zzzz…zzzz…zzzzzzzz….
September 7, 2012
Good sleeping weather aside, there is nothing like a simple, quiet place to catch some Z’s and refresh yourself in preparation for tomorrow’s adventures. This simplequietmodern bedroom has all that I need. From its calming palette to its simplicity of design, it welcomes you to curl up with a chapter or 2 before nodding off. Again, my “Five Easy Pieces” is all that is needed to make this plan work for you; 1) the headboard 2) the lighting 3) mattress and simple linens 4) night table and 5) a blanket, coverlet or quilt. Any of these elements can be adjusted to more perfectly suit your individual style as long as you keep in mind the part each plays in the overall design. Replacing the Moroccan table with a more organic slice of tree trunk or changing out the quilt with something solid or a pattern more suited to your taste can be done ,when approached carefully, without compromising the original design statement as illustrated here. The table is still round, playing up the low angularity of the headboard, and the hand-knit blanket adds a complimentary texture while it injects a jolt of color to the deeper neutrals. Get started now and by the time Fall officially arrives you’ll be ready to…well..call it a ….zzzzzzzz.
“The journey of a thousand miles…
August 23, 2012
begins with a single step” in the words of Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu. Or in this case,a single cast on stitch. Finally, California Dreamin II has been cast on…300 stitches to start…180K to go. Phew…that’s a lot of knitting. Elizabeth Zimmerman knew the benefit of a project like this when she said “Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit,and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.”
Skipping Stones
July 17, 2012
Up North…Up State…The Shore. Where ever you find yourself week-ending this summer you are bound to come back to the house with a pocket full of beach finds. You can take those smooth beach pebbles or wave sanded bits of glass…add a bit of Habu Silk wrapped stainless and black linen…knit them all together while relaxing with a tall cool beverage on the porch listening to the softly lapping waves. In less than an hour you have created ” Skipping Stones”, a great summer necklace that you will wear well into the fall. Beats the gimp lanyard of your youth, doesn’t it?
All swatched up…
June 26, 2012
and waiting to cast on. I liked the result of the yarn and fiber combination of my California Dreamin blanket so much I’m moving on to California Dreamin 2. While the palette on the first was reminiscent of the sandy beaches or the desert, this combination brings to mind a nighttime drive in the hills around Mulholland Drive… hundreds of points of colored light scattered in the charcoal darkness above Los Angeles and the Valley. Berocco Boboli is responsible for the color and two neutral colorways of Remix add to the dry hand with their recycled blend of fiber. Combined with an assortment of espresso browns, charcoals and black…in yarns of linen, merino, silk, cotton and cashmere, this new blanket will possess same the woven appeal of first. 
https://simplequietmodern.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/and-the-skies-are-gray/
Coal Dust
June 7, 2012
An appropriate name for this large triangular scarf made of black flax lace yarn knit together with Habu black silk wrapped stainless steel. This combination gives this finished garment a light dry hand with a shimmer from the stainless, not unlike coal itself. And, what is more chic than black linen on a hot summer day? Pair this up with a simple white shirt, black pencil skirt and some nude patent slingbacks and you’re ready for….well…how ’bout lunch?
Jeans…White T Shirt…
May 21, 2012
and this cap. The perfect summer uniform. Nothing to think about…bad hair days covered. And, you can whip one of these up in a couple of days…just in time for Memorial Day weekend. 
http://nuttyirishmanknits.blogspot.com/2011/11/graham.html
A rough start…
May 8, 2012
for this stone colored cotton cap. I like the Graham pattern by Jennifer Adams so much I decided to cast one on for spring and summer. Using this limestone colored Berocco Weekend, for its nuetrality and ease of care, I was hoping to have it completed in a couple of days. This being the 3rd cast on( can’t I count stitches or what?)…things seem to be back on track. Stay tuned for the finish. https://simplequietmodern.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/smokey/
April showers…
April 26, 2012
make everything wet…like tree bark. Mother Nature doing it again, providing the perfect inspiration for this all season blanket I call Bark. Berroco’s Remix is my yarn of choice for this…I love it’s rich ” wet bark” color as well as the recycled mix of fibers. While you’re waiting for May’s flowers, this might be a project to wind you down after a day of spreading mulch.
Smokey
April 11, 2012
I love the smokey color this Berroco Remix yarn brings to this seasonally transitional slouchy cap. The recycled blend of fibers ( nylon, cotton, acrylic, silk and linen ) keep it from looking too wooly and makes it easily wearable on all but the warmest of spring days. The pattern was genius; simple and easy to follow with a quick and satisfying result that has the added bonus of being reversible. A great treat for yourself…even greater as a gift. Jennifer Adams’ pattern is available here http://nuttyirishmanknits.blogspot.com/2011/11/graham.html
Rocky start, breezy finish
March 19, 2012
Once I got used to the idea of knitting an eyelash with dental floss my GRAPHITE scarf was like “knitting yoga”…an almost Zen experience. Using HABU silk wrapped stainless steel knit together with their root sizing silk ( http://habutextiles.com/N-6B) and a triangular scarf pattern for inspiration ( http://www.pickles.no/simple-luxury-scarf/ ) I was deep into it…and more than once. The result was as interesting as I had imagined…light, airy and sophisticated. Over a turtleneck, with a white shirt or to fill in the neckline of a blazer or jacket…Graphite is an accessory scarf to transition to the warmer months ahead. And, as always…the best in simple, quiet and modern.
simplequietmodern 