A Fine Move

In November, Maxcine Degouttes moved her yarn shop to a new location. Stitch Therapy now shares a beautiful space with Brooklyn Mercantile in Park Slope at 335 5th Avenue. Maxcine, Brandy and Tamara paused for a photo.

Getting the place ready was a minor Herculean task of rearranging, but after only a few days both shops were up and running with barely a hitch. Two shops under one punched-tin ceiling offer fine yarns, and quality fabrics & trims.

Handmade throw pillows and quilts invite you on a treasure hunt through exquisite bolts of fabric and spools of trim. Brooklyn Mercantile is more than a notion shop. Tamara Lee has a beautiful collection of fabrics for upholstery and drapery as well as wares that will lend an accent to any home — antique coat hooks, note cards, wire baskets, essential oils, and scented candles. Brooklyn Mercantile also holds sewing classes in the basement studio.

Stitch Therapy's cubbies are stocked with jewel tone colors that brighten those somber winter days. Luxury yarns like Cupcake are yummy, and Chiara and Noro satisfy your appetite. The new poly-fiber blends are perfect for a beginner's wallet. Books and magazines perk your interest while you settle in the comfy chair as knit hats and sweaters spy from above. Always in demand, knitting needles, crochet hooks, and stitch markers sit conveniently on the counter in baskets. Liberty Print project bags hang on a Shaker peg rack. Maxcine's mother makes them for the store.

Maxcine loves the new hold-everything counter that I built to outfit her space. She worked out the traffic patterns and customer flow to figure out the dimensions. I lightly stained the birch to bring out its natural burl, and to blend in with Stitch Therapy's other furniture. The light honey colored scheme contrasts with Brooklyn Mercantile's dark wood setting.

The counter is made from furniture grade birch ply topped with a solid maple butcher block surface. The maple is raw but buffed, the birch is finished with 8 coats of water-based urethane — satin smooth, durable, and stroller-proof.

It almost holds everything: cash register, laptop, printer, books & magazines, needles & hooks, shopping bags, business files... etc. Mostly of all it plays well in the new environment.

River Folk Boatneck Sweater

James is a barista at Prospect Perk Café. A "barista" is some one who serves coffee,  not a member of a Guatemalan resistance group. He's serving up a hot panini with a half-caf latte to some cranky old wizard guy. That's the boss man in the red vest.

James is modeling another LOTR-inspired pullover that I designed called "River Folk" — a boatneck sweater with half-moon pockets. I bought this yarn last winter from Stitch Therapy but had no real plans to do anything with it until recently. Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Flammé" is a highly textured yarn with an untwisted core wrapped into various thick and thin plies.

River Folk is a typical box-cut sweater with a few extras. Ram's horn cables travel from front to back flanking each side. A bucolic Garter stitch trims the neck, cuffs, and hem. Sleeves start with a 2 X 2 garter rib leading into a plain stockinette on the arms.

The hem is vented, the back sitting lower than the front. Vents are a convenient feature, expanding on command for those beer 'n' pizza nights at the Green Dragon. They also make it easier to grab your wallet without exposing your beer gut to all at the table.

I knit flat pieces separately to get the most texture from this yarn. It almost looks like a well-worn tweed. I found that when I knit in the round I get a "hairy puff ball" pattern, which is more suitable for Orcs. The gauge is 22 sts wide by 28 rows deep over a 6" square on US 10 1/2 needles. This made for a quick knit.

The front pouch isn't very functional, but very roomy. It works better as a hand warmer. I wouldn't put my keys in there. The construction isn't complicated. Stitches are picked up through the middle of the garment, knit downward, and knit in with the body at the hem. The pouch sides are sewn to the body making them appear almost "invisible."

It takes a total of 984 yards of Old Gold (12 balls X 82 yds) to make this medium men's sweater. "Silky Flammé" is spun from Peruvian wool, alpaca, and silk which makes it feel light weight and warm. The silk gives the yarn a burnished sheen like autumn oak leaves. Overall, I think this is the quintessential "messy guy" sweater that no Halfling should be without.

