Down Sizing Topher

The reconstruction of Topher Turtle is coming along well. I've got the shell pieces complete and am ready to begin making the puppet. I have decided to make Topher a little bit smaller this time. I am looking forward to seeing how that works out. My progress is slow as I am writing out the all the knitting directions in detail this time. It's amazing that such a small toy needs so many words......

Topher's getting ready

I have been spending time writing out my Topher Turtle pattern. My LYS owner asked me if I'd like to make up Topher Turtle Puppet kits to sale. Excitedly I said YES, how fun!! So I am learning more about humility now and how to get ideas from my brain into a knit pattern that might make sense to someone else. I am also learning that my computer skills are not current, I fear I am completely in the dark more often than not. I am trying to come into the light of the 21 st century, but it is so bright I can hardly see. This photo is the product of many hours of work. It is the chart for Topher's oval shell. Using an old camera and trying to get a decent close up of my work followed by fussing with my computer to try and learn something about desk top publishing has worn me out. I am about 1/3 of the way through the written instructions for Topher and have also worked on the lined mitten pattern (it is near completion). I must take the dog for a walk now, a very long healing walk to find my brain again.

Line them up

Another lined mitten,

I think I am close to finalizing my pattern.

For this pair the yarn is Artful Yarns Shakespeare, color # 06 for the mitten and Nature spun sport weight, color pepper for the lining.

These are mittens for my sister, Anna-Ruth. She lives in Boston, so I put the Charlie card pocket on for her.

Warm lined Mittens

These are my lined mittens. The idea for lining mittens came when I was making the Subway Mittens for Teresa for Christmas (see post from December 20th). She gets cold easily so I wanted to create a mitten that was warm without being too bulky. After making Teresa's Christmas mittens I became focused on creating my own pattern for mittens with a knit lining. I am getting the pattern printed for a class that I will teach in February. It should be a lot of fun.

This double layered mitten is 100% wool. I used Artful Yarns Shakespeare color #04, a very soft spun yarn, almost a pencil roving. I knit it at tighter gauge than recommended on the skein label. It's a great is insulating yarn with all that 'air' in it. The lining yarn is Nature Spun Sport Weight color #N62S amethyst, (Teresa's birthstone :-), which is perfect since she was the inspiration for this idea).

June 2008: My mitten pattern is available now in the Summer 2008 issue of Spin-Off magazine from Interweave Press.

A Near Perfect Match

During 2007 I spent time learning the Widdershins toe up sock method
http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTwiddershins.html

using Judy Becker' amazing and beautiful cast on
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html


I taught this toe up sock class at my LYS (Yarns Down Under, Deep River, CT.....a GREAT shop to visit if you are in the area!!) I love the widdershin pattern, but it is written in just one size. In order to offer my students a selection of sizes to knit, I calculated how to adapt the pattern for sizes with 36 up to 100 stitches in sock circumference. My table of numbers is here http://www.box.net/files in the "widdershin handout" folder. Along the way of my learning (I feel like I always learn more than my students) I knit this pair of socks. They make me smile every time I look at them. Each sock is unique in its color pattern as often happens with variegated yarn. But when sitting side-by-side, the color patterns for this pair line up almost perfectly to create a unique pattern of their own! I thought that was pretty cool. Though I will have to take my shoes off and place my feet side by side for anyone to appreciate this minor bit of knitting magic. But I know the pattern is there even when my shoes cover it up. This is definitely a unique PAIR of socks.

The yarn is Madelinetosh hand dyed superwash merino, fingering weight, colorway bearded Iris. It is GREAT yarn for socks. They have been through the washer and dryer several times before taking this picture - no shrinkage, no fading, wonderfully soft and warm.