What does one do when a project "fails"? Not everything can turn out perfectly. I'm OK with learning from my knitting (usually). In the case of the Sideways Socks pattern by Sandi Rosner, I am unsure if it was the pattern or me... but something just ain't right! I re-started the sock a number of times, and finally got to the end of the knitting, only to discover that the "easy" that this sock is (by knitting back and forth instead of on double pointed needles or using magic, loop, etc.) is quickly replaced by an entire sock length of kitchener stitch! If that isn't enough, it's kitchener stitch in garter, then stocknette, then seed, and finally more stockinette! I got through that battle, only to discover that the cuff of the sock is WAY too tight. In the interest of sanity, I decided to call the entire project an "UGH" and move forward with life. The balance of the yarn went into the sock yarn scrap bin, and the toeless sock is credited with probably the first time I have looked at a knitting project, decided that it's OK to let go and move on.
When animals are attacked and somehow escape, or even when the dog is finished with getting a bath... the first thing they do is "shake off" the fear and experience they had... Someone once told me that this something other animals do, but that humans internalize bad experiences. I decided that I would "shake off" the bad experience of this project. So, in an effort to be symbolic of the tragic fail, I decided the best thing to do with a misbehaving project is to climb to the roof of my building and hurl it with all my might into the abyss... goodbye, "Mr. Sock that didn't work out"... I'm acknowledging that you were not destined to be a finished object! The pattern is the Sideways Socks on Ravelry - for me, it was an UGH but others have knit it and done well. If you're feeling up to the challenge, give it a shot. SISC Installment #2 Deep breath in... deep breath out. It's time to start a new project. I got my trusty little drawing kit out for the Self Imposed Sock Club (even though it's not due for another month, I decided that since the first one went so terribly I should just dive in and give myself time to make this pair really count!) There are only 6 different patterns left in my club - remember, I had planned on doing 6 pairs of socks for the year, and put 1 additional project in the mix just in case... I guess I should have re-selected immediately since the first project was a fail... but instead, I let it go, and feel like I MUST only knit 5 more of he 6 potential projects this year. That being said, if I have another terrible fail, I'll have to jump into the next project immediately. (I really hope that doesn't happen!) The pattern I chose this time is the Waves and Piers Socks from The Little Box of Socks - It looks like an easy pattern and I love the way it shows off the color changes. I'm using yarn from Wisdom Yarns (Universal Yarn) - the line is called Los Angeles... 75% wool, 25% polyamide (nylon) ... fingers crossed these socks work out! If you are on Ravelry, here's the project link. Survey Says You'll notice at the top of the website there's a new tab marked " survey" - I am inviting you to participate in a quick (10 question) survey that will be an indicator as to what readers are interested in. If you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your feedback.
Finished Object: Seahorse Cardigan After a lot of research on Mary Maxim, I dove in and got a number of their vintage patterns, including the seahorse cardigan! Using Paton’s Classic Wool Merino, I did a gauge swatch using Jade Hather (77208) for the body, Natural (00229) for the upper background, and Paprika (00238) for the seahorses and accent lines, I cast on in July, 2008! Fast forward to late September, 2009... I finished the chart of one of the sleeves, going back and forth between whether it was all intarsia or if I could "fake" fair isle some of the patterning. I wasn't sure, so I put it away for a while. In mid October of 2010 (yes, a YEAR later) I picked it back up and took the sleeve with me to San Francisco and finished it on the 200 mile drive north to Weott for the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon. That sleeve was finished, and I was able to start the back on that trip! The back was finished in early January, 2011, and a week or two later, I finished the second sleeve. Because all this intarsia and graph based knitting isn't torture enough, I decided to cast on the two fronts at the same time. At this point I was really wanting to get the sweater completed in time for Stitches - and on January 13, 2011, it was finally completed! I assembled the sweater and found the perfect buttons to complete the piece. All but one button came from Britex in downtown San Francisco. The antique seahorse button I used is from “Granny’s Thimble” - a pretty fun source for buttons! Check her out: www.grannysthimble.etsy.com As soon as the weather cooperates I'll get photos of me wearing the cardigan -- I'm now tackling another Mary Maxim pattern... the buffalo sweater!! (and I promise myself that I will not procrastinate as much this time!!) Stay tuned!
