Help for Haiti.

90% of all profits received for the sale of the following patterns, through to the end of March 2010, will go to Oxfam for it's "Help for Haiti" disaster fund:

Thank you for all of your help.

The secret is out!

WOW! Two blog posts in one day - somebody pass me my pills!

It was an honor to be asked by the almighty Ms Debbie Stoller for help in designing patterns to launch Stitch Nation. I've known Debbie for a while and have patterns in three of her books so I took the project willingly. The timing was awful as I was already swamped and she was very sick, (I hope you're feeling better, Deb!) But you never know when you'll be asked again to do a big project so I had to agree :o)

She sent me three boxes containing the colours for the three different yarns and a brief of what kind of look the manufacturers were after. I sketched and I swatched. I knitted and I crocheted. I sent my approved swatches, sketches and measurements to the lovely Marly, who wrote up the patterns and had a team of quick and nibble knitters churn out the samples at a furious pace!

Here are a few of my finished designs:

And a few designs that I worked on for colour combos:

I think they look really great and I'm sure the yarn will sell like hot cakes!

Well done Debbie, Marly and everyone else involved :o)

I DID IT!!

After over two years of designing for Urban Outfitters in Philadelphia, I decided that I needed to move to somewhere beautiful where I could be inspired to work for myself.

This is where I live now:

A tiny little converted barn that I have nicknamed, The Hutch.

This is the view from one of my new windows:

Versus the view from my old 5th floor loft in Philly:

I have new neighbours. Here are Jack, Rocky and Little Louie:

Rocky close-up:

Louie follows Rocky around the paddocks. It's lovely to watch them trotting around together from my kitchen window.

Lucky loves it up here. She runs around all day chewing sticks and sniffing at the animals. Yesterday we took a walk down to our closest shop and found this wonderful group of place names:

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset:

and settled down for a nice cup of tea:

I made the cozy from a hat that was part of a secret project I was doing at the end of last year. (It's not a secret anymore, so I'll blog about it when I finish this one!) I hand-felted the hat, chopped the bottom off, (which may become another hat), cut holes for the handle and spout, crocheted around the raw edges, then embroidered a few simple flower/cactus things onto it. I think it looks rather grand and will get in a lot of use around here, I'm sure.

First knitting project of 2010 has been a huge cushion cover:

I "won" a gorgeous leather couch from a silent auction for a bargin price way back in August. (It still doesn't have any legs!) It's been sitting in storage since I bought it so it's wonderful to be able to sit on it now in our new home. (although for the first day that it arrived here, I just sat and looked at it from across the room to admire it's beauty!!)

All the cushions that I owned didn't look right on it, they were much too small. I went into the closest city on a search for a big, beautiful cushion that would deserve a seat on my gorgeous new couch but nothing took my fancy. I realized that I would have to make something so I bought a 26" square cushion pad and set to work on designing a cover.

Digging through my stash, I found a recent-ish purchase from our trip to the NY Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck.

I knew that I would only have enough of this gorgeous yarn for one side of the cushion cover, so I drew up a flower chart and used some Knit Picks Andean Treasure for the motif, (using two ends of this yarn held together.)

The back of the cushion is made of the remainder of these two yarns with some unlabeled stash yarn:

I think that it looks fab and it is so squishy-soft and cozy. To think that I was going to buy something - Ha! (If anyone is interested in the charts that I used, give me a shout and I'll post them on here - at some point!)

After over three weeks without internet, phone or TV, I'm back on the grid again! (It was quite nice, actually and I didn't miss the telly one bit but it's good to have to watch DVD's on!)

I listened to a lot of NPR, which I haven't tuned into since I painted pottery for Jill Rosenwald many moons ago! I'm a big fan of Prairie Home Companion now. Jill A, do you remember when saw the film? I never thought that I would be living in the country, listening to Garrison Keillor's dulcet tones while snuggled by a wood-burning stove when we went to see that in Manhattan!!

