They can't all be winners.

So apparently, attempting the mobius cast on for the first time while riding in the passenger's seat of a car, may not be the best laid plans of mice and men. As I mentioned before, I started working on Cat Bordhi's mobius scarf while driving to Houston a couple of weeks ago. When you finish her awesome cast on it's really important to lay it down on a flat surface and check to make sure that the circ cord only has ONE cross in it. I did do this, I swear, except that I had to use my lap instead of a table and apparently that didn't so much work for me. As I was knitting, I thought something looked strange but because mobius pieces are knit from the middle outwards and I had never worked this way before, I wasn't sure. Soooo, I finished my scarf but instead of one twist I have at least three. Doh! The FO actually still looks fairly pretty except that the twisted area looks vaguely like a wrung out wash cloth.

I keep playing around with different ways to wear it--it kind of works if I wear half of the scarf on one shoulder and let it cross over my chest, much like one would a purse strap in the middle of a busy crowd. I don't know--I may end up steeking it and turning it into something else. We'll see.
I've been a little quieter than usual over the past week because I'm on a time crunch to get this little how-to book done. I've been sitting in front of my laptop forever which is where I'll remain for the the next two weeks. That said, I would love some break-time distractions in the form of a WIP roll call. What are you working on? C'mon, I showed you (some of mine), you show me yours! What pattern(s) are you working off of? What yarns are you using? Inquiring minds wanna know!

Quickie

I've given up getting any signifigant work done on my book this week. Between the kids' schedules, today's Austin Craft Mafia photo shoot (for Jewell,a local shopping magazine) and prepping for the next Knit.1 celeb interview, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Since my deadline for this book is September 15th though, I'm going to have to kick extra buttockus next week. Lordy.

Even though I don't always have time to respond, I always love when people write me and/or send me crafty related pictures. Considering that even now, there are still some stereotypes of the type of person who knits though, I especially loved this photo left for me on my MySpace page a couple of days ago from a woman who made the wristbands that she and her husband are wearing.



In other non-related, not-so-much news, I recommend the new Mates of State cd, Bring It Back. Good stuff. Oh and for a good read, check out Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs--it's both hilarious and saddening at the same time. Not that you asked, but still.

More later!,
Vickie

Yarn on a Muthaf*%#$n' Needle!

Good Monday to you! Now that my Travelpalooza summer has come to an end, I'm finally catching up on stuff. Soooo, finally, new Vic's Picks are up! Also, I'm going to try (but no promises) to get an Ask Crafty question a day answered.

It's new Knitty Gritty day with guest, Annie Modesitt! Check it out to see how to make this kickin' corset!

My weekend was entertainment action packed! My boyfriend was so excited about the opening of Snakes on a Plane on Friday (I'm serious) that he called me several times throughout the day to remind me that there was only 8...4...2...more hours to go until we'd be sitting in the theater watching Sam Jackson make his now infamous declaration. I acted as dry and blase as possible during each conversation, but secretly find it adorable that he gets so excited about things he deems major events. Austin tends to take an amusement park approach to movie going, so the Alamo Drafthouse audience was greeted with a special Snakes on a Plane menus complete with Samuel Jackson Bad Ass Beer and dishes garnished with small plastic reptiles. I love this town.

Saturday, we made the pilgramage to Houston to see a DEVO show with Psychedelic Furs and When in Rome. Admittedly we opted out of showing up for W.I.R. in favor of making a stop at Ikea (for now, Houston has the closest store) to get the kiddos a table & chairs for their bedroom. We got to the arena just as the Furs where going on stage. To my surprise, we had floor seats which of course, ruled (although sadly, there weren't many more people there than could fill the floor and a few rows past it). The lead singer now looks like a publicist but his voice, still sounds exactly, awesomely the same. The rest of the band, well, seemed to have shown up purely for the paycheck. DEVO, as a whole, was still incredible! They still put on the same act, with the same costumes, including the energy domes & soccer shorts. Well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive!

On the knitting front, as usual, I have a ton of WIPs on needles. Thought I'd share a few of them.

