Kiowa Rose

Last month, when my friend Lisa was here from Texas to attend the BABE Show with me, she and I drove an hour or so south to Fremont, Calif. to go to Kiowa Rose, a bead store we had never been to before.

YOWZA!!!!

This is a bead store right up my alley – it is heavy on seed and glass beads, Victorian and Art Nouveau designs. Put simply, it ROCKS. We must have shopped for over an hour, and as we were checking out, I saw a sign advertising the store’s monthly “bead challenge”- put your name in a hat and if it is drawn they give you a handful of beads and a month to make something out of it. If you complete the challenge, you get a $10 gift certificate.

I’m game, I thought, and plopped my name in. Three days later, a call from the store – my name was chosen. I drove down again a few days after that and picked up my beads. Here they are:

Bead Challenge Beads

I got some dyed pearls, some flower-shaped beads, some dagger beads, a tube of size 11 seed beads with a raku finish and tube of size 8 seed beads with a polished finish. There were also what appear to be some labradorite, but I am not sure. Those are the oval-shaped beads on the left.

There are a few simple rules to the challenge: you have to use at least 75% of each type of bead you are given; you can add anything else you want to complete your design (fiber, beads, wire, etc.) I picked up a few more beads before I left the store with my challenge beads – a couple more of the flower-shaped beads and a strand of 25 leaf-shaped beads. And a beautiful glass button that I envisioned as the centerpiece of the necklace I was going to make.

But that design didn’t pan out. I thought about it all thru the Thanksgiving holiday, planned it in my head, but when I sat down to make it, I couldn’t make it work. So yesterday, after looking thru some 10-year-old bead magazine I had lying around, I made this:

Kiowa Rose Necklace

AND I LOVE IT. I used almost every bead given me – I think I had one left of each of the non-seed bead types left, and I used about 75% of the two types of seed beads given me. I had two leaf beads left, and 2 pearls so I will make some earrings to match. I’m popping it in the mail to have it to Kiowa Rose by the Friday, Dec. 11 deadline.

Here are some detailed pictures . . .

Center of necklace

I used a faceted teardrop bead for the centerpiece, which I also bought that day at Kiowa Rose. And I used one additional tube of seed beads that I already had in my stash. And I already had the clasp. But the rest of the beads are from the challenge.

Fringe detail

Kimberly's Five Fingers of Fun

I am very happy to announce that K2Tog has published “Kimberly’s Five Fingers of Fun,” a booklet with five of my own designs for fingerless gloves. It has 5 patterns (duh) and sells for $5.00. You can get it at the store, and we’ll send it out by first class mail if you call (510-526-9276) or email us (ellen@k2togonline.com).

I am extremely pleased with the publication of this little leaflet. It is the first time I have published any kind of pattern. The idea was met with great enthusiasm by my co-workers and customers and that really pushed me to finish it. And I can’t tell you how cool it is to ring someone up who is buying a copy!

I love the title. Ellen Graves, the store owner came up with the title. When I showed it to

Ribbed Fingerless Gloves

my husband, he said, “I’d like some of Kimberly’s five fingers of fun” and then skulked off to the shower. I thought it was pretty funny.

The booklet contains five patterns for fingerless gloves, all kind of a variation on one very basic ribbed pattern. There is a lace pattern, a cabled pattern, a pattern with a tree worked in stitches, and a pattern with ruffles and bobbles. Most of the patterns have an option for including beads. The easiest is the Ribbed Fingerless Gloves pattern and the the most difficult is the Ruffled Gauntlets. They are worked with sock, DK and worsted weight yarns.

Blooming Tree Fingerless Gloves

Here’s the Blooming Tree pattern. You can add beads, as I did, after the knitting, with needle and thread. These seem to be among the most popular.

Another cool thing – Karen, the store manager, made a beautiful window display with all the models, even cutting out hand shapes to hang in the window. I love working here.

And this little booklet would not have come to pass without Ellen and Karen’s excellent editing and Ellen’s super fabulous computer skills. The book has charts and symbols that were way beyond my computer abilities, all thanks to Ellen. She also got pictures of each pattern in there, too. I love this little book!

Lacy Fingerless Gloves

I am planning my next little booklet – perhaps hats to match these gauntlets? Or maybe some knitted jewelry? I am not sure. But I’ll keep you posted.

