More Trendy Knitting

For some reason a blog post I wrote in 2008 pops up when you google "Trendy Knitting Patterns." At the time, I was exploring the most popular patterns according to Ravelry. Here we are, three years later... I guess this means it's time to make an update!

Ravelry has over 1.5 million members now! The information you read here is based on the statistics of their members. Obviously there are more knitters in the world than those who have joined Ravelry and uploaded projects but I find this to be interesting anyway. See what you think.

First we will examine what is called "popular." Ravelry uses some kind of magic to determine popularity. I think it's a blend of number of projects, number of hearts (when another user "favorites" a project), and number of queues (others who want to knit it). If anyone knows the formula, please let me know!

Here is where I would put all of the questions about the magic formulas that determine popularity of people, places and things of the world throughout time and space. Just push that schoolyard junk out of your mind for now if you can. This is about knitting, people. Knitting is safe and we are all included in it. It's ours!


My Monkey Socks

On to the trendspotting!

Back then, the most popular knitting patterns (in order) were:
1. Monkey by Cookie A
2. Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
3. My So Called Scarf by Allison Isaacs
4. Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
5. Jaywalker by Grumperina

According to Ravelry the top five most popular patterns now (in order) are:
1. Ishbel by Ysolda Teague
2. Citron by Hilary Smith Callis
3. Traveling Woman by Liz Abinante
4. Turn a Square by Jared Flood
5. Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson

Observations: three years ago it was socks, fingerless gloves, scarf, scarf/shawl, socks. Now it's shawl, shawl, shawl, hat, hat. Back then socks were more popular. Now, there isn't one sock pattern in the top 40 most popular patterns. Fascinating!

It's safe to say shawls are the thing now. Looking at the top 10 most popular patterns, 7 of them are shawls.

Also, let's look at price. Back then, all of the top five patterns were free. Now, three of them are. This is too small a sample to make a conclusion but it's interesting to me anyway.

Okay, let's now look at the patterns with the most projects. There is some overlap, but not as much as you'd think.


My Clapotis

The top five with the most projects right now are:
1. Clapotis by Kate Gilbert (18244 projects)
2. Fetching by Cheryl Niamath (17891 projects)
3. Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann (15353 projects)
4. Monkey by Cookie A (14730 projects)
5. Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf (13325 projects)

Observations: Even though patterns like Clapotis, Fetching, and Monkey aren't considered to be as popular as they once were, they have stood the test of time. They have been knit by many and will endure, I'm sure. Monkey is 53rd on the most popular list and Fetching is 145th! What was the formula for popular again?

Compare these numbers to the top five most popular projects right now:

Ishbel 10157 projects
Citron 7752 projects
Traveling Woman 6492 projects
Turn a Square 8791 projects
Star Crossed 7919 projects

The numbers are way lower. What does it all mean? Dunno. But it's neat to see.

Finally, the Baby Surprise Jacket needs a special mention. It was first published in 1968, making it the oldest pattern on the list by a good many years. It's 10th most popular and has the 3rd most projects. Everyone has an opinion on it and making one is a rite of passage. One could write a great deal about this pattern but I'll leave it for now. I just wanted to shine a tiny light in it's direction.

All of the patterns and designers mentioned here are awesome. It's likely you've knit or thought about knitting something on here. I've made the Fetching, Monkey and Clapotis. How about you?

Mithril Cowl

Hi friends! I've got a pattern to share with you today. Meet the Mithril Cowl.



Mithril is a strong but lightweight rare metal appearing in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf even rated Bilbo’s mithril coat (later inherited by Frodo) as "greater than the value of the whole Shire and everything in it."

While you might not need the same protection a hobbit on a long journey would, surely a fine lace cowl will provide some beauty along your own path. This pattern has two versions: a complex lace and cabled cowl or a simpler lace and stockinette cowl. You pick!



Details:

Cowl Size: One Size. Measurements taken after blocking.

