Second Chances

The Ginkgo Shawl is finished! I'm so happy with the way this actually turned out. This is so light and airy, a perfect shawl for summer. The pattern is Ginkgo Shoulderette Shawl by Maggi Magali. This shawl was a quick knit that I threw on the needles while I was waiting on more yarn to arrive for another project.


The yarn is Three Irish Girls McClellan Fingering in Georgia Peach. I came across this yarn originally because it had won a contest the Yarn Harlot had facilitated. The photo showed beautiful gradations of yellows, oranges and pinks - I ordered it immediately. Well, as you can see, the yarn I received was much more on the pink side, rather than the orange side. To be honest, I was a little dismayed. Pink is not exactly my favorite color and I don't wear it often. After much deliberation, I decided that it should be knit into socks.


Now, I am not a sock knitter (I feel like I say this all the time), but I decided to make an exception for these Kai-Mei socks by Cookie A. Right about the time I was nearly halfway up the foot, I found a hole in the heel of another pair of socks I'd knit. That was the stopping point for me. What's the point of spending all those hours knitting something, just for it to wear down and be ruined?

So, not liking the sock, and not really liking the yarn, this project got buried for about a year and a half. (Which, relatively speaking, is really not that long of a time.) When I came across the Gingko Shawl, I knew it couldn't be any worse. Why not give the yarn a second chance? I figured at least I'd have a small little something to toss around my neck on cool summer nights. It turned out perfectly :)

Commissioned

Every once in a while, I'll get commissioned for a project. In this case, my friend Katie asked me to make her a set of curtains for her living room. As the project went on, we also ended up decorating her dining room and her kitchen.

Katie has these gorgeous bay windows in the living room of her condo, with so much natural light.*

The fabric we chose was a natural linen. The weft was woven with a slightly slubby yarn**, which creates this beautiful texture when the light passes through it.***

Katie's dining room is very minimalist. Her goal was to fill out the room a little bit, and to add a splash of color. The curtain fabric for the dining room was slightly more neutral in color, but complimented the neutral palette perfectly. This fabric was also less slubby, which works because less texture was desired here, and heavier. Whereas the living room curtains tend to flow (especially when there's a nice spring breeze coming through the open window) the dining room curtains seem to stand at attention. The weight of the fabric also helps them hold their pleats better.


As for that splash of color - Katie decided that a table runner (see previous photo) with matching placemats would be the perfect addition. The napkins are not my work - they are from West Elm - but the mix of greens really works well together.


The final addition to the dining room was this register cover. The paint on top of the register is peeling**** and was quite unsightly. Katie just wanted something to cover it up. The gray duck cloth does serve as a functional piece, but I think it added so much to the room. It's just that last bit of finish, that last detail that brings the whole thing together.



The last thing Katie wanted was to replace her current kitchen window curtain (top photo) and cover up her laundry machine (bottom photo). This fabric was initially intended for another table runner and perhaps more placemats. But when she took the fabric home, she realized the colors matched perfectly to the colors in her countertops, so into the kitchen it went.

Both Katie and her husband were extremely pleased with the work and output, and they were both great to work with. Being commissioned is difficult in the sense that your client has to suspend belief and have enough faith in you that you'll give them what they want. But the result, when successful, is really worth the effort.

* I'm jealous. I live in a basement with ZERO natural light.
** I didn't take a close up of the fabric :(
*** Isn't it so nice to finally see some greenery outside?? :)
**** Typically, Katie keeps a few small citrus trees on the register - including a pink lemon tree. Pink lemons!! I had no idea such a thing existed!

PS - A note on process:


After looking through many home decor catalogs, Katie was inspired by the pleats on some West Elm curtains. The curtain extends above the rod, instead of hanging from it. The rod slides through tabs on the back of the curtain and the pleats are formed in the spaces between the tabs.

I created a curtain backing for each of the curtains, 7 tabs each for the dining and living room, 10 tabs for the kitchen. The tabs for the dining and living room were 2.75" wide, the kitchen tabs were 1.5" wide. All tabs were evenly spaced across the width of the fabric and were sewn 1" below the top of the curtain. The tabs did not lay flat. I sewed them to curve above the fabric, in order to accommodate the diameter of the rod. This allows the front of the curtain to lay flat. The rest of curtain backing was made from a double layer of muslin with a layer of interfacing inbetween, to reinforce the shape of the pleats.

Off Hiatus

I decided to come back from my year-long crafting (and blogging) vacation.

I have a small pile of FOs that I still need to take photos of, but in the meantime, this is currently on the needles:


Different Lines by Veera Valimaki. So far, this has been such a joy to knit! I love how the white stripes radiate out through these hues, almost like sunshine.

