Tag: knit

Posted in knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry, Team Knit Equals Joy

The Ravellenic Games 2018: FAQ

Posted on by Carol

The Ravellenic Games = awesomeness! But what do you do? How do you participate? This list of FAQs will help you navigate the waters and have a fabulous time.

Frequently Asked Questions – General

  1. The Ravellenic Games?? In a nutshell, Ravelry members have organized a site-wide knit-a-long that takes place during the Olympics. This forum is home to the 2018 Ravellenic Games. Cast-on occurs during the Opening Ceremonies (or any time thereafter), and projects must be completed by the Closing Ceremonies. There are events (categories of projects) and laurels (types of techniques). When you complete and post your project as directed, you will receive virtual awards and laurels, which you can proudly display on your project page and/or your profile.
  2. When is the event?   START TIME:  Friday, February 9 starting at 20:00 in PyeongChang’s time zone.   ENDING TIME:  Sunday, February 25 at 23:59, PyeongChang time.   The 11 posts in this thread have starting times for everywhere in the world.  Here in the Pacific Time Zone, I could cast on at 3 am this Friday morning.
  3. What are the rules? The rules are to pick a project that will challenge you, and to have fun!
  4. Do I have to watch the Olympics to participate? No, not at all.
  5. Do I have to be on a team? No, you can be a participant without a team.
  6. Can I be on more than one team? Yes. The rule is that each project must be associated with no more than one team.
  7. Why would I want to be on a team? A team is like a virtual knit night. We will exclaim over your projects, cheer you on if you falter, and dance a happy dance when you cross the finish line.
  8. Why would I want to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? We are really good at the above! And we have prizes! Read more below.

FAQs – Team Knit Equals Joy

  1.  How do I join Team Knit Equals Joy? Our team thread is here. You can post and say you are joining, or just join the conversation at any time. Tagging your project with ravellenics2018  and teamknitequalsjoy2018 will automatically designate you as one of our ravthletes.
  2.  Do I have to knit a Carol E. Herman pattern to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? No! You can knit any pattern you like. But knitting my patterns will give you extra chances for prizes! 😀
  3. What about prizes? We already have a queue of physical prizes like yarn, project bags and the like for our team. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the Games via random number generator and will be chosen from our team’s finished projects. We have a prize thread started here.
  4. What if I have questions? Post them in the team thread, send me a private message on Ravelry, or ask below.

If you are reading this, you are invited to join Team Knits Equals Joy. I hope that you will consider it. We have so much fun, and an event like this really does provide a lot of inspiration, incentive and encouragement to learn a new technique, finish a languishing WIP (work in progress), or even to frog something you never are going to make and free up that yarn for something else.

Hope to see you there!

~knit equals joy

Posted in Carol E. Herman Designs, knitters, knitting, Ravelry, Weekly Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: New Horizon

Posted on by Carol

The challenge:

This week, we’re challenging you to think ahead and show your work in a representative photo. If you set New Year’s resolutions, give them some thought a few weeks early. If resolutions aren’t your style, show us something that you want to achieve — it could be setting a new goal, making plans, or even tackling that pile of laundry waiting by the washer. The goal is to get out of the busy “now,” and imagine your new horizon. Go!

The photo:

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I am excited about new horizons in 2017! My hope is to change all of my design monikers to knit equals joy.  This will include my designer name and my Ravelry group. The beautiful gold and blue colors you see on this page consistently and constantly call to me, so I foresee them as being front and center in my branding palette (not necessarily in my design palette, although they certainly crop up a lot!).

I enjoyed pulling together the yarns and other items for this still life. Photography continues to be a love of mine, and I look forward to improving my photography skills in 2017 by taking classes and getting in lots of practice!

Thanks for stopping by for my interpretation of this edition of the Weekly Photo Challenge: New Horizon.

knit equals joy

Posted in Carol E. Herman Designs, craft, Ravelry

Advent Mini Swap – Handmade

Posted on by Carol

I’m so excited to be part of the wonderful group of knitters who crafted these beautiful and wonderful gifts we all opened on the second Sunday of Advent. I love the different choices made and the beautiful craftsmanship. These handmade decorations really put me in mind of Christmas, and it brings me joy to see them all together in this collage.

