double batch

cooling off

summer is fading and this chickadee is feeling blue...and green...

sunny afternoon...in the summertime

and in summer space

sunrise/sunset

here's another take on the neighborhood version of the dipped infinity scarf. this is the purples colorway and it is currently available for purchase online! it is a delicious blend of blushing berries knit in the yummiest superwash merino on the market.

you provide the needles and the knitting power, everything else is included in the kit. you'll get the pattern and eight small skeins of yarn with just enough yardage to finish up with few leftovers.

the sample above was hand-dyed and hand-knit by karida of neighborhood fiber co. what an overachiever! and a brilliantly talented one at that.

love is like falling...

...and falling is like this:

this is a sample for neighborhood fiber co using eight different colors of their very own studio sock, a 100% superwash merino fingering weight yarn. the pattern is dipped infinity scarf, by cosmicpluto knits. and you can buy the yarn and the pattern as part of a pre-made kit from nfc's big cartel site.

there are three colorways to choose from, previously blogged about here.

the color change kept this knit fun and interesting. it was exciting to start a new section and to see how it finally turned out. the finished product reminded me of fall, which seems so far away amid these sultry summer days.

all in the family

way back when, my mom and i collaborated on a quilt. it was one of the first that she'd ever made, and my first attempt as well. since then, she's barely let her sewing machine cool down! her skills, which were never anything to sneeze at, have just sharpened like a hot needle. her piecing is super precise and her binding is just beautiful.

since that first faltering attempt, she's gone on to make many a magical quilt. like everything made by hand, they carry a bit of the maker along with them. and all of the quilts that my mom has had hands on are happy, comforting and warm...just like her.

her most recent really is a gem. she embroidered each panel by hand! then pieced the panels together perfectly. it was hand quilted by another woman, who also did an excellent job, and then returned to my mom for her to apply the binding. the finished product is a family heirloom, the kind of thing that should be passed down the generations with loving words about its creator.

way to sew mom!

desafinado

love is like a never-ending melody
poets have compared it to a symphony
a symphony conducted by the lighting of the moon
but our song of love is slightly out of tune

- from desafinado, by antonio carlos jobim

in the world of this chickadee, music and knitting are very often linked together. patterns will bring songs to mind and those songs are sung or hummed or played or thought of in time to the rhythm of the needles. sometimes musical moods contribute to color combination. in this case, they helped select the name of the next pair of socks.

skew, a sock pattern by lana holden, immediately had me singing desafinado. the song's title means "slightly out of tune" in portuguese. and these socks are slightly off center too. starting at the toe and working their way up on a slant, their construction is a total surprise. every aspect of this sock was something new...from the cast-on, to the kitchenered heel, to the short row spiral of the stocking.

the yarn lent itself rather well to the climbing corkscrew. it was something from the stash, cherrytree hill supersock select, a low micron merino which means that it is softer than the usual sock yarn but still superwash.

if you were around when these were on the needles, apologies for my own more than slightly out of tune rendition of the classic bossa nova. here's a marvelous rendition, by the brazilian master joão gilberto:

jaywalking

the jaywalker sock pattern by grumperina deserves all the credit for inspiring this chickadee to knit socks. they never looked all that interesting or fun, until this pattern popped up on ravelry. now with a couple of completed pairs under my soles, i've learned that socks are extremely addictive and enjoyable to knit.

a stashed yarn, dream in color smooshy (in ruby river), met up with a stashed pattern with great results! the two go quite well together, don't you think? the smooshy is a super superwash wool which means that it can meet up with the machine when it is time for a touch-up.

can't wait to walk down the street (responsibly, lawfully, obeying all rules and crossing only with the light in crosswalks...of course) in these!

summer stock

behold the latest bags in space:

that 70's bag

just when you thought it was safe to click on this chickadee...the bags are back!

brilliant orange

apparently it is bag week here at the chickablog. here's another!

the wave

wave is a lovely little ditty by antonio carlos jobim and also a lovely little bag made by this chickadee. in two sizes to fit every project from socks to sweaters.

love is a rose

coming to a (fibre)space near you, a bunch of bags in different sizes and styles. the pretty little rosebud bag below is available in medium and large drawstring style. both are lined and boast internal slip pockets.

stay tuned. there are more friends to meet coming up this week!

you're my idol

click the pic above to read the hello craft interview with karida of neighborhood fiber co. she's their craft idol this week. and she's ours all of the time.

shop talk

the crew at fibre space got some new aprons courtesy of this chickadee! check 'em out:

honey bunny

here's a custom order that is terribly cute and awfully adorable. bethany found this fancy fabric and wanted to see if it could be made into multiple organizers for her knitting. with under a yard, it was looking a little skimpy...but back at the chickadee fabric patch there was some sweet strawberry gingham on hand that was happy to help out!

we decided that a drawstring project bag and matching zippered pouch would be perfect. both are fully lined and have pockets to tame needles and notions. the zip pouch even fits into one of the pockets in the project bag!

peter rabbit would be proud.

zip pouch

drawstring project bag

apple peaches pumpkin pie

before:

originally this lovely skein of dragonfly fibers djinni sock was set aside to become a shawl. but the beauty of the yarn was being lost somewhere in the knit/purl sequence. so this chickadee did what any self respecting knitter would do and ripped out rows upon rows of stitching that represented hours and hours of work. and then went on the pattern offensive to find something that would showcase this spectacular yarn.

the charade sock pattern by sandra park was just the thing! the simple stitch pattern was perfect for the yarn and for the newish sock knitter. there was just enough going on to make it interesting but not so much that it was overwhelming...and that combination let the beautiful bouquet of reds and oranges shine.

chalk up another sock! a hand-dyed, hand-knit hug for the feet.

after:

hand-picked!

handmade mart is this sunday, may 22nd! same sunny silver spring location and some familiar faces. pretty little fings will be there with all sorts of new treats fresh from her making shed. she's been spending lots of time at the local farmers market and from the looks of things, all of that fresh produce has gone to her head...and her hands.

here's a sneak peek:

check out her new stuff at the show sunday! and stop by to see all of the other great vendors there too. looks like it is going to be a great gathering of some crafty and creative folks.

silk stalkings

neighborhood fiber co's scrumptious new penthouse silk fingering has hit the virtual shelves! you can get yourself a skein (or two...or three...or more...) of this gorgeous stuff from her webstore. 500 yards of 100% silk in a fingering weight, just think of the stunning shawls that can be made from just one skein!

along with the new yarn launch, there are some new colors to consider.

gwynn oak

mount vernon

easterwood

ain't she sweet

fire on the mountain

until the eternal question of "how many handknit shawls is too many?" is answered, this chickadee will continue to cast them on. they are perfect projects...challenging lace sections, lazy stockinette, comfortable yardage requirements...what's not to love?

recently, this chickadee's wandering needles happened upon a particularly striking skein of yarn. this single ply manos del uruguay maxima REALLY stood out on the shelves of purl soho. the colorway, speeding ticket, is probably a bit too much to wear in a sweater. but in a shawl it could be stunning.

the pattern needed to be plain enough to let the color do the talking, but interesting enough to maintain the interest of the knitter. kouyou by angela tong (ravelry link only) is just the right combination. there is a swatch of stockinette that lets the color really shine and the prettiest of lace edgings that is a total treat to knit.

this might be the official rainy day shawl. there isn't a black cloud above that it couldn't brighten up.