This is the Scottish scarf from the travel issue of Knit.1 Magazine. I'll duplicate stitch the "X" portion of the argyle once the whole thing's knitted.


This is the Rambling Rows afghan I'm working on to match my geisha painting.




Nine months after shooting the episode, I finally got around to trying Cat Bordhi's mobius scarf. Since taking this picture I've finished the lace sequence and am about to work on the border. It took me a couple of times to remind myself of how to do the crazy cast-on but this project is a lot of fun to work on.


Alright, that's it for me. Back to work!

xo,
Vickie

Loomtasticly Loominating!

Thank you so much to everyone who's thrown out possible episode ideas so far. I've added a bunch to the pitch list over the past couple of days and that's due in large part to your help as well as those who responded to me on MySpace. I really appreciate all of the responses and would love if you'd keep any additional suggestions flowing! (Not only do I love hearing what you have to say, but reading your posts gives me an excuse to procrastinate even more than I already am on working on the project I have due next month. ;-)) Knitty Gritty won't actually start pre-production for at least another 3 weeks so up until then I'll continue compiling a list to hand over to the producers once they're ready to go. I should give a little disclaimer though that although I do have a lot of creative involvement with most seasons of the show, I in no way have final say as to who the guests are or what the ultimate episode content is. To my Loomlicious Lovies: FYI, I assure you that your call for loom shows has been heard loud and clear. I can't make any promises, but I will say that I've added the topic to my list, you've totally peeked my interest about the technique and I'll do what I can to make sure that your collective voice is heard. I actually had no idea that that many needleless knitters watched the show. Very cool! :-)

Oh, I also wanted to address the crochet thing. Although we did shoot a show last year (I'm not sure yet though, when it's scheduled to air) with Candi Jensen that incorporated crocheted edgings with knitted pieces, any completely crochet-focused shows are saved for Uncommon Threads. I know, drag, but Allison's show is awesome as is she, so it's all good. I'm hoping though that after Catwalk Crochet is finished, if I bat my eyelashes and smile pretty, they'll let me be come on as a guest. ;-)

Having to do with nothing, I did some leg weight action at the gym today for the first time since oh, probably 1994. I'm already hurting.

Ok, off to my son's flag football practice.

Happy trails,
Vickie

Knitty Gritty Ideas?

Hey all! I'm working on a pitch list for seasons 7 & 8 (yup, that's right, we've shot 6 seasons already!) of Knitty Gritty, which will go into production at the end of the year. I've met gobs of cool people at various fairs, expos and conventions that I've included in the list but I would LOVE to hear what you'd like to see on upcoming episodes of the show. Please post a comment with any guest, project or technique ideas you're interested in. Even if we've covered something similar to your suggestion in the past we may be able to come up with a new spin on it for the future, so don't hold back!

Thanks in advance. Any success that Knitty Gritty has is all due to the fans, so I greatly appreciate your input!

Crafty Kisses,
Vickie

There's No Place Like Home

Over the past two months I've been to Indiana, New York (twice), Dallas, Texarkana, Knoxville and Los Angeles. I have to say, it is so good to be home knowing that for at least the next month, I'll regularly sleep in the home that I work hard to pay the morgage for. As of tomorrow, I have 28 days to write an entire (albeit small) instructional book so needless to say, I'll be chained to this laptop for a while.

When we last left off, I was in Knoxville shooting a Holiday Open House special with 12 other DIY personalities. Setting aside the gajillion degree weather during what was supposed to appear like a winter shoot, the trip was a total blast! Actually, it was like living in our own episode of Surreal Life. We did most of our work in different houses and weren't all required to be on camera at the same time. When we weren't needed, we all hung out on the couches in one room watching TV together--at one point I was in the bathroom getting make-up applied when I hear one of the hosts scream my name. I ran out to see the whole group pointing at the screen, hysterically laughing at a particularly embarassing old Knit Bit of mine that involves me strapped to a fake rocket and being shot into space (a barbie doll acting as my body double). Nice. After that, the TV mysteriously changed channels. ;-) It's so weird hanging out with a bunch of people with the same job when it's something as unconventional as being a How-to TV host. I mean, it's not like I get to talk shop a lot--well, except with Jennifer P. Everybody was so nice and down to earth that I was honestly sad to leave them. I taught Andrew from Tricked Out to knit, practiced fake (joke) smiles with Steve from Creative Juices, swapped industry tips with Paul from Kitchen Renovations and hung out with the entire group every single night in our hotel restaraunt. It was good times. So, since a pictures say a combined thousands of words--words that I'm sure you don't have the time or desire to read anyway were I to write them, here are some photos for your viewing enjoyment.

