Molting Yeti

Moving Day! (Again)

2011-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Farewell to Doilies, Farewell, to Yetis… My new, improved website went live just in time for my latest design to appear in KnitCircus! Gentle readers past, present and future, I give youSuperFunKnits.com.

image courtesy of KnitCircus

All the hubbub means it’s time for this blog to move house one more time.

Please keep following along at SuperFunKnits.com.

If you’ve been a Facebook Fan, please “like” me over at the new Facebook page.

And if you read my tweets, I’m now @superfunknits.

If you want to keep getting this blog in your feed reader, the new RSS feed is over here.

Oh Christmas Trees hits 1000 Ravel-Hearts

2009-12-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a social networking milestone - My Oh Christmas Trees pattern, which I posted last December, just got favorited for the one thousandth time over on Ravelry. That's a lot of love! Or at least a lot of hearts! I hope the pattern has brought some cheer to everyone who's given it a try!

x 100

One of the great things about Ravelry is that you can connect with people you'd never get to meet in real life, and you can see how your ideas turn out when other people try them. I'm particularly fond of Cheezombie and Knittingfrog's projects, 'cause they each took some super pictures and made the pattern their own. Here's Knittingfrog's Seussy Tree:

by knittingfrog on flickr

The Oh Christmas Trees knitting pattern is available here on Ravelry or here from MoltingYeti.com

Diamonds in the Rough in Creative Knitting

2009-12-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Check out my Diamonds in the Rough throw in this month's issue of Creative Knitting! Six smooth concentric diamonds emerge from a background of trinity stitch in this substantial blanket.

The pattern is included in the online bonus that comes with each issue, available free to anyone who has a print copy of the magazine or a current subscription, so be sure to check it out. Use the code on page 4 of the magazine to access the bonus part.

Give the Gift of Squids this Holiday Season

2009-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for your niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, grandpa, or sweetheart? How about the ichthyologist in the family who's got everything? The hand-knit Squids, Inchworms,Pillbugs, and Octopi here at KnitsyBitsy headquarters will look swell under any tree. They make excellent house-guests, which is great because they're all looking for new homes! And remember, shipping is free until 2010.

We're taking the entire menagerie with us this weekend for Renegade in San Francisco, so the last day to order online before the Christmas holiday will be Thursday, December 17. Take home a woolly critter while you still can. You'll be glad you did!

Get yours now at www.knitsybitsy.com

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

2009-12-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

But this Snowman's so Delightful!

I've been so busy with my umpteen craft fairs that I nearly forgot to post this - There's a super sweet snowman design up now in the MoltingYeti knitting pattern shop.

Warm up winter days by knitting this classic three-part snowman with a carrot nose and sticks for arms. This little fellow will make a wonderful toy, centerpiece, or holiday decoration. Very simple construction with minimal seaming make this a quick knit great for gifting, and a great project for to using up yarn scraps.

Available as a pdf pattern download for $5 at www.moltingyeti.com

And thanks again to my super awesome pattern testers! Oiyi and SJanova have already posted pictures!

Oh, and have I mentioned that photoshop is a new favorite procrastination tool? Check out my new ravelry ads!

PS122 YarnBombing in 3-D

2009-12-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

Reposting this from KnitHacker: Flickr photographer ytf posted this awesome snap of the fence outside of PS122 that we yarnbombed as part of the YarnTheory exhibit this past spring. If you sit 2-3 feet away from your monitor and let your eyes cross, it'll pop into 3-D!

originally uploaded by ytf

Craft Fairs Galore!

2009-12-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

In KnitsyBitsy news, the critters and I will be in craft fairs every single weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a Wednesday night fete thrown in for good measure. Here's the skinny:

Saturday, December 5, find us at the PS321 craft fair in Park Slope.

Sunday, December 6, we'll be at the Bust Magazine HolidayCraftacular.

Wednesday, December 9, we'll be at Maxi-Craft!, a community craft fair put on by Re/Dress in Brooklyn.

Saturday, December 12, it's the 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Show.

And Saturday and Sunday December 19-20, we're taking the show out west t0 San Francisco for Renegade!

Ka-Chow! Got all that?

Nicky Epstein at Lion Brand Studio

2009-11-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

One of my knit-heroes, Nicky Epstein (she of Knitting On, Over, and Beyond the Edge fame) will be at the Lion Brand Studio on 15th Street in Manhattan on Friday, December 3 to talk about her latest book, Knitting a Kiss in Every Stitch. She's super popular and space is limited, so head on over to the Lion Brand blog to RSVP.

Noro Book Launch at the Brooklyn Public Library

2009-11-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

Cornelia Hamilton will be at the Brooklyn Public Library this Friday, November 20 for a talk, signing, and trunk show celebrating the launch of Noro: The Man Behind the Legendary Yarn

NORO offers an inside look into the makings of this bestselling brand of yarn and insight into its enigmatic creator, along with 40 stunning projects to knit and wear. From colorful hats, scarves and bags to cardigans, pullovers and throws, each design utilizes the unique properties of Noro yarns to create a one-of-a-kind fashion statement!

This book apparently re-publishes patterns that were already available in pamphlet form, so if you already have everything Noro's published, you've already got most of the book, but if you're new to Noro pattern books, this is a great introduction. Either way it'll be worth it for the trunk show. Hope to see you there!

Friday, November 20, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30PM

Dweck Auditorium, Central Library

Brooklyn Public Library

10 Grand Army Plaza

718.230.2100

Bedford Springs Knit-Treat, and p.s. I'm in Interweave

2009-11-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

I just got back from the first annual Bedford Springs Knit-Treat in Pennsylvania, where I taught the Christmas Tree class. It was a wonderful group of students and some spectacular teachers in a gorgeous, luxurious, historical setting. And the food was divine - it was almost more of a "knit-eat" than a "knit-treat."

Here's me in Kathy Zimmerman's "Bedford Springs Shawl" class - some of the students commented on how happy I look when I'm knitting, and here's the proof. I was thrilled to be teaching along with Kathy, Barbara Grossman (who also organized the retreat and led us in mid-class stretching sessions), Nancy Premoshis who makes wonderful stash-busting creations from scrap yarn, stupendous spinner Nancy Griffin, and Candace Eisner Strick, a wonderful teacher whose designs are simply stunning.

It was a wonderful retreat, and I'm so excited to be headed back to Pennsylvania this coming February to teach at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show.

AND: Check out my Sunburst Throw design in Interweave Holiday Gifts!

Photo (c) Interweave

Mister DeMille, I'm Ready for my Close Up

2009-10-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - I just put a new cap design up in the pattern shop. It's called Gloria since it's inspired by the turban look of uber-vampy silent movie actress Gloria Swanson.

Thanks again to my mom for modeling this one! (That's my mum in front of the mums). You're on the home-page!

Rhinebeck Pictures

2009-10-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Rhinebeck was a blast. There were sheepdogs:

and frisbee dogs:and a fashion show:

oh yeah, and sheep! (and goats, not to mention alpacas and bunnies)

and wool!

Rhinebeck Ho!

2009-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm psyched to head up to Rhinebeck tomorrow for the Sheep and Wool Festival! It looks like it'll be a rainy weekend - oh, to sip some cocoa and savor that wet wool smell! I'll be heading up as part of a two-bus caravan organized by the inimitable Archie of the Park Slope Knitting Circle. I'll be wandering around with a red pompom hat on and my MoltingYeti Ravelry pin, with a knitted squid somewhere on my person. Say hi if you see me!

Psst... Wanna Buy a Squid?

2009-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my new website is up and open for business - knitsybitsy.com is your source for original hand-knit woolly octopi, squids, inchworms, and pillbugs!

Take a look around, and tell your friends - hand-knit cephalopods, crustacians, and larval lepidoptera for the masses!

YarnHarlot to the Rescue

2009-10-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a big cabled blanket project right now, and did a big chunk of work on the bus to and from DC this weekend. Yesterday as I pulled my cable needle out from behind my ear to work one of the crosses, I realized that I'd goofed and crossed the wrong way seven rows down. It's a blanket. They're lo-ooong rows. Ugh! So I googled up "how to correct a mis-crossed cable without frogging", and up pops an illustrated YarnHarlot tutorial showing me exactly that, with the heartening post title "All Is Not Lost". Comments on the post are closed (it's from a couple years back) so this is a public thank you for helping me out of a jam. Stephanie Pearl McPhee is a lifesaver.

Knitted Cephalopod and Bug Armada

2009-09-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - I'm thrilled to let you know that my Octopus, Squid, Kraken, Inchworm, and Pillbug knitting patterns are now available at String Yarns in NYC! I did shop samples in Koigu Kersti, which is a fabulous worsted weight multi-colored yarn. So gorgeous! So soft! Such brightly colored little critters! But I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

If you work in a yarn shop and would like to sell these patterns, I'd love to hear from you. Or if you'd like to see them at your favorite yarn shop, ask them to get in touch!

Knit-Treat Reminder

2009-09-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, everyone! Even though I haven't been in school in forever, Labor Day week still feels like Buy a New Notebook and Think Hopefully About the Next Few Months time of year. And this fall has lots in store. First up, I'm making my festival teaching debut at the Fall KnitTreat in Bedford, PA November 5-8. I'll be teaching two of the three designs from my Oh Christmas Trees pattern, which is going to be a hoot of a class. And I'm psyched to be teaching alongside such talented folks as Candace Eisner Strick, Kathy Zimmerman, and Harriet Knox. It promises to be a wonderful, relaxing time in a gorgeous resort setting. Hope to see some of you there!

Fall Knittreat makes debut at Omni Bedford Springs Resort

Thanks to the positive response we have received, we are excited to announce that the first-ever Fall "Knittreat" will be held at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, in Bedford, PA, Nov. 5-8, 2009.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to stay at this newly reopened resort, where everyone is treated like the 11 Presidents who have been its guests! Registration for the Fall Knittreat has been extended until Oct. 15, 2009.

Just $599 covers the costs for all four days, including all meals, overnight accommodations (based on double occupancy), a welcome reception Thursday evening, round-the-clock classes, a fashion show, a fiber swap, afternoon tea and a variety of breakout sessions. Teachers include Candace Eisner Strick, Kathy Zimmerman, Daniel Yuhas, Harriet Knox and more.

