Ahoy. I hope that the month of July has been treating you well.
With our moving day on the horizon, we’ve been packing up a storm. And, as a crafter, there is nothing as humbling as stumbling upon my unfinished business — unfinished WIPs to be exact. UFOs are a direct line to sobering reflection on the finitude of time, energy, and intention.
I thought I’d post some of those UFOs here as a way of remembering them. Each project started in a flurry of excitement, motivation, and planning. Each project was born of a dream, idea, and inspiration. And each one, at some point, got relegated to the bottom of the project pile, only to be fished out too late. To cut down on movables given our limited space, these projects have either been frogged or given away.
So, with this post, I am saying goodbye to all the WIPs that never made it to the finish line: the tiny tapestry that never was, the ribbed winter hat that never saw it past the brim, the mitered-square blanket that couldn’t be made. I learned a lot from starting these projects, and I’m resting in the assurance that they will endure in another form. The yarn will be salvaged, and the skeins re-directed into new dreams and undertakings.
I write this to remind myself that not all things need to be “finished” in order to have served their purpose. There is meaning and learning, still, in incompletion; sometimes, E is for Effort and it’s okay to have left some loose threads in one’s wake…
So, without further ado, the things that never were:
Frame loom tapestry (cotton and acrylic)Mitered-square blanketWinter HatLace Blanket
Wishing you the gold of summer. We’ll be on the road to our new destination. See you on the other side. 🙂
When I finished my very first lace project in 2019, I gained a new appreciation for lace-knitting. The Dinner at the Eiffel Tower Shawl is a good entry-level lace project. By that, I mean that most of the shawl’s lace panels consist of simple yarn-overs (skipped stitches that produce little holes) that repeat across the entire row. Nothing too complex.
Knit up in Berroco Folio, a blend of rayon and superfine alpaca, I remember that I completed the shawl over the course of 3 weeks. I remember that, to avoid mistakes in the lattice lace (the “diamond” areas), I pre-marked the 7-stitch repeated pattern with a piece of yarn at 7-stitch intervals before working all of the actual stitches. It was labour intensive, doing this over 200 or so stitches, row by row, but I learned that dividing my stitches in this way made trouble-shooting problems infinitely easier.
I love the flow state of “mindless knitting” — the kind of knitting that consists of rows and rows with few stops and starts. I learned that lace is quite different. It required my intense attention. The contrast is the difference between getting to cruise on the highway vs. making frequent stops and starts in city traffic. Lace absorbs you. It is a state of being.
When I completed this shawl after having worked at this turtle pace, I was incredibly proud. It marked a “level up” in my knitting skills after years of doing simple stockinette projects and some minor work in cables.
Nowadays, I don’t feel like I’m doing much “leveling up.” I am learning to be content if I feel like I am holding steady, creatively-speaking. Given the current circumstances, I find my knitting (and general creative) bandwidth narrowed. Drawing and art feel fluid, improvisational, and forgivingly open-ended; I draw a little pink cat-person in 20 minutes, and I am happy. The counting, casting on, stitching, and modifying required of garment-knitting surpasses what I feel I’m capable of these days, and I am coming to terms with that hiatus. I’m learning to see it not as a limitation, but an opening onto something new; there is value in taking a break and adapting my media to the constraints of what is possible. But how hard it can be (for myself, and others) to adapt expectations to a new set of circumstances… When these days are over, I’ll keep this wisdom of treading gently (again, on myself and others).
I guess I write this post to acknowledge my knitting nostalgia. It’s not merely nostalgia for a much-loved project, but also a remembering of the maker that I was, and had grown into over years — she had focus and capacities which, now, seem far away and unreachable given today’s atmosphere of ambient uncertainty. Maybe, one day, she’ll see lace glory again. For now, I’m okay with looking back in gratitude that something beautiful was possible.
A favourite moment after completing this project was going to the woods and filming the shawl under the sun on a breezy day. This clip makes me wistful for that summer.
This week sees a new knitting friend to add to last week’s: a toucan who is enjoying some knitting and sunlight in a purple lopapeysa sweater.
I have always loved toucans and their stunning colours — they are the opposite of camouflage, brazenly themselves. At least that’s how I think of it.
And Spring is a good time for artists (I am speaking for myself). The return of the sun makes colours extra vivid, bringing out their worlds of feeling. The surfaces and textures of stitches, fabric, and fiber become more brilliant, too. Working outdoors or with windows ajar, I feel connected to the slow sprouting of life around me. A quiet sweetness of being becomes possible.
Hello, there. Friday seems to have crept up on me. What a busy week it has been. I didn’t want it to slip by without a post, though — so today, a recent picture of a feline fiber friend.
