LittleJudy.com

TiVo Alert: Shay Pendray's Needle Arts Studio

I've been looking for a program on TV about knitting and crochet, and believe me there's slim pickings. But, today while I was flipping around and trying not to doze off during the Democratic Convention coverage (I'll wake up when Patti LaBelle sings), I found Shay Pendray's "Needle Arts Studio" on PBS (WNYE here in NYC). A motherly Midwestern gal, Shay is a noted teacher and author of embroidery and needlepoint, and has owned a needlecraft store in Dearborn, Michigan for over 27 years.

Each half hour show includes a segment on embroidery or needlepoint as well as one on knitting and crochet. Shay also demonstrates different projects that you can follow along on by getting one of her kits sold at her website http://www.shaypendray.com

It's a great show for beginners to watch because Shay makes everything look so easy...and fun! Check your local listings for more info.

Afghan in Three Weeks

After 3 weeks, I've finished my "afghan in a weekend"! I now have deep respect for the photo stylists that work for the needlework mags and pattern books. Draping ain't easy. It's an art form! I did my best in the photo at left.

It's going to be my living room afghan, perfect for lying on the couch and watching TV.

I'm not so sure what I'll work on next. Probably one of the shawl or ponchos. Stay tuned!

The Perfect Pattern Hunt: Shawls and Ponchos

Ponchos and shawls are back! They're made from silk, cashmere, even rabit fur. Or you can get knitted and crocheted versions made out of cotton or wool. Ponchos are so popular that Nordstrom's on-line catalog has a poncho section.

How did this all happen? The trend went into high gear when Jessica Simpson wore a Cecilia de Bucourt handmade shawl on Simpson's show "Newlyweds" on MTV. Bucourt, an Argentine model turned fashion designer, even told US magazine that her company, based in Florencio Varela, Argentina, has "grown like crazy" since Simpson wore the shawl on television. Check her site to see her collection of shawls and ponchos and where to buy them. By the way, that's Cecilia modeling the Jessica shawl in the photo above.

Some people use "shawl" and "poncho" interchangebly, the way Jessica Simpson (laughing all the way to the bank) uses "tuna" and "chicken" interchangeably. They're actually two distinctly different garments. According to Webster, a shawl is:

"A square or oblong cloth of wool, cotton, silk, or other textile or netted fabric, used, especially by women, as a loose covering for the neck and shoulders."

and a poncho is:

A kind of cloak worn by the Spanish Americans, having the form of a blanket, with a slit in the middle for the head to pass through.

Simply put, you wrap a shawl around your shoulders and you put on a poncho over your head!

Knowing how to knit and crochet is a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because needlework is creative, relaxing, and a wonderful way to create very personal gifts for the people you love. It's a curse because you become a yarn junkie and a packrat with piles of yarn, projects and pattern books stuffed in every nook and cranny of your home. Married crafters often hide their yarn stash from their spouses the way other people keep their porn collection in a box in the back of the closet. Don't ask.

The drawback that I hate the most is that whenever I see some lovely handcrafted piece in a boutique (like the Bucourt shawls and ponchos), I start feeling guilty about buying it because, after all, I could easily make one myself. Of course, if you do the math, add up the cost of the wool, the pattern book, and most importantly my time then it costs way more for me to do it myself. But, I'm a Taurus with a capital "T" and am very stubborn about these things.

I think the trend happened so quickly that the pattern books haven't yet been written, printed and shipped to Herschnerr's. The many knitting and crocheting forums on the web have been buzzing with activity as desperate needlework enthusiasts search for the right free pattern on the 'Net. We all want to have ponchos and shawls like our friends are wearing...but we have to make them ourselves, dammit!

My new pal Donna from yarntomato.com read my whiny email ("please, I need a pattern pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!"), felt sorry for me and sent an email with loads of links to free poncho and shawl patterns on the web. If you have more, please post them as comments on this article.

As soon as a I finish my "Afghan in a Weekend" that's taken me more than two weeks, I'll start on a poncho for the fall!

