea cozy like this?

    I love to knit tea cozies.

    This is a different yarn from the usual. Ray Gentleman, whom I work with, challenged, suggested, put an idea out there about creating a West Coast Cozy with the Prairie Sea Fusion from Custom Woolen Mills.

    The idea stuck in my head and I had to knit it out!

    So, if you take the class you will make this charmer of a cozy. You will also learn how to strand the yarn in the proper way for a West Coast knit. Oh and look at that fringe! Learn how to finish the cozy with the fringe on top…

    This is The Dancer Cozy. I am quite enamoured with it.

    A few years ago I started designing with the Cowichan style of wools. Nowadays that includes Briggs and Little Country Roving, Prairie Wool and Prairie Sea Fusion by Custom Woolen Mills. At the store we were always being asked for the Cowichan patterns, which were really the old White Buffalo and Mary Maxim patterns, not the true West Coast patterns. Those are the intellectual property of the original knitters.

    I try to create patterns respectful of the past and the present motifs of the West Coast. They reflect my lifetime of living, mostly on the Coast but also in northern Canada and Malaysia. The OOkpik childs set is based on a childhood memory, a small stuffed snowy owl that my father had given me, named OOkpik. I designed and knit that set for my Grandson. The Standing Tall Gauntlets are based on memories of the gauntlets I wore when living in Northern Manitoba. You needed that extra heavy layer over the basic mittens or gloves – it was cold up there!

    The Dancer Cozy reminds of both the Button Blanket dances of the West Coast and the Shadow Puppets of the Malaysian Peninsula. The shapes are both stylized and simplified, taken right down to suggestion and imagination.

    The Spirit Bear will be my next sweater pattern release in the Salish Sea Collection.

    Spirit Bear
    Bento Box
    Wolf Song
    Wet Coast
    North Sea Hap
    OOKpik
    Standing Tall
    Sitka Poncho
    Spirit Toques
    Cowichan Inspired Toques

    So much inspiration, never enough time! I love where I live!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Lynette

  • GreenMan Update

    GreenMan Update

    Some Information on Beading

    We will mostly be using a small crochet hook to add beads to our knits but there is some optional knit in beads in the OakLeaf and Acorn Insert. This downloadable document will give you some basic information on working with beads.

    Beading Techniques for KnittingDownload
    The Oakleaf and Acorn insert employs both beads placed with a crochet hook and beads that prestrung and then knit into place. This section is still a month away but I thought that earlier is better than later.

    Happy Reading

    Lynette

  • Cranberry Sauce anyone?

    Cranberry Sauce anyone?

    This upcoming weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrate it in our home with family and friends and of course, Turkey and all the trimmings. I am getting a bit of a head start today by making the Cranberry Sauce.

    I make a big batch because I always need to send some home with a couple of the guests. The recipe is very easy to half if you only need a small batch. This one makes about 8 cups of sauce.

    • 8 cups of cranberries – the local Yellowpoint Cranberries are fabulous
    • zest of 2 oranges
    • 1 and 1/2 cups of water
    • juice of 2 oranges
    • 2 cups of sugar

    Throw it all into a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 – 12 minutes. I like lumpy sauce – lots of cranberry chunks so if you like it a little smoother, cook a little longer.

    Once the pot is off the stove, add 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier or Triple Sec. Stir into the sauce and then pour into bottles. You can seal them if you like. I usually just pop them into the back of the fridge once they are cooled.

    The house smells so good as the sauce cooks.

    Such a lovely colour.

    One of the things I love about this recipe is the colour of the berries mixed with the colour of the peel as it is cooking! It reminds me of one of my favourite Handmaiden colourways – Sangria. The header above is a photo of yarn from Handmaiden dyed with Sangria. Even when I cook I am thinking about yarn! LOL!

    Happy Day!

    Lynette

  • Long Weekend Musings – on Procrastination

    Long Weekend Musings – on Procrastination

    Ok, even writing this is procrastination. I know it, but sometimes it helps to procrastinate, I am mulling over stuff in the back of my brain as I do other things. Things that are not necessarily the things I am supposed to do!