So now I'm here. I've got my country home and I'm fixed up communication-wise. No excuses now, I have to start working to pay for it all! I'm going to buckle down and design my little heart out. The plan is to have a brand-spanking new look to Army of Knitters by the Spring. I'll try to blog as much as I can and tease you with glimpses off all the new, juicey knits ;o)

Thanks for all the support and well-wishes - you all mean so much to me :o)

Hey! Soft Jack, did you know about this?:

stuff

HAPPY NEW YEAR, (almost.)

Been a tad busy over here at chez AoK.  Expect some major changes, (but don't hold your breath or anything, these kind of changes take a LOT of time!)

In the meantime....

Some hats for Claudine's charity.

Many dangly beads sewn onto a sweater.

Bit of a lame-o post, I know.  See you in 2010!!!!!

Friday the 13th

I'm not superstitious.
There are certain things that I do the same every time. I always put my right sock on before my left and the same goes for shoes. I always tip my shoes upside-down and give them a shake before putting them on but that's because things can fall, (or crawl), in there and I'd rather find out before I put my foot in!
I don't throw salt over my left shoulder, I'm OK with walking under ladders and over cracks in the pavement.
I don't have to go through a ritual of:
Touch your toes
Touch your nose
Never go in one of those
Until you see a dog.
when I see an ambulance - it's just reminds me of how fragile we are as humans.

So why when I see today's date on the calendar do I feel like maybe I should spend the day safely tucked up in bed? I did a bit of online research and found the following:

FRIDAY THE 13TH - how did Friday the thirteenth become such an unlucky day?
fear of Friday the 13th is rooted in ancient, separate bad-luck associations with the number 13 and the day Friday. The two unlucky entities combine to make one super unlucky day.
There is a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party at Valhalla, their heaven. In walked the uninvited 13th guest, the mischievous Loki. Once there, Loki arranged for Hoder, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Balder the Beautiful, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died and the Earth got dark. The whole Earth mourned.
There is a Biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.
A particularly bad Friday the 13th occurred in the middle ages. On a Friday the 13th in 1306, King Philip of France arrested the revered Knights Templar and began torturing them, marking the occasion as a day of evil.

In ancient Rome, witches reportedly gathered in groups of 12. The 13th was believed to be the devil.

Both Friday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangings, and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.
It is traditionally believed that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.
Numerologists consider 12 a "complete" number. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, and 12 apostles of Jesus. In exceeding 12 by 1, 13's association with bad luck has to do with just being a little beyond completeness.
KNITTING - (this doesn't have anything to day with Friday or the number 13 but I thought I'd just throw it in here because I don't have anything knit-related to post!)
It's bad luck to leave a project unfinished. The intended recepient will get bad luck from the unfinished item.
Stabbing your needles though your yarn balls brings bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn.
Don't knit a pair of socks for your boyfriend or he'll walk away from you.
If you knit one of your own hairs into a garment, it will bind the recipient to you.
Knitting for children you may have in the future, but before you are pregnant, is bad luck (it may prevent one from getting pregnant, or bring ill health to the baby).

FRIDAY THE 13TH - how is fear of the number thirteen demonstarted?
More than 80 percent of high-rises lack a 13th floor.
Many airports skip the 13th gate.
Airplanes have no 13th aisle.
Hospitals and hotels regularly have no room number 13.
Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery.
On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12 and a half.
Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue
In France, socialites known as the quatorziens (fourteeners) once made themselves available as 14th guests to keep a dinner party from an unlucky fate.
Many triskaidekaphobes, as those who fear the unlucky integer are known, point to the ill-fated mission to the moon, Apollo 13.
If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck . Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names.

My name has twelve letters in it - Phew! I won't end up as a serial killer - that was a close one! How about you?

Stealing Meme

Stole this from right under Passionknitly's nose - Ha! 

THE DEAL: You mark the things you have knit in bold, you italicize the things you intend to try, and everything else you just leave in regular font. 