Cabled

Ruffled Gauntlets with Bobbles

Three of Lisa's Bracelets

My friend and fellow beader Lisa Beaudo visited me last month so we could both attend the Bay Area Bead Extravaganza held twice a year in Oakland, Calif. It’s about 20 miles from my house. You can read a post I wrote about my 2008 visit to the this show on my other blog, Bead One, Pray Too, which is all about making and using prayer beads. On this blog, I want to focus on my Lisa and the amazingly beautiful things she brought to show me and give me. She is so talented – and completely self-taught.

Lisa gets a lot of inspiration from Japanese bead books. Takako Samejima is one of her favorite bead designers, and every time she comes to visit, we go off to Japantown and go to a bookstore that carried Japanese beading books. In Japanese. The only thing Lisa can “read” are the pictures and drawings. I don’t know how she manages to make such beautiful things without being able to READ THE WORDS. I could not do this.

Look at the button bracelet here. She designed this. But she says she is not a designer. I say she is full of crap. Which of us is right?

The last time I was with Lisa, we were in Austin, Tex. visiting our friend Chris Reeder, when she decided she wanted to make a beaded skull she had seen somewhere. Here it is:

Now, this isn’t my taste, but isn’t it cool? And I can I tell you how fabulous this looks on her – blonde good looks and all! Lisa rocks. When I grow up I wanna be just like her.

Lisa write a blog called Japanese Beading Blues, where she writes about her jewelry and where I am sure you can see better pictures of her work than I can produce here (she has a light box) and she writes in detail about how she makes these things, where the inspiration comes from, how she changes things, and the various online and bricks-n-mortar places she gets her supplies.

More Lisa Yummies

She also has an Etsy store where she sells some of her work. Christmas is coming. Go take a look.

Look at the heart on the right here – all made from seed beads and crystals.

One of the great things about Lisa’s visit is she inspires me so much. Since she left I have been beading up a storm. But it is more fun when she is here. We both sit under bright light, drink wine and pretend we aren’t really old enough to need the readers we have to wear to see those damn little holes. Lisa, I love you and wish you were here right now.

Lisa Bracelets

These two pieces are among my favorites. I especially like the one of the right, which is made with these lovely glass cubes with the most beautiful teal color. Lisa has no more of these beads, dammit.

While she was here, Lisa made me a pair of earrings I love – sterling silver hoops with little amethyst beads wrapped with sterling silver wire around them. Simple, yet elegant – like most of Lisa’s work. And she made me a little daisy flower ring, which I also love.

Detail

Lisa, come back any time. My offer to watch your kids and animals so you can go to London still stands.

My friend Jan and I went to the Celebration of Craftswomen last Sunday, that incredible gathering of talented women artists at Fort Mason in San Francisco. This is my third or fourth trip to this annual show. I try not to miss it – it inspires and stimulates me in my own crafts all year long.

And this year we actually knew one of the artists! This is like knowing a MOVIE STAR in my book. Our friend, knitter and new member of our Friday knitting group, Janie Rose, was there showing her fabulous jewelry. Here she is . . . .

Janie Rose Jewelry

Janie handpaints silk, treats it with some kind of polymer, cuts it out in interesting shapes and then mixes it with metal jewelry findings and crystals to make earrings, pins and necklaces. The resulting pieces are vibrant in color and very lightweight to wear. Take a look at some of what she had on display . . .

Janie's earrings

Janie also works with blown glass beads, like those made on the island of Murano in Venice. My husband and I visited Murano last May and Janie’s work rivals anything we saw there. She did not have her Venetian glass at the Celebration, but she is going to bring them to my house for our Friday group Christmas party. I’ll take some pictures and share them here then. Here’s some more of Janie’s work . . . .

Janie's necklaces

And Janie is a new knitter, too. In fact, she just finished her first sweater, which is the subject of Carolyn’s Pugh’s most recent blog entry. What doesn’t she do? I may have to slap her silly. In the meantime, GO to the Celebration of Craftswomen and visit Janie in booth #417. She’ll be there next weekend Dec. 5 & 6.

