bigger IS better

Posted on Posted in projects, Uncategorized


(flower of the day, multi-color lily)
seriously, this one lily plant has a variety of differently-colored flowers on it, from a solid deep mauve to white-with-pink-speckles. what’s up with that? it’s the only plant we have that did this . . . anybody else seeing weird lily behavior?

thank you all for the nice comments on my grandma’s knittingโ€”she was really good at it, without ever making a point of that. we are so lucky to have many examples of her work. she and her six sisters all knitted and crocheted, and used to have a weekly “crochet” club meetup (not, of course, restricted to crochet). my dream would be to collect examples of all their work, if my cousins are ever of a mind to let them go (while staying at one cousin’s house recently i saw an oldie with a big tear in one corner and i SO wanted to sneak it out of there . . .)

and today, i got and email from wendy, who sent a link to this. how cool is that?

i holed up all weekend so i could get some knitting done. a few of the things i’m working on are secret, but i learned one thing about myself.

i need a big project at all times. after i finished the triangle bee, i tried to “relax” by working on socks and small projects. that’s ok, but i found myself growing restless and straying to the computer a lot, where i’d end up wasting time. i didn’t get any more done on my socks than if i was trying to squeeze them in around a big project.

so i started one. i can’t show you (seriously, i’m not trying to tease). but let’s just say the world is right again.

BUT, i did finish my orchid lace mitt, and i think it’s so pretty . . .

i got started right away on mitt #2. it is so light and comfortable, and the lace details are so delicate

here’s a closeup of the thumb gusset. the fit is similar to my other mitts, but this one has the lace pattern to match the cuff.
the mitt is not blocked yet because i want to do both at the same time. i knit mine on size 2 (2.75mm) needles but for a smaller fit, using a 2.25mm or 2.5mm would do the trick. and these are long,

but there will be an option in the pattern for a shorter version too. the yarn is fearless fibers laceweight merino in the miracle colorway, same as the orchid lace scarf.

i also worked a lot last week on the rectangle bee pattern, which rachael and vanessa (can you believe her??) are test knitting as you read this. and look, vanessa’s is black! i LOVE it.

i worked on a couple of other secret projects to put toward fall submission deadlines that are coming up in september, but i also worked on the merlot vine socks for yarn4socks.com october sock club

almost done! now i have to think of the perfect way to end the cuff. the pattern actually is a rib, and it has a cool scalloped edge, so i was thinking of just using that all the way up. you can kind of see it here

and here

i’m not sure though . . . we’ll see.

and i also finally got my butt over to ravelry where i haven’t visited in AGES. jess and casey invited me very early on to participate, and i agreed, but i’ve had so little time to actually go over and play. but one or two “friends” have been hounding me to check it out, so i made a point this weekend to get myself there. and wow, has it grown since the last time i checked in. the place is a-flurry with activity. it’s a great resource for anyone who needs to know about a pattern or yarn before embarking on a project.

i think it’s great to have that forum for everyone to discuss designers and their work, and to browse projects in progress. since i would have to choose between spending time here and spending time there, though, i think i would like to stick to focusing my time here on my blog, where i can talk about the design process more, and share other parts of my life. ravelry isn’t really set up for designers to do that, and anyway, i like to do that at “home” so to speak.

but it was great to see so many familiar names there and finally put faces to them! i’ll keep checking messages and so forth, and i’ll keep my current projects more up to date from now on, too, but i’m hoping that people who see my work there, will continue to come here, where we can examine it more closely.

so, all in all a wonderfully quiet and very productive weekend.

a few notes:
this week we are trying to clean up the blog a bit so that it loads and runs faster. believe me, i am TOTALLY aware that it has been very slow. and i’m sure you are aware that i am hopelessly lost in web-land, and that change comes slow to my internet world.

since the beginning, we have experienced a wordpress glitch where, in order to keep my archives intact for you to see, it was necessary to allow the blog to load a full two months worth of posts (yes, i tried everything, but two [actual] web experts agree that it is a glitch in wordpress). we are going to try installing the newest wordpress update to fix that; we are hoping it will also fix the problem that some IE users have which makes my sidebar drop to the bottom of the page. tonight david is going to install the update, and hopefully tomorrow we will still be here, safe and sound.

and then my buddy rachel also gave me some pointers on getting the photo size down without sacrificing quality.
SO, over the next few weeks, i am going to take ALL the archived photos and reduce the size, so that everything loads better. that’s a fairly tedious and extensive project as you can imagine, with all the pictures i use, so the effect of that change will come more slowly.

hopefully none of this will affect YOU, but you never know . . .