I have been working hard to complete lots of projects that have been lingering on my knitting needles. Fellow knitters, you know what it's like to have a bunch of projects incomplete and in various stages of frustratingness. Since my move to San Francisco, I have become quite focused on completing the projects I started, and being well-planned when it comes to starting new ones. That being said, I am happy to share with you, Carlito; a recently-completed cabled cardigan, and Cure; the hat pattern I designed for HIV/AIDS awareness! Carlito Cardigan by Matthew Gnagy
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia Began: May, 2010 Completed: December, 2010 Visit this finished object on Ravelry: http://ravel.me/kylewilliam/cc I bought the yarn for this project at WEBS during our real life visit May, 2010 , and cast on at the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat 2010 in Easton, NY. The project is rewarding, interesting and beautiful... My only notes are:
1. Be sure to center the pattern when picking up the stitches on the back panel - it’s important to divide the cable panel in half then half again (use safety pins or something to divide) and evenly distribute the stitches - otherwise you’ll end up with an uneven back and it’ll look icky… like mine did… and I had to rip it out and re-do it!
2. The length to the waist is shorter than I thought it would be. Because of all the ribbing and traveling angled details, it could stand to be a touch longer. If I were to re-knit this again I'd probably either knit it a little longer or not bind off at the bottom (leave those stitches live until it's assembled to ensure proper length.
Contrary to popular belief, cables are not difficult. The only issue I find with this style of knitting is that it takes concentration and moves more slowly than other pieces I like to knit. That being said, the reward of completing something such as the Carlito Cardigan makes the hours of knitting invested quite worthwhile!
Cure Hat Pattern ReleasedA portion of the proceeds from sales of this pattern will be donated to help fund HIV/AIDS Research.
$4.00 (.pdf pattern download)
Have life saving information to share with someone the next time they ask about the hat you’re wearing. Using this pattern, it’s easy to create a custom hat supporting HIV/AIDS awareness! Check out the fact sheet at the end of the pattern to learn more about this disease and what you can do to help reduce your risk.
Knit in the round, this hat features two motifs - the virus and the ribbon. As the artist, you get to select the quantity and order of these motifs!
I was lucky enough to get to go to Imagiknit's 8th anniversary sale in San Francisco back on September 11, 2010 - and that's where I picked up 3 skeins of yummy Punta Yarns Mericash Thousand Colors in an amazing pumpkin orange. I mixed it with a natural undyed yarn in my stash and started knitting away on Jared Flood's Alberta vest. It didn't take that long to work my way up to the very top of the vest. I ended up binding off the shoulders and seaming them together. Then, it was time to steek. I started by sewing a white yarn up the center of the steek, then I used a different colored yarn to crochet the anchors at the armholes and the v-neck. Then, after a long day at work, I gatherd my knitting, picked up my reproduction vintage looking super pretty sissors from Laci's Needlework, took a deep breath, then did what most knitters fear... I cut my knitting! slowly, stitch by stitch, the arm holes opened up, the v neck opened up and the blob in the round funny looking piece I had made blossomed into a vest! I PROMISE that steeking is not hard. It will not kill you. With patience and planning, it can turn your knitting projects in a whole new direction. I am excited about my next steeking project now! Here's the vest with its arm and neck edging - freshly finished - the steeked bits are carefully tacked down on the inside - and I'm pretty happy with this finished object!
