Author Archives: Nora

No. 2 The Length of The Gossamer Fuchsia Wrap

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Responding to Ravelry Group Comments

I have been thinking a lot about the length of the wrap, how to create more than one wrap out of the yardage you have (to keep or give as gifts). In other words, my goal here is to help you maximize your materials.

I was reading some of the Ravelry group commentary about the wrap and it sounds like folks are grappling with some of the same issues that I did/am. Sharper needles work better (I resorted to my grandmother’s old straight aluminum needles as they are the sharpest I own). And many of the other issues are the nature of the beast. . .

I did not cast on with larger needles myself as I liked the cast on and bind off edges pulling in a bit. The flowers weigh down the ends and create lovely arches between the flowers.

I did not block my wrap as I liked the ruched qualities of the un-blocked fabric.

The larger stitches are just as troublesome as the small ones but for different reasons: large stitches don’t want to slip, no matter the needle or the looseness of the stitches, in my experience, so I found myself moving them rather laboriously down the needle.

Warnings:

Don’t dare put the stitches on waste yarn to hold them as you’ll need a magnifier to get them back on the needle–at least I did! It was a trial I would like not to repeat!

Moving on to Length

I like long wraps. I live in Maryland and our winters are not usually blisteringly cold, but when my neck is cold I feel cold. I often have a scarf on for 8 months out of the year.  I like wrapping a scarf multiple times . . . so, for my latest one, I have opted for a long Gossamer Wrap.

If I have any left over main color, I will make a little cowl. . . same basic recipe, but only work for about 30 inches (76.5cm) before sewing the beginning and end together using a standard mattress stitch. I will end with small gauge stitches and then sew. . . or it would be possible to start with a provisional cast on [here I would use a larger needle. About a 3 (3.25mm)] and then knit the two ends together.

This is a great way to use up your leftover yardage. I am working on an inner petal color cowl right now.  If I want to convert this into an infinity scarf/wrap, I will work until about 60 inches (152.5cm), then, to graft, I will flip the fabric once, twice (as with the Poppy Cowl) before grafting. This way, the wrap will not be twisted when you double it.

The lovely thing about purchasing full skeins is that you can make several wraps with different qualities from the same materials.  Picture a green wrap, even, with the fuchsia seeming to grow out of the knit stitches.

Your Homework for Week 2

Your homework for this week is to continue working on the wrap. Pick a short wrap, a cowl, infinity wrap, or long scarf/wrap and try to reach completion. Please make sure, if you bind off, that you follow my instructions for the sewn bind off. If done according to the instructions, your cast on and bind off should be equally stretchy and have more or less the same appearance. If you use a conventional bind off, you will have virtually no stretch and you will probably be very regretful. If you try to back it out, you will suffer . . . so trust the pattern.

Those who are participating in our Ravelry group, please keep us updated about how long you will be making your wrap and post pictures.

 

Homework for Next Week

Next week, we will begin to make fuchsias.  I will address issues of attachment in later postings, so please wait not only for these techniques but ideas on how to attach the flowers and orient them in a way that pleases the eye on different length wraps.

 

NO. 1 Gossamer Fuchsia Wrap: The Materials You Will Need & Getting Started On The Wrap

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Let’s start with the wrap.

We will begin some flowers during week 3, so please set aside some of the wrap color yarn in order to make flowers – shoot for 10 yds (9m) per flower. To make the pictured wrap, that works out to about 80 yds (73m). If you are working in a larger gauge yarn, or doubling a lace weight yarn, you will need to set aside more yarn.

The materials for the wrap as pictured are as follows:

  • Size 1 (2.25mm) straight or other needles
  • Size 13 (9mm) straight or other needles
  • 2 skeins Shibui Silk Cloud. This yarn is lace weight silk mohair. There are a number of alternatives out there with similar content, but I tried most of them when I was making this wrap and I found that the Silk Cloud was the softest, most delicious of the options.

