A Ginger Spiced Pork Pie at Brooklyn’s Atlantic Antic

I made a few adjustments to my Kings County Pork Pie hat pattern using Rowan Wool Cotton. It still needed to be washed and pressed but I wanted to wear it to the Atlantic Antic to see Les Sans Culottes. This hat is so light-weight and breathable, but mostly it kept my head warn on this crowded, chilly fall afternoon.

Men in black— Jacques, Clermont, and Pomme grab a beer at Last Exit bar.

Band leader and French ex-pat, Clermont Ferrand, en route to the stage

Tous de la bande, Les Sans Culottes — Clermont Ferrand (l'homme de tête). Kit Kat Le Noir and Courtney Louvre (les chanteuses deux), M. Pommes Frites (la basse), Tres Semmé (la guitare) Johnny Dieppe (le clavier), Jacques Strappe (la batterie)

Madame Courtney warming up her vocals on a chilly day

The music was sweet, the street food was delicious, and the crowd screamed “Encore!” Notice the stroller brigade.

This crowd gets younger and younger each year. Where did their parents go?

Antoine, Janice, and family — this was a long day for the girls.

Adrianne looked surprised. I wonder what Katie just told her.

Tom and Michelle bobbed to French power-pop rock in a sea of people.

Troy and Pat hold court off of Court Street.

The youngest fan of all — Kit Kat kisses baby Delphine’s sweet little dancing feet. I wish I could have stayed longer, but my allergies were killing me. October is allergy season and I got the whole fall package this year — sneezing, itching, runny nose, dry eyes.

The gang went bar crawling and I wandered home sneezing. I made some coffee and revised my hat pattern with a simple side band. It’s optional but it adds an understated detail, and it accommodates minor adjustments within hat sizes.

Rowan Wool Cotton is a 50/50 merino blend that is so soft and elastic that it makes any hat feel like freshly baked bread. I particularly love this warm color (SH: 00965 / LOT: 3373). It’s the color of the best ginger snap you’ve ever had. Here’s a closer look with my friend Justin, he’s a busy man who wears many hats.

Blue Zuki iPhone Caddy

OK Paloma, if you’re reading my blog it’s no surprise, I finally got around to finishing your Zuki iPhone caddy in your favorite shade of blue. It goes in the mail tomorrow bound for L.A . — Happy Belated Birthday and don’t text while walking!

I was very flattered — of all the things that a very hip tween wanted for her birthday, my friend Dawn’s daughter requested my Zuki cell phone caddy. Everything is just late, and as of late I’ve been busy developing Zuki’s big brother, the Wombat® iPad Tech Pillow. This Zuki is a vast improvement over the first one. It’s now 200% cuter. In other news, Tom and I have are close to getting the Wombat® into production and out to market. Cheers to TomTone Industries!

This bean bag caddy uses a combination of crochet and knitting techniques. The upper portion is knit in Woven Stitch. The eyes, ears, base and trim are crocheted. Check out Blue Zuki with Justin’s iPhone, shot at Prospect Perk Café. That’s Justin’s dog Rector in Zuki’s mouth.. or hands, or is it a pouch...

Cat Nip Bagel for Breakfast

The act of play is a healthy instinct for people and pets, so I try to keep Phillip the cat entertained with scrap yarn toys — otherwise he destroys the couch. I think every New York cat needs a Cat Nip Bagel, so make one for breakfast.

Crochet a Cat Nip Bagel

You’ll need a US C hook (2.5 mm) and some left over medium to DK weight yarn.

Side One
Chain 5. Join yarn
R01: 14 sc into ring. (st total: 14)
R02: 14 sc into top of chain.
R03 and R04: 14 sc to end.
R05: Sc twice in each stitch. (28)
R06: 28 sc.
R07: *6 sc, 2 sc in next stitch; repeat from * 3 more times. (32)
R08: *sc, 2 sc in next stitch; repeat from * 7 more times. (48)
R09 to R11: 48 sc.
R10: Sl st between posts to end. Cut yarn, sew in ends.( st total: 48)

Side Two
Pick up 14 sc from R01 of Side One, then repeat R02 to R10. Stuff with batting and sew sides closed.