Knit PH at Freddy's Bar, Nov. 15, '09

Beer and balls at Freddy's — I arrived to find Valerie meditating, she looked so at peace. "Reiki" she calls it.  I set up the swift and winder quietly and set out some yarn for the exchange – ancient Berroco poly-wool (circa 1980). Valerie put a few skeins out too.

Done! Diana's handsome cardigan is finished, pockets and all. My photo doesn't do justice to this fine piece. Honey comb cables and seed stitch make for a sweet design. The antiques button with an embossed "1" close the deal.

Eliza is sending off our blankets to the Afghans for Afghans charity. It's hard letting go of these beautiful pieces — as Adrienne demonstrated. With the way this war is going this might be an ongoing charity. Eliza brought in a few more loose squares for the next round and started on a new set. So did Diana.

Although I posted the patterns on our Meetup page, many Knit PH members would like a little instruction on the Afghan project so we decided to make the next Meetup a "granny square workshop" for knit and crochet— so I guess I know what I'm doing this winter.

Valerie's green hat is getting bigger. It might make for a round pillow cover if she doesn't stop. Eliza on the other hand doesn't look that pregnant yet. Sarah is finishing part two of her tea cozy, it's larger than I though it would be. I guess her parents drink a lot of tea.

Mari frogged a scarf and started a seed stitch neck warmer, Diana approved. If you think about how a scarf really works one rarely uses the full length unless it's wrapped around the neck 6 times or so. I finished the last sleeve of my sweater and went to the bar for another beer.

Knit PH at Prospect Perk Cafe, Nov. 10 '09

This fall weather has more mood swings than a poetry major gone off-meds — freezing rain one day then a muggy mid 50's the next. It's hard to figure what to wear when you leave the house. Golden ginko leaves are the last to fall on blue slate in Prospect Heights, which means the short days of winter will soon be here.

I'm digging into my stash to put aside yarn for the Afghans for Afghans charity blanket drive. As I root through my bins I'm reminded of my collection of singles gloves. I only lose the right glove for some reason. Why do I keep these things? I wonder if there's a charity that takes single left-handed gloves — a sinister charity?

"Do you speak Spanish?" Emma asked. She and Silke were the first to arrive at Prospect Perk. I'm not very good with crochet instructions and my Spanish is OK at best. The crochet instructions were in fact English, but although a long-time Brooklynite, she is from Venezuela. We definitely need a knit to crochet form of Esperanto. Mari gladly lent a hand. She took a break from her scarf. Meanwhile Silke is reacquainting herself with knitting.

Diana is new to the group, she lives just a few stops down on the 2/3 in Brooklyn Heights. She's making a handsome orange cardigan with Knit Picks "Swish  DK" for her year-old grandson. It's her own design, rich with honeycomb cables and seed. The front and back are sewn together, now all it needs are sleeves. I admired Diana's Boye™ Needlemaster, a full set of interchangeable circular needles. It's the best deal going at around $40. Diana recommends washing and blocking each piece before sewing. I tend to block the whole garment when I'm finished, but washing a large wool sweater is cumbersome — like sponge bathing a baby seal.

Sarah is also new to the group, she live towards Crown Heights. She's making a dove gray tea cozy in a  2 X 2 rib. This belated Christmas gift for her parent is a great beginner-project. At first Sarah said that it was OK if she went off pattern, but halfway through she ripped it out and started over as mysterious holes developed. Meanwhile. I've starting another sweater. As I dug deeper into my stash I found 17 balls of Elsebeth Lavold yarn stuffed in a bag within a bag. I should investigate my bins more often, or least organize them better.