Immerse yourself in this fiber retreat with classes all weekend long. Get an early start on those holiday projects with some "One-Skein Wonder" sessions. Plus, enjoy fine food, the full resort experience and quality time with your fiber friends.

For a schedule, registration and more information, call Barbara at (412) 963-7030, email pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com or visit www.pghknitandcrochet.com.

Hyperbolic Bouquet

2009-08-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

My sweetheart brought me these awesome pink flowers the other night, 'cause she knows pink is my color, and because they look like brain coral. My google-fu is failing me - anyone know what they're called?

Tweed Summer

2009-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was 95 degrees in Flatbush and I was holed up in my sweltering house, listening to an audiobook of Tom Sawyer and knitting on deadline for a magazine project. I'm still too superstitious to crow about my work for publications before I see it on the page, but let's just say it's something big. As in voluminous. And tweed! Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed, to be precise. Because really, what completes a summer day like a lap full of tweed? I'm spending warm summer days indoors, suffering for my art. And my next project (this time for a book)? More tweed - the exact same yarn in a different color. It's tweed with tweed on top!

Kidding aside, I'm in love with this yarn - I'm a sucker for the variation you get even with plain old stockinette stitch from slubby one-ply with a little bit of thick-and-thin to it. And this stuff is really supple feeling and dreamy to work with - it just feels great in your hands.

And now to get all hokey again, this post made me get Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" stuck in my head, so here's the chance to stick it in yours, too! Check out those overalls! New York in the 80s, banana peels, and everything!

Bananarama - Cruel Summer
Uploaded by hushhush112. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Lace and Loop Scarf Errata

2009-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let folks know that corrections to the Lace and Loop Scarf as it was published in the 2009 Knitting-Pattern-A-Day Calendar are published here on my pattern website. I've had a few folks contact me looking for the errata sheet even though it's already been posted for a while now. Sorry to anyone who started and got stuck - Lace and Loop was the first of my patterns to get published commercially, and the goof snuck by both me and the editors.

Beautiful Mirabilis-es

2009-08-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of the funnest parts of knit designing is seeing how much fun everyone is having with your patterns. Check out a few of these gorgeous Mirabilis-es!

First up: Oiyi. She was one of my test-knitters back in December. She's an awesome and thorough tester, I absolutely love her work, and her photography is gorgeous! Her post shows the full evolution of the blanket, too.

Images by Oiyi - full post here

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Gold

Next, a bold red Mirabilis by Tawana - Tawana's a member of my Stitch 'n Bitch, and often brings her daughter KJ. KJ is just about the sweetest toddler ever. This was a total thrill for me - it's one of the first times I'd seen one of my designs all knit up in person, and in use as a stroller blanket, too!

Images by Tawana - full post here

Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Bold Red

And last, here's Vanessa's. Vanessa runs the online yarn shop The Fiber Fix. The Madelinetosh Worsted she used for this blanket is downright dreamy.

Images by Vanessa - Ravelry project page here. Check out her shop here.
Yarn: Madeline Tosh Worsted in Cherry

You can see more Mirabilis-es in progress here on Ravelry:

And the pattern is available here in the Molting Yeti pattern shop:

Ten Days in Doily Heaven

2009-08-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from a family vacation - my extended family (including my best friend and her family) took a nine-day bus tour through Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. We spent a day meeting some distant Slovakian relatives in the wee town of Trstene Pri Hornade - distant? Well, from my generation we all have the same great, great grandma.

Here's the bunch of us tromping through the cemetery outside the church where my grandpa was baptised to see the tombstones of our wayback kinfolk. There's a jillion Yuhases on the tombstones (well, Juhases), but none of them are related to us - Yuhas is a Slovak word for shepherd (or apparently, the shepherd's helper), and there's lots of them. Mostly I picked this photo for the blog 'cause it's gorgeous - it was in the 90s but really bright and clear. The mountains in the background are the border with Hungary.

And here's my dad with his arm around his third cousin Ladislav - family resemblance? At least in the belly. And the eyebrows, too!

Brain Coral on the Daily Knitter

2009-07-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday to find my inbox stuffed with download notices - the Brain Coral Against Breast Cancer pattern got picked up by the Daily Knitter. Hello to anyone tuning in from there! If you haven't seen it, the Daily Knitter is a site cram-packed full of all sorts of knitting goodness, and offers a free knitting pattern every day.

A special thanks as well to those of you who chose to make a donation to the Young Survival Coalition with your download - every little bit helps. Thank you again!

It Was Winter All Summer

2009-06-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen it yet, the new issue of Twist Collective has an illustrated poem by Franklin Habit a la Wallace Stevens's "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird"

Here's my favorite stanza, but you should go read the whole thing:

XIII

It was winter all summer
It was snowing
And it was going to snow
The knitter sat
In his favorite chair.

Nice work, Franklin!

Here in Flatbush, it's raining cats and dogs for the umpteenth day in a row. It's been raining cats and dogs forever. It feels like it's been April since April, and we're halfway through June. The sun mostly shows up as a vague blob of brightness in the grey. I've been thinking of the rainy chapters of One Hundred Years of Solitude, where it rains for five years and everything in Macondo grows mossy and perma-sodden and all the livestock gets washed away.

Blah.

Brain Coral Against Breast Cancer

2009-06-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Last October I rode in the Tour de Pink, a 200 mile charity bike ride from Hershey, PA to New York City benefiting the Young Survival Coalition. It was an awesome, gorgeous ride full of friendly folks - any of you bikers out there should sign up. I'm not riding this year, but I'm still supporting the cause in my own special way. I've posted a new pay-what-you-wish pattern to the shop - Brain Coral against Breast Cancer!

When your ruffles have ruffles, interesting things happen! This is one of the simplest patterns you’ll ever follow, but the results will wow your friends with higher math. The resulting shape looks kind of like brain coral, kind of like a spiral, and is totally impossible to put down.

This is a pay-what-you-wish pattern.
100% of the proceeds (any donation you make minus Paypal/Google Checkout fees) will benefit the Young Survival Coalition, the premier international organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women and breast cancer. YSC works with survivors, caregivers and the medical, research, advocacy and legislative communities to increase the quality and quantity of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer ages 40 and under.

Skills Required:
* knit, purl, yarn-over, i-cord

Materials:
* one circ and two dpns.
* adaptable to any yarn.

My Reindeer Flies Sideways

2009-06-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my mom taught me a version of this Girl Scout song sung to the tune of Pomp & Circumstance. It's a great little number to sing at graduations - that march needs words!

(Sung to the tune of Pomp & Circumstance):

My reindeer flies sideways, she's better than yours.
My reindeer can cha-cha; she can open up doors.
My reindeer is purple; yours is a pea green.
My reindeer's a Girl Scout; she can dig a latrine.

My reindeer wears p-jays, yours sleeps in the nude,
My reindeer has manners; your reindeer is crude.
Your reindeer uses fire starters, my reindeer uses *just one match*
Your reindeer gets chilly; mine wears a scarf and hat.

My reindeer wears a poncho; your reindeer gets wet.
My reindeer is healthy, yours goes to the vet.
My reindeer flies sideways, your reindeer flies upside down.
My reindeer is perfect. Your reindeer is *dead*

World Wide Knit in Public Day is June 13!

2009-06-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Join us as we knit with thousands of other knitters around the world on the same day!

World Wide Knit in Public Day
Saturday, June 13, 2009
10am - 1pm
Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza

Learn to knit
Book Raffles
Charity Knitting
The Knit Doctor
Storytime for Children
Spinnng Demonstrations

Bring: Your project and a smile!

Non-knitters welcome - we will teach you how.

Nowhere near Brooklyn? Find a World Wide Knit In Public Day event near you here.

Antimacassar

2009-05-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Last night my friend Shana taught me the word antimacassar. Her best fave sitting room chair had finally given up the ghost after months of spewing forth yellow foam and upholstery tacks whenever anyone sat on it or even gave it a stern look. The new chair is a fancy beige number inherited from Grandma Dora, and comes complete with armrest covers and an antimacassar. Antimacassar is the fancy word for the piece of cloth that goes over the top of an upholstered chair. Like this:

Netted Antimacassar from KnitHeaven.com

Or more recently, like this:

thanks, wikipedia!

Wikipedia tells me that Antimacassars were common in the Victorian period, and were commonly handmade, tatted, crocheted, knitted or netted of white cotton. Google a little harder and you'll find antimacassar patterns in all four crafts in Beeton's Book of Needlework, which is cram-packed with all kinds of old-timey goodness. I'm a total sucker for this stuff - like this knitted rosette pattern:I will hypnotize you.

So: what is this macassar that antimacassars are anti? Victorian hair goop!

Rowland's Macassar Oil

A Big Hat Book and an Australian Pole Cosy

2009-05-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Autogyro from Knitty (by me)

Hey - re-posting a couple calls for entries here for anyone who's interested.

The brilliant and talented Annie Modesitt is putting together a picture-book of 1000 knitted hats. All knitted hats are welcome, and there are prizes for original designs. Get the skinny here.

Photos by Jake Dobkin in Gothamist

And if the 9th Street Fence outside ps122 or the yarnbombed parking meters of Montague Street in Brooklyn got you all excited, grrl+dog is organizing a massive stitch-up of the columns outside the National Gallery of Australia. Complimentary hand-made bling for all who participate. Find out how to play along here.

Knit the Golden Spiral at PS122 - Stitch 'n Bitch to follow

2009-05-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Want your own spiral to love?

As part of the Yarn Theory exhibit at the PS122 Gallery, I'm hosting a free workshop on knitting the golden spiral. It's the same form used in the piece I made for the show and (if you've been tuned in to my work for a while) the top half of the "Seuss-y" Christmas Tree.

Knit the Golden Spiral with Daniel Yuhas
Saturday, May 9
Noon to 2 p.m.
PS122 Gallery - 150 First Avenue (corner of 1st avenue and 9th Street), NYC

Come learn to knit a three dimensional Golden Spiral. Spirals like these occur all over the place in nature, from the nerves in our eyes to the shape of our galaxy, not to mention seashells. There's all kinds of math going on here - the golden section and Fibonacci numbers and the greek letter phi, but in practice it's a simple, intuitive, and meditative pattern to follow.