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knit equals joy

Posted in giftalong2016, Indie Design Gift-a-Long, knitters, knitting, Ravelry

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2016

Posted on by Carol

Once again I’m excited to be participating as a designer in the Ravelry-wide Indie Design Gift-A-Long! (This post will be heavy on links to Ravelry; be sure that you join Ravelry if you haven’t already – so that you can follow the links right through to see what all the fun’s about!)

The Indie Design Gift-A-Long (GAL) is a HUGE knit-a-long/crochet-a-long (KAL/CAL) with tons of discounted patterns (during the discount period) and many, many prizes to be given out during the six weeks of the GAL!

The Designers

335 independent designers from all over are participating. You can see who they are here – with pictures indicative of their work. My post is here: #203.

The Discount – 25% 

From November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through November 30th at 11:59 pm (EST) each of 335 participating indie designers will offer 25% off a bundle of patterns with the coupon code giftalong2016. How will you know which patterns are eligible for the discount? Each designer’s post includes a link to his or her Indie GAL bundle of sale patterns. My sale bundle is here.

The Prizes

There are over 100 physical prizes (pictures here) – I’m donating patterns for The Wayfarer Hat and Passport Mitts along with two skeins of Mmmmalabrigo Arroyo to make them with. Check out all the fun and lovely prizes!

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Additionally, each of the designers is donating 6 electronic coupons for free patterns. That means at least 2,000 patterns will be given away over the six weeks of the GAL!

The KALs/CALs

The GAL is divided into eight KALs/CALs, divided by type of project: head, hand, feet, kids, garments, shawls, neck, other.

When the GAL begins, there will be a thread for each KAL/CAL, and in that KAL/CAL, prizes will be given out, games will occur, and there will be lots of fun, chatter, and admiration of knitting (and crocheting).

The KAL/CALs will begin November 22nd at 8:00 pm (EST) through December 31, 2016 at 11:59 pm (EST).

Which patterns are eligible for prizes?

You can make any paid pattern by any participating designer to be eligible for prizes. While no more than 20 patterns will be in the discount bundle of any designer, all of the designer’s paid patterns are eligible for prizes.

Some amazing indie design volunteers are putting together Pinterest boards that will allow you to browse through the GAL-eligible designs by type, and they are also putting together some bundles that will allow you to use Ravelry’s advanced search to look through the sale patterns and all of the eligible patterns. These boards and bundles will be coming soon.

Will you join in?

I hope you’ll consider joining me for this fun and inspiring six-week GAL. This would be a great time to whip out some spa cloths or fingerless mitts for gifts (or for yourself)! Like the Ravellenic Games, the camaraderie is a powerful motivator to finish projects. The possibility of prizes doesn’t hurt either!

Questions?

Feel free to ask me here or in my Ravelry group, or ask over in the GAL group.

Check out this awesome infographic made by Kimberly of Around the World in 80 Skeins . Isn’t it amazing?

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If we don’t touch base again between now and then, have a very happy Thanksgiving.

knit equals joy

Posted in knitted blanket, knitters, knitting, yarn

My favorite blanket – on size 50 (US) needles

Posted on by Carol

AFGHAN 3This is one of my all-time favorite knitting projects.  You may think it looks somewhat old and ratty, and you’d be correct.  It’s just well-loved.  Actually, part of the reason is looks a bit beat up is because of one of the yarns I used, but more about that in a bit.

I love it because it was really quick and easy to make.  I made it when I was a fairly new knitter.

I love it because it is super-warm and comfortable, but because of the construction, it breathes and I don’t  get overheated.

It’s based on an article in the February 2008 issue from Knit ‘N Style by Leslye Solomon titled They’re So Big!!! about knitting with large needles.

This afghan was made with 7-9 strands of yarn knitted together at once, using 500-600 yards of each yarn. I cast on 36 stitches and worked in garter stitch. Whenever I got tired of any one yarn, I cut it and tied on a new different yarn.

My fancy system of keeping the yarns from tangling was to place each ball of yarn in a Ziploc bag, cut off one of the bottom corners, run the end of the yarn through the resulting hole, and seal the bag.

