Crazy Weekend of Knitting – part two
- At September 18, 2006
- By Patty Lyons
- In Uncategorized
2
If your just checking the blog today, scroll down (trust me it’s worth it). This is actually part two of a post. There was too much for one post.
On to Knit Out New York. Holy @^%$ that’s a lotta knitters in one place! I got there at 11:58 am (it started at noon), and there were already thousands of people there. Usually I love being around knitters, but being around 30,000 knitters when free patterns, free yarn, and free needles are being given out, was not for the faint of heart. I don’t know what the heck was going on at the Michael’s booth, but those women looked like they’d kill you just as soon as look at you, so I kept moving.
I enjoyed the fashion show. The dogs were really hard to photograph, because they moved kinda quickly. The kids were even harder to photograph. All my kid shots came out blurry. Here are some of the doggy fashion show.
(the dog wouldn’t put on the sweater)
The human fashion show was really long, but the always fabulous Yarn Harlot kept things lively. The whole show broke down into three distinct groups:
1) things I would knit and wear
2) things that I admire, but wouldn’t wear
3) just because you can knit it, doesn’t mean you SHOULD knit it
(my fave – Lion Brand Cashmere Blend. Knit it Fall/Winter 06)
(I liked this as a top, but was horrified when they said it was a dress. Is the designer high?)
2- Things that I admire, but wouldn’t wear
3- Just because you can knit it, doesn’t mean you SHOULD knit it
(WAY too much)
(What’s with the plate on her head!!)
(RONG – Wrong!)
Crazy Weekend of Knitting
- At September 18, 2006
- By Patty Lyons
- In Uncategorized
- 2
So my fun filled few days of knitting began Thursday night at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope (I know, not technically the weekend, but just go with me. There I met the Park Slope Knitting Circle. It was really a great evening. First of all, love my Tea Lounge! If they sold yarn it would be my fave place on earth. Hmmm, that’s an idea. I met a lot of cool knitters. My favorite moment in the evening was when Emily nonchalantly walked in carrying her spinning wheel. As you might imagine . . . she turned a few heads. She was nice enough to give me a little tutorial. I found it pretty cool, but lets face it. I’m out of control enough with the knitting. I can’t get into spinning. . . right. . . (gulp).
(Emily on her wheel)
Then I saw this woman knitting a beautiful sweater out of yarn she spun herself. Well Alexandra started talking to me about how great spinning is. I said I don’t really have any room for a wheel. She said “you can spin on a drop spindle”. I said “you are not going to be satisfied until I start spinning”. Well Alexandra, Emily, wait till ya hear what I did on Saturday!
(Alexandra and her super cool hand spun wool)
So next stop on Patty’s tour of cool knitting spots was the New Jersey Sheep and Wool festival. It was my first ever Sheep & Wool Festival. It was also my consolation prize for not being able to go to Rhinebeck. It’s the same weekend as my family reunion. Although I toyed around with the idea of disowning my own family, I came out of my yarn daze in time to realize that wasn’t a great idea. As soon as my pal Francesca and I arrived we signed up for the 10:30 am spinning workshop (Happy now Alexandra??). We got a crazy drop spindle made from two CD’s. It was really hard to get the hang of. Francesca said hers looked like dred locks. Of course, by the end of the workshop I was shopping for rowving. I decided to buy 6 oz because I figured that would take me a while.
(spinning class)
(Parade of Breeds)
(nice bunnies . . .I mean sweaters) (SCARY sheep)
(Francesca with the sheep of her homeland!)
Way off in the corner of the barn, segregated from all the other sheep was the sad sight of racism in the animal kingdom. The dreaded KKK sheep:
Okay, not really. I think they were just keeping there coats clean until after the show. But we did think they looked just like KKK sheep. They kinda freaked me out.
The craziest thing we saw was the sheep dog demonstration. They were herding, wait for it, geese. It was one of the more bizarre sights in the world. I don’t know why the site of dogs ganging up on foul to make them walk through an obstacle course, renewed my faith in humanity . . . but it did.
(get in there, don’t make me have to get up!)
Of course what day would be complete without a sheep shearing a fleece auction. I was feeling full of love for these creatures that gave me my fiber. I called home and told David I was going to buy a small sheep to keep up on the roof deck. He was not amused.