Drawn in my favourite Faber-Castell pencils, this kitty is a keeper and collector. In time for Spring, she comes with a provisioning energy, reminding me that all of the little bits and bobs that I once squirreled away for Winter (the metaphorical and the literal one) are still useful. Those collected and once-dormant winter-stored bits are ready to be brought out and given new life. “Here they are!” the kitty says, as the yarn hovers up and into a blue sky of possibility. Maybe it is high time that I return to my stash.
Have you tapped into keeping or collecting energies lately? Or maybe rediscovered a long-hidden stash of semi-forgotten goodies? The life of the maker is full of hidden treasure.
Whether you’re spinning up a storm, gathering skeins from that big basket of yarn, or are simply allowing some colours and remnants to commingle and dream themselves into something new, this kitty is for you.
Happy Wednesday. I hope your week is going well. This is a repost from 2017 (time flies!) that is for the holiday knitters — a review of 6 different mini-stocking patterns for your holiday crafting pleasure. These patterns are all free, knit up in a pinch, and as far as I’ve checked, are still available on Ravelry (save for #6 which was taken from a book). Enjoy!
The past week has found me getting my holiday knit on, combing through Ravelry’s collection of mini-stocking patterns and trying my hand at a few. My usual writing table has been temporarily transformed into a workshop strewn with yarny bits, coloured pencils, the odd DPN, and darning needles which tend to roll into their favourite hiding place: under all of the other mess. I now appreciate the true meaning of trying to find a needle in a ribbon-paper-and-tape stack.
But. If you’re pressed for time and are looking for a last-minute holiday knit, I’ve found that mini-stockings work well. The patterns are easy and can be worked + finished up in an evening (I am a slower knitter, so the speedy-stitchers among you could zip one off in no time).
The Patterns
I worked 6 different patterns.
1) Gemma Towns’ Mini Christmas Stockingsturned out to be my favourite pattern of the lot. Striping, a contrast colour on the cuff, heel and toe, and ample space for stuffers — what’s not to like? Worked on DPNs, the heel is shaped through a series of short rows. Quick Kitchener-stitch to graft that toe. Easy peasy.
2) Kat Mcab’sSmall Holiday Stockings are a fun take on the mini-stocking, and they knit up really fast with minimal finishing. The stocking is worked in the round and is shaped with a set of increases. The simplicity of this pattern allows you to personalize or customize it easily. Only the bottom of the stocking requires a quick seam: a kitchener stitch graft or a 3-needle bind-off.
3) Jean Greenhowe’s pattern for Mini Christmas Stockingsis worked flat. The stocking is shaped through increases, and the seam is sewn up the ‘back’ (the right side of the ornament in the picture). I thought that this pattern made for the most traditional ‘stocking’ shape, but am discovering that I’m a bigger fan of DPNs than I am of seams! This pattern walks you through different variations for colours and striping.
4) Juliet Bernard’s Christmas Stockingsare quite special: worked on DPNs, they feature a ribbed cuff, some variations of easy colour work to choose from, and a full slip-stitched heel and gusset. If you’re looking to bring some 3-D sock-realism to your holiday decor, this pattern is it!
Gusset realness!
5) Beverly Leestma’s Mini Knit Stockingsare worked flat, include short-rows for heel-shaping, and are seamed along the front of the stocking. This pattern produced the tiniest of the stockings (a mere 2.5″ from heel to cuff when using worsted weight and size 6 US needles). The pattern has variations for striping and working heel & toe contrast colours.
…and 6) comes from the pages of Joelle Hoverson’s Last-Minute Knitted Gifts(2004) – the Sweater and Stocking Minis pattern. True to its word, the book provides a range of 11th-hour knits. This one is under the category of “2-hour projects.” It knit up so fast, I was able to finish the stocking in the library and did not need to bring the pattern book home with me (there is a lovely room in the library with a high, domed ceiling, a real fireplace, and huge windows that let all the light in. It is perfection for knitting). This one knit up the lumpiest, though – my mistake: the heel uses a few yarn-overs during the short-rows and my attempt to close up all the holes while finishing up left some bumps in the fabric. Lesson learned.
…and I-Cord Hangers
When attaching hangers to the stockings, I first tried a crochet slip-stitch chain, but found this flimsy and shapeless (see stocking #2 above). What my heart desired (and what it got) was an i-cordloop. I-cords are so much fun to make! They make for a very sturdy hanging loop for heavier things, too (if you’re interested, you’ll find a tutorial for making a 2-colour i-cord at the end of the post).
For each ornament, I worked a 2-colour 4-stitch i-cord on size 2 DPNs, then sewed the ends together to make a loop.
Making an I-cord: just 4-stitches slid along a DPN produces a sturdy column of stockinette.
I attached the loops to the stocking corners, and with that, a first batch of stockings was ready!
What do you think of these different patterns? Are you putting in the last stitches on a project or two? I hope that this week finds you warm and well, and recharging your holiday energies wherever and whenever you can.
handmade habit 