Knitting & Purling

A few years ago I set out to create patterns for hand-knit hats to show Cornell University's Big Red spirit. The result was a line of hats that flatter all ages and feature a Norwegian-inspired classic and an appealing rolled-brim beanie. All sport sans-serif lettering.  Left: Norwegian-style hat Right: baby hat I have had great results with Dale of Norway's Heilo yarn for the Norwegian hats, and it produces a crisp edges for the lettering. The baby hat uses a small amount of yarn so it is wonderful to choose luxuriously soft alpaca or cashmere blends. But it's the cozy little baby cap that wins hearts, and I've now made that pattern available for purchase on Ravelry . More Big Red hats: Head gear Hipster A mighty emblem for precious cargo Last, but not least: the "Sesqui Special".  This was a custom baby hat for Liz using a Cornell giving society logo.

Valentine's Day is a fun time to remember life's great romantic moments -- whether your own or those of someone dear to you. Last year, with my daughter's June wedding on the horizon, I began plotting a sweet surprise for the bride and groom. There's little decorating needed when an outdoor wedding is in a splendid location. But my idea? A play on tree graffiti with a nod to the fun of yarn bombing. The bride and groom's initials in a heart echo the ritual (but disfiguring) practice of tree-carving proclamations. The piece is knit in all-cotton with a crocheted lace edge. I-cords were used to simply tie the piece around the trunk. I chose an old-fashioned font with a handmade look. It's a reminder of samplers and counted-cross-stitch projects, which were both needlecrafts enjoyed by my grandmothers. Happy Valentine's Day!  When it comes to knitting for weddings there are many fabulous ideas. See one blogger's collection I really love.   ...

Knitting letters is similar to stitching alphabets in  traditional samplers and cross-stitch embroidery. The catch is that the "pixels" are rectangular, not square.  Helvetica, a typographic classic, renders well in knits because it is bold and sans-serifs.  If, in the 70s, I could be a champion at rendering fonts in pencil,  I figured i could transfer that skill to knitting.  Here's my latest creation, a warm solution for the hair-free, requested by my clever neighbor, Marc.  As Marc says, this cap stops people from wondering why he is wearing his  hat indoors. Plus, the fiber is super soft Berrocco Ultra   Light Alpaca .  When I chart my pattern, my process is utterly low-tech, as shown below. Sometimes I have also been known to hold up graph paper and trace from my Mac or iPod computer screen after I have enlarged or reduced text. The completed hat Here's a hat for...

Every knitter accumulates leftover yarn from projects.  It would be a shame to waste beautiful, high-quality wool and other fibers.  Over the years, these leftover balls and scraps grow into sizable stashes, especially when you inherit yarn from other knitters. So some knitters like me turn to scrap-yarn knitting. It's a fun, creative, and liberating process. You can let go of the rules and play, using only the most basic of patterns. Here's my first project, a scrap-yarn cardigan, circa 2009. Same sweater different scarf, as shown with my friend Becky. The 1985 book that riveted me. It was in the window of Homespun Boutique on the Ithaca Commons. From the richly textured stitches forming that sweater, I moved on to more color play after learning new techniques from  Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably  when they visited Cornell and led a weekend workshop. Kaffe's work caught my eye in the early 1980s, and the story of how this Big Sur, California...