December Authors Who Knit: Danica Favorite

It's especially fun for me when I get to introduce you to one of my knitting author friends.  DestiKNITters, take a moment to meet debut author Danica Favorite!

Danica, what’s on your needles right now?

Well, Allie is going to laugh at this, because she helped me with a similar project, but here goes: I am working on making knitted chickens. I haven’t yet found a size that makes me happy, so I don’t actually have a finished chicken. Just a bunch of weird size ball things. So, I have an almost finished, too-small chicken on my needles.

What feels like your favorite/greatest knitting accomplishment?

I made this really great spiral knitted bag. I took a class at my local yarn store (A Knitted Peace, featured on Destiknitions) and that was the project we did. Best thing I’ve ever made. Maybe I need to find a “how to knit chickens” class.

What feels like the worst knitting mistake/foible/wrong choice you’ve ever made?
I made this super huge, super ugly shawl. It was a great idea and really pretty, but it was an important lesson in gauge. The thing is a behemoth and I used *cough* three times as much yarn as my pattern said. That should have been my first clue. However, it was one of those stubborn moments of I WILL DO THIS, so I finished it. I almost ripped it out and called it good, but my daughter loves it, even though it’s like a giant ugly blanket. 

Straight or circular needles?

Circular. 

Metal or wood needles?

I only have metal circular needles, since the wood ones are pricey. But I really love the feel of wood. That said, I’ll knit with anything. I have these big clunky acrylic needles I love, too.

White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate?

I’m not allowed to have chocolate or dairy, so my treat of choice is cinnamon bears.

Coffee or tea?

Tea

Have you written a knitting character?

Um, sort of. I had a great scene in the book I’m writing right now involving two characters learning to knit, but my editor made me cut that section of the book. ☹ I guess I’ll need to be more intentional about making a knitting character.

What’s the last thing anyone would suspect about your most recent book?

That when I pictured my heroine from Rocky Mountain Dreams, I pictured Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie. I’ve always thought that Nellie could be a good person deep down, so I decided to write a character who was already a good Nellie. 

Give a shout out to your favorite local yarn store:

A Knitted Peace
5654C S. Prince St.

Littleton, CO 80123

aknittedpeace.com

If you’d like to be friends with Danica on Ravelry, you can reach her at: DanicaDream.  If you'd like more information on Danica and her book, visit her website.

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Done!

A pouch of perfection...

I never fail to get a kick out of acquiring a new skill.  Mental nimbleness aside (research shows it helps keep our brains healthy to learn new skills), the sense of accomplishment in adding to your knitter’s toolbox is hard to beat.  Clever projects that not only leave me with a useful object but expand my abilities?  Well, it doesn’t get much better than that.  

Let’s start with the bag.  It’s the perfect size for gifting--outshines the standard gift card holder by a mile.  And I suspect I’ll use this pattern many times, as it is also the perfect size to hold a bar of artisan soap--one of my very favorite gifting items.  The spiral ridges make for a lovely shape, as does the flared drawstring top.  This would come out differently with every yarn you used--an infinite variety of bags.  And embellishments?  You could go wild if you wanted.

Making the cord was an adventure.  First, I strung out two 10-yard loops--a length that stretched from one of my kitchen counter chairs to halfway through my living room.  While I found the optional instructions of attaching the yarn to a hand mixer (I only own a recently acquired stand-up which seemed ill-suited to the task) entertaining, I chose to go “old school” and do it by hand.  This landed me a set of first-class hand cramps as well as the scoffing laughter of my 16-yr old son, but it got the job done. Had I the LeClerc Fringe Twister I encountered during my visit to Fiberwood Studios, life would have been perfect.

While I think this particular fiber made a bit too thick of a cord (when I do it again I think I’ll just use one 10-yrd length instead of two), it might work beautifully with something less wooly.

All in all, I’m delighted with the results and this pattern is most definitely a keeper.

Blessed, yarn-filled holidays to all of you, DestiKNITters, and we’ll begin our adventure in Nashville after Christmas!

