Photo © Madison Square Park Conservancy

Artist Orly Genger has a new installation at Madison Square Park in New York entitled Red, Yellow, and Blue. With 1.4 million feet of painted rope, Genger will transform the park into three primary-colored chambers.

Photo © Madison Square Park Conservancy

This installation is massive (as evidenced by the people in this photo, for scale)! The 1.4 million feet of rope doesn’t even touch on the 3,000 gallons of paint or that the installation weighs 300,000 pounds. Besides the monumental scale, my favorite part… all the rope is repurposed from up and down the Eastern seaboard!

Photo © Madison Square Park Conservancy

The three chambers will redefine the park, begging visitors to explore and interact with the monolithic structure and large-scale texture. See Madison Square Park anew! The installation is running until September 8th; for more information, visit the Madison Square Park website.

Photo © Interweave Knits, Summer 2013

They say summer is coming, if the weather would ever cooperate. Tank tops are the go-to garment of summer–dashing off to a cook-out, window shopping with friends, or just spending an afternoon reading on the patio. But… tank tops are a dime a dozen, you can buy them just about anywhere. I want my go-to summer tank top to be special. The Harlow Top is just that! With sculptural details and a feminine silhouette, this summer top is eye-catching and unique.

The Details

Pattern: Harlow Tank
Designer: Amy Keefer
Size: 32¼ (37¾, 41¾, 46, 50)”
Needles: Size 2.5 (3mm) 32″ circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
Yarn: Spud & Chloë Fine, shown in Popcorn #7800
Pattern available in Interweave Knits, Summer 2013

My version of Flopsy.

I’ve been on a hat knitting bender, particularly hats of the slouchy variety. When I saw Flopsy, I knew it would be excellent car-ride-knitting as I traveled home for the Easter holiday: the slouchy style I love, bright springy colors, and simple-but-clever bunny ears that “spring” from the back of the hat! This hat is so much fun to wear because it looks like a regular striped slouchy hat from the front, and then–surprise!– it’s rockin’ ears in the back!

Photo © Jessica M. Anderson

This hat is equally fun on adults and sweet-faced little kiddos. The design features a ribbon, tied around the ears for that extra somethin’-somethin’. I didn’t have any ribbon that matched my zingy palette, so I improvised! I took two strands of Moonlight (for blue skies), two strands of Jelly Bean (for pink flowers), and two strands of Grass (well… for green grass), and braided them together.

Here I am, in my Flopsy!

Fun and cute! The colors are just what I need to cheer up the gray Minnesota days we’ve had lately and the hat keeps me toasty on cooler spring mornings too.

The Details

Photo © Jessica M. Anderson

Be sure to check out the Bunny Hop hoodie, complete with bunny ears as well!

Wow, thank you SO much for the amazing response to our Mad for Socks Giveaway! It is fun to see so many people as mad for socks as I am and I had a blast reading all of your comments, many of which were so thoughtful with great details about your own knitting journeys and learnings. I wanted to reply to them all, but I have to do some work today! XD I was able to answer a few specific questions, though.

And… *dances* I have some exciting news. We had such an overwhelming response, that we have added an extra winner to make it a total of four winners! Wow! Let’s find out who our winners are and what they had to say:

1. Carolyn: I have conquered my first fear….knitting a sweater (in fact two) for my soon to be nephew’s twins. I am ready to jump into the great wide world of socks….Of course, using Life Jacket and a class by Donna will certainly make the journey safe and FUN! your socks look so comfy! I am mad to start a new adventure; isn’t that what every knitting project is all about?

2. Jenny: I <3 socks. I have lots of fun socks. I am a new knitter and, alas, I have never known the wonder of a hand-knitted sock, and until I learn my poor family is also denied what I understand to be a nearly transcendent experience. Your color choice is so striking and playful! I absolutely adore them!

3. Rachelle: I love socks because they’re portable and everyone in my family loves to wear the hand knit variety. I also get cold feet so wool socks are a must.

4. Dolisa – I LOVE making socks- from the cuff down! It would be wonderful to learn a new skill!

Thank you for participating, everyone! Now go forth and knit socks!

