Ann Budd’s The Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters

These books give you the basic numbers you need to design your own sweater patterns in your own yarn and gauge. You take the charts for the basic sweater, mix and match the body style, sleeve style, neckline style, etc. Patch them all up together and then just knit following the tables she has already done all the math for – in your size and gauge! Since I have never followed a pattern (or recipe) exactly in my life; I’m always changing something, this is the perfect fit for me and knitters like me. She provides patterns for pullovers, cardigans, v-necks, crew necks, collars, raglan sleeves, round yokes, set-in sleeves, Saddle shoulders, and modified drop shoulders. And if you have her other books and a knack for cobbling you can add even more options.

Mom’s Sweater – ripping

As I re-do Mom’s sweater, I will be using this book instead of the previously ill-fitting pattern.

Did I mention I love, love, love these books?

There is a caveat though – these books have a learning curve. If you can only follow patterns where one step immediately follows the next you will have to learn how to use these. My favorite way is to photocopy each page I need to make the garment and literally cut & paste them together to make a pattern. It works for me and then I have a single pattern to file away in my Finished Objects notebooks (along with a yarn sample, ball band and photograph when I’m feeling really organized) and a good reference for when I need to knit a similar sweater.

Which brings me to the digital version or the book’s “App”. Interweave really fell down on the job with the digital version. I purchased it first thinking it would be fab to have it on my iPad and always with me for handy pattern following or tweaking. I got excited when I saw the App because I assumed (we all know what happens then) it would have some really great features, making it easier to follow the patterns. Nope. I feel like they rushed this one out the door without thinking it through. As Seth Godin says “Skeumorphs = failure“, a skeumorph (in Seth’s definition) is a design element from an old thing added to a new one. In this case, the e-book/App is exactly like a printed book with fewer features. The only links are in the table of contents to the beginning of each chapter. Why publishers keep putting out e-books that have even less usefulness than the printed version is totally beyond me. There is an opportunity to shine here people – use it!

A useful e-book should have; the ability to send any page to an air printer and to e-mail it to yourself or your Dropbox account. The ability to highlight any word, phrase or paragraph as well as bookmark same. Every time it says “for such and such info see page 123″ that page number or phrase should be a link, no excuses, with a “return” button so you can go right back to the page you were on when you clicked on the link. And, for a knitting pattern book, it would be nice to have a place marker bar that runs under the line in the pattern or chart you are on as well as the ability to highlight the column for your size. Removable later, of course. I’ve thought about this for ten minutes and I came up with some stellar features. How long did the digital publisher think about it? Good question.

OK, so the last bit was a little rant. I can get worked up about books. I have no sympathy for an industry that cries about its demise when it’s hidebound (pun intended) refusal to keep up with the times is its own worst enemy. Don’t blame the internet or the readers if you won’t deliver what the readers need or want (due to cowardice, laziness or ignorance). I guess that was a big rant, but I have it off my chest for now  :)

In summary, the books are fabulous for the sweater designer who needs a spring-board. The print copies have a learning curve but are well worth the effort and eminently useable. The digital copies (as of this date) are useless.

Do you have any experience with the digital version and does it differ from mine? I’d love to hear the other side.

Deb H

Mom’s Cardigan

A sweater for my Mom. She picked out a pattern that looks exactly like a sweater I knit for myself in the late 70′s. But the 70′s are back (in the fashion world, anyway) and she liked it. It was a simple bottom-up raglan, wrapped cardigan with a belt, mostly stockinette. I thought “well, the top-down, knit-it-all-in-one-piece girl can learn a new skill, I’ll do it on my knitting machine (used only for sock blanks and one child’s vest up to now). Easy-peasy” (insert maniacal cackling here).

Oy! Just finding my gauge turned into a Sherlock Holmes-esk adventure. How do you KM knitters keep from going mad? After 8 gauge swatches that involved an entire ball of yarn each I finally arrived at the magic combination that did the trick. Yes, Joan, I washed and blocked my swatches before measuring my gauge

Then the adventure of getting it to come out in all the right shapes. I finally drew pattern pieces on muslin and pinned them to the blocking board according to the math of the pattern to get each piece just right. After several attempts and re-dos I had all the knitted pieces that matched the patterns. Whew! But the little voice in the back of my head started to get a little louder. “How can a sweater, that is a wrap cardigan, have the two fronts the same width as the back? Shouldn’t they be a bit wider for overlap?” I really didn’t want to do it over again at this int so I convinced myself that once it was sewn together it would be fine.

