Solids Bring Calmness to Quilts



"Mango Topper" from Tapestry of Texture book
Kona solids used with focus and batiks

Solids bring a calmness to quilting. Here in the Graywood Designs Studio we used to shy away from solid colored fabrics. Now we have come to know them as a calming influence in our designs. We like the matte effect that they provide.

Our eyes will travel across the piecing and pause because of a solid. It is that pause and the consideration of "why did the quilter do that?" that makes the the use of a solid give punch to a quilt composition.

Our absolute favorite solids are Robert Kaufman Kona solids. You will find many of the colors that we've used in our books on our website.

"Center Diamond Placemat" -- pattern from Maxmats book
Kona solid used as inside border fabric

Kona Cotton Solids

Tapestry of Texture:  Table Runners & Covers With Quilted Style

Maxmats: Quilted Projects for Kids and Families



S - L - O - W Knitting

SLOW -- 25 stitch
per minute zone

I'm a big believer in slowing some things in life down. Like my knitting. I get clicking away so fast at times that I lose sight of the joy in knitting.

Lately I've been working on a really easy project. It's a shawl that I'm knitting for summer. I've messed up the stitch pattern at least three times. Easy as the sequence is, I knit backwards to the mistake and then, slowly, begin again.

I make myself slow down by stopping at the end of every row and checking the knitting. Sometimes I count the stitches to be sure that the numbers are correct. If I'm doing a lace pattern, I look for the yarn over holes and the decrease bars.

Getting up for a glass of water stretches my back and relaxes my hands. Just looking up from the needles and yarn and leaning back changes my focus and gives my eyes a break.

While it is great to finish a project (or a row or a sequence of rows) it's also good to get to that end with enough energy and enthusiasm to move to the next knitting moment.

Zauberball Socks -- Up Close and Finished!

I've just had too much fun with the word "Zauberball" and with sock knitting. Here are the Zauberball socks, finished, and modeled by my very own two feet, thanks to the magic of easily handled digital cameras. It helps that I finally got a pedicure for my winter weary feet.

I used our NRS Sock pattern to knit this pair. These socks are knit with a six inch leg length in a k 2, p 2 ribbing. The photo on the right shows the two small balls that were left after finishing. I could easily have knit a seven or 8 inch leg; this yarn has very good yardage.

I'm a "wander" knitter -- these socks were started on double point needles. Then they wandered over to one long needle where finished knitting them using the two-at-a-time method. I like to take knitting along when I fly, but I find that managing two balls of yarn doesn't make for easy airplane knitting. So I move socks back and forth between both sock knitting methods. I wander-knit and it works for me.

These socks are knit with Crazy Zauberball in Color #1527 -- teal, burgundy, gray.

One of the drawbacks of having yarn in the Graywood Studio Store is that I don't get to wear the samples that I knit. Not just yet anyway. My knitted Zauberball socks are on display at the Studio Store. So, when you stop by the Studio Store or visit the sock yarns at Graywood Designs.com you can take a look at the luscious colors of Zauberball and a completed pair of socks!

Arlene's Memory Quilt

Arlene Swartzendruber brought in a memory quilt that contains signed squares from colleagues and friends who wished her a happy birthday when she hit the seventy year mark. Since the squares date from over ten years ago, she and I chuckled about how long it takes some of us to finish projects. We both enjoyed looking over the names and reflecting on the days when Pigeon River Mercantile & Wool Co., my former quilt shop, was a big part of our lives.

Names on the quilt include: Jenny Wheeler, Iris Viele, Isabel Leipprandt, Brenda Thompson, Ginny Kohr, Alice Sosnoski, Nancy Englehardt, Zita Sturm, Carol Bain, Doris Gettel, Margery Walendzek, Pauline Eichler, Wanda Eichler, Jane Braun, Goldie Gunden, Loretta Kramer, Gloria Busch, Gail & Lindsie Brown, Mary O'Brien Terbush, Janet Adler, Kellie Deming, Delia Favazza, and Jane Spencer.

Thank you to Mary Quintessa Damen for taking this photo of Arlene and me. Special thanks to Arlene for letting us display her quilt which brings back lots of memories!

