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. 

Indigo Magic

Here is the progression of the indigo process:

Yarn before dying. 

Yarn soaking in water. 

Yarn drying just a bit. 

Putting processed indigo crystals into hot water. 

Water with just indigo. 

Water with indigo and sofa ash added. 

Water with indigo, soda ash and Thoreau dioxide added, gently stirred and let to sit. 

Close up of the beautiful indigo crystals. 

The next two photos are of the yarn being moved through the dye. Note the green hue below the water and on the yarn.  Indigo only turns blue after it is exposed to air... Magical!

Yarn changing color to blue on the drying rack. 

Yarn at its final indigo-ness. 

This past weekend I spent the day with friends learning how to dye with indigo. What a magical experience. It makes me realize the brilliance of our ancestors to unlock the deep blue mystery of the plant that is indigo.  The process today is easy compared to the way it was done in the past, and is still being done in places around the world. Thank you 'Colors' yarn shop in Claremont California for offering this enlightening class, and dear Angie for teaching it. Explore!

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. 

A sad day

My dear, beloved father passed away on Monday, November 25. 

My heart is broken. 

My new convertible

Scarf that is!  I used Anzula Squishy and Madeline Tosh sock yarn to weave this scarf adding three rows of lace on one end.  I attached three small buttons to he opposite end and used the lace as buttonholes.  A scarf or

a cowl, choices are good. Sweet. 

Weaving!

Took a class at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. Got a cricket rigid heddle loom and have been weaving ever since. The rhythm of the shuttle and heddle is so soothing. Even warping this loom is easy and relaxing. Weaving is a great stash buster as well. Having the best time with my new delicious loom.

Yarnivore bites at Viking way.

Oh today was my birthday and the yarnivore was hungry for a yarnbomb. There are several statues of children in the Village so I chose them. They were delicious!

Neapolitan baby

Several friends are having babies for which I love to knit. New mom"s color choices just add to the fun. Here is a baby blanket and matching dress I knitted for a coworker who is due soon. I used Classic Elite 'sprout' for the blanket and 'seedling' for the dress. 100% organic cotton and wonderful to knit with. The blanket is 'baby sunshine' and is a semi-circle.  Brilliant for so many reasons, it is my new 'go to' baby gift.  The dress is a modified version of 'orange creme', a simple and fast top down that whipped up in an afternoon...delicious. 

a delicious looking baby blanket

this little dress makes me want to get ice cream!

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.

blue moons

The front gate of the Long Beach Museum of Art, the bus stop map stand and the ocean cliff railing.

What a wonderful installation, a beautiful night with amazing moonlight. listening to the great Pacific Ocean's waves gently rolling in and the Long Beach Museum of Art as the backdrop.  A bus bench replete with patron, a young man from a small town in Washington State marveling at the wonders of Southern California was chatty company.  The blue moons we installed apparently were loved by many as they were almost all gone by morning.  So I suppose as a 'blue moon' passes in the night so did all 70 of our 'blue moons'.  It is all fluid, beautiful and delicious. 

blue moon bomb

Tonight, August 31st, 2012 is a blue moon.  This blue moon is particularly powerful in the placement of the the moon and the sun.  This will be the last blue moon until 2014 and I intend to honor her with a blue moon yarn bomb.  So...tonight it is.  Where?  When?  Who?  a post will follow. Twitter and tumblr will have quicker feeds of this blue moon yarn bomb!   delicious.

I have a two teens, and need to get out of my head...so:

My knitting for the 'living spindle' before it got onto my arms.

Marco as the 'human spindle' and black moth from Pierrot

I participated in a knitting performance art piece in Long Beach on the weekend of the Convergence.  There was a special artwalk in downtown to entertain our weaving visitors from out of town and we decided to make a splash.  It worked.  What an amazing time we had in our 'Carnival of Knitting oddities'.  There was a barker, a 'human spindle' (the photo of Marco above).  The black moth from Pierrot, the 'largest knitting needles in the world' being used as the knitter walked with two assistants.  There was (me) knitting with 'human arm' knitting 'needles' (I did the knitting on my arms instead of using needles), a huge knitted undulating tube filled with people, the 'mad' needle dropper and all of this was encased in sound being created by the performers via electronic hook-ups.  wow, it was spectacular!  Loved every minute of it. 

life, gets in the way of blogging...

me, after coffee

my new amazing sock bag, that fits on my wrist so I can knit...anywhere!

my son Logan, second from right, rowing in Tennessee for Nationals, they came in 4th.

Yarn bomb!  on the Wyland dolphin sculpture in front of McKenna's by the bay in Long Beach.

twitter: @hestiashands
facebook: Sandra Dee
tumblr: yarnivore.tumblr.com
the above 3 items have been spurned by both peer pressure and the acquisition of  an iphone.  gads, I cannot believe I have succumbed.  'one of us, one of us' continues to ring my head.  true, I am now...one of you.
and, dailymile: hestian (running bloggish site).
so, as things become more instant, you can follow me on the above sites!
No fear, I will continue to blog, when I can sit down at a 'big' computer.
now, I think I will go and knit. 

clown patch bombs...bitten

clown patch on palm tree in the East Village Long Beach

clown patch...um...installed sideways...oops.

clown patch at intersection of 4th and Linden.

a tree, clownin' it up in the East Village.

The clown patches are installed with hopes that they remain until the function on Saturday night. In the previous post we see the clown patches awaiting installation.   In this post we see the clown patches post installation.  It was a fast, down and dirty install, early to boot.  The East Village is an eclectic space, filled with places to quell hunger, thirst and social isolation.  There are hipster clothing stores, not so hipster clothing stores, coffee houses and even art galleries, you should go there soon and buy something.
Independent businesses are delicious...nom.