(thank you for all you do for us)
(why can’t I own this sheep?)
Read twice, Knit once
- At September 17, 2006
- By Patty Lyons
- In Uncategorized
- 2
So, I’m cruising along a few nights ago on my Sarah Tank Top, and I’m feeling a stockinette malaise setting in. Kind of getting bored, kind of itching for a little yarn over, purl together action. So I measure and I think “yeah, it’s time for the cool edge pattern that repeats in the center of the top”. I happily knit a whole round until I realize that I forgot to do the increase round you need to do before the pattern. %#@$%!!! Unknitting a whole round of pearl togethers and yarn overs is a stone cold drag.
Meanwhile, back in to the world’s most tedious project. My friend Zeena saw a black, white and grey braided scarf last winter (for $45.00!). I told her “screw that, I’ll just make you one”. I’ve been knitting working on it on and off for eleven months. Knitting three REALLY long strips of knit two, purl two in sock weight yarn is so boring. I keep the strips rolled up so I can carry them on the subway easier. It makes it look cooler than it is.
tomorrow I’ll tell you all about my crazy knitting weekend (Park Slope Knitting Circle on Thursday, NJ Sheep and Wool Festival Sunday, Knit out NY and Sit n’ Knit NY on Sunday)
Summer knitting had me a blast (or hot town, knitting in the city)
- At September 14, 2006
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 4
It’s rainy and 65 here in beautiful Brooklyn. I’m desperately trying to get my Sarah tank top done before there are no more 80 degree days left.
As promised, I’m going to sum up Patty’s summer of knitting. My summer of psycho crazed knitting began in June when I had my first summer off in years. I was able to spend more time with David then I have in . . . forever, and hang out on my deck and knit. Some might see this as unemployment, but my pal Nell simply called it “P & D’s summer V” and it ROCKED!
Here’s where you could find me most days:
The first early summer sweater I finished was a bit of a trauma. It was the Moda Dea Curious Diamond top in Distrato Tutti Purple yarn. I like to call it the muppet sweater. This pattern is a LIE!! See the nice model, see the nice model wearing a form fitting sweater, see the nice model wearing a sweater that has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PATTERN. So, I knit the entire front (yes, I did a gauge sample, I’m kind of a nut about doing that) and it looked like a shapeless potato sack. I bravely, naively, stupidly knit on thinking “I’m sure the pattern writer knows best, it will all come together.” I knit the back. I frogged it and started again. I rewrote the pattern entirely, removed one whole pattern repeat and added shaping to the side. This is the result:
The yarn is this crazy furry stuff that makes me feel a bit like Elmo when I wear it, but that’s life.
With a closet FULL of projects, I did the only thing a girl can do as the summer heats up. .. buy summer weight yarn! As the temperature rose (and rose and rose!) it was time to put away all thoughts of wool and alpaca and anything that came from a furry beast, and turn our attention to all things cottony blendy.
Next up was the adorable xback ribbon tank. It knit up in a couple of days. My problem is the ribbon yarn I used was really stretchy, thus making it a little (ehem) whorey to wear braless. I ended up knitting a little shelf bra inside. My mother would be so proud. I had a skein and 1/2 left over, so I made a little shrug
With a big ole bag of cotton & viscose blends, cotton & linen blends, and cotton & strange chemically sounding word blends it was time to delve yet deeper into the wonderful world of summer tops. First stop the Honeymoon Cami. What the hell would I do without knitty.com???? I loved knitting this top, and although I though at first the designer was high when she called a ssk a right slanting decrease. I decided to go on blind faith (although still stinging from the whole muppet sweater affair). It turned out FAB! I think she just meant that ssk was the decrease on the right side of the sweater. Whatever, all is forgiven, cause check it out:
Next came another tank, Evening Diamonds, and another r-0-n-g, wrong pattern. This time I only got halfway through the front before I realized the math was all wrong. By the time you get to dividing for front and back you don’t have the right amount of stitches. I counted backwards from the divide to figure out the right number of stitches to cast on. It was also my first foray into crochet (for the edge).