As you may be finding out, if you are on the hunt for the colors called for in the book, Blossom, the light color I used for the Fuchsia interior petals, has been discontinued . . . There are other brands of lace-weight silk mohair that have a similar color, so feel free to substitute. . . I have a single skein in my studio, so I have enough to make several kits. Contact me if you are still on the hunt for this color. There is still time for me to get it to you before we begin the flowers.

There are some lovely new colors in the Silk Cloud; I am currently making a wrap in Mulberry, a lovely deep plum color, with “Blush” inner petals. The green is still “Wasabi” though it has recently been re-named “Apple.” Here is a picture of this color combination – it is truly delicious.

The materials for the flowers as pictured are as follows:

  • Size 1 (2.25mm double pointed needles (set of 5)
  • 1 skein each of Shibui Silk Cloud in the wrap color, a lighter color for the inner petals of the Fuchsia, and a green for the stem color.

While 2 skeins of the yarn will make a wrap that will float beautifully around your shoulders, I have created kits for the wrap that include 3 skeins – enough for flowers and enough to make a longer wrap because I think many people, myself included, may want a wrap that drapes over your arms (rather than sliding off your shoulders) if you let it fall from your shoulders. I also like the idea of wearing it with a suit more as a conventional scarf with the flowers falling down the back.

Sometimes Silk Cloud is hard to get and it would be a pity to go searching for the skein you want only to find that you can’t find it . . .

I have some ideas for how to use most if not all of the skeins for the lighter color and the green. . . so you might be wishing you had gotten full skeins instead of mini-skeins. I know some have been concerned about left-over yarn. I have these same concerns, so part of the objective of this KAL is to inspire you with ideas that help you use all the yardage you have.

 

Playing with Gauge: bigger flowers, more substantial wrap . . .

Perhaps the thought of casting on to size 1 needles really has no appeal for you, or you don’t want such a light and airy wrap. By all means, please experiment with other yarns and gauges. If you want to keep the same look but want a bit more substance to the wrap and greater ease of working, consider doubling the yarn and working on a size 3 or 4 for the narrow, small gauge bits and going up to a 15 or 17 needle for the airier, larger gauge sections. You may need an extra skein of the Silk Cloud, in this case, bringing your total to 4 skeins.

Or consider working in Cashmere, or a delicious silk blend – you will want something rather light and with some loft in order for the wrap and flowers themselves to have a lightness and delicacy. Swatch to see what will work best if you have several options at hand.

 

Casting On

Your homework for this week is to settle on your yarn, cast on, and get to work on the wrap. I used a conventional long-tail cast on for the wrap pictured. . . I’d like to see you work at least 8 – 18  inches of the wrap by next Monday. The wrap knitting is quite simple and I would rather you swatch a bit and even start your wrap a bit late in order to put all that work into something you will love.

When I was working on the wrap, I did the knitting in fits and starts. I found that when I worked on the smaller gauge bits I had to pay attention to every single stitch. I couldn’t watch a soccer game my son was in or even pay attention to the nature program on TV. I could talk on the phone or visit a friend who understands about visiting and knitting. . .  Larger gauge bits I would work without looking and they were done quickly.

As you can see from your homework assignment above, I do not have the expectation that all of you will finish the wrap knitting this week! I do not expect myself to! Please take your time and enjoy the process. In Maryland, Spring is in full force: the Azaleas are in bloom, Rhododendrons coming along, later bearded Iris are still blooming, tiny Dianthus are sweet with fragrance. In other words, the garden is tempting. I plan to sit there today and soak it in after an exciting (but exhausting) weekend at Maryland Sheep & Wool (more about the show and our great weekend in another blog posting–the show explains my Facebook silence. We were literally working from 5 am until 11pm from Friday until yesterday!)

But I digress!

I will discuss the length of the wrap next week, offering ideas for how to finish wraps/scarves of different lengths.