I have never seen an asymmetrical triangle shawl before - it's such a great idea! I can't wait until this one is finished, and I'm already plotting the second (and maybe third) iteration :)

Real Food Challenge

A few weeks ago I came across the Real Food Challenge, which basically dictates eating unprocessed foods for one month - and I decided to dedicate April to it. In order to gear up towards eating real food, I've slowly been phasing my diet for the past 3 weeks, starting with one meal per day, then two, and for the past six days, I've been at three, plus desserts.

As a note, I'd like to define what "Processed Food" means: it is any processing from the time of the Industrial Revolution on. Therefore, I am eating some "processed" foods (after all, olive oil is processed, but I'm not about to grow an olive tree in my backyard), but it is traditionally processed. This food is nutrient-dense and is generally akin to the food our ancestors ate.

My main interest in doing this was two-fold. First I wanted to see how it would make me feel, how my body would react to eating unprocessed vs processed foods. Will I have more energy? Not be bogged down by a food coma? Second, I'm actually really curious just how hard this is actually going to be, considering that not only am I going up against The Food Industry, but I also work a full-time (sometimes more) job. What works in my favor is that Chicago has a local-food culture, giving me access to some of the key staples.

So far, each day has presented itself with new challenges. First there was the list - what is acceptable and what is not. Already for the past several years I've slowly been eliminating highly-processed food from my diet; and having recently moved into a new apartment meant that my pantry and fridge are mostly empty. Now it's just about finding out what "real food" means within these categories: Grains, Meats, Fruits and Veggies, Dairy, Fats, Sweeteners; and where I'll have the make the biggest changes.

Meats and produce present the least change for me; I already eat grass-fed and pasture raised beef and pork - or at least Whole Foods tells me I do. While I can't always justify the cost of organic fruits and vegetables, I do try to buy local and am planning to split a CSA with a few friends for the summer. The program recommends raw milk and dairy products. However, raw milk is really hard to find and technically illegal, so I've switched to low heat pasteurized and non-homogenized instead. I have sought out raw milk cheeses, and I find both the milk and cheese to be delicious!

Sweeteners are limited to raw honey, sorghum syrup, maple syrup and unrefined cane sugar, all of which are fine by me. As I've told people about this challenge, sugar always comes up - why isn't brown sugar ok? Basically, brown sugar is processed the same way as white, but the molasses have been added back in at the end. In unrefined sugar, the molasses have never been separated.

Fats fall into two categories: Fats to eat raw and fats for cooking. The former is basically olive oil (heat breaks up the vitamin E) and butter, which isn't preferred for cooking because of the residual milk solids. Fats for high heat therefore include ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil, red palm oil and any rendered fat such as lard (from pigs) or tallow (from cows). I've bought ghee, coconut oil and red palm oil and am currently experimenting with each to see how their unique flavors impact what I'm cooking. I've already determined that coconut oil, due to it's residual sweetness, is better for vegetables and probably baking. I've used the other two enough to have an option - yet.

Finally grains. Grains have officially become the bane of my existence. It is easily the category that has been the hardest to transition to for a several reasons. So, white bread, white flour, white rice, instant oatmeal, dried pasta (the list goes on..) are all out. What's in? Any whole grain anything, preferably soured, sprouted or fermented - which therefore removes even the whole wheat bread or pasta I might buy. This basically means that I have to make all my grain food from scratch, a time consuming effort indeed.

In order to mitigate the effect of phytic acid (an anti-nutrient present in whole grains that binds up minerals and other nutrients and prevents your body from absorbing them), whole grains must be either fermented (several days), sprouted (1-2 days) or soaked (overnight) in a slightly acidic solution before they can be cooked, baked or eaten.

But what's exciting is that I've started baking my own bread; Later tonight I plan on starting a sourdough starter, which requires 3-5 days fermentation before I can even use it in the bread recipe, which is another 10 days of fermenting - in other words, it'll be two weeks before I bake my first loaf of sourdough. I bought The Laurel's Kitchen Whole Grain Bread Book which has been a godsend. So far I've baked 4 loaves of bread and I've found that whole wheat breads are a lot harder to get to taste. Either I'm not using enough salt or I just need to reset the expectation for my palette.

The other exciting thing is that all of a sudden, I've discovered all these options that I never knew existed because I've never cooked with whole grains before. It's funny, but I'm almost learning how to cook all over again. Or at least it feels that way because every recipe in this category is new; nothing is tried and true. And while that exploration can be invigorating, it also means I don't really have much to fall back on. If I'm tired because I had a long day at work (such as today) and I don't feel like cooking (again, today), then, well...I can't exactly order take out. I can't just react to being hungry, I have to plan for it. And that, more than anything, is the biggest challenge.

52 in 52

Last year, instead of setting a New Year's Resolution, I set a craft goal: Complete 52 projects in 52 weeks. What was supposed to average at a project a week turned into a mad dash at the end, averaging 2 projects per week! (Hence the lack of blogging - I was too busy crafting!) In any case, I did finish, on New Year's Eve no less, and it's taken me a few weeks to shoot and gather all the pictures together. Unfortunately, I'm missing photos of 4 pieces (knit dress, sewn t-shirt, sewn pants, knit doggie neckwarmer). The shirt, pants and neckwarmer I gave away before I had the chance to take pictures; the dress is currently a wip towards becoming something else.