Students should have some experience knitting in the round.

Bring your favorite yarn and a set of double-pointed or circular knitting needles a few sizes smaller than the yarn package recommends.

... immediately followed by:

Yarn Theory Stitch 'n Bitch
Saturday, May 9
2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
PS122 Gallery - 150 First Avenue (corner of 1st avenue and 9th Street), NYC

Come check out the show, and meet your fiber-y friends or make new connections. Come as you are, and bring whatever you’re working on to show and tell. Everybody’s also welcome to contribute to the ongoing yarn-bombing of the Ninth Street fence that’s taking place as part of the show. Snacks and coffee graciously provided by PS122.

Picture from an Exhibition

2009-05-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Yarn Theory opening last weekend was wonderful. Thanks again to all who came out!

Sneak Peek - Yarn Theory

2009-04-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at the piece I'm working on for the Yarn Theory show at the PS122 Gallery. I'm thrilled to be showing my work along-side such a talented bunch of artists, crafters, and mathematicians.

Yarn Theory: Knitting, Crochet, Math, and Science

Curated by Martha Lewis

Ted Ashton, Emily Barletta, Sarah-Marie Belcastro, Nancy Cohen, Rita Cohen, and Anschel Schaffer-Cohen, Christine Domanic, Kate Fenker, Amanda Gale, Miyuki Kawamura, Martha Lewis, Margaret Oomen, Gail Rothschild, Daina Taimina, Daniel Yuhas

With Robyn Love's The Knitted Mile
and the 9th Street Fence organized by Karen Eubel.

RECEPTION: April 25, 5 – 7pm
150 First Avenue
(Entrance on 9th Street between First Ave. and Ave. A.)
New York, NY

I hope to see some of you there.

Book Review - Ethnic Knitting Exploration

2009-04-16T04:18:00.000-07:00

Donna Druchunas's whirlwhind Blog Book Tour is stopping here today. Here's a peek inside her latest book, Ethnic Knitting Exploration.

Focusing on the fiber traditions of Lithuania, Iceland and Ireland, you'll find here designs drawing on each country's traditions - beautiful Lithuanian colorwork motifs, Icelandic yoked sweaters, and Irish Aran cabling. The book provides a plan for a sweater drawing on each country's traditions, as well as simpler items like fingerless gloves, a capelet, and a poncho.

Donna takes an unusual approach in writing this book - rather than a photo-heavy book with a bunch of projects and line-by-line instructions telling the reader how to make what they see, all delivered in our special knitter's shorthand, each pattern is given three different ways - using a visual plan, using planning worksheets, or as a step-by-step project sheet.

This unique approach is great in a lot of ways - for starters, every pattern starts by measuring the wearer or her favorite garment, giving knitters all the tools they need to guarantee a perfect fit. You simply measure and plug the numbers you've gathered into one of the worksheets (or a combination of multiple worksheets) and off you go!

Don't let the simplicity of the line-art illustrations fool you - complicated moves are explained here in great detail - everything from cables to steeking, with a wealth of tips and tricks.
Instead of a "do what I do" approach, this is a much more useful, engaging way of putting a project together. Each project is geared towards helping you make the perfect garment for you. Say you've got the yarn in your stash - You know it wants to become a classic european sweater... you can almost see it if you squint your eyes... but how to do it? ... Donna's written a great book that will walk you through it and get you there.

Calling all Yarnbombers - PS122 Needs You!

2009-04-10T13:35:00.000-07:00

As part of the upcoming Yarn Theory exhibit at the PS122 Gallery in New York City's East Village, we're inviting knitters and crocheters of all stripes to tag the big old wrought-iron fence that rings the building with knitted or crocheted "knit-fiti". The building has been scaffolding-ed up for years, and it needs people like you to pretty it up. Please join us in festooning PS122 with yarn!

The fence-decorating has already begun... we hope to have a lot more done before the show opens on April 25. All are welcome to participate any time between now and May 17, when the show closes. If you'd like to join the fun, please contact organizer Karen Eubel, keubel(at)hotmail.com, or Daniel Yuhas, daniel.yuhas(at)gmail.com.

Yarn has been graciously donated by Lion Brand for this project - thanks again to Lion for their generous support!

Wouldn't I look prettier in my new fence-cosy?

Join us at the Pittsburgh Knit-Treat this Fall!

2009-04-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Since Spring is finally almost upon us, it's time to think about Fall!
I'll be teaching the Oh Christmas Trees pattern November 5-8, 2009 at the KnitTreat at the Summit Inn in beautiful Laurel Highlands, PA. It promises to be a wonderful time ... a relaxing weekend of knitting with your fiber-y friends at a fabulous resort with panoramic views of gorgeous fall colors ... what could be better?

I'm honored to be a part of this year's teacher lineup along with Candace Eisner Strick, Kathy Zimmerman, Nancy Premoshis and Barbara Grossman.

Candace Eisner Strick's class on Strickmuster, the Beautiful Twisted Stitch (samples below) looks pretty tantalizing, too, I must say!

Click here for registration - there's an early bird special through April 2oth. I hope to see some of you there!

Yarn Theory

2009-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to let you know that I'll have work appearing in a show at the PS122 Gallery this April-May! I'm making something new just for the show and it's coming out gorgeous!

Yarn Theory
April 25-May17, 2009
PS122 Gallery
150 First Avenue, New York, NY 10009 (map)
Opening Reception Saturday, April 25 from 5 to 7
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Sunday, Noon to 6pm

Yarn Theory highlights the vibrant and deep interrelationship between the sciences, mathematics, crocheting and knitting. From mathematicians looking for clear and visual ways to model their theorem to home-knitters and artists looking to create unique sculptural objects, the world of contemporary yarn work is rife with cross-pollination between the disciplines. The explosion in the popularity of knitting and crochet has yielded an interest in using the medium to go far beyond sweaters, socks, and wearable items into the worlds of geometry, biology, natural sciences, and to push the medium’s sculptural boundaries.

Highlighting the work of some of today’s most interesting practitioners, Yarn Theory juxtaposes installations and art objects made with a scientific or mathematical basis as a starting point, and with mathematical models and items made explicitly to explain or clarify abstract concepts, which end up being compelling aesthetic forms unto themselves. Because of their incremental structure, the crafted shapes often mimic growth systems found in nature. Such correlations are being explored by today’s needle workers, many of whom are also scientists and mathematicians professionally.

The exhibit will include workshops, knitting sessions, yarnbombing, special talks, and even a musical performance! Stay tuned here or to the PS122 Blog for details as they emerge.

Participating artists:

Ted Ashton
Emily Barletta
Sarah-Marie Belcastro
Nancy Cohen, Rita Cohen and Anschel Schaffer-Cohen
Lisa Daehlin
Kate Fenker
Miyuki Kawamura
Martha Lewis
Robyn Love
Margaret Oomen
Gail Rothschild
Daina Taimina
Daniel Yuhas

Lace-y and Loop-y in Blue Bamboo

2009-03-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let y'all know that I've added the Lace and Loop Scarf that's published in the Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar to the Molting Yeti shop!

This complex scarf breaks the barrier from fancy into fabulous. Gravity-defying loops of I-cord wrap the neck, while a spreading bell of simple lace dangles below. It's as fun to wear as it is to make!

While you're over at the shop, check out the other site updates - an errata page (overdue, but hey), and a way-updated "about" page, complete with the most beautiful yeti drawing ever. Don't believe me? Here it is!:

Thanks again to the deliciously talented Maria Sputnik, who drew it!

The Starfish is on Knithacker

2009-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

I was scrolling through my blog reader last week and saw my own work go by, which was a suprise and a thrill. My starfish design got featured in Knithacker!

If you haven't seen it yet, Knithacker is a really great resource, scanning the interwebs for innovative, funky knits of all kinds - today Fuzzyjay's entrelac baby shape is on the home page. If you think I do mathy stuff, check this out! It's entrelac, which means this was made all in one piece without breaking the yarn:

Baby Shape by Fuzzyjay

Wow!

Want me to teach you to knit? Come to the Hot Pink Party!

2009-03-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm doing some teaching for charity next month - The Glamour Gals Foundation, an organization that works to foster relationships between teen girls and elderly women living in senior homes, is having a Hot Pink Party! For a $25-$35 donation you get yarn, needles, and a beginning knitting or crochet lesson - a seriously sweet deal. I'm not sure why, but you've gotta be 21 or older for this event.

It'll be Friday, April 24 from 6:15 to 8:30 at 15 Central Park West in NYC. Register here. Sign up soon if you're interested - tickets are going fast!

Oh, and here's some pink to inspire you:

Helix aka the Pine Cone Blanket

2009-02-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

A gorgeous and sophisticated addition to the Molting Yeti pattern shop, meet Helix, aka the pine cone blanket.

This beautiful, substantial, sophisticated blanket mimics the natural spiral pattern found on sunflower heads and pine cones. Two sets of spirals emerge from the center, intersecting as they grow. Simple pinwheel construction with no piecing or seaming make this a quick and enjoyable knit.

This blanket was featured at the juried Mathematical Fiber Arts Exhibition at the 2009 Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC (it spirals in two directions - what's not for a mathematician to love?). But don't fret - there's some fussy counting in the beginning as the pattern establishes itself, but it's smooth sailing after that!

Gigantimon Site Update, and Look out Pittsburgh, Here I Come!

2009-02-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

I've been working like crazy over the last couple months preparing for the next big step in my knit-designing career - selling wholesale to yarn shops. I've updated all of my patterns with a simplified, professional, and consistent look, and with some downright gleeful formatting. My designs are all about having a gigantic sense of fun - I try to make objects that are fun to wear and fun to play with, and write patterns that are fun to make and even fun to read. Oh, and beautiful, too! I hope you'll agree.

Thanks yet again to my amazing crew of test knitters for helping make this magic happen! I couldn't have done it without you!

Full-color printed patterns on fancy glossy paper are now available in the shop, and at wholesale rates to yarn shops - If you'd like your local yarn shop to sell Molting Yeti patterns, don't hesitate to get in touch!

