Gathering yarn in downtown Los Angeles

What a delightful find in downtown LA!  Gather yarn shop located upstairs from The Last Bookstore. Both just a block away from Gorbels restaurant of 'Knife Fight' fame, on the cooking channel. A small yarn venue, soon to be expanding, she has a terrific selection of very nice yarns. A delightful space that really makes you feel at home in DTLA. 

Knit up some warm confidence.

Get A Backbone shawl

Get A Backbone. A shawl pattern.

Here is the pattern for Get A Backbone.  A lovely shawl that can be knitted in any yarn to any size.
This link currently goes to ravelry.  I will be posting the pattern here soon.
It is an easy enough shawl, with just a bit of fun in the center with the cable.  A gentle cable, great for cable newbies or experienced cable-rs alike.  

Fast on size 11 needles with bulky yarn.  I hope you enjoy it!
If you leave a comment, please leave your email address so I can get back to you, or send me an email at the address listed above, or on ravelry. 

Get A Backbone, a shawl.

Need a bit of a shore up?  Just not feeling able to put up instead of shut up?  Legs a bit shaky?  Well have no fear, a backbone is here. Yes, a knitting pattern for your very own portable backbone. 

I have had this pattern clanking about in my head for much too long, now it has finally come out. I used a lovely BFL yarn by Feederbrook Yarns, Entropy, blue faced leister. Still working on it at this post, but it will soon be published on ravelry, free even. 

Strength and warmth, what a great combination. 

Another sneak peek.

Here is a close up sneak peek of another pattern from my upcoming ebook 'Stoplight Knitting'. These are the One Way Wrist Wraps. Worsted weight yarn, size 7 needles and quick as a bunny to knit. I knitted the models in Malabrigo Rios, one of ny favorite yarns.  

A rough road

I am currently writing a new ebook of knitting patterns. Hoping to take it to print as well. It has patterns that are portable and only take one or two balls of yarn. Some if the patterns have attention level options from easy to intermediate.

The title? Stoplight Knitting.  Yes we can see a theme.  

Here is a sneak peek at one of the projects. This one is 'rough road' lap mat. 

I am looking forward to showing more sneak peeks soon. 

You can find me on ravelry as hestiasfire to keep out a closer eye.  

Instagram: hestiashands. 

Krake, a hat

Here is a hat I designed for Alamitos Bay Yarn Company's 'Holiday Sparkle' party in October.  It is inspired by the texture of an octopus' skin when it is camouflaging itself against a bumpy surface.  They are so clever those cephalopods, and adorable to boot!  The pattern for this will be available on Ravelry sometime in December, so if you are a knitter, are on ravelry and would like to make this hat, then you can! 
If you are not a knitter, and are not on ravelry, get thee to a knitting class (preferably the one offered by the city of Long Beach Department of Recreation and Marine, which I teach) and learn!
Go knit, it's delicious.  

scarf in 225

That one skein of gifted yarn, lovely, alone.  I had one of those (I actually have many, but let's focus) in a delicious cranberry color, waiting.  It is still summer here in Southern California so a heavy project just would not do.  I searched for a pattern, I do not generally wear hats, so I came up with one for an airy scarf.
scarf in 225 (yards of worsted/aran yarn that is).
a link to the ravelry.com page:   scarf in 225.


Here is the pattern:

225 yards of worsted or aran weight yarn, I do suppose you could do it with less but it would then be shorter, or you could make it wider or thinner if you choose, simply add or subtract stitches by 2's. 

I used size 10 needles.

Cast on 24 stitches, knit 2 rows.

Row 1: slip first st, k1, *yo, k2tog* repeat btwn *'s  to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2: slip first st, k1, purl to last 2 sts, k2.

repeat these 2 rows until you are almost out of yarn, knit 2 rows, bind off.

I added a crochet chain loop of 15 chains and a button on the opposite side of the scarf.
this is optional...of course.

Now...go knit.......delicious.

