Category Archives: Fair Isle

Just Hanging Around Knitting . . .

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jenjoycedesign©azul-band

Last Friday was the Independence Day holiday here, and we went on over to my brother’s  as there was quite the party happening in his little Appalachian-esque neighborhood. Well, there I am knitting, you know ‘on-the-go’ , with the knitting bag slung over my shoulder and knitting as I always do. My youngest niece, Miss Eleven-Years-Old  knows how to knit,  and is getting better, so I said “Lets get you some knitting ! ” … so we walked down to her house and raided her mom’s stash & needles, and found a darling knitting bag and we set her up to knit-on-the-go too. So there’s the two of us among the wild & crazy dancing & feasting folk outside, she and I knitting together  near the whole time, while walking about here and there with knitting satchels slung over our shoulders, swaying to the music … knit-dancing ! … and thoroughly enjoying our peaceful & productive selves ( stopping only to munch cake and other wonderful things ) . She got nearly half of a garter-stitch cotton dish cloth finished, and I made great progress on my hat band.  I knit until it was too dark to knit any longer, however, Miss Eleven carried on knitting into the darkness which totally killed me, her eyes like a hawk’s .

Backstory over. About the forthcoming big Autumn Thing, this year I’ve got some ideas, I may either come up with a whole new design from which I will write & submit a pattern, but I best not dawdle.  The motif I have got going here, about a wide and shaped band for a hat, and playing with some 2ply (Starmore) wool, I’m on a roll.  I’ve got most of my big chores out of the way for the week, so looking forward to just hanging around knitting !

Vineyard Rows Tam

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jenjoycedesign©high-vineyard Walking along the old mountain vineyards close by, I found inspiration for a design which I have named “Vineyard Rows”. A California Highlands Bonnet if there is to be one ! I chose four natural shades of Jamiesons Of Shetland Spindrift yarn, because I happen to love this black & white photo of the historic vineyard landscape I took a year ago. Near the highest vineyard knoll on the mountain perhaps, rows against an Autumn sky,  leaves blowing off of the vines as a storm was brewing… it was a walk to remember !   So I came up with this . . .

Vineyard Rows Tam : http://jenjoycedesign.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/vineyard-rows-tam/

Vines of grape leaves wind about the wheel, in borders and peeries, along with interruptions of bold checked dicing.  To me this tam brings together California Wine Country with Scottish Highlands.  Embroidered grape clusters adorn the rambling  vines with French knots in wine tones, creating a spectacular and colorful needlework finish I think!

Jenjoycedesign

I really went wild with the notion of the toorie and decided that a tam must have accessory options !  Why not an accessory for the accessory ~~ why not tie one on for the mood you’re in ?  Basic black, wine red, & marled toories !!!

But before I embroidered the grape clusters into the vines,

I took the hat out into the woods…

jenjoycedesign©tam in woods

Against the moss . . .

jenjoycedesign©me in tam 9

And lastly,  against a blush of colorful Autumn leaves, showing how the tam’s outer most rim is traditionally useful in shading from the sun.

jenjoycedesign©Vineyard Rows Tam 3

Well there you have it, my latest design of a tam named “Vineyard Rows”.  I have created this tam for all the lovely walks I’ve enjoyed in the beautiful aesthetic of these old vines ~~ this tam is in tribute to them.

Autumn Scapes

If you haven’t yet read a post I made about Knitting & Wine , it is the prelude to this design, as well as other posts and photographs of nearby vineyards, you may peruse in all  vineyard posts .

♣  ♣  ♣

Vineyard Rows pattern may be found here .

((as well as details on Ravelry here ))

Really Red Tam

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jenjoycedesign©tam-wheel

I am very proud to finally show you the tam  I made !!!   It goes in a set with my  Really Red Cardigan.  I had knit the tam before the holiday gift-knitting crunch set in, then put it aside to be photographed after the new year.  New year … check.  Photographed…. check.  I am over the moon about having this particular cardigan & tam ensemble finished because only a couple of months ago, after having hibernated well over a year,  the cardigan was doomed to die a tragic death of getting unraveled out of existence!  After much persuasion from a friend,  I committed & cut the steek,  finished the cardigan, then surprisingly soon after, decided to knit up this tam to go with it. Maybe it was meant to have waited until now, as the rains of the season has made the moss so verdant ~~~ and just look at how well the moss sings praise to the red wool !

jenjoycedesign©red-tam-set

There is a bit of a coincidence, that the red in the colorway is called “garnet heather”

. . .well, because garnet is my birth-stone .

. . . and today is my birthday !

* *   * *   * *

Details found on Ravelry here.

A Wee Sherpa Hat

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Emma and I have been busy.

Recently I visited an old friend in this post and decided it was time for me to do more totally improv hats again. I am very interested in using up bits of stash yarn , perfecting these hats ! My brother is wild about these and well, his birthday is in April.  But this little hat for little   I decided yesterday afternoon to make for a present, as the one for who it is made is two months old and I’m attending a party for her tomorrow.  This wee hat is first in a series of “Sherpa Neuveau” hats I will knit up lots in the foreseen future… my brother’s to be next.

Here it is, inside out.

In nice dappled light on the piano, angled so you can see the relief of the purl rows

I’m very satisfied with my improvising, though the crocheted edge is done badly (I don’t crochet,  I improv’d that too, I was trying to tame the curling ear flaps !

It’s quite a cute little hat, perfect for a 2month baby-sized head. The colors don’t seem as vivid in the photographs as they are in person ( I need to get the hang of lighting in photography). The light purple and green backgrounds are alpaca , with little filled in color from various wool and wool blends I have hanging around. Adorable I might say myself.

Selbu Moderne

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I LOVED KNITTING THIS !!!! This tam was a free pattern I found on Ravelry.com , here.    When I saw that sweet wall-paper pattern, it became instantly a must-do for me who wanted to learn how motifs can seamlessly work in an all-around pattern, up and down.  I really enjoyed it !

I still have yet to add a beret loop at the top in the middle, as I really think it needs something to finish it off, don’t you?  When and if I ever give it to someone, I will put on a more personalized accent.

The yarn I used was Knit Picks “Palette” that I had in my stash, which is a fingering weight yarn , and thus it knit up so fine that it is a very small tam, say for a child-sized head.  I think the pattern followed needs a sport weight or DK to fit an adult sized head .  Oops. I just will keep it in my cedar chest until the right ‘child’ happens to come by.