Web-Letter, Issue 96 – Sundance Crosswheel Jewelry Greetings from a cold, gray, rainy Portland, Maine. Summer seems to be on holiday this year, the better to stay inside and knit--and READ. Speaking of reading, I hope you’re familiar with Piecework magazine. If not, I’d love to introduce you to one of my all-time favorites. Piecework is devoted to the history of needlework, but lest you think that makes it dry, the magazine never fails to make me want to knit. It’s thoroughly modern in its appreciation of craft, and it’s an excellent source of creative ideas and inspiration. Read more about Piecework in the story below. And what does Piecework have to do with this week’s web-letter project? Oodles. The magazine recently initiated a competition for needlework brooches. You’ll be pleased to know that the winning entry in the knitting/crochet category, was a tiny sock, with even tinier Fair Isle checks, designed by Maureen McGinnis Patterson. In honor of knitted jewelry of all kinds, and of the endless creative potential in yarn and needles and our knitting heritage, we offer you this week’s freebie pattern—a necklace and bracelet designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and created in Sundance. Creative Director
The Story: Piecework is more than a collection of miscellaneous patterns. Each project comes with a story that links us and our knitting to a sister /brother artisan or culture—the magazine is a reminder of how rich and individual—and modern—our heritage is. A heritage that we share with friends and the internet everyday, and one that we share with knitters past. As an example, if you love to knit lace, look up the May 2009 Piecework. The entire issue is devoted to lace of all kinds. One of the projects is a beautiful shawl designed by the mentor of Russian knitter Galina Khmeleva. In the current issue, you’ll find a pretty scarf by Estonian lace expert Nancy Bush and a pair of warm lace wristlets knitted in cashmere. Both projects were designed to be portable for summer travels. If you like traditional Scandinavian colorwork, as I do, you’ll want to knit the pair of sturdy mittens with colorwork motifs taken from a piece of Norwegian embroidery. (I’ll make mine in CEY’s Fresco.) Also in the current issue is a story on a nineteenth-century embroidered quilt. The colorful stitches have me thinking about what I might do with embroidered motifs on stockinette or felted fabric. With all there is about knitting constantly coming in the door or showing up on the computer screen, I still welcome each issue of Piecework. When it arrives, I stop and sit down with it for a few minutes. The pictures of artifacts and current work, in all their varied colors, patterns, and textures, encourage me to invent anew and rediscover the satisfactions of all kinds of knitting. The Yarns: Sundance 50% cotton, 50% microfiber Sundance is a machine washable blend of cotton and microfiber. Cotton is a wonderful natural fiber that is very soft and takes dyes well. The addition of microfiber eliminates some of the weight that could occur from 100% cotton yarns while adding a subtle sheen. Sundance’s 22-color palette allows for many color combinations that easily coordinate with this year’s summer dresses.  Sundance is also machine washable. If the rings you use for the wheels in your necklace are washer safe, you can throw your Crosswheel necklace and bracelet in the wash and then lie them flat to dry.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Sundance Crosswheel Jewelry pattern. If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try these: page 1, page 2 The Stitches: Recently, I have been very interested in the different types of closures that can be used in garments. Dorset buttons have become one of my favorites, they can be made to either match your sweater perfectly, by using the leftover yarn, or they can be worked in another color(s) and used as a contrasting design element. Dorset buttons may be used as working buttons, or just sewn on as decoration.  Or, as in the Crosswheel Jewelry, they can be used to make an accessory all by themselves. Learn how to make a Dorset Button.
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