This is for all those behind-the-times folks who still think knitting’s for spinsters with nothing better to do.

I found it the other day, via facebook and one of my favourite businesses Playclothes in Burbank, Calfornia. They have the best selection of vintage clothing short of an actual vintage textile show. It’s all hand picked and glorious.

It’s a book of knitting patterns, apparently. I wonder what’s inside. It’s out of print but it is available second hand here

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Here it is the end of January and here I am writing my blog, at last.

I’ve been concentrating on my health, a good reason to put everything else on hold, yes?  This week I took the plunge and did the first part of a Buteyko breathing course. It was a shock to me that I developed asthma when I arrived here in NZ five years ago. Who would’ve thunk it? 25 years in a huge city like LA with it’s smog issues, then come to the South Pacific and have difficulty breathing. Apparently it has nothing to do with pollution. It’s the spores, molds, pollens and things that are floating in vast numbers here in Auckland that are the problem.

I’ll report back on the course because there may be some fellow asthmatics reading this, but it won’t be for 6 weeks because that’s how long I need to be doing the exercises in order to know how effective they are.

I’m learning how to breathe again.

So now that I’m up for air (so to speak) and while I’m breathing more slowly and deliberately, I’m thinking about all of my favourite things. India was here for a two weeks and luckily, the summer weather cooperated,  but not in the way that sun lovers would want. There was rain almost every day, but we didn’t mind. I hear there was a mid-summer knitting surge. It was certainly true in my house. Indy and I drank tea, watched Downtown Abbey several times, and knitted, of course.  There we have it, four favourite things all on the one sofa.

We did venture out a few times, to take a peek in the shops, for one thing.

Delicious Mei Mei on Ponsonby Road always has the best shoes. The line up above is from Japanese/Spanish designer  Chie Mihara whose work I would like to own all of.

Here’s Mei Mei’s window, also incorporating some faves: 30′s pottery, vintage garden cross stitch, and a pair of drop dead gorgeous suede boots. I love a good window display don’t you?

doggies are happy

Also on my Love List is Tessuti on Jervois Road in Herne Bay. They stock Missoni towels. Sigh. Always tempted, seldom buy, except for special occasions. A little butterfly hand towel has been given as a birthday gift and David knows where to go when May comes around.

and here’s where the knitting comes in, as it always does. Stitch pattern ceramics from Sydney (apologies for forgetting the designer’s name. Maybe an Aussie will help me out?).

Who can’t appreciate a cafe that would serve tea in a chartreuse teapot with a genuine old school milk bottle? The Department Store in Takapuna is the place.

In case you think we’re frightfully shallow and only ever go shopping, we went to museums and galleries, read books and cooked. Walks between rain showers were lovely, with the foliage all fresh and well-watered.

This everyday plant (botany enthusiasts, name please) seemed so happy in it’s many shades of green glory. You can’t help but feel good to look at it.

It’s the little things that count.

Favouring the rhombus myself, and being egged on by Hannah and LauraRose, I felted my rug. Once the washing machine has done its thing it’s always too late to turn back. Then I read Karen’s comment about the rose being a symbol of passionate love, and I absolutely loved Anna’s comment that no matter how modern the house, a little touch of the Victorian always looks good. [My little bit of Victorian is the needlepoint I bought long ago at the Rosebowl flea market in Pasadena, and have finally made into a cushion]

Not to worry, I’m determined to make another, next time much bigger, because as always with a felting project, this one turned out smaller than I’d imagined it. It’s still a lovely mat but not making quite the dramatic statement I wanted. Here is my rhombus before felting, underside and top side. I really like both equally.

Once I’d sewn the shapes together, which did not take long, I crocheted around the edge to hold it together. I don’t know if this was a good thing or not, and I will never know! So here it is, felted, and with a little whip stitch around the edge in colour 68 – citric which is a spicy green veering toward gold. I love this colour.