FREE PATTERN: Basic Diagonal Washcloth

Easy knitting. That's what washcloths are and that's why we see so many of them at craft shows and bazaars. We are re-imagining the basic washcloth.

We see it as a spa gift decked out with a sparkly ribbon and wrapped around a bar of glycerin soap. Such a thoughtful gift.

Make it a "green" gift by using Recycled Cotton yarn. This yarn has a tweedy texture and is made from the trimmings that are discarded during the manufacturing of teeshirts.

Here's the pattern for a Basic Washcloth:

• Needle size: US#6 
• Yarn: Recycled Cotton 

1. Cast on 4 stitches. 
2. First increase row: K 2, yo, knit to end of row. 
3. Repeat this row until there are 44 stitches on needle. 
4. First decrease row: K 1, k2 tog, yo, k2 tog, knit to end of row. 
5. Knit until there are 4 stitches left on needle. 
6. Bind off. Weave in ends.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is the classic, diagonally knit, garter stitch dishcloth. Most knitters can dash off one of these in an evening. Take this knitting along when you want a project where your hands are clicking but your brain is elsewhere.

Recycled Cotton Yarn -- 6 colors -- 185 yards/100 gram skein

Supersock Yarn Knits Up So-o-o Smoothly!

 Luscious color, yarn that flows and glows -- what more can a knitter ask? You will like the feel of knitting with Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock Select yarn. Here's a pair of socks that I just finished using the color "Martha's Vineyard."

About the knitting: I went back and forth from knitting one sock at a time with Clover Bamboo double points in 2.75 mm (US #2) to doing two socks at a time with an Addi Turbo 2.75mm 40" needle. Sometimes I find that when I'm traveling it is easier to knit with one ball of yarn. That's when I take one sock off of the magic loop needle and keep on knitting.

I began knitting this yarn on a US#1 needle. I cast on 68 stitches and knit almost 2 inches of 1 by 1 ribbing. Then I slipped the ribbing band onto a holding strand and tried it on my foot. The cuff was more stretchy than I expected. It slid over my heel and ankle easily and was too big for my calf. I like a tighter fitting sock, so I started again. This time I cast on 60 sts and used a US#2 needle, just like I usually do for socks. 

About the pattern: I used the broken rib stitch leg pattern with a 1 by 1 ribbing. This is the pattern that is pictured on the right on the front of our NRS Socks pattern. The broken rib gives interesting texture to the fabric and is an easy variation to remember. The NRS Sock pattern has lots of photos, some stitch variations, and full directions (with photos!) for doing Kitchener stitch to weave the toes. It is written for double point needles, but if you have done the magic loop method you can adapt it easily for the NRS socks. As you know, this pattern is by Graywood Designs and we know that we publish good stuff!

Finishing: After the socks came off the needles, I soaked them for a half hour in two quarts of warm water with a half cap of lavendar Eucalan. I rinsed them lightly in another basin of warm water and rolled them in a terry cloth towel. I laid them out on a counter top and turned them every 2-3 hours. In about 12-14 hours, the socks were dry. 

And a bit more: When I start a pair of socks with Cherry Tree Hill's Supersock again, I will try casting on even fewer stitches (probably 56) and use US#1 needles since there is a lot of give to the knitted fabric with the 100% wool. Hmm, I like the color "Spring Frost" -- maybe I'll give that color a try next! Maybe tonight!

Using Bamboo & Cotton Batting

We used bamboo/cotton batting for the table runners and covers in our last quilting book, Tapestry of Texture, and were very pleased with the results. The quilted items are soft, the quilt layers held together with a magical clinginess and it was like stitching through butter to put the machine stitches in place. Bamboo in clothing or yarn or batting is actually rayon. Like cotton, it is a cellulosic fiber. This batt is a 50-50 blend of bamboo and cotton, both renewable resources.

We are carrying a larger batt on our website for you to try. Fairfield makes this batt in a 60" by 60" size, just right for slicing off some placemat samples and then enough left over for a runner or two. Here's an idea -- order one or two batts for your quilting group and offer a "bamboo trial" for your members.

Nature-FilTM Batting -- 60" x 60"