Thanks so much for participating in our Mad for Socks Giveaway!

As you may recall, I recently conquered cuff-down socks. You may not know this about me yet, but sometimes I am a bit of an overachiever. That simply wasn’t enough! I also had to conquer toe-up socks. And so I did, with the help of a class on Craftsy taught by Donna Druchunas called Knit Original Toe-Up Socks. This was not just my first sock class on Craftsy, but also my first class ever on Craftsy! Let’s see how I did, what the class was like, and what is in store for you.

To make things more timely, give myself a break due to all the new things I’d be learning (big needles and big yarn = much easier to manipulate), and test Donna’s method of using her calculations and a swatch in the chosen yarn and needles to make a perfectly fitting sock for anyone, I chose to use Spud & Chloë Sweater! My needles were size 6 (4mm) double pointed needles.

In my chosen contrast color of Ice Cream #7500, I began with a moccasin toe, which I chose because it was a new-to-me toe type that was also fairly easy, so I could learn without too much pressure.

My very first moccasin toe!

I then used stockinette stitch for the foot in Life Jacket #7528, adding some interest with some Ice Cream stripes thrown in near the toe.

Striping the foot with Life Jacket and Ice Cream!

Since I elected to do an afterthought heel (again, because it was new-to-me but also pretty easy), I simply left the space for it as instructed by placing half my stitches on a spare piece of yarn, then I continued in stockinette stitch, adding Ice Cream stripes near the cuff so it matched the toe. I chose a simple 2×2 rib pattern for the cuff, then I bound off using Donna’s “stretchy” bind off, which was really fun to do!

Just the heel is left!

Then it was time to go back and finish up my heel in Ice Cream. As I completed each section of the sock (remember our Sock Song!), I simply rewatched the videos on Craftsy to refresh my memory and mindfully worked on each section (no rushing while learning—as Donna says, “Take your time and enjoy your hobby and just relax with it!”). Before I knew it, I had a pair of unique finished and blocked socks that were just the right size for me!

Here they are, my finished original toe-up socks modeled on my actual feet!

So… final thoughts. As demonstrated above, my results were that, by using Donna’s method, I was indeed able to make original toe-up socks with yarn and needles of my choice that fit me perfectly!

If you choose to go for it, Craftsy is a comfortable life preserver to cling to because there are so many ways you can get help (maybe that’s why I felt compelled to make “Life Jacket” socks? ). You can rewatch and pause the videos as much as you like, take notes about important stuff using the My Notes feature so you can find it again easily, and even ask questions directly to Donna and the other students. With Craftsy, you may not be in the same room as everyone, but you sure feel like you are!

Aside from the help you can get, this class rocks because you can learn:

• How to take foot measurements and calculate sizes
• Three toe types and how to do them either on double pointed needles or a circular needle
• Three heel types and how to do them either on double pointed needles or a circular needle
• Several fancy stitch types for the foot or leg, and how to work those fancy stitch types evenly around any size sock
• A universal sock pattern plus three bonus patterns
• How to read a foot size chart to make socks for someone whose foot you can’t measure in person
• How to read pattern charts
• How to knit two socks at a time using circular needles
• Some history about socks
• How and why to use certain types of fibers or stitch patterns
• How and why certain yarns work better with particular patterns
• A new bind off technique that includes an embroidery trick
• How to block
• New techniques that will help with any project, not just socks
• The most common mistake in sock-making: making them too big

Whew! I even learned that Donna used to write computer manuals, and before I came to work at Spud & Chloë World Headquarters, I was an editor for software manuals for over ten years, so we have similar backgrounds. Neat!

Now enough about my socks, let’s talk about your socks!

We have partnered with Craftsy to bring you, dear readers, this sock class at a discount! If you’ve ever wanted to learn toe-up socks, are interested in understanding more about sock design, or simply want to give socks a go for the first time, use this special code to receive this class at half-price. Cool!