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Day 4

Holy Moses, it worked!

Right up until the last minute, I was reading the instructions and shaking my head, unable to see how this joining was going to work.  Even when I started the stitching (which took reading the directions no less than three times), I continued to doubt.  I wasn’t even convinced the ridges would line up--it seemed like I’d end up with double hills or double valleys, not the nicely rippling spiral that gives this pouch its character.

Slowly, as I stitched, I began to see how the graft would take place.  As I worked my way up the piece, a portion of the turquoise began to disappear under a new row of purple/pink yarn.

It wasn’t until I turned the piece right side out that I saw the magic.  A perfectly situated valley between two hills, and the two strips of waste yarn clearly ready to be cut away.  No kidding, I actually giggled with delight as I cut away the turquoise.  I had that moment all knitters know:  where you show your spouse something truly amazing about your knitting, and he looks at you as if you’ve become too easily amused by completely unimpressive events.

Unimpressive my foot!  This is downright masterful.  Lucy Neatby, I apologize for ever doubting your brilliance.  This is absolutely a great graft. 

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Day 3

Hey, look at that body...

Well, I survived the construction of the body.  I’m still stumped as to how these two large “stripes” of waste yarn figure in, but I’ve been assured it will all work out.  There comes a time in every knitter’s life where you have to decide if you trust the designer or not.  I’m choosing optimism here, and trusting the designer. I’ve no intention of carrying around a darling purple bag mutilated by turquoise stripes, and I see no evidence of such mutilation on my sample.  As to just how we get there from here?  Well, you’ll just have to stick around and see.

Like socks, this is a quick and portable pattern.  They include instructions for sizing it up, but this small size seems to be perfect for a gift card or other such present in need of a little panache.  It fits snugly into my handbag for knitting on the go.  I have an adorable short little set of plastic #8 needles--I think they were originally made for children--that are the perfect size for this project and don’t take up much room.  Here’s a shot of them next to a quarter, so you get a sense of their size.  The old trick of using double-points with a rubber band wrapped around one end would work just as nicely, too.

I’ve opted to swap them out for my long, trusty Signature needles for the finishing steps however, which I’ve chosen to do flat rather than in-the-round.  A decision influenced primarily by the practicalities of not owning a set of #8 double-pointed needles at the moment.  

Good thing Christmas is coming.  I think I’ll make a list of all the dpn’s I’m currently lacking and tell Santa.  What’s on your holiday knitting wish list this year?

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Day 2

Never get cocky...get coffee.

There are eight ribs to this pattern, essentially making a ridged parallelogram.  I figured that by the third rib I’d have the pattern down, more or less.  After all, it’s a simple decrease on one side and increase on the other to make the slanting sides of our piece.  By now, I’d like to think I know my knits from my purls, and can count higher than eight.

Yeah, well...

I spent Saturday morning at my lovely local library’s open knitting session, chatting with my knitting buddies.  I’m having a charming time...until I look down and notice that my parallelogram has taken a wrong turn.  I’ve got a corner where there definitely should NOT be a corner, and the latest ridge is clearly thicker than its previous cousins.

Pulling out your stitches is not fun, but having to yank out your stitches in public, well that’s less fun.  The fact that it took me two tries to find my way back into the pattern, even less fun.  Incompetence on Parade.  Ick.

The good news is that I’m back on track, but not taking anything for granted.  I’m keeping count of my rows on paper rather than trusting my brain.  It’s really best for everyone.  

Maybe I’d better go make some more coffee.

Spiral Pouch from A Knitted Peace - Day 1

Huh?

Ever have one of those times when you look at a pattern and say “huh?”  

Where you read it twice, because what you’re seeing can’t possibly be right?  I had that reaction with the first direction of this nifty little bag.

“Cast on 30 stitches using waste yarn.”  Oh, I say to myself, some kind of provisional cast on we’ll lose later.  After all, the materials list reminds us to use a “waste yarn in a high contrast to main color.”  I grabbed some of the turquoise I had left over from my Cables Building Block, an almost alarming contrast to the pinky-purpley tone of my splendid main color yarn.

