Highland Cowls!

It has cooled off here in Central Pennsylvania and I have to turn my attention to the upcoming holiday season (oh-no, it's coming!!).  However I too have been swept up in this wonderful world of super bulky cowls that showed up on the Scottish Highlands recently, so I created these for the upcoming holiday season.  My version is a bit smaller because I don't want to burden anyone with miles of knitting and excess bulk, since we are not wearing giant hoop skirts to balance out the look!

That said, I selected interesting yarns to yield a deep texture and weaving of colors.  The fibers are soft merino with ribbon accenting the taupe cowl (will be at Tait's Harvest shop starting November 7th) and a blend of alpaca, merino, and silk-kid mohair in the umber cowl ( on my website now )

Highlander Cowls at KnittenKaboodle

Autumn Update

Autumn is in full splendor here in Central Pennsylvania, and KnittenKaboodle is as well.  Many new items are added to the website, and more coming through the next few weeks.

Additionally, we have a new retail customer in Hanover, Pennsylvania: Furs by Susan, which is owned and operated by the creative and interesting Debra Markle.  Her boutique focuses on a wonderful selection of luxury outer ware and accessories in many different fabrics and fibers.  If you are in the area, please stop in and visit her at 1 Frederick Street, Hanover, PA 17331 web address . Two of the items she selected: Alpaca and kid-silk mohair caplet with removable pin closure and silk-mohair triangle scarf with fancy border.

It's time for harvest and fall vegetables and plantings at Tait's Harvest Shop and I've added a few new aprons and spiced trivets there:

Spiced trivets that waft lovely spices when meeting a warm cup, dish or kettle

Very clever owls with a gentle bottom ruffle, and appliqued owls

Low volume is very big this year; halter neck styling and deep pockets with accent trim

Dreaming of the tropics, even as summer passes; extra long ties in belt carriers and pockets

On the knitting front, I've been busy working on new items for the holiday season, for the website and for the shops.  I continue to focus on the lovely and popular silk-mohair creations, and am also working on a few cowls inspired by the highly popular Outlander series.  More on that later ....

I did a few new things for friends and family:  A pretty scarf in technique that looks woven and a yummy bulky neck warmer (matching hat yet to come).  

 On the quilting front, I completed the table runner I discussed in earlier postings, which was waiting of the quilting and binding steps.  This was a birthday gift for my Mother.

Thanks for checking in!  More to come in the days to follow.  Enjoy Autumn.

Creating an Apron

From time to time I like to talk about the creative process, and provide a look into how I create.  In this posting, I'd like to share an example of making an apron, in this case my 'Summer Lemons' apron.

The initial concept arises from inspiration, fabrics and designs.  I get inspiration from many sources and keep digital libraries of designs, shapes, backgrounds, colors and anything else that strikes me worth noting.  I have a design sketchbook where I keep ideas and a binder full of patterns I've developed with photos and notes.  Sometimes I start with the design idea and select fabrics, and sometimes I have fabrics I want to use and then select a design.  Frequently I will organize a series of fabrics into a thematic set such as "holiday", "mother's day florals", "stripes" and so on.  I even did a series of aprons inspired by dresses I had in the late 60's and early 70's - mod color blocking!

In this case, I chose to make a ruffled style with the lemon print and added a cheerful yellow dot for contrast elements.   First step is to cut out all the pieces needed: body, facing, neck and waist ties, pockets and ruffle.  Decisions need to be firm at this point.

This is not intended to be a complete tutorial, but to show the many steps and finishing touches that go into making a hand-made apron creation.

Sub assemblies are completed first: attach front facing, create pockets, stitch ties for turning

Back facing in dot print and pinned kangaroo pocket

Ties cut from main and contrasting patterns

Ties are stitched and turned, pressed and top stitched; two neck ties and two back ties.  Length of ties depends upon the design of the apron.