And… it gets better! To three lucky readers, we are giving away tons of sock-related happiness! First, in honor of cuff-down socks, as a winner you get two hanks of Spud & Chloë Fine (any colors you wish!) and can pick one of these two patterns: Sassy Stockings or Two-for-One Socks. Then, in honor of toe-up socks, you will also get two hanks of Spud & Chloë Sweater (any colors you wish!) to get you on your way with your very own original toe-up socks with Craftsy (don’t forget to nab Donna’s class with your coupon!)!

To enter, leave us a comment telling us why you’re mad for socks! We’ll announce the winners here on Spud says (the blog!) soon.

Nate, our imaging specialist, let me hold the camera for this POV shot! Cool!

We just love this fun song by Bill Oddie, featuring the lyrics “I just sit down and knit” and “…knit me something warm and clingy!”

Bill Oddie is an actor, artist, author, comedian, musician, naturalist, and ornithologist! I think it’s safe to say that he is also a Knitter with a capital “K,” given statements like, “If I’m feelin’ low, I knit a row!”

All of us Knitters can relate to his sentiments, presented in such a fun way of combining his musicality and love of knitting.

Photo © Throughtheloops

As has been evidenced by my recent baby knitting, my friends and family members are either choosing to be surprised or are having boys. Naturally, I’m delighted for each and every one of them, but this is why all my knits have had similar unisex palettes lately. Sometimes what we want to knit and what we must knit don’t necessarily align. I wanted to cast on something girlie, swingy, with playful little details, so when Kirsten Kapur previewed Turtle Pond, I knew it would be the quick-knitting bender I needed to satiate my girlie sweater need and get me out of that unisex color slump!

My version of Turtle Pond

Loved it! Just loved knitting it. I made the smallest size (two-hank wonder!) and it practically dripped off my needles. There are a few special things to note about this great skill-building pattern, which has been added to my “Possible Baby Shower Gift” pattern list.

First, the construction is simple and clear. If you’ve ever wondered about bottom-up construction with sleeves worked separately but joined to the body for yoke construction, this sweater has it all in a tiny, unintimidating package. When it comes time to try making a sweater this style for me, I won’t feel intimidated or have any questions since I mastered it on this wee scale.

Sweater innards

Next, if you are fearful of stranded knitting, this sweater (smallest size) has only three rows of colorwork (plus a few rounds for the sleeves). Ultra simple! It’s a good way to get your feet wet without a huge commitment. Get the feel for tensioning floats without feeling like the project will never end!

Lastly, buttons! I love shopping for them, love stashing them, love finding just the right button for the right project. Buttons can make or break a garment, and that was the hangup for me on this project… I couldn’t get it just right. My cardigan was done: ends woven in, underarm grafted, blocked! But, at the same time, not done… no buttons. Some weren’t the right green, some were too overwhelming. I even found turtle buttons (because I love turtles, too), but they weren’t cute because the face wasn’t quite right. I didn’t have the sweater with me when I saw these large purple buttons, but I grabbed them on a hunch! They are a touch too big, but they really pull the whole sweater together.

Girlie sweater needs… check! Becoming a confident bottom-up sweater knitter… check! Practice with colorwork… check! Fun button details… check!

No wonder I loved this sweater!!!

The Details

Pattern: Turtle Pond
Designer: Kirsten Kapur
Size: 2 (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16)
Needles: Size 8 (5mm) needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater, shown in Turtle #7514 and Grape Jelly #7516
This pattern can be found on Ravelry. (I made absolutely no modifications!)

1. These patterns are clean and simple. If I’m helping a friend or family member learn the ins and outs of a hat, a vest, or any kid-friendly design, this collection is a great place to start. Very beginner friendly.

2. If I’m feeling creative, this collection is like vanilla ice cream. I add sprinkles here (a funky stitch pattern), some chocolate syrup here (stripes!), a cherry on top (pom poms!)–and voilà! A very original sundae… I mean, baby gift!

3. And lastly, these patterns are classic. Kids will love them. Parents will love them. Knitters will love making them! These patterns are not going out of style.

Photo © Petite Purls

Over the weekend, I was delighted to see two new patterns added to the Petite Purls Basics Collection! The first, the Girls Cardigan, is worked top down in one piece with a few sweet details, such as wide button bands and turned-up cuffs. I don’t know any girl, young or old, who wouldn’t wear a sweater like this.

