Page 57 – Elliebelly Knit & Dye Works

Self-Indulgent September KAL on Elliebelly! (And a KAL Yarn Givewaway)

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

We are knitting Soxie for our September Knitalong on the Elliebelly group.

Soxie is the perfect pattern for Self-Indulgent September — a quick knit with simple cables and style. And, whether you fly a lot like me or have cold floors in winter, Soxie is something you'll be reaching for all of the time.

It's simple and you are welcome to knit with us whether you are currently an Elliebelly Group member or not. We like newbies and offer lots of support! Join the KAL here. The KAL sign up thread/rules are here. The pattern is knit for a worsted weight yarn, and you are free to knit with any yarn, although we'd like to see this one knit up in Elliebelly!

To make that a little bit easier for those of you whose stash is running low, I'm doing a quick giveaway, for one skein of Elliebelly Pixie, a superwash worsted Merino that is perfect for this pattern. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to use this yarn for your Soxie's and we'll have a winner pulled Wednesday evening (yes, that gives you 48 hours from now to enter the givewaway). Make sure you include your Ravelry name and email address with your comment so I can track you down!

There will also be a bit of yarn available here on Thursday and Friday to help those of you with no/low Elliebelly stash, for those of you who don't mind spending a little bit to help defray the cost of the yarn and shipping.

Good luck and happy knitting!

Sometimes, We Dye Things That Around Here That Aren’t Yarn

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

This week, I needed a quick fix of color. But I didn't have the energy for a dyeing session. So I did these pillow cases, in roughly half an hour, using some dye that had been sitting around in my studio for almost too long (anything over six weeks starts to show its age).

These pillowcases start life as a nice, undyed charmeuse silk (you can buy them here). I dyed them using a quick version of the method outlined in more detail here to get a faux tie-dye effect. I soaked the pillowcases in hot water with a bit of vinegar so the dye would strike immediately. I made a weak solution of a base color and swished the cases around for it to take. Then, after squeezing out the excess water, I scrunched them (as the linked article details) and poured the dye onto them. Instead of a more traditional steamed dye bath, I nuked them in a microwave reserved just for dyeing for two minutes, let them cool, and repeated for two and one-half minutes. The liquid ran clear after that, and I let them cool and gently laundered them. You could also do them solid or in a much more muted crackle dye, but we needed a little bit of color around here, so I went bright.

This is the perfect easy pick me up or a great idea for a quick DIY holiday present.

Knitting Nae, Continued.

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

Diane, whose beautiful photoblog is well-worth checking out, commented that she wanted to knit a Nae, but was confused by the pattern. It can be hard to visualize before you get about one-quarter of the way into it, so here are some thoughts and pictures to help.

The start is the point on the left in this photo, with the cast on of a few stitches. At this point, you begin work on what will be a 3" band of moss stitch, and it will run across the top of your shawl. To orient yourself, visualize the start of the shawl as the top left-hand corner point of a triangle, where the base edge will be along the top of your knitting, and the point will be bottom center as your knitting grows. This is surprisingly hard to explain — I'm not so sure that helps, so here's a bit more.

The starting point of the project is still on the left. As you continue to knit the moss stitch border, on the top here, you also begin to knit the stockinette stitch triangle below it. You do this, starting on the right side of the project, with what at first is just a couple of the stockinette stitches. See how few stitches are on the row over on the left side? You grow the triangle with one increase, after the first knit stitch on every right side row (every other row). I followed the advice of some knitters who suggested increasing every fourth row, to get a less steep line. You can see my big blue marker, reminding me to increase. From that point on, you continue, doing the stockinette portion first, followed by the moss stitch border, and then you turn your work for the wrong side row.

You get a better idea of it once you see it in progress. This is about one-third of the way in.

And here, you can see the start of the project on the left, with the moss stitch border first increasing to its full 3" width, and then the stockinette portion beginning to increase once the border is in place.

Diane, I hope this makes it all clear. It's a lovely pattern, and although summer trips have cut into my knitting time, I want to finish this up before cooler weather hits.

One-Skein Knitting Pattern Contest Winners

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

We have winners! But really, I think we all won in this case, because we got to peruse all of the great knitting pattern ideas and eye candy we got to see!