My next rug is going to be in the rose shape, and much much bigger. This one, by the way, fitted easily into my washing machine. If anyone else would like to join me in my hexagon obsession, here’s the pattern for the shape. Please send photos……

Each of my hexagons used one whole hank of Wool Clasica, doubled-stranded. I used a set of size 17 (12 mm) double pointed and one circular needle for when there are too many stitches to fit comfortable on the dpns. Also, a stitch marker.

HEXAGON (make 9)

With dpns, CO 12 sts evenly over 3 needles (4 sts on each needle) using knit cast on and leaving a 12 cm tail. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist sts; place a marker for the beginning of the round and slip the marker on every rnd.

Rnd 1: Knit all sts tbl to end.

Rnd 2: *Kfb, k1; rep from * to end – 6 sts on each needle, 18 sts in all.

Rnd 3: Knit.

Rnd 4: *Kfb, k1, [kfb] into each of next 2 sts, k1, kfb; rep from * twice more – 30 sts.

Rnds 5 & 6: Knit.

Rnd 7: *Kfb, k3, [kfb] into each of next 2 sts, k3, kfb; rep from * twice more – 42 sts.

Rnds 8 & 9: Knit.

Rnd 10: *Kfb, k5, [kfb] into each of next 2 sts, k5, kfb; rep from * twice more – 54 sts.

Rnd 11 & 12: Knit.

Continue in this way, with one increase rnd followed by 2 knit rnds, until you have completed the round:

*Kfb, k11, [kfb] into each of next 2 sts, k11, kfb; rep from * twice more – 90sts

Knit 1 rnd.

On next rnd, BO knitwise. Do not weave in ends.

and it’s almost Christmas! Much to look forward to: time with family and friends, cooking a  boneless, rolled, stuffed turkey – mmmmmm – and maybe a picnic at the beach.

My new year resolution is that I’m going to be extremely grateful for everything good, not the least of which is this view from my desk out the door to the little garden that I love so much.

Happy Holidays!

In response to quite a few people overseas who have asked me about my Baby Cape pattern and whether it can be emailed, here it is, as a PDF.

It will soon be in print form, too, along with all my other patterns, available for knitting stores to buy wholesale.

So, how cute is Isla? She’s the gorgoeus wee daughter of my photographer, Helen Bankers. Her full name is Isla Winchester which to me sounds like a movie star without even trying.

This is a pretty easy knit, worked from the top down so that you can customize the length. It’s the most divine thing to wrap a baby in, and a very cute jacket alternative for a toddler. Made in the ultra practical, soft and reasonably priced Cascade 220.

More stunning textiles from the Pacific region.

Remember when I wrote about the fun I had at a tivaevae (Cook Islands appliqué) workshop? Now there’s an exhibit of crochet and embroidery from another south Pacific nation, Tonga.

It’s at Objectspace on Ponsonby Road until December 22. I can’t wait to see it. Judging by these images, it promises to be exquisite.

What have I been making lately?

It’s not often I write about a work in progress but I’ve decided to share this one as it evolves because I’m excited about it and it’s such a simple thing (oh dear, I hope it turns out as I imagine, otherwise I’ll have to fake it).

My niece is getting marred in January, and I wanted to give her something hand knit for her home. She and her fiancé recently moved into a vintage 1960′s house which has wood floors throughout, so I thought a rug might go down well, so to speak. It’s something I’ve wanted to make  for years, big, bold, and felted. Manos Wool Clasica has a fabulous bright red, the colour of passion and prosperity, perfect for newly weds, don’t you think?

Making a rug in one piece would be a hot and cumbersome task, so this one is a collection of large hexagon medallions, easy and fast to make on large needles with the yarn doubled. Medallions are my new favourite construction shape. I used them in the yoke of Paloma.

The fun part is deciding how to configure them. Then comes the stitching together and the felt, felt, felting. If it turns out to be too large for my washing machine, I’ll take it to a commercial laundry and ask them to wash the daylights out of it.

So, what shape?

rhombus/diamond?

or circle/flower?

Thank you your patience, you who keep checking in to see if I have anything new to say! Without meaning to, I gave myself a vacation.