There were some other pretty great artists at the show. Some of them I look for every year, like embroiderer Yan Inlow of Yan’s Designs. She makes the most exquisite Chinese silk embroidery. Jan and I each bought one of her small pieces a couple of years ago. She’s gotten even better. And I always look for Lynn Guenther of Heart and Soul Gallery. This year I bought a beautiful pair of earrings from her – small silver dogs that look like Taffy and have a garnet on them.

I was most impressed this year by a young artist I saw for the first time. Her name is Kelly Morgen, she is a fabulous goldsmith who trained in Florence and she is all of 26. Her work graces the cover of this year’s Celebration program. Gorgeous stuff.

Actually, there was very little crap at this year’s show. No Vagina Lady. Did you all see Vagina Lady? She was this woman who would make a giant, color sculpture of your vagina to hang on the wall. A couple of shows ago, she told me and Cameron she had one of her own vagina hanging above the driveway to her house. Over the garage. Wish I was her neighbor!!!

So go to the show!

Deco-Stardust Evening Bag

Here’s a quick, shiny, sparkly gift to make and give for the holidays – an evening clutch purse made from Crystal Palace’s super shiny Deco-Stardust. This is a great project for beginners, as it features garter and stockinette stitch and minimum of shaping. It’s given shape by a lining of plastic canvas – DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE PLASTIC CANVAS, PEOPLE! We are featuring this pattern at K2Tog’s “30 Under $30″ event the Friday after Thanksgiving from 1-4. We will have 30+ items you can make and give for less than $30, exclusive of needles. Here’s what you need to make this Deco-Stardust Evening Bag

YOU WILL NEED:

1 skein Crystal Palace Deco-Stardust, 119 yds (shown in Lime Glow, #4438) (Deco-Ribbon and Party are also suitable)

Size 8 needles

1 sheet plastic canvas, approx. 9 inches by 12 inches

1 large snap

1 decorative button

Gauge: 16 sts, 28 rows is approx. 4 inches square. Finished purse measures approximately 8 inches wide and 4.5 inches tall when closed.

ABBREVIATIONS:

Deco-Stardust, interior

k2tog – knit two together

kwise – knitwise

LH – left-handed

p2tog – purl two together

pwise – purlwise

RH – right-handed

RS – right side

ssk – slip two sts kwise one at a time to RH needle, knit both tbl with LH needle

tbl – through the back loop

WS – wrong side

Make body: Cast on 38 sts. Work in garter stitch (knit all rows) for 10 inches.

Make flap: (RS) Purl (p) 1 row. (WS) Knit (k) 1 row. Work in stockinette stitch (knit the front, purl the back) for 1 inch. End with a WS row. Begin decreases: Next row (RS) – k2, ssk, k across all sts until 4 sts remain on LH needle, k2tog, k2. Next row (WS) – p2, p2tog, p across all sts until 4 sts remain on LH needle, p2tog tbl, p2. Repeat these two rows until 12 sts remain on needle, ending with a RS row. Bind off all sts pwise.

Assembly: Lay purse out flat. Cut plastic canvas to same measurements as purse – it will look like the outline of a house. Bring bottom of purse up to beginning of flap, whipstitch sides together with yarn. Fold plastic canvas to fit inside purse. With needle and thread, baste plastic canvas to inside of purse, stretching purse fabric to fit. Sew snap to inside of flap and outside of body. Sew decorative button on outside of flap over snap. Line with fabric if desired.

Options: This is a very versatile bag. You can incorporate beads, use a contrasting yarn to sew up the sides, add a crochet trim around the flap, etc.

Colorwork Gauntlets

What do you think? This is my first attempt at colorwork. Just got a bee in my bonnet to do it, picked me up some yarn at K2Tog one night and cast on. This pattern, and the pattern for the Deco-Stardust Evening Bag will be part of K2Tog’s “30 Under $30″ event held at the store the day after Thanksgiving from 1-4 p.m. The whole staff have made and/or designed 30 projects you can make for $30 or less, excluding needles. Here’s my pattern for these Colorwork Gauntlets. . . .

