tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-182748822011-04-21T21:57:53.250-05:00because pointed sticks can be dangerous.purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1149774503687655652006-06-08T08:47:00.000-05:002006-06-08T08:48:23.710-05:00

...to our own domain name. Yes, as a way to give these vintage patterns a home, I'm packing up and headed to http://www.kitchenerbitch.com. Follow my continued adventures there!

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1149534268635328402006-06-05T13:21:00.000-05:002006-06-05T15:34:01.553-05:00

Here's the next offering in the series. I'm posting these as fast as I can - let me know if there's something in particular you're looking for and I'll try to find it for you! WOMAN'S LOW V-NECK CARDIGAN Choice of 4 Clever Cable Trims Bernat's Handknit Classics - 1945 Sizing: Bust 34" (36", 38", 40", 42", 44") This pattern is sized for two separate gauges of yarn- your choice of

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1149469658499391882006-06-04T19:47:00.000-05:002006-06-04T20:14:22.516-05:00

Here's the second in a series of fabulous vintage patterns. Here's a 1946 baby hat pattern that I've adapted - complete with cute little spaceman antenna! I haven't knit this yet, so if you do, please let me know how it works out. This was figured using the excellent database of vintage yarns - kudos to vintageknits.com! Red Riding Hood Pixie Hat Sizes: Infant (1 year, 3-4 years.)

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1149440373209651642006-06-04T10:10:00.000-05:002006-06-04T11:59:33.230-05:00

Gentle reader, I'm pleased to share with you a mess of vintage patterns I've recently acquired. Here's the first of what hopefully will be many posted patterns - a lovely 1940s cardigan. Enjoy! All-Purpose Cardigan from Sweater Classics for Knitters Vol. 16 (1943) "Just what the name implies! Wear it with anything… anywhere… anytime… it is distinctive… right…

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1149108127883089912006-05-31T13:35:00.000-05:002006-05-31T15:42:08.006-05:00

I don't know exactly when this happened, but this is a lovely resource on lace knitting - the relics of a symposium that took place earlier this month. I especially like the deconstruction of lace patterns. Enjoy!

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1148656274405849882006-05-26T10:07:00.000-05:002006-05-26T10:11:14.433-05:00

Have you gone on over to Eunny Jang's excellent blog recently? Ms. Jang has topped her own amazing lace tutorial (which topped her amazing steek tutorial) by commencing to write a regular advice column for sticky knitting issues. That's right, the reigning knit-mistress of many a difficult technical issue will now answer your toughest questions, pretty much daily. How sweet is that people?

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1148480780274454872006-05-24T09:14:00.000-05:002006-05-24T09:26:20.310-05:00

Here's the latest WIP - in Artyarns Silk Rhapsody, which is sooooo appealing: More to come!

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1147310537968941672006-05-10T20:10:00.000-05:002006-05-22T11:36:40.133-05:00

I came back from Baltimore with serious booty, people, booty of the pirate variety (that is, if pirates could knit.) Here's a sampling of the tastiness I picked up in Maryland: First, the luscious roving in the bottom of the pic. The natural is Corriedale curls; the brilliant orange is blue-faced Leicester and Cotswold. It's ridiculous - I can't spin, and I bought only a tiny amount of each -

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1147212145811833102006-05-09T16:30:00.000-05:002006-05-11T11:24:57.496-05:00

...Baltimore! Yes, fabulous, genteel, skeezy Baltimore, home of Edgar Allen Poe and Divine and the fried soft shell crab sandwich. I spent a wonderful weekend in Charm City with four of my oldest and closest friends. It was a blast - and here's the evidence of a late-night toast to our arrival by the world's most fantastic host, LaddieO: Yes, Maria, Aushra, Laddie and I all make those faces

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1145668596721550132006-04-21T19:55:00.000-05:002006-04-21T20:17:57.436-05:00

The kestrels are back in our neighborhood again. Last year they nested on our roof - a location which, given that we live in the inner city, is not as likely as you might think. Every morning at about 6 AM, we awoke to the sight and sounds of two beautiful hawks. ( Usually the sight and sound of them dismembering a squirrel. If you haven't seen a raptor tear at its prey before you've had your

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1144673770355146782006-04-10T07:49:00.000-05:002006-04-10T18:40:37.950-05:00

I finally finished it! It took me two weeks to block it, only because I didn't want to stop wearing long enough to block it: Pattern: Ella (from Knitty) Yarn: Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb in Gold Hill Needles: size 10.5 circular, 29" Yardage: Approximately 630 yards (3 1/4 skeins) Gauge: 4.5 sts/inch Modifications: used a worsted weight instead of DK weight yarn It's a bit of a blanket, but I'm

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1143303620272210562006-04-01T08:00:00.000-06:002006-04-01T08:28:36.296-06:00