Ties are stitched and then turned (wrong side fabric showing)

Ties sewn and turned, pressing flat is next step

Press

Topstitch all ties for a finished, tidy look

Attach ruffle to body of apron

Measure and attach pocket

Attach ties

Attach ties into facing

`

Press and topstitch facing and any unfinished edges

Apply label! 

Press and Viola! 

Spring Progressing

Hello again.  Like the buds on the trees and slight greening of the grass, I am coming awake again after the prolonged drag of winter!  I have some updates:

Updates:
Knitting - The cardi sweater (I named 'Cole') is completed -- last seen ready for sew up:

Knit from Madeline Tosh Merino Light, color way 'Grapefruit'

Quilting Challenge: 

The table runner is pieced and marked for quilting (once my quilting extension table comes in at the local sewing machine shop).

Other Activity:  I created a new line of spring-summer weight accessory scarves, which are available at Tait's.  I made two of most styles, and will put the second scarf on the KnittenKaboodle website. 

I love scarves and accessories and I've been collecting suitable and wonderful fabrics for the past several years.  Most fabrics are lightweight cottons or pretty and versatile knits. When selecting fabrics, I think about 'wearability' - choices that work with busy lifestyles.   I also think quite a bit about selecting the edging thread colors, which is important to achieve the desired look -- blend, contrast, accent, define -- polish overall.  These are created as easy to wear with cotton sweaters, denim or suede jackets, or a lightweight dress.  Also great gifts! 

Early Spring Lightweight Scarves

Only at Tait's - Cotton Voile

Only at Tait's: Cotton Knit Infinity Scarf

A Last Word for Today:
I created a new 'Farm Fresh' apron group, with these two delivered to Tait's:
Additional styles are on the cutting table at the time of writing this entry - very cute also!

Ruffle trim with kangaroo central pocket

Butcher style with contrast pockets and ties

A Creativity Challenge

Sewing & Quilting
On a recent visit, my Aunt (a very talented quilter!) gave me the pieces and parts of an abandoned quilting project.  The focal fabric featured a  Kaffe Fassett print in a deep reds and related hues.  Any of you familiar with his wonderful fabrics and designs for both quilting and knitting, know that he is fearless in the use of color and large scale prints.  I was so excited to get these blocks, but at this time I know I do not have the time to make a large, formal quilt.  However, I was itching to play with the newly inherited loot.

Inherited quilt pieces: featuring the 'square in a square' and pretty coordinating fabrics

Challenge: Come up with a smaller scale project featuring the bright 'square in square' blocks AND use only materials from my stash (on hand fabric supply).  In a creative quilting course I took last year, we worked on exercises that focus on constraints as a way to step beyond our normal perspectives and perhaps arrive at an interesting and perhaps fresh result.  My constraint is to work within existing resources in my studio.  Since my typical 'comfort zone' is usually aqua, green, turquoise, teal, violet, blues and combinations of those colors, starting with deep red was a plunge into a whole new palette set. 

First decision: project scale:  table runner.  Next, what fabrics and coordinating colors?

Result:  

Choices from the stash, focusing on complementary colors 

The purple in the focal block really presented an opportunity to coordinate with complementary color ways.  Additionally, the assortment I came up offered some variety, texture, and movement with the assorted prints.   Next, a design for the runner.  I really want to keep it simple - not use a lot of fancy and intricate blocks and patterns, since the fabrics are busy and the color powerful (plus it would be faster to assemble and see how I felt about the result!).

Next Issue:  How it came together.  Decision about quilting design looming ahead. 

Knitting:

Sweater pieces ready to sew together and add a neckline.  Almost finished, and just in time for the (eventual) warm weather.

Completed

Charley Harper prints from Birch Fabrics: multiple prints.  Pattern adapted from Jacquie Gering, published by Interweave.

I did rip out neutral stitches and replace with blue - all the same now!
Whole cloth side: Charley Harper by Birch Fabrics 'Nuthatch'

So, yes, I did sit down and on a snow day here in Central Pennsylvania, I removed all the stitches where I accidentally used the wrong bobbin (see previous post).  Although everybody was so nice and told me I shouldn't, and I do not worry about the Quilting Police carrying me away, it did bother me and in the end, made the change.  Now I am happy with the final result and it is already in use in the house.

