Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Sock It to You...Next Book

Best Quote I Heard All Day

"I hate writing, I love having written"--Dorothy Parker

Last weekend, I went to New Hope PA, where my dear Dorothy Parker lived with her husband Alan Campbell, who was an actor at the Bucks County Playhouse. They lived in Bucks County for a while. You know that Dorothy is my writing queen; however, some of her quotes, like this one, are bullshit. And Dorothy Parker was a Jersey girl, born in Long Branch, Monmouth County, in 1893.

Madame Author...Mar, My Nickname

Knitting and writing activities keep my brain functional. So I'm going to create a book with all my sock designs in it. Yes, "Sock It To You" is the title. Currently, I've been screwing around with a sock design for which I've hunted for the proper yarn. My titles are all comic.

This sock I've entitled "Chevron Chase Socks." Yes, Chevy Chase is one of my beloved comedians, although he hasn't been doing much lately.. Chevy is now 71 and I hope he ain't retired.

So my work on the Chevron Chase design has been constant. I finally found a sock yarn that flies!
This yarn is KFI Indulgence 6Ply. Needed a stripe sock yarn so that the chevron stitch is attacked. Initially, I tried the pattern on Mini  m Crystal Palace Mini Mochi. Didn't work at all, although I loved the Rainbow colors.
Got a pile of sock designs for this book, although I have to design toe-up socks too. I prefer top-down but was thinking that I should provide both techniques for each design. Dunno if I want to do that. But will add top-down designs eventually. 

The directions are written for double-pointed needles but I use the Magic Loop technique, always. And I provide my gusset improvement technique too. Way back when, July 7, 2010, wrote that here. 

Winner Winter Designs

My darling nephew, Nicholas, asked Auntie Marilyn to make him a knitted cap. So I was happy to design something for him and for cold weather. Yes, making this using Magic Loop.



Well, time to get back to knitting, due to the hideous snow outside. Have a nice Thanksgiving, skanks!

Monday, November 03, 2014

Lace Stitch Pattern Designing

Best Quote I Heard All Day

"Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works."--Steve Jobs, Cofounder, CEO, and Chairman of Apple Inc.

My Lace Stitch Pattern Designing

Lately lace is my knitting addiction. And I taught myself how to design a lace stitch pattern. Creating lace patterns is drawing with decreases and yarn overs. Lately I've been working on a lace scarf with my initial lace design. It's Ellie's Heart. 
I photographed it on my pattern chart, using the magnet bars to stretch it out. Metza metz!

Back when Mom was alive and my knitting best friend, she frequently asked me to design a lace scarf for her. Now that she is gone, I decided to design my first lace stitch pattern with Mom in my heart. The stitch pattern I entitled "Ellie's Heart." The laceweight is Reywa Fibers Bloom, 50% Yak Down, 50% silk. What the fuck is Yak Down? Never had heard of it. I did a Google search and discovered the Yak. Here's the Wikipedia info. Yaks are cute! Here's a Yak.

This lace weight is lovely; however it's skinny for laceweight. Working with #0 needles ain't easy because the needles are too large for this. I may switch the yarn for the Ellie's Heart Scarf. 

Today's Quote Shit

Steve Jobs was my IT love. Back in 1984, I began working on a computer, it was the initial Macintosh. As the Knitting Editor for MacKnit, the knitting machine magazine, our publisher bought it and I taught myself how to create graphics. Here's the cover of a 1986 issue. It's available on Amazon! 
This was one of the final issues, due to the crazy publishers, who screwed up the business and decided to dump the magazine so they could declare bankruptcy. Yes, I was the Knitting Editor on this issue.

Glad I felt like writing the blog again. Writing while I'm sitting home sans a job, I feel like I'm operative. My depression is improved. Still looking for a job; however, I will never stop blogging. Am about to write a book, probably a sock designs ebook. And having talked to Shannon Okey at Rhinebeck, will submit to Cooperative Press

So Tonstant Weaders, I'm gonna keep blogging every week. Many of my readers became real friends. So see ya in MD Sheep & Wool next May, I hope.