Mom’s cardigan without the belt

Seaming. NOW I remember why I always knit in the round, I hate sewing up seams. Well, I’d had a lesson from Joan at Heritage Spinning & Weaving on doing just that. So I sewed up the side seams, nice straight edges that went together like a dream with the mattress stitch and looked fab! “I can do this” I thought. Then the raglan seams… seam it up, pick it out. Seam it up again, pick it out, rinse and repeat. A lot. I finally got them so that I could live with them but they weren’t perfect. Then the front bands had to be seamed on. Separately? Really? Again, the straight parts looked great, the curved section, not so much. And in the photos I see that I should have made it snugger around the back of the neck. After trying it on me that little voice was starting to shout, it was too snug in the front and in the shoulders, the pattern’s shaping had been too steep. I’d already put so many other projects on hold to wrestle this one into completion that I really didn’t have the heart to start over – again. Besides, it was supposed to be her Christmas present and I’d made her wait so long for it. And it might fit her even if it didn’t fit me. And… and… and…

I shipped it off. The minute it left my hands at the Post Office I regretted it. I knew it was wrong and I should have re-done it.

Mom loved the sweater, but it didn’t fit – too snug in the bust and shoulders. I begged her to send it back (she hated to make me re-do it) but I convinced her that it would bug me for the rest of my life if she didn’t let me have another go.

The yarn is Kathmandu Aran in a lovely tweedy beige and it is wonderful. I loved working with it and, of course (I am a button maker), even a wrap around needs a back-up system so it has a fused glass button, made by moi.

Fused glass button detail

The funny thing is, once I talked to her and she agreed to send it back to me, I felt relief. I’m actually looking forward to re-knitting it and having it turn out right. I just needed a break from it and I’m ready to take it on again. The next go-round will be doing the same pattern but not following the same pattern (if you get my meaning). I will be knitting it by hand after getting the yarn ready for another go and using my favorite go-to book for my favorite method of making sweaters; Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters, I have the e-book version on my iPad so it is always with me – convenient. I am sure that I will knit it the second time, by hand, much faster than the first time by machine. Meanwhile, my KM is still my best friend for knitting sock blanks, my favorite way to dye sock yarn. And I have learned a ton while working my way through all these issues. In the end, I’m a process knitter. That means I knit because I enjoy the process and a finished project at the end is just the bonus. Ripping out and re-doing is not really that big of a deal  just got in the way of other projects. But I’ve got until Fall to get the Sweater Sequel to Mom. That gives me time to sneak in a few projects waiting for the finishing touches while I’m doing it.

Would you be willing to re-knit a sweater from start to finish several times to get it right?

Deb H

Black and Beaded, Dragon Paws Fingerless Mitts

My latest obsession that keeps me from doing other things? Knitting Dragon Paws.

This is the latest pair, they are off to their new home and I hope they are worn with a sense of fun and flirtation. That is, after all, what inspired their design.

Black & Beaded knit Dragon Paws Fingerless Mitts

Lessons learned on this pair – black is a b____ to knit on. Beads take forever to add to your knitting. It’s all worth it!  :-)

Deb H

The Stack, a pile of papers and stuff to-do

The photo is a result of an exercise I did for an online class I’m taking called The Written Sketchbook by Lynn Krawczyk. Only one lesson in, I’m finding it to be quite illuminating, shall we say? But, more on that later. This post is about organizing and I’m going to share some of my favorite tips and resources.

my favorite tips – or the things that work best for me

• Make sure every item has a permanent home
• Put things away a soon as you are done using them, make this a habit!
• Store like items together
• Store things at their point of use
• You don’t need multiples of everything (exceptions here)
• You need multiple items when they are commonly used at different locations (scissors, etc.)
• You can only use so much yarn (fabric, beads, etc.) in your lifetime. Designate a reasonable and realistic sized storage bin for it and when it is too full to add to it, do not create another, purge something old and out-of-date to make room.
• Label all your drawers, bins and boxes (in detail)
• Make it easy to put things away. Use drawers rather than tubs, if I have to unstack and re-stack to put things away, I won’t.
• Routines and habits – they get things done!

books

The best one ever!  “Organizing from the Inside Out” by Julie Morgenstern http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/Products_Books_OIO.php Also http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/Products_Books_TMIO.php on Time Management