As we gathered in this cozy coffee shop I marveled at the diversity of our neighborhood. Emma and Silke are both Venezuelan by way of Italy and Germany, respectively. They've lived here for over 30 years. Diana, a native New Yorker, is ethnic Cantonese from Great Neck. I'm a pacific islander, try explaining that to someone. Murat and Ori, the café owners are from Turkey. Now where is Sarah from? I forget, but she's globe trotted her way around to Africa and back.

Black Rider Saddle

My friend Heather asked if I'd been working out. "No, it's definitely this sweater." I said as I ate my slice of pizza. My Black Rider saddle sweater is finished! The saddle structure makes for very broad shoulders and a closer fit to the body. Initially I made it for myself (mens medium), but it turned out a bit snug around the chest (boy-rexic XL) — looks like Stephanie is getting a black sweater.



I think this pullover wears better on a woman. Here's my favorite sweater model, Brandy, demonstrating my point. Black Rider is knit on US 8 needles with 9 balls of Berroco Cuzco (merino/alpaca) — from the chest down US 6 for a slight taper. It's very soft, warm, and spongy, perfect for those blustery damp days.



Dragon bones are flanked by ram horns adorning the chest like hunting trophies while cables on the back roam freely like a running stream. The collar, hem and cuffs are finished with a simple 1 X 1 rib, ending in a 2-row knit roll for better definition.



Gauntlets arms frame the body like arcane wrought iron gates. They start at the forearm twisting down to the cuff. Cuzco has great stitch definition which makes for deep ribs and sharp cables. Although similar, the sleeves are not identical — cables twist at different rates ending in varying rib patterns.



Black Rider is knit down from the shoulders. The sleeves are picked up from the body and knit to the cuff. Back in April, I started this sweater as an exploration of cables on a knit ground. It's been ripped out over the course of months many times but the yarn has held up well. This is a testament to Berroco Cuzco's integrity and quality.

Knit PH at Freddy's Bar, Oct. 18 '09

Fall is here in full force, 39° and damp all weekend. I helped Stephanie clean out and paint a room at her parent's house. She packed me dinner-to-go as I rushed back from Long Island speckled in Tropic Breeze and Kilz® primer. I was so hungry that I slurped down some of the home-made chicken noodle soup on the train. A man craned a disapproving head at me. Sarcastically I asked "Want some of my meatloaf? It's delicious." It's best that I didn't bring my home-made kimchi to share.

We had an intimate group this past Sunday. Karen is new to Knit PH. She returned from the Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival on Saturday. It didn't rain upstate but it was near freezing-cold. She reported the many woolen wares, tools and fibers, and had some photos of sheep that looked like stuffed toys.



She inherited her grandmother's fine hooks and is experimenting with typography in fillet crochet. Here's a sample of her work (above).



Meanwhile Valerie's SC scarf is getting bigger — very warm and cozy for weather such as this. Valerie meets with a crochet group at the Mill Basin Library. She also had some SC rounds in progress... could be a hat, maybe a bag, perhaps a kippah. I asked if they'd seen Todd Paschall's Crochet by Numbers project. He did an awesome portrait of Redd Foxx. Fascinating stuff.



I saw the most beautiful kippah the 2/3 train last weekend. An orthodox college kid proudly sporting the most intricate, colorful yarmulke— multi-colored silk with black Hebrew embroidery. Nana worked hard on this one, he better not lose it. Feh!



Tracey is trying her hand at embroidery, she's making this keepsake for mother. It's very clever that kit — it comes complete with loom, floss and needle, cloth, instructions, and the pattern is applied as an iron-on. This is a adept craft, I'm very impressed at her skill. Eliza had an announcement — 6 months pregnant, she and husband are expecting a boy. Eliza is one of those ladies that don't look pregnant. It turns out that she and Chris are taking birth classes with Ellen Chuse, a very good friend of mine and one of New York's leading midwives. Eliza is in good hands. Tracey asked her if she feels the baby kicking. She said is feels like an eel squirming in her belly.



