M a d e l i n e T o s h

Counterpane part deux

Sitting here this morning and soaking up Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice is as smooth as cream. There is some progress on the Counterpane Carpet Bag. I finished the first side and have cast on for it's mate.

Specs for the techies:

Yarn: My hand dyed (kettle dyed with acid dyes on the stove over off-white fisherman's wool)

Needles: Size 10 addis

Pattern: Counterpane Carpet Bag from Handknit Holidays

Changes: i only competed 4 pattern repeats and thinned out the decreases at the top for a shorter bag.

I snatched up some vintage boye needles in a plum color and lavender. I am thinking about getting a new (better) digital camera. Any suggestions? I was looking at the Canon Powershot. Dunno yet though.

Oh and I found a great site with vintage knitting/crochet patterns which I lost the site listing, dang. Lovely little numbers from the 30's and even the turn of the century. So beautiful. Viewing them reminds what is old is always new again. I really loved the swing coats and bed coats in the 20's and 30's patterns. Ahem can you say Flair. Yes I bought the pattern from Knit and Tonic.

But first this:

Terra yarn from The Fibre Company in the Chammomile colorway. It was a toss up between that and the Butternut color. This is destined to become le slouch. At least for now. The pic doesn't do the yarn justice. I also want to figure out the content of the yarn and try to spin some up as it is a thick and thin single. Too tasty.

Estudiantes

This handspun is the product of the students who attended my spinning class at The Shabby Sheep in Uptown Dallas on Sat. I was blown away but how quickly they picked up the skill and started spinning lace weight like it was nothing straight out of the shoot.

You gals rock!!

And for all the custom orders... i'm a workin on them and they will be in your pretty hands soon!!

xoxo,

Madelinetosh

Let the spinnin wheel turnnnnnnnn!

Some of my new favorite little girls. Now if they would just learn how to multiply on their own. I nabbed the Twinkle's book yesterday. I am still in limbo over what to make. More inside shots tommorrow. Cross my heart and hope to die, but no needle sticking ... 

Oh Potter Craft how do I love you!

Potter Craft has really taken the knitting pattern book genre and bumped it up a couple thousand notches.

Wenlan Chia, of Twinkle fame, just published a new book with none other than Potter Craft, which will be mine this afternoon. My trip to Borders' will begin shortly. Even though I was a little disappointed that this pattern was not in the book!

Dang!

Oh well, the swing dress will satisfy my fashionable urges/cravings for now. Maybe whipped up in a chestnut or rose color? I also loved all the slouchy beret's in Chia's Fall 2007 show. Maybe I should jump on the huge, huge, bandwagon and knit le slouch.

For additional pattern photos from Chia's new book click here.

Going Continental!

OK,

I need some tips here. So all you lurkers speak up and help a girl out. I want to learn to knit continental style. Does anyone know of a good book I could use as a resource or a great website? Please let me know as I can't seem to find a great information source.

When I lived in London a girlfriend of mind showed me how she knit continental style (learned if from her German grandmother and all) but I never really picked up on it. I'm ready to give it a go again as I here it is much faster.

Books... and more Books!

If you haven't picked up Ericka Knight's new books Classic Knits and Glamour Knits you need too. I am telling you the patterns are fabulous and simple yet oh so chic. This is the first book I have ever picked up and wanted, no lusted over the fact that I would knit every single pattern in them. OK, maybe except for the Phildar catalog I ordered with English translations from Knitntyme. 

Lady Mitts

Lots and lots of knitting going on around here. We had snow again for the fourth time this Winter season. In Tejas that is unheard of. So, I have been knitting a hat and these gloves from, so soft it should be illegal, alpaca wool.

The lady mitts are posted in the shop and the hat, well it is a keeper for me, me.

More knits soon!! Now back to working on the new site...

NEW Website soon!

Yay. New photos for the new madtosh online store which will be up and running by mid-March. I can't wait and am having so much fun putting the graphics and product listings together. Look for free patterns, downloadable wallpapers etc. 

Did you get that I am excited yet?

Colorplay and a winter's coat

I don't know what is up with me lately. All I want to do is knit or crochet, not much spinning going on as of late. That is so Gemini like of me - one extreme or the other I 'm afraid.

I have been enjoying playing with color very much so lately. Putting my Art History major to work, finally that is.

I really like how this skein turned out. Dyed using traditional kettle dying techniques, it reminds me of one of my favorite artists, Anselm Keifer's portrayal of tree bark in an oil painting he completed some years ago.

And the skein at top? It reminds me of a Manet floral still life.

As for knitting I have been eyeing this Kim Hargreaves oversized and cozy coat. If I where related to I Dream of Jennie I would ask her to blink her eyes so that I might have it sooner rather than later. It would be a large project, the biggest I have ever attempted, but one that would get a great amount of use as it would become my sole winter jacket. And being as it snowed again in Texas yesterday I might actually use it next Winter as well. Her work makes me want to move back to London and stay for quite a while, possibly indefinitely. If wishes were horses ...