It was the next part that threw me.  “Work six rows in stockinette.”  Six rows?  Why on earth am I going to need six rows of alarming turquoise?  I’ve read through the directions and I’m still not sure how this plays out.  Someone should warn designer Karen Gress that she may end up getting a panicked email from me about two weeks from now.

Still, I’m not ready to hit the panic button just yet.  Entrelac, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise Jacket, and eleven years of teenage parenting have taught me never to panic until instructed to do so.

I prefer to believe the old saying “Everything will be all right in the end.  If everything is not yet all right, then it is not yet the end.”  

It’s nowhere near the end.  It’s just beginning.  Rather than muck around in my confusion, I am choosing to see this as a yarn adventure.

And you know my talent for adventure. 

Did you ever have a pattern stump you from the get-go like this?  How did it turn out?  Horror stories and victory tales equally welcome...

Denver Addendum: Littleton CO

A perfect Mile High afternoon...

Life was kind enough to afford me a second trip to Denver recently, as I traveled to the Mile High City to speak to a pair of writer's groups.  This schedule left me just enough time to visit one of the yarn stores that had eluded my previous visit.  Lucky for me, that made for an afternoon of fibrous adventures in Littleton that I can pass on to you.

Let's start with our lunch stop:

Delizios Cafe and Wine Bar

2299 West Main Street

Littleton, CO 80120

http://delizios.com

720-897-6550

Timing bade me to begin my visit with a tasty lunch, which was to be had at Delizios.  The building’s history dates back to the late 1800’s, including lives as a depot, filling station, and a saloon.  While the spot hosts an impressive wine selection, it also offers excellent morning coffee and some of the prettiest cookies on the block.  I appreciated my awesome java while my lunch-mate oohed and aahed over the selection of fine hand-blended teas from TLC in Montana.  My lunch of strawberry walnut salad and Italian wedding soup hit the spot perfectly.  The set up, with large doors open to the outdoor patio, makes for the perfect fall or spring day--you feel outdoors but don’t have to be exposed to the elements if they’re just a bit warm or cold for your taste.

Next stop is our fiber find:

A Knitted Peace

5654 C St. Prince Street

Littleton, CO 80120

www.aknittedpeace.com

303-730-0366

You feel the atmosphere of this store from the moment you walk in.  Co-owners Jane Dickinson and Marsha Asheim have been on great terms with the spot for years, having worked here before they bought the store from the owner six years ago.  

Yes, it’s a self-described “hardcore knitters store,” but even a first-timer would feel welcome here.  The quality of the stock is thoughtful and impressive, boasting artisan fibers as well as lace and sock yarn.  This strikes me as a “thinking knitter’s store,” and I always like that vibe.  The staff is highly skilled and yet super friendly--and that’s a tough balance to achieve with A Knitted Peace’s degree of success.

Some projects you should check out:

The Spiral Pouch

by Karen Gress

This elegant stash-buster serves as our Knit-Along from the store.  Who wouldn’t like a little sack that not only makes for a clever accessory, but could dress up a dull gift (like cash or a gift card) with panache?  All you need is 100 yards of any worsted weight yarn (they gave me Araucania handpainted Liwen from Chile) and any embellishments that strike your fancy.

Should you need something more practical, look to the

Simple Earflap Hat

Choose a skein of bulky yarn, and the friendly folks at A Knitted Peace will provide you with this pattern free of charge.  Top-down construction makes it easy to customize to whichever dear ears you wish to warm.  Bulky yarn makes for fast knitting, so if you’re in a bind for a last minute gift, this might be your salvation.

In the mood for a larger scale project? I was drawn to the:

Easy Folded Poncho

from ChurchMouse Yarns & Teas

I’ve long admired ChurchMouse patterns, and this is no exception.  Elegant in its simplicity, Rowan Felted Tween makes this the perfect Colorado accessory.  Sure, it’s a lot of stockinette, but when it comes out looking like this, it’s worth the marathon.

