CanaryKnits Indie Designer Profile 10/30/09

I am humbled by the wonderful review of my work written by CanaryKnits. Thank you!

View the Indie Designer Profile of Seaside Knitting / Luome-Cloudberry here.

CanaryKnits writes new designer profiles each week, reviewing the work of different indie knitwear designers.

She also has many of her own designs posted. Check out some of her designs:

Swirlette

Arethusa

October Glory

to name a few.

Woolcott and Company becomes Personal Knitter

I was sad to read on Monday that Woolcott and Company in Harvard Square is closing its doors. Sean and the good folks at the shop did justice to the "local yarn store". I stopped by today to say farewell and inquire about any future projects they have in the works.

Turns out Sean has started the website Personal Knitter (www.personalknitter.com). Check it out.

Best wishes to Sean and his crew.

Ballybrae Fingerless Gloves - Making the thumb hole

Work the first 10 stitches on the hand portion of the glove, then turn and work back toward the edge.

Repeat this for a total of either 5 or 7 rows (small thumb or larger thumb) worked. You will end at the thumb hole.

Stop working on the 10 stitches and switch to working on the lower/longer part. You can either cut your yarn or just leave a long piece in between the last (10th) stitch and the first stitch on the lower/longer section.

Again, work the lower/longer part for 5 or 7 rows (match your work above the thumb hole). The next row (6 or 8 depending on what you have chosen) will be worked from the elbow toward the hand, and you will join the lower and upper sections together.

The moss stitch pattern should be seamless between the two sections.

Button Tip - why not make your own?!!

I love buttons as accents on my knitwear. They are simple, sophisticated, and fun! (I sound like a commercial for buttons....) But they really are.

I spent a moment in JoAnn Fabrics today looking at buttons. My usual choice for buttons is leather. And with the 2 for 1 sale the store was having, leather was a steal.

But then I also remembered the do-it-yourself isle. If you can't find the buttons you really want, or want to have unique buttons that perfectly complement the knitting project you have chosen, why not make the buttons yourself. You can get the button kit (parts for 3 or 4 buttons) for under $5 at your local fabric store. Then you can cover them with whatever you'd like - cotton fabric, knit fabric, silk, leather, velvet, lace, etc.

So for the Ballybrae Fingerless Gloves I'm currently knitting for myself with Queensland Kathmandu Aran in a tweedy grey, I'm going to make my own buttons. I'll use a pinstripe silk remnant that I got a long time ago at one of Erika Tanov's studio sales, and I will use 12 do-it-yourself 7/8" buttons.

Pattern Book Reviews: Knitting New Mittens & Gloves

As we enter Autumn, I've been thinking about knitting a new pair of mittens. As I discussed in my previous post about my beloved and well-worn Latvian mittens, I may need to add a fresh pair to my collection of daily-wear mittens.

One of the books I have been looking to for this project is Knitting New Mittens & Gloves by Robin Melanson. I could create my own pair, but I happen to actually really like a few pair Ms. Melanson has already designed, so....... support my fellow knitwear designer instead.

I have Raynaud's disease (Primary Raynaud's), so need really warm hand- and foot-wear. Fingerless gloves, while beautiful and lovely in Autumn, just don't cut it for me in the Winter months. In addition, gloves are the wrong choice for me too, as they keep the fingers separated and do not allow the same heat sharing space that mittens do. I have found mittens to be the most effective for Raynaud's in tandem with a good hat (I wear fleece lined wool), multiple layers of wool and down clothing, and doctor prescribed medication.

Returning to Knitting New Mittens & Gloves, Robin Melanson offers 28 patterns for gloves with and without fingers, cuffs, and mittens. There are designs using colorwork, cabling, beads, buckle and button accessories, and lace. There are no shortage of cool projects. The two I have been thinking about are Chevalier and Ceangaltas.

The Chevalier mittens in the book are knit with yarn from Garnstudio - Eskimo and Puddel. Both look like they would be very warm. In considering the pattern, I have also looked into using Filatura di Crosa Ricciolo for the cuff and Debbie Bliss Como for the mitten. The gauge is the same as the Garnstudio and the colors are more varied in these two yarns. I've also located the kilt straps on eBay.

As I am a fan of tweed yarns, I've also been considering the Ceangaltas mittens. The pattern calls for Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed, which is a mix of wool, cashmere and silk. Yum! However, these mittens don't look a thick as the Chevalier mittens, so they may be better for me as an occasional pair, rather than everyday mittens. I found the yarn on Jo Sharp's own website. Another place I often look is www.yarn.com (WEBS). However, as last look, they had only a few skeins left of a few colors.