The Details

Pattern: Girls Cardigan
Designer: Sara Elizabeth Schmidt
Size: 24½ (26¼, 28, 30, 31, 33)”
Needles: Size 8 (5mm) 24″ circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater, shown in Ice Cream #7500
This pattern can be found in Petite Purls

Photo © Petite Purls

The second pattern, the Baby Sleeper, is also top-down and seamless! For safety, there are no buttons, but there is a tether for pacifiers, and diaper changing is simple with the closure placed at the bottom of the garment. Petite Purls thinks of everything!

The Details

Pattern: Baby Sleeper (Buttonless)
Designer: Helen Rose
Size: 19 (21)”
Needles: Size 7 (4.5mm) 16″ circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 7 (4.5mm) double pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater, shown in Ice Cream #7500
This pattern can be found in Petite Purls

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Readers who are similar in age to me may remember the Bookmobile from our youth, which drove around local neighborhoods, lending books to children. I found many favorite paperbacks as a preteen scouring the Bookmobile’s shelves. Some years later, this idea seemed to have been applied to restaurants, and food trucks began to spring up all over, especially in downtown areas. I worked in Downtown Minneapolis a couple years ago, and at lunch time during the warmer months there were lines nearly a block long to buy food from some of these trucks! Well, buckle your seatbelt, because two intrepid women have taken this idea another step further, creating Yarnover Truck:

Yarnover Truck is your local yarn store on wheels, implementing the food truck business model and applying it to a mobile yarn store. The truck will make appearances at a variety of local events … throughout Southern California. Our goal is not only to sell yarn, but to increase awareness and provide needlearts education, with a focus on knitting and crocheting.

Curious? Me, too. Let’s put the pedal to the metal, and speed on over as quickly as we can so Maridee and Barbra can tell us how this incredible idea came to fruition!

Wait, wait, though. First we should get in the mood… how about Venice Beach, one of the most popular beaches in Southern California (I can see why!)?

Photo © http://www.scottyphotos.com

Ahhhhhh… Okay, now we’re ready for adventure!

Neighbor Jillian: *knocks on Yarnover Truck door, then steps back a bit* Helloooooo?? Neighbor Jillian here to interview you for the Spud & Chloë blog!

The door pops open, and out come Maridee and Barbra, both waving at me to come on in!

Maridee is on the left, Barbra is on the right! Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: *mouth agape* Ladies, this is so fantastic! Gosh, I can hardly wait to talk to you about all of this. Let’s start at the beginning with your knitting histories.

Maridee: My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 12 years old. My first project was a set of granny square Christmas stockings that were black and pink instead of red and green! (I was a bit of a rebel, even at age 12.) Then, several years ago, I picked up the craft again and then discovered Ravelry. Oh, the joys of digital pattern downloads!! Through Ravelry I found a knit/crochet group that met near my home and that is how I met Barbra. Since joining the group, I have also learned to knit with their help and have been asked to show some of my coworkers how to do it.

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Barbra: I taught myself to knit 11 years ago. Knitting had always been around while I was growing up, as my grandmother was an avid knitter. Although my grandmother is no longer with us, I am sure she is watching to make sure I don’t drop too many stitches.

Neighbor Jillian: Now we know how you met! And, while your story is all over your website and Ravelry group, I’m hoping you can go into more detail about how all this came about or perhaps share any other neat inside details?

Maridee: The idea came about because I was thinking about opening a yarn store. I had come up with a great name for the shop if I could find a spot in Hollywood to have it: Yarn Over Hollywood! I thought it would be great to decorate the shop using many of the photos of actresses knitting while on set. I mentioned my idea to Barbra because I knew she was already working with many LYS’s in our area, helping them with their social media. Barbra mentioned to her knitting group at work that I was looking into opening a store and one of them suggested we use a truck. Well, Barbra then went searching on Google to explore other mobile retail trucks and sent me a very long email, and later that day we went to a little truck event to see one of the local retail trucks. That night, we became business partners and decided Yarn Over Hollywood would become Yarnover Truck. (We decided to make “yarn over” into one word because it looked better in our logo design!)