YOU WILL NEED:

3 skeins Mission Falls 136 Merino Superwash, one in each of three different colors (model is done in teal #30, crocus #534 and basil #532)

Set of 5 size 4 double point needles (dpns)

Stitch markers

Colorwork Gauntlets - Detail

2 stitch holders

Colors: A – teal; B – crocus; C – basil

ABBREVIATIONS:

bo – bind off

co – cast on

kwise – knitwise

m1L (make 1 slanting left) – with tip of left needle, lift 1 strand running between needles from front, k into the back (1 st increased)

m1R (make 1 slanting right) – with tip of left needle, lift 1 strand running between needles from back, k into front (1 st increased)

pm – place marker

pu&k – pick up and knit

pwise – purl wise

rnd – round

sm – slip marker

Cuff – With color A, co 44 sts and divide over 4 dpns: dpn 1 – 12 sts; dpn 2 – 10 sts; dpn 3 – 10 sts; dpn 4 – 12 sts. Join for knitting in the round. Pm. K 1 rnd. P 5 rnds. Cut A. Next row: K1A, k1B around. Repeat for 10 rnds total. Make ridge: With A, k 1 row, p 1 row. With C, p 1 rnd. With B, p 1 rnd. With C, p 1 rnd. With A, p 1 rnd. K 1 rnd.

Establish checkerboard pattern: Rnd 1: With B k2, with C k2. Repeat to end. Repeat this rnd once more. Next rnd: With C k2, with B k2. Repeat to end. Repeat this rnd once more. Repeat these four rnds once more.

Thumb gusset: With B k2, with C k2. Repeat until 2 sts remain on dpn 2. Pm. With B k1, with C k1, repeat once more, pm. Continue with B k2, with C k2, repeat to end. Repeat this rnd once more, slipping all markers.

Next rnd: With C k2, with B k2, repeat to first marker. Sm, with B k1, with C k1, repeat once more, sm. Continue rnd with C k2, with B k2 to end.

Increase row: Repeat last rnd to first marker. Sm, m1R in C, k1 in B, k1 in C, k1 in B, k1 in C, m1L in B, sm. Continue working established checkerboard pattern to end.

Next rnd: Repeat from beginning, increasing 2 sts between markers in stripe pattern every 4^th rnd, until 18 sts between thumb markers. Work rest of hand in established checkerboard pattern, alternating beginning with B and C every 2 rnds.

Next rnd: K in checkerboard pattern to 1^st marker. Remove marker and place remaining 9 sts on stitch holder. Place 1^st 9 sts on next dpn on another stitch holder. Remove 2^nd stitch marker. Turn work. Co 4 sts using cable method. Turn work and continue to end of rnd in established checkerboard pattern. Continue for 1.5 inches or until desired length, ending with a row that completes checkerboard pattern.

Finishing: Switch to A, p 5 rnds. Bo kwise. Return sts on holders to 2 dpns. With color A and 3^rd dpn, pu&k 6 sts across rest of thumbhole. P 5 rnds, bo kwise. Weave in all ends. With tapestry needle and color A, work embroidered chain stitches along boarder between stripes on thumb gusset and checkerboard on rest of hand.

My mom was recently here, and as she is also a cardmaker, we decided to spend some quality time together making some, well, CARDS. And, as it is autumn, what better theme to focus on? Here’s what we came up with . . .

Mom and Fall Cards

To make them, you will need:

Autumn-colored cardstock cut to 4.5 by 12 inches, folded in half to make card

tree stamp

“happy fall” stamp

Embossable ink pad, brown ink pad

embossable glitter

heat gun

decorative ribbon

double-sided tape

mounting tape

decorative paper

coordinating cardstock for matting

Mom's cards

1. Stamp tree image with embossable ink. Sprinkle on embossable glitter and knock off excess. Use heat gun to emboss. Stamp sentiment with brown ink. Cut out image. With coordinating cardstock, cut out panel that is 1/4 inch larger all around than panel with stamped image. Adhere image to coordinating cardstock.

2. Cut decorative paper 4 inches by 5.5 inches. Cut coordinating cardstock to 4.25 inches by 5.75 inches. Adhere paper to cardstock with double-sided tape. Adhere decorative ribbon, as shown, to paper and cardstock panel. Adhere to front of folded card.

3. Use mounting tape or squares to adhere stamped image to front of card.

Simple! Here are more pictures . . .