They looked into Chris' Mayflower family names but realized was that some early puritanical names were a bit morbid, names such as "Hate Evil Wall" or "Posthumous Wall." I like Floyd as a name... Floyd Wall. How about Brick? Brick Wall. She finished a baby hat and celebrated over an O'Douls — baby boy due in February.

My black sweater is coming along well, the working title is "Black Rider Saddle." The knit-on-knit cables have finally come together. It's not charcoal gray, I lightened these photos to bring out detail from the black.



Here's the front. Fish-bone cables and rams horns twist at regular intervals. It looks like chest armor, no?



Here's the back. I like how these free-hand cables twist on alternate 4th, 8th and 12th rows and end in a 2 X 3 rib.



Here's a detail of the gauntlet sleeve(s) and the back. I think this classifies as another LOTR knit.

Knit PH at Propsect Perk, Oct. 13 '09

We started the fall by knitting at Prospect Perk Café. The temperature was quickly dropping, but it was good to see old faces and some news ones come in from the cold and warm up over good conversation. Tomo and Mari were there first. Tomo brought her Noro leggings and Yarn Harlot's "Pretty Thing" for show and tell. I brought my black sweater.







Mari is also a member of the Park Slope Knitting Circle. More of a hooker than a knitter, she worked on a wheat and moss crochet Afghan. Beautiful work, it almost looked as if she wove it. Valarie comes all the way from Mill Basin, it's a bit of hike but she feels motivated by the group — especially since she's been having some arm problems. She asked me to promote a crochet circle at the Mill Basin Library. Marina showed off her neck warmer hat.





She's sold a few on Etsy. I like her sparkly yarn doubled with a plum Cascade 22o. The antique buttons close the deal.



Amy, my coffee buddy, stopped into Perk to get an after-work snack. She had her subway project in her bag, a thick short scarf. Adrienne brought her own stool and some books to ponder, she was feeling stuck. Books and magazines are good that way, they serve to inspire. She's already made a few things for her husband, but now what?



My conclusion is that most of us suffer from U.F.O.S. or Un-finished Object Syndrome. We all admitted to having more stash than we need, so we agreed that a yarn exchange is in order for the December meet-up. This will help prevent symptoms of I.F.H.S. (Involuntary Fiber Hoarding Syndrome). At this point I just want to finish my sweater whether it fits me or not and move through my stash.



Lisa remembered to bring the Tiger Moth Shawl that I designed for Stitch Therapy. It's a simple lace pattern that repeats one row. It works best when made with variegated yarns such as InCanto (cotton/linen) or Silk Garden (silk/wool), but it's also a good way to use up left over yarns from other projects.



Tiger Moth Shawl Pattern
This reversible lace shawl is knit from the neck down working flat on circular needles. Every row increases by 4 sts with the central pattern remaining 24 sts wide. "M1" is an annotation for "front & back" increase method: Knit into the back of stitch to be increased (on left needle); with the stitch still on the needle knit the front of that stitch; transfer the 2 new stitches to the right needle.

You'll need:
• 600 yds (548 M) or more of any medium weight yarn
• 36" US#11 Circ. Needle
• 2 stitch markers

Cast on 44 sts and divide them into 3 section with markers as such: 10, 24, and 10 sts.

Row 1:
Right section: K1, yo, (k2tog, yo) X 4, M1 into last stitch. Place marker.
Center section: (K1, yo, k2tog) X8. Place marker. (total of 24 st)
Left section: M1 into first stitch, yo, (k2tog, yo) X 4, k1.

Row 2:
Right section: K1, yo; (knit k st and yo together, yo) rep. until before the last st; m1 into last stitch. Slip marker.
Center section: *(K1, yo, knit k st and yo together) X8. (total of 24 st). Slip marker.
Left section: M1 into first stitch, yo; (knit yo and K st together, yo) rep. until before the last st; k1.

Repeat Row 2 for a total of 60 rows (or more if you want it bigger). Bind off loosely, cut yarn, sew in ends. Wash, block, and dry flat.