I have the idea that this Gossamer Wrap, as with the Ella Coat, can have many different looks, can be many projects, and inspire yet more. I invite you to explore some of the variety this basic pattern can yield. Enjoy the process of discovering that variety! And take time this week to knit in the garden. Here is where I am going right now. . .

Like the Book, Write a Review . . . and you could win . . .

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For all you Noni & Noni Flowers book fans, I’ve got a special opportunity for you!

I have been working on annotating 2 copies of my book, adding notes about the different plants, the photographs, things that didn’t make it into the book, or that didn’t fit in the book, some secrets. . . confessions of a passionate gardener-knitter you might say.

Here’s an example: The fabulous curved tulip leaf in the photograph that graces the cover of the book was from my own garden. We were photographing many of the flowers in Springtime almost exactly a year ago. On photoshoot mornings, I scoured the garden for foliage I could use in the photographs–sometimes I was digging under snow!. The foliage for the Clematis was carefully wrested from an icy patch on the morning of one shoot.

The Chicory stems I collected on the side of the road–I had passed the flowers looking for good stems, each one better than the last . . .

I had to turn around and go back, pulling off onto the shoulder.

That morning was hot, I remember, even so early. The stems are very tough and I couldn’t break them with my hands. I had to use my car keys. . .

 

I am going to give these two special books away. . . here is how you make yourself eligible to win one of them!

Write a detailed, review that helps knitters and/or gardeners understand why you like the book, and why the reader will want to purchase the book. Post it on the the Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble websites.

It’s that simple.

1 book will be given to an Amazon review. 1 book will be given to a Barnes & Noble review. If, by some crazy fluke, the same name is drawn for both books, I will draw again until we have two different winners.

If you’d like your review do a bit more good for Noni Flowers, you can:

  • LIKE the book on the Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble websites
  • Post a link to the review on your Facebook page and Tag NoniDesigns

Preparations, Photoshoot, MD Sheep & Wool

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Preparations and Plans for Maryland Sheep & Wool Fest

It’s raining here today. . . slow, heavy drops that sink into the soil and make my iris last and last. The late-blooming fancy tulips I paid big bucks for are still fabulous in this cool weather. . . but I am hoping that the rain rains itself out by Thursday. . .

Because I have been madly preparing for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival as I have a booth at the Festival this year!  For those of you who are local enough to come to the festivities and fun, my booth is a tent “on the hill” in location N-20. What this means (at least as I could tell Sunday as we walked across the Howard County Fairgrounds to see where everything was) is that if you come in the main gate and walk straight up the hill toward the highway, you will probably be able to see the back of my booth as you walk up the hill toward me – I am hanging a big banner of the cover of my book on the back of the tent.

Take a look here at the map of the fairgrounds. I am one of the “outside North vendors”.

My advice?  Arrive early, stay late, come both days, plan to have a great time.

Here are the treats I will have at my booth:  the New Noni!–2 of the new bags will debut at the festival. If you can’t come to the festival and you can’t wait for your LYS to order them in, I have complete custom kits, hardware kits, and the patterns will be up on Rav very soon!

The NEW Ella’s Going out Bag causes a sensation where ever she goes . . .

The French Anemones will be in their own pattern at the Festival . . .

There will be one other new bag  . . . come to see!

I have beautiful Noni kits for The Creeping Phlox Clutch, and The Gossamer Fuchsia Wrap PLUS the samples that were photographed for the book will be live and in fiber at the show.

And, of course, THE BOOK will be there with me in quantity.

If you have been holding out to get your copy, now is your chance to get an in person signed copy. I will be signing books at the official Book Signing on Sunday from 11:45 – 12:15 in a tent next to the Information Tent, but I will also be signing books at my booth anytime.

 

Monday was the photoshoot for the new 2 new bags and 1 flower I will debut at the show. I am also re-releasing my Winter 2011 bags, Cornucopia and New York. They will come out at the Festival with new covers and will be there in the felt for you to see.

