First, I want to say how much I enjoyed reading the lovely stories about your knitting Supporters after my last post!

It seems that there’s even hope for men who have to be won over! I love the ones who take it upon them selves to buy yarn, and the daughter who hunts for yarn bargains in thrift shops. When you have a passion, everyone knows how to please you, right?

Although it’s not one of my favourite colours, I decided this week to embrace my inner purple, and make a scarf with two hanks of Manos Silk Blend (now on sale here).

There was method to my madness. A knitter asked me recently to demonstrate the technique for making a loop (ML) that is included in the pattern for Daphne’s Baby Cape (below) in Knit 2 Together

The loop decoration (you can make the cape with or without loops) was inspired by one of my favourite books,

Knitting Essentials, a collection of wonderful 19th century patterns for everything from lace edgings to a football sweater and hunting cap, with petticoats and bonnets in between.

I’ve posted a lesson on how to “make loop” in the menu at right.

Now to the loop boa and the question of whether it, or something like it, has a place in your wardrobe.

Even if you’re a minimalist, you have to admit that there’s an occasion in everyone’s life when the outfit at hand requires a touch of intrigue. Enter the frouffy scarf. There’s no better way to feel and look fabulous.

How about this look from the designer who always manages to combine avant-garde with ultra femininity, a delicate balancing act: Vivienne Westwood. Who else could include bows and loops and keep it modern?

There are many lovely patterns for frilly boas. Here’s one of my favourites, the ingenious Elizabeth:

but Elizabeth requires a lot of knitting, in a fine mohair. If you’re in a hurry, my loop boa is your answer. It can be made in an hour or so.

I used 2 hanks of Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend, and a size 10 mm [US15] circular needle. With 4 strands held together I cast on 128 stitches and made two consecutive rows of loops, binding off the second row as I made the loops.

Isn’t knitting marvellous that it allows you to make beautiful things so easily?

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;

For loan oft loses both itself and friend,

And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.

Polonius, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

and so said my father, often, ‘tho no scholar of Shakespeare he.

After he and Daphne finally paid off their modest mortgage he revised it to “there’s no better feeling than waking up in the morning knowing you don’t owe anything to anyone.”

That was the old way, to save up for something  you wanted or put it on lay-by until you’d paid it off.

As a teenager I used to buy my yarn ball by ball on layaway at the wool shop in town. You had three months to pick it up. It meant that I could afford to knit with lovely quality wool and I learned to finish my projects in a timely fashion! Thank you, Ballantynes of Christchurch.

In case anyone wants to take advantage of it, (some have already, even a customer in the USA) I instituted this policy on South Seas Knitting. You can pay as you knit.

Knitting needles are like books when it comes to borrowing and lending. Best not to. A few months ago I started making a list of needles I’d lent to friends, but the problem with a list is that I forget where I wrote it.
A set of long, thin metal circulars were missing last week, just when I needed them for a crucial stage in the finishing of my new cardigan. I’d lent them out and taken note . . . . . . somewhere. Thankfully, the borrower remembered.
They arrived back shortly thereafter, accompanied by these lovely yellow roses.

If you’d like to make a doily for your vase of flowers, there’s no better book than Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. She covers doilies of all shapes, plain and lace. You can make them in any yarn, on any size needle, and the possibilities for expressing your creativity are endless. Best of all, you can use bits and bobs from your stash.
My doily is made with hemp, on 4mm needles.

The men in my life are very specific about what they will and won’t wear.

To give him credit, Pete willingly wore all kinds of dubious hand made items until peer pressure kicked in and he became master of his own fashion decisions. On the  first day of kindergarten he set off for school wearing a pair of home made Jams, about to find out the hard way that store bought is cooler. Gone were the days of his Mum deciding what he would wear. No more corduroy knickerbockers for him.

Just one year old, my little nephew Lucas is still delightfully lacking opinions about his own clothes, a stage that won’t last long. What to make, then, to celebrate his first birthday? A little fishermans’ vest with pockets for his favourite things.

I attribute my fondness for vests to my Dad’s love of clothes and his signature look, which was something like this: a tweed suit and vest.  Timeless. He didn’t have much money and the same suit probably lasted him for twenty years, but he always looked well dressed , never old fashioned.

Here are some vests from the various eras my Dad lived through. Vest and cigarettes were inseparable, it would seem.

The cardigan….

the classic v-neck….

and the argyle…

You could say that Jimmy Page brought them back in the 70’s. I became a fan of the Yardbirds because of this vest. Worn tight and short over a full sleeve shirt, it was classic rock star chic. I wonder if Jimmy’s Mum was a knitter?

Here’s a very 80’s vest from a book of knitting patterns with Australian motifs. A good Aussie bloke loves his Mum, and will wear anything she makes him, it seems.

Will these neck lines ever stage a comeback?