My Fall Cards

I just used whatever leftover autumn paper I had in my scrap drawer. I did not purchase anything special to make these cards. More details below . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail - Happy Fall

Well, Halloween was a big day at K2Tog. It was one of our busiest and best days of the year. And Purl the Knitting Fairy was there to wave her magic knitting wand over it all. This, my friends, is Purl:

Purl is wearing double-point needles in her bun, and she has a felted flower in her hair. Her earrings are made from stitch markers and her magic wand is a size nine knitting needle topped with a sparkly ball of Crystal Palace Little Flowers. And check out her wings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, Purl had every intention of taking pictures of the trick-or-treaters that came by. But the truth is, K2Tog was so OVERRUN with the little devils that there simply was not time. I would say we had more than 100 – and their parents. And store customers at the same time. And no one but Tigger was in the store to help Purl, and we know what they say about Tiggers – they are bouncy, bouncy, trouncy, trouncy and my God there just weren’t enough hands, Tigger’s, Purl’s or otherwise, to do everything required.

But Purl told me about some of the best costumes. The winner, in Purl’s mind, was actually an adult. A woman came in accompanying a child and she was dressed in jeans and t-shirt. Around her head and upper torso she had wrapped all kinds and colors of those twisty balloons clowns use to make animals. And on her shirt was a name tag that said “H1N1.” Her husband carried a big bottle of hand sanitizer.  Purl ’bout laughed her bloomers off. Another winner – the little girl who said, “TRICK OR TREAT HAPPY HALLOWEEN THANK YOU” all in one rush of breath before getting her candy.

Now, here’s the other thing Purl wanted  you to know. People, when the Solano Avenue Association says the trick-or-treating goes from 3 to 5 pm that means it goes from 3 to 5 pm. That doesn’t mean you should be bringing adorable junior -  – to our door at 5:15, 5:30 and yes, even 6:10 when the crazy ladies inside K2Tog ran out of candy at 4:48 p.m. In fact, the crazy ladies ran out of candy TWICE and had to go to the store for more TWICE. Now, I know your kid is just so irresistibly cute/smart/talented/special you just haaaaad to bring them by our store even tho we have never seen you before because you do not knit and would never think of taking it up. But do you have any idea how awful it is to tell a little one – perhaps out for his or her first Halloween -  that THERE IS NO MORE CANDY?? You don’t wanna find out. So, parents, honor the time. And no need to bring the infants in arms and strollers. They can’t eat candy and you parents shouldn’t be eating it. Know what I mean?

You are all cordially invited to meet Purl, The Knitting Fairy this Sat. (Halloween!) at K2Tog in Albany, CA. I – ahem – I mean, she – will be on duty between 1 and 6 p.m. and will have candy for the kids between 3 and 5 as part of Solano Avenue’s general festivities. She’s bringing her magic knitting wand, which many a frustrated knitter has wished for. (DISCLAIMER – PURL CANNOT CLAIM TO HAVE EVER FIXED ANYTHING. IN FACT, SHE’S SCREWED UP MORE KNITTING THAN YOU CAN SWING A SKEIN AT).

As for the second half of the title of this blog: OVERHEARD AT PINOLE DOG PARK, Oct 28, 2009:

“She thinks she’s hot snot, but she’s nothing but cold boogers on a plate.”

We are nothing if not classy here in the East Bay.

Skein Lane Retreaters

Well, it’s been a week from hell and I have not had the chance to get back to tell you about the two fabulous workshops we had at the Skein Lane Retreat earlier this month. But there is a lull in the hubbub – at least until the phone rings again – and I’m gonna give it a shot.

On Saturday, the only full day of the retreat, we 40-some knitters split into two groups, and half of us went to Sally Melville’s Knit to Flatter and Fit class and the other half went to Nancy Bush’s Estonian lace class. I drew the Melville card first, so off I went.

I have taken two or three classes with Sally and I am always impressed by the very

In Sally's class

original way she thinks about knitting. Her approach is unlike that of any other instructor I have encountered – very contemporary, “fashion-forward” (as they say on Project Runway), and strongly influenced by current fashion lines and trends. She also thinks simple – basic shapes, structures, stitches and materials. What flash there is (and there is quite a lot) comes from the understated quality of most of her work. Now, I know that sounds like an oxymoron – flashy understatement – but it is true of Sally’s work. By focusing on knitting’s foundations – the shape of the garment, the way its pieces come together, the drape of the fabric created by the yarn – and simplifying those things, the end result is as impressive (if not more) than a complicated piece of lace, cable or color work because Sally’s garments FIT. They enhance, rather than obscure, what is underneath – our bodies. In her workshop, she set out to show us how she approaches the shape and fit of her designs and how we could incorporate that into our knitting.