I'm looking forward to knitting one or both of these patterns from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. I'll post photos and comments when I get going on the projects.

Cheers!

Pinwheel Coasters - Free Knitting Pattern for Home and Hearth

The latest pattern on the Free Patterns page is for the Pinwheel Coasters. Get the pattern here.

The pattern makes use of short-row shaping and can be used for coasters, placemats, pillows or any other number of home items. Just increase or decrease the number of cast-on stitches in order to adjust the overall size of the finished piece.

I used Patons Silk Bamboo for the sample. The yarn is really soft and has a lovely sheen. Any DK weight (Light 3) or other yarn, for that matter, can be used with the pattern.

Enjoy!

Gentle Breeze Gloves - Free Pattern

The pattern for the Gentle Breeze Gloves are now free on Ravelry.com, as well as Seaside Knitting Patterns.

My Knitting Niche - My Brand

So on Monday of this week, I received in the mail a “no, thank you” from Christmas Crafts Co-op, the organization that runs the Harvard Square Holiday Fair.

That got me thinking again. What exactly is the direction that I want my business to go in? What is my brand, and how can I understand it in order to better communicate with more customers?

I love creating patterns, and I love knitting. But I’m not a volume knitter. Nor do I produce a high volume of inexpensive items on a regular basis. I am a beauty broker, and I offer my customers a custom experience when they order my knitwear and patterns.

It is probably a good thing that I was not able to book a spot at the Holiday Fair, as I don’t think I would have been able to produce the volume of items needed to sell to the general public over several days. Many of my patterns take time to knit, like the Winter Solstice Cuffs, for example. And the price point ends up being so high, after materials and labor, that I might have been quite unsuccessful at a crafts fair.

Of late, I’ve been thinking similar thoughts about my Etsy Shop. I need to increase the volume of items listed. I sell patterns there, and with 11 patterns already listed, I feel good about my business in that area. However, I should increase my Ready-to-Wear lot. I bet people would come around a bit more if they saw garments that could be shipped right away, rather than just custom Knit-to-Order listings.

My success on Ravelry.com has been quite good. I have sold many patterns, and quite a few folks have begun projects using my work. As a business woman. this has been very satisfying, and, as a knitter, it has been really nice to share my love of handiwork with others.

The question is really who I am - my brand - and how I can understand and communicate it to my customers in order to increase sales.

I have submitted several patterns to Interweave Knits and Creative Knitting, but none have yet to be accepted. These may or may not be the appropriate venues for my designs; there are many knitting magazines out there that accept submissions. I am not deterred. We’ll see what happens with my winter Knitty submission in the coming months. I think that patterns are my business’ strength, so I will continue to concentrate on getting them out there.

At present, my goal is to publish a book of knitting patterns with a publishing house. That would be fantastic. What I need to do is figure out exactly what my knitting niche is - my brand - so that I can communicate this through a winning proposal!

Latvian Mittens

This is my favorite pair of mittens. I’ve had them for 15 years, and they have been my constant companion. I’ve repaired them several times, and they are once again in need of fixing.

I bought them on a trip to Helsinki, Finland, in the spring of 1994. At the time, I was an exchange student at the University of Bergen (Universitetet i Bergen) studying Folklore.

During spring break in March, a fellow American and I decided to go to St. Petersburg. We took the train to Oslo, then Stockholm, took a boat to Turku, and on to Helsinki on another train. Our journey was long, but worth it. After a stay in Helsinki, we travelled on to St. Petersburg by train, stopping once to change tracks (as the tracks are different widths on either side of the Finland/Russia border).

While in Helsinki, we visited a small shop that sold hand-knit gloves, hats, scarves, and the like. Unfortunately, I no longer remember the name, but I remember the shop being near the Lutheran Cathedral. I found my mittens there, and at the time, I did not know that the motifs on the mittens were Latvian.

After retuning from my studies in Norway, and while in graduate school at Indiana University, I purchased the book Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis in 1997. I had become quite an avid knitter by that time, and I kept myself busy through Indiana’s winters knitting big and small projects. While looking through Ms. Upitis’ book, I found a pair of mittens depicted which are almost identical to the ones I purchased in Helsinki: Kurzeme, Liepajas (see picture below). It looks like the knitter who made my mittens omitted a portion of the pattern and used a different cast-on.

In 1997, I also began knitting another pair of mittens in Ms. Upitis’ book: Kurzeme, Susjas (see pictures at the bottom).