On October 17, 2010, my friend John and I set off to run the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon! We had been running and training for months to get to this day - and John was a trooper; his knee was hurting a bit the week before, and seemed to be better as the day approached. We talked about the realities of a half marathon and decided that we'd work together to get him through the race. John's husband Chuck joined us for the trip and was so kind with his cooking and hosting. We stayed at a friend's house the night before, and got to spend the night in front of the fire. The morning of the run, we got dressed, headed out and felt pretty good. The first 6.5 miles were pretty easy, running through the most amazing scenery! As the miles increased, so did the pain, and it went from running to walking, to limping... and while the finish may not have been the most spectacular in history, John and I finished the run - 13.1 miles - VERY proud of the hard work we both put in... the best part? We are already making plans for our next runs!! That night, John couldn't really walk on his own - I remember feeling this way after the L.A. Marathon - the next day we got him some crutches, and on the way home, Chuck brought John, me and their adorable Boston Terrier Dewey to the Chandelier Tree in Leggett, CA! It's thousands of years old and in the 1930's the "drive thru" was carved... What a fun adventure the weekend was - I am very lucky to have such incredible friends in my life! And of course, I spent a few minutes under the Chandelier Tree knitting... yes - knitting under a @2,400 year old tree... why not! We did other fun outings as well, including the spaghetti dinner in Weott and just up the road the amazing rock shop - which was also a museum - and INCREDIBLE! It's probably the main reason I want to go back to this run - next year I want to do the full marathon - and go back to the rock shop and YES take photos of the rock shop so I can share it's wonders with all my friends!
 I could not have had a better birthday weekend. Kenny came in from Houston, Chuck from St. Louis, John from San Francisco, and we spent the weekend together! on Saturday, we went to the fiber frolic hosted by Griffin Dyeworks - did natural dyeing, solar dyeing, ate and spent the day chatting and keeping an eye on the fires burning nearby - Charles came to the event as well - and my friend (family) I have known for 20 years, Debra as well!
 The fires are horrible - for a while we weren't sure if we were going to get to dye yarn or not- but the winds changed and we go to do so... all day long we watched the smoke billow. the power of nature can be terrifying...
 Here's Chuck and Charles preparing yarn for the dyepots - my fav dye was the indigo - when you pull the yarn out of the pot, it's light green, sort of like the color of antifreeze... then, suddenly it changes to beautiful dark blue! amazing.
We learned a lot and can't wait to do more!
 John did some quick dyeing - see? Indigo! (most of us were smart enough to wear globes) haha -
We also knitted away... talked, laughed, cut up, and just enjoyed the best time ever - I can't wait to see more of each of my knitting pals!
Of course, they are all going to the Men's Knitting Retreat - in Seattle... I stay home this time - sadly - I must work, and school starts tomorrow...
 I won't go into all the gifts I got - probably more than I deserved... yarn, running shorts, gift certificates, not to mention the gift of my pals flying across the country to see me... but one of my FAVORITE gifts was this little bag bought for me at the frolic - it's a knitting bag that's reversible - the inside (as shown) is little skull and crossbones, but the crossbones are knitting needles... and the outside of it is a fabric called "Knitmare" - it shows a person dying trying to knit... a dog eating knitting... a cat tangling up the yarn - and a little boy wearing a sweater that just doesn't fit.... I LOVE it! go buy yours here: www.readyorknit.etsy.com -
 I *almost* finished my top down raglan - I still have to do the collar... weave in the ends... but it'll be done really soon. I am pretending it's done...and cast on for another one - it'll probably be the last one for a while -
I'm really proud of this raglan - the random striping worked the way I wanted it to - and lots of people like this - once it's REALLY done, I'll do some photos and try to go in depth on how I did the striping.
School starts tomorrow - beginning the classes for a drug and alcohol certificate and the continuance of my fun times in ceramics! Sadly, that means no more knitting at the farmer's market on Thursdays...
Thank you again to everyone who helped to make this birthday so amazing - I appreciate every kind word, thoughtful gift and big hug I got... here's to making 35 a year to remember!
