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Knit Blog: Chic Knits |
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 Monday Morning Mirth
my sis gave me this vintage spoon holder
as a BLESSING indeed - it simply reads:
HEAVEN will Protect the Working Girl...
WORKING GIRLS THE working girls in the morning are going to work--
long lines of them afoot amid the downtown stores
and factories, thousands with little brick-shaped
lunches wrapped in newspapers under their arms.
Each morning as I move through this river of young-
woman life I feel a wonder about where it is all
going, so many with a peach bloom of young years
on them and laughter of red lips and memories in
their eyes of dances the night before and plays and
walks.
Green and gray streams run side by side in a river and
so here are always the others, those who have been
over the way, the women who know each one the
end of life's gamble for her, the meaning and the
clew, the how and the why of the dances and the
arms that passed around their waists and the fingers
that played in their hair.
Faces go by written over: "I know it all, I know where
the bloom and the laughter go and I have memories,"
and the feet of these move slower and they
have wisdom where the others have beauty.
So the green and the gray move in the early morning
on the downtown streets.
... Carl Sandburg, Chicago, 1916 (public domain) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Working Girl Karaoke SINGalong:
She Works Hard for the Money
Independent Women: All the Honeys Making Money
9 to 5
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Tuesday, October 19, 2004 
Shazam: Right Front
For Fiber so chunky you gotta eat it with a FORK (ahem, hay fork that is), look no further than then SHAZAM!
I finished the Right Front last night - wooo - it needs serious blocking, but Oh Baby I love that Stitch Definition. I LOVE Cabling! (New Knitters: learn How to Cable HERE). These cables just JUMP off the body of this sweater! Comin' to Getcha!~ (In a very friendly way, but of course!)
BUT...
Tweed Yarn is such a mystery to me. Magpie came in Plain or Tweeds and I'm using the Tweed offering - it is SO different. The Plain version is softer and loftier; Magpie Aran Tweed is dense, dry and less elastic.
WHY THEY DO THAT?
Spinners? Please educate Us? Please?
I did some judicious Googling and came up with: NADA!
I'm intrigued - how's it made - why do they put those little flecks in there - why is it so much DRIER than the normal wool...
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Wednesday, October 20, 2004 
TWEED: I'm all over it! Actually, it is soon going to be all over ME! I now have 3 Tweed projects on board - this weekend, after I rested and bubble bathed myself back into LIFE - I had some time to devote to my FUSION knitting projects and finished machine knitting the pieces for Tweedy Bird and started a poncho.
This summer, while spinning my wheels in Poncho Idea Land, I came up with a little wool number that is going to be so much fun! I am totally into LAYERING at this point - will be wearing this on my commute, over my jean jacket or leather jacket/coat and be snug as a BUG!
For this outing, I used something called *Swiss Chalet* made by Forehlich Wolle (Switzerland). I saw it last year on a field trip to the Indiana Land of Oz (now in Lansing) and called and they had a color combo I was looking for...
It is BLACK, Natural, Grey, and Auburn: two plies with solid color runs, then bi-colors, then small sections of all 4 in various combos with the above...
It looks like THIS and is extremely LIGHT and Airy!
Since Tweed defies Digital Photography, it's hard to see the pattern in this - this is just your standard 2-rectangle joined poncho, but there is 1x5 Mock Rib across the width of the piece. What is Mock Rib? A standard knitting machine only makes knit stitches - you have to have a Ribbing Bed to make alternating Knit/Purl stitches.
BUT, if you skip a stitch every few stitches you get a *fake purl* stitch which is really a tight Float across the fabric you are making. It is similar to all of the Drop Stitch Scarves you've probably seen this Fall, but not as loose.
When you are done knitting, the fabric has *valleys* that combine with the knitted areas to make the valleys and plains you see in ribbing.
The Twoncho has some nice landscaping across its way...
Now the question is: TO fringe or NOT to fringe?
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Thursday, October 21, 2004 Marnie writes: As for fringe or no, how about going a little different and getting some pre-made fringe. I really like some of the stuff at this site. They have fun beaded fringe."
Funny you should mention TRIMS, but I just took a field trip Monday to Fishman's Fabrics (1101 S. Desplaines St) to scope and score some trims for another enchanted project: Tweedy Bird...
After finishing the knitting and most of the hem and button bands on the Bird, I realized a Sea of Tweed was a eyeful of BLAH! This stuff can be DULL as DUST! No wonder the ForeFather/Mother Designers of Old called upon the Braid Goddesses to part with some of their ornamental locks!
So the ForeF/Ms edged their creations with TRIM! Velvet Ribbon, Braided Cord, Fringe, Beads, SOMETHING to take this out of the mediocrity of vision and pop it to ya...
Here is what I came home with... 1. 
Enchanting perhaps to my eyes only: Yellow-Green & White Diamond Woven Ribbon
2. 
Just guess what this is... It might be my favorite!
3. 
Two Faux Cable Corded Trims side by side.
4. 
Really Lovely shiny corded Crowns...
Who Will WIN the Place on the Loopy Collar: stay tuned for more exciting Loopy News...
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New Threads Friday
***************************************
Just for today, one sock qualifies
for a special one time only FO dance!
Technically, a pair is needed, but this is SPECIAL because it indicates I've gotten back on the SOCK BUS!
Even though I've been pretty good at cleaning out the workbasket, there are still a couple of lonely socks waiting to be finished.
This one is now ready for its MATE! Dirty Little Secret: But not without a little help from my friends...
I've been working on finishing this for a couple of days - its my stop gap knitting when I'm stuck somewhere waiting for work direction or between shows. Yesterday, I SCARED the reporter I was working with by whipping off one boot and tracing my foot...
I'd forgotten my sock pattern and needed to know how long to make the sock! Seeing me measuring the trace did not relieve the stressful situation I caused but only added to the mystique!
Later, I took the little Hemp/Wool sockie to KIP and finished knitting it there. This yarn is so delightful, it was much petted and SMELLED! YES - for the first time ever I participated in a MASS SIP (Smell in Public)...
I'd only done this in the privacy of my own home before But I was emboldened by all the TESTIFYIN' done over at Wendy's on Wednesday in the Yarn Sniffin' Comments, and, damn, this was FINE! Corinne started it but I couldn't resist -
But I digress... I got all the way to the end of my toe shaping on said sock and started to Kitchener it together but ALAS! I lost my Will To Kitchener! I could not, for the life of me remember how to do it! MARY to the rescue! She pulled out a copy of Interweave Knits and VOILA! In the back section is a handy dandy tech section and there it was - thanks Mary! Love you guys!!!
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<< Knitting Bloggers >>
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1. la Fleur de Fluffa (85%)
Design: Rebecca Magazine
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons
Color: Dusky #164
Gauge: 18sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #8
Type: Hand Knit
3. Shazam (30%)
Design: Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Rowan "Magpie"
Color: Raisin
Gauge: 18sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #6 & #8
Type: Hand Knit
3. Tweedy Bird (90%)
Design: Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Plymouth "Cottrica"
Color: Black & White Tweed
Gauge: 18sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #6 & #8
Type: Fusion
1. Fern (33%)
Design: Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Filatura "Zara"
Color: Acid Green
Gauge: 22sts/30 rows over 4"
Needles: #3 & #6
Type: Hand Knit
2. Cable Me #1 (33%)
Design: Bonne Burns
Yarn: Sweet Grass "Wool"
Color: Natural Sheep Gray
Gauge: 16sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #6 & #9
Type: Hand Knit
NEXT MEETING:
October 21, 2004
=== join ===
HERE
Bonus KIP!
if 5th Thurs
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