Peace on Earth - A Christmas Wish

May you all find peace and love in the hoilday season!

Welcome to Newest Artist Contributor - Betsy Salomon!

Betsy brings a wonderful addtion to our Gallery, with many varied pieces such as scarves and felted bags and bowls.  Her style is rich and expansive, featuring deep colors, mixed yarns and fibers, bold stitches and just a touch of whimsy. 

Betsy joins us from Davis, CA where she knits whenever she can!  She is a fourth-generation Californian, taught to knit by her great-aunt when she was 8 (and named one of her daughters for her, as a thank-you). She has won over a dozen ribbons and awards for her knitting (including the Good Fellows doll-dressing contest at Comerica Bank) and has knit more than 60 pairs of socks!  

Please check out Betsy's collection  http://knittenkaboodle.com/index.htm , featuring new items in all categories and think about adding something wonderful to your holiday shopping list!

You can always get more information about our pieces and artists by emailing me at info@knittenkaboodle.com





KnittenKaboodle debuts at Tait's Harvest Shop and Greenhouse!

 

The leaves are now gone for another season, wrapping up a truly lovely autumn and our thoughts are starting to turn to the upcoming holidays.  Here in the Nittany Valley, Tait's Farm and Harvest Shop is the premiere destination for finding that perfect gift of distinction.  I am very excited to say that I have joined their featured local artisans, proving scarves, neck warmers, tote bags, aprons and spice trivets and coasters!  If in the area, or driving past on US322 just east of State College, please stop in and check out all the wonderful offerings.

http://www.taitfarmfoods.com/harvest.html

Fabrics from many sources:  Locally:  Stitch Your Art in Pine Grove Mills  www.stitchyourartout.com    ; Other:  Pennington Quilt Works, Pennington, NJ;  Sew Smart, Doylestown, PA   Yarns:  Forever Yarn   www.foreveryarn.com   , Doylestown, PA; Stitch Your Art Out, Pine Grove Mills, PA;



An assortment of Holiday Aprons

Aprons



Toille Tote



Assortment of Scarves and neck warmers (the silk-mohair scarves are already gone!)



Spice filled trivets made specially for Taits - lovely aroma with warm teapot on them





Fear Not "Handle with Care"

How do we care for and clean our fine woolens?  I've heard fellow shoppers say they won't buy woolens they can't put in the washer and dryer, which means they are basically restricted to acrylics and some superwash yarns, such as sock yarns.  Now there is nothing wrong with this approach, however it does eliminate whole classes of animal fibers such as cashmere, mohair, merino, alpaca, silk, and plant fibers such as bamboo to name a few.  Machine washing involves agitation, which causes fibers to stick together essentially closing off the spaces between each fiber.  The result is often called 'felting' or 'fulling' or just plain 'shrinking'.  Intentional felting is very beautiful, strong and interesting, but is rarely the desired result when washing your lovely alpaca neck warmer.


So what to do?  Hand laundering requires a small bit of patience, but is completely worth it when considering the preservation of your precious hand knits.  Here are the basic steps, thanks to Jacqueline Sava (inventor of 'Soak' wool wash)1:

1. Use plenty of water in the basin, never HOT

2. Use cool or cold water

3. Use a low suds/no rinse formulation wool wash.

4. Drain or empty excess water from basin before removing the item.
Carefully squeeze excess water out by pressing it against the basin
DO NOT LIFT the wet item from the basin when it is full or water -- this will stretch and distort

5. Place the item on a clean towel and gently fold the sides over the item. 
Roll the item in the towel to remove excess water - GENTLY to avoid distortion

6. Resist all temptations to WRING and TWIST .

7. Lay flat to dry, reshaping as needed -- it will stay the way it dries. Choose a place that allows air circulation but not in direct sunlight or on a heat register/radiator.
TIP: Flip the piece over and change the towel if damp halfway through the drying process

8. Protect your precious fibers from moths during the off season by cleaning them before storage and storing in a protective environment with cedar or other deterrents.

1  Knit Simple, Holiday 2008, pp. 20

Note: I've had good success for interim cleanings using the 'dry clean' products for your dryer.  But if you choose this route, follow the manufactures instructions carefully and watch the HEAT temperature, as heat is the enemy of precious fibers. 


Please feel free to email or call us with specific care instructions for any item you purchase from KnittenKaboodle.  We keep the labels from the yarn wrappers and can specifically address the content of your particular item.

For more information in interpreting the international care symbols, see this helpful link from Trendsetter Yarns  http://www.trendsetteryarns.com/symbols.htm . 

Meet A New Contributor!

