Apr
30
2008
A few weeks ago I officially began charting the next Secret of the Stole for the knit a long that will be beginning in August. The theme and name have been selected and the design seemed to flow onto the chart effortlessly. Which is not unusual when the muse awakens and stirs my imagination. Things were going so smoothly.
The test knitting began in earnest, and then everything came to a screeching to a halt! The chart was not right, something was amiss. Time to rip and rework from the beginning.
Five times I went through this process, one time was not the fault of a chart in error though. It was the fault of being on the boat and not paying attention to the stitch that was running down the ladder like a freight train without brakes! Blame it on the dolphins that were playing nearby!
Anyway, apparently the sixth time is the charm and now the chart and the test knitting are steaming right along. Whoo hoo! The issue I was having with the chart was due to pushing the limits of my knowledge and trying to learn more about design.
One of the reasons I work on these knit a longs is so that I can challenge myself and continue to figure out why a particular pattern is working out the way it is, or is not. Learning new things can sometimes be painful, but most of the time it is well worth the effort.
Here is a photo of Sots and the Secret of the Stole III in progress. He is happily cruising along now.
What’s that you say? You say you can’t see it? Hmmm, I guess you will have to wait until the knit a long in August to get a better look….
Sign-ups are not open for the knit a long yet, but if you would like to be notified when sign-ups begin for the Secret of the Stole III KAL, please join the Nautical Knitter Designs Yahoo group.
Happy Knitting…
Popularity: 8% [?]
Dec
18
2007
The chart and instructions for the Secret of the Stole KAL knit a long have been posted. If you haven’t joined the fun yet, follow the link and find out what you are missing. Only 31 days until the secret begins to be revealed. Here are my swatches and the details of each.
Both swatches were created with Jaggerspun Super Lamb 2/24 on a cone from Sarah’s Yarns. The color is Khaki. The smaller of the two swatches was knitted on US 2 (2.75 mm) needles and measures 6″ x 4.75″. The larger swatch was knit with US 3 (3.25 mm) needles and measures 7″ x 5.5″. Both were dry blocked for the photo.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Dec
05
2007
Sots was delivered in my mail yesterday and I could not stop giggling every time I looked at him. He was made for me by a member of the Secret of the Stole KAL - Guinevere knit a long group. I was totally surprised at his arrival and just think he is the cutest thing ever. Thank you Deb, I love him!
H
e is about 6.5 inches tall, his tail is just as long, and he was created from the free pattern Baby Snow Dragon by oldbaglady. The best part is that he is knitting a Guinevere stole! Isn’t he the most adorable thing?
The Secret of the Stole I (Guinevere) knit a long has ended and the group is now open to new members who have purchased the pattern. We decided to keep the group open so that those who wish to continue to share their progress on the stole can have a place to do so.
We are now preparing, fast and furious, for the Secret of the Stole II KAL that officially begins on January 18, 2008. In addition to the pattern creation, test knitting, etc. that goes into a knit a long, we are also working hard to prepare the new web site that will provide a forum, a pod-casting section, a video section for techniques and more. Stay tuned…
Popularity: 8% [?]
Nov
25
2007
Ok, for some reason the last post had the theme name of the stole attached to the photos. Note to self, name files, especially photo files, something other than the secret name of the stole…
So, let’s do this again.
Now that the final hint has been released in the Secret of the Stole KAL I can finally show the world my completed stole. Mr. K took photos of her while we were at a city park several weeks ago and I have been dying to show them to everyone. So without further ado, I give you *********.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Nov
24
2007
Now that the final hint has been released in the Secret of the Stole KAL I can finally show the world my completed stole. Mr. K took photos of her while we were at a city park several weeks ago and I have been dying to show them to everyone. So without further ado, I give you *********.
OOPS - Photos will be back in a momet
Popularity: 8% [?]
Nov
22
2007
The secret is in the mist…
Check out the Nautical Knitter KAL page to find out more about this new knit a long that will be beginning in January. Please join up and don’t miss out on any of the fun! In addition, feel free to snag one of these cool new blog buttons Mr. K made for the new KAL. He is so awesome!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Oct
17
2007
Many of you are participating in the Secret of the Stole KAL. I am thankful for that, but I also realize that most knitters relish variety, myself included. So if you are a member of one of the German knit-a-longs (Knitting Delight or Secret of Chrysopolis to name a few)that are going on now, like I am, you will probably benefit from the new series Claudia is doing on her blog. She has been taking one knitting term per post and giving the English to German translation.