My rule in purchasing the yarns was that they needed to be white or off-white. Since I really knew nothing at the time about different yarns and their characteristics, it made shopping pretty easy. Yarns used included these (and I imagine many of them may now be discontinued): Bernat Satin Sport Solids, Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, Lion Brand Jiffy Solid, Lane Cervinia Le Fibre Nobili Imperiale, and Bernat Soft Boucle. I also used something resembling thick and thin roving – but I have no idea now what it was. That was the yarn that pills so badly – but it surely did make the blanket warm and cushy soft. I also remember buying a yarn that was a raw silk blend.

There’s not much more information on my Ravelry project page, but here it is if you’d like to take a look.

I really do love this afghan and sleep under it every night. Using size 50 needles (25 mm) was a kick in the pants!  Working in garter stitch and changing out just one yarn at a time made things pretty easy. Changing a yarn when I started to get bored kept the work interesting. It’s definitely something to keep in mind if  you’re looking for something unique and different to make!

knit equals joy

P.S.  For reference, the largest needles in the photo are the orange needles, which are size 35 (19 mm). Size 50 needles are BIG!!!

Posted in knitting, Ravellenic Games, Ravelry, Team Knit Equals Joy

The Ravellenic Games: FAQ

Posted on by Carol

For Team Ravatar with words 2 (1280x1280)The Ravellenic Games = awesomeness! But what do you do? How do you participate? This list of FAQs will help you navigate the waters and have a fabulous time.

Frequently Asked Questions – General

  1. The Ravellenic Games?? In a nutshell, Ravelry members have organized a site-wide knit-a-long that takes place during the Olympics. This thread is home to the 2016 Ravellenic Games. Cast-on occurs during the Opening Ceremonies (or any time thereafter), and projects must be completed by the Closing Ceremonies. There are events (categories of projects) and laurels (types of techniques). When you complete and post your project as directed, you will receive virtual awards and laurels, which you can proudly display on your project page and/or your profile.
  2. When is the event? Friday, August 5 starting at 19:15 in Rio’s time zone (BRT) through Sunday, August 21 at 23:59 (BRT). If I’m looking at the time zone converter correctly, that means I can cast on at 15:15 here in the Pacific Time Zone.
  3. What are the rules? The rules are to pick a project that will challenge you, and to have fun!
  4. Do I have to watch the Olympics to participate? No, not at all.
  5. Do I have to be on a team? No, you can be a participant without a team.
  6. Can I be on more than one team? Yes. The rule is that each project must be associated with no more than one team.
  7. Why would I want to be on a team? A team is like a virtual knit night. We will exclaim over your projects, cheer you on if you falter, and dance a happy dance when you cross the finish line.
  8. Why would I want to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? We are really good at the above! And we have prizes! Read more below.

FAQs – Team Knit Equals Joy

  1.  How do I join Team Knit Equals Joy? Our team thread is here. You can post and say you are joining, or just join the conversation at any time. Tagging your project with ravellenics2016  and teamknitequalsjoy2016 will automatically list you as one of our ravthletes.
  2.  Do I have to knit a Carol E. Herman pattern to be on Team Knit Equals Joy? No! You can knit any pattern you like. But knitting my patterns will give you extra chances for prizes! 😀
  3. What about prizes? We already have a queue of physical prizes like yarn, project bags and the like for our team. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the Games via random number generator and will be chosen from our team’s finished projects. We have a thread here with more detail and where we will post our finished objects.
  4. What if I have questions? Post them in the team thread, send me a private message on Ravelry, or ask below.

If you are reading this, you are invited to join Team Knits Equals Joy. I hope that you will consider it. We have so much fun, and an event like this really does provide a lot of inspiration, incentive and encouragement to learn a new technique, finish a languishing WIP (work in progress), or even to frog something you never are going to make and free up that yarn for something else.

Hope to see you there!

~knit equals joy

Posted in inspiration, knitting, photography, The Creative Process, The Design Process, Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday: Why It Belongs in a Knitting Blog

Posted on by Carol

When I first started the Wordless Wednesday feature, my main goal was to have a weekly feature and to be able to share my love of photography.  However, as time has passed, I see that the photos and themes I choose definitely tie in with my knitting and designing, more significantly with the latter.

The first installment, Wordless Wednesday – Well, Nearly…, was mainly an introduction to the feature and, perhaps, to me.