It's time for Flash Your Stash 2006! Before we go straight to the good stuff, a special announcement: CLICK ON EACH PHOTO FOR A JUMBO SCREEN-SAVER SIZED PIC! The detail is MUCH better in the biggies than in the thumbnails. So enjoy. Now, without further ado, uncensored, for your viewing pleasure, LIVE! NUDE! YARN!!! First, the newest addition to my stash, and way up there on the

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1143391030642337382006-03-26T10:29:00.000-06:002006-03-26T10:37:10.663-06:00

Exciting news - intarsia pulling sideways DOES cancel out felting pulling up-down! The image aspect ratio remained nearly the same: I learned something about felting intarsia - if the image is less than two stitches wide, it doesn't show at all. All those delicate one-stitch lines I'd intended to indicate, say, the fold of a petal just made the finished object very indistinct. And in general

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1143346668670052162006-03-25T22:04:00.000-06:002006-03-25T22:17:48.713-06:00

So a little research into the challenge of felting intarsia has proved interesting so far. Knit stitches are wider than they are tall, and felting shrinks work more from top to bottom than from side to side. But intarsia pulls the work inward from side to side, elongating the image - and making a simple adjustment of the pattern image much more difficult. In an ideal world, the effects of

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1143300528904452282006-03-25T09:28:00.000-06:002006-03-25T09:37:06.906-06:00

The incomparable Eunny Jang recently posted a great swatch of an intarsia "brocade" pattern she whipped up for a jacket. It inspired me to mess around with intarsia myself - hence the beginnings of a felted purse with intarsia peonies! Here are the beginnings of the project - just a sketch to chew on while I knit up and felt a pattern swatch: More tomorrow after I have acheived feltage!

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1143118821861327462006-03-23T06:54:00.000-06:002006-03-23T07:00:21.866-06:00

Since there's no photo-worthy progress to note, I thought I'd share some of my new faves with you: - The cutest toys ever - along with free patterns! - are at Wee Wonderfuls - dig the adorable sewn bunny that looks like a bowling pin. - How did I not know that this site existed for so long? You Grow Girl is like Gardenweb with an attitude - wonderful and not bought by some corporate giant entity

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1142885463803531812006-03-20T14:11:00.000-06:002006-03-20T14:11:03.853-06:00

ellahalf Originally uploaded by Mme. Bosanquet. And here she is blocking out - I include this not to show you my slovenly housekeeping or my overweight cat, but to say, it's REALLY FREAKING BIG. That's a queen sized bed that half of it is overwhelming right there. I'm going to have to block it in stages anyway (lest I get a Hugh Hefner-sized bed) so why not satisfy the urge to see it

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1142867490479403332006-03-20T09:11:00.000-06:002006-03-20T09:11:30.483-06:00

ellahalf1 Originally uploaded by Mme. Bosanquet. I've got one "wing" of Ella completed - here's the love of my life and the bane of my existence in her full glory. Love is pain, people. That's what Ella says.

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1142783858395815092006-03-19T09:49:00.000-06:002006-03-25T09:38:27.000-06:00

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1141255337885960262006-03-01T17:04:00.000-06:002006-03-01T17:22:17.913-06:00

Diamond Fantasy is slowly progressing - I've gotten almost through the first repeat and with any luck, I expect to get halfway through another today. It does look much better now that I've ripped it out and knit it again: (pic to come!) But damn, I don't want to do that again. I seem to having some major brain issue involving my ability to count reliably. Yes, I know they cover basic addition in

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140997294022462132006-02-26T17:33:00.000-06:002006-02-27T10:54:32.213-06:00

The Olympics are closing up shop, and I'm afraid that both my Olympic knitting projects have wiped out on the ice. I tore apart that pretty shawl you see down below, because pretty as it was, it was out of whack. And after I did that, I tore down Ella all the way to the split. I *will* learn to knit lace. I will! I'm going to just keep starting over til it kills me. That's the way poor old Don

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140975226274643132006-02-26T11:27:00.000-06:002006-02-26T11:33:48.430-06:00

Here's the Sivia Harding Diamond Fantasy shawl, today's progress, plus bonus obese cat: I thought it was going well and my stitch counts were good - only I just started to wonder why I couldn't see these vertical lines: Worry worry worry! Shawls are starting to make me spilkes in my ginektigazoynt.

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140729997275409292006-02-23T15:23:00.000-06:002006-02-23T15:47:20.010-06:00

Behold the beginnings of the Diamond Fantasy Shawl. I know I shouldn't be worrying yet but I *swear* it isn't coming out quite right. Does this look funny to you? Do these shoes make me look fat? Here's the yarn it's made out of - lovely, luscious YARN PR0NNN!!!!!! Okay, there's some more yarn in there too - also lovely handpainted stuff from my Pal. And here's yet ANOTHER fabulous giftie

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140714464600370612006-02-23T11:04:00.000-06:002006-02-23T11:10:23.310-06:00

From the good people at Hello Yarn: How can you not love this hat? You can find the pattern here, for free no less.