Since the little Evening tank took me a good long while. I decided to move on to instant gratification time. Yes, I’m talking Loop d Loop ballet t-shirt. It knit up (hand to god) in 3 1/2 hours. I bought a bag of ten Filatura Lanarota Summer Soft at Smiley’s and it was perfect for this top.
I got a huge cone (my first) of greyish lavender mohair from David’s mom. People are constantly dropping yarn and unfinished sweaters off at her house. I told her she could go into business finishing other people’s projects. I usually walk away with a little sumin’ sumin’ for the old stash every time I visit. The mohair seemed perfect for the Fluffy lace camisole and pull off cowl from Weekend Knitting. I’d been meaning to make it for a while, but hadn’t learned how to crochet, for the edging. Now that I conquered crochet for the evening tank. I dove it. It’s just a big tube, no shaping, so it got a little headachey after awhile, and it didn’t look as good on me as the model, but I still like it.
More later about my trip to the NJ Sheep and Wool Festival, and of course, Knit Out NY!
Finally . . .
- At September 10, 2006
- By Patty Lyons
- In Broadway, Knitting
- 7
After years of saying “why would anyone want to read what I have to write” (all the while reading every knitting blog I could find), I finally gave in. My first post is kinda long – I’m just catching up.
So, here I am . . . a little about me. I’m a Stage Manager who lives in FABULOUS Park Slope Brooklyn. Years ago when I was working at Lincoln Center I used to sit in rehearsal and watch Ira Weitzman (the Musical Theatre Associate Producer) knit hats. I was fascinated by the strange and wonderful circular needles. I had learned to knit when I was a kid, but I never got past the ole’ garter stitch scarf stage. My next step towards knitting obsession was when I was working as a Stage Manager on the Broadway show 42nd Street.
(Company shot – that’s me in the black shirt & jeans in the first row)Many of the people from the hair and wardrobe department would knit on the deck (backstage) during the show. I finally asked Jack, one of the hair guys to teach me to knit. . . four years, many garments, and many hundreds of dollars of yarn later, here I am.
For my first post, I’ll give you all an abbreviated rewind of my year. This past season has been full of knitting triumphs and disasters.
Last summer I was in Seattle with the pre-Broadway (which in this case turned into STILL not on Broadway) run of Princesses.
There was far too much moving scenery, and thus too many opportunities for chorus girls to be run over, for me to get much knitting done backstage. Not like Dessa Rose. . .that tech (the time in the rehearsal process when you move to the theatre and add all the sets, lights, costumes etc.) was so long I got three pairs of socks done, and started a poncho!
Next up in my season was Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. That show had a character who was supposed to be knitting a scarf on a train. The actress didn’t know how to knit. I taught her the knit stitch, and another yarn obsessed freak was born! By the time the show was over she finished her first scarf and hat. I was so proud.
As for my nine weeks in San Francisco, I had a Stitch and Bitch obsessed winter.
Here’s my version of the marsupial tote. I made it a messenger bag, and added a little stripe.
Here’s my Under the Hoodie
and last but not least, my Manly Sweater (on my manly man, David)
Before my summer vacation began, I had to survive a full Season at Encores! Encores is kind of hard to explain. For fans of Big Brother All Stars, think of the fast forward week (where they had to do a whole week of shows in one day). That’s what Encores is to musical theatre. It’s doing a big ole’ giant musical in two weeks. It’s Broadway on crack. With that schedule, it’s a miracle I got any projects off the needles. I managed to finish my lace scarf for my sister. I made it from a ball of REALLY thin mohair that was given to me as a thank you gift from the actress I taught to knit in White Christmas. When my fellow Stage Manager (and expert knitter) Alissa saw it, she said “why would you want to knit with thread!” After finishing it I wondered the same thing, but it turned out kinda swell.
My favorite project this spring was the Bolero sweater from Weekend Knitting, by the fabulous Melanie Falick. It was pretty tricky, and it was the first thing I ever knit that looked EXACTLY like the picture in the book. When does that ever happen? I knit it with Cervinia Londra in Berry Heather. I bought it on sale at the crazy big Smiley’s Yarn Sale (a huge yarn shop in Queens) last spring. Okay, I know it’s kind of queer, but I had to pose just like the book.
That takes me up to my fabulous summer vacation. More about that and my summer’s worth of FOs in my next post.