Cowl Circumference: 28 inches (71 cm) Cowl Length: 11.5 inches (29 cm)

Needles: 1 set US #3/3.25mm 24” circular needle or size to get gauge.

Gauge: 22 sts/28 rows = 4" in Stockinette St.

Yarn: Any Fingering-weight yarn that gives you proper gauge. Sample shown: A Verb For Keeping Warm Creating [100% merino wool; 385yd per 100gr skein]; color: Asterix: 1 skein.

Notions: Stitch marker, cable needle (for complex version only), tapestry needle.

Skill level:
Simple version: Advanced beginner - Worked in the round with picot edges, simple lace and stockinette body.

Complex version: Intermediate to advanced -
Worked in the round with picot edges, complex lace and cabled stitches.



I hope you like it! If you are interested in knitting your own mithril cowl, follow the links below.

buy now

add to cart

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Thanks to Sorren Kerr for modeling and test knitting and Vivian Aubrey for the photographs.

Mitten Time

"For the compulsive knitter, hot weather need not put a crimp in his or her activity. Large projects may lie heavy and warm on the lap, but small things like mittens and socks are easy to carry about outdoors and can be made surprisingly fast. Stash them away as they are finished, and when the time comes, next winter, you can deal them out with a liberal hand." - Elizabeth Zimmermann (Knitter's Almanac, 1974)


photo by hyku

I am designing my first pair of mittens right now and I'm surprised by how much fun I'm having with them. Mittens, you say?

Mitten things:

1. Faster and easier than socks, but you still need to make two.

2. Designing one pair leads to designing several pairs. I have several new ideas now. Yeah!

3. I can count the number of times I've actually worn mittens on one hand. But not if that hand was wearing a mitten.

4. A list of five things is way better than a list of four things. Everyone knows that.

5. I could leave you with a cutesy rhyme of kittens with lost mittens but I am more inclined to share with you this gem from Northern Ireland instead:

A Mitten lost on Brighton Pier
by Patrick Daniel Toland

It is the most
inconsequential of things -
fallen there among wrappers,
fortunes and evening tears.

The karaoke bar is singerless,
the washing waves are morning post
waiting for the sort.
The seagulls pair and criss
and confident in their kind.

Out there, perhaps someone walks,
hand to pocket, unbalanced,
out of sight.

Sock Summit 2011 Aftermath

It was a lovely event and I am lucky to have been there. I should have taken 100 photos but instead I have a few. Wanna see? (Click on any of them to see them bigger)

The location:



My Classes:





The stuff:




My first Signatures!


Thing-a-ma-hook:


Speaking of Spindle Cat Studios, here is the aluminum foil sock:


Here is Stephen HizKnit hizSelf:


I posed for a project connected to a neat new book, My Grandmother's Knitting by Larissa Brown. As you can see, it was my own grandmother who taught me how to knit. I'm happy to see a book that honors the tradition, instead of the typical "This ain't you grandma's knitting" type of marketing we've had to endure.


photo by Larissa Brown

In summary, I loved seeing old friends and making new ones. I loved the classes I taught and took. I loved the marketplace and having friends there to share it with. The best parts for me were the little things too small and numerous to list.

Also, I came away feeling like I will be able to start designing again in full force this fall. Thank you Sock Summit, you magical beast. I look forward to your return in 2013.

Yes, you are in the right place

I updated the look of this blog!

The blog looked the same since 2006. It was time, people.

Heart of Gold

Sock Summit ended today. I was very lucky to be able to attend and witness the full banana. After a little decompression I will share more of my Sock Summit experiences with you, promise. But for now, I am overwhelmed. Tonight I find myself unable to sleep.



Do you have a few minutes to spare? This is a gem!

Recorded live in 1971, here is Neil Young performing a then-new song Heart of Gold. This song was officially released the following year on the now classic album Harvest. Great album, yes. Can I say I always feel like there is a song that doesn't belong on there? I often skip it when I am paying attention. It's A Man Needs a Maid, and it's kind of a bummer (to me).