Welcome to our newest contributing artisan, Betty Sebastian!  Betty joins us from lovely Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  Betty lived in Ohio where she worked as a bookkeeper, before retiring to HHI.  She has been sewing and enjoying fiber arts for many years.  She says that crochet is her strongest preference and a wonderful way to relax. 

Our first item from Betty is this lovely lap throw blanket!  It is rich in color and thick and warm -- perfect to throw over your shoulders or keep on the lap, a great way to ward off the first chills of autumn.  Find this little lovely on our website:

http://knittenkaboodle.com/handknits.htm



Lovely Hilton Head Island at sunrise



Classic Toille Totes!

The newest totes in the collection!

These are sturdy totes, simple design and styling makes them easy to carry and use.  They are great for carrying the knitting or needlework projects, with deep and roomy interiors with pockets.  Not a knitter? They are handy for shopping, carrying with errands or as a casual purse/tote.

For more info and product details, check them out at http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/ 

Summer Days are Waning

Late Summer in the PA Mountains (Bedford Springs)

Although it has been quite a few years since I went 'back to school', as these late days of August fade into September, I still can't help looking forward to autumn.  Living in the northeast, in a college town, this is reinforced as students fill the campus and town and band practice sounds bounce off the mountains.  As a knitter, this time of year also means getting out the sticks and wools and gearing up for the seasons to come. 

I am working on a lovely v-neck cable sweater from the Schulana #23 for myself (which I stashed back in the fall of 2008!).  But for KnittenKaboodle, I have some lovely new felted bags almost ready, as well as some new neck warmers and plenty of silk-mohair coming up.  Some new work is on the way from returning artists and a new artist is joining us with a lovely lap-throw blanket for openers.

As always, we are committed to fabulous fibers, good design and lovely works of wearable art.  Why not separate from the masses and crowds and enjoy a hand made item -- crafted by people who love what they do?

For knitters, I've just completed a new batch of my classic 'needle zip'. These popular little bags go into the knitting tote (or anywhere) and hold the items you need for day-to-day project work, including those straight needles that don't fit anywhere well.   This set features cheerful blues, greens, and yellows from wonderful fabrics by Amy Butler and Kathy Davis and a great lightly coated treated cotton from Westminster Fabrics.  Zip pull embellishments add some fun.  More colors from fall and winter colorways coming soon.  

Scarf Sticks!

I recently finished a neckwarmer and started searching for the perfect closures.  I really could not settle on any buttons that suited the piece and wished I had a small shawl pin set (most are rather large to accommodate larger stitches and pieces).  A stick pin would be perfect, but I wasn't about to donate one of mine to the project. I decided to fiddle with wood sticks, beads, stain and the dreaded glue gun to see what I could cook up.  The result was surprisingly rewarding and worked perfectly with the neck scarf.  I've made several more since and will continue to refine and create more over the next few months.  Some will be incorporated into original designs and some will offered directly for sale.  Check back on the website in the weeks to come! 

The neckwarmer is from a wonderfully soft and lovely yarn from Manos del Uraguay   http://manosdeluruguay.co.uk/silkblend.html   and trimmed with a mohair yarn from Habu Textiles.  http://www.habutextiles.com/ . Neckwarmers and other cool weather wearable art items will be available in late August.  If interested before then, please write to me at info@knittenkaboodle.com. 

New Products in Development!

 have written in the past about my passion for Rowan's Kidsilk Haze and recently found the wonderful book Silky Little Knits by Alison Crowther-Smith (called Little Luxury Knits in the UK http://www.knitrowan.com/patterns/rowan/little-luxury-knits.aspx).  It is chock full of lovely patterns and more importantly, inspiration!  I recently began exploring the addition of beads into my knitting and this book frequently merges both concepts.  This piece isn't for sale, but is my first exploration inspired by her concepts.  These techniques require some practice and I can't wait to make more!

Little neckwarmer in Kidsilk Haze - two colors of mohair-silk with glass bead embellishments and small button closures.

Summer in Full Swing here in Central PA!

Lovely Summer Days!

What am I working on these days?  A number of varied things in preparation for the cool weather season that will be upon us:  mitts, hats, scarves...  also --

Working on a wonderful airy wrap dotted with beads.  This is to wear with a new dress at a wedding at the end of the month.  More on that in my next posting.

Recent Projects - Summer

A very pretty summer shrug made from a wonderful limited edition yarn from Autumn House Farm: contains linen, cotton and rayon (golden highlights yarn).

A very pretty shawl made from Hand Maiden Casbah and Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn edging.  Accents are made in glass seed beads.

Fresh summer looks, blending classic prints in fresh combinations!  Fabrics by Laura Ashley and Waverly.

Aprons Completed!

