Dust Off Those Needles...

2012 draws to an end, a year of extremes from politics to weather. Barack Obama remains president for four more years. A grueling presidential race brought out how polarized we Americans have become—culturally, ideologically and monetarily. Can Barry pull it all together in four years? We’ll soon find out.

Last week Hurricane Sandy carved a devastating trail through most of the East Coast. Houses washed away liked shoes boxes, downed power lines strewn about as tidal waves pushed inland—many are still in the dark or homeless. I'm amazed the subways came back so quickly after I saw how tunnels and lowland areas flooded.

I never underestimate the damage that water and flowing currents can wield. I felt fortunate that we didn’t lose power as so many did. Quite a few of my friends have lost their homes and cars.

It’s been a while since I picked up a pair of needles. I’ve been busy with another project; my Kimcheelicious eCookbook is going well. I have 30 recipes out of 60 fully tested. I have now made over 180 pounds of Napa cabbage kimchee over the course of this project thus far. I’ve met many folks who are interested in the book and am developing some products based on my research. I’m even giving a food demo and lecture at the Bowery Culinary Center. I’ve also developed quite a following on Tumblr... but this is topic of another blog.

On November 5th, I started this scarf at our Knit PH meetup at Hungry Ghost Café. I think we all needed to get out after being cooped up through the hurricane. This black Mobeus scarf was actually inspired by Hurricane Sandy. It’s a haphazard arrangement of reversible cables that start off and end in simple 2 X 2 ribs.

On the news we watched in awe as growing streams turned into raging rivers taking cars and houses along with it. Over social media we read as friends announced they were evacuating their homes. Familiar city streets turned into river banks in empty canyons of buildings. Sandy was the great equalizer for the monied and the have-nots. I watched people were evacuated from coastal and lowland areas. Many were left with nothing. And yet again we just got through a Nor’easter.

I sewed the open ends of this scarf together to create a seamless Mobeus strip that traveled through a river of cables and met at simple ribs. As the city recovers and people try their best to reclaim their lives, we are all due for better weather.

Knit PH @ Prospect Perk Café, Dec. 13, 2011

Knit PH met at Prospect Perk Café to knit and nosh. The weather lately has actually been warm for December, 62° to be exact. Luise was there first — just off from work. I promised I’d give her a quick tutorial on my Cat Blanket before the year came to an end. I predict that 2012 will be the year of the cat quilt. Chrystal made it all the way from Bushwick by bus. I have to admit that I don’t know where they go on a regular basis. I actually get a little motion sick when I try to read on the bus...stopping... starting, stopping again... etc.

I’ve been working on a new scarf pattern for my Elven Anthropology collection. I was inspired by the soft ribs of sand left behind as the water recedes at day’s end. For lack of a better name I call it Ebb Tide, at least for now. As the temperature steadily drops I’ll need something to remind me of a warm day at the beach.

Christmas will soon be here, yet most haven’t even started shopping for gifts. You have to wonder what posses someone to make their own gifts this late in the game —yet every year we all do it. I know I’ll be running late (again) with a few home-spun gifts; Pat dropped in with her new scarf in progress; Lisa finished her husband’s Hunter Green house slippers — complete with snow-flake pattern.

Adrienne needed a little help finishing off a few things for their daughter, Bird. I helped her through instructions for attaching an I-cord to a baby bonnet. This is an excellent way to clean up raw edges.

These itsy-bitsy booties will keep Bird’s feet warm all winter, until she outgrows them. The safety pin gives you an idea of scale and skill. But Adrienne brought a show-and-tell item which left us all laughing — the Boob-Hider. It’s worn by the baby when nursing in public. Chrystal added “Everyone knows what you’re already doing... so y’know.” She’s also a lactation consultant.

Knit PH @ Freddy's Bar, Nov. 27, '11

Scene from a yarn shop: “Where’s the merino wool?” I pointed the way. “What’s the gauge for making socks with worsted weight?”, “Around 5 sts per inch on #6.” I estimated, but I recommended smaller needles and a finer yarn — which I showed her. “Well, I'm not giving you $60 to make socks!" she baulked. I finally said "Lady, I don't work here.”

I shopped locally, but on Black Friday shoppers stormed department stores and malls. The news reported of a few macing and tazing incidents between agitated shoppers... I can’t imagine macing someone over an Xbox, but sales and stocks were up over the weekend.

