Sontags everywhere

Remember that sontag I'm knitting my mom? There is a whole article in the newest Piecework magazine about sontags, complete with photos of women my mom knows.

Commend Me to a Knitting Wife: Knitting during
the American Civil War and A Civil War–Era Sontag to Knit by Colleen Formby

"The author’s research will enlighten anyone interested in re-creating period knitted goods. The sontag was an article of women’s clothing worn for warmth in mid-nineteenth-century America."

El Dodgerino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing

I just realized I haven't put a picture of Dodger up on this blog in forever!

New Year

Dear blog readers,

I just turned thirty and I got engaged!

For my thirtieth birthday, I bought myself this cool table top swift and a ball winder. Swift made by Oregon Woodworker and bought online--check them out, they are amazing. The whole thing comes apart, and I store it behind my bed.

Here's his-and-hers scarves by me. I knit the hat too. This was taken on our after Christmas trip to Gatlinburg, where Paul proposed.

Favorite Hat

I wear this hat just about every day. It's one of my favorite things I've ever made: it's warm, it's pretty, I love the color! The pattern is a free one from knit picks, Georgian Lace Cap. The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Angora in turquoise (60% angora, 20% wool, 20% polymide). I made two for gifts.



Don't it make my hazel eyes green?

Mom'a Sontag

My mom's big hobby is Civil War reenacting. She regularly puts on a big ole skirt (that she hand sewed herself). For a while she's wanted me to knit her a sontag. It's a little like a cross between a shawl and a vest. It covers your back and has pieces that cross over your front and tie around your waist.
I was resistant to taking this project on because there is not an exact pattern: like many historical patterns it's more of a sketch of how it's done than something that takes you by the hand, telling you finished measurements and how many stitches you have at all times. Sigh. I have just had to let go and go with things.

I helped mom choose a beautiful merino Knit Picks DK yarn in hollyberry, with fedora (brown) for the crocheted border. Next, I chose a stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Knitting called "diagonal weave." This is a slip-stitch pattern that looks a lot more difficult than it is. I expect it will be very warm!

Lace Ribbon Scarf

I'm blocking my Lace Ribbon Scarf. I knit it very leisurely from April until November on size 3 (size 3!!) needles. It's for me. I can't wait to try it out. It's so long I'm blocking it in two pieces. Here is the first half:

Doggie and Bunny

These are fast little projects from the book Sock and Glove. They are made from pairs of knit gloves ($1.50 for two pairs at Target), safety eyes, poly stuffing, buttons, and thread.

I think they are a cute size for little kids, though you'd need to make them more child-safe than these. Fun!