Sagebrush Shrug

The Sagebrush pattern is up!


Pattern is available as a free downloadable pdf on its Ravelry page.


I'll post more about it in the next couple days ... but I'm running out the door and just wanted to let you know that the pattern is ready!

Taos magic

Back to Taos ... magical land of rainbows

and alpacas

and knitting and rock climbing

and heavenliness all around.

I was working intensively on another secret shawl project for a while (revealed soon!) so I still haven't finished the sagebrush shrug. But I picked it up again on yesterday's climbing trip to Tres Piedras, and I expect to finish it up this very evening!

steamed and seamed

I blocked out the sagebrush lace and seamed it for an inch or two on either side, and this is the state of things now:


Looks a lot different, doesn't it? Blocking is truly magic for lace.

I could stop now if I wanted to keep the scalloped edging, but I think a couple inches of ribbing around the edges will make it more wearable for me (longer and less granny-like). I'm going back to Taos next week, so it'll be the perfect place to celebrate its finishing.

progress

I'm almost done knitting the main part of my sagebrush shrug. It's in a stitch pattern that I half made up, combining the increase/decrease patterns of Crest of the Wave with the staggered, half-drop repeats of Fir Cone.


It looks so strange and misshapen now that it's hard to imagine what it will become. But the lace pattern will bloom once it's blocked. Then the rectangle will be folded into a cylinder and seamed for an inch or so at either end to make armholes. The last step will be to add ribbing the openings.


I should have just enough yarn (I hope!) to get it where I want it. It's always kind of an adventure that way.

muslin & lace

I'm back in Phoenix now, back in the land of staggering heat and sun.

All I want is to retreat to the interior of the house, pull the shades, and wear something so light and loose that it barely touches my skin. So, I pulled out my sewing machine and made a mid-thigh muslin muumuu.


It's totally unflattering but just the thing to wear when it's 114 degrees out there in the desert.

If I'd had a finer fabric, I might have used it. But I had yards and yards of this muslin and didn't feel like venturing out. Anyways, I like it. It's crisp, clean, old-fashioned.


The construction was simple, although it did take some time to figure out the sizing. The body is just two trapezoids - a slimmer one for my back and a wider one to be gathered for the front - with a wide band and crocheted cotton trim for the straps. I do especially like the straps.


In other cool white cotton crafting news .... I finished a project that I'd been secretly working on for some months. It's an organic cotton blanket, circular, with a dramatic lace edging.


I'm writing up the pattern and will release it, oh, I don't know, in the next couple of months. It's definitely a summery pattern, although it could be a wintry pattern in a fine white wool.

swatching for sagebrush

When I talk about being inspired by sagebrush, this is exactly the blue-gray-green palette and undulating texture that I want to capture:


I've been thinking a lot about how to turn this into a knit fabric. Remember, this is the yarn I'm starting with: a tussah silk and wool blend from La Lana in subtle hues of sky blue and celadon green. (The colors change dramatically with the light, so it's rather hard to photograph.)


You might be surprised that for a "sagebrush" inspired project, I haven't picked something more intensely green. Truth is, there's rather little green in the Taos sagebrush, at least to my eye. It's often more of a soft, milky blue-gray, depending on the light and the particular plant. Put a few sprigs of sagebrush next to the true greens of cedar and yarrow, and you can really see that ...


(And admittedly, I would've picked something with a little less blue and a little more gray, but this was the best yarn color in the shop that I found at the time.)

So now I've been swatching, swatching, swatching. Crest O' The Wave, Ostrich Plumes, Fir Cone, and several variations. Trying to find something that speaks of coarse, woody shrubs that at a distance blend into a soft, rippling sea.


After two feet of swatching, I think I've finally figured it out ...

Taos fibers

I can't stand having my hands idle. After prematurely running out of yarn, I skipped off to the yarn shop, thrilled to have an excuse to treat myself to La Lana's luscious naturally-dyed Taos yarns. I bought a tussah silk and wool blend yarn (Tussah Phat Silk Fine) to make a sagebrush-inspired shrug:


And a few skeins of their wool-mohair DK yarn (Dos Mujeres), along with a skein of Lupine-dyed silk-wool, to make an artistic colorwork hat and mittens set for the winter. (Have I mentioned that I'm moving back to Boston for a year, starting in September? I'm not excited about it, but it does give a reason to knit mittens.)