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: Well, I just got chills because that is such a cool story of how your partnership developed. Now that you knew you were going to have a truck, where did you find one to turn into Yarnover Truck and how did the renovations go?

Barbra: We found our truck on Craig’s List! She was a former Little Debbie delivery truck, and before that transported uniform laundry. We were very lucky in getting the truck renovated, as one of my brothers works in construction and did all the renovations for us! My other brother (they are twins) designed our logo and truck wrap. We like keeping it all in the family.

Neighbor Jillian: That is so cool. I would imagine the truck itself is like family now, too. Does she have a name?

Maridee: We LOVE that she was a Little Debbie delivery truck, and have eaten way too many Swiss Rolls in celebration, so we named her Debbie in honor of her past life!

Neighbor Jillian: So cute! Tell me about the launch party!

Barbra: The launch party was held in a park near where we both live, just behind the studio where “The Tonight Show” used to be filmed in Burbank, California. We sold tickets initially through our Indiegogo Campaign for those who wanted to be the “first” to see and shop in the truck. Then, once that campaign ended, we continued to sell tickets and in the end sold close to 100 of them! We had many of our friends and supporters there, plus people we had never met come and cheer us on. Everyone loved the truck and we received many compliments on her design and inventory of great yarns that we chose to sell!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Maridee: The afternoon was a resounding success and many people spent several hours with us in the park knitting and crocheting with new and old friends. We had a great gift bag for all who came, fun drawings throughout the afternoon, and light food and drinks—including Little Debbie snacks in honor of our truck! There are a bunch of photos from the event up on our Facebook page and more continue to get posted as the days pass. We keep getting messages from people who came and just had a wonderful time. It was a great way for us to launch our business!

Neighbor Jillian: It sounds like a fun time was had by all, especially these ladies, who got Yarnover Makeovers!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: We’ve covered how Yarnover Truck came to be, but what exactly is inside it? Obviously, it carries yarn, including our very own Spud & Chloë, but do you sell knitting needles and other implements so that if someone wants to buy yarn but didn’t bring items to start working right away you have them covered?

Barbra: Yes, we carry knitting needles and crochet hooks. Even though space is limited and we are not carrying a very big variety, if someone does fall in love with a wonderful yarn and wants to start a project immediately, we have the tools to help them do just that! We also believe that at some of the larger community events and festivals, we will have people coming to the truck who have never knitted or crocheted anything before. We will be their first exposure to these wonderful crafts and we want to help them get started right away and hopefully fall in love with it like we both have!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: Excellent! It sounds like you ladies have thought of everything. How did you decide to bring Spud & Chloë onboard as part of your stock?

Maridee: We have both used Spud & Chloe for several projects and really fell in love with the yarn. For me, I have to admit that, as a crocheter, yarn that is fine intimidates me a bit, but Spud & Chloë Fine has become one of my favorites! I love that the pieces I have made are easy to care for. That is very important to me!

Neighbor Jillian: Spud & Chloë Fine is one of my favorites also! Earlier you touched a bit on going to larger community events and festivals, and I noticed you have put a handy calendar up on your site so shoppers know where to find you! Can you talk more about your plans for where people can find Yarnover Truck in the coming months?

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Maridee: We had created a list of events we felt we should check out when we were writing up our business plan, but since our launch and article in the Los Angeles Times, many people have reached out to us with suggestions for places to visit and events to attend. We are going through that very LONG list right now and will be mapping out our plans for the next several months.

Neighbor Jillian: I know that you have stated that you plan to go up and down the coast of Southern California, but is there any chance you would take Yarnover Truck on the road for a true roadtrip? Saaaaaaaaay, to Minnesota, which is the location of Spud & Chloë World Headquarters?

Barbra: Maridee is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota so you are not the first to ask this question!! We have requests to bring the truck all over the country. While nothing is set yet, we might consider a road trip or two—we just need to work out the logistics (and hope that the price of gas stays where it is or gets lower!).

Neighbor Jillian: So, we know where Debbie will go, but now the question is… who gets to drive??