I also put together a help page with links to tutorials on all of the trickier moves used in my patterns. I hope people will find it useful!

...And, if any of you are in the Pittsburgh area this weekend, be sure to find me at the Fifth Annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show! It promises to be an awesome time, with vendors galore and some really awesome classes. You can't miss me - I'll be the guy in the boa!

Math, Fiber, and Actual Tatting Content!

2009-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

In January a blanket I designed was featured at a juried Mathematical Fiber Arts Exhibit at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in Washington, DC. My blanket shared the same table as design hero Norah Gaughan's original for Celestine, which feels pretty great!

I'll gush more about that later, but here's something else from the show that I find totally awesome - a tatted fractal by mathematician Ted Ashton!

I love this. It's mathy and handmade at the same time, which means that Ted in making this piece was really doing the math by making smaller and smaller triangles. Plus I think it's really beautiful.

Thanks again to sarah-marie belcastro and Carolyn Yackel for organizing the special session and show!

Edit April 3 09: If you're in or near NYC between April 25 and May 17 and you want to see Ted's work in person, stop by the Yarn Theory show at the PS122 Gallery!

Pillbugs for the Popcorn School

2009-01-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hey folks - if you've been itching to get your hands on a MoltingYeti original and you live anywhere near Flatbush, Brooklyn, here's your chance! I'm donating one of my sample Doodlebugs (aka pillbug, roly-poly, woodlouse, armadillidiidae or the only known terrestrial crustacean) to the silent auction at my godson Silas's pre-school.

The party promises to be tons of fun too - There will be yummy food and dancing, lots of dessert, and auction items galore, all for one of the coolest pre-schools ever.

Next Saturday, January 31 @ 7:00
The basement of the Dutch Reformed Church
Kenmore Terrace and East 21st Street
(near the intersection of Flatbush and Church)
Brooklyn, NY
$15 cover includes dinner & dancing - all proceeds go to the Popcorn School.
It's a benefit for kids, but this party is for grown-ups.

Hope to see some of you there!

Knitting, Graffiti, No Pants, and... Oatmeal?

2009-01-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

What a strange world it is ...

At our last Stitch 'n' Bitch, Barbara and Renee shared the most hilarious stories of running into pants-less people on public transportation over the weekend. Renee's description of interceding with a cop who was hassling a pants-less fellow was particularly awesome. Something like: "She said 'hey, put some pants on' and he said no and she said 'so why don't you go where you're going, and then take off your pants?' And I said 'hey look he's got a constitutional right not to wear pants! It's his free expression and it's not like he's exposing himself or anything!' And then she moved along to someone else and tried to get them to put their pants on." Why all this public pantslessness? It was, of course, No Pants Day.

Of course? If, like me, you missed out on the fun, here's a ravelry thread and here's a youtube video:

Note the pantsless subway knitter about a minute in!

After we'd pretty much said all we could about No Pants Day, the conversation turned to the knitting-as-performance-art that's going on right now at the Time Warner Center (the big shiny shopping mall at Columbus Circle). A bunch of knitters are covering parts of the mall with knit-fiti a la Knitta or Denise Litchfield (pictured below from a Sydney Morning Herald article my friend Jemima just sent me).

The reason for tagging the mall with knitting: Jamba Juice. It'll be Jamba Juice sponsored knit-fiti in Jamba Juice colors, as a big celebration of ... oatmeal. Knitting ... graffiti ... as performance art ... for the man? It's all going on today until 9:00. Check it out if you can.

Economies of Scale

2009-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm totally psyched to let you all know that my friend (and co-leader of the Flatbush Stitch 'n Bitch) Marci Senders has some work appearing in Economies Of Scale - a Juried exhibition of Miniature Works in Fiber by members of the Textile Study Group.

The show runs from January 7 to January 31 at the Phoenix Gallery
210 Eleventh Avenue at 25th Street, Suite 902
Hours: Tues-Sat, 11:30-6

There's an opening Reception this Thursday, January 8 at 6:00. Hope to see some of you there.

Congratulations, Marci!

Santa Claus on a Steam Whistle

2008-12-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

Check this out from my Mom's home town of York, PA - Christmas carols played on a factory steam whistle. Totally not bourgeois.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Pattern A Day

2008-12-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

I should have blogged this ages ago, but better late than never -
My lace and loop scarf has been featured in the 2009 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar - it's a great little looseleaf box o' knitting love, and with umpteen patterns to choose from, from newbie designers and established yarn companies, it's one of the best bargains going - and a great last-minute stocking stuffer!

...and, of course, the pattern will be available for download in the shop soon!

Rocks

2008-12-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

Mom, Dad, and the Sweater Curse

2008-12-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a Christmas knitting story. You know about the sweater curse, right? As in, if you knit your sweetie a sweater before you tie the knot, you're done for? I've got proof that it's bogus, or at least not 100% - in fact, I'm living proof.

My mom learned to knit as a sophomore in college. Her sister Sarah taught her, and Mom's first real project was a sweater for her boyfriend. It was a green scratchy pullover, probably acrylic - it was 1971, so acrylic was scratchy back then. The shade of green she chose is somewhere between Army Green (there was a draft on - I still have trouble wrapping my head around that) and the Avocado Green that would soon dominate every stylish 1970s kitchen.
Mom learned in November and knit like crazy so her beau would have a sweater by Christmas. I've seen my mom's knitting - to this day she knits slowly and really tight. Christmas was a big deal that year - her fella was going to stay with her family in Pennsylvania over the holidays, instead of going home to his own folks in Illinois. He'd transferred colleges that year to be closer to her, and his mother was convinced my mom was promptly going to ditch him, leaving him broken-hearted and stranded at Penn State.

So the big moment came on Christmas morning. Mom presented the sweater to her man. He held it up - it looked like it would fit perfectly - well, maybe a bit snug... He put it on ... wriggle, wriggle, wriggle - pop! His head came out of the top. The torso and sleeves fit great, but the collar was a little ... tight. Actually, a lot tight. He tried to take it off, but he couldn't get the collar back over his chin. A struggle ensued. I envision all seven of my mom's siblings, plus Grandma and Grandpa, each getting a piece of the action and trying to tug the brand new sweater over the poor benighted fellow's head. Nothing worked.

Finally they got out the scissors. Mom snipped the cast-off edge and unraveled her creation until her boyfriend could breathe easily and the sweater would fit back off over his head.

Over the coming weeks she scoured the yarn shops to find a matching ball of the same dye lot. She re-knit the collar and cast off as loosely as she possibly could.

I'm sure you already know the punchline to this story. Three years later, they graduated college and got hitched. The fella is my dad. The sweater lived on in our family - it was the perfect raking-leaves-in-the-fall sweater. Scratchy and super warm. I wore it sometimes in high school after dad got a little paunchy in his thirties and outgrew it. I wonder where it is now...

Hey, family: If I missed any cool details in this story, let me know and I'll fill them in!

Paging AmberCake

2008-12-05T12:05:00.000-08:00

We have a winner to the 100th post give-away. Amber, it's you! Unfortuntately the email address I had for you bounced back to me - drop me a line or stop by Muffy's and I'll get your prize to you.

Thanks again to everyone for your comments!

Radical Knitting on the Colbert Report!

2008-12-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

All you cable and tv-antenna deprived people (like me!), check out this bit featuring tank-cosy-crocheter extraordinaire Jerilea Zempel on the Colbert Report! Watch closely for B-roll shots of Bitch magazine and Hansigurumi's octopus! Great work, Jeri! and thanks, Peter, for letting me know!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Nailed 'Em - Radical Knitting

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Oh Christmas Tree, I Shall Knit Thee!

2008-11-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm around my sisters at the holidays, I like to sing a version of O Tennenbaum in which all the words are "Oh Christmas Tree." Try it some time. It's fun.

The freshest latest in the Molting Yeti Shop is not one, not two, but three Christmas Trees to knit and adore. They knit up simply and quickly, and they'll make a great centerpiece, stocking stuffer, or huggable softie for anyone on your naughty or nice list this season. Plus there's three of them, so you can knit yourself a triumvirate of tactile tannenbaums, or a veritable tree trifecta! I hope you'll have as much fun making them as I did!

Fun Stuff to Do on Thursday

2008-11-30T17:10:00.000-08:00

I'm totally psyched for the opening of Luvable and Huggable over at Gallery Hanahou this Thursday. It promises to be a plush-tastic wonderland, with work by super-awesome softie makers from all over the world. I'm especially excited to see Katie Park (aka Caffaknitted)'s knitted Henry the 8th and his umpteen wives dolls in person. If you haven't seen it yet, check this out:

Here's the details:

Opening party: December 4, 6-9 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
(7th floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway + Houston)
Hours: Mon-Sat 12-6 pm.

If you can't make the opening, get there as soon as you can. Since it's a toy show, stuff leaves the gallery as it sells, and you'll miss out on seeing stuff! I made it to last year's show too late to see Anna (aka Mochimochiland)'s knitted lemmings in the flesh. Or in the fluff, rather.

There's also a super awesome zine release party Thursday night. My friend Amanda wrote a sweet little zine called I (heart) NYC, well, not really, but I'm trying. Her writing is really great and it's got everything you'd ever want from a zine about the city with the world's gummiest sidewalks - cotton candy, Coney Island and even Jim Croce.

Here's the skinny:

Amanda Plumb understands that it takes a year before anyone likes living in New York, but after over 2.5 years, New York still does not feel like home to her. And frankly, she's not sure if she wants it to. Amanda's zine, I HEART NYC, well, not really, but I'm trying, is part visitor guide and part perzine. While it's geared towards other transplants who are similarly struggling in the city, she's confident that even New York natives will learn a thing or two about their fair city by reading her zine. This is Amanda's first zine. In 2007, she wrote an article about work zines,"Zines from the Shop Floor," for the journal New Labor Forum. Amanda hails from the Palmetto State and is really happy that she used her own images in the zine.

Thursday, Dec. 4
7-9pm
Angels and Kings
500 East 11th St. between Ave A and B

Starfish!

2008-11-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

The starfish pattern that's published in the new One-Skein Wonders is now available as a download in the shop, too! So head on over.

Phineas!