    But I did accomplish quite a few objectives as I procrastinated.

    • I wove in the ends of my Sunrise Sweater and then steam blocked it! I love my new steamer. It is hand held and is made by Rowenta and works like a hot damn. Much better than wet blocking for sweaters and small swatches.
    • I did all of the finishing work on the Jingle Gnome Chapeau. And blogged about it.
    • I replaced a cuff on one of my oldest sweaters. And blogged about it.
    • I am about the half way point of my Clapotis shawl. I work on it in the evenings when I am too tired for anything that requires concentration.
    • I am crap at leather work – there is a lot I need to learn before I can actually sew the leather wrist bindings to my sweater.

    What am I procrastinating. My GreenMan Shawl, another sweater for myself, more class projects and samples and dealing with life in general. So maybe it is not so much procrastination as it is keeping myself too busy to concentrate on everything I have set for myself, or everything that I am trying to deal with emotionally. As I list them I am realizing that most of these things are self imposed, not really have to do – just expectation that I will do. Why? Because I always have. It is how I cope. I cope by being busy.

    I once told my boss that I knit my emotions into my projects. It has been a hard year, lots of emotions, and apparently lots of projects. Hence many opportunities for procrastination.

    I have always been a procrastinator. I work best with that little bit of pressure of time and deadlines. While at University I would do lots of research for projects, notes, cards, organizational lines of inquiry and lots of reading. Then I would stop, put away the work until about a week before the due date and then start writing. And it would always work, the ideas had coalesced while I “procrastinated” and worked on other projects.

    It does not always work so well on tangible things, that can have tangible issues that require lots of time to fix. Though as a designer for Vogue Knitting, with their tight deadlines and sometimes challenging ideas… it worked. I loved working under that kind of pressure and producing things that I wasn’t quite sure (at first) that I could do. No time there for procrastination. I put what learned working for Vogue into practice when I designed for other companies, Buffalo Wool co. and Juniper Moon Farm for example.

    Buffalo Wool Co.
    Vogue Knitting
    Vogue Knitting
    Vogue Knitting Anniversary Edition
    vogue Knitting
    VK Winter 2011 photographed by Rose Callahan at Alina’s loft, Brooklyn, on Oct 18-19, 2011
    Roamin’ for Kate Davies Designs
    Vogue Knitting Magic of Mohair Competition, Rose Callahan Photographer
    Buffalo Wool Co

    So sometimes I feel the need to create that kind of pressure for myself, to push that time barrier into working as a creative pressure. So procrastination in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, though it can be if practiced improperly.

    When procrastination is used as a tool to improve an outcome by first, recognizing the weakness, and then utilizing the weakness, making it work for you, not against you. Is that a form of justification? Probably. But we all have justifications for our actions, especially when they can be self destructive if practiced improperly!

    Thoughts? Opinions? Are you procrastination by reading this? If so, I won’t tell! I am procrastinating myself! LOL!

    Happy Procrastinating

    Lynette

  • Jingle Gnome Chapeau

    Jingle Gnome Chapeau

    Sometimes when you spend a lot of time designing “serious” knits, you know, practical but attractive, maybe someone will think that they could knit and wear it items, sometimes you just need to break out of the mold and play!

    I love Christmas – I love Gnomes – so here is a little nod to both!

    Meet the Jingle Gnome Chapeau, designed for warmth, but with a little “fun” added! This is a sample for a class happening at Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns. It starts next week, Tues Oct 8 and runs over the next couple of weeks. Three classes in total.

    Class # 1 – How to knit loops – link to video – did you know that the loops can be cut and brushed to make a really soft “fur”?

    Class # 2 – Basic Stranding – simpler than fair-isle, much more repetitive, but great practice.

    Class #3 – How to make the perfect pompom, and some basic finishing – how to deal with ends.

    Jingle is knit with Eco Shetland Worsted, which is a light worsted, almost a dk, but I have knit it a few time at the worsted gauge and been very happy with the results. It has great yardage, 1 skein of each colour is all that is necessary. Plus a few jingle bells and the regular notions!