We've been following this pair of aprons through their process, and they are now complete!  I started with a general plan for each apron and then as I worked on them, letting the creative process follow its own course. At the outset, the general shapes and fabrics were selected for each apron.  I had a perfect, deep blue cotton yarn that worked so well with the blue prints, I had to make a border for that apron.  The pocket details were worked to play off the strength of the patterns, turning directons and adding contrast prints.  For the red tones aprons, I really had fun adding buttons and hand made bias trim.  More photos and details are available at our eBoutique  http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/

The aprons are fully washable.  Yarn and other decorations are colorfast and washable without needing to remove them.

Enjoy!!

Making Aprons! Part 2

These aprons are coming along very nicely.  The pink tone apron is shaping up well, using bias binding of the accent trim and contrast prints of stripes and checks.  It will have a lively shape and a slightly flirty, definitely cheerful look. 

A mother/daughter combo? There is a junior apron of matching fabric on the website in the 'Handsewn & Other' tab of  http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/:

The blue tones alternate prints with coordinating pockets. I've created a knit trim that will add a lacey border to the bottom and will show well on either side. The merger of the knitting and sewing has met a warm reception from customers.)  The knitting washes beautifully with apron and does not bleed color. What a great way to add whimsy and interest, and create a unique apron worthy of gift giving.

Lace border ready to apply to apron!

Making Aprons!

It is time to make some new aprons.  There are so many wonderful new fabrics out there and I have some new apron ideas to try out.  Mixing and matching prints is fun for to create and yields cheery and interesting aprons.  I am also experimenting with treated fabrics for a water-resistant apron, good for the garden as well as the kitchen.  Stay tuned for progress on these projects. Of course I'd love to hear ideas and thoughts on apron styles. 

Stand Apart Accent Accessories

Now that we are into the spring season and warm weather is ahead, our interest in knitted items shifts light weight wraps and pretty accent scarves, just to name a few ideas.  Knitters love creating for this time of year because we can use very special yarn, such as silk and other special concoctions.  Most of these yarns are hand dyed in small lots and far too costly to turn into large projects such as sweaters and dresses.  But, that makes them perfect for the accent scarf that turns a tee and khakis into a polished look all your own.  We are featuring two very special pieces, knit in great summer hues of silks and beaded silks from the wonderful Tilli Tomas http://www.tillitomas.com/.  These scarves are clean, polished and deceptively simple.  Find them and more  information on our main website http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/ .

Subtle Stripes

I've been having wonderful fun working with yarns designed to stripe as they are knit, but with a twist -- combining different yarns in texture and colorway. As the piece develops, the colors unfold in marvelous patterns, yielding rich and warm variations -- but evolving gently. These particular scarves use a rich sock yarn of silk and merino wool and a contrasting yarn of silk, cotton, merino and a little sparkle of poly here and there. The yarns are soft and washable, and continue to soften over wearing. No two are the same!! I feel as if I'm painting with yarn as I create these wonderful pieces. Many thanks to the wonderful Yan Qian for the inspiration and design concept. For detailed choices and examples, see more under 'Hand Knits' at KnittenKaboodle.com.

It is finally Spring here in the Mid-Atlantic! There have been some changes going 0n here at KnittenKaboodle, including a relocation to Central Pennsylvania. So pardon our hiatus from blogging, but we are back and gearing up for the warm weather ahead! Happy Spring from all of us at KnittenKaboodle!

Finished the Mohair Wrap!

I wrote earlier about my current obsession with the silk mohair, and since then I've completed my Wooly Bear Wrap and several scarves as gifts. The result is a one of life's little luxuries. Bad day? Crummy weather? Long winter nights? Just a little whimsy and fluff can add something nice in a small way.

Thanks to Em for showing off the wrap. For pattern information, write to info@knittenkaboodle.com

A trip to the 'Frog Pond'

In the knitters' world, there inevitably comes a time when she or he must go to the Frog Pond. Let me explain to you non-knitters out there. When a knit or crochet piece has to be reworked, then the stitches are (usually) rather easily pulled out, or 'ripped back' -- rippit. Silly, I know, but it helps take the sting out of the loss of hours of work and the prospect of more hours re-doing something.

But rework is an essential element of the creative process, and an indication of the knitters' dedication to get the piece just right, whether in size, shape, color or texture. Sometime once the piece starts growing, it may become clear that project concept and execution aren't coming together as desired. Sometimes the shape or fit isn't working, or sometimes mistakes are made. There are many reasons, but the result is a better piece and more satisfaction in the finished product.

One reason that hand knits are so special is the the thought and care (and many, many) hours that goes into their creation, including rework. In the hand-created world, corrections and adjustments along the creative path add to the richness of the final result.

Happy New Year!!

Best wishes for a Peaceful and Prosperous 2010.

Joan and all the folks at KnittenKaboodle.com