Cephalopods: Love 'em or Leave 'em? Discuss!

I just wanted to do a quick "drive by" blogging, to show you something I just finished that I am really pleased with! A lovely local knitting pal and I pooled our resources to create a donation for a very worthy endeavor. We picked out some of Spoonflower's wonderful custom-printed fabrics -- www.spoonflower.com/ -- and I made a piecework project tote bag. The finished bag is about 11.5" x 11.5" measured flat, plus a 4" base. It's ample for a large shawl project, or many other kinds of WIPs (translated for non-knitters: "work in progress").

We loved the inky cuttlefish cyanotype-style fabric, which I used on both the front and back of the bag, combining it with a variety of water-inspired prints.

On one side, and the handle, there's also a fabric called "Face Off," by Donna Kallner, which I love. (It's on the upper left section of the bag above at right.) It is reminiscent of the textile art of a dear friend's mum, we'll just call her "Mother-of-Cynthia."

Here's a peek at the inside, just for fun. The lasso is handy for guiding yarn, or can be used as a keyfob or to hook a pair of scissors or phone onto.

So, yes indeedy, it's been a productive Sunday here! Now, I'm off to try a new recipe for Bourbon Corn Pudding (Well, maybe it's actually more like "Corn Pudding with a little bourbon in it," but doesn't it sound better my way?)


And after dinner? Time to kick back and do a little knitting! I'm still hard at work on my Catkin Shawl by Carina Spencer of Sweet Mama - Small Sugar. You can see her patterns on Ravelry at: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/catkin. Or check out her website: http://www.sweetmamasmallsugar.com/.

Here's a peek at my progress thus far, just a few rows away from finishing Chart #1. And yes, that IS Madelinetosh merino light -- again! (I love it. I use it. Simple, right?)

I'm just asking: Another set of arms, please?

No matter how much I knit, my project queue grows and grows. Now that it's just moments away from actually becoming "autumn," many talented designers are busily releasing wonderful new patterns. There's no way to keep up, really. I just have to pick and choose how to spend my yarny money and my precious knitting time.

I'm knitting as fast as I can, and recently finished something I am enchanted with. So I thought I'd take a moment to show you my latest FO (aka "finished object" in non-knitter English).

I've mentioned Laura Aylor before, I'm sure. I find her shawl patterns to be very well written, ever-so-knittable ... and stunning! You've already seen my version of her Litchfield Shawl but heck, here's a second look:

Laura Aylor's Litchfield Shawl -- http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/litchfield-shawl

I recently finished another of her patterns, the beautiful Stella Luna. Here's a close-up of the colorways, at an early stage of knitting. Once again, I'm using beautiful Madelinetosh merino light (aka "tml") in William Morris and Mineral. It's astonishing how lovely these colors are together; the rich brown has flecks of the exact mineral green. Quite a smashing color combination, really, if I do say so myself.

Which (cough, cough)  I clearly just did!

Here's a pic of the now finished Stella Luna, still on the blocking board, but looking pretty good, I think. I'll get some "glam shots" later; but I have to say, this may be one of my favorite FOs yet. I look forward to a bit of a cool evening, so I can prance about town wearing it.

Yes, I said "prance." Get over it!

Laura Aylor's Stella Luna Shawl -- http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stella-luna

To learn more about Laura's patterns, please visit her blog. You'll find a link in the left sidebar, or just take it from here: http://tossingthestash.blogspot.com/.

And if you're interested in more info about one of my favorite yarns, Madelinetosh, here's a link to get you started: http://madelinetosh.com/

That's it for now! Time for some lunch, and then back to the sewing room I go. I have a personal project I hope to finish up today, and I'll be doing some cutting for a new batch of Loopy Lulu small project bags for http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatCleverClementine.

I hope you have a terrific weekend!

Labor Day, Oh Labor Day!

"Labors of Love," isn't that what it's all about? Well, make no mistake, art IS work ... it just looks like play!

I have deep respect and regard for all the working artists, musicians, and dancers I know; in fact, very shortly we're heading out to Brunch-and-Tunes, a monthly get together. Good food, fine friends, more music than you can shake a stick at ... sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky in life, this time around?

But first, there are a couple of pix I want to show you!