 A friend showed me a baby blanket she made for her new daughter - I instantly fell in love with this pattern and after her convincing me how easy it was (it IS easy!) I decided to take a collection of yarns I had and make an adult sized blanket. I grouped the yarns in order of how I wanted to stripe them, bagged them (together if I intend to strand more than one at a time) and numbered the bags in this case, 1-36. I just followed the pattern, and changed the color of yarn every 2 or 4 rounds.
This piece started and ended with some amazing yarn from Manos del Uruguay - in one of my favorite colors. I am happy to have found a use for all these novelty yarns, single balls, etc. I’m using some beautiful handspun, vintage yarn, and even the yarn I had made through VIP Fibers of my cat Winky's fur! The final blanket is just over 4' across.
I'm really happy that this is finished - it lingered in my "works in progress" for a LONG time! - I started it a year ago last March!
 What a wonderful day! I am pleased to share a lesson I learned. When working on freeform pieces, it's important (as in painting, ceramics and probably most other arts) to pay careful attention to the piece and when it's time to stop that you stop... the piece will usually hint to you when it's time... the wrap told me today that it was done... and it is!
 I haven't sewn in my label (yet) but it's complete - here's a recap - a year ago this month I started this wrap after a class with Janice Rosema, a freeform knit/crochet artist living here in southern California. Her class was inspirational and empowering - there are no mistakes in freeform work - but some things work together better than others... I bought a felted fleece from Ozark Handspun and began knitting and crocheting pieces to be joined to the fleece. Most of the year that it took to finish the piece sat on my dress form - waiting for me to revisit the project. It has become the latest obsession, and now that it's complete, I have mixed emotions. I'm glad, but wish that a second (different) piece had already been started so that I could continue the process with another piece... but it's not started... and I can't decide if I want to do one in browns/neutrals OR greens/blues/yellows... thoughts/opinions?
 One of my favorite parts of this piece is the button - it's a cabinet knob from Edgar Berebi - a spider cabinet knob with swarovski crystals in it - I had the back part of the knob cut off so that it's flat, then we tapped the back and put a eyelet screw in the hole... wrapped that bit with yarn and attached it. It's a bit heavy, but heck; the entire piece is heavy... it's colorful, warm, and will take a person with a lot of presence, personality, fashion sense (and courage) to pull it off! I'm not sure what's next, but today's a great day - because this project is complete!
Most of you know about the blanket - I wrote about it HERE when I first started to talk about the idea of making a blanket for him - the response was overwhelming - people posted on their blogs, printed flyers, shared the news by word of mouth to their local knitting family. It's difficult to accept the challenges Cancer has brought to our lives - I lost my father to Cancer - a coworker's mother is currently facing the battle... friends from all over spoke of their triumphs and tragedies relating to the disease - and all the while, we all wanted to do something for our friend, Jason, who is in his early thirties and has been told by his Doctors chances are he has less than the summer to complete his short life. We all are frustrated into action by this news - not knowing what to do, I made the decision to ask everyone to do what we do best... knit!
SO - we joined together - and around 50 packages arrived in the mail to me - each containing 8" x 8" squares made of the specified yarn - in whatever pattern the knitter wanted... I also received squares delivered by hand in NY at the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat, in my home by knitters who were visiting and responded to the call, and at work by men who were close enough to come visit... in all, we received well over 200 squares!
Where did they come from? based on the mailing labels and what I know about those who contributed - Arizona, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, California, Illinois, the United Kingdon (Wales), Ontario, Canada, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, New York, Minnesota, New Zealand, New Jersey, Quebec, Canada, Colorado, Spain, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Utah, Tennessee, London (United Kingdom), Wyoming, Washington, Louisiana, and Kansas - (if I didn't include a location, email me and I'll revise as necessary) :) - but in short, all over the world!
