(flower of the day, pepper)
heh, the pepper plants are so full of peppers right now that they’re falling over. but i’ve found that when i don’t have time to deal with them, the best place to store them is right on the stalk. they seem to be able to sit out there, getting fat, for an incredibly long time before bad happens. although, when the plants fall down under the weight, it might be time to pick ’em.
thank you for all your lovely emails about my throw in knitty, which came out yesterday.
but really, my hat goes off to chris at briar rose, who sent this great big bundle of abundance for me to try (oh boy, shoot me now, PLEASE. i just went over there to grab the link and saw the abundance in colorway olives. i should never go over there. i should NOT).
at first it was a head-scratcher as to what i would do with this exuberant chunky yarn. i was pretty sure a sweater for me was out. then one day i was sitting here working (trying to ignore chris’ email that i should submit something to knitty . . . i was busy) and suddenly i remembered a leaf stitch motif in a book that i’d been dying to knit. i hadn’t used it yet because it was so large. in my mind i could see it even bigger, worked up in this bright chunky yarn.
hhmmmm . . . big bold yarn + big bold stitch + fall issue knitty + keeping chris happy = THROW.
dude, the force of it made my chair jerk back, hard.
can you say “don’t fall and hit your head running to the yarn closet”??
(david is getting pretty good at it . . .)
and wow, the throw just FLEW off the needles. i was blocking that puppy before i got used to the big needles. which, BTW, were a special gift from wanda and ed, in a unique size with unmatched woods. precious. (and so useful.)
so thanks again for taking time to tell me you saw it; i hope you enjoy knitting it, too.
(i call this shot blanket at sunset because it’s a blanket. and the sun is setting)
now, vivi emailed me the other day to let me know about tricot du coeur, a site she has put together for a good cause. she is part of a group that is knitting blankets for the Victory Junction Gang. please go over, read all about it, and give her a shout-out; she’s doing a wonderful thing!
and how about that poll the other day on what i should do with the eggplant yarn?
let’s just say that if all the rectangle voters came to my house we have to have some traffic control in place.
the truth is that lis and i had already more or less decided on doing a simple rectangle stole, but i still like to get a beat on what everyone is looking for. it also tells me if this might be a good project to do two ways.
our plan was to offer something fairly simple, in one piece, along the lines of the japanese feather stole (which she adores).
i’m thinking of going to mexico with this one. it will be all about the edging, with something simple in the center panel. i’m going to swatch this weekend, so i should have pictures to show you soon. i made a small mistake in my original post and said the yarn was laceweight, but it’s actually fingering weight—which i love; it makes a nice cozy piece, but is still light enough to wear while moving around. i can’t wait to dig in.
(BTW, for those that have a yen for a different shawl shape altogether, i am pretty sure that the winter months will bring more variety to my shapes, so stay tuned.)
meanwhile, since i finished my little deadline project, and have just the snow on cedar mitts on the needles right now, i went ahead and swatched for my sweater. wheee!
what i need right away is a little cardigan. not too tight, but not a big baggy one either. just a nice classic fit. the yarn is another briar rose fiber—grandma’s blessing. it’s a superwash merino sport yarn that makes great, long-wearing socks that don’t pill—a good choice for an everyday sweater i think. the gorgeous red color i have was custom-dyed by chris for what i thought would be a shawl, but is now going to be this sweater.
i know exactly what i want in terms of the sweater shape. i originally thought about doing narrow cables, but decided that would be too heavy a fabric. i want something fairly flat, that wears comfortably. here’s my swatch on size 3 needles in the stitches i like (that there appendage at the upper right is a sort of test for a tiny shawl collar)
the fabric felt a little loose and i wasn’t sure if i should go down a needle size . . . i’m not trusting my intuition about that after being away from sweater knitting for so long. normally, i try to knit on the largest needle possible while still having a nice fabric (i’m a lazy, lazy knitter). but loads of sock knitting has got me used to tighter fabrics, and now i’m not sure. plus, it’s superwash yarn, which tends to loosen up with washing.
so i soaked it, to see how that might change it.
now, my sweaters of the past that i knit to a looser gauge are all fine . . they are comfortable and seem to wash and wear nicely without becoming shapeless. and i don’t want a stiff sweater—no way. those just seem to irritate me over the course of a day, and they don’t drape nicely either. they have their own shape and do not take on MY shape. if the fabric is too springy it feels like an elastic bandage on me.
i am, after all, a sensitive and delicate thing.
(you can stop snorting now, and wipe the coke off your face while you’re at it.)
i just felt i needed to be sure. so i started a sleeve-as-a-swatch on the smaller needles
(ok, i’ll come clean; i’m mostly including this photo to show the best representation of the rich red color . . isn’t it amazing? unfortunately, it doesn’t photograph this well in all light—arrrgghh!)
the sleeve is too wide and the fabric is a bit stiff. not terrible, but maybe not great. i’m still not sure.
the swatch has been soaked and laid out to dry. i don’t pin out my sweaters after washing, so i’m treating the swatch the same. i am trying to determine what the fabric will be under the ame treatment i plan to use for it ongoing.
the fiber has bloomed a bit and the swatch is a little wider. but it is not stretched-out or too loose. the density is good, but will still be stretchy and mold to my body.
i’m REALLY glad i soaked it because the gauge definitely changed and i will use that new information to work up the pattern.
can you tell i’m really excited now?? i’m going to make something for ME!
trust me, it’s been ages since that happened.
david approves.
