knitting 8 - Indie Untangled

A soundtrack for knitting

Music has always been a big part of my life. The interests section of my AOL profile (remember those?) in the late 1990s was crammed full of bands, and it was a big thing my husband and I bonded over when we first become friends in college. One of our first conversations went something like, “Have you listened to Pulp?” “Of course! Different Class was one of the greatest albums of the ’90s.” When we first started dating,…

Travel knitting

I never used to love long plane or car rides until I started knitting. When I traveled to my brother’s wedding in Australia in 2008, the 20-plus hour journey (which was fortunately broken up over two days after our flight to LA was delayed because of bad weather) seemed interminable — even after watching all of Gone With the Wind and Out of Africa. Going back two years ago,…

» Read more about: Travel knitting »

Cowl-a-palooza 2, Electric Boogaloo

When I first saw Duck Duck Wool‘s Boys and Berries colorway, I knew I had to have it. The opportunity came at the Rhinebeck Trunk Show. There wasn’t a whole lot left when I finally got to visit Sandra’s table, which had been mobbed. And there it was: the shiny pink-purple that most people who know me would call a Lisa Color.

I would have taken a bunch of skeins,…

Pre-Rhinebeck Untangling: Rochelle of Lucky Lucille

Each time I visit Lucky Lucille, I’m instantly struck with the urge to take out my sewing machine and start whipping up cute 1940s-style dresses. Never mind the fact that I can’t sew a straight line to save my life, and that I consider fabric glue one of my best discoveries this year, but in the meantime, I can live vicariously through Rochelle New’s crafting blog.

Rochelle also recently took up knitting (she even created her own pattern),…

Knitting indie: The perfect sweater with Custom Fit

When I first started knitting sweaters a few years ago, I thought, Finally, here’s a way I can make clothes that fit me perfectly. Like pretty much every woman who has ever stood, frustrated, in a dressing room, I don’t always have an easy time buying things off the rack. I’m just barely 4’9”, with narrow shoulders and curves, and while I’ve found LOFT and Banana Republic to offer a decent range of petite styles that fit pretty well,…

A sweater expert’s advice on alternating skeins

Ed.’s note: When I knit a garment with hand-dyed yarn, I often waste a lot of time hemming and hawing before ultimately deciding to alternate. The one time I didn’t, with my Urban, it turned out beautifully, but I did consult with Expert Sweater Knitter Yelena Dasher before making that decision. So, I decided to again turn to Yelena, this time asking her to share some advice on when to alternate….

Tag, I’m it!

I was planning to introduce you all to Yelena Malcolm’s fabulous knitting/style blog when I ran her next guest blog post, but she kindly tagged me in the Creative Blog Hop last Friday, so I’ll give you a bit of a head start. Yelena’s not only a talented and prolific sweater knitter, but she has impeccable style. And while I don’t know if I could ever master trekking across NYC in high heels,…

» Read more about: Tag, I’m it! »

Untangling: Astral Bath Yarns

As an artist, Ridgely Schantz has long brought colors to life on paper and canvas. A few years ago, she added wool to the list, unleashing such striking and complex colorways as Famous Blue Raincoat and Scheherazade on the knitting world. (Seriously. The names of her colors — inspired by mythology, alchemy, movie titles and many other things — are almost as awesome as the colors themselves.)

Only weeks after learning to knit,…

What to stash this week: tennis, anyone?

I should probably get to swatching for my Waterlily (I plan to start it soon, but also need to finish the Aphasia I’m knitting in honor of a friend’s wedding), but if I had time to knit All The Things, I’d get Sarah Hurwitz’s Creamsicle on my needles right away. The sample is shown in Kettle Yarn Co. Wimbledon, a superwash Merino sport, in Sorbet and Melon Balls,…

Knitting indie: Ready for spring (and for winter Down Under)

Even though it was a bit windy in New York over the weekend, the weather could not have been more perfect for the debut of my latest FO. Those of you who subscribe to the newsletter will be happy to know that my French Cancan shawl was finished and dry in time to wear to Jess and Kip’s wedding brunch with my springy ModCloth dress (see blurry selfie here)….

Tag: knitting