For the Multi-Color Project KAL on Ravelry's MadTosh board, here's proof that I have actually started my Catkin Shawl. Yes, I had originally planned to cast on for a May KAL. So ... yes ... I am just a tad bit late on that. Whoopsie!

So in the "better late than never" category, here's the 1st section, completed last night. I love the colors; Norway Spruce & Chambray, in MadelineTosh http://madelinetosh.com/ merino light (aka "tml.") Do you see how the chambray is a good bit fuzzier than the dark yarn? That is going to make this so cool!















Both skeins came from Knitty City:  http://www.knittycity.com/blog/home. On my last trip to NYC, I discovered these skeins lurking on the shelves. Both are quite a bit different from other skeins bearing their same colorway names, so they caught my eye ... and seemed destined for each other

The "scary" part comes next ... this shawl is not "mindless knitting." Fingers crossed that I can stay on track!

(Psst: The Catkin Shawl is by Carina Spencer, "Sweet Mama  Small Sugar". You may recognize her name, or the names of some of her other wildly popular patterns, including Whipporwill, and the uber-adorable Convertible Baby Bloomers.)

I've also done a wee small update at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatCleverClementine. Four new Snappy Snapdragon Pouches are now in stock!

Coloring Outside the Different Lines

We've had a little break from the intense heat this week -- and with it, the rain came! We've really needed rain ... and we got plenty of it this time. There's been a good bit of flooding, and lots of power outages in the area, but we are safe and sound and (ahem) staying out of trouble. 

I've been busily knitting Veera Välimäk's "Different Lines" shawl, and I'm lovin' it. I always think her shawl patterns are exceptional - very contemporary and graphic, not at all like "fusty grandmother" shawls. You can find her patterns through Ravelry, so to learn more, treat yourself to a peek at http://www.ravelry.com/designers/veera-valimaki.

Her original design for this shawl was in two colors. As usual, I'm "coloring outside the (different) lines," so I'm using four colors and switching it up a bit.

Here's a pic of my work-in-progress, using one of my faves, Madelinetosh merino light yarn.  For this one, I picked jade, thyme, and antler, with the skinny stipes in hearth. I think jade and thyme are really interesting together - there's a tension between these two shades of green. Jade definitely incorporates some yellow in the colorway, so it's kind of "warm." (That's the top right color in this photo.)  Meanwhile, Thyme leans toward the "cool" greys. In general, I don't think they go together all that well -- but for colorwork, or a striped project like this, I find it a very interesting pairing.

If you aren't already a MadTosh fan,  check out: http://madelinetosh.com/.

If I get a nice sunny day tomorrow,  I'll be doing photos, and will post a Sneak Peek of Saturday's update. Watch for some new Snapdragon Pouches at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatCleverClementine on Saturday!

So How's That Workin' Out For You??

I'm pleased to report that I finished Laura Aylor's "Litchfield Shawl." (See July 29 post for an introduction to the project.)

And I love it!

It's blazing hot here, so there won't be any modeled shots for you this time around. But here it is, in all its MadelineTosh merino light glory: three colors (well water, grasshopper, and antler).

Not the greatest photo (indoors, not much natural light) but I am excited to share it with you nonetheless. If you want one of your very own, you can find Laura's patterns via Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/designers/laura-aylor, or visit her website http://tossingthestash.blogspot.com/.

The pattern was really well written, and it's making me think that maybe my next shawl will be Laura's new "Stella Luna." What do you think?

My current work in progress? Funny you should ask!

The purpose of tonight's post is twofold:

First of all, I want to show you my progress on Laura Aylor's amazing "Litchfield Shawl."

I'm making it in MadelineTosh Merino Light, in three colors: well water, grasshopper, and antler. It's a simple knit ... miles of stockinette. But every once in awhile you do some very clever short row sections, which give the shawl the eye-catching undulating lines that are just now beginning to develop in mine.

Here's a link to Laura's project page on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/litchfield-shawl .

To see more of her terrific patterns and projects, visit Laura's blog: http://tossingthestash.blogspot.com/.

To learn more about MadelineTosh, one of the yarns I dearly love: http://www.madelinetosh.com .

Oh, and by the way? Did you notice the project bag that's protecting my Litchfield? There will be some similar to that, coming soon to Etsy!! I'm having a blast doing some piecework, mixing prints and colors. So stay tuned, that update is right around the proverbial corner .... at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThatCleverClementine.