WIPs Closet Confessions: A twofer

Good evening. It's time for another installment of ...

WIPs Closet Confessions

...In which we open up our closet of shame unfinished projects, and talk about them.

Why are they still there? Who were they for? What are they made of? Should we rip 'em out?

Joining us this week is my friend Laura, who has a shameful secret in her closet-- the front of a gorgeous sweater! Head over to Laura's blog Doogknits to read her Closet Confession.

As for me, this week, I'm sharing two UFOs. I'm not sure the first one entirely counts, so I decided to share a more embarrassing one too.

1. What is it? The Beekeeper's Quilt by Stephanie Dosen

2. When did you start it? July 2011

3. What's it for? Me, us, our house.

4. What's it made of? Really nice bits and pieces of mostly hand-dyed yarn. It's like a little time capsule of all my other fingering/sport weight projects.

5.Why isn't it done? I'm just working on this on vacation (so basically never), and using really nice yarn, so this should take a while, and I'm ok with it. Besides, I think this was the whole point of this pattern, right? Do it in tiny bits?

6. What would it take to finish it, at least in time and materials? A looong time and lots of yarn I don't have.

7. Is it worth finishing, or consider ripping it? It WILL be finished. Ripping it would be devastating and pointless.

8. Shame scale 1-5: 1. Totally fine with it taking forever and being the perfect travel vacation project.

1. What is it? An orange-knit-cabled-wrap-turned-crochet-scarf/A HOT MESS

2. When did you start it? Probably 2008. It still has guinea pig bedding on it and my guinea pig died when we were still in Los Angeles... sooo...

3. What's it for? Originally, this was going to be a long cabled wrap, made for the yarn store where I used to work. I was supposed to knit it when there was nothing else going on in the store, so I never worked on it after maybe two weeks of trying. It was a busy few years.

4. What's it made of? Malabrigo worsted.

5.Why isn't it done? Weeell, after I left the job and moved, while unpacking in Chicago I found this again and realized it wasn't done. In a fit of wine-fueled-craft-fair prep, I starting crocheting FROM it to make a quick scarf. You can see how well that plan turned out.

6. What would it take to finish it, at least in time and materials? This would take more time and more Malabrigo than I have.

7. Is it worth finishing, or consider ripping it? Yeah, I should probably, actually, finally, rip this thing out.

8. Shame scale 1-5: 3. Pretty embarrassing.

--

That's it for this edition of WIPs Closet Confessions... stay tuned! I will post every other Thursday, and you're welcome to join in.

WIPs Closet Confessions: The First One

Good evening, and welcome. Please draw up a comfy seat, light your cigar and enjoy a new feature I like to call...

WIPs Closet Confessions

...In which we open up our closet of shame unfinished projects, and talk about them.

Why are they still there? Who were they for? What are they made of? Should we rip 'em out?

I plan on posting every other Thursday, and want you to be a part of it. My friend Laura has agreed to show and tell with us, and hopefully more of you will join in. Use #WIPsCC to label your posts if you want in on this embarrassing, cathartic series!

(WIP, for those of you who are unfamiliar, stands for Work In Progress)

To get us started, here is a blanket I have been working on for, oh I don't know, seven years?

1. What is it?
This is an improvised, bias-knit blanket with a garter stitch border and stockinette stitch on most of it. Super simple. Perfect TV knitting.

2. When did you start it?
7 years ago, give or take

3. What's it for?
 A blanket for our couch, or maybe embiggened a little for our bed.

4. What's it made of?
Rowan Colourscape , which is discontinued. I think I have enough, fingers crossed. It's really pretty and I'm doing some alternating-skeins stripes when I feel like it.

5.Why isn't it done?
Mostly, because it's really hot to knit. Basically it's like having a blanket on you, so... I have to be in the right mood/season for that. Winter knitting tends to be gift knitting, and the blanket gets passed over again and again!
Plus, sometimes I love it and sometimes I think it's a hideous beast. Mostly I really love it, though.

6. What would it take to finish it, at least in time and materials?
Probably 15 hours and another skein or two.

7. Is it worth finishing, or consider ripping it?
Yeah, I'll finish it eventually.

8. Shame scale 1-5 
Probably 2. It's big and bulky so I want to get it done to de-clutter the closet, but I am fine letting this one sleep.

---

Want to do a Closet Confession? (Yeah you do!) Use these prompts in any way you'd like (do 'em all, pick a couple, do none of them) and let me know what you're up to!


1. What is it? (Pattern, inspiration)
2. When did you start it?
3. What's it for? (who or why)
4. What's it made of?
5.Why isn't it done? (this could take a while)
6. What would it take to finish it, at least in time and materials? (emotional toil notwithstanding)
7. Is it worth finishing, or consider ripping it?
8. Shame scale 1-5 (1 = I'm cool with this situation, 5 = Please no don't look at it, my heart is broken, my life is OVER and we shan't EVEN)

Great Northern - A Knitwear Collection Inspired By Twin Peaks

Ever since watching Twin Peaks for the first time years ago, I have wanted to design a collection based on the amazing sweaters worn by the female characters. I know I am far from the only knitwear designer to have had this same impulse -- when I've mentioned this idea to other industry people who are familiar with the show, they will say something along the lines of "Oh my gosh-- I almost did that!"

Twin Peaks is beloved by knitters for many of the same reasons that made it a cult classic. It was a groundbreaking show when it came out, incorporating cinematic and thematic elements into a weekly tv show in a way that was new and incredibly exciting. David Lynch's vision was fully realized with his team-- the attention to detail in characterization, wardrobe, cinematography and all aspects of production was impeccable. The show is hilariously funny, horrifying, truly bizarre and touching, often in the same episode.

And then, there are the sweaters.

Since I was late to this party (I was 7 years old when Twin Peaks originally aired), watching it a few years ago was like a shock to my system. "This show is AMAZING and it's been around this WHOLE TIME and I didn't know about it??!" I felt cheated of all the years, especially in high school, when I could have used some Agent Cooper, Audrey, and Lynchian weirdness. I saw the David Lynch movies that I could when I was younger, but somehow the show eluded my grasp. I knew it existed, but I didn't know what I was in for.

All of this is to say that I respect the legacy of the show, and I have given this all a lot of thought. Some of the sweaters I'm working on have been cooking in my brain for many years.

So, why now?

I waited until I had designed a number of sweaters and was confident in my garment design before attempting to put this all together. Around the time I started kicking this around in my head for real, Teresa Gregorio reached out to me about doing a collaboration. This turned out to be fortuitous timing, and she fully got on board when I explained my idea. Teresa's design aesthetic is playful, feminine, and incorporates fun colorwork and textures into fantastic designs-- basically, we're a great match to design a collection together.

After about a billion emails, Teresa and I finally met in person at TNNA last month. We schemed, sketched, filmed, and made lots of lists.

We're working on a Kickstarter video and will launch the fundraising this summer. We will release the collection in Fall 2016! Great Northern will include 10 sweaters and a number of accessories and home goods. We will publish the collection as an e-book AND a print book, which we are very excited about!

It should be said that the sweaters will not be direct knock-offs of the show wardrobe. We are taking the silhouettes, textures and styles of our favorite sweaters and made them our own, while still keeping the style intact-- Audrey, Donna, Norma, the Log Lady, Maddie and Lucy would be proud to wear them.

So, stay tuned! We're using the hashtag #greatnorthernknits to give you glimpses of what we're working on until we release the video! We've also got a simple website where you can sign up for our newsletter for updates. I hope you do!

New YouTube Show: YarnTalk!

We love yarn!

I'm so excited to share this with you!

Allyson, Heidi and I are now producing a bi-weekly show on knitting/crochet/yarn trends! YarnTalk will feature our favorite designers, knitting news, and the projects we want to cast on this week. Check out episode 1 here, and subscribe to our channel!

Talk yarn with us by using the hashtag #yarntalk, or email us at yarntalkshow@gmail.com to suggest a segment or designer interview for a future episode.

See you in two weeks with Episode 2-- our TNNA show! I bet I'll be less awkward in front of the camera...

Double Deco Madness

We're into Week 5 of the Double Deco Knit-Along! So many great projects.

I love seeing what colors people chose. Some bold, some subtle, all awesome. These photos are a little old at this point, but you can see the color choices at least. I'll post another update once I have some more current pictures.

Keep it up, knitters!

Something new is coming

Leaves and roots and branches... and a little lace.

Double Deco KAL begins!

Hey there! Are you knitting along with us yet?

 

Check out my Week 1 techniques post over at Ewe Ewe. We're casting on and getting started. Next week we will finish the first section of Wing 1 and Wing 2.

Make sure to label your posts with #DoubleDecoKAL so we can find each other! I can't wait to see what you're up to. So far the colors people have chosen have been super fun.

Jewelry repurposed into stitch markers

There are so many random little scraps and bits of jewelry all over my studio, and I needed some fancy stitch markers. Bam!

(And yes, that is a clip-on earring. It might be a little heavy but it's working for now!)

Octo Shawl KAL

It's been interesting and fun to re-knit my Octo Shawl pattern for the Knit A Long. Enough time has passed since I wrote the pattern (last October, actually) that I've had to actually read the directions!

This time I am going a little wacky with the colors and stripe placement.





















Gloriously unplanned.

Stay tuned for more as the shawl unfolds... check out the other baby octo shawls that my fellow knitters are working on!

If you'd like to join the KAL, stop by here!