Donna's Poncho and Shawl Links

Posh Poncho
http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/patterns/poshponcho.php

Lightweight Jewel Shawl
http://www.luv2crochet.com/blog/

Pretty Poncho
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art19934.asp

Country Cotton Shawl (don't let the name fool you, this is a good one!)
http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/lionbrand/index.fcgi?page=http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/ccc-shawl.html

Newlyweds Shawl
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14841.asp

Fishnet Fashion Shawl (this one's a PDF file)
http://www.crochetmagazine.com/free_patterns/pdfs/fp_mar04_fishnet_shawl.pdf

Seraphina's Shawl (the pic at the top of the page doesn't do this shawl justice; scroll almost all the way down to the bottom to see it looking gorgeous)
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/croshawl.html

Spring Has Sprung Shawl
http://www.techchick.lunarpages.com/trishs_nook/crafts/spring_shawl.htm

Easiest Shawl Ever
http://www.crochetme.com/easiest_shawl_ever.html

Springtime Poncho
http://www.crochetme.com/springtime_poncho.html

Blue Jeans Shawl
http://www.techchick.lunarpages.com/knottie/crafts/blue_shawl.shtml

Chenille Shawl
http://www.thesmartyarns.com/patterns/July99/chenilleshawl.html

Another Chenille Shawl
http://www.thesmartyarns.com/patterns/nov03/chenilleshawl.html

Afghan in a Weekend? I don't think so!

I thought it might be fun to do a quickie project, so I got a pattern book called "Afghans to Crochet in Just a Weekend" from the American School of Needlework.

What is their definition of "weekend"? I have been working on this puppy since Sunday putting in at least 3 hours a day and I'm only about 1/4 of the way through. Well, it still will be completed within 2 weeks which is pretty fast for a full size afghan.

The pattern calls for a really fat hook (size "N") and two strands of worsted weight wool. This pattern suggests you use one color yarn, but I thought it might look cooler in two colors so I chose a rose and a dusty pink (#427 and #425 in Bernat's Super Saver). The yarn cost about $36.

Let me know what you think of the attached work in progress!

Mom, My Sweater's Barking!

I just got my Knitting Digest newsletter and the main topic threw me into a high school flashback.

I was a dance major in high school. Twice a year we'd go on tour, traveling to what my dance teacher used to jokingly call the "armpits" of Michigan.

If you know someone from Michigan, ask them where they're from. They'll raise their left arm out with the palm facing away from you and point to a location on the back of their hand. I was born under the first knuckle of my left thumb and I went to high school on the tip of my left pinkie.

For reasons I never quite understood, February was chosen for our winter tour of the Upper Peninsula. That's so far north that it's not even on my hand (which may explain the armpit reference). That's snowmobiling country in the middle of winter, and a great time to stay inside by the fire and knit.

My roommate and I stayed with a nice family in Escanaba that had a lovely home. After we came back from our performance we settled down in the living room for some hot cocoa. They had a big fluffy dog curled up on the carpet, and I noticed that they had an old fashioned spinning wheel in the corner.

Never in a million years would I have made a connection between the dog and the spinning wheel. But, there was a connection: our lovely hostess would take handfuls of the dog's fur, clean it, spin it and knit with it.

Like I said, there's not much to do in Escanaba in February.

I thought this was an isolated incident of one wacky lady with cabin fever delirium, but I was wrong. My Knitting Digest newsletter this week is all about spinning and knitting with pet hair, even touting it as a way to remember your beloved furry friend even after they ascend to doggie heaven.

I broached the subject with my cat, and you can tell by the expression in the photo above that he clearly thinks I'm nuts for even asking. But after going over the upholstery with the lint brush for the hundredth time, I think this might not be such a kooky idea.

There are books on the subject like the creatively-titled "Knitting With Dog Hair: Better a Sweater from a Dog You Know and Love Than from a Sheep You'll Never Meet." Of course there are pet yarn websites like VIPfibers.com, who will custom spin your pet's fur for you. They don't mince words in their defense of knitting with fido fur:

"Still not convinced? Then consider this…that beautiful wool sweater you love so much started out on the back of a sheep, standing endless days out in pasture, exposed to the elements and collecting vegetation, ticks, lice and the like. The cashmere sweater that you saved up for, actually came from the belly of a goat! And your silk blouse? Well, I won't bother telling you which end of a worm it came from!"

I think I'll stick to acrylic from now on.