Being a member of the German knitting yahoo groups is not a new thing for me and I realized the other day while skimming the emails that I was actually reading them in German without a translator. How cool is that? Check out Claudia’s blog and tell her I sent you.
How about some eye candy? Check out what Fleegle just finished. She does such amazing lace work. More photos and details of her progression on this knitted lace shawl can be found on her blog.
Last, but not least, Mr. K has added a pre-purchase link to the Patterns page for the Secret of the Stole finished pattern. The complete pattern will be available in PDF format on December 1, 2007. If you would like to be one of the first to receive this pattern in your inbox or you would like to gift it to someone special, please visit the patterns page for more info.
If you would like to be informed about the next Nautical Knitter KAL you can join the yahoo group Nautical Knitter Designs and you will receive the latest updates on new Nautical Knitter patterns and knit-a-longs.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Oct
08
2007
We are having such a great time on the Secret of the Stole KAL group. I put out the first hint this past Friday and so far, there have been no explosions. The stole begins with two points instead of a more traditional one point. Many of the members have been posting that they are learning a lot already and we have only just begun.
The Sit ‘n Knit New York group in New York City got together and had some fun Saturday evening. About a dozen of them brought their stoles to work on and I am not sure if alcohol was involved or not, but, someone eventually turned the two pointed end upside down and Viola, a bikini top was born. According to reports there was some singing of the song “She wore an Itsy, Bitsy, Teeny, Wheeny Secret of the Stole Bikini”. Here is their version of hint #1. Not quite what I had in mind, but completely hysterical nonetheless. Now I can’t get that song out of my head. Thanks, Judes (who is claiming she is not the one in the shot) for the photo and for making my soda exit my nose this morning. What a hoot.
Other knitting news. Knitting Daily has a short tutorial on how to convert a stitch pattern from knitting flat to knitting in the round. It is pretty basic, but a good place to start if you were wondering how it is done.
Also, check out this free hat pattern for the holidays. I am going to make two for my grandson. One as the pattern is written and one that is a silver or grey with a white, flat “tail” at the top of the hat so it will look like a Hershey Kiss.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Oct
05
2007
Did you hear that rush of air this morning at 12:07am (-6 GMT)? That was me letting out a huge sigh of relief because the Secret of the Stole KAL has now commenced. I am thrilled with the response so far and am now anxiously awaiting the progress photos! So, if you are a member of the group, get knitting. If not, well there will be another one soon and in the meantime the pattern will be available around Thanksgiving. Today I will leave you with this photo. Blazer is just as relieved as I am that we have begun.
Update: For those of you interested in the Knitting Daily advertising issue I wrote about last week, there is a link at the bottom of the advertising emails that says unsubscribe from Knitting Daily promotions. I did that and now all I am receiving is what I originally signed up for and that was the blog posts.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Oct
03
2007
Ok, now that I have wrestled back control of my blog from Mr. K, I can get back to the business at hand.
I was wondering if there were any knitters out there that are as excited about October 5th as I am? I am so excited I can hardly stand it.
The Secret of the Stole KAL membership closes at midnight (-6 GMT) tomorrow and the first hint is released October 5th. In case you don’t know what on earth I am talking about, although I am not sure how that is possible, I suppose I should post one last announcement. If you or someone you know hasn’t joined up yet, time is of the essence. Here are the details:
This is a group for the new Secret of the Stole KAL (knit a long) that is beginning October 5, 2007. Along with knitting a stole, several lucky members will receive prizes along the way. This will be a fun group to learn some new techniques, meet some new knitting friends, and have a great time knitting. Membership will be closing for this group on October 4, 2007.
The stole is a combination of lace and beads and the pattern is by Nautical Knitter. Those who complete the Secret of the Stole KAL will have a beautiful stole to wear for New Year’s Eve festivities
Popularity: 3% [?]
The test knitting began in earnest, and then everything came to a screeching to a halt! The chart was not right, something was amiss. Time to rip and rework from the beginning.
What’s that you say? You say you can’t see it? Hmmm, I guess you will have to wait until the knit a long in August to get a better look….