Don’t make it heavy or too large. Cats like things that they can bite into and carry. My assistant, Phillip the cat, will demonstrate it’s mesmerizing properties. Now fill the bagel hole with cat nip and stand back.

What Do Cats Want?

This is an age-old question that will always remain a mystery. But after a bit of research and vet question, I have good idea as to what cats see — more subtle shades of gray than any Midtown fashion victim could ever sport in a lifetime. By nature they are nocturnal creatures whose eyes are hair-trigger sensitive to motion in low light.

Humans and primates perceive colors in combinations of red, green and blue but cats do not perceive red. After much animal testing I found that Phillip the cat prefers yellow, gray, and blue toys... and much to our disgust, a dirty frayed 3" piece of white packing string.

Firming Things Up — Clothesline Crochet Basics

The tail of the now downgraded tropical storm Irene has just left us. Although there was flooding in low lying areas, damage to the city seems minimal so far.  We stepped out for a drink with friends at Sharlene’s Bar last night but left when once weather turned. The sun is peaking out now and it’s  time to break out the clothesline.

Clothesline Crochet Demonstration
This technique is similar to the padded construction of Irish filigree crochet but used less decoratively. It’s made by carrying a thicker cord, such as cotton clothesline, inside a densely wrapped row of single crochet. For this demonstration I’m using Classic Elite Provence (100% mercerized cotton, 256 yds) over a linen burlap cord. The stitch in this demonstration is called “Straw Braid” — a modified single crochet stitch created by yours truly. After looking around on the web and Ravelry, I think I actually came up with an original stitch. Work slowly and adjust cord tension every two inches or so.

Step 1: With a loop on your hook, drape the cord over the hook. Insert the hook through the vertical strand closest to the hook’s tip and top chain of the next stitch on the previous row.

Step 2: Draw a loop through both the top of the chain and the vertical strand. You should have two loops on the hook.

Step 3: Now draw a loop through these last two loops while “catching” the cord. Now, you should have one loop on your hook. Repeat these three steps.

This technique creates a thicker, less pliable fabric that’s suitable for bags, baskets, backpacks, trimmed piping, the crown and brim of hats... etc., anything that requires more structure.

I used an actual cotton clothesline in the crown of this Trilby hat (left). It gives the Straw Braid stitch a padded look. The side band (right) is also made with the Straw Braid stitch without the linen cord. It has a flatter surface and looks more... well.. like braided straw ribbon.

Hats Off to Brett Bara!

The entire East Coast was just rocked by a 5.8 tremor... and now we brace ourselves for a hurricane? But neither earthquake nor the impending doom of Hurricane Irene can hold me back. Freshly pressed and ironed on this soggy day, I just sent off three Kings County Pork Pies to crafty maven Brett Bara for her book on crochet accessories (Interweave Books). I’m very proud to be included in her project along with many other talented folks.

This hat pattern is written for men's sizes small, medium, and large and includes special instructions for Tunisian Crochet. Now back to proofing more patterns for The Yarn Monkey store.

Ear-buds — Softwear for the BlackBerry

What do you do with three yards of DK silk? Pimp up the volume on your BlackBerry with silk ear buds. With a C hook, make an adjustable ring cast-on and close it with a slip stitch.

R01: 10 sc, then tighten ring cast-on. Do not join round.
R02: *Sc in top of ch, 2 sc into of chain into next st; rep from * to end of round.
R03 to R05: Sc in top of ch to end of round (St total: 15).

Cut yarn. Fit over ear piece then gather and sew the tail through the open edge with a tapestry needle. Make another one. These make a better cat toy than the original foam buds that came with the phone.

Ironing Out the Details

Heat waves, hail storms, flooding streets, driving rain — this summer, Brooklyn feels more like a pizza oven or a swamp. Either way, it’s good to keep a hat in your bag along with an umbrella... one of them will come in handy.

