Author: tabitha

White Christmas? Here??

The Heart family is celebrating Christmas. This has been a unique Christmas in many ways. We have broken from tradition on a lit of things this year but the biggest difference here is the weather.

I am experiencing my first ever White Christmas. Now, I know that this is not big surprise for those who live in northern climates but here in the temperate south snow in December is rarer than hen’s teeth.

In fact, there has never been snow here on Christmas Day in recorded history.

I know this isn’t a great deal of snow to those of you used to such things but it is a big deal here. And the snow hasn’t slowed down so I will be able to post updated photos throughout the day.

I wish all of you a very merry Christmas. Those of you who are members of my Ravelry group might want to visit the group when you get a chance as there is a surprise there from me.

Has It Really Been That Long…

Time really flies when you are having fun. Working almost exclusively on projects for publication left me with little to blog about for a long while. But as the time for the release of some of these patterns nears I can start sharing a few hints here and there.

The Cashmiracle project is due to be released later this month. It has been difficult to keep quiet about it but since Gryphon has spilled the beans, at least a few of them, I can tell you a little about it too. I am thrilled to say that one of my patterns will be featured in the Winter pattern collection for Sanguine Gryphon. It has been a real pleasure to work with the Sanguine Gryphon crew. I have been madly in love with their yarn for a while so it was a huge treat to get to try out their newest yarn, Gaia Fingering, affectionately dubbed Cashmiracle. Here is an in progress photo.

And another little teaser:

Now that I have finished with all the stealth projects for a while, I have had a chance to work on a couple of designs for myself. This lace hat is destined for a Christmas gift.

The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga in Beyer’s Scarab Beetle told you I was addicted to their yarn. I love that vibrant green. Hope the lucky recipient will love it too. The really cool thing about this pattern is that it looks totally cool on the reverse side so it is like getting two hats in one. The pattern is currently in test knitting so it should be available in a few weeks.

I have also have a new shawl design in test knitting.

This is an in progress photo because I had to rework the border a tiny bit. The yarn is Dodge Creation Dyeworks in Plum Blossom. As soon as it warms up a little I hope to get some decent photos. This pattern is also in test knitting and should be available in two to three weeks.

I also have several other hat designs in progress that I will be telling you about in the coming weeks.

Cashmiracle

That yarn that I had been waiting for finally arrived. And I am totally in LUV. I want to knit an entire wardrobe of this yarn. I want sheets knitted from this yarn. I want to wrap myself in it from head to toe.

The object of my affection is Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Fingering.

This is a brand new yarn for Sanguine Gryphon. It is a grown up version of their Gaia Lace. It is a 40% cashmere/ 60% silk blend. This color is so new it doesn’t even have a name. My photo doesn’t show the color accurately. It is much richer and more beautiful in person.

Here is the swatch for my latest design.

Looks surprisingly like stockinette stitch, doesn’t it? It has been a pleasure to knit. I wish you could all feel this yarn. It is scrumptious. You will be hearing more about this yarn as the design takes shape.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

As I wait for yarn to arrive for my next project and for responses on the latest designs submitted for publication, I find myself in a position of having little to talk about. So naturally, I will talk about books.

I mentioned in my last post that I had increased the size of my library a bit lately. Two of my recent acquisitions were Alice Starmore books. I have been reading Starmore for a while but so many of her books are out of print, that I hadn’t purchased many. That changed with the re-release of Aran Knitting.

I have been wanting a copy of this book for several years. I read a library copy from but couldn’t find a used copy for under $250, which just wasn’t in the budget. So I tried to memorize everything in the book and hoped that some day it would be released again. In September, my dreams came true!

The book isn’t your typical book of knitting patterns. It is more an instructional book on the history, and process of Aran knitting. Oh, there are patterns. Beautiful, fabulous, wonderful patterns. But the main focus of the book is to teach you what Aran knitting is and how to design it. The book opens with a chapter on the history of Aran knitting that includes photos of some gorgeous museum pieces. Starmore makes the history of the region and technique come alive. Who know history didn’t have to be boring?

The second chapter, on Aran patterns and technique, is worth the price of the book by itself. Starmore explains all of the different types of stitches commonly used in Aran knitting taking you step-by-step through the Aran design process, including some new information on Celtic knots.

Then just for fun, she adds the spectacular designs. Each one is more beautiful than the last. The photography is breath-taking and the knitwear superb. These are some of my favorite patterns. Ever. Even the names are beautiful – St. Brigid, Maidenhair, St. Ciaran, Eala Bhan.
The book ends with a chapter on designing your own Aran.