57 thoughts on “may’s mystery project revealed”
I LOVE the throw. Congratulations on yet another wonderful design…your Ed looks way too cozy tucked under it. (and again, the botanical photos are great!)
I love that throw – the sunset on it really brings out the colours. I feel warmer just looking at it. The cardigan looks good too, it just needs to figure itself out for the needles. And as for your photography in general – wow!
it’s gorgeous. I picked up a beautiful skein of abundance at the mich fiber festival in an eggplanty-brown. I’m winding it right now so I can cast on tonight!
I found your blog from the Knitty site. I LOVE the throw/afghan–it’s absolutely gorgeous! Congrats on having it published.
I totally agree with you on the peppers – keeping on the plant seems like the best way to store them until you’re ready to use them! I’m glad the squirrels aren’t as attracted to peppers as they are to my tomatoes, grrrr.
I LOVE the throw, that stitch pattern is beautiful and making it with a chunky yarn? Inspiring. It’s definitely in my queue to knit.
Dude – talent, people throwing yarn at you to try, great hair, an abundant garden, and a hot husband. You have it all!
Your throw is beautiful! I love the yarn your using for the new just for “you” sweater. What I’m wondering is how much do you have. In visiting the big BR they have a gorgeous brown in a 1000 yd skein – but no smaller skeins of the same. Superwash merino is becoming one of my favorites – I’ve been spinning much of it lately and it’ so soft and smooshy.
The throw is so beautiful. I have some cashmere I picked up at School Products that I may do it up in… Though you did say the magic word (“olive”)… hmmmmm.
Totally Autumn is beautiful! And I like your sweater swatch–great color and a fun stitch pattern.
Yay! Mystery revealed. And what a good picture of D, as well!
I just wandered over to Knitty this evening and saw your throw—WOW! And I happened to be emailing Lis about an order and she mentioned that you’d be working up a project for her! All this and you still keep up the garden, too…
That Briar Rose red yarn is wonderful, makes me want to drop the socks and knit myself a sweater.
I loved the throw before I even glanced at the designer’s name (but the pictures did give it away when I scrolled down!). And thanks for the promise yen-fulfilling…
I LOVE that throw, I’ve added it to my “List”!!
Another great pattern! I love love love it. It’s being added to my queue in Ravelry as we speak. 🙂
And, I am excited to tell you that my next big project is the Morning Glory Wrap!! Hooray! There will be casting on after work. 🙂
A great throw! it really highlights the beautiful yarn and stitch pattern…
I love the throw. I’m waiting from my husband to go out of town so I can buy the yarn. And stay away from my browns & olives. 😀
Not only do I love the throw and want to knit it immediately – but you may get just as many people to knit it just because of the photos of the handsome Dave.
Are you kidding me? What a hunk! And that hair? As a former coil-wearer, I swoon!
Wow. I’m so glad you clarified about the throw at sunset pic…was prepared to spend hours puzzling over that one. 😛 You know I love it!
When I went through the new issue of Knitty late yesterday I kept half an eye out for your name. Don’t ask me why. I just had this feeling that you’d be there. And I wasn’t at all disappointed! In fact, your lovely blanket pattern is my favorite in the whole issue. That olive colorway you just had to point out would be perfect. Perfect for that blanket. Sigh.
Love the swatch for the new sweater. 🙂
Just before heading here, I popped over to Knitty to see if the new issue was out. I went directly to the patterns page and the first thing I clicked on was your “Totally Autumn”! As I clicked, the thought actually flitted through my mind that it looked like “An Anne.”
Congratulations! Beautiful!
Mexico..? 😀 Ok ok.. a rectangle will be ok too. Frankly speaking, I love your patterns and will probably knit it anyway 😉 After I’ve finished 3 other ones that are all ready to be cast on that is. The throw is beautiful and just perfect now the weather is slowly getting colder!
I love the throw too. But I really really love the sweater swatch. I’m not a big red fan but that is a beautiful red. And I love the insight into your thinking process. I also think you’ve got a very cool stitch pattern there. I’m so glad you’re making something for you.
Love the throw. You chose gorgeous colors, even though I see you are coveting Olive! These are vibrant and fiery and remind me of Vermont fall foliage.
the throw is gorgeous! makes me want to blow my yarn budget just to knit it up!
i think i can reconcile myself to a rectangular beauty in eggplant. 😉 especially with that tease of more designs to come in other various shapes!
the red? boy do i know how hard it is to photograph the stuff. i think you did an excellent job though. it looks divine.