Of those squares, we selected the best from each contributor. If there were 4 squares and one contributor, the best square was selected and used in the blanket. The balance of the squares were set aside to be used for future throws that will be sold/auctioned/donated to raise money for Cancer research in Jason's honor - but that's a different posting -- If there were 2 contributors in a mailing, we selected the best two squares... if 3 contributors, then 3 of the squares were put in the blanket, and so on- In the end, we lacked 7 squares to complete the blanket, so we went back through the surplus and picked the 7 best to complete the piece.
You spent $219.48 in shipping (that we could count) to mail the squares and notes to me for this blanket - and donated $182.00 to help with the costs of getting our blanket and cards/letters to Jason in Holland. We were able to gather 49 letters, notes and cards for Jason and I can't wait to get those to him!
We carefully laid out each square - attempting to place them in an order that offered no defined pattern - paying close attention to the colors - trying not to put the same color next to itself - and not to put a similarly textured or patterned item near another... it took an hour or two of arranging but once it was finalized, the rows were stacked (1-9) and the squares in each row were joined - one by one - to each other - I did this with the help of Doug Laughlin (of West Hollywood, CA) and Ivar Asplund (visiting from Sweeden) - over the weekend we got most of the pieces assembled, then they took the blanket home to finish assembly, and create the crocheted border. I washed, blocked, and photographed the blanket and it will be mailed, Federal Express to Holland tomorrow morning - to hopefully arrive at Jason's door on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. According to Jonathan, Jason's family is scheduled to arrive at the same time, and while I know there is a lot to think about, with any luck, there will be some time for everyone to read our cards and admire the hard work and love that has been poured into this project. maybe they'll all take turns reading the cards and letters aloud to Jason - letting him just hear the love that's coming at him and his family from all over the world... Again - the idea that everyone just banded together to help is what makes me the most proud - not that we were able to do it, but that we all dove in, head first - selflessly creating beautiful pieces - trying out new techniques, ripping out and re-doing - making the best squares we could to contribute to this offering of love. It's there too - the love... the blanket just glows with the care and compassion we all have for not only Jason, but for everyone fighting their battles... I think we helped open avenues of communication for some knitters as well... and I know a few who are either fighting their own fights or supporting others who are... felt this was a good way to focus the love... Keep tuned for more blankets - remember, you gave more than we could use for one blanket - so the next one(s) will be made smaller, and I'm looking for organizations to donate to or sell to benefit for... If you know of somewhere - a Cancer charity... or center that needs the money - an organization that has an annual auction or benefit... get in touch with me. And if you have a loved one who you have lost to Cancer and wish to add their name to the comments, it'd be an honor to think of them as well while creating the next series of throws... I'm starting the list off with the memory of my father, William Franklin Kunnecke - who I lost to cancer just a few years ago - I know he would be proud of this blanket and to know that his son was able to organize what I believe is the first blanket knitted almost entirely by male knitters from around the world (with a few amazing women tossed in for good measure!) I'll close this post with images from the creation/assembly of this blanket - I hope that the idea catches on and we all can use our craft to help comfort others - I will continue to make blankets like these - if you'd like to help by contributing more squares, please email me- and again, thank you for being an example to the world - showing that love and compassion still exist. -Kyle
 Yes, it's true... I really DO still knit. Although this has been done for a while, I didn't show it to you..Yarn - Mondial Oggi
How much? @17 skeins = 1683.0 yards (1538.9m) Colorway blue
Purchased at Hissy Knits in Los Angeles(now closed)
I finished this a while ago.... back in August, 2008 - but never got around to taking a photo. I gave it to a friend in St. Louis but it doesn't fit him all that great either... the V-Neck is too big... it's a bit "revealing" if you know what I mean... I'm not sure how to repair that (ideas, anyone?) - I'd like to fix it up so that someone would wear it... the pattern was interesting...
The other news is that I put some pieces in my ETSY shop - a few ceramic pieces... hopefully they'll find good homes :)
I'm in the process of planning a lot of fun ceramic pieces, about to finish a secret project, and close to starting my fair isle sweater project (which I am planning [haha] on having completed before the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat - we'll see how that goes!
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