Aran Knitting is over 200 pages of sheer knitting genius. It is a must-have for any knitting library. And the Dover price is far more budget friendly than the $250+ that the original version sells for. Thank you Alice for allowing this book to be republished.

While I was in a Starmore mood, I took the opportunity of a sale to add her Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting to my collection.

This is another Dover re-publication of one of Starmore’s most popular books. It is arranged in a style similar to Aran Knitting beginning with a bit of history, a thorough study of the technique, followed by a section of her own patterns and ending with a chapter on designing your own Fair Isle. It is loaded with charts for every sort of Fair Isle stitch pattern imaginable. Her instructions on the technique are thorough and clear. I found the chapter on color to be particularly helpful.

Starmore does an excellent idea of illustrating the difference between stranded colorwork and true Fair Isle knitting. Even though the terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. She has a fantastic section on the dreaded steek and some of the clearest instructions on underarm gussets I have ever read.

Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting is another 200-page powerhouse of information worth every penny of the cost (especially when you find it on sale). It too is a must-have addition to your knitting library.

Just so you know, I am not related to Alice Starmore; don’t work for Alice Starmore; have no connection to Alice Starmore whatsoever; never even met her, though I hear she is lovely. I am just an avid fan of her brilliant designs. And Alice, if you are reading this, knitters would also love to have a copy of Tudor Roses too. hint, hint, hint

Daleks, Needles and Scarves, Oh My!

Some days, life is like staring down the blaster gun of a Dalek wondering when he will yell EX-TER-MI-NATE. That pretty much sums up the last few weeks. However, I won’t bore you with the details of this Dalek adventure that is my life. Let’s just leave it at this. The last few weeks have been a blur of sinus meds, stealth knitting, tetanus shots, leaky faucets and broken appliances. So what do you say we talk about something more fun.

I have freed the last of my super stealth knits and am finally working on some things that I will be able to talk about. Clearing my needles of stealth knits has allowed me some time to work on this shawl design I have had in the works for a while.

I have also discovered a new yarn store that is within a reasonable distance my house. I visited a couple of weeks ago and bought a new pair of needles for my Doctor Who scarf.

These are Lana Grossa needles and I have to admit that, though they are wood and I am normally a metal needle kind of gal, I really like them. They have a super pointy tip, the cable is completely flexible with no pesky memory and the joins are positively smooth. The needles have a nice weight and balance and are quite comfortable to use. All in all, an excellent addition to my needle collection.

And speaking of my Doctor Who scarf, it continues to grow. And as it reaches monumental proportions, I have been exploring options for blocking it.

Do you think Princess Buttercup is going to be willing to hold it there until it dries??

I have also gotten a number of books lately which I will be reviewing for you one by one. First up is a book that I received through the Book Sneeze program. Though Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of the book for review, the opinions below are my own.

The book I chose was God’s Promises for Women of Faith edited by Jack Countryman.

God’s Promises for Women of Faith is a pretty gift book that is small enough to carry in one’s purse or Bible case. The front cover is adorned with a ribbon decoration. The book is a collection of scripture promises aimed at helping women grow their faith.

This book was a pleasant surprise for me. Since it is marketed as a gift book, I was expecting it to be a lot of fluff and very little actual content. But in this book all of the content comes from the Bible. The approximately 200-page book is arranged in a series of topics that are pertinent to women – “God’s Plan for Women is to…”; “God Delights in Women Who Are…”; “God Walks with Women…”; and so on. When you turn to the page for a specific topic, you will find a selection of scriptures, quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible, that relate to that particular topic. For example, under the topic of Being a Friend, you will find such verses as Proverbs 17:17 and Ecclesiastes 4:9. No commentary, no fluff, just scripture.

The pages are attractively laid out but they didn’t substitute photos for real content. The scriptures are spaced pleasingly on the page where each passage is easy to read and clearly separated from the other passages. The text is attractive but still very easy to read.

The book deals with a wide variety of topics including such current topics as handling financial problems and overcoming worldliness. There is even a section at the end that lists some women of faith from the Bible that we can use as our examples. I can see it being a book that I would refer to often and one that I would be proud to give as a gift. The only negative that I can offer is that I found their God’s Plan of Salvation pages a bit incomplete. There are a couple of scriptures I would have included in the list.

I am glad that I chose this book to review because it is nice to know there are gift books available that aren’t all fluff. This one would be an excellent choice for many occasions.