    How about that pompom, surrounded by bells? Isn’t just a dream of a finish?

    I know you want one!

    Happy Gnome “ing”

    Lynette

    PS. The pattern will be available in about 3 weeks and will include a mitten pattern to go with the Chapeau!

  • Mending 101 – Part 2

    Mending 101 – Part 2

    Mending a Ribbed Cuff – replacing the rib

    Yesterday I mended the blue sweater cuff. It took about two and a half hours, including the knitting time. Why did I wait so long? I’ve had the yarn for close to three years! Other things kept getting in the way. And I would rather knit than mend! Wouldn’t you?

    I am working on changing that attitude within myself.

    This sweater was knit in the round. Bottom up for the body, but top down for the sleeves.

    At the time, I knew my yardage was limited and I wanted to make sure that each sleeve was the same and that the yardage went as far as possible. Top-down knitting is the best way to make that happen. It worked well for this project. I finished the sweater with only a little of the main shade of blue to spare.

    The original yarn was a dk, so I decided to work the cuff with a set of 3.5mm US #4 dpn’s.

    Top-down knitting also makes it easier to mend/replace the bits that wear out, like the sleeve cuffs. Had I knit the sleeves from the cuff up I would have had to cut the knitting at the join of the cuff and very carefully retrieve my live stitches above the cuff. That will be a demonstration for another day and a different sweater!

    When working with an older sweater, the stitches will not usually run down the knitting in the same way as a garment that you are working. After a certain amount of time the yarn itself has been almost pressed into shape with folds and bends. You can see in the unraveled yarn and stitches at the end of the cuff (4th picture in the sequence) that the shape is set and unwilling to move. A bonus, one that makes the work you are trying to achieve a little easier.

    The wrist is frayed right at the beginning/end of the round. Which makes it slightly more complicated to pull back as the end has been woven in down towards the cuff.
    Scissors will be needed to cut the yarn every time it hits the woven in tail, Once the end of the knitting is found the knitting will pull back easily, except where the tail yarn has been woven into the fabric. Scissors were used to cut the knotted area and the wrist kept on unravelling.
    The end is gone and the unravelling speeds along.
    Once the knitting is pulled back to the sleeve, pull the next round out carefully, As you pull catch each stitch revealed with a dpn. Continue to pull back the last round, switching dpn’s as they are filled. Use 3 or 4 dpn’s to hold the stitches depending upon your comfort level with dpn use.
    Once all of the stitches have been picked up, cut off the old yarn leaving an 8 inch tail. Weave in the tail as you knit the first round of the new ribbed cuff.
    I had 68 sts on the needles but the cuff had been 48 sts. The sleeve had been reduced by 20 sts in the cuff. So I worked an extra round, reducing as I knit, to match the 48 sts, before starting the ribbing.

    I am very happy with the results. The new blue cuff is not perfect, but perfect enough for a sweater that was knit in 1990, 34 years ago. The neck may be the next piece that needs replacing, I noticed some wear along the back, but that is a problem for another day!

    Happy Mending

    Lynette

  • Mending 101

    Mending 101

    This Fall and Winter and I am undertaking a self taught mending course. I started it yesterday by mending a few moth holes in my favourite vest and what I call my weekend sweater!

    I had hoped to work on these things in the summer for a Winter Class but the best laid plans….. So better now than not at all! See On the Mend.

    Needle Felting

    Small holes in our knits can be repaired with a few basic needle felting tools and some fibre. I did not realize how easy this would be or I would have tried it years ago! There are some other methods of dealing with small holes, embroidery stitches offer many options! But this is easy and fast!

    All you need is holes, a needle felting needle, fibre and a sponge (which is underneath the hole). I started in the back to give the hole backing. I did not need to do this. Just felting from the front works fine.
    Back is finished.
    Front after the back was done, You can see the shading of the fibre after has been needle felted through the knit. So I felted again on top of this fibre. My hole is a little on the stiff side with two sides needle felted.
    One dot looked foolish, so I added a few more spots.
    You can see that this has been folded for quite a while! Needs a wash and then it will be ready to be worn again!