Regardless, take a moment if you would. Perhaps it's the insomnia talking but the lyrics seem to be really mirroring my life.

"Heart Of Gold"

I want to live,
I want to give
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

I've been to Hollywood
I've been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean
for a heart of gold
I've been in my mind,
it's such a fine line
That keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

Keep me searching
for a heart of gold
You keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm growing old.
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.

It Happened

Sock Summit Flash Mob

With the teacher dinner eight hours away from this here moment I find myself in a state of unfocused panic and excitement. I had to look at the Sock Summit website one more time to be sure it's real.

Then I stumbled upon this:



Just curious how many people are going to do this...?

I am also looking at twitter too much because there is a lot of Sock Summit buzz there. I happened to see this tweet from Interweave:

InterweaveNews Jaime Guthals
Free IW book (your choice) to the person who gets Ann Budd (sober) to do flash mob dance at #socksummit. 2 @IWBooks if you get it on camera

So many questions.

edited to add: Oh yeah, should I be knitting a sock during the summit? Why is this just occurring to me now?

Getting ready for Sock Summit 2011

Good day party people! Our mayor has officially declared next week to be "Sock Knitting Week" in Portland so I better get on board with this significance asap.


(Yes, you may have to click on that one to read it)

Here we are, less than a week away from Sock Summit 2011. It's hard not to reflect on what the first Sock Summit was like and what it meant for me. I always find time for reflection when deadlines loom.

It was a magical experience. There was a convention center full of energized and joyful knitters. Everywhere you looked, someone was knitting. I belonged. We understood each other. It was like finally arriving at Hogwarts after living too long under the stairs in a muggle house.

In the broader sense I was crazy in love with my community, my friends, and my town. I had a million ideas and I was excited about everything. I felt connected to an ocean of potential and I had an awesome surfboard. My future was waiting. In short, I was just so happy.


photo taken of Sock Summit 2009 Ravelry party laughter by leethal

It's bittersweet to recall these times. The universe knows, my friends know. This go around my life looks quite different. I'll let someone else speak (poetically) on the subject: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." (attributed to Dr. Seuss)

This is a fresh start. It will be a different Sock Summit too. Last time we set a world record. This year there will be a flash mob. Last time my new friend Stephen hizKNITS bought me socks from Barbara Walker. THE Barbara Walker.



These are her actual socks. She knit them flat and seamed them up and wore them a great deal. I used to have them hanging by my front door. I've moved twice since then and I think they are now living in a box somewhere.


(I gave Stephen some homespun to say thank you. He seemed to like it.)

I'm happy to report that my classes are all booked up next week. I am looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. I wonder what else this period of time will bring and what the future holds for me now.

I plan on finishing the Socks For All Seasons e-book before the Summit. I plan on releasing details of my new club during the Summit as well. Now that I think about it, there are many exciting fiber-y happenings just around the corner. Stay tuned!

July 2011

This is what summer has brought me so far...

And the Pursuit of Happiness

With Sock Summit approaching and deadlines left and right I feel compelled to tell you something unrelated... A great book sits on my coffee table! Have you seen it?



Originally this collection was presented as a blog series in the New York Times and now as a wonderful book of (mostly) illustrations from Maira Kalman. This book takes you through an entire year's worth of exploring American democracy in imaginative and personal ways.


click on picture to read text. Really you must.

Highlight: Kalman visits the Pentagon and writes "I wonder, why does the building have to be as bland and as soulless as a hospital? Have they not seen any James Bond movies? Would it kill them to have some style?"

Thank you for allowing this detour. I needed a break.

To see Amazon's page for this book, go here:
And the Pursuit of Happiness (See all Social History Books)

Thanks to Mr. 12 and Tutu for the book. I love it!

For those with a case of the Mondays

Photo by Dan Bush. Poem by Langston Hughes

Gather out of star-dust
Earth-dust,
Cloud-dust,
Storm-dust,
And splinters of hail,
One handful of dream-dust
Not for sale.