Looking Ahead: Photoshoot Photo Journal, Bag Sneak Peak, & Gossamer Wrap KAL Update

Photoshoot Photo Journal:  Tune back in later in the week for a photo journal of the photo shoot and some sneak peaks of the new bags! For those who are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new bag names and, consequently, the contest winners, I am carefully going through the entries one more time and will post the winners shortly.

Gossamer Wrap KAL Update: We will begin on May 7th! Look for a Gossamer Wrap preparations blog tomorrow as well as a KAL preparations e-mail in your in-box sometime later this week. If you have not yet gotten your supplies, I have beautiful kits in the studio with your names on them. AND I will have the kits at Sheep & Wool as well.

The Importance of Checking for Errata and the Power of Gauge

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I taught a bag finishing workshop in a little shop about two years ago. . . my students were diligently working on something so the room was quiet and I was walking around checking on what people were doing. The shop owner was looking after the shop but she had stepped out to pick up coffee or sandwiches or some such. I was the only “official” in the shop. A woman walked in with a sweater project she was working on, a lovely lacy affair out of sparkly white yarn. She stood uneasily in the doorway of the classroom. She wavered and then said quietly, “Can someone help me with this?” Her eyes pleaded. She said, “I’ve been trying this one row now for 3 hours. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. It doesn’t look like the picture. I’ve tried everything.” So I gave it a try. It didn’t work for me either.

“Did you check the errata page?” I asked her. By this time the shop owner had returned and took over, leading the woman to the front of the shop and searching the magazine errata page for the sweater. There was a lengthy list of the errors in the pattern . . . She copied down all the corrections and they nearly filled one side of a letter-sized piece of paper.

It is very difficult to write a pattern that is free of errors, and the more complicated the pattern, the harder it becomes, multiply by 46 and it is very nearly impossible. Thus, my book, like most every book, has some typos we all missed, and some errors that got by us, as well as some things that are not so much errors as things I want you to know–such as which yarn companies discontinued a particular yarn in the year and a half between when they gave the yarn to me for a sample and the book came out. . .  more about items in this category in a minute.

I tell you these things to make my own plea that you all make it a habit to check the errata pages of any book, magazine, pattern singlet, indie design that you are working on, preferably before you begin working. Errata may not yet have been posted, but if there are any, you will see them.

I wish I could say that there is not a single mistake in the book, but alas, I cannot . . .

There is an errata page for Noni Flowers.  I have found some things myself and also rely on you knitters to alert me to things that got by me and the rest of us who worked on the book.

A knitter just wrote to me, for example, that the English Bluebell pattern, while correct, conflicts with the sample in the picture. The picture shows a stem with 1 main flower and 4 flowers along the stalk. . . the pattern has you make 5 flowers along the stalk. I was so focused on making sure the pattern was correct I never thought to count the blossoms. None of us did.

Please check the errata page. And please let us know if you find something. This allows us to list errors and inconsistencies and change future printings. To the first person who alerts me to a particular error, I will send a thank-you gift pdf pattern.

The Power of Gauge

Just after the book was released, I was poking around on the Amazon website and noticed the first review of the book by a knitter (thank you, Lynn!). It’s a lovely, laudatory review and I was thrilled. Lynn mentioned, in particular, the two-page spread about the power of gauge. She had carefully gotten out her ruler and measured the smallest flower and the largest one, offering their heights in inches to the reader of the review to give an idea of just how much of a difference gauge can make, with the smallest flower being less than an inch tall and the largest over 8 inches tall. In other words, she interpreted the picture as showing the Stephanotis at actual size on the page.

The spread in the book does not, however, show the flowers at actual size . . . And the trio of photographs that Sully and I worked on for these pages had a foot-long ruler in every photograph to help the knitter with an accurate sense of scale. These rulers were excised by the press. While I did not object to the rulers in the first two pictures being removed, the last ruler next to the largest flower was removed against my objections. As a compensatory measure,I mistakenly thought providing the needle size and yarn choices for each flower would go some distance toward replacing the ruler(s). I see that information is not sufficient in all cases to all knitters. I present to you now the three original photographs so you can see for yourselves that the smallest flower hovers around 2 inches (5cm) tall while the largest flower is nearly three feet tall.