If you’re like me, you probably have a drawer of hats in different states of crumple. To keep your cotton hat crisp and clean all summer long you don’t need a wooden hat block, but you will need a decent iron and spray starch. My mustard yellow Kings County Pork Pie Hat is super soft, made with 100% Rowan Pima Cotton. It will be one the crochet projects in crafty lady, Brett Bara’s, new book from Interweave Books.

Wash and Dry

First remove any big decoration... braids, band, clasp, buckle, buttons... then hand-wash your hat with a gentle fabric wash or baby shampoo. Let it soak for a couple hours to allow the fibers expand. A teaspoon of white vinegar to early gallon of water breaks down hair oils. Rinse well and gently press out most of the water in a towel — don’t use the death grip. Air-dry your hat flat. To speed up drying time lay a box fan flat and place your hat on top.

Block and Press
To shape the crown, I use the bottom of a round cookie tin as a hat block — a coffee can works well too. The base should be a bit smaller than the width of the crown. Set your iron to the correct fiber setting (in this case, 100% cotton) and gently press into the fabric moving slowly with a small circular motion, adjusting the hat as you need. Don’t use the steam setting.

Place a small face towel over the block and set the hat on top, right side up. Lightly spray with starch and iron until the starch dries. Repeat until the crown is firm but pliable. Be sure to press into the creases with the tip of your iron.

Turn the hat inside out, then spray and iron the crown as before. Starch tends to build up on the iron and burn, so clean it often by spraying the ironing surface with water and wiping it clean with a towel.

Lay the hat on a towel, spray and iron the inside — from brim to the crown. Rotate the hat as you iron the interior of the hat. Now iron the outside of the hat the same way. Be sure to iron the welt at the edge of the crown.

Straighten the brim. Spray and iron the brim as before, rotating the hat as you press. Re-attach any decoration, and off you go to the beach. That wasn’t so hard, was it? Keeping your hat in good shape is much easier than keeping yourself in shape, but that’s a different issue.

Handle with Care

Sometime today (or tomorrow) a mysterious package will arrive in Baltimore via USPS ground — a care package for my friends and Josh and Megan... and Weens and Pizazz. Inside this rather large box of crushed paper and bubble wrap are a few small but well packaged treats: assorted crochet key chain fobs and cat toys, and my home-made Gochuchang (Korean chili paste) and Baechu (Napa cabbage kimchi). I’m not so good with baked goods.

Fobs and cat toys: two dumplings and three bees

In theory Weens and Pizazz do not perceive the color red, so I made these toys in shades of yellow, green, and blue. So... in theory cats may not see kimchi but Megan can spot this jar from another state. I reminded her not to eat the whole jar in one sitting — or suffer the gastrointestinal consequences. For this kimchi recipe visit GardenFork.tv.

Korean delights — home-made Gochughang and Kimchi

The Red Phoenix Rises

We all seemed to have survives the heat wave over the weekend — highs in the 100s. It’s funny when 90° weather feels like a holiday. Dan and Caroline just got back from an Italian get-away. Although they had some hot days, I suspect it’s more charming abroad — the food was incredible! They brought back some squid ink risotto and herbed gray salt for me and Stephanie.

I made the Red Phoenix shrug for Caroline Glemann for her wedding... and she stills wears it well. Caroline designs exquisite jewelry, among them, Stephanie’s engagement ring.  I took some prosperity photos at Liloveve, her jewelry studio.

The Red Phoenix shrug is made with the deepest-red antique cotton and silk using a combination of hairpin lace and traditional crochet. This inspired the white Way Wedding Shrug that I designed for Vogue Knitting’s Wedding Issue.

 

I love these sleeves, they make Caroline look like at Elven Queen.
The arching shapes were ispired by a type of beautiful red seaweed from Ireland called Dillisk. The Chinese refer to this style of long flowing sleeves are Phoenix. Hence the name. But I think it also reminds me of Jean Grey, the Phoenix from the X-men.

Armed and ready, Dan sat for a few with his hooded Green Ranger scarf. Seated here are an Elven Queen and a Dwarf King. Only a little prince or princess could complete this perfect mid-summer’s still life.