my life in stitches

Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour: one sofa, four looks

what i love best about my sofa is it’s clean, modern design. It’s the perfect backdrop on which to showcase my beloved, hand knit afghans and cushion covers. i get bored by rooms that look the same for ages and ages. i can barely make it through a month without doing something to freshen up my décor. changing the afghan that adorns my sofa changes the entire look of the room.

on the left, Metropolis. this lovely throw is one of my favorite projects in the book. it’s beautiful and it’s really easy to knit. even a beginner can take this on. wondering how you can make this throw larger? Knit strip one, then repeat strips 2 and 3 to make it bigger (every repetition of these 2 strips increases it’s size by 2/5) and then finish it off with strips 4 and 5. i will be really interested to see what color combinations knitters come up with for this. it is shown here with the Potluck Patchwork Pillow.

on the right,Bauhaus. this super chic, minimalist look seems to appeal to just about everyone. i’ve received more comments and compliments about this than any other project in the book! this is sure to be the both the most beautiful and the most pain free project that you have had on your needles in a really long time!

on the left is Dada. are you a member of the cult of denim knitting? i wasn’t before, but i think i am now. denim is not the easiest fiber to work with nor to care for. you have to be careful that the darker denim doesn't leave a stain. nevertheless, the results definitely make the work and care well worth the trouble. just the sight of this throw on my sofa makes me really happy. it has a  vintage look really appeals to me.  also, it has a well-defined, modern design that I find really pleasing to the eye. that’s the Hudson Cushion Cover on the right.

and, last of all, is an old favorite. it’s Mod on Mod from Yarnplay! i absolutely adore this blanket. It bounces back and forth between my bed and my sofa. the sunny colors never fail to lift my spirits!

change your afghan, change the mood of your room!

(I really wanted to say, ‘change your afghan, change your life’, but I guess some people might not take décor as seriously as i do.)

tomorrow the blog tour stops at Mad For Knit. see the previous post for the entire blog schedule and info on the Yarnplay Knitalong.

happy knitting!

 

Yarnplay At Home happenings

the Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour begins here on monday. i'm really excited.

monday, 1/21 - http://mylifeinstitches.net/
tuesday, 1/22 - http://madforknit.blogspot.com/
wednesday, 1/23 - http://purljam.typepad.com/purl_jam/
thursday, 1/24 http://purlsjustwannahavefun.typepad.com/
friday, 1/25 - http://www.scoutj.com/

The Yarnplay At Home knitalong is here.

naturally, my book signing and workshop is being held on the coldest weekend we've had in a year. i hope you'll bundle up and come out to say 'hey'!

Book signing for Yarnplay At Home  - Saturday, January 19th from 11:30 am – 1 pm at Gauge followed by a workshop;

Yarnplay: Knitting From The Stash
A cushion cover workshop with Lisa Shobhana Mason

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

1:00 – 4:30 pm at Gauge

5406 Parkcrest Dr., Austin, TX 78731
Cost: $40 plus materials

To register, contact Gauge at 512.371.9300

today i'm off to an 11 am showing of the new Daniel Day Lewis film, 'There Will Be Blood.' now, i just have to decide which sweater and which pair of boots to wear. can you tell that i'm thrilled to finally have a bit of winter? =)

taking shape

the workshop cushion cover is finally coming together i finished the button band and facing this morning. i contemplated blocking it, but i don't want to run the risk of having any of the colors run. my guess is that a cold water wash would be fine, but considering that i had to redo the buttonhole band several times because of various stupid mistakes and miscalculations, i had better not take any chances. even the simplest of tasks becomes complicated when i'm operating under PMS brain fog. there's not enough chocolate in the world to bring me out of it.

i blocked the back this morning. i sort of regret that i didn't knit the button band in a color different from the rest of it. for the aforementioned reasons, i decided against ripping that part back and reknitting it in another color. knitting disasters almost feel personal when i have PMS, so i thought it best to avoid creating one.

Yarnplay At Home happenings

i've started at Yarnplay At Home group on Ravelry. here's the group description;

For all the knitters who are fans of Yarnplay and Yarnplay At Home and the designs of Lisa Shobhana Mason. Here is the place to discuss patterns, share your ideas with other knitters, show off photos of your completed projects and receive help and tips from fellow knitters and from the designer Lisa Shobhana Mason. Let's play together!

Book signing and workshop

Book signing for Yarnplay At Home  - Saturday, January 19th from 11:30 am – 1 pm at Gauge followed by a workshop;

Yarnplay: Knitting From The Stash
A cushion cover workshop with Lisa Shobhana Mason

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

1:00 – 4:30 pm at Gauge

5406 Parkcrest Dr., Austin, TX 78731
Cost: $40 plus materials

To register, contact Gauge at 512.371.9300

In this workshop you will learn how to create a one-of-a-kind, 14” x 14” cushion cover primarily using the yarn in your stash. Lisa Shobhana Mason, author of Yarnplay and Yarnplay At Home, will teach you how to:

• Work with color.
• Make the best use of the leftover strands and skeins that you have in your stash.
• Use your intuition combined with your personal taste to create a unique project.
• Work loosely from a template rather than strictly following a pattern.

Skill Level: Intermediate

You should know how to cast on, knit, purl, pick up stitches, mattress stitch, and bind off.   

it's here!

look what just arrived! my advance copy of Yarnplay At Home. it is so surreal to finally hold it in my hands. i am really, really pleased with how the book turned out. the release date has been pushed up to mid December, so it should be available before xmas. many of the projects in the book are decorating my home now. you'll get to see a bit of that during the Yarnplay At Home Blog Tour. speaking of which, if you're interested in hosting a date on the blog tour, please email me. this invitation is open to anyone who hosted the Yarnplay Blog Tour as well as new participants. if you're new, you should check out the previous tour and email me with any ideas you have. if you previously contacted me, your name is still on the list and i will be in touch. the tentative date is mid to late january. i will be doing a book signing (and possibly a class) here in Austin in January. i'll post details as they become available. if you worked on a project for the book, you can expect to receive your project along with your copy of the book around late december / early january.

in knitting news, i've been mostly working on small projects. i decided to knit pocketbook slippers for a couple of family members for xmas. i love that it's a cute, quick, and easy project. this pattern reminds a bit of the telephone game in that the final result is a bit different from the original pattern. i have had to tweak this tweaked version of the pattern in order to get the strap to fit better. anyway, it's fun to knit and a great way to use up leftover yarn! photos to come.

i am alive!

well, hey there! yes, i am alive. thanks for all of your emails inquiring into my whereabouts. i am busy working on my final projects for Yarnplay At Home, project #24 of 25 is on the needles now. i think this one might be my favorite. ooh! i wish i could share it with you. i've been having a great time designing and knitting these projects. it's an interesting shift for me, moving from garments to decor. all of my life, i've been about fashion. having a unique look has always been a priority. at the same time, i never much cared about my home decor. i was always traveling and moving around, living a very nomadic sort of life. i wasn't terribly interested in owning furniture and acquiring things for my home. and while i'm still into fashion, within the past couple of years i've become more interested in my home decor. i'm sure it has everything to do with the fact that i'm traveling less and not moving as frequently as i once did and i want my home to be beautiful and comfortable and some place where i want to hang out and have people over. so, i am designing pieces that i would want to knit for my own home. and, well, considering that they will end up here eventually, i guess i am doing just that! i believe their appeal goes beyond my eclectic taste and i think you'll want to knit them too!

this year i will be making my sock design debut for Scout's Indie Swag Club! i pretty much have no idea what i'm going to do, so keep your fingers crossed.

i'll be back soon with actual photos of non-book related knitting! yay!