Then the question is 'What is Next', which isn't a fair question as I always have multiple projects going at any one time, like most knitters and quilters.  But the next thing I will talk about in terms of the creative process is a sweater that has been in the works for some time, but I am finally closing in on completion.  It is difficult to complete things when you do not work on them, but I have to set aside personal projects from late August until Christmas in order to work on projects for the holiday season.

This sweater is my own design, inspired by an inexpensive sweater I got in a department store.  I liked the style and shape, but the yarn is not of a particularly good quality.  I also wanted to make a sweater for warmer temperatures (it will get warm again, won't it??), so I chose one of my very favorite yarns Madeline Tosh Merino Light in a spring-summer color way, Grapefruit.  I am working on completing the second sleeve and soon will be ready to put together the back, fronts, and sleeves then add neckline band (similar to bottom band shown below).  Stay tuned for progress reports.

The Ups and Downs of in the Creative Process

About a year ago I made my first quilt block, thus branching out from my existing passion for sewing (aprons, bags, accessories, and some garments).  Since then I've made a lot of blocks (really a lot!!) and done some modest quilting projects.  So in January, I decided I wanted to make something for our own home, which I do not do much.  I'm always getting little hints, that would be nice here...

One side to be 'whole cloth'

So I'm totally in love with the wonderful fabrics that were recently released by Birch Fabrics with Charley Harper prints. We have what I've discovered is now called a 'mid-century modern' home and these fabrics are perfect.  A friend and I sent away to California to grab some of the special booty for ourselves.  Then I saw the project I wanted to do and needed to get more fabric for the backing. Panic! Sold out all of the place.  Finally located what I wanted, placed the order and waited.  

Charley Harper prints chosen for the wedge pieces

Many little decisions crop up in every sewing project, and this is no exception.  First off, the two sides are very different in coloration and feeling, which is not typical but I want a piece that can be used at different seasons and with different table settings for us. The blue side is already graphic enough to be effective and interesting in whole cloth, so the other prints could be the wedge pieces.  Another decision: use the gold twigs as binding, since the gold will unite both schemes.

Next, decide the print order and directional orientation was decided.  I was working from a pattern published by Jacquie Gering, but I wanted different sized pieces (bigger) and more pieces.  I also had eight prints to work with, not a different print for each wedge as the pattern suggested.  Most of the prints are directional, meaning they run one direction.  Cutting was a careful process to make sure that within a set of wedges each faced opposite directions (a design decision by me).

Lay out order and orientation of wedges

Once pieced with neutral strips between each wedge, the batting and whole cloth backing are put together and the 'quilting' step began.  Yet more decisions: what color(s) of thread? What type of stitching design?  I decided I wanted grey on the wedge pieces, and neutral on the insert  pieces between the wedges.  Grey looked great on all the prints, but would look terrible on the blue, gold and neutral on the back.  I tried threads in all three colors and decided that blue worked the best, gave texture, showed up but did not glare and stand out like neutral and gold.  Good! Since I am new at quilting, straight line techniques are all I will venture, but since this is so geometric, I think that will work well.  Follow the wedge shape in concentric lines.  Good again.  Go.

"Echo" stitching pattern, following wedge shapes

Loving the effect of grey thread choice

All is great, over two days I got all 17 wedges stitched, trimmed the excess, and put it on the table to review the look 'in situ'.  Wonderful, right?  NOOOOO!!   

I spotted a major problem - I accidentally used the wrong color thread in the bobbin for 6 of the 17  wedges on the blue side.  Some were in neutral and others in blue.  What to do?  Live with it? Claim artistic license (I meant to do that!!)? Rip it out and fix?  I am always told to let things stand a bit, don't react instantly.  See if you can live with it.  Is it big, small?  

Leave it or fix it?

What should I do?  Next chapter coming soon.