Meanwhile in Greenwood Heights, Knit PH met at Freddy’s Bar for a quiet post Thankgiving circle. Busy evening, Daedelus Design & Production wrapped up their Annual Turducken Holiday party to give us the back room. I was offered pie but declined, I was still recovering from Thanksgiving.

Time to break out those UFOs. We had some new knitting stragglers. Crystal bussed it all the way from Bushwick with her sweater on the needle; Lauren brought her crochet shawl from just a few blocks away. Nancy and Pat sat with us for a bit as a few people walked into the room astounded that people actually knit over a beer or two.

Tracey is starting a new sweater, but this time not for her dogs; Elena is in mid-scarf; I skeined up most of my hanks. Although “hank” and “skein” are words that are often used interchangeably, they do have specific meaning. A hank is large loosely wound wheel of yarn sold by length. It’s usually sold twisted into itself like a donut twist. A skein is an oblong ball of yarn sold by weight and length. On a commercial level, yarn is sold on cones by weight.

I always bring the swift and wool winder to the meet-up at Freddy's Bar. It’s a good motivator to get your stash balled up and ready for the next project.  As our length of time drew to it’s knotted end we cleaned up and made room for the Open Mic spoken word group. I told everyone to think about the mid-winter yarn trade and pot luck dinner, but I’m sure no one has food on their mind at the moment. Thanks giving has left us, but I'm still thankful for many things, among them great friends and family.

Knit PH @ Prospect Perk, Nov. 8, 2011

From the café window I could see the large Christmas snowflakes already hung from every lamp post along Flatbush, yet we’re not even close to Thanks Giving. This early decorative expo is a call to all of us to shop. It would seem that an economic recovery relies largely on conspicuous consumption. As a country, does America actually make anything anymore or do we just consume? I reflected on this recession over a slice of lemon pound cake and cocoa.

Well our group certainly makes lots of stuff. Lisa is making her hubby a pair of house slippers — she adjusted the pattern for size extra-extra large. Adrienne is outfitting her baby girl. She also needed to get out of the house for a bit and socialize — new mom syndrome. Meredith is making a specialized shawl she calls “The Boob Hider.” It provides privacy while nursing in public. Mai is making a cashmere hat from a salvaged sweater. That's a smart move, she often looks at knitwear that can be frogged into yarn. I suggested she wear a mask, ripping a sweater out makes a lot of dust. Amy popped in to grab a coffee and to show off her alpaca scarf. I like our funny little group, we meet at Prospect Perk Café every second Tuesday.

Aside from a few gifts, I’m making an A-line poncho for fashion designer and illustrator Ying Su. We met last week to go over the design and fibers. Initially we focused on texture. I ran Patons Superwash (ecru) with two colors of a lace-weight Merino (warm gray and camel) to get a bulky yet subtle tweed. I tend to think of the poncho as retro, although most women say it’s timeless. I hope the dreaded “Mancho” has met it’s woolly end. As with Clint Eastwood, it only works if you’re sporting a rifle and riding into town on a horse.

In the eyes of a fashion designer, most hand-knit garments are considered to be over-worked. Ying’s work is simple and elegant. The clean lines of her poncho emphasize the fern pattern that travels down the front — from the over-sized collar down into the body. A wide column of 2 X 1 ribs meet diverging seams at the back.

Feline Finery — A Cat V-neck Vest

Here’s a versatile investment for any cat’s wardrobe: a red cabled V-neck vest. It gives any house cat a smart, clean look for the Holidays. It also hides his cat gut. I wonder where Phillip put his glasses. The collar is set higher into the back. This compensates for the position of his front legs.

The construction of this vest might seem odd to anyone other than a cat. It’s looks more like a backwards A-line shirt. The chest area is shorter than the back, off-setting the neck line farther into the back. The V-neck helps define the front. The armholes are set directly below the chest as opposed to left and right placement to the body. Otherwise the ribbed facings are picked up and knit just as any sweater.

With larger armholes the vest allows Phillip more freedom of movement. He can easily go from destroying the couch to destroying the bed quilt with such ease. 

But how can one keep a cat vest fur-free? I have a feeling one has to accept the improbability.

Cat Mock Turtle

A woman asked me if I'd make her dog a sweater. I replied no... but... who said I wouldn't make our cat a hand-knit sweater? This jaunty mock turtle suits Phillip the cat just fine. This acrylic cat-casual is based on a raglan construction with the sleeves centered down in the front... or is it the bottom?