As my wonderful mittens have become thread-bare in several places, I have also thought about knitting another pair of them from the instructions in Latvian Mittens. There is a graph for my mittens (109) on page 82. The mittens I bought were knit with cotton or a cotton blend. The colors are vibrant and they have not really pilled at all. I’m thinking to use KnitPicks’ Palette fingering yarn, as they have so many colors, and the yarn is 100% wool and fairly soft. Ms. Upitis recommends using wool yarn. This will be an experiment, but one I look forward to. I’ll post the progress and results as I undertake the project.

Cheers!

More from Bear Brand - Bucilla

Bear Brand - Bucilla made wonderful 1930s and 1940s fashions as well.

The pamphlet on the left is dedicated to Gloves and Mittens (volume 19, 1944) and the one on the right (volume 310) includes designs for women, men, children, and pets (see bottom):

Pictorial Review - Book of Crocheting and Knitting

One of my favorite vintage pattern books is the Pictorial Review: Book of Crocheting and Knitting.

The photographs are so elegant and stylized, and I just want to knit and be adorned in their knitwear.

Pictorial Review

Book of Crocheting and Knitting

Number Nine

Folklore and Knitting

I learned to knit while I was an exchange student at the University of Bergen (Universitetet i Bergen). Little did I know that knitting, like Folklore, would become a pursuit close to my heart.

I came from the University of California, Berkeley, where I was an Anthropology major and has studied with many wonderful professors, namely Alan Dundes and Jim Deetz. In Bergen, I had the fortune of studying with Bente Alver and Torunn Selberg.

After returning from the University of Bergen and finishing my studies at Cal, I went on to graduate school at the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. I owe a professional and personal debt of gratitude to my professors there and in the Nordic countries - Henry Glassie, Beverly Stoltje, Warren Roberts, Dick Bauman, Barbro Klein, Perti Antonen, and Stein Roar Mathisen - for inspiring me toward that which I love.

It was at Indiana University that I solidified my love of the study of traditional handicraft and textile arts. I focused my attention once again on Scandinavia, completing a dissertation that featured the work and words of Sami handicraft artists: Sami Artistry, Identity, and Indigenism in Museums and Markets. I owe that same debt of gratitude to the artists I met in Sapmi - Lars Pirak, Helge Sunna, Lisbeth Kielatis, Sara Walkeapaa, Thomas Magnusson. Their commitment to artistry and personal truth has continued to move and inspire me.

It was definitely through my studies, and also through the moments I spent not studying, that I found my passion in knitting. Knitting is itself a form of folklore. But for me it has become so much more.

Become a Fan of Seaside Knitting Patterns on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seaside-Knitting-Patterns/155820873144?ref=ts

Box-Pleat Top pattern alteration suggestion from fellow Ravelry knitter

Fellow Ravelry.com knitter gertrudskein suggested the following alteration for the Box-Pleat Top pattern:

“I did a tubular cast-on on US1 Addis (which are the bigger kid of US1) and two rows of 1x1 rib to prevent curling.”

Thanks gertrudskein for a great suggestion!!

Ballybrae Soft Clutch on Witty Knitty

Check out a red version of the Ballybrae Soft Clutch on Witty Knitty:

http://reyrae.livejournal.com/18145.html

Corticelli Knitting and Crochet Pattern Books

Along with pattern books from Bear Brand - Bucilla are those from Corticelli.

This company offered yarns and fabrics, and their pattern books are lovely to look through.

I purchase old pattern books and pamphlets from eBay and other dedicated vintage knitting pattern sites.

Bee’s Knees Cloche - Construction

I was inspired by the cloches of the 1920s for the Bee’s Knees Cloche. The knitwear of the early 20th century often featured an interesting decoration or accent.

I’m keen on garments that have unexpected features, but that are simple to construct. The Bee’s Knees Cloche is simple to knit - double moss and stockinette stitches - but offers a nice twist (literally) on the band.

The mock bow construction and body shaping are shown below:

Great Book - Make Your Own Shoes by Mary Wales Loomis

(Originally posted Wednesday, September 23, 2009)

For the last several weeks, I’ve been dreaming of shoes - shoes (and boots) with knitted uppers. Not slippers. Chic footwear with heels!!!! That’s what I want to make.

And today, I received in the mail a great book: “Make Your Own Shoes” by Mary Wales Loomis. She takes you through all of the steps of making your own shoes (as the title suggests). But what really impressed me as I looked through it was her clarity and attention to step-by-step instructions.

I’m really looking forward to getting started on my first pair of shoes. I’m expecting it to be a challenge. But a fun one.

If you want to check out her book, or buy a copy, go to her website

http://www.marywalesloomis.com/