Yarnivore bites 500 hearts

on a tree in the middle of the street

it does not say, no 'heart' parking

Scratch bakery love

two hearts on a pole

uh...scratch

hearts on a bike rack and a heart on the bike

meter with a heart

Luna's door has a heart

bite a crepe

bite a Jamba Juice

It's my birthday and there are 500 crocheted hearts gracing the streets in Belmont Shore.  Oh what a lovely morning, 4:30 a.m. found the yarnivore hanging hearts at Scratch bakery and in front of Twig & Willow.  We were then on to 2nd street, Belmont Shore.  My youngest (16) son and a friend in yarn (Nancy) were there to assist.  Luna, Battalions of Beauty, Pussy & Pooch, Jamba Juice, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Mira di Bello, and even the Grunion Gazette were some of the businesses bitten by the yarnivore's heart bomb.  The hearts were hung perfectly from so many perches, each one oh, so adorable...and delicious.

citrus guerrilla

guerrilla citrus

citrus yarn bomb

'fork' bike rack with slices

handle slice

granny bench cozy

Ah, successful citrus!  The slices went up with ease as did the delightful granny square bench warmer.  The slice of orange door handle addition lead me to an interesting find.  My lettuce leaf yarn bomb disarmed, abducted and now being held in solitary confinement inside the still undone 'bakery' shop.  As I installed the door handle slice I looked into the building and there she was, just lying there on a bench, limp, next to a roll of blue painters tape and drywall dust.  Perhaps they are saving her, holding her for later use as 'fork' decoration, one can hope.
Citrus yarn bombs...juicy!

lettuce leaf, disarmed

no more cookies

several summer citrus slices for the fork

citrus yarn bomb

slices...for a fork/bike rack

an adorable, non threatening granny square yarn bomb.

the cookies are gone, the fork stands bare once again.  I will remove the dangling cupcake that is worse for the wear of hanging on the still unoccupied establishment door handle, to be replaced with a luscious orange citrus slice. 
there is a nearby (just doors down) business with a lovely green bench out front.  a granny square bomb will soon grace it's seat if all goes well.

all to be installed on the morrow.

yarnivore bites cookies!

cookies down the fork

string of cookies

cookie cluster

cookie cluster too

a string of cookies now adorn the fork/bike rack on Termino and 4th street in Long Beach California.  A little bitty cupcake with pink frosting and a 'cherry' on top is dangling from the front door of the soon to be bakery there.  these little cookies just went so well on the fork.  this yarn guerrilla has sunk her teeth into some delicious crocheted cookies....mmmmm, tasty!

yarnivore bites....asteraceae

fork/bike rack sans salad.

ah, salad.

salad, up close.

lettuce on fork/bike rack...street view.

Romaine? Butter?  Green leaf?  Iceberg?  It's all salad.  The fork/bike rack on 4th & Termino now sports a large leaf of asteraceae, you choose the order.  I used several greens to produce this fresh forkful.  An easy installation on my way to work.  I remembered to bring scissors and a tapestry needle to secure the leaf.  Hopefully this fare will stay crisp for many to view.   mmmmm...mmmmm...tasty.

yarnivore sharpens her guerriila teeth on a crochet hook

Looks like crochet....really a yarn b*mb.

crochet graffiti

crochet hook responsible

okay, deep breath....here we go.  I am going to do this.  I promised myself and I am going to do this.  Saturday, June 11th 2011 is the first International Yarn B*mbing Day (it is also Knit In Public Day).  I am  going to do it.  yes, yes I am.  I plan on getting to 2nd street in Belmont Shore around 5:00 am and covering some parking meters.  I have several long rectangular pieces of crochet and a few flowers....my hands are getting sweaty just thinking about it.  Should I include a card?  a website?  this one by chance?  knittaplease, yarnb*mbing, I just don't know.  and time, what about time?  I have to work all day today....I have been crocheting furiously for the last day as I have been so busy.  eeegads.  So I will take photos of the guerrilla installation....and post them here for all my little yarnivorites.  The yarnivore is getting ready to bite!

So I had to make a holiday gift item for the yarn shop I work at (only a day a week, and then teach a few classes in the eves). I thought and thought, hhhmmmm, what will I do? So many things came to mind, not to mention that I had just made a pair of wrist warmers for a double pointed knitting needle class that I am teaching this fall. So I took a look around the shop for color inspiration...then it hit me! Minnow Knits Merino, a new yarn that is very soft and comes in these outrageous candy colors. I decided to go with a Swedish theme and came up with this little (not really little) cowl/neck warmer! Isn't it adorable! You could use it as a childs skirt too I suppose. The drawstring keeps it from crumpling down so you can admire the lovely striped pattern. Speaking of the stripes....I used this stripe generator to help me out. I just love it! I can hardly wait to use it again. Oh goodness, my secret is out now, all of you getting knitted gifts from me this Yule be warned, they will be striped! Gotta love those candy stripes...eat em up!