My excuse is that I’ve been busy proofing the layouts for my new book which is due to be sent to the printer in a couple of weeks. It’s tedious work, going through text you have already labored over for months. I’m a dreadful procrastinator but my house is cleaner for it because I would rather clean the oven than read a knitting pattern for the tenth time. The worst part is finding a typo that you didn’t pick up last time and wondering if they’re breeding in the night while you sleep. But hey, I’m almost there! The result will be released next May 2012. More about that in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, my friend Polly from London cheered me up no end with the image (above). It reminded me to embrace silliness. Not that making a Missoni-esque dog sweater to match your own is altogether silly, in fact, it’s very fabulous, as are many of the designs in my vintage books, from every era. Here’s a little sampling of what I found in five minutes of delving into my pile:

I love a knitted dress. How gorgeous are these two, and the ladies wearing them? The dress on the right is knit sideways, in space dyed yarn.

Now I’m in the mood for summer and horsing around on the beach with my hubby

while the kids do what kids do, copy the adults

and the toddler builds a sandcastle in her lovely plaid play suit.

These patterns beg the question: what yarn to use?

If you think about the properties of all the various fibres, you understand why wool swimsuits were popular. Wool dries faster than cotton and keeps its shape better.

A few years ago I knitted a dress in rayon yarn. It was worked in the round and flared from the hips which solved any sagging issues around the rear bulging bits.It was lovely until I “outgrew” it and gave it to a friend.

No one  these days is going to make a wool swimsuit, but the ladies’ style is so lovely it makes me wish that a miracle yarn existed, something natural, elastic, and quick drying like lycra. Then I would give it a shot. Would you?

A piece of fabric is a beautiful thing.

I was in my favourite Auckland fabric shop the other day, in search of lovely pieces that would lend themselves to some simple summer tops.

On the counter there was a guide to self-knowledge: 10 indicators of whether or not you’re an addict.

One of them was: you buy fabrics and don’t care what you’ll use them for.

My purpose was clear this time, but my garage tells another story. It’s lined with containers full of lovely materials that I can’t part with, just in case I ever have that little beach shack that will need the retro pillow, or the old farmhouse with walls that will hold the many quilts I’ll make one day when I get around to it.

Here are some of the pieces I bought which are going to turn, fairly soon, I promise, into summer tops.

a lovely crepe de chine

a second colourway of the piece above. I love the way this looks like a blurred floral, as if some one hurried by on a bicycle and you tried to capture a photo.

These days I’m not the ambitious seamstress I used to be. At 15 I spent my entire winter vacation making a fully lined, tailored jacket from a length of fabric donated by my clothier uncle who appreciated my need for thrift and my passion for making things. As I recall, it puckered in places but I didn’t care. I was really proud of it and wore it everywhere. Perhaps it’s just as well there’s no photographic record of my achievements.

Now I tend to keep my sewing projects easily achievable because, sadly, I’m more of a perfectionist.

It just so happens that I’ve recently acquired two books that appeal to me for their simplicity and style.

The first is dedicated to projects made from One Piece of Fabric, so it’s perfect for all of us hoarders.

I’ll use it to make my new summer blouses, and perhaps a bag or two with the contents of my bins. There are 15 projects in all,  a few that caught my eye as perfect teen or mother-daughter projects, like a dress, a pair of culottes and a camisole top, all shown in mouth-watering photographs.

The second book is Jane Brocket’s The Gentle Art of Quilt-Making

This is a beautiful book containing patterns for 15 quilts inspired by the author’s surroundings. They are all made of simple shapes put together in ingenious ways. Brocket has an eye for colour, so those who lack confidence can follow her guidance. Many of the quilts are a riot of beauty, such as “Russian shawl”

and “floral frocks”

I particularly like “sample book” which would lend itself very nicely to my bits and pieces of vintage fabrics. Now I’m dreaming again, of that cute old farmhouse, whereas in reality I’m living in a modern house with my fair share of modern furniture. But the romance of a lovely quilt always pulls at my heartstrings.