Now, if you’re in the mood for a little retro style and your man won’t object, here are some of my favourites.

A classic Fair Isle by Alice Starmore, in her book The Celtic Collection

A stunning argyle in Knitting For Him, by Martin Strory and Wendy Baker

and in the same book, a chic Fair Isle cardigan.

Who could resist a man in one of these? Whether he’s a metrosexual or the old fashioned macho type, there’s something for everyone in vest style.

For Lucas’s vest I used Koigu Kersti. It would be handsome in Cascade 220 or any dk wool. The pattern will be available just as soon as I’ve written it in some larger sizes.

Scatter Daisy, by Florence Broadhurst.

I’d not heard of this lady until a beautiful pillow caught my eye in a local design shop. It very quickly forced its way into my life and onto on my couch.

Reading up on her in this fascinating book, Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives, I discovered a colourful woman who led many lives, a few of which may have been pure invention. She was adventurous and a bit naughty, which makes her a very good read as well as a design inspiration.

Born in a country town in North Australia, she had a career as a starlet stage performer in Asia, opened a fashion house in 1930’s London, and was a painter of classic Australian landscapes before starting her textile business as a last ditch effort to make some money!

Never short of ideas for self promotion, she made quite a splash in Australian society, always good for business. Her design inspirations are varied, a little art nouveau here, Japanese there, Op Art over there.

Butterflies (below) is restrained and timeless.

Others are lavish and exuberant, perfect for celebrity boudoirs, bars and hotel rooms.

An Asian influence is obvious in many.

Her groundbreaking designs languished for 20 years after her death in the 70s. Nowadays they’re available again, produced in Sydney by Signature Prints and sold worldwide.

Japanese Floral (below) is the fabric of my pillow.

Ikeda= love!

Hollow Squares, from the  late-sixties. Dizzying.

What I love most about Florence’s story is that she didn’t start her textile printing business until the age of 60!

This is very good news for any of us who are still making up our minds what we want to be when we grow up.

It seems it’s not necessary to grow up at all.  Like Florence, we can go on re-inventing ourselves and having fun until we run out of steam.

Finally, I’ve followed a crochet pattern and learned that what I always say about knitting is also true of crochet: you can tackle anything as long as you take it it one step at a time. The trick is not to get overwhelmed or impatient. You don’t have to know everything just to get started!

When this Habu linen paper yarn arrived last week it called to me.

Another fascinating offering from Habu Textiles, it manages to be crunchy, but is also smooth and silky, with a lovely sheen. Quite a miracle. It doesn’t break, in fact you can’t pull it apart. And for those who like a little sound effect with their yarn, it rustles.

Worrying about how to do justice to this lovely yarn with my lack of skill, I  took a deep breath and opened an old favourite, the Readers’ Digest Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches. I must confess I’ve ignored the second half of this wonderful book until now. Silly me. All those stitches, edgings, and motifs and excellent, clear illustrations of how to make them. Now I can single, half double, and double, treble and double treble. Sounds like I’m gearing up for the diving competition at the London Olympics.

There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the motif patterns and the how-to instructions (when you’re teaching yourself it pays to have a few bookmarks nearby) but after a while the techniques came more easily and I didn’t have to consult the pictures.The best part is that both of these motifs were labelled “intermediate”. Is that really me?

I’m partial to doilies and I don’t think they’re at all old fashioned. First I thought I’d use them as coasters, but then my mind ran to a linen purse, an excuse to use these rattan handles. Eventually I’d like to cover the whole thing in crocheted squares, but I’m starting with one on each side, and will add more whenever I have a spare evening and a handy crochet hook.

This is Lucas’s first Christmas and his Mummy has just finished her first knitting project. It’s made from this pattern, in deliciously soft  Blue Sky Dyed Organic Cotton.

I think he likes it.

and I’d like to be him, sitting on the sofa sucking my thumb, leaving all the worrying and panicking and shopping to the grown ups.

But there’s no need to panic about presents when you can knit and sew, right?

Here’s what I’ve been making for those people in my life who are difficult to buy gifts for: the men of the family.

A shirt for David in seersucker bought at a vintage textile show back in September. Considering the leaning tower of Pisa that is my fabric collection, I’m quite pleased with myself for actually using this one. I hope it fits!

I’m always at a loss to know what to give my son Pete. Being a young man in London, site of recent heavy snowfall, he tells me he needs mittens for when he rides his bike, so I’ve made him these, in Jade Sapphire 6 ply cashmere.

Isn’t it helpful when people tell you what they want? It spoils the surprise but at least you know that the thing you laboured over doesn’t end up lining the dog’s basket.

The pattern is from Robyn Melanson’s lovely book Knitting New Mitten and Gloves.

and for a little South Seas Christmas spirit, here’s our native Stitchbird (Maori name Hihi) sitting on a Pohutukawa, which is known in the USA as the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

In California they bloom in June but here in the southern hemisphere they put on a spectacular show for us at Christmas. It sort of makes up for our lack of tinsel and snow.

