Ms. Ellaneous crafts a life

Ode to the Ruffle Washcloth

Well, not really an ode, I don't know how to write an ode.  The idea of the ode does capture the  feelings I have about the ruffle washcloth, the element of color, the texture and the remarkable practicality of the hand knit ruffle washcloth.  It can not be denied and should have it's own song!

I have been knitting these washcloths for years.  Awhile back, at work, before work was work, I found a cone of 100% cotton with the most wonderful nubbly texture and started knitting washcloths as a quick project for gifts.  They go beautifully with the glycerin soap that I started making so long ago.  After I figured out how wonderful they were, I went right back and bought all the cones I could find!  Since then, I've knit these washcloths in all kinds of cotton.  They work up beautifully in whatever I've decided to knit them in.

I knit them all year round but I particularly love them in spring colors paired with flower soaps.

  I've knit some up as thank you gifts.

I'd also like to give you something as a thank you for reading!  If you are so inclined, check on Ravelry and you will find my pattern for these washcloths, FREE.  They make a great quick gift for Mother's day or for teacher's gifts.  Everyone I've ever given them to has loved them, or at least that's what they tell me.

Happy Ruffle washcloths, Happy Spring and Happy Knitting!

Scene in the studio-Saturday morning light edition

I love the morning light in my studio.  It's so promising.

Cowls- part deux

All the yarn wants to be a cowl!

Cowls seem to be just about the perfect project.  They are quick and allow for experimentation with design, texture and color.  They don't take much yarn, so you can use some of the more expensive yarns that are Oh So Alluring.  I also like to wear them.  I usually choose fairly plain clothes, so cowls allow a bright pop of color or an interesting texture without having to commit to a whole big, bright outfit.  They are also perfect for the weather around here.  I can wear a cowl almost all year round. 

Do I sound like I am the president of the "No Neck Left Bare" campaign?  That wouldn't be such a bad job.

Well, in hopes that no neck is left bare.  I give you the next installment in cowls... The Wave Cowl.

It's knit with Noro Ayatori and is on sale HERE until May 1st!  Like most everything I knit with, I found it at work, and once I saw it, it wouldn't leave me alone.  I've been ignoring this yarn for about a year, just not knowing what to do with it.  Right before we left for a Spring Break trip to D.C., cowl inspiration struck again.  This yarn is so soft and light with the colors changing gradually like the colors in the ocean.  Waves, waves, waves, I say! 

I knit two of these on our trip.  The first one, pictured above is just one colorway, for A1.  As I've said before, the girl needs color and a little neck protection in dreary old England.  This colorway reminded me of her. 

The second cowl uses two complementary colorways.

(These cowls are not blocked yet.  They have better edge definition after blocking)

I've never knit with Noro before but I've seen plenty of amazing garments walk into the store.  This yarn was a complete pleasure to work with.  I'm intrigued by the color changes and want to see how two seemingly dissonant colors, knit in this pattern, might look.  I'm not sure I'm going to able to resist!

In hopes of helping the "No Neck Left Bare" campaign, I went ahead and wrote the pattern up and added it to my pattern store on Ravelry.

Hopefully, I will not have to change the blog name to Ms. Cowly knits a cowl.  Doesn't have quite the same ring to it.    

Bramble Cowl

One of the best parts of working at a yarn store is being surrounded by gorgeous raw materials.  Often, when I'm walking by the shelves or re-stocking, the yarn will whisper an idea about what it should be.  This happened with the Yarn Lamp.  It seems to be happening more and more.

If I try to ignore the whispers, the yarn just gets louder and louder until I eventually buy the yarn and make the project.  I'm a little bit slow sometimes so it can get very loud at work with all the yarn yelling at me.  I wonder if anyone else notices?

This time it was Madelinetosh Vintage, only a few skeins at first.  (You may recall these colors.  I've been talking about them for awhile)  The yarn said it wanted to be a two colored cowl in a bramble stitch.  I said fine.  I bought them.  I started a gauge swatch.  I have been knitting for awhile and I know the rules BUT sometimes I get ahead of myself and ignore them.  I did a gauge swatch but I knit it flat, not in the round, like the cowl was going to be knit.  My gauge was all off.  It would be lovely if the yarn gave me a little shout at this point.  I only heard the faint chant,"knit,knit,knit".

I ignored the wonky gauge.  Until I couldn't.  Unfortunately, I am stubborn and ignored it until the cowl was knit, cast off and hanging to my knees!  I should have taken a picture but I was too embarrassed.  The worst part is, I didn't even have a pattern I could blame.  I was writing this one!  There's nothing like writing your own patterns to inspire serious compassion for othe pattern designers.  I sincerely apologize for all of the times I've blamed the pattern or the designer.   Chances are good, it was me.

Because I tend to "jump ahead", I am familiar with having to take a deep breath and rip it out, and that's exactly what I did.  This time I knit the right gauge swatch, got the right gauge, changed the numbers and quickly re-knit.  The yarn was happy!

And so was the recipient!  A1 finally got it when she flew back to the States.  I held it hostage until she modeled for me though.

Here it is twisted twice.

She likes to wear it like this, in blustery England, at the bus stop.

