Weaving together sand, sea and sky

Last year I crocheted several lapghans and afghans. In the spring I freshend my front room color scheme from deep jewel tones of winter, to light and airy ones that reminded me of the sea, sandy beaches, and the sky.

The result was my SeaSiren rolls from the shore to the deep sea and back again bubbling up with a little seafoam misting into clouds.

The pattern was pictured in a solid, but my SeaSiren, based on a modified shell and post pattern, is multi-colored and done in worsted weight yarn.

If you hold it close to your ear, you might just hear the sirens calling you.

2009 SeaSiren afghan

The Rib Warmer

Checking out materials for my Ami Dolls, (amigurumi) I saw a finished sweater vest hanging from the ceiling near the cash register.

It was simple and clean and I loved it. I looked for the pattern online but didn’t find it, so went back and bought the book ($18) it was in. That was “Knitting Workshop” by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

The vest is made from a simple garter stitch with the interesting part the technique to work the corners. You make two halves and then sew them together at the center-back.

The pattern is on page 104 and 105. She notes that while hats are “best bizaar items” Rib Warmers are most popular too.

I’m on the second half of my sweater vest and will share a picture of it here when it is finished.

Ms. Zimmerman recommends wool, but I used (per the shop’s recommendation) Patons Shetland Chunky, 75% Acrylic, 25% wool. It is machine washable.

on sale at KnitPicks.com for $10.79

Fiber-more than oatmeal

Life often double-tracks so suddenly you don’t know where you are. Familiar is not anymore, rules that once were firm, vaporize. And that’s when you grab hold of those fibers and start weaving your life together again.

So I’ve several projects underway. A delicate knitted shawl, a sassy crocheted purse, a new crocheted summer afghan to get those blues into my living room, and then the way cute amigurumi dolls. My first was a teacup designed by artist Ana Paulo Rimoli. Then I created the first of my Cocker Spaniels, Ami. My daughter has a new kitten, so I poked around trying to create a cat that looks more like a pig so I’ll have to try again. This morning I designed a tulip ami doll

The Shirley Tulip

based on the Shirley variety that starts pale cream and increasingly is washed with purples. They are beautiful and so here is my first try at creating the Shirley Tulip.