Andrew Totolous learning to knit.


All of us prepping for a promo photo shoot.


Me, Jen & Steve hanging out in between shots.


Ahmed (Dirt on Gardening), Cathie (Creative Juices), Karl (DIY to the Rescue), Jennifer (Craft Lab) and me behind the bar that was built for the Holiday Party special.


At the wrap party, DIY uber execs Ross & Freddy show that they *heart* crafty chicks!


Oh but wait, so does producer Rick!


That's it for now. Oh, and if you missed today's Disco Glam episode of Knitty Gritty, not to worry! It'll re-air this Saturday
at 4:30pm ET.

Later gators!,
Vickie

Craftcast Interview

Hey there, strangers! Long time, no write. I went almost directly from Tennessee to California for a week to visit my family, so I'm just now starting to catch up. I have tons to post about including some pictures to share which I will try to work on getting up tomorrow. In the meantime however, if you're looking for something to listen to while you're cleaning up after a weekend of fun I was interviewed by Allison Lee for her crafty podcast called appropriately enough, Craftcast. She was kind enough to chat with me about everything from the books, TV shows and Austin Craft Mafia, to designing advice and my sons' usage of knitting needles as swords. Check it out here.

Have a lovely lazy Sunday!

xo,
Vickie

Purple Skein--August's Free Pattern!

Purple Skein
Victorian Punk Sleeves

MATERIALS
1 Ball Vickie Howell Collection ROCK (40% Soysilk/30% Fine Wool/30% Hemp) in color: Siouxsie (A)
1 Ball Vickie Howell Collection ROCK (40% Soysilk/30% Fine Wool/30% Hemp) in color: Joan (B)
Size US 7 DPN Needles
Tapestry Needle
2 Stitch Markers

Gauge
5 sts per inch

Finished Size
One Size (13" long)

ABBREVIATIONS
CO=cast on
k=knit
ktbl=knit through back loop
kf&b=knit in front & back of stitch
st(s)=stitch(es)
pm=place marker
rpt=repeat
rnd=round
BO=bind off

DIRECTIONS
With Color A CO 37 sts, dividing them as follows: 12 sts on needle #1, 13 sts on needle #2 and 12 sts on needle 3. Join taking care not to twist.

Rnd1: K 18, pm, k1, pm, k to end.
Rnd 2: K to 1 st before marker, ktbl, sl marker, k1, sl marker, ktbl, k to end.
Rnd 3: Join Color B. Rpt rnd 2.
Rnd 4: Rpt rnd 2.
Continue in this manner repeating round 2 and switching colors every 2 rows until piece measures 7 1/4" (ending with Color A)
*Note: For longer sleeve, just continue working in same manner here.
Next Rnd: Join Color B. Rpt rnd 2.
Next Rnd: K 17, ktbl, remove marker, drop stitch (pull gently to create ladder effect), remove marker, ktbl, k to end.
Next rnd: Join Color A. *K1, P1 to end.
Repeat last rnd for 11 more rows.
Knit 2 rounds.
Next rnd: Kf&b all sts to end. (60 sts)
Knit 11 rounds.
Next rnd: Join Color B
Knit 2 rounds.

PICOT BIND OFF

K1, place st back on left-hand needle, CO 2 sts, BO 4. *Sl St on right-hand needle back onto left-hand needle, CO 2 sts, BO 4. Repeat from * to end.

Weave in ends. Block if necessary.

Dig this project? Get more great knit & crochet patterns and kits like it, here!

Copyright Vickie Howell, Inc. 2007. All rights reserved.