I haven't cast on for anything yet -- still in the dreaming, sketching, and planning stages -- but I had one more fiber-related activity to fit in last night. My friend and I sat out in the evening, watching the thunder clouds over Taos Mountain, drinking wine and carding alpaca fiber.


It's no wonder that whenever I come to Taos, I never want to leave!

the end of the yarn

This is the unfortunate reality that I came up against this evening.


I have run out of yarn, at least for the time being. I am tantalizingly close to being finished with this shawl -- only four "cactus" motifs left in the edging! -- but I'm afraid that it will have to wait a while yet until I get home to the spare yarn.


I typically waaay overpack yarn when I'm traveling, because running out of yarn is one of my least favorite things in the world. But this time I dashed out the door with a very conservative estimate of how much yarn I'd need to finish the project. I hate it when I miscalculate!


Anyways, I suppose I should look on the bright side. The shawl is turning out just as I'd imagined. And now I have something to look forward to in Phoenix (not usually the case during the summer)!

Colorado bits and pieces

Summer is already flying by at a whirlwind speed. I've been in Colorado for nearly a week now, first for a wedding, then to do dissertation research in the CU archives in Boulder. Along the way, here and there, I've been pulling out my shawl and making progress on the lace border, now 2/3 finished ...


This is the shawl that I cast on during the Grand Canyon roadtrip. It's in fawn alpaca, with a deep crescent shape and a filagree border that is knitted on at the end. It's hard to see now in its unfinished, unblocked state, but it's meant to be my homage to the cactus wren. (I'll tell you the whole story when it's finished.)

Here in Colorado, though, what it really evokes is teasel, which grows with weedy abandon in roadsides and meadows.


By the way, did you know that teasel has a history in fiber processing? Apparently the dried flower heads were used as primitive carders.

One last comical story before I sign off and start my drive back to Taos. Mountain Man and I went for a hike in the mountains above Boulder the other evening, and look what curiosity greeted us on the trail:


Yes, that is a man hiking with his pet goat, who, by the way, is outfitted with custom leather saddlebags. We chatted with him about it for a few minutes, took photos of the goat, and smiled all the rest of the hike.

It's been a disaster of a week for my crafting, but a good week for adventures. I thought I'd share with you a handful of photos from our hot air balloon ride this early morning in Taos ...










It's the most peaceful thing in the world to float through in the air in a hot air balloon.

Summer Solstice Dress

Just in time for the solstice, I sewed myself a fiery sundress in "Pompeian Red" linen.


I was just winging it: I traced out an A-line skirt, adjusted the back darts, added a bodice panel, sewed in a zipper down the back seam, and then fashioned triangles for the top.


The triangles turned out a little more risque than I intended. Also, the back darts are uneven. And it's unlined. And the zipper's a bit off. But I'm going to wear it anyways.


I'm trying to think about my sewn garments as learning pieces at this point rather than stress about their imperfections. It's hard, though. I'm used to being a perfectionist with my knitting, and it's tough learning to be a beginner again.


But I do genuinely want to get good at this, so I am working on keeping my perfectionist mind at bay. And in this case, I'm pretty damn pleased with what I worked out!

growing madder

Today was a gardening day. I thought I'd share with you the full extent of my dye garden: one rambling madder plant


Last spring, I had exceedingly ambitious plans for a dye garden. I planted woad, lady's bedstraw, madder, kota, and dyer's coreopsis. Between the arid air, the harsh sun, and the insects, only a single madder plant made it to maturity.

But that one plant is thriving. It survived last summer and stayed green through the winter freezes, and it's been growing like mad (ha!) this spring and summer.


It's completely filled the whiskey barrel and is overflowing with spindly stalks and scratchy leaves. I must say, it's not a very appealing plant. But it makes my heart swell when I peek underneath the plant and see those ruddy roots, knowing that they'll one day be simmered up into a earthy brew of orange dye:


Madder plants need to be at least three years old before you can harvest them for the roots, so this plant has one more year to go. I'm trying to encourage the stems to set more roots by layering them under the soil here and there where they flop on the ground. With luck, I'll have madder for years to come!

roadtrip

Mountain Man and I took ourselves on a wee roadtrip adventure last week: climbing in Southern California, drinking lattes in L.A., camping in the desert northeast of Las Vegas, taking in the beauty of Zion and the Grand Canyon, hiking in Flagstaff, and finally descending home into the heat of the low desert.

Joshua Trees at dawn

As you can imagine, with that much driving, there was much knitting. I finished a secret and substantial project on the drive to L.A., and after that I worked on an experimental shawl in fawn alpaca.