Most of my visit to LA I spent in anticipation of meeting lovely India at the airport late on the last Friday night of my stay. Having not seen her in more than a year, I had a stern talk with myself so I wouldn’t become a blubbering mess when we hugged. I managed to control myself, and we took off up the coast for Santa Barbara and Room 13 at the Inn of the Spanish Garden. Arriving there at 2 am to a friendly concierge and a fire in the lobby was a relief after a drive that took 2 hours because I lost my way on that section of road my friend Lisa warned me about, where the Pacific Coast Highway meets the 101 freeway. Fortunately, India had her technology to get us out of trouble on dark country roads. What did we do in the prehistoric days before the Iphone, I ask you?

Santa Barbara treats:

The living room of Carole and Clif Magness, formerly of Santa Monica. A year ago they bought a run-down but lovely old Dutch colonial house, which Carole has turned into a very pretty gem. The deer head is made of wood.

A trip to Montecito along the back road is so beautiful, with eucalyptus trees and fabulous estates lining the route. You can catch the flavour of the local scene at Pierre La Font, selling furnishings, clothes and food, all of it exquisite.

I found a fellow knitter eyeing these giant balls of yarn made from twisted fabric.

In a corner of the store was this little shelf full of my favourite things: wooden spools displaying ribbons, yardage of hand made crochet cotton tape, with shell buttons attached. It was futile to resist. Don’t know what I’ll do with it. Maybe make a south seas-ish necklace for next summer?

No Santa Barbara weekend would be complete without a visit to the Mission.

A display of artifacts inside the Mission.

Who knew that the Franciscan
Fathers wore such cute platforms back in the 18th century?

Australian species do well here. Lovely old Moreton Bay Fig planted in 1890.

Driving down back down the coast we talked about how much we love Southern California.

Sigh.

In the words of Joni Mitchell, you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.

Kind of sums up my life experience as an ex pat: I’m always missing what I left behind. In this case, the many pleasures of California, and like Joni, as the plane glides into LAX, I do feel like I’m coming home. My past few visits have been brief,  one-night stays on my way to New York, but this time I hung around long enough to remember just what a special place Southern California really is.

and it’s not just about the shopping……

The first thing I noticed was the sign above at Wholefoods, and this one

Santa Monica takes the lead. No more plastic bags. Yay! You take your own bag to the supermarket or pay one dollar for a recycyled paper bag (they banned styrofoam  containers sometime ago). Santa Monica is on the coast (hence their awareness of the problem since the plastic bags are swept down from the surrounding areas into their storm water system) so they must wait until the rest of Los Angeles county follows suit.

New Zealand, are you paying attention? We should be leaders in this! I’ve long thought Kiwis take their environment for granted, and with a growing population, we need to wake up and smell the fumes.

Dry cleaners are doing it

Drought resistant gardens are everywhere, showing just what a beautiful thing it is to save water. Don’t you love garden gates?  I want to know what’s on the other side of these.

two more gates (for garden lovers, the first is the former home of Nancy Goslee Power)

let’s have a closer look at that ingenious path

Succulents at Rolling Greens nursery on Beverly Blvd.

and last but not least, two knitting friends, Marla and Mary, and Marla’s son Asher who gallantly escorted his Mum to meet me at Caffe Luxe where they make the most delicious soy lattes.

Next time, we drive up the coast to Santa Barbara…..

Hello! This is Paloma, a new design of mine that’s in The Knitter Issue 35.

I combined my love of Mexican blouses, buttons, and top down construction for this top. For some time, I’ve been wanting to experiment by stitching seams only in a few places for a deconstructed openwork effect. The yoke of Paloma seemed like the perfect place to do this. It’s made of medallions knitted on double pointed needles. Stitches for the bodice are picked up from the lower tier and the rest is plain sailing. The yarn is Siena the lovely mercerized fingering weight cotton from Rowan.

I used shell buttons for the embellishments, but you could use any kind, especially favourites from your collection, if you’re a hoarder like me.

The back has an optional lace motif.

The photos are courtesy of The Knitter. You can buy this issue and downloads of past issues on this website.

p.s. I’m currently in LA, staying with a friend for two weeks. My knitting support David is shipping orders for SSK while I’m away. If any of you LA readers would like to meet up for a knitting get together, please email me. I’d love to see you.