2008-11-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce a new pattern in the Molting Yeti shop - a scarf called Phineas. A whole new take on the meaning of "tube scarf," Phineas makes a perfect last-minute gift. Even if your gift give-ee sees what you're up to, she'll never guess what it'll look like when you're done. The pattern is named for Phineas Balk, inventor of the pneumatic tube.

Thanks again to Connie for photographing and Heather for modeling!

Albino Fauna in a Tote Bag

2008-11-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

Here's the batch of toy samples preparing for a long journey. Join me in wishing them bon voyage!

I'm working on a gigantimon shop update today - new patterns galore are coming this week!

100th Post Give-Away!

2008-11-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

This spring went by without me marking my blog-i-versary, but here I am with 100 posts! What started out mostly as a place for me to organize my creative-ness has grown so much. I started writing down and sharing my knitting patterns, after Ariadne dared me to, then made my "website website" to sell my patterns and (soon!) toys. In the meantime, I went on two gigantical bike rides and lots of littler ones, told some goofy stories, drew you some pictures, and got some of my work published in pixels and in print. And I decided I love exclamation points after all. They're great! Yay!

Since I started counting last fall, my wee little blog has gotten 35,000 hits from 28,000 visitors, and about 50 of you are subscribed to my feed - so who are all of you? Say hi and you might win a prize!
I'm giving away my extra copy of Luxury One Skein Wonders with my starfish pattern in it. (Because of course I ran out and bought myself a copy before my free one came in the mail). I'll mail it anywhere, and I'll even sign my page for you if you want. To be eligible to win, leave me a comment - tell me what you like about my blog, or what I should knit next, or just say hi! Make sure you use a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a random commenter on December 1, so get those comments in by midnight EST November 30. Good luck, and happy delurking!

I Was a Ball of Yarn for Halloween, and Here's the Photo

2008-11-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

I like being nouns for halloween. The year I moved to NYC I was a beaded curtain. One of these years I'm going to be a doormat. (A boy can dream, right?) This year I was a ball of yarn.

It was a super fun costume, tho in retrospect I should have put styrofoam or a balloon in the middle - there's about 15 pounds of yarn on my head, which made dancing at party we went to totally difficult. My favorite part was Amanda (who's rocking the closest thing I could find to a kitten hand-puppet) unraveling me on the subway home.

Election Glee

2008-11-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

This Photo by Brad Aaron of Streetsblog kind of sums up how last night felt:

The neighbors got the news before the party I was at did - we could hear people in the next building whooping it up. When I was walking home around 1 a.m. there were still people on the streets honking their horns and generally being jubilant, and a totally boisterous crowd walked past my first floor window as I was nodding off to sleep. Needless to say, Flatbush loves Obama. Voting never felt like this before. Yay!

DIY Salon Tomorrow Night at the new MAD Museum

2008-11-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all - If you're in NYC tomorrow night, stop by the newly-covered-with-porcelain-tiles Museum of Art and Design (formerly the Craft Museum). The show upstairs, Second Lives, is all about creative re-use. And Church of Craft (aka my friends and me) will be doing a hands-on Salon from 7 to 10:00. There'll be sweater unraveling, plastic fusing, notebook making, and zippered dymaxion pod-homes will be built for oddly crocheted mustachioed creatures. Plus there's delicious eats and homemade beer. It'll be fun.

The museum is pay-what-you-will Thursday nights, and the Church of Craft part costs ten bucks. It will be worth it.

The Museum of Art and Design is at 2 Columbus Circle (the south side of the big circle at the intersection of 8th Avenue.) Take the A,B,C,D, or 1 right there, or the N, R, Q, W, or F to nearby.

Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, I Don't Know, Ma'am

2008-10-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey that girl's looking at my butt!
Wait is that a a girl or a boy or - what?
-- Team Dresch, song for Ann Bannon

Today at my day job somebody called to do the copier scam. You know - where people somehow try to scam you by figuring out what kind of copier your office has? I've never really understood what they get out of the deal, but they call us all the time trying to find out what kind of copier we have. Here's how it went today:

Hi this is Carol from Customer Service, I'm calling about the copier.
Me: (laughing) What about it?
Carol: You know, the copier?
Me: What copier?
Carol: The big one. In the copy room. You mean you don't have a copier?
Me: (just laughing)
Carol: What's your name? Are you a man or a woman?
Me: Are you a man or a woman, Carol?
Carol: Because you sound kind of like a man, but you laugh like a girl.
And with that, she hung up.

Which is as good a segue as I can ask for to regale you with scintillating stories of semi-inadvertent genderbending when I worked at the call center in Oregon. But first, I also finally have an excuse to use the telephone sheep photo!:

Jean Luc Cornec's Telephone Sheep, via hanneorla on flickr.

So.

A bunch of years ago, I worked at a call center in Tualatin. We answered the phone for about a billion different companies (okay, not a billion, but over 700) and whatever it was we were supposed to talk about would pop up on a computer screen in front of us. "Thank you for calling Used ATV Parts, how can I help you?" or "You have reached the Hollywood Movie Money Hotline, may I have your zip code please?" Most of the time we helped people order stuff out of catalogs, but other times we were supposed to be "creative" - like "sorry, Frank just stepped away from his desk, may I take a message?" Even though Frank was in Topeka and we were in Oregon.

The weirdest thing to happen to me there - my high school girlfriend called a lawyer's office in California after hours and got my voice instead. Hi, Alissa, if you're reading this!

Some of the places we answered the phone for were overt scams, and we'd make a game of it, being as polite yet pointedly unhelpful as we could to somebody's disgruntled customer to try to get them to cuss. Once they said a four-letter word, it was within the rules to say "I'm sorry sir, but I don't have to listen to that kind of language" and hang up. Sometimes they'd call back again madder than ever and ask for a manager. "Hey Diana," I'd say, "Wanna be my manager?" Diana (or whoever was sitting next to me that day) would pick up the call and assure the disgruntled so-and-so that I was now in big trouble.

The other thing that would happen all the time was that a whole bunch of the callers would assume I was a woman. I'm not sure what-all was behind this -- sometimes an expectation that the person at the other end of the line is "the gal in the phone pool," I guess, but I got it from all sides. People calling about ATV parts ma'amed me constantly, and every now and then I'd wait for to hear a ma'am me and then pointedly lower my voice and sound as dude-ly as I could to see if I could get them to stutter. And I once had a somewhat stoned caller serenade me with the entire "I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker" song before he realized he was crooning to another fella.

But it wasn't just men that ma'amed me - we took phone orders for herbal creams purported to make men junkier and women bustier, and I once got a woman who was calling with a zillion questions about the bust cream. I read her all the info I had about it, and finally she asked, "Well, do you use it?"

"No, I don't."
"Why not?"
"Well, because I'm a man."
"Oh! Oh, well, I guess that's good then."

I'm in print!

2008-10-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

My Starfish pattern made it into the new One-Skein Wonders book! It came out this week - I'm so, so happy about it. A real live book, beautifully photographed in full color, with a table of contents and an index and everything! All right, you all know what books are like, but one of the weird surprises about how happy I'm feeling right now is how great it feels to flip through the index and see "Yuhas, Daniel" at the very end.

The other thing I can't stop grinning about is the copy they wrote for my page:

With five points to grab hold of, your baby will love this toy! The construction is ingenious -- no breaking of yarn, no sewing of seams -- and the yak-merino yarn keeps things soft.

Ingenious -- I could get used to that. And it is. It's a pattern that's tricky and simple at the same time, way easier than you'd expect and really fun to make.

Luxury One-Skein Wonders on Amazon

And there's a hundred more patterns in it besides -- tons of accessories, loads of lace, and scads of baby stuff -- each made with a skein or less of super-luxe yarn. My piece used a yak-merino blend from Karabella, and the designers used the gamut of fiber from quivut to corn.

Fiber Haze

2008-10-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

I went to Rhinebeck yesterday - holy cow! I've read about a bazillion blog raves about how awesome it is, but I was spooked by thinking it would be just a super-gigantical yarn shop that would sneakily devour the entire contents of my wallet, leaving me broke but unsatisfied. Then Knithound Lisa told me at our Stitch 'n Bitch how much more it is than that. There's all kinds of sheepy goodness, and also carnival rides and delicious food and fiber-y contests and sheep judging and sheepdog competitions and, and, and, and, and... I had to leave by 2 to return my friends' car, and the four hours I had there were barely enough to cover most of the ground, let alone to go to the book signings or classes or contests or the Ravelry party to follow.

I did get to watch some of the sheepdog competition. Here's a youtube of border collies - towards the end it shows what sheepdog trials look like. It was weirdly fascinating and not a little bit funny to watch in real life. The dog tries to herd the sheep through a variety of gates and chutes and the sheep rebel by staying put, then suddenly bustle briskly about as if they just remembered where it is they were going.

Yes, I know -- right after my two-second appearance on Fox News, dog videos is probably the second least likely thing you were expecting to find here.

And now here's some fiberporn.

Before Rhinebeck I used to get annoyed by knit-bloggers showing off their stashes - I love to see people's accomplishments and works in progress, but showing off the yarn that will turn into something some-day -- possibly years from now, or never -- always rubbed me the wrong way. And it always drove me batty when people waxed rhapsodic about "Fiber" - you know, like "Oh, how I long to go dancing among the beautiful sheepy or alpacalicious strands and slubs and puffs, and to press skein after skein to my cheek to inspect their staple, accepting or rejecting their advances toward my tote bag like prospects to my dance card. I could just curl up in a yarny coccoon and sleep forever, dreaming the most delicious fibery dreams." It always rubbed me the wrong way - like an artist bragging about her oil sticks instead of her paintings. But then, Van Gogh did try to eat his paint.

About one o'clock yesterday I found myself in the Decadent Fibers booth, talking to a fellow t/Raveler whose name I forget while we both fondled the same three jumbo hanks of the most gorgeous orange yarn. I'd told myself I didn't need any more wool than was already in my bag, and had been seeking out some raw silk for a project I have in mind chiefly by smell -- you know that strong funky silk smell? -- the aisles and aisles of yarn were starting to mix together into one big blur, and my eyes were tired from taking it all in. Then I saw this incredible orange out of the corner of my eye. The light hit it just so, like the first tree to go full orange in the fall. I had to know all about this! Fellow t/Raveler and I talked as we both fondled the yarn somewhat adoringly, mesmerised, falling in love with it: I want to make you mine. It was a weirdly shared sensual experience. We ended by collapsing into a huge bout of the giggles. The finally stopping until you look at the other person and it starts all over again giggles.