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Three of the Wordless Wednesday stories deal with a huge inspiration for me: color.  Color for me is visceral; beautiful color, whether a single hue or several in combination, elevates.  Wordless Wednesday: Monochrome, Wordless Wednesday: Multi (1) (because I fully expect there to be further “Multi” stories), and Wordless Wednesday: Green.  These beautiful colors inspire my knitting and my design ethic.

Salmon River, Oregon
This golden color may very well be my favorite…
…as evidenced by my use of it in many projects and designs.

Wordless Wednesday: Texture (Beach), Wordless Wednesday: Water, and even Wordless Wednesday: World’s Smallest Harbor explore texture and light, which always, always inform my designs.

I discovered this beach, Gleneden Beach, which is on the Salishan Spit, the year before the Salishan Cowl pattern was written.  I was so shocked and delighted to discover that we had a black sand (or dark sand, at any rate) beach in Oregon.  How could I have lived here for over twenty years and not have known we had such a beach?!?  The wind- and surf-made texture in the sand was a direct inspiration for this cowl.

Salishan Cowl
Salishan Cowl

Wordless Wednesday: Faves and Wordless Wednesday: Colorwork are about beautiful things that are inspiring to me.  I love how these two disparate photos contain nearly the same colors:

Garden Abundance

The Colours of My Life
The Colours of My Life

Wordless Wednesday: What They’re Looking At ponders point of view.  The subjects of these photos are intently looking at something, thinking about it and taking it in. The practice of taking the time to examine something in depth often leads to  design inspiration, at least for me.

cliff and eric on hike

This week’s post will be Wordless Wednesday: Stonework.  Recently we visited the grounds of the Historic Columbia Gorge Hotel and Silver Falls State Park, both of which feature some beautiful stonework.  I was taken with the beautiful warm colors within the stonework and the play of light on the surface of the stones.  One of my favorite photos is of a stonework drinking fountain (!).  I love that a basic, everyday object was made into a beautiful work of art…and that’s what I attempt to do with my knitwear designs.

Wordless Wednesdays serve to share stories with you about what I’m seeing and thinking about, and they serve to keep me rooted in the images – the colors, textures, emotions and impressions – that inspire me.

Thanks for checking in and taking the time to visit!!

Posted in art

The Salem Art Fair & Festival

Posted on by Carol

Today I decided to make my way to the 66th annual Salem Art Fair and Festival.

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Held the third weekend in July, this juried art fair features over 200 regional, national, and international artists.  Twenty-five years ago we moved to Salem in July, and I think the Salem Art Fair is one of the first best things we discovered about our new home.  The artwork is always of high quality, and there are items at all price points.  It’s always a lot of fun to see if you can find that special piece that speaks to you.

This year I was surprised to see more fiber artists.  Perhaps that’s because I am now more aware of the fiber arts.  Check out this fascinating embroidered work: Yan’s Design – Handmade Embroidery Art (link leads to video of the work being done).  She paints on silk and then hand embroiders the detail.  Amazing!  Also lovely was the weaving by Bautista Weaving:

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I loved the canopy of old oak trees that provided much-needed shade at Bush’s Pasture Park, on this day when it was nearly 100 degrees by 1:00.

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The heat did me in.  I headed home, slightly burnt and somewhat disappointed that I was done for the day.  The festival continues tomorrow; I can always go back if it calls to me.

I found just two treasures to bring home, but I was very pleased with them.

The first is the bar of handmade soap I was looking for to send to my swap partner in the Summer Spa Swap we’re having in my Ravelry group.  If you missed this swap, keep an eye out for the next one!  (But I digress!)  I found ArtSoap, which is made by creatively arranging pieces of glycerine soap and then slicing them – think millefiori.  The ArtSoap is definitely a unique look, but it smells divine!  I am hopeful that my swap partner will like it.  Their website is sophisticatedsoap.com.

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I also found this sweet coneflower mug made by Fishbowl Pottery.  I just love it and think the design is perfect!  I love the colors and the sculptural texture of the flowers.  Love!

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I hope you have enjoyed checking out the Salem Art Fair & Festival with me.  I didn’t even mention the food, the live music at the two bandstands, and the performances by the Children’s Educational Theatre!  If you ever have the chance to visit, it is well worth the trip.