    The second sweater with a hole was a much simpler project. This sweater is what I call my weekend sweater. I throw it on over when I just need a little more warmth. It was knit with sock yarn when the patterning sock first came out, so about 24 years ago. There was only 1 hole in the back, So I filled it up with fibre and called it done!. I did play around with it a little, added a little bit of an edge and curlicue!

    I had hoped to get another sweater mend underway, this one needs a new ribbing at the wrist. The sweater is over 30 years old but still looks great, no pilling and the colours are still vibrant! Well worth repairing, especially as it’s big, boxy style is coming back.

    Several years ago I had to replace the ribbing on the other wrist, I had caught it on something sharp and that had broken the bind-off (the sleeves had been knit from the top down – best way when yardage was short). I had used up all of my remaining yarn with that repair. So finding a close colour took a while, then the yarn I found got put away in my stash, so this sweater has been waiting for about three years. You can see in the photo the colour is not perfect, but it will make the sweater wearable again, not bad for a 30+ year old sweater!

    Yesterday I put the work in and found the yarn! That took a little time, you know, the needle in the haystack approach! So after looking for the yarn, I did not have time to do the work – but this weekend it will happen!

    The original yarn was a wool from New Zealand, gorgeous blues in 4 tones. The pattern was an early Kaffe Fassett pattern in about 36 colours, so I simplified it a little!

    I have quite a few other pieces to mend and I want to try many different techniques! So my Fall knitting projects are booking up fast!

    How is your Fall planning coming along?

    Happy Knitting and Mending

    Lynette

  • Just Another Day….

    Just Another Day….

    … In Paradise

    I woke up to the most glorious sunrise. The living room was glowing orange as the light poured in the windows. When I went out onto the deck – the run was rising in front of me and there was a rainbow forming behind me. So awe inspiring.

    The Mini Rose also produced a new bloom this morning that is absolutely perfect. The Hibiscus plant has several new buds, so many beautiful flowers. Just an amazing start to the day.

    Knitting et al.

    The GreenMan Shawl is progressing nicely. I am about 20% into the Oakleaf and Acorn insert and I am very pleased with the effect of the beads on the knitting.

    I have started another shawl for myself. I didn’t really intend on this one. I am not even designing it. If you are old enough you will remember or will have knit a Clapotis shawl. I am more than old enough.

    Clapotis can be considered one of the first viral patterns on Ravelry and has over 24000 projects listed. It was designed to be knit with some of the glorious hand dyed yarns that were appearing at that time. It has just been re-released on Ravelry as Clapotis 24. There is an accompanying KAL that features lots of yarny prizes.

    I didn’t knit it the first time around, so I am giving it a go with some yarn from my stash. Not hand dyed, but striping and lively, and I was not having any luck designing a sweater for myself with it. I had already ripped back a couple of attempts. The yarn is Lang Cloud Tweed.

    Clapotis is designed for a worsted/aran weight yarn (I keep seeing it in some Rios), but is very easy to adjust for almost any weight! The knitting is basic, stockinette on a diagonal, but the addition of the dropped line of stitches keeps it interesting.

    Have you knit a Clapotis?

    I am also working on another class project. Remember the loopy st? Meet the Jingle Gnome Chapeau. Still under construction, but already looking like a little bit of rustic “happy”! The class will feature the loop stitch, basic stranded knitting and how to make the perfect pompom! I am working with the Eco Shetland Worsted by Estelle. It is yarn that I really like to work with and gives me great results.

    Boho Cozy
    Boho Mitts
    Boho Crown

    I hope that you have a wonderful day. Mine is off to a great start!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Circular Cast-ons

    Circular Cast-ons

    My favourite cast-on is the Emily Ocker Cast-on, also called the German Pinhole Cast-on.

    Do to technical difficulties I am going submit a short video and then a series of photo’s on how to start the GreenMan Shawl.