Knitting at the Grand Canyon

During the trip, I felt like I was bursting with scenes and stories to share, but now that I'm back, those thoughts have quieted down. What I'm really left with is a strong impression of the desert color palette - blue sky, pink rocks, green vegetation - and a sense of peacefulness. I'd like to be better at "unplugging" like that even when I'm home.

Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge

Sea Urchin - Pattern

[Note: you can download this pattern as a PDF by clicking here]

Whimsical, bobbled sea urchin, knit in soft wool and felted into a sturdy and intriguing ovoid, about the size of the palm of your hand. Use it as a pincushion, toy, or displayable curiosity.


Materials
Yarn: 15-20 yards of Cascade Ecological Wool (100% wool, 250g/478yds), color 8010 (note: both worsted and bulky weight yarn will work in this pattern)
Needles: US 10.5 (6.5 mm) double pointed needles
Notions: tapestry needle; stuffing (wool roving, fabric scraps, synthetic filling, etc.)

Size
Gauge: 14 stitches and 18 rows = 4" (gauge measured before felting)
Size: Finished, stuffed sea urchin is approximately 3.5" across and 2.25" high


Abbreviations
B3 = 3-stitch bobble: K1,P1,K1 into next stitch; turn and K3; turn and Sl1-K2tog-PSSO
B4 = 4-stitch bobble: K1,P1,K1,P1 into next stitch; turn and K4; turn and Sl1-K2tog-PSSO
K = knit
K2tog = knit two together
Kfb = knit into the front and back of the next stitch
P = purl
PSSO = pass slipped stitch(es) over the knit stitch
Sl = slip knitwise

Pattern

Cast on 14 stitches. Divide stitches among 3 double-pointed needles and join in a circle.Round 1: Knit

Round 2: [K1, Kfb] 7 times (21 stitches)

Round 3: Knit

Round 4: [K2, Kfb] 7 times (28 stitches)

Round 5: Knit

Round 6: [K3, Kfb] 7 times (35 stitches)

Rounds 7, 9, 11: K3, [B4, K6] 4 times, B4, K3

Rounds 8, 10, 12: Knit

Round 13: K3, [B3, K6] 4 times, B3, K3

Round 14: K2, [Sl1, K2tog, PSSO, K4] 4 times, Sl1, K2tog, PSSO, K2 (25 stitches)

Round 15: K2, [B3, K4] 4 times, B3, K2

Round 16: Knit

Round 17: K2, [B3, K4] 4 times, B3, K2

Round 18: K1, [Sl1, K2tog, PSSO, K2] 4 times, Sl1, K2tog, PSSO, K1 (15 stitches)

Round 19: K1, [B3, K2] 4 times, B3, K1

Round 20: [Sl1, K2tog, PSSO] 5 times (5 stitches)

Break yarn, leaving a 6" tail. Thread yarn tail on a tapestry needle and draw through remaining stitches. Sew in ends.

Felt the sea urchin by machine (toss into a hot or warm wash) or by hand (soak in hot water with a dash of soap and gently rub with your hands). When it's felted to your desired dimensions, rinse and let dry.

Stuff the sea urchin. To close the opening at the bottom, thread about 8" of yarn onto your tapestry needle and take small running stitches around the opening. Pull tightly to close the hole. Tie the ends of the yarn in a knot and hide them inside the sea urchin.

Enjoy!

Sea Urchin

Feeling whimsical, I knit myself a sea urchin pincushion.


Conceived, knit, felted, and finished in a couple of hours.

Free pattern to come in the next few days ...

sewing/swatching

I sewed myself a dress this weekend. Not my off-the-cuff primitive feed sacks of the past, but a real frock!


Sort of real, at least. It was my "swatch dress," my vehicle for learning how to set zippers and fit patterns, in a simple cotton muslin. It was definitely a learning experience. I can't even begin to tell you how many seams I had to rip, how many curses I uttered over the zipper, and how close I came to throwing it out in a fit of fury. But, however slowly, it came together.

It's amateurish, and, admittedly, not the most flattering garment (in such a crisp fabric, it puffs out like a balloon below the bodice!). But I learned a lot and expect to wear it anyways, and the next one that I make will go twice as well. If you're interested, the pattern is Cynthia Rowley, Simplicity 2587.


In other swatching news, I've been testing out a couple of yarns to make another version of my Vermont shawl. These are the base yarns for swatching. The final yarn will, of course, be a lovely green.