A close second “Organizing For The Creative Person – Right-brain styles for conquering clutter, mastering time, and reaching your goals” by Dorothy Lehmkuhl & Delores Cotter Lamping http://www.amazon.com/Organizing-Creative-Person-Right-Brain-Conquering/dp/0517881640

And I just bought this one; “Time Management for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Strategies for Stopping Procrastination, Getting Control of the Clock and Calendar, and Freeing Up Your Time and Your Life” by Lee Silber, we’ll see if it’s worth it http://www.amazon.com/dp/0609800906/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

organizing resources (online)

Resources for information, tips, and worksheets to help you learn to get organized

Fly Lady is almost a household word but her routines work! Start here. http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/flying-lessons/

Another site that is very helpful if you have the patience to wade through it. http://www.getorganizednow.com

A recently found site http://www.getorganizedwizard.com/start-here/

Good Articles http://www.gettingorganizedmagazine.com/articles/

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Organized

Setting Goals http://work.yourway.net/31-days-to-your-goal/ after all, how do you know where you are going without a goal?

planners/organizers

A free online to-do list and task organizer. This one is my favorite of the online variety http://www.simpleology.com

A simpler online organizer https://evernote.com

For Mac users, my favorite project planner for the brain storming phase, a Mind Map App http://www.simpleapps.eu/simplemind/desktop for the Mac and iPad – and they sync!

A Mind Map app for the PC users http://www.mindapp.com

what I’ve learned

Things I’ve learned the hard way

Keep it simple!!! Do not micro manage your schedule or to-do list.

David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) system is too complicated and anal retentive if you are a Creative (a big-picture thinker).

First and foremost; all the “how to organize” this, that and the other thing are useless without changing your habits. If you don’t make it a habit to put things away as soon as you are done with them nothing will ever change. Get the idea that I’ve found habit to be important?

what I still need to learn

Things I have not been able to learn – for whatever reason.

To keep it simple enough!

You don’t need a million duplicates of anything (or everything).

Multitasking is a farce. Being able to switch gears is far more valuable.

Focus on only three things at one time! When one is done, move on to the next thing that needs doing, then move on to the next thing – but never more than three things at once!

Earlier, I made a comment about how staring at a pile of papers and to-do items taught me something about organizing. Finding myself in the position of having to write about how it made me feel I had to explore it and found a surprise. The expected feeling of being nagged and a little of overwhelm were expected, but the surprise came when I realized I found it comforting. I think that having a stack of to-do’s staring at me all the time makes me feel validated somehow; I’m real, I have purpose, I’m not floundering. I guess I better get past that one!

So, what are your favorite tips and what have you found to be invaluable resources or tools?

Deb H

The same as before.

No change.

My New Year’s Theme

At any-rate, this is how goals usually work for me. So the last two years I have chosen to go with picking a Word for the year. This is a popular method among my fiber artists circles and I have to say I’ve gotten better results using this approach. For 2011 I chose the Word “Conquer“. I spent the year trying to learn how to conquer some of my messes, my bad habits, my fears. For 2012 I chose the Word “Focus” and spent my year trying to learn how to be more like a laser and less like a shotgun when it came to my attention span and getting things done. I’m a true creative/multipod, I’m distracted by every shiny new object, funky new design or fabulous new idea that manifests in my brain or crosses my field of vision. I want to drop what ever was my latest hot idea and chase the new one. This would be great if someone was paying me to be a brain-storm trooper but, bad if I want to actually develop and idea to its conclusion.

Sigh.

This is a self-portrait I did several years ago. I’m sure some of you recognize it as I have used it for my avatar on several social sites. It is still highly representational (can you guess why  ;o)

And I like that. I like that part of me, I just wish I had some control over it – hence, last year’s Word; Focus.

What has picking a Word done for me? I have not mastered the concepts but I have built some very real and useful skills/habits/traits that bring me closer to being able to take steps toward my Goals.

Back to Goals

Don’t mistake me, I haven’t abandoned the whole Goals idea. I just think that my long-term goals don’t need to be muddled by a slew of smaller goals for the year that will only make me feel like a failure if I don’t reach them or they get changed, or abandoned as useless. And because they are long-term, I don’t want to keep listing them every year and making myself feel worse because I haven’t reached them yet. I’ve decided that building some skills needed to work towards them is a more efficient use of my time and energy.

This year I’m keeping the practice but, inspired by a post from Emilie Wapnick of PuttyLike, I’m not calling it my Word for the year anymore, I’m picking my Theme. It’s a more accurate way to describe what is actually going on with this process.