37 thoughts on “bigger IS better

  1. But I love your big photos! The orchid mitts are “simply irresistable”!I can’t get that song out of my head!

  2. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, another new big project! I knew you wouldn’t be very long without one. Someone has to find the 50’s pattern for the afghan. I’ve always wanted to make one with different squares like that. Why, I think that one’s perfect–especically since I was born somewhere in that decade.

    The mitts are gorgeous. Want ’em. Love everything.

  3. Since I found your blog, I’ve really enjoyed reading about your design process and am glad to see it won’t change with the advent of Ravelry! I just finished my first shawl and while it wasn’t really complicated, I just kept thinking the whole time how much I am in awe of the designers–and so it’s very cool to see ‘inside your head’! And I have to say I simply LOVE those orchid lace mitts and can’t wait to be able to buy the pattern! Keep detailing!

  4. Anne, I was thinking of your grandma’s blankets again, and it reminded me of that post on Erika’s blog. Really, you’ve got to read that one, it is simply amazing, and you’ll love it!
    Besides, I really enjoyed the bit about what you’ve learned about yourself, that was quite interesting. I love when I discover things like that about me – or, more exactly, when I become aware enough to be able to verbalize them; that often feels great.
    Good luck with the update!

  5. That’s too funny about your projects. I like to categorize mine as (midi-con, no-con, or high-con; ie.e medium concentration, etc.) I can’t stand working on only one thing at a time; I find I get more done if I have a “project for every occasion”.

    Love your lilies, by the way. Mine bloomed while I was on vacation, so I was sad about that. Can’t wait to get your bee shawl in the mail! Can you believe I’m only down to TWO projects? It’s all in honor of the bee; I plan to devoted full time to her (as you’ve warned of her infidelity when it comes to other men in the household!)

  6. Do be careful, what would we do without you??

    PS I love those socks. They are the perfect kind, where clever meets pretty.

  7. Oooohh — Bee Field as a rectangle? Any idea when that will be available? I just got my yarn and pattern for the triangular version but would wait if it won’t be too terribly long as I actually prefer stoles to shawls.

  8. if you’re using photoshop, you might be able to program an action to resize things. That’s what I often do and it saves my sanity. You can even batch them so it does them all for you while you sit back, drink coffee and watch all of the windows open and close and resize and save all by themselves.

  9. love the lilies – mine are starting to bloom like gang busters – although i am a little afraid of the rain we had all day – hope they aren’t all washed away!

    still waiting patiently (not!) for my bee fields package … oh where oh where has my little bee gone… opps sorry wandered off there.

    anyway, cant wait to see the rectangular version – i did do a doubletake when i saw the photo on her blog!

  10. beautiful mitt,I think I may even prefer this lace unblocked but will decide after I will see it blocked. and I am totally in love with that sock!

  11. The mitt is really pretty–can’t wait to try it on! And you know how happy I am for the rectangular bee!
    I have never had to wait for your site to load–it’s always popped up right away. Big pics (which I love) and all.

  12. Anne, I adore the mitts. I have a passion for mitts like some people have for socks! lol And the Orchid pattern is perfect.

    I can’t wait to start the Bee shawl, but I’m waiting to finish Moth first. I’m in the middle of the Fir Cone repeats, but I’m plugging away on it!:)

  13. I completely agree with you about Ravelry! It is a great resource for finding patterns and seeing how people have interpreted them, but my blog is my home. It where you get ME. I don’t have time for the social aspects of Ravelry and I’m afraid we’re going to lose some great blogs because of it.

    Vanessa’s version of the Triangle Bee Shawl just about put me over the edge! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – YOU ARE GENIUS!

  14. I think I like the orchid mitts even more than the scarf. The opera length is fantastic.

    Can’t wait for the rectangular bee shawl. Can we preorder that?

    Oh, and I ordered a circular needle from Ed and Wanda Jenkins last week. Can’t wait to start using them!!!

  15. The Orchid Lace Mitts are pretty. The socks are gorgeous! I wonder if you are worried about the cast-off ruffling and how would you prevent it? I’m glad to see you on ravelry, but never fear! I will definitely keep reading your entertaining and detailed blog.

  16. rectangle bee!!! ::dancing for joy:: must save my pennies for some honey colored laceweight…

  17. rectangle bee!!! ::dancing for joy:: i was hoping that would happen right on the heels of triangle bee. i can’t wait to see photos.