Need a gadget to fill a stocking? Follow A Knitted Peace’s lead and opt for the Sock Monkey tape measure.  Nothing cheers up a knitter’s day like a fun but functional tool like this.

Once you’ve filled up on fiber finds, it’s time to spend the rest of your afternoon wandering up and down Littleton’s aptly named Main Street.  The folks at www.downtownlittleton.com will give you lots of info, but here were my favorites:

First stop on any Littleton adventure has to be:

Reinke Brothers Costume and Haunted Mansion

5663 S. Prince Street

Littleton, CO 80120

303-797-8278

www.ReinkeBrothers.com

Even if it’s ten months to Halloween, this store is worth a visit for its sheer fun value.  Where else can you see life-size Star Wars characters, Gollum, or the beast from “Alien”?  My personal favorite was the deli case of body parts...gross but funny.

What’s a DestiKNITions adventure without coffee and chocolate?  Get both here at:

The Chocolate Therapist

2560 W. Main Street

Littleton CO 80120

303-795-7913

www.thechocolatetherapist.com

From cocoa nibs to a gazillion kinds of dark and light chocolate, this store can set you up in chocoholic heaven.  If you’re looking for someone to affirm your belief that chocolate is good for you, here’s the spot.

Just in case that’s not enough sugar, you’re bound to hit your max at:

Lola’s Sugar Rush

2490 W. Main Street

Littleton CO 80120

www.lolassugarrush.com

303-797-7874

Candies you love, candies you’ve forgotten, sweets you begged for in childhood, it is all here at “the ultimate sweet shoppe.”  If you’re looking to give you dentist lots of business, and your waistline lots of encouragement, look no further.

After all those goodies, its time for a some non-edible acquisitions.

Willow - An Artisan’s Market

2400 W. Main Street

Littleton CO 80120

www.willowartisansmarket.com

303-730-8521

I’m a big fan of clever gift stores, and this one had lots to tempt me.  

Colorado Frame & Savvy Stuff

2396 W Main St

Littleton, CO 80120

http://www.coloradoframecompany.com

303-797-0861

Yes, they do framing in here, but it’s hardly the only reason to cross the threshold of this jam-packed store.  Gifts, Trollbeads, and my favorite: a sign that said “I drink coffee for your protection.”  If only my suitcase weren’t jam-packed already...

The Festive Plum

2336 W. Main Street

Littleton, CO  80120

www.festiveplum.com

303-521-8777

If you’re the type of person who gets into collectibles, this store is packed with all kinds of intriguing figurines and nifty gift items, too.

When you’re ready for dinner, head to a little bit of France right off of Main Street:

JaJa Bistro

5641 South Nevada Street 

Littleton, CO 80120

303-798-5389

http://www.jajabistro.com/

We didn’t time our visit to get in for lunch or dinner (the place is closed from 2-5pm in between meals) to personally confirm the glowing recommendation from A Knitted Peace.  That left us to longingly peering in the windows and smiling at the Eifel Tower replica on the sidewalk.  All inquiries, however, lauded their spectacular brunch and all around authentic French cuisine.

One more food option should you need it:

Breaking Bread Cafe and Bakery

5656 S. Sycamore Street

Littleton CO  80120

www.breakingbreadcafe.com

720-328-2660

How can you not love a bakery that was closing up shop early to celebrate an employee’s birthday but let you in to score some yummy goat cheese and spinach scones?  The owner recommended “The Porker Sandwich: pulled pork topped with Jalapeno Mac & Cheese and Homemade Honey Bourbon BBQ sauce.”  Yum!

I found Littleton to be a charming, perfectly sized edition to my previous Denver adventures.  An afternoon of sunny, delicious adventures through unique and friendly businesses--primo DestiKNITions fare.

Up next, we begin The Spiral Bag from A Knitted Peace.