And I want to share that gleeful moment with you too, O blogosphere. I know the crappy pictures my Kodak Easy-share takes will never do it justice. But maybe, if you've ever had a similar experience, I can set off the mirror neurons in your brain and give you that warm, fuzzy you know, fiber-y feeling.

Here goes:Decadent Fibers Creme Brulee - 50% Merino, 30% Silk, 20% Mohair

And some yarn I'm even more excited about: Four Directions Colors from the Earth, 85% wool, 15% Mohair,

"Hand dyed using leaves, roots, bark, and bugs" - this is dyed with real live indigo, and I also got some ruddy brown that 's made with madder root. The colors are really deep and subtle - I wished I could afford them all. I can't wait to cast something on with it. I know just the thing - check back in a year or so to see how it turns out.

P.S. I've been reading Erica Jong - does it show?

Hi Mom, I'm on Fox News

2008-10-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

Ok really, can you think of anything I'm less likely to say?

I can't get FoxNews's embedding gizmo to work, but you can click here (hopefully) for a video clip of the Tour de Pink riders appearing on Fox & Friends yesterday morning. I couldn't find myself in the crowd on the clip, but you can hear me woo-hoo-ing, so count me as part of the general clamor.

I'm actually a bit hoarse today from hooting and hollering through three states on this trip, cheering on my fellow riders and screaming my head off down some really delicious hills. I'll have a more in-depth ride story later on after I get the pics from my super-awesome sis who joined the trip as a volunteer and got me involved in the first place.

... And He's Off!

2008-10-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

First thing tomorrow morning, I'll be off to Pennsylvania for Tour de Pink! It's going to be great fun, and I'll soon have stories and photos to share instead of this lovely pink logo!

So far the event has raised $470,000 to benefit the Young Survival Coalition, and I've exceeded my fundraising goal of $3,000! Thank you yet again to everyone who has supported me in this ride - emotionally, financially or otherwise. Your encouragement has meant the world to me, and the money we've raised will mean a lot to all of us who've struggled with breast cancer in our lives.

If you'd like to push the red part of the fundraising thermometer further over the top, you can click here to donate - my fundraising page will be up and accepting donations until December 1.

And lastly, although I'd never under any other circumstances tell anybody to watch Fox News (meathead blather like that is a big part of the reason my TV doesn't have an antenna attached to it), the whole bunch of us are scheduled to appear on Fox and Friends Monday morning. If any of you out there in blog-land have cable and wanna tune in, you'll see me waving!

Spira Mirabilis

2008-09-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest addition to the Molting Yeti pattern shop - a totally spiral-tastic baby blanket! Alternating between stockinette stitch and simple fishnet lace, this blanket spirals as it grows.

Logarhythmic spirals are really cool - they occur in nature as the shape of spiral galaxies, the arms of cyclones, the paths of hawks to their prey and moths to light bulbs (which is extra cool 'cause moths are really aiming at the moon, which would be a truly gigantical spiral indeed), and the nerves of the cornea. Jakob Bernoulli was fascinated by their properties - especially that the shape of the spiral remains the same as it grows, and called them "spira mirabilis", which is a pretty awesome name.

If you'd like to make a Mirabilis for a new miracle in your world, head on over to the shop for the pattern.

Tour de Pink Update

2008-09-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Nine days from now, I'll be on a bus from here (NYC) to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Yes, that Hershey, the milk chocolate capital of the world. Starting the next day, I'm going to ride my bike the whole way back again (210 miles or so) with 149 of my newest friends. And this time I won't be the only one rocking a pink jersey - we all will.

It's Tour de Pink, a fundraiser for the Young Survival Coalition, the premier international network of breast cancer survivors and supporters dedicated to the critical concerns and issues unique to young women and breast cancer. You can see a bunch more about what the YSC does here.

Thank you so much to everybody who's contributed to my ride. As of right now, my friends, family, co-workers and blog readers have chipped in $2,780, and I'm only $220 away from reaching my fund-raising goal of $3,000. I'm amazed and grateful at the response this has gotten.

So please, if you've been seeing that pink oval on the top of this blog for a while and meaning to contribute something, there's no time like right now. Please click here to donate. Thanks a billion.

Mackerel Sky

2008-09-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last night riding my bike home from Church of Craft the sky looked awesome. The moon was full and there were a million tiny clouds blopped evenly over the whole thing, and that illusion happened where you're looking up at the sky through the trees and it feels like the sky is moving the same speed you are and the trees are staying still. The leaves of the trees were lit up grayish green by the streetlights and night was that inky color of darkish blue it always turns in NYC in September. Where did the summer go?

Just another of those tiny moments that made me glad I was on my bike. Impossible to photograph, and impossible to experience any other way. Wikipedia tells me it was a Mackerel Sky.

Apparatus for Orchestral Knitting

2008-09-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

So remember the Apparatus for Orchestral Knitting? I went to watch, and there were two empty seats, so I wound up being part of it!

It was kind of like this (the youtube's from an earlier performance in Baltimore), but it was in a museum instead of a yarn shop and it sounded way better, at least from where I was sitting. The needles had pickups on the end that made the sounds of knitting come through the speakers. Being all hooked up like that (yarn on one end of the needle, pickup and wire on the other) reminded me of my days working at the call center in Oregon - we were all tethered to the machine. It was pretty cool.

Someone was videotaping the performance - if the one with me in it shows up on youtube I'll post that one.

Knitting Orchestra - Tomorrow Night

2008-08-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

If knitting on the subway doesn't quite fill your knitting-as-performance-art void, check this out! I don't know if I'll be able to make it tomorrow night, but it sounds potentially awesome and certainly super fun!

from the Very Esteemed Callie Janoff via CraftZine:

Knitting Jam at the Chelsea Art Museum.

THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 2008, 6:30PM FREE
CHELSEA ART MUSEUM
556 West 22ndStreet, New York, NY 10011

Laure Drogoul invites one and all to participate in an evening of musical knitting.
You are cordially invited to knit and become a part of a knitting orchestra. Knitters and non-knitters alike are invited to play/knit on Laure Drogoul's souped-up, amplified knitting instrument. The Apparatus for Orchestral Knitting amplifies the sound of the knitting, is mixed and played back live. All materials supplied.

Program presented by the
Chelsea Art Museum & Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center
This evenings events are free and open to the public.
Directions: http://chelseaartmuseum.org/information/

Casting On in the Middle

2008-08-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

I love knitting in the round - little tiny circles spiraling out into great big circles! Starting in the middle opens up a world of possibilities - pentagons, octagons, umpteen-a-gons, not to mention spheres and eggs and octopi and all manner of seamless toys. But how exactly do you get started?

Here are some great tutorials that other folks have done:

Emily Orcker's Circular Cast-On from Bagatell
(a crochet cast-on)

Fleegle's Blog - Simple Ring Beginning for Circular Shawls
(a really elegant ring made with one knitting needle)

And the line-art wizardry of TechKnitting(tm):
Casting on From the Middle - Disappearing Loop Method

And here's how I like to do it - you may notice it gives the same result as TechKnitting's method, but I go about it a little differently. You'll need two double-pointed needles and a tapestry needle.

1) Make a slip knot and secure it to one dpn, leaving a generous tail 6 or 7 inches long.

2) Hold a second dpn parallel to the first. Wrap the yarn under the bottom dpn, then over the top one, making a figure-eight.

3) Continue figure-eight-ing until the top needle has the desired number of stitches plus one extra.

4) Thread the tail through a tapestry needle. Holding the working yarn in place, carefully slip the bottom needle free from the stitches.

5) Drop the slip knot off the left side of the dpn and thread the tail through the empty loops from right to left using the tapestry needle.

6) Gently tug the slip knot to undo it.

7) Distribute the stitches over the desired number of dpns and begin working in the round. After you've worked five or six rounds, pull the tail snug. Reinforce it by threading it through the loops a couple times.

The result:

Is That a Yeti in Your Mailbox?

2008-08-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

So a couple weekends ago when I was working on the new website, I went to my mailbox to find this awesome yeti shadow puppet waiting for me! It was shipped from Owly Shadow Puppets (who sells on Etsy) with a note on the envelope that said "you are secretly admired."

It's totally adorable - if you pull the wire on the wooden handle the arms go up and down. Rawr!

Who are you, oh mysterious mailer of yetis? I still don't know. But thanks, whoever you are - I admire you right back.

Molting Yeti is Go!

2008-08-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Without further ado, I give you MoltingYeti.com!

Hey everybody, here's my new website - it's a lot like my old website, but all grown up - prettier and more consistent and with a logo and a tagline and everything!

Oh, and it's called Molting Yeti. You know, 'cause all my creations are really made of hand-spun strands of Yeti fur that I wild-gather from the ultra-secret Yeti dens in the underpasses of deep Brooklyn. Yetis in Brooklyn? Aren't they abominable snowmen? Well, they got lost. We did have a coyote in Central Park that one time.

And that is why I never sleep.

Ok, maybe none of that stuff about the Yeti fur is true, but it's still way funner to say and easier to spell than tattingmydoilies.com.

Both sites will be up at the same time for a while yet (at least until I figure out how write a redirection page that doesn't make my head explode), and this here blog is staying right where it is.

Thanks again to Tamara for the logo and design advice, to Maria Sputnik for the yeti drawing, and to everybody who's encouraged me! I'm really super excited and happy about this - eek! look out! there's globs of glee all over the road!

Blobfish, Blobfish Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Drink!

