What Constitutes Happiness For One. . . .

Corra, a top down pullover by Jo Allport makes for quick and successful knitting.  The original pattern is knit in one color of Araucania Kiñe.   But with a blank canvas of stitches to work with, I did perhaps go off scheme.

 - - - - Step up on Soap Box - - - -

Color!  I love color.  Asymmetrical color makes me very pleased and nigh on to giddy.  Where is it written that sleeves must be the same color?  Who ever said that a pocket must be aligned with some vertical or horizontal perfection? 

My style might not be to your liking.  And your style might not be to my way of thinking.  However - and this is the whole point - this yarn thing lets each person decide personally what constitutes happiness. 

 - - - - Exit Soap Box - - - -

My Wonky version of Corra  is two colors of Kiñe interrupted by Baah! La Jolla (a mini skein did all of this striping!) 

Yes, the Kiñe is dk.  Yes, the La Jolla is fingering.  Who cares?  Not me.  I just keep knitting  and let the needle circumference & surrounding stitches take care of making it all work out.

 There is no pocket on the pattern.  I added this one by picking up at the bottom seed stitch edge.  No, it isn't exactly on the front.  It isn't exactly centered on the middle stitch of the side.  It is skewed toward the front and of a size that it will not hold a phone.  But it will hold keys or mad money and that pop makes me happy.

Go back to the first photo of smiling me and notice that the sleeves are different.  One is black. Why.  Because I like it that way.  No other reason.  Well, it does cause the casual observer to take a second look and admire my handknit sweater and wonder how they, too, might own such a marvel of happiness.  And that also make me happy.

Always keep 'em guessing.

Falling Into Place

October started out with a packed and full schedule that threw me off my game for a while.  The good news is that the dreaded seed stitch and I parted ways for a whole whopping five days!  That felt really good.

First, and this pleases me greatly, I am helping out at The Knitting Tree, LA for a few hours twice a week.   The owners are devoting some time to setting up the (soon to open) online store and that requires lots of planning and thinking and strategizing  and even a bit of down time.  

Do you remember that fab and fad of a cardigan known as February Lady Sweater?  I'm smack dab in the middle of teaching it.  Well, actually the class is more about personalizing the fit of a top down sweater and adjusting things to fit a specific body.  My students are amazing.  Each seems to be working a different gauge, so there is even MATH involved.  Just imagine, if you will, this old Cajun who claims to be a horrid practitioner of number things actually showing students how to work the math and get a desired result.  We are having a blast with the pattern.

This past weekend involved volunteering within my local yarn community.  Volunteering always makes me happy and lending a hand at Yarnosphere was a joy.  Lots of friends from all over southern California attended.  There were classes and shopping and demonstrations and book signings and free help and winding stations and beaucoup things to keep a person sick with startitis for quite a long time.  One of my guilds had a booth and I helped out there for a little while also.  

Even with all of this going on, I learned something new on Friday.  Check out these pillows featuring a knot cable:  #15 Cabled Pillow by Annabelle Speer.  Talk about "out of the box" knitting.  It is almost too simple and the effect is eye catching.

Because the brain needs exercise and the familiar, I returned to an old favorite pattern and am occupied planning a new crochet class using the familiar project as a teaching tool.  The class will actually focus on extended crochet stitches and the relation between those stitches and chainless foundation crochet.  It's gonna be fun to teach - - once I get organized and have time to focus on the materials.

What is the result of all this busy madness?  Monday afternoons are now dedicated to staying home and getting to all of these UFOs. 

So Happy Together

When the Spring issue of Interweave Crochet hit the store shelves, several of us drooled.  Don't worry.  We did not drool on the yarn in the store.  We drooled over the cover and the Convergence top.

Short rows mean that the Noro stripes are not quite horizontal which is a very good thing for those of us who provide our own horizontal-ness around the mid section.

We bought, we planned, we made a pact to all make this cotton summer top.   We even share our progress through the Facebook group for customers of The Knitting Tree, LA.

It is apparent that even though we are all doing the same pattern, the final result of each project will reflect the personal hand of the maker.  Switching yarn, moving to worsted weight, not getting gauge (and fudging just a little) and interpreting the look are providing great interest as our own little CAL moves along.

Here is my beginning.  This is the back.  Because I am between sizes (per the pattern, but my gauge is off*), I am making the back a smaller size - stitch count - than the front.  The front will be larger and that should make it converge on my body just fine. 

We are all learning & strengthening skills. 

• Foundation double crochet
• Linked double crochet at the beginning of a row
• Short Rows
• Counting

Yes, counting.  It turns out that working short rows that contain holes requires one to pay attention and to count accurately.  Notice that the word "accurately" is emphasized.  I can count.  I can count higher than the average person.  But counting stitches accurately is a skill that is several steps above counting to ten before yelling, "ready or not, here I come."  

Hey, Summer.  Ready or not, here come a whole bunch of women who Converge to crochet!

* My friends are not allowed to laugh hysterically about the public confession that "my gauge is off". 

Two Day Hat

If you happen to be anywhere near
this blog or Los Angeles you know that the great Yarn Crawl LA was last week.  One of the thrills is that the shop owners are all so generous.  Great samples - either worked in house or from a designer trunk show - are there for the viewing.  Absolutely free entertainment even if the budget is blown and you can't buy two skeins of cashmere.

Most of the shops that I visited had free patterns for the "crawlers."  Well, look here at the free hat pattern that Annette of The Knitting Tree, LA designed and made available. 

It is a jaunty crochet hat.  I chose to make it in Madelinetosh Vintage because I bought that from the Tree as well.   But really, folks.  Two days is all it took to make this hat.  It is part of my determination to branch out and explore new colorways.  You know what?  I could get used to "not teal or jade or merlot." 

I'm so happy with this one that I actually changed my Facebook profile pix to be this hat.  That's a whole lot of happy.  Thank You, Annette!