I gleen a lot of helpful information while reading your blog. I have always swatched when preparing to knit but I have never thought to calculate my gauge after the soaking – sometimes I have detours and dead ends in the information highway that I call my brain. I also like the point you make about the difference between the fabrics of a sock and a sweater; I try to explain this to the students in my sock class.
The throw is beautiful and inviting.
Absolutely STUNNING throw, love everything about it! Of course, I’ve always loved everything you knit!
Love the deep red, yum!
I’m sooo impressed with your amazing throw! David is such a gorgeous guy, the throw doesn’t do him justice though! Now I see why you were scrambling to get it done, I want to knit this one sometime.
Your cardi looks sooo simple yet rich with texture and color! I don’t think anyone could ever be bored knitting up that one 😉 You’ll get the needle size etc. right, you do deserve it so much!!
It must have been tough keeping the throw a secret! Just keeping the bright colors out of all your photos had to be a challenge too. It’s a great blend of colors and leaf pattern, and now that we’ve had a few days break from the heat here in VA, we can actually think about autumn leaves!
I think the stitch definition looks nicer on the smaller needles, but getting the fabric you want is the only way to go.
Congrats on the design. It’s gorgeous!
Anne, I’m so happy for you. What a beautiful throw! I can’t wait to get started. Way to go girl!
The throw is gorgeous. Of course everything that you make is gorgeous.
I love all of your comments here. You have so many groupies! Some new followers found you through Knitty. That’s so great. I love the throw. It’s on my list to start. It’s so hard to decide on colors. Sigh. . . but what fun!
I was SO excited to see your project in Knitty!!! Yeah you!!! I’ve been sorting through stash looking for something nice and squishy to make it out of. Love the color of the sweater too. I love me some red!
ooohhhh – that ‘blanket at sunset’ shot is about enough to make me want to take all my knitting photography at sunset – really brings out the blanket’s color (i’m sure the oranges/reds of the yarn don’t hurt things!)
and those are quite nice swatches for your sweater – that has to be about my favorite shade of red.
Your new throw (which I hadn’t seen yet) is to die for! The color is perfect- it glows on David! Will Chris dye more of that colorway?
My hot pepper plants are loaded too. I tie them up when they list or threaten to split. I’ve also been known to throw a spare tomato cage around them.
The swatch in the water looks like a gloved hand 🙂
guess I’m a little behind the rest of the party – but woo hoo and congrats! the blanket/throw is lovely – and what a hunk of a model David is too – you did great on this project – and I hope that it brings you even more success and fame!
the new berri-liscious-red sweater is going to be wow.
I love your throw from Knitty!!! Congratulations!!! I can’t wait to see the completed sweater.
I really love your pictures of vegetables’ flowers. Vegetables plants produce very lovely flowers that we don’t get to see often enough when we don’t have the possibility to grow a garden…
Knitting a whole throw seemed always kind of daunting but now I have a pattern that should knit up fairly quick ! That yarn is so pretty ! Oh, David doesn’t look to bad either 😉
Nice to make something for yourself isn’t it ? No deadlines, just for you. It’s looking real good so far and you really deserve a treat !
So late commenting today. The throw looks great. Didn’t even notice your name next to the design in knitty, just thought it was a great throw, sorry! The swatch for the sweater is looking good. I love the colour. I love reds! I think the colour will look good on you. It will be a great colour for grey wintery days.
I didn’t even need to look for your name when I saw this design on Knitty! Just knew. Thank you for “gifting” such a lovely design.
Deadly curious about your cardigan. That’s my red.
I was excited to see your throw in Knitty. I Love it! I can’t wait to try it. The swatch for your sweater looks great. It looks like my kind of sweater. I hope your writing it down…future pattern??
I have to say, I’m looking forward to knitting that throw. With the coklder weather approaching, something nice and big across my lap will be a nice thing to have around, and bright colours will chase away winter gloominess.
Plus I really love the pattern! 😀
I’ve been sooooo busy with work, but I did see your blanket in Knitty and I think it’s grand. I’m pretty tired still, I wish I didn’t sound so bland.
I got to see and hold your original yellow Honeybee stole today at our local fiber fair — what a thrill! It’s a beaut in person. 🙂
If David ever needs an ego boost, have him read the “New Knitty is Up!” thread in Ravelry’s “Patterns” forum. He’s got a group of admirers there. 😛
Now.
That throw rocks.
I do so love scale shifts.
c
The throw is beautiful!
And will enjoy watching you knit your sweater!
First off let me just say that your knitting is always impressive, your garden gorgeous, and the food tidbits enticing, but today my comment is not about any of those things…it’s about the model of your blanket on knitty. His Hair!!!!OMG his hair is beautiful! I LOVE his hair. He’s very lucky I live far away or he wouldn’t be able to leave my fondling hands.
the blanket is beautiful – great for this cool snap we are having!
the new cardi – clean, simple and trim fitting – it will be stunning!
That is a beautiful throw, on a handsome guy.
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