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140621933260924792006-02-22T09:06:00.000-06:002006-02-22T09:28:47.096-06:00

So everyone I know who isn't a knitter has been asking me who the hell Kitchener was, and what it means. The short answer is that Kitchener was a British general who encouraged British womenfolk to knit in World War II. And he had an incredible mustache! A classic handlebar jobbie right out of a Terry Gilliam cartoon. You could hang a tire swing off that thing. The long story is that he was both

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140557364151260202006-02-21T15:24:00.000-06:002006-03-01T17:24:01.466-06:00

The Kerfuffler is moving!That's right, the Kerfuffler is moving to a new name, a new web address, and a new secret identity: that of the Kitchener Bitch. The Kitchener Bitch will be heavier on the knitting and also heavier on the bitch - and I mean that in the best possible way. Knitting, art, movies, politics, the flotsam and jetsam of life... plus funny shit. And obscenity. Because we can. So

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1140470081817342902006-02-20T14:50:00.000-06:002006-02-20T17:29:05.023-06:00

Ah yes, what would knitting be without the agony of defeat every now and then? I frogged Ella. Yes, that's right, down to the naked skein. And why? Because it was the year of knitting dangerously. I was working without lifelines. I was drinking a little wine while knitting from time to time. I even brought Ella along to show its pretty self off at a huge, distracting Stitch n' Bitch, where

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1139415730695774952006-02-08T10:21:00.000-06:002006-02-08T16:17:52.850-06:00

So I forgot to take any pictures at yesterday's Stitch N' Bitch (that's right, SFSE, gimme your best shot!) at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Chicago, but nonetheless a grand time was had by all. Easily 150 knitters came together for the event, which was I believe the 4th to date. Here's the evening's progress with Ella. Can you spot the place I had a glass of wine, and the little holes

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1139256783395520642006-02-06T11:44:00.000-06:002006-02-06T14:13:03.483-06:00

So I've finished up a ton of UFOs (unfinished objects in knitting parlance) and I've got the pics to prove it! Here are a few of the projects I've got finished up, and a few more I have on the needles: Here's Marnie MacLean's Nautilus Hat - my first crown-down hat, knit in Knitpicks Elegance from my lovely Knitty secret pal: and here is a Liesel scarf made out of Elsebeth

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1136904645617853322006-01-10T08:45:00.000-06:002006-01-10T09:11:16.640-06:00

Gotta love it... and in avatar size:

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1133985542867077842005-12-07T13:10:00.000-06:002006-01-10T08:55:54.996-06:00

Okay, so here's my recipe for the world's fastest hat. (Some of you may be saying, it takes mere seconds to put a paper bag on my head - so let me clarify and call it the world's fastest knit hat. 1) Grab a 16" size 13 circular needle and a big old skein of something BIG. I used Cascade's "Magnum" but you could just as easily use Brown Sheep Bulky Spun. 2) Use your favorite method to cast on 48

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1132583474235920262005-11-21T08:19:00.000-06:002005-11-21T08:31:14.246-06:00

Okay, so I have the attention span of a caffeine-soaked mosquito, but I can't help it. Last night I was exposed to the comic genius (that's the accepted term to refer to it, isn't it?) of Harold Lloyd. We watched Safety Last, The Shy Girl, and a couple of shorts... but I'm ashamed to admit that I absorbed about five percent of it. Why? Blame the seductive lure of the talkies. Blame a girl who

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1130776843161518672005-10-31T10:38:00.000-06:002005-10-31T10:40:43.170-06:00

The picture says it all...

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1130252092728260082005-10-25T11:55:00.000-05:002005-10-25T11:11:01.296-05:00

who knows what flotsam and jetsam lurks in the hearts of men? ...the Kerfuffler knows! (Or at least the Kerfuffler is willing to take a stab at illustrating said flotsam, now and again.) it's my new blog - bringing you the infintesimal writ large, and the random obsessed upon in minute detail. Stay tuned! Some small hullabaloo to follow... K.

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18274882.post-1130254456715817242005-10-25T10:06:00.000-05:002005-11-30T08:49:16.943-06:00

I thought I'd kick off the blog by sharing my adventures in finding low-VOC interior paint that won't kill off the cats or poke holes in the ozone! As much as that doesn't seem like too tall of an order, you'd be surprised. The verdict? Low- or no-VOC paints are out there - and they're even nice products. But don't ask for it at a big box... even if they do have it, either they don't know they've

purrlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06273146475182585875noreply@blogger.com2