Afghan

American/English knitting  - (I do everything American/English now.)

Baby items - (Always thinking that they won't take as long as they do!)

Bobble

Buttonholes

Cable stitch patterns - (Cables and I have long since been involved in a love affair)

Cardigan - (I like wearing cardigans, but prefer knitting pullovers because there's no extra fiddley fastenings to worry about)

Charity knitting

Combination knitting (????) Is this like a combination oven?

Continental knitting - (but only when I'm eating croissants!)

Darning - (the fella's socks are hanging around waiting patiently for me to get to work on fixing the holes...)

Designing knitted garments - (It's my job!)

Drop stitch patterns - (I love dropping stitches - it's almost as satisfying as undoing crochet.)

Dyeing spinning fiber - (I have fibre waiting for me to play with it!)

Dyeing with plant colors - (If grass stains are included then I could count this as a yes!)

Dyeing yarn

Entrelac - (I have some on the needles right now!)

Fair Isle - (Love it!)

Free-form knitting - (This is best done under the influence of mind altering substances)

Fulling/felting

Garter stitch

Gloves 

Graffiti knitting

Hair accessories

Hats: Cuff-up

Hats: Top Down

Holiday knitting - (I presume this means Christmas and the like, as opposed to Summer Holidays? It doesn't matter anyway, I've done 'em both!)

Household Items - (There's knitting all over this household!)

I-cord - (so much easier on one needle than teeny dpns!)

Intarsia - (I always get in a tangle!)

Jewelry - (I've done more crochet Jewellery than knitted.)

Kitchener stitch - (I can do it but I don't enjoy it.)

Knitted flowers

Knitting a gift - (tonnes!)

Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine - (I love knitty!!!!!)

Knitting and purling backwards - (Why would you do this?)

Knitting art - (not sure, maybe?)

Knitting for a living - (it's what pays the rent!)

Knitting for pets - (Lucky wears 'em well!)

Knitting for preemies

Knitting in public - (How else would I get it all done?)

Knitting items for a wedding 

Knitting on a loom - (It is those plastic things with the knobs!)

Knitting smocking

Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)

Knitting to make money - (Not sure how else I would survive!)

Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously - (Got in an awful tangle.  Maybe my first attempt should've been a single colour!)

Knitting with alpaca

Knitting with bamboo yarn

Knitting with banana fiber yarn - (I need to get in on some banana knitting action.)

Knitting with beads

Knitting with camel yarn

Knitting with cashmere

Knitting with circular needles

Knitting with cotton

Knitting with dog/cat hair - (Not that keen on the idea.)

Knitting with dpns - (I hate their nasty stabbiness!)

Knitting with linen

Knitting with metal wire - (Really hurt my fingers.)

Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - (Didn't have much choice til a few years ago.)

Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn - (Like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get!)

Knitting with silk

Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn - (I love hand-spun. I need to get more!!!)

Knitting with soy yarn

Knitting with synthetic yarn

Knitting with wool

Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn - (add it to the list of to-dos.)

Lace patterns

Long Tail CO - (I always do cable cast on though.)

Machine knitting - (I own 4 machines, including one in England.)

Mittens: Cuff-up

Mittens: Tip Down.

Moebius band knitting -  (Only by mistake.)

Norwegian knitting - (Don't know what this is so I may have done it.)

Participate in an exchange 

Participating in a KAL

Pillows - (I assume this means, cushions?  Pillows to me are what you rest your head on in bed.  If I slept on knitted pillows, my hair would felt!)

Publishing a knitting book

Purses/bags

Rug

Scarf

Shawl

Short rows

Shrug/bolero/poncho

Slip stitch patterns - (nope, don't think I ever have.)

Slippers - (Only slipper-socks but I don't think that counts.)

Socks:toe-up

Socks: top-down - (Much prefer toe-up so I can maximize yarn usage.)

Steeks

Stockinette stitch

Stuffed toys - (Take much longer than I think to make!  Lots of parts to sew together and stuff.)