Three one skein patterns, graciously offered to blog readers, are ready to send off:

The Fèe shawl by Tabismiles on Ravelry, goes to Angela Shira (FairyBlue on Ravelry), who was lucky enough to dye the yarn the original sample was knit with.

Gunard's Rainbow Trout hat pattern goes to Ericka, Bensgirl102397 on Ravelry, who wrote, "I can see making a family set of these for everyone since we are avid rainbow trout fisher-people."

Liz Corke's Storm Warning shawl pattern is going to Katie, Krgolden on Ravelry, who liked all of the patterns but thought Storm Warning would be perfect for a cold winter or a drafty church. I agree.

Come join us on the Elliebelly Group on Ravelry, and have input into the pattern selection for our self-indulgent September Knitalong, which starts September 1. It will be a great place for new knitters to pick up skills and old knitting friends to have fun together.

Namaste Cowl

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

We'll have winners announced for the one-skein pattern contest by the middle of this week. Some unexpected travel has interfered with knitting and blogging for the next few days. I'll leave you with this post until I get back.

This is my favorite new, quick knit. Possibly my favorite quick knit of all time. It is Saccade Elyse's Golden Tulip Cowl. I'm a slow knitter, but as you can tell from the cast on post for this project, just a few days ago, it took only a few pleasant hours to knit up this cowl in aran weight yarn. And, it's a pattern you can feel good about purchasing, as she asks for a donation to an Epilepsy charity instead of payment.

I'm planning on knitting several of these cowls as presents. Surprisingly, my 11 year old son has asked for one. Despite the hot, humid Alabama sun this afternoon, he put it on and wouldn't take it off. So he's next up.

A word about the yarn. I used it because I wanted to knit something from the black bean-dyed yarns I've been sharing with you all. The results are good so far. This yarn is light and color fast and incredibly soft. In fact, this pattern just begs to be knit in cashmere, a silk blend, or something equally soft and drapey. So go for it.

I used a traditional cast off, but am going to go back and redo it, as it's looser than the cast on edge. I'll substitute my friend Helen's favorite stretchy bind off, which is k1, *k1, slipt the two stitches on the right hand needle back to the left hand needles, k2tog through the back loop*, repeat from *. This should produce a nicer, more finished edge.

A New One Skein Project – Knit From Black Bean Dyed Yarn

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

If you are looking for the one skein pattern giveaway, please click here so you can enter! Thursday is the last day

I've been searching for the perfect project for some of the yarn I've been dyeing with black beans this spring and fittingly enough, given my current focus on one-skein patterns, that's where I went. One of my favorite skeins is this Aran weight cashmere, that dyed up into a soft, blue-gray and was just begging to be knit with.

I stumbled across the perfect pattern for the yarn, the Golden Tulip Cowl. The pattern is written with four 16-stitch repeats that creating the leaf or tulip pattern. I used the knitted cast-on instead of my usual long tail cast on, per the pattern instructions, but added an additional 16-stitch repeat so the stitches would move easily on my needles.

The pattern knits up quickly! I was half done the first day.

It's about three-quarters of the way done now, and I'm hoping there is a second skein of this yarn tucked away when I get home, as I didn't think through the fact that the additional repeat would bust the yardage estimate.

And yes, that is my favorite project bag in the photo. I love the creepy knitting ladies!

Citron is done! (Why I love knitting)

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Joyce Makes Art

If you are looking for the one skein pattern giveaway, please click here so you can enter!

Citron is done. The pattern haunted me for years. In the pre-Ravelry era (yes, I actually remember it), I tried it and couldn’t figure out the cast on. Then, I got scared off by the final rows with umpteen zillion stitches. But I finally took the plunge during the Adventurous April Knitalong and finished it up on an airplane earlier this week.
My Citron isn’t blocked yet and I’ll get prettier pictures when I get a chance, but I wanted to do a quick share. Because, if I can knit Citron, anyone can. If you’re on the fence, go ahead and cast on. As I type, my neck is swathed in a cloud of cashmere and silk, perfect for a cool day in the Berkshires. I’m in love with knitting, yet again.