So, this year’s Theme is “Progress“. I’ve built some skills (not enough, but a start) and feel like it’s time to start using them to inch toward my long-term goals – I have many, see the self-portrait? So my themes from the last two years will continue to be worked on, but some progress can now be made. I am publicly stating that I will try not to procrastinate so much and work to make Progress.

What is your theme for the year?

Deb H

After all, as someone said “It’s about the journey to the destination”, because without a destination in mind you will only wonder aimlessly.

My beautiful daughter

I’m reveling in having her here, she is such a creative person and my brain goes into creativity overload when she is around. She heads back to Seattle next week and I will have to dive into my plans for the year and get started with a vengeance so I won’t pout after she is gone.

There has been some serious play with yarn and some serious play with glass and fire. I hope I can show you peeks of the developing projects over the next few months.

Meanwhile, I hope you have all had as great a holiday season as I’ve had and make awesome plans for 2013 – it’s going to be great!  :o)

Deb H

PS – the photo above is an older photo of Ashland that I played with in Popsicolor (an iPad App).

Toasty warm in soft colors, with a touch of beading and elegance

It has been soooo heart warming to get such a positive response on these designs. I’ve made a fair few in the last year and they have done very well for me at our arts and crafts shows. We have just had the last one for the year and I have to admit, I’m looking forward to a period of knitting, weaving, and fusing just for me!  :o)

Deb H

A note from the kitchen…

I cook a big meal twice a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas.
That’s it. The rest of the year meals are simple and easy to fix. I’m a busy girl, after all.

As a result, I take those two meals seriously. We prefer turkey for our holiday feasts and I always order a fresh Amish bird from down the road at The Country Smokehouse, a phenomenal place to get all kinds of fabulous foods, BTW.

The cornerstone for our holiday meals is the stuffing. One of the true benefits of having moved around the country so much is that you tend to pick up the local favors, so to speak. The year we lived in Houston, New Orleans was a favorite vacation destination. Then we actually got to live there for a year. It had a big influence on my cooking. I guess you could say I cook in an eclectic blend of Pacific Northwest, California cuisine, and Cajun styles.

So, my stuffing has evolved over the past 25 years into a work of culinary art. Here is what went in ours today;

Goodbye to the last of our color (sniff)

- Pepperidge Farms Herbed Seasoned white and wheat cubed stuffing mix.
- The last three slices of some 8-grain bread I had.
- Caramelized onions & toasted pine nuts.
- An apple.
- Pecans (because I had them).
- Dates (see above).
- Brown & wild rice blend (cooked).
- A handful of dried vegetable soup blend from Whole Foods (this is good added to everything).
- Andouille – a very spicy Cajun sausage.
- Crawfish (headless and de-shelled. We aren’t really Cajun).
- Lots of fresh ground pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, and cayenne pepper.
I think that is everything I put in. After it was all in the oven I realized I’d forgotten mushrooms. Oh well, there is always the Christmas turkey – which will be smoked this year.

Mashed potatoes and gooey string beans won’t be on the table but a bevy of roasted veggies will; brussels sprouts, yam, fingerling potatoes and onion. We are traditional about some things, lots of turkey gravy and the pumpkin pie is pretty much just like everyone else’s – unless our daughter is home to make it, then it is extra good. I think she has a secret ingredient or two.
This year I’m feeling a little adventurous though, our salad is going to involve a baked pear, baked banana, pecans, and a reduced brandy sauce. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US family and friends. We wish we could all be at the same table!

Deb H

Let’s say I’ve had a very busy fall! My Mom came to visit for October, a treat since she doesn’t get back here that often. We hopped in my VW and took a week-long road trip to the Boston area to visit with a friend in Newburyport and my niece, who attends BU. We hit the peak of the leaf color, ate lobster and checked out a few yarns shops (big surprise there)! One of my favorite parts of the Northeastern part of the US is the little hidden treasures.

Hidden Alley Art in Newburyport, MA

The drive to and from was occasioned by a stop at Niagara Falls. I can’t believe that as many times as I’ve lived in Michigan, I have never been. We remedied it by taking a good look from both sides – awesome!

Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, the horseshoe end.

Hubby and I then vended the Winter Wonders Show in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in November. It was a great show and a great time was had by all. My (finished) Dragon Paws were very well received and made me feel quite clever, indeed  ;o)

I updated the free knitting pattern, “My Man’s Scarf” if you are looking for a great unisex scarf to knit for a loved one.