Aside from practical considerations and its efficiency at conveying scale, one of the reasons I love this little ruler is that it belonged to my grandmother. As you can see, it was one of those little gifts that banks give out to good customers. I have lots of things like this that belonged to her: a mechanical pencil that advertise a Charlotte NC shoe shop long gone, my grandfather’s neurosurgery practice letterhead, the beginning of my grandmother’s memoir written on the backs of checks, a list of the books of poetry she read over the course of 50 years, novels that belonged to her own mother, a tiny collection of Shakespeare’s complete works (leather bound, each one scarcely 2 inches tall). . . I would have loved to work them into the book somehow . . . the books and the bell in the Forget-me-not pillow picture were hers. . .

My thinking, for including the rulers, was that all the book designer person had to do was make the rulers the same size and then we would see that all the flowers were correctly sized in relation to one another. Yes, I suppose it might be a little distracting to see the rulers and all the more so with the advertisement for Citizens bank and the 3% interest rate, etc., but perhaps you forgive me when you know it was my Granny’s ruler. And, besides, knowing the proper size of the flower is so much more important than a little visual fuss.

The yarn companies making business decisions to discontinue a certain yarn or color without consenting me is annoying but understandable. Crystal Palace Fizz no longer has Mink in its line up, so those who want to make sunflowers with dark centers my want to choose Black as a good substitute. Also consider that some sunflowers have bright yellow centers and so you should match that yellow with a yellow Fizz. Consult pictures of actual sunflowers for ideas.

I have learned from Shibui that Silk Cloud is no longer available in Blossom, the pale pink I used for the inner petals of the Fuchsia. Rowan Kid Silk Haze does offer an almost identical color, however.

As I learn more about these sorts of changes in yarn and yarn color line-ups, I will post on the Noni Flowers errata page. Again, please check before you knit. . .

Live Podcast TODAY, the next Noni KAL, and All Around Update

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First, some exciting news that I should have been leading up to for weeks! I am appearing on Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski TODAY at 3:30. The show airs on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm EST and runs LIVE, with listeners invited to call in for 2 hours! (3 – 5 EST). I’ll be “on” from about 3:35 – 4:00 as the schedule appears. How to listen?  Go to toginet.com and click on the button at the top of the page to “listen to the show live”. If you don’t make it to hear the show, it will be available a couple of hours afterwards HERE. Come & Listen Today!

 

The Fuchsia Gossamer Wrap Kits Are READY!

Now that your copy of Noni Flowers is nestled cozily in your knitting bag or, perhaps  it is sitting in a special place on the coffee table (I would be so happy), or it might yet be speeding toward you through the mail system, I have finished preparing kits for The Gossamer Fuchsia Wrap contained in the book so that we might do a little more knitting along with each other: This wrap (a perfect compliment to your summer wardrobe! and a most delicious thing to wear over bare shoulders on a cool summer night.

If you would like to order your kit from Noni, you can do so on Ravelry. I’ve got 2 colorways:  the pictured Peony & Blossom colorway (only 3 currently available)

And my new personal favorite, the fabulous Mulberry & Blush colorway (many in stock) that I love so much I am making it for myself.

The kit includes 3 skeins of the silk cloud wrap color, 1 skein each of the silk cloud green and lighter inner petal color, and, as my gift to you, a lovely organza project bag & free shipping.

 

What I’ve been up to . . .  and later this week . . .

Book activities are getting exciting! I spent last weekend in Sarasota Florida at A Good Yarn. Recently voted “BEST SHOP” in Sarasota, (not best yarn shop. . . but Best Shop) It is a fabulous store, one that inspires ideas just by glancing around.