Swatching

Sweater

Tassels

Teaching a child to knit

Teaching a male how to knit

Textured knitting

Thrummed knitting - (I like the idea of this, being rather nesh.)

Toy/doll clothing - (It's how I got started.)

Tubular CO

Twisted stitch patterns - (Not sure.)

Two end knitting - (???)

Writing a pattern

Double Knitting - (Not sure either.)

Well, that was interesting, (for me at least!)  Looks like I've still got a few things to learn.  Thanks Jen :o)

Still only knitting for work, so no photos to share   :o(

Happy Bonfire Night!  Shake a sparkler for me!

Surgery and Splurging

Poor old fella.  Doesn't he look sad?

This is what he looked like when I went to pick him up from the hospital last week after a double hernia operation.  He was weak and weary.  He needed liquid percocet because he couldn't swallow the horse pills he needed to take for pain relief.  We drove around the dark streets of Philly in search of his medicine and found it a little before 10pm.  It made him sick. He needed nausea medicine.  I went looking for it.  That made him sick too.  The poor little invalid has had to suffer through the past week with over-the-counter pain killers.  He's been a real trooper, which is a relief as I'm not the world's most patient, (haha - pun unintended!), nurse - not now when work is super-crazy-busy!

Anyway, thanks luv.  Thanks for being a real trooper and I'm happy to see you looking almost back to full health :o) 

We've had quite a bit of rain lately.  I don't mind the rain so much. I am afterall, from England, where the skies are grey and there's drizzle in the air for most of the year.  I like the climate better here though, especially when the sky is like this, with plenty of blue to make a whole fleet of sailors enough pairs of trousers to see them through their service days.

I love how these yellow leaves look against the blue sky on a crisp autumnal day.

We went to Rhinebeck!!!!!  I wasn't sure if I would be able to make it this year because of how ridiculously busy I am/have been.  I talked the fella into taking us, (we sneaked Lucky in and she hid in the car, which is forbidden - please don't tell!).

I bought yarn!!!!!!

This isn't the how the colour looks in real life - it's much greener - more spanish-olive than mint-chocolate.

It's a lovely soft Alpaca that I will knit myself a cozy, sloppy, cardi with.

Still on the theme of green.. I bought some soap with a felted cover.

I can't remember the flavour but it smells wonderful!

I bought socks!

Me old mate Tina, turned me on to these beauties, (the double layer ones with the alpaca fairisle), about 4 years ago and I LOVE them!  It was high time for a new pair for me and a pair for the fella for doing the driving.  I also bought a pair of "I dare you to get cold socks", which will no doubt get lots of wear during the frosty months ahead.

 I bought more yarn! 

Loved the colour combo and it feels nice.  A scarf to be, maybe?

One of the highlights of the trip:

I got to meet up with some of me old mates from NY SnB!  I miss youse guise!!  

Here's Ravi, Ruth, Me and Johanna. You can't tell that we're knitters at all! (Thanks Johanna for the photos - for some reason they look blurry on here?)

Was lovely to catch up, if only for a short time, (we had to rush off after only a couple of hours as Lucky was freezing her poor, little, short-haired body in the car park!)

Here's Ravi enjoying the Lamb.  Nobody seems to find it weird that all this Lamb is being consumed with the live bleeting of the animals in the barn just a few feet away!  I'm just their for their fleeces - Ooh, and the apple crisp - that stuff is deeeeeeelicious!

It was a short but very sweet visit.  

Not sure when I'll be knitting for myself anytime soon - it's all work,work, work at the mo.  But I have to be thankful that I have paid work in these times of high unemployment.  Just need to not go crazy with it though, I have to think about my health and happiness too.

No Kidding!

Martian Bum Cheeks!

Co-worker, and fellow Brit, Kim, was munching her way through a bag of Peanut M&Ms t'other day when she came across this conjoined twin. Made us laugh for a bit... You do what you have to, to get through the day....

No personal knitting for AGES. This is not fun.