After I finally finished this one, twice, it was like all the Madelinetosh skeins started screaming at once.  I tried to ignore them and work, but everytime I looked over they were pairing up, two by two, into the most amazing color combinations.  So, along came the black and pink for A3.  She is happily wearing that one.  Then I realized that I don't have one!  So, Black and green it is. 

 

I thought that might be the end, but there have been a few people who have requested the pattern.  It's up on Ravelry here.  There were a few more that requested finished cowls.  They will have to wait because the Noro Ayatori is shouting at me!  It demands to be made into a cowl as well.

A little finishing, a little beginning

First for the finishing, for a beginning.

This little newborn set is for a baby who seems to be slightly delayed.  Maybe he is just very polite and is waiting until he has some very soft hand knits to wear!

 

This is drying and almost ready to be worn.  It is the second one of these that I have knit.  Well, the third, actually, if you count the disaster.  Let's not talk about that right now.  It's too depressing and I will share with you the gnarly, knitterly details soon.  You might remember this colorway. That one is done too and being worn by me, until I have to give it away.

I'm very excited about this pattern but there are a few numbers I need to check and some knit wear models I need to photograph before it's completely done.  So, the items are knit but the "project" isn't exactly finished, which is actually a nice segue into beginnings.

I think it might be spring!  One of the nicest beginnings of all.

 

 

Scene in the studio Saturday- Make Something quick, you're late for work edition

There are a couple of projects I need to finish before going to spend some time communing with yarn.  I mean, before I go to work.  I need a card to go with the little MadTosh baby sweater.

 

 And I need to put together another baby sweater so I can move on to finishing a cowl pattern.  I mean, so I can go to work.  Note to self:  Go To Work!

 

I hope everyone has a lovely Saturday!

Scene in the Studio- Tissues, Cough Drops and Emergen-C edition

I seem to be battling the cold that never ends along with a few of my friends and colleagues.  I'm armed today with tissues, cough drops, some emergen-c and the energy that comes with finishing a few nagging projects. 

Earlier in the week, I made a lot of progress on a smattering of projects but I couldn't quite get any of them finished.  Finishing is important, especially when people have ordered items and you said, rather full of confidence, "That's no problem at all, they whip up really quickly."  Which they do, as long as you aren't throwing up, or coughing all night long or driving your children around to unplanned activities, but I digress. 

Today I finished some things and even packed them up nicely!

Some Lost Tooth Monsters for some friends that prefer not to knit.

All packaged up!

Finished hat and sweater, ready to wrap, for baby D!  So excited that he's here!

All that finishing made me want to do some starting too.

(extraneous yarn picture, but let's face it MadelineTosh looks beautiful in whatever form)

The start of a spring cowl.  The sun is warm but the wind is still cold.  I need to knit fast! 

Scene in the Studio- Yes, I know it's Tuesday edition

It's just been one of those weeks, or two weeks, I'm confused and trying to catch up.  We had a particularly vicious stomach virus roll through the family followed closely by a sore throat and cough combination.  This morning we woke up to snow, sleet and another day off school.  I think we are all ready for Spring here in the Northeast!

So, I'm trying to bring spring to the studio.

I've finished most of the baskets but due to the virus induced delay, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get the patterns written and put on Ravelry in time for the early Easter deadline.  I might have to accept defeat on this one.

I did finish the little sweater for J, and a jaunty beret to go with it.  Now the trick is getting it to her before the aforementioned Easter deadline.

On Friday, a dear friend had her baby  and I cast on a sweater with some left over MadelineTosh, immediately. 

(on Sunday morning)

(on Monday morning)  I love baby sweaters.  It just needs a hat.

There are also two Misc. skeins of MadelineTosh Vintage that begged to come home from work with me on Saturday.  I couldn't resist the colors! 

Hoping Spring has sprung where you are and that it is headed this way!

When a project screams "BEAD ME"...

you best just do what you're told.  I seem to have to learn this lesson over and over. (Yes.  I often have projects screaming one thing or another at me.  Don't you?) 

The Spring baskets have been sitting, quietly, waiting for me to finish them for the last couple of days.  Until I picked one up today, and it started demanding to be beaded.  I love the look of beads combined with knitting and other fibers, but frankly, it's persnickety work and it takes awhile. 

I have been working tirelessly on multiple crafting fronts for the past couple of days and I was in no mood for beading.  (This is when I should learn from the past, do what the project demands and save some time.)  I decided, instead, to needle felt some roving onto the basket to make it look like petals.  It was a sound idea but NOT what the project wanted.  I needle felted, and needle felted.  I stood back to look at it, promptly pulled all the roving off, grabbed some embroidery floss and beads.

 

I'm still working on it, but it looks a lot better then the needle felting.  I would like to say I've learned my lesson but...

Scene in the Studio, Sunday- Spring Forward edition

We've lost an hour of making time!  And sleep!   It's very distressing.  To compensate for the lost hour, I have been trying to knit extra fast.

Working on more Easter/ Spring Flower baskets,

 

a spring sweater for J,

 

a display for a friend's store,

and last, but not least, a stack of books that need to be read. 

On the bright side, we have more daylight for longer.  Enjoy!