  18. I love your blog and was going to order shawl patterns, but I don’t see the links anywhere anymore. Could you scoot me an email and let me know? I’m particularly interested in “Bee Fields” and “Wing O’ the Moth”. Thanks!

    Also…love the mitts, love the socks. And the serendipitousness of the Wendy afghan is wonderful.

  19. I know what you mean about the technical bloggy stuff, very frustrating. Your creations, as always, are inspiring.
    Best wishes

  20. The mitts are divine, but the SOCKS!!! Oh my, that swirl up the calf is sooooo gorgeous! Will the pattern someday be available outside of the sock club? (Oh, I just looked and I think they have a few slots left for October. uhoh)

  21. The orchid mitt is sensational! I have finally started a pair of delicato mitts in Schaefer Anne. It is working out so well.

    As a biologist, I find your multi-colored lily quite interesting. Many leaf variegations are due to movable pieces of DNA called transposons that can insert themselves in different genes causing changes. I don’t think that is what is going on in your lily, but I don’t know for certain. It’s very pretty!

  22. Good day, Anne!
    Sorry that I you distract.I understand that you are very busy. But you could not explain to me how sock in this your message are knitting.
    I live in Russia and this technics here did not meet.
    I am able to knit socks from a top.But I do not understand how you is knitting socks.
    Unfortunately, the company amazon.com does not send many books to Russia.
    Explain to me please when you will have time.
    P.S. Sorry for my bad English

  23. I like the idea of the scalloped edge – it will match the delicateness of the lace perfectly! I love how the pattern twirls around the leg. Another big project – can’t wait!

    I know a lot of people have discussed Ravelry replacing their blogs, but I think it’s more of an addition. On a blog you can talk a lot more about process and things….I like reading that!

  24. Bee Stole! Yea, I’d knit that. I love the triangle, but find myself wanting to knit stoles lately. The mitts are lovely too!

    Ravelry will be a useful tool, it’s great to look up yarns and what others are doing with patterns. It does take time to enter the info though. Agreed, discussion does work a lot better on the blog. Fortunately they have a feature to link you projects to blog posts.

  25. I think I’ve actually added _more_ blogs to my daily reads because of Ravelry ๐Ÿ™‚ Ravelry really handy for patterns & yarn & seeing an overview of what people are doing, but blogs are good for the non-knitting content and also more detail on what people are doing.

    I’m loving the orchid lace mitts!

  26. I’m glad you’ll be here sharing your design process with us. It’s fascinating. I get to squirrel away all sorts of ideas and inspirations and generally good things in my mind. Too bad the squirrels forget where they squirrel things.

  27. first of all, before i forget, what is rachels’ tip for making photos the *magic* size for quality and viewing?
    secondly, there’s ONLY 147 people infront of me on ravelry. i had received an invite 2 or 3 months ago, that became … nothing. so, i went to the site to sign up … on june 5th. hmmm … soon. though, as much as i am wanting to peruse it, i don’t really need anything to suck more time away from my knitting, crochet, or housework ๐Ÿ˜‰
    and yes, … i think i too need a “big” background project. i’m finding that i spend too much time trying to figure out the next socken yarn project … and that time i could use knitting on my blankies, or finishing other projects.
    happy knitting!

  28. Wow, you did a great job of redoing your blog. It really loads much faster and I like the links to your catalog on the top of the page, very nice.
    Thanks for saying what I needed to hear without me really even noticing, which is that I need a big project at all times too. I’ve been working on socks, but I’m getting a bit bored with it and spending too much time surfing rather than knitting. Good to know I’m not alone. The Orchid lace Mitts are beautiful and the sock is turning out wonderfully too.

  29. I’m sure you can tell by the fact that I’m *finally* replying to this post that I’m horribly behind in blog reading. I haven’t singled you out. I’m haven’t read any blogs lately. I guess that means I have singled you out, as yours is one of the first to be read. LOL

    Anyway, Love those lilies. I haven’t grown them, but have had other flowers in the past that did the same sort of thing. Fun! I love your new header. The mitts look great. The colorful socks are awesome. I’m dreading upgrading to the new WordPress. Hubby says it looks like a bear. I was hoping I’d be able to do it myself, but it doesn’t look that way. That means there will be swearing involved. Loud swearing. LOL Well, it’ll be nice when it’s evenutally done!

Comments are closed.