2008-08-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

I asked my friend Tamara, who does design-ey things for a living, to make me a logo for my new web site. In return, she asked me to knit her a blobfish. Blobfish are globby, gross fish that live in the deep waters off of Australia and New Zealand, and they don't have any muscles - their gooey flesh is a little bit lighter than water, so they don't sink. They look like this:

(send your own blobfish e-card at oceana.org)

Here's the blobfish I made for her - I wanted it to be totally understuffed, so it's filled it with ping pong balls instead of fluff. And it's all in reverse stockinette stitch, 'cause sometimes the ugly side of knitting gives me the heebie jeebies. It'll also make a decent, though kinda fragile, bath toy, since the ping pong balls will make it float!

and here it is again in its new home on Tamara's bookshelf:

Hooray!

Secondary Colors

2008-07-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

I pulled my (orange) knitting out of my (green) knitting bag at lunch today, and found a purple pepper Iviva had given me inside along with the blanket I'm working on. Such beautiful colors together! I just ate the pepper for dinner - thanks again!

How did I miss this the first time?

2008-07-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

So back in March there was an incredibly juicy conversation (here and here) over on Imogene's blog that got started after a talk Bruce Metcalf gave at the SNAG conference about "alt craft" pissed a lot of people off. The resulting conversation went far and wide - bringing up etsy, punk rock, the internet, art school and other ivory towers, what the heck the word "craft" is s'posedta mean anyway, "high" versus "low" craftsmanship, taste versus kitsch, and even macrame.

While I'm kicking myself for missing this blip in my blogiverse the first time around, the good news is there's gonna be a round 2. Bruce Metcalf is talking with Chanel Kennebrew at the Craft Council this Thursday, July 24. Should be a really lively discussion! From the Craft Council, with many thanks to Margaux Lange:

Explore the complicated relationships among the broad spectrum of craft makers today in this dialogue between jeweler, educator and writer Bruce Metcalf and Chanel Kennebrew of Junkprints, an indie craft artist, graphic designer and Etsy seller. July 24, 6-7 p.m., reception to follow. The Summer in the City Salon Series is made possible by the support of Leatrice S. Eagle, with additional support from Etsy. The event will take place at the American Craft Council located at 72 Spring street in NYC, 6th floor.

Cubit the Inchworm Eases on Down the Road

2008-07-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody - please join me in welcoming Cubit the Inchworm into the fold! The pattern is now available in the shop. There's also a three-fer deal if you want to knit all three bugs.

A cubit is an old unit of measurement that meant "the length from your elbow to your fingertips," or about 18 inches, which is extra fitting 'cause that's how big this inchworm is! Enjoy!

A Grand Animal

2008-07-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, check out my new fonts!

Big changes are afoot over at my pattern-selling website. It's time to wish the grandma font I've been using for my mastheads for so long goodbye. I think the new layout is way easier to read, and it also goes better with my whole DIY, I knit squids and so can you! aesthetic.

And it's time for me to re-name the whole enterprise so all of you lost tatters stop getting mad at me, and all of you poor spellers can find me more easily, and so everybody won't get so confused. I've taken out a new url, but there's nothing on it yet.

Here are two hints about the new name: It's a partial anagram of tattingmydoilies, but it's not "Dilletantism" or "Antsy Midge" or "Linty Toast" or "Imagine Ditsily". And if you go there right now, the there's-n0-website-here holder page says related search terms are: climbing / traveling / metamorphosis / arthropod / arachnid / travel fare / business class travel / larva / pupa / hermit crab care.

The plot thickens...

Look, Ma, no hands!

2008-06-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest addition to the menagerie - a big old fuzzy inchworm!
No strings, no pipecleaners, no hidden mirrors! Suprisingly simple to make, it stands up on its own and inches right along!

Pattern coming soon, of course!

If you make one out of silk it would be totally meta. The photo on my cutting mat is making me think Tron-like thoughts. A glow-worm, perhaps? Wheee!

Doodlebugs Ho!

2008-06-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

It's been one heck of a week! I had a wonderful if sweltering birthday party with mucho friends and rose-petal scones and presents, visited with the uberfabulous Sascha, flew a kite at the beach, got published in Knitty, got taken out for yet still more birthday fabulousness, and saw Kung Fu Panda! Whew!Without further ado, here's today's big news - the Doodlebug pattern is live in the shop - it's probably the simplest toy pattern I've come up with so far - it's worked on straight needles with some simple seaming - I hope you'll enjoy it!

Autogyro is Go!

2008-06-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody - check out my pattern in the new Knitty! Father-son propeller beanies! I'm so proud. The pattern is over here.

Friday Sneak Peek - Knitted Pillbugs!

2008-05-30T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody - Here's a peek at the newest addition to the Tatting My Doilies strange knitted toy menagerie - A Pillbug!

What do you call these things? (Aside from the only existing terrestrial crustacian or armadillidiidae) Apparently it's one of those regional things - I grew up calling them pillbugs. My friends from Upstate NY call them potato bugs, and Faye from Australia calls them roly polies. I'll probably call the pattern doodlebug, just 'cause that's the cutest name I've heard for them yet.

The pattern should be up by next weekend, so stay tuned!

Eisenia the Earthworm is Ready for her Close Up

2008-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Brand new in the pattern shop, meet Eisenia the Earthworm! This easy pattern includes three patterns in one - a mama worm, worm babies, and a worm egg. Hope you like it!

Knitted Vermicompost! Yippee!

2008-05-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

Live in a teeny apartment but wish you could compost? You can! All you need is some compost worms (red wrigglers aka eisenia foetida), some newspaper, and a plastic storage tub with some holes punched in it. There's a whole book about it here and the wikipedia article is pretty good too. You can order worms online or find a source locally - in NYC I know you can get them from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the ecology center stalls at the Brooklyn and Union Square farmers' markets.

And, um, if you want to knit your own squiggly friends, the pattern's almost done! Mama worm, worm egg, baby worms all in one! Food scraps and casings not included.

Crochet Coral Reef

2008-05-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

So here's my utterly belated post from the opening of the Crochet Coral Reef at World Financial Center. If you don't already know about the reefer madness that's descended on our city, go here or here or here. (And Londoners, you're next!)

I totally love this stuff. At the opening, I was privileged to meet my craft hero Helle of Gooseflesh fame, and also got a tour from my new friend Gay of the crochet guild, who pointed out her contributions. That little bit right there is mine... That's part of what I love about this project - it's so additive and polyglot. A number of the folks I've talked about it with have dissed the presentation - you can't tell from my fuzzy picture (it's behind glass) but much of it sits on separate bits of black fabric. It's nowhere near as faboo as the highly controlled photos on the IFF site's gallery, but I kind of love that about it, too - I can almost hear the Crochet Ladies who put it together saying "wow! this is neat!" a zillion times over.

Dog Drawings against Breast Cancer!

2008-04-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hey check this out - my friend the brilliant and talented Maria Sputnik (aka Sascha) is offering custom schwag to anyone who donates to support my breast cancer ride! She says -

if you donate money, I will draw a picture of your dog! And if you don't HAVE a dog, I'll draw a picture of what your dog would look like if you DID have one.

She started doing this for another friend who's doing a 39-mile breast cancer walk in Colorado, and she's generously offered to extend the favor to my readers here, too! Here are some of her awesome drawings:

You can see she's mad talented - can you guess who asked her for a yeti?

If you want to play along too, here's how:

make a donation of any size on my donation page to support Tour de Pink.

Then leave a comment on Maria Sputnik's lj page telling her what kind of drawing you want.

Thanks, Sascha! Thanks, everybody!

A Big Bike Ride Against Breast Cancer

2008-04-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody -

This October, I'll be participating in the Tour de Pink, a 200-mile charity bike ride the whole way from Hershey, Pennsylvania to New York City to raise money for the Young Survival Coalition.

Those of you who know me pretty well know that I would probably find it easier to ride all 200 miles uphill and in the rain than hitting up all my friends, family, co-workers and blog readers for donations. But here goes: Breast cancer stinks. My grandma had it, my mom has had it, three of my five aunts have had to deal with it. Like everybody else, I hope for a time when my nieces and nephews won't have to worry about breast cancer. So please consider supporting me - you can make a donation here.

The ride benefits the Young Survival Coalition, the only international, non-profit network of breast cancer survivors and supporters dedicated to the concerns and issues that are unique to young women and breast cancer. The event costs are underwritten by the corporate sponsors, so anything you give will go straight to supporting the Coalition's vital work.
Thanks, and all the best!

Wheee!

2008-03-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

My sis just sent me a bunch of photos of my niece posing with the baby blanket I made her. Wheee!

Thanks, Abbie! SO happy!

The big baby blanket post is here, and the pattern is available here.

Hyperbolic Knitting (Fuzzy Math)

2008-03-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the forms of the crochet coral reef but prefer sticks to hooks? Here are 2 experiments in hyperbolic knitting.

Both of these shapes are made using the same basic pattern. If you can knit in the round and work an increase, you can do this, too. Here's how to play along:

Pick a number of stitches to cast on.
Pick another number, which we'll call (X).

Using double-pointed needles, cast on to work in the round (start out as for i-cord and add more needles as you need them)

k(X), increase 1, k(X), increase 1 , k(X), increase 1...

That's it! Bind off when you feel like stopping or you run low on yarn or needle-space. Since this is an exponential form, each round will ruffle more than the last and use more and more yarn.

The smaller the number you choose for (X), the sooner and sharper your form will ruffle. The bigger (X) is, the skinnier your form will be.

In each of these models, I cast on 4 stitches. For the tall skinny one, (X) is 15. For the fat one, it's 5.

I used yarn-overs for the increases because I wanted the random-ish pattern that the increases make to be visible. Using kfb or a lifted increase will be less visible and will make the ruffling more pronounced.

Have fun with it!

Floppy Math

2008-03-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Because a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Happy Pi Day everybody!

I made my first dodecahedron too big and it turned out floppy under its own weight. It holds its shape pretty well hanging from a string in my window, but tips over when I set it on a table. The pattern is sound, though, and I'm a huge fan of making things homemade and lumpen that are usually made with rulers, but I'll hafta do a smaller, stand-up-on-its-own one before the pattern's ready to publish. So I miss my self-imposed deadline of this very minute. How come none of the other mathematical constants get their own day? When it's impossible number day can I put my clothes on inside out and walk to school backwards?

Dodeca is a departure from my usual way of designing, which is as close to one-piece as possible so the thing you're creating basically appears in your hands - this one's got lots of pieces and grafting galore, which is its own kind of fun.