Happy holidays!

Good news  for Tivaevae enthustiasts! As you know, it can be difficult to find anyone to teach you this splendid craft, even in Rarotonga or the other Cook islands.

Well then, our ship has come in. The Corbans Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, Auckland, is holding a week long Tivaevae Workshop, as part of its summer school, Jan 18-22.

Here is the link.

If you love Tivaevae, this book, (the source of the image above), is an inspiration. It contains stories and glorious colour photos of Cook Island woman and their quilts. No how-tos, though. You need to go to the workshop for that.

I’ve signed up. Hope to see you there!

Before I head off to New York, I thought I’d share this wonderful embroidered ship that I found at Salvage on Mt Eden Road.

And by the way, although I’m away for a couple of weeks, South Seas Knitting is fulfilling your orders every day as usual, and attending to any questions or concerns via email.

Anyone who has come to my door lately will have seen the happy little line of felt slippers waiting to be worn by visitors. Far be it from me to complain about knitting cold weather, but it was a bit of a shock for us hot house flowers aka “Aucklanders” to look out the window each morning last week and see frost on the ground! 

Hooray for wool slippers.These are knit from the pattern on page 49 of my book. I made a few of them in different colour combinations back in 2005 when I was figuring out the pattern, so I can vouch for the fact that they’re a quick and relatively easy knit.One pair takes 3 hanks of Manos Wool Clasica. I’ve been asked if the bottoms are slippery and how to remedy this, but I don’t find them so. You might want to sew some suede patches on the soles but I haven’t needed to. I just don’t try to run up and down our wooden stairs. 

This year I gave them all face lifts with new embellishments. The pair above are my favourites. I used a Liberty fabric sent to me by my lovely India in a gorgeous package from New York, timed with expert precision to arrive on my birthday! 

Here’s another pair worn by me lounging on my sofa, engrossed in Judith Thurman’s biography of Isak Dinesen, who was a knitter and a lover of gardens as well as a brilliant  writer and story teller. 

In case you’re now under the impression that I spend all my days in blissful enjoyment of a delicious book, I must be off now to photograph yarn (Hemp LUX, a new arrival) and a host of exciting new patterns that will soon appear on South Seas Knitting.

Oh, one more thing about these slippers. They’re designed to be mules, or “scuffs” as my mother used to call them, but they have a small lip (as seen below) at the heel to help keep them on.They don’t always cling to my heels, but I find that the proportion of sole-to-upper keeps the soles from floppiness.I had to wash mine three or four times to achieve enough shrinkage.

Happy knitting!

–Mel

 
We have new books! Some are replenishments of old favourites like Barbara Walker and Elizabeth Zimmerman, but there are several exciting new titles, two of which have me wondering how I can possibly arrange time to knit the many projects that leap out at me from their divine pages. I don’t often rave about knitting books, but these two have already found their way onto my bedside table.

The first is  “Knitting and Tea” by Jane Gottelier, founder of the fashion knitwear label ARTWORK. It’s a shimmering celebration of two of our favourite pleasures, and a gorgeous travelogue with stunning photographs by Jane’s husband, Patrick, taking you from the tea plantations of Sri Lanka to a workmen’s tea in an English truck stop. Each chapter has a recipe for a treat to accompany your tea. All this and knitting too! The patterns are gorgeous, chic items to wear for any kind of event, tea party or otherwise. There’s a special bonus for anyone who’s ever wanted to knit a cricket sweater (there have been requests), even a playful knitted cricket blazer for women that is pure Artwork. I could sink into this book and stay buried for a year, humming my way through the scrumptious patterns and recipes.

I can’t wait to kick off my shoes, put the kettle on, and start knitting….

 Another book that has my mouth watering is Mother-Daughter Knits, by Sally Melville and her daughter Caddy.

By designing patterns that they both like to wear (the authors modeling their own designs is a delightful treat) they’ve managed to create sophisticated knits for women of all ages. Thumbing through the book I immediately spied something that’s been on my to knit list for ages: the Classic Shirt, a fine mohair version of the ever- practical linen number. Then there’s a lovely, shaped hoodie that you want to throw on for your early morning walk, an Austenesque high waisted short sleeved cardigan, a beautiful cabled dress to flatter any figure (yes, flattering cables!), and my favourite, the “Mother of the Bride Cardigan” (Sally is wearing it on the cover) a floaty cardigan for mothers AND brides. There’s also a very handy chapter of advice on how to figure out the ideal dimensions to flatter your body shape and change a pattern accordingly. This is a very sophisticated, timeless knitting book for women.

Both these books are keepers. They’re inspiring, entertaining and full of practical patterns and recipes that will enrich your life. What more could you want?

–Mel