I taught my first Art of Knitting Flowers class there and it was absolutely wonderful. What a great bunch of ladies!

More to come: Book signing & one-day Noni Flowers trunk show at The Yarn Spot here in Maryland on Thursday from 5 – 8. Come join us!

And Friday, another signing & flowers trunk show at The Old Town Yarnery in Fredericksburg VA. Saturday, I will be teaching a shortened version of my Art of Knitting Flowers workshop. There may still be space, so call to sign up.

 

Thank you note to those who have ordered Noni Flowers

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It is less than a full day until the release of Noni Flowers.

The book has been getting some great press. We are collecting all of the reviews and other Noni Flowers news on the website News & Events page. The reviews have been more than I could have hoped for . . . in a word: raves! And I hear there are more to come, so please keep checking the page or look for updates on the Noni Designs Facebook page.

Nearly 1000 lbs of books (an entire palette with 60 cartons on it) arrived at my studio on Thursday morning early . . . so early that I was brushing my teeth at home when the call came that they were already at the studio (a full hour before the agreed to scheduled time!). You might be interested to see a video I took of the books arriving.

I was signing and shipping books until midnight on Thursday, back at it on Friday from 10 am until 7 pm.

And as I sat and signed the copies for shops and then signed and wrote personal notes in the copies for those of you who purchased copies of the books directly from me, I found myself very moved. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who have pre-ordered the book from whatever source. Your purchase will help make the book a success. Please share notices of the book with your knitting friends . . . and consider the book as a gift perfect for spring giving, a mother’s day present, a lovely and unusual gift for the avid gardener knitter, or perhaps for the avid gardener who just loves flowers enough to want to see pictures of them knitted.

My very special thank you to all of you who have ordered (and will order) from me directly through the Noni Flowers website. In this still difficult economy when every book is discounted by just about everyone even before it is published, you paid full price in order to support me directly. I hope all of you who ordered love my little thank you note Hibiscus Flower Pattern (available exclusively to those who purchase the book through the Noni Flowers site or from me at the Noni Studio, the MD Sheep & Wool Fest in May, and Rhinebeck in the Fall).

Thank you. Thank you.

Bag No. 4

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This is the bag on the drawing board right now. . .

It will have 3 sizes. See the icy palette below. Each size will contain some black.

And the bags will be decorated with French Anemones.

Here is my sketch.

The top will be structured with a hex frame, the bottom with stiffener and no less than 6 bag feet, maybe more. She will have a black leather handle. Nickel findings.

She is elegant but also practical.

Who is she?

Bag No. 3

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This pattern will contain 2 sizes and I do believe they might be able to nest, the smaller in the larger (how cool!). I will let you know once they are felted. The palette is delicious: one darker and one lighter tone in the same color. It will be a surprise which size is in pink and which orange.

Here is my sketch.

You’ve seen these frames before: check out Vintage bag  and Bowling Ball Bag for both sizes.

The hardware combination is going to be stunning!

A chain will grace the smaller bag, allowing you to carry her as a handbag and also as a shoulder bag. The larger frame arc is tall enough to put over your shoulder.

The bottom of the bag will be structured with bag feet available in nickel, gunmetal, and antique brass, the same finishes as the frames. You can add sparkle or not as you prefer, but you will definitely want to use either a turnlock or fancy snap to close the frame, deeply curved to match the arch of the frame

Pick one name for both, or allow them both personalities. . . might they be sisters? A mother/daughter pair? Devoted friends? Traveling companions?

I will be on tenter hooks to see what you come up with!

Bag No. 2

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This diminutive bag is very structured. She is rather understated in a palette of greys with sparkles in abundance toward her base as though she were dipped in stars.

She is the perfect evening bag. . . and she might not come out to play until this Fall. I have not decided yet.

She’s looking for a lovely namesake. . . who will appreciate her.

All of these bags will be available as full kits as pictured or as custom kits as soon as they are released.  .  . stay tuned for updates about where to get them first!