But now, here in the US, it is Thanksgiving week and preparations are in high gear for a day of cooking and feasting! We Yanks usually reflect on the things we are grateful for during this time and I have to say, my list is very long! But, in a very timely fashion, I came across this paragraph in a favorite book and thought it appropriate to share. From Sir Terry Pratchett’s Disc World novel, “Thief Of Time”.

“The first words read by seekers of enlightenment in the secret, gong-banging, yeti-haunted, valleys near the hub of the world are read when they look into the Life of Wen the Eternally Surprised.

The first question they ask is: ‘Why was he eternally surprised?’

And they are told: ‘Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, re-created anew. Therefore, he understood, there is, in truth, no Past, only a memory of the Past. Blink our eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.”

If you have never read any of the Disc World books, you should. TP has a way of putting things in perspective. They are also fall-down hilarious.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Deb H

Antique book – Child’s History of Animals

This is a bit off my usual topic but while reading a Blog Post by Seth Godin  today, I got a little sad. He has expounded on this topic a number of times in his Blog or at The Domino Project and it always makes me think. The death of bookstores is my real heart-break. I have spent many an hour sitting on a dusty floor at the foot of a towering book shelf in one book store or another perusing books about art, philosophy, sci-fi, photography, cooking, knitting, fantasy, yoga, manga, etcetera. I have consumed an unhealthy number of lattes sitting at bookstore coffee tables flipping through and deciding which magazine is worth shelf space at home. I love to hold, and look, and read books. I miss those hours of leisure spent there.

Antique Book – Cinderella

It’s true I have a B&N close (only an hour drive!) where I can still revel in all that. But, and it’s a big but, my leisure time is less than it was a few years ago and my book shelves are overflowing. Trust me, Border’s demise in not my fault! However, B&N’s may be. Is it because I don’t like the store? No, I love it (but I still won’t PAY for a loyalty card). Is it because I’m not reading as much anymore? No, I’m probably reading a lot more (books, blogs, pdf’s). The real reason is that I use an e-reader for most of my new books now. I miss the feel of a book but for convenience you can’t beat them. I bought a Kindle before the Nook was worth a serious look. I also have an iPad so a Nook will probably never make it in my future. But I have a Nook App and can read their books. And there are several good e-reader Apps available now for us tablet people. I’ve even taken to getting a couple of my favorite magazines on my e-reader.

Convenient and shelf-space friendly.

Well worn book – Alice In Wonderland

But most of us don’t only shop for e-books at a book store, we shop online. Convenience, it’s just too hard to go to a store to see books for only ONE reader, especially if we have several. So, are bookstores really going the way of the Edsel and the 8-track? I honestly don’t think so. I think we are having growing pains and it will all shake out in the end.

Jules Verne

When I look into the future (I can do that in MY world), I see bookstores popping up all over again. They will be small in size. They will have a coffee shop and tables and couches to relax. They will have banks of iPad sized, full color e-readers instead of book shelves and you will be able to use their free WiFi, or just plug-in your USB cable and download on the spot (for a percentage to the store). You could even e-mail your purchase to your home computer. You can read sample chapters of the books that interest you, flip through the glossy and eye-popping pictures, and read reader reviews. Some of your books will sing and dance (Yellow Submarine), or be interactive (Alice in Wonderland). You can search for books by author, genre or any number of other criteria. And they will all be downloadable in any and all e-reader formats because (again, this is MY world) the publishers and book chains and Amazon will have stopped squabbling over who might get the biggest piece of the pie and realized that there is no shortage of readers and we can all play together nice. There will be a Print-On-Demand machine that can print any book (that doesn’t sing & dance) out in paperback right there on the spot for you if you just have to have real pages to flip and turn down. They will have special edition hard back copies, signed by the authors (at outrageous prices in a locked case) for the collectors. A few coffee table art books will still be on a shelf to one side (let’s face it, they make great gifts for our artsy friends), along with a multitude of blank journals, cards and exotic writing tools. Books are not going away, just changing format. Kind of like the Edsel and 8-track. People are not reading less, just fewer printed books. Publishers and bookstores need to evolve and we readers need to help them see how to do it.

Antique Book – Tattine

At the same time, we can only hope that Amazon will continue to set the good example when it comes to authors and teach the big publishing companies that squeezing their authors is not a good business model (but that’s a topic for another day). Yes, in my world everybody wins!

Sigh, I hope I live long enough for my future bookstore to come into fruition (in the real world).

Deb H