Maridee: We both drive Debbie, and the other follows in their car filled with back-up stock and supplies. There is only so much we can fit on Debbie

Photo © Yarnover Truck

As the sun sets, I exit Yarnover Truck and come back to reality. Leaving California behind, I daydream of yarn and beaches…

Photo © http://www.pbase.com

Follow Yarnover Truck (figuratively, not literally!) by going to their website, liking their Facebook page, finding them on Twitter, signing up for their mailing list, or joining their group on Ravelry!

If you own or visit a local yarn shop that is doing fun activities with Spud & Chloë yarns, let us know by emailing info@spudandchloe.com. We are always looking for more stores to interview!

To start, I made a lone baby sock for practice using Colleen’s Lots O’ Socks pattern and Fine in Lizard #7812 (which I discovered is a totally adorbs color for baby socks, as is Bumble Bee #7811!). After bravely and adeptly conquering the baby sock, I was ready to try a pair of grown-up socks! Using Popsicle Socks as a guide and trusty Fine as my yarn again, I made some sporty-looking socks for me in Sidewalk #7822 and Glow Worm #7801. However, though they started out as Popsicle Socks… they didn’t exactly end up as Popsicle Socks, as you can see.

Glow Worm and Sidewalk Sock

Things changed when I accidentally made the cuff too long (I got into a groove with the rib pattern and forgot to stop!), so I had to make some decisions about where to end the cuff and how to work in the colors. First, I decided to make the cuff three times as long, striping Sidewalk and Glow Worm as I went, trying to make it look like it had been my plan all along to make the cuff that prominent. Given the totally different look the sock had after these changes, I then decided to use only little accents of Glow Worm with a Sidewalk base instead of striping them both repeatedly throughout the remainder of the sock. The result is that I used the Popsicle Socks pattern as a guideline for how to make each part of the sock, but chose totally different methods for coloring and the cuff—a “mistake” turned design element!

These socks were a lesson in improvisation and in trusting myself and my instincts, which is something every yarn crafter, much like any chef, musician, artist, or other creative person, must do at times. Instead of getting discouraged with my early mistakes on only my second attempt at socks, I decided to make this into an opportunity to work outside the box and make a pair of spiffy socks by winging it! Now I am a bit obsessed with socks, stashing masses of sock yarn that I probably will never use in a lifetime, with plans to fill both my and my husband’s sock drawers with only homemade socks. (I am sure that will totally happen, but it’s good to have goals…)

Blocked and finished!

Anyway, the point of all this is to encourage you, dear readers, to just go for it if you want to make a pair of socks but find them intimidating. (Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it!) To help, I thought I might break things down a bit as a little introduction. As with anything, once we understand it, it is far less scary. What I’ve learned is that, though there are lots of parts to a sock, they all serve a purpose. Once I understood how all these parts fit together and that the shaping of top-down socks is just a bunch of decreasing, socks started to “make sense.” They are like Frankenstein’s monster, except you can put them together without lightning or reanimation of any kind. (Whew!)

Ready? Let’s go!

Anatomy of a Sock

This is what happens when you make a sock from the top-down (I have not made toe-up socks yet!), and most sock instructions will be laid out in this order with these general concepts applied:

1. The cuff, generally done in a rib pattern for half an inch to an inch or so (but not always, as exemplified by my Glow Gray socks), helps to keep the wearer’s sock from slumping like a deflated balloon while it’s being worn.

2. The leg bit spans the space between the cuff and the top of the foot, the length of which depends on the style of sock and how long the wearer’s calf is.

3. The heel flap is just that—a flap that spans the heel from top to bottom. It is done across only half the round, leaving the other half to languish in wait until Step 5.

4. The heel turn is a decrease (commonly done using short rows) that creates a “cup” so that your heel has somewhere to sit.

5. The gusset kind of has two parts: a) pick up the stitches from the sides of the heel flap, then connect them to the languishing half from Step 3, rejoining in the round as you go and then b) perform a series of decreases to get back to the original number of cast-on stitches.

6. Then it’s time to create the foot (also sometimes called the instep), which spans the area to the top of the toe.

7. Finally, perform another set of decreases to create the bit for your toes to sit in.