Oh, and happy White Day, too!

Like This, but Knitted

2008-03-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a quick break from googley-eyed creatures and faboo scarves in honor of Pi Day and indulging my crush on Norah Gaughan with a dodecahedron of my own. It's gonna be like this, but knitted. See you Friday!

Shaker Tape

2008-03-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I knitted the first half of a dodecahedron (stay tuned - I'll post the pattern Friday for Pi Day) and fixed an old footstool that I got from my mom with Shaker tape to match my rocking chair.

I love Shaker stuff 'cause it's really simple and really strong - you just weave the tape around on both sides like a lawn chair and wind up with something strong enough to stand on. The only tools you need are a hammer, a couple of carpet tacks, and sometimes (if your weave is pretty tight) the back end of a spoon.

The rocking chair was my mom's when I was a baby, and it used to have a wicker back that got destroyed when I was living with Silas - it was the perfect size for his little fingers to pull on. The stool came from my Grandpa's house, and probably from my great-Grandpa's before that. It had leather lacing on it that had fallen apart with age. Now they're both souped up to last another bunch of decades.

More shaker-y goodness here.

Up With Grubs!

2008-02-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the gigantic knitted yellow grub I made for Silas this Christmas. I got tons of funny looks knitting this one on the subway, let me tell you! Silas kinda loves it, and so does his grandma, which makes me really happy.

Godparenting stories that go with it:

Silas, like his whole neighborhood of shorties, is ridiculously obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. But the Thomas stories are kinda depressing lessons in you-are-a-cog-in-the-wheel - Sir Topham Hat is the boss of all the trains, and they cross rickety bridges, broken tracks and gigantical hills to bring him his payload on time. Then he says "You have been very useful." Before he could read them himself, I told the stories to Si so that the trains go on strike. "Down with Topham Hat! Up with Trains!" On Saturday he tossed the grub into the air shouting "Up with Grubs! Up with Grubs!"

The other grub story:

What's a baby cat? a kitten.
What's a baby kangaroo? a joey.
What's a baby human? a baby.
What's a baby bug? a grub!

Whee!

Smashed Pennies

2008-02-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

I'm hard at work at some stuff I can't show, so here instead is my smashed penny collection! I just added another one from a trip upstate, so here's the bunch of them before I put them all away. Sorry for my wack photo skills - it's hard to get them to come out legible! Clockwise from the farthest left with the middle one last:

Generic "You Are Special to Me" from the Cheesequake Travel Plaza, smashed after the Ride for Autism on my birthday last year (New Jersey just isn't that scenic - the only one with a place on it was for the World Trade Center); Mount Washington Auto Road, from the top of mount Washington; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, from a trip to DC last year to see the Joseph Cornell show and geek out on rocks; The Bronx Zoo, from when the bug carousel was new; "Adirondacks", from the Modena Travel Plaza on the Northway. It wasn't really a trip to the Adirondacks, but I've been there, and I didn't want to get West Point, which we were closer to; Mount Saint Helens - from the summer of 2003 when it started gushing forth again - I had to see it before I moved back to NYC; Ausable Chasm, from my bike trip last summer; and in the middle is Astroland from last summer, probably but hopefully not the final summer of its existence.

Lost, chucked into the ocean, or "somewhere in this house" as Si would say, are Virginia Beach from a visit to my sis; the Jubitz truckstop, from a bike ride in Portland; and Multnomah Falls, also from a ride in Portland.

Wow, the places I've been.

Word of the Day: Feuderal

2008-02-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Feuderal, n. (pron: like funeral, if you have a cold): a funeral at which family members of the deceased refuse to speak to each other, often for arcane reasons. See also: folderol.

Take my new word. It's yours.

Crafting Protest, a Tank Cosy, Notion Nanny, and Another Urchin Reference!

2008-02-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

Knitted tank cosy by Marianne Joergensen (or here)...and here's another one by Jerilea Zempel.

On my way up to the Crafting Protest talk at the New School, we passed a crowd of people waiting in line to get into the Outsider Art Fair at the Puck Building. I've always loved the Puck because it has a light up sidewalk, and I always associate it with Balthazar around the corner, with its ostentatious red curtains. Those curtains always make me feel like some sort of urchin peering inside to see where the bread is kept.

Which is my way of setting up the whole high/low, artist/artisan, museum/craft shop, studio/kitchen table, craft-economies-in-an-era-of-globalization discussion that the talk was about for me. In terms of "protest" content, though, Crafting Protest was sort of a dud. I was hoping to see more inherently political work, like Marianne Joergensen and Jerilea Zempel's tank cosies, or like Gooseflesh's rubbish vortex, or like the crochet coral reef project. This was politics in the sense of lefty art-makers doing and trying and thinking about political things, yes, but subtler politics in the sense of "queering the binaries" between all those slashes more than bringing about direct political change.

For me the most overtly political part of the discussion was at the end, when the audience asked about money - how do you get the funding to do this kind of stuff? Best answer goes to Liz Collins: Um, I have a job that supports me so I can do this other stuff that doesn't make any money. Runner up to ~~(I think it was) Sabrina Gschwandtner~~ Cat Mazza: Student loans.

from notionnanny.net

Which brings me kind of backwardly to my new fascination with Allison Smith's Notion Nanny project. Inspired by Victorian peddler dolls, Smith cast herself as the peddler, setting out to as an itinerant apprentice, seeking out all manner of traditional craft-makers to teach her the tricks to make things to add to Notion Nanny's basket. Here's the art-speak blurb from her site as to what it's all about -

Distributing handbills "door-to-door" and making contacts through word-of-mouth, Smith, as Notion Nanny, seeks to engage self-described traditional makers in a dialogue about their relationship to political and social histories of making. Thus, the doll and her basket stand side-by-side with Smith’s own activity, offering up larger metaphors and questioning assumed "notions" about art and craft in contemporary life. As the re-imagined personification of a village character type, Notion Nanny tells the anthropological folktale of the contemporary artist, "post-studio," peddling ideas and objects as well as crossing borders and advancing dialogue in a global art market.

I find all of this incredibly juicy - Allison is consciously navigating the artist/artisan slash as an interloper from the world of high art. Take this example: Allison gets a residency from the Wordsworth Trust and begins her Notion Nanny journey tromping through the Lakes District. She meets Owen Jones, the current "last in the line" of traditional swill basket makers. Owen has special permission to fence off a small area of the forest for his basket making, and he's all about being a traditional maker instead of an artist. She's an artist supported by her residency, and he's an artisan quietly doing his thing in the country. They barter - Allison stacks wood for a day and Owen teaches her how to make a basket. Yum!

Sheldon Brown

2008-02-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

I fired up my blog reader tonight to hear from six different bike-blogging heroes across the country that Sheldon Brown has died - the gleeful know-it-all, tinkerer, bike mechanic extraordinaire, and keeper of the esoterica at sheldonbrown.com. Even though I never met him, I'm feeling, like a lot of people are I'm sure, like I've lost a teacher.

He taught me, among other things I can think of off the top of my head - how to turn a 10-speed into a fixie, how to overhaul a headset, how to lace and build a wheel, how to lace a wheel four leading four trailing, how to lace a wheel half-radial, what parts would fit my wacky old french bike, why i needed to to put a un-72 bottom bracket into phil retaining rings to keep my old Raleigh going, how to pull my stronglight cranks, how to unstick a stuck bottom bracket fixed cup with just a carriage bolt and some nuts, how to figure out bike gearing in gear inches or in gain ratios....

And his umpteen personal bikes are an inspiration for tinkerers and why-the-hell-notters of all stripes everywhere. In high school, I stuck two bikes together into a tandem with some rope, but that didn't work, so I found somebody with a welding torch. I set this one up as a three-speed fixed gear, and I put the crank on goofyfoot, just because. This one has fifty-seven speeds. This one has two sets of handlebars, with brakes on each. Yes, do try this at home!

The world will be smaller without him.

Squid Pro Quo

2008-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

I just had a commission on two knitted squids fall apart - I won't go too deep into it here except to say that I'm okay with it, actually kind of happy that it didn't work out. It was on a barter, and I wouldn't have been able to get what I wanted out of the deal. But any scheme that starts out "Squids for (blank)" makes me happy.

Picture me, the urchin on the sidewalk with a sign, "Will Knit Squids for Food."

That's actually a dream I'm starting to follow. I'm building a ladder up to that solar powered hover castle: I've started submitting patterns for publication, and I started selling my patterns on etsy a couple months ago. And any of you long-time friends and lurkers will have noticed (and hopefully not been too annoyed by) the sudden flutter of buy-it-now buttons on my pattern pages - folks can get their download on right here. I bought a domain last week - tattingmydoilies.com is now mine all mine. There's only the shell of a page up right now, but there's a pretty picture!

I'm excited about spreading out into a full-on website 'cause it means I can move all the dollar signs over to a shop page and this here blog can just be a regular old blog again - where I can think out loud and share my prides and progress and foibles and misadventures, and talk up other people that knock my socks off.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the economics of trying to get paid for making things, and about how money for "craft" works vis-a-vis money for "art". But right now I'm totally in love with the idea of bartering.

So: Dear universe - I knit squids, what do you do? Want to trade?

Will Knit Squids for Tatting Lessons.
Will Knit Squids for Massage.
Will Knit Squids for a Bottom Bracket.
Will Knit Squids for Web Design.
Will Knit Squids for _________

Class Picture Day at Sea Beast Academy

2008-01-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

A kraken, a squid, and an octopus walk into a bar. The bartender says, what kind of a joke is this? Da-dum, dum. Step right up, folks! Here for your downloading amusement and knitting pleasure is the whole sea-beast family:

Squiddity, the Squid has 10 extra tentacles for good measure. Pulpo the Octopus is svelte, symmetrical, scalable, and smart. And Beware the Kraken strikes quivering fear of cuteness into the hearts of even the skankiest pirates.

Patterns are now available in the shop! Five dollars each or all three for twelve. (Drop me a line if you've already purchased the first two and I'll hook you up.)

More Kraken Love

2008-01-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Bleep! Glug, glug! Marsh- mallows!

Friend...