When I design a garment I keep body type of the wearer in mind. For Phillip’s sweater, the chest and the elbows are turned for a better fit. It’s made for lounging around on a lazy day, which is what Phillip does on most days. But upon closer observation the waste might be a bit tight or too short, it rides up when he walks. I see a cardigan with pockets in Phillips future.

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...

Knit Night @ Freddy's Bar, June 26, 2011

The perfume of Silver Lindens hung heavily on a warm slow breeze, reminding us that summer has arrived. With my fried chicken dinner in one hand and a bag of yarn in the other, I walked to Freddy's for our monthly Knit Night. Our small group of South Slopers gathered for Beer 'n' Balls and of course conversation — dog sweaters, socks, new apartments, old neighborhoods, hair, new jobs, the economy, school...etc. I like spending my Sundays with our quirky little group, Knit PH.

I haven’t been knitting much lately, I’ve been working on my pattern store, TheYarnMonkey.com. Proofing patterns, programming, taxonomy, taking photos, writing....etc., it never seems to end. I’ve been getting a lot of fan mail from Australia, Norway, and the UK asking when my Elven Anthropology line will be ready. I just keep telling them to hang in there, I’m just one man.

Three cheers for partners Matt Kimmet, Matthew Kuhn, and the artful dodger himself, Donald O'Finn! Freddy’s Bar has been enjoying its new success in Greenwood Heights, in South Slope Brooklyn. After the travesty which is Atlantic Yards and their debacle with eminent domain abuse, Freddy’s success is well deserved. Everyday more as the Nets Arena grows consuming 22 acres of Prospect Heights, public sidewalks and creating an enormous traffic problem, it resembles a disembodied airplane hanger... with flights to nowhere. Some folks have blindly resigned themselves to chanting the rubber-stamp statement that “New York is city of change.” But what we’ve witnessed as change doesn’t benefit Brooklyn. At the rate that a shady realtor can rename a Brooklyn neighborhood to jack up sales, there may not be a Prospect Heights.

Our group is called Knit PH, named for it’s origins at the old Freddy's location in Prospect Heights — a bit ironic considering that the new location is in South Slope. Initially I told our group that Greenwood Heights was named after a mythical revolutionary ”Admiral Greenwood” (so I was told by a shady realtor), but I was completely misinformed. According to Wiki, This Brooklyn neighborhood was named for it’s proximity to the Greenwood Cemetery. People are still dying to get here. It’s always been an ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood — working class and middle class families; mainly Latino, Polish, and Italian. The new additions to 5th avenue would be first-time home owners, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars like Freddy’s and South. The vibe hasn’t changed that much. Although Morisi’s Pasta and the Italian baker are gone, Eagle Polish Provisions now shares the block with Jubilat’s smoked Polish goods and Corzo... Luigi's Pizza shares the slice with the new Italian cafe.

On this night, Knit PH shared the evening with the sweet sound of the self-proclaimed Graham Nash tribute band, The Country Baptizers. We used to share our evenings at Freddy’s with an Alphorn band. As the months heat up our group will be taking a summer break. July will be the last Knit PH meet-up for the summer. We’ll pick it up again in the fall. I’ll miss everyone, we have a small but interesting group.

The Redhook Drifter Beach Hat

Justin B. and the Redhook Drifter — this beach hat has a generous crown and a stingy brim that can be worn up, like a Trilby, or down and around. It’s versatile and folds completely flat into your bag or jacket pocket. It’s reminiscent of bygone afternoons at Sunny’s Bar... good times, blue grass, and cheap beer. One might ask ”Where is Redhook Beach?” If you have to ask... beware of erroneous directions.

The Redhook Drifter is crocheted in a chunky tweed yarn, Ella Rae Kasbah, a light-weight cotton blend that feels cool and soft on your head on a sultry summer afternoon. I created a new stitch for this hat that I call “Straw Braid.” The Redhook Drifter comes in Marigold Tweed, Monk Parrot Green, and Van Brunt Red — each brim trimmed with linen/silk braid.

Run out and get one while they’re hot, at Ozzie’s on 7th avenue (57 7th Avenue), here in Park Slope this summer. Thanks again Justin B., for showing off my hat.