Category: knitting

  • poppies, 2009

    I’m reposting this blog entry from last year, because I don’t think I can improve on it for 2009! Thanks to the people who have donated already for this year.

    Right after Halloween in Canada, poppy pins blossom on lapels across Canada. We have Remembrance Day on November 11th to commemorate the sacrifices of war.

    The poppy is a symbol of remembrance, and was popularized after the First World War due to a poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Few poppies grew in Flanders, France, before the war broke out; rubble from bombardments enriched the soil with lime, and then the fields exploded with the blood-red flowers. Once the war was over, the lime became reabsorbed and the poppies disappeared.

    lapel poppy

    In Flanders Fields
    In Flanders fields the poppies blow
    Between the crosses, row on row,
    That mark our place; and in the sky
    The larks, still bravely singing, fly
    Scarce heard amid the guns below.

    We are the dead. Short days ago
    We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
    Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
    In Flanders fields.

    Take up our quarrel with the foe:
    To you from failing hands we throw
    The torch; be yours to hold it high.
    If ye break faith with us who die
    We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
    In Flanders fields.
    – Lt. Col. John McCrae

    poppy

    So to help you remember, here’s a little free pattern for a poppy. It knits up very quickly in scrap yarn – I used aran weight black something, and triple-stranded Schaefer Anne for the red. You want to use a small needle so that it’s stiff. Finished size is approximately 2 inches across.

    Download Poppy.pdf

    Poppies are not bought or sold; people make a contribution for their poppy.
    Any donations from this pattern will be given to the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund, which is used to provide immediate assistance to ex-servicemen and women in need. This may include food, shelter or medical attention for them or their families. Also, education bursaries are granted to children and grandchildren of ex-service personnel.

    More information about the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign.

    DONATIONS CLOSED – please donate to your local legion!

  • on the road again

    Well, okay, technically I’m taking a plane, but still! Today I’m off to Boston for a week of fun and shopping before Rhinebeck next weekend. And guess what?

    sweatercoat

    Yeah, I started another Rhinebeck sweater. This Rhinebeck thing is a great motivator!

    Last March or so I knit a top-down, circular yoked sweatercoat out of double stranded Cascade 220. I’ve been wearing it all the time, but it has 3/4 sleeves – it’s actually been a bit chilly here, so I decided it was high time for something with full length sleeves. And for once, the chunkiness of the yarn was actually appealing.

    striping at the bottom

    I used Debbie Bliss donegal chunky tweed – not the softest ever (not as soft as the Cascade) but not bad. I only had 8 skeins of the dark brown, plus 2 blue, so I incorporated the blue into the bottom of the sleeves and body. I finished the second sleeve last night under the wire, so now I just have to sew on the buttons! I washed and blocked everything but that second sleeve at my parents’ house on Thursday, since I could use their washing machine to spin it out. Sigh, I miss on-demand laundry.

    I hear Boston’s a bit warmer than here, so maybe I’ll get away with just the sweater for most days there. I know Rhinebeck is pretty chilly in the evenings, so a coat might be necessary too.

    Oh, and I’m doing a book signing at Rhinebeck! On Sunday in the author’s tent, from 1-3pm (I think?). I’ll have all the sample socks from the book and I’ll just be hanging out, so come by and see me!

    Gotta go. The plane awaits!

  • sagano shawl

    sagano shawl

    Sagano is an area located in western Kyoto, Japan, where the serene landscape includes one of the most spectacular bamboo forests in all of Japan. This textured scarf-sized shawl evokes the quiet beauty of bamboo in its leafy main stitch and stemlike ribbed edging. Use a special, soft yarn and keep the drafts away!

    FINISHED SIZE
    46 inches / 116 cm across the top, 15 inches / 38 cm down the centre of the shawl. The size of this scarf is easily modified to be larger by using a heavier yarn or working more repeats.

    Special thanks to Bonnie and Erica for test knitting!

    MATERIALS
    Fingering Weight yarn, 450 yards.
    Shown in Wullenstudio Sock Yarn (75% merino, 25% nylon; 450 yards/100g) in Green Tambourine.
    US 6 / 4 mm circular needles, 32 inches / 80 cm or longer stitch markers tapestry needle

    GAUGE
    25 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm square in stockinette stitch. Exact gauge is not crucial for this project, although the gauge will affect the final size.

    sagano shawl

    3-page PDF pattern includes both charted and written directions.

    Available through Ravelry (no account needed), payment by Paypal.

    $5.00 CAD

    Note: As of July 5, 2010, sales tax will be added to this price for all Canadian residents only. The rates are: British Columbia 12%; Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador 13%; Nova Scotia 15%; and everywhere else in Canada 5% GST. Tax will be added in the Paypal payment process.

    sagano shawl