Taking our measurements

And what fun it was to do this! Basically, Sally had us play paper dolls. Our homework was to have someone take a picture of our bodies from head to toe in a form-fitting outfit (like a leotard and tights). As you can imagine, this was excruciating. But she took pity on us by having us trace in bold marker the outline of our bodies before we came, so that we could leave the awful pictures at home. She then went through some basic garment shapes for both top and bottom and we cut them out from colored paper and laid them, in different combinations, on our outline. This way, we could see shapes in combinations that we otherwise might not think we could wear and would not otherwise try. Then, in the best part of the workshop, she taught us some formulas using out own measurements that we could use when knitting a garment that would ensure the sleeves, waist, length, etc. hit us in just the right places.

More measurements

Now, no words I write about this workshop here can possibly do justice to how great it was. I left that class feeling like my knitting had been revolutionized. It made me rethink my body shape, my propensity for “busy” knitting, and the clothes I like to wear. I am going to pull out all of Sally’s books and review some of her garments and rethink knitting them for myself. I cannot tell you how much I loved this class. Let me leave you with one of many things Sally said that just rang inside my head. “Knitting is not a bible you should follow. You have to work out each pattern just for you.” If you don’t she went on later, you don’t wear what you knit because you are unhappy with it. And she wants “to reconnect our knitting with our closets. Because to wear what you knit is to honor your craft.”

Paper dolls!

After Sally’s class, the whole group met for another great meal at the dining hall – I had some delicious, fresh salad and a great slice of homemade pizza. These Marconi Conference Center people really know how to fatten one up. Not that I am complaining! After lunch, we had an hour or so to sit and knit on our own, and then it was off to the afternoon session. In my case, this was Nancy Bush’s Estonian Lace knitting class.

Nancy with a map of Estonia and all those shawls!

While Sally’s class was all about innovation and style and contemporary lines, Nancy’s class was all about tradition, history and upholding the work of our forebears in the craft. I really dig this kind of stuff. While I love to knit what’s “new” – say, what’s in the latest Vogue Knitting – I really get off on carrying on the tradition of the craft. No one is a better spokesperson for this than Nancy, who has spent years traveling back and forth to Estonia, learning the history, loving the people and deciphering their knitting tradition for the rest of us who are not so lucky to get to go there.

Nancy taught us that Estonian lace knitting, which has about a 200-year history, has

Part of the lace sampler we made

certain telltale characteristics and stitches. First, it is always bound by a garter-stitch frame, second, it requires a knitted cast on, and third, it usually makes use of one or more of four basic stitch patterns. I could tell you more, but it’s all there in Nancy’s fabulous book, and she’s a better interpreter of this kind of lace than anyone.

In the class, Nancy showed us the four basic Estonian lace stitches – the lingonberry pattern, the leaf pattern, the twig, pattern and the lily of the valley pattern. This last one makes use of a distinctively Estonian stitch called the “nupp.” This last one is tricky – but so gorgeous when done – and requires making 5, 7 or 9 increases in a single stitch (!!!). Nancy had us make our own Estonian lace samplers and she showed us dozens – literally – of knitted shawls and scarves, some of which she brought from Estonia and some of which she made herself. Each one was more lovely than the last. Just fantastic. A great class – and I could not wait to start my own shawl!

Nancy knit most of the these!

After Nancy’s class, we headed back to our rooms for some adult beverages. I love adult beverages. I especially love adult beverages and knitting. Put the two together and you come up with some pretty whacky things. Over our beverages and cheese, we had a planning session for next year’s retreat – we knew we wanted to have Sally and Nancy back and they both wanted to return – calendars permitting – and we talked about the possibility of adding another full day. I sure hope that comes to pass. I felt like I learned more in that single day of workshops than I had in a long, long time. And more importantly, I was inspired.

Planning party

More about the fashion show and the last day of the retreat to come. I got a barking dog that I need to whallop. Knit on.