Which brings me to my Craft Goals 2010:
1. Use found objects. I'd like to think of this as a euphemism for destashing, but it's more than just that. Over the years, I've collected t-shirts, ripped jeans, half-finished projects, finished projects that don't quite fit right, and manufactured clothing that I've never worn, in addition to a fabric and yarn stash that I struggle to keep under control. I've always started from a blank canvas (i.e. a solid cut of fabric), which is a relatively easy way to create. I think it's much harder to change one thing into something else. The ultimate goal therefore, is to expand my way of thinking and to challenge myself creatively. Since I already have an entire dresser to shop from, I'm excited to see how this is going to pan out.

2. Learn new skills. I want to learn to crochet, spin and possibly weave. This is really the second part of the Creative Challenge. While I assume that I will continue to defer to sewing and knitting, I want to be able to think about yarn and fabric in different ways still. Suj got me the SNB crochet book, so I'm already on my way!

3. Slow down. Enjoy the process. Blog more. :)

Finally, I've finished my first project this year. The mad rush to get 2009 buttoned up burned me out just a little bit and I haven't been making much since the start of the year. I've actually not yet finished my Christmas knitting, these slippers are for my sister.


French Press Felted Slippers, knit in Patons Classic Wool Merino. These were a quick knit, but I have to confess, they weren't my favorite project to work on. I'm just not the biggest fan of felting. The result is super cute however, so I'm tempted to make another pair. After I finish the rest of the Christmas knitting, that is. :)

Cables Galore

Work has had me so busy lately, I've hardly been able to find the time to do anything else. I finally got through a big presentation Friday, and spent the rest of the weekend happily knitting. So much so, that I bruised my finger from the constant pressure of the needle.

Green Gable is finished.


This pattern was easy to knit but hard to follow. She wasn't wholly clear about the yoke decreases, so after some Rav consultation, I ended up taking from the sleeve on the back decreases, and from the body on the front decreases.


Furthermore, the hood is obviously missing. I really like the way the body fits, but when I knit the hood it ended up being too baggy, too big, too loose, overall just meh. I didn't plan on wearing the hood up much anyway and I though it detracted too much from the pattern on the back. In a rare moment of forethought, I put in a lifeline on the last row before starting the hood - saved me so much time! When I picked back up, I knit 2.5 inches in the established rib for the collar.


I'd also used Cascade Eco Wool for the sweater - love, love, love. The stuff is awesome! It's so warm and cozy. I'm really happy with the fabric it produces - perfect for a sturdy fall sweater or a blanket. I'll definitely have to find another project for this yarn.

And now for something new.


Rosamund's Cardigan, knit in Tahki Yarns Rio, which is the recommended yarn for the project. The yarn is a lovely blend of alpaca, merino and silk - it's a wonderful yarn to have running through your fingers. I love just even holding it. So apparently the squishy softness of it overruled my general dislike for thick/thin yarns.


Although, since the difference in the thick/thin ratio is far less than other yarns I've worked with, I think the Rio will produce a nicely textured fabric. Some of the definition in the cables seems to be getting lost as well - which could also be a function of the reversible cable - I've never knit one otherwise, so I have nothing to compare it to. So we'll see.

How's it supposed to drape?

Having been a sewer for so many years, it's intuitive to me about how fabric drapes. (It's also quite obvious - the fabric itself is falling off the bolt.) I know what cotton will do versus linen. I also know (that in few cases) all cottons are not created equal. I know how silk differs from rayon or polyester (and how polyesters differ amongst themselves). I know how wool suiting is supposed to behave, and I know that most upholstery fabrics do not make a cute skirt, despite how appealing the fabric print is.

What continues to puzzle me is how yarn drapes. About a month ago, I was told that I do not want to knit a sweater from bamboo yarn, because the fabric will not hold up to the shaping of the sweater. Bamboo is therefore more appropriate for things like shawls. While I'm appreciative of the tip, it also frustrates me. I don't know enough about [plant and protein] fiber to understand what it's going to do before I even do anything with it. I feel that I'm at the point in my knitting career that I'm trying to become smarter about my yarn choices prior to casting on (oh, I should mention that I'm a big substituter - in almost all cases). I'll also swatch long enough to get gauge (which in my case generally means that I've cast on and am swatching as I go. If I'm not at gauge, I'll sooner make adjustments to the pattern than rip out - a terrible habit, I know.), but I won't swatch big enough to actually figure out how the thing will drape. It seems there are too many variables to handknit fabric - if I knit on a 4 versus a 6, gauge will obviously change, and along with it, drape. But certainly there must be basic principles - am I overlooking them as I jump from project to project? Will I ever learn this?