    Tools that will make the cast-on easier; a straight crochet hook or a hook/point tool, it simplifies the moving of the sts from the hook to the needles. Wooden or other lightweight dpn’s, they are a little sticky and very light, metal needles are usually quite heavy and slide out far too quickly.

    If you have never held a crochet hook I can recommend a simple cast-on;

    Cast-on 6 sts to a single dpn, transfer the sts as the photo tutorial below, join into a round and start to work the shawl. The center of the shawl will not be as neat to begin with but when finishing your shawl the tail can be used to gather up and gently close the hole in the center.

    In the video you will see the yarn, tail to the right and underneath the working end of the yarn. There is no sound, but the written description is below the video.

    Please note: I am not a confident crocheter and you will see that in the video. But that does not mean I can’t fumble my way through a single crochet.

    Emily Ocker Cast-on also called German Pinhole Cast-on

    Grasp the ring where the yarn crosses

    • with your hook go through the ring and hook a loop of the working yarn
    • pull through the ring
    • hook the working yarn again and pull through the loop already on hook.
    • I single crochet is on the loop

    Repeat from the top five more times until there are 6 loops on the hook.

    Below is the step by step set-up and first rounds of the shawl.

    6 single crochets on the hook
    Slide the stiches to the end of the hook
    Divide the stitches onto 3 dpn’s, 2 sts per needle
    Pull the tail to tighten the loop
    Work the 1st set-up round, *YO, K1; repeat from * 6 times – 12 sts.
    Work 2nd set-up round – K12.
    Work 1st round from charted or written instructions ; Double YO, K2tog, 6 times – 18 sts.
    Work 2nd round of charted or written instructions – K1, P1, (K2, P1) 5 times, K1 – 18 sts.

    Once you reach this point the needles will start to co-operate and the knitting will go more smoothly.

    I hope that this helps you start your shawl.

    I am hoping to make the video as promised with sound and moving pictures – perhaps tomorrow. Getting my tools to co-operate has been a challenge.

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette

  • Play Time

    Play Time

    Christmas is Coming

    Have you noticed that we knitters, and almost all crafters, start thinking of Christmas a lot earlier Than other people? I think that we need to as most of our gifts take time, sometimes a lot of time to create.

    So today I am sharing a fun technique – Loop Knitting – a little playful technique to add to your skills for the upcoming knitting blitz!

    Loop knitting is basically making a series of knotted loops on the right side of the knitting. These loops can be made and left as loops, my current thought, or they can be made, cut open and brushed up to look like fur, a thought under consideration! Loops are not a quick technique, but the results are worth the effort.

    Bring your yarn through the stitch on the needle as if to knit, but do not drop the stitch from the LH needle
    Bring your yarn forward and over your left thumb
    Wrap the yarn tightly around your thumb and take it back between the needles
    Insert the RH needle tip into the loop on the LH needle as if to knit the stitch
    Knit the stitch and remove from LH needle, remove thumb from the loop
    Pull the loop to set in place (don’t pull too tightly), bring working yarn forward and over the needle
    With the LH needle tip, pick up the two “stitches” from making the loop and lift them over the yarn sitting on the needle
    The knot is closed and a new stitch is created from the three loops on the needle

    Loops need to made on the RS of the knitting surface. If you are knitting back and forth the loops can be make every other row. When working in the round as I am, the loops can be worked on every round. I want a fairly thick, loopy surface.

    The loops can be made in every stitch for a very full look. I am making my loops every other stitch and off setting them on every other row, for a medium thick appearance.

    Loop knitting is playful and offers some interesting options for hatbands and mitten cuffs. Right now I am working on a hatband. I am planning to knit a swatch and cut and brush out the loops – I am really intrigued by the concept of being able to create the look of “faux fur”!

    When starting loop knitting the going will be slow at first. It may take a round or two to develop a rhythm, but each successive round gets quicker than the one before!

    I know that this technique would work well for toy knitting. Remember Lamb Chop? I have made a few things over the years with loops on the edges. I think I will try a few more.

    Koigu Entrelac gloves from 2016

    I hope that you feel inspired to give loop knitting a try!

    Happy Knitting

    Lynette