Kim Denise
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kimdenise.bsky.social
Kim Denise
@kimdenise.bsky.social
690 followers 650 following 460 posts
Mostly, I knit. Native plants, birds, insects. Disabled; not housebound but close to it (it's a cute house, though). Fat. Political. She/her.
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kimdenise.bsky.social
The knitted gnomes brought equal parts joy and rage to their protest today.

I was not physically able to attend an event, so we had one here at home. Love and solidarity to all of you who march and rally and make your voices heard in a thousand different ways. You are beautiful.
June 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
I am not physically able to attend a protest tomorrow, but my knitted gnomes are getting ready.

For all of you who will be out there tomorrow: you have my profound thanks and solidarity! be safe and defend our democracy!
An assortment of miniature protest signs laid out on a table. Slogans are No Kings, No H8, dump trump, and 8647.
June 13, 2025 at 8:39 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
it's #wipwednesday! what in the world is on my needles, you ask? Why, it's a triple-pointed gnome hat, of course! I can't stop knitting gnomes.
April 23, 2025 at 6:56 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits gift knits

I give away a lot of my knitting output, so it was hard to choose. But these matching sweaters for my nephew and his wife--both public school music teachers and the cutest couple ever--make a great pic. Pattern is Riddari. Yarn is Malabrigo Rios.
A young couple kneeling front of a Christmas tree. The man is leaning his head on the woman's shoulder. They are wearing matching Icelandic sweaters in dark blue with lighter blue and white patterning.
April 19, 2025 at 10:28 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Splurged on a lot of nice new dpns! I see plenty of gnome knitting, along with other fiddly little stuffed things, in my future.
April 14, 2025 at 8:06 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
I've been knitting gnomes! No one is more surprised than I am, but the fiddly little details are quite absorbing...and addictive.

These are both from patterns by Sarah Schira, the queen of gnome design.
Photo of a handknitted stuffed gnome figure. It is about 8 inches tall, with a tall pointed pink and yellow hat, a bright pink body, a bright green leaf-shaped beard, and a tiny leaf attached to the point of the hat. Her skin is deep brown, and she has green braided hair. She is posed in a garden among fallen oak leaves with a clump of white hyacinths, not quite open, behind her. Photo of a handknitted stuffed gnome figure. It is about 8 inches tall, with a tall pointed pink and yellow hat, a bright pink body, a bright green leaf-shaped beard, and a tiny leaf attached to the point of the hat. Her skin is deep brown, and she has green braided hair. She is posed on some old, worn, slightly mossy brick steps, with a bunch of bright orange-red mini tulips growing in front of her. Photo of a handknitted stuffed gnome figurine. The gnome is wearing a crooked wizard's hat striped in green, pink, and purple, and a pink cape. His body is a deep red-violet, his skin is medium brown, and his beard is white with some pastel rainbow speckles. He is holding a staff cut from a real twig, and standing on top of a stack of rough slate slabs, surrounded by leaf litter. Photo of a handknitted stuffed gnome figurine. The gnome is wearing a crooked wizard's hat striped in green, pink, and purple, and a pink cape. His body is a deep red-violet, his skin is medium brown, and his beard is white with some pastel rainbow speckles. He is holding a staff cut from a real twig, and standing on top of a stack of rough slate slabs, surrounded by leaf litter.
April 14, 2025 at 7:07 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
This week's #showmeyourknits is Gray. My knitting preferences run to the brightest colors possible, so I have just two items to show. Here we have the breathtaking Hanami Stole, by Melanie Gibbons, and Oban Hat, by Thea Coleman. I've knit both patterns twice; both highly recommended!
Photo of a handknit lace shawl draped artfully over a clothesline. The shawl is a soft gray, and the lace pattern starts out as basketweave at one end and gradually changes to a random pattern of holes at the other end (which is much prettier than it sounds). In the background you can see masses of foliage of various early-summer shades of intense, sunlit green. Closeup photo of a handknitted hat hanging upside against a blurred snowy background. The hat is gray, speckled with tiny bits of neon brights, and knitted in a rugged cables pattern. The hat has a large lime green pompom, also speckled with neon brights.
April 12, 2025 at 11:48 AM
kimdenise.bsky.social
I ruined his plant-loving life with this $%#@! sneeze guard! He was mad at me for three days.
Photo of a seal point Ragdoll cat (very large and fluffy cream-colored cat with dark face, legs, and tail and bright blue eyes) sitting on a fireplace mantel next to a plexiglass sneeze guard protecting two Christmas cactus plants. He does not look happy. He is, in fact, not happy.
April 7, 2025 at 10:38 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits WIP!

This is a Gentle Rain tee, by Stephanie Lotven. A truly delightful pattern. The yarn is all Wollmeise DK.
Photo of a handknit sweater in progress. This shows the neckline and brightly patterned yoke of a Fair Isle-style sweater, in bright modern colors.
April 7, 2025 at 5:47 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Knitting, knitting, knitting. I finished this pullover in ten days! Wool is my refuge.

Pattern is Kurt by Junko Okamoto. The unusual construction makes for such entertaining knitting; I could not put it down! Lots of notes on my Ravelry project page ravel.me/KimDenise/k2
Photo of a woman, arms outstretched, wearing a handknitted sweater. The sweater is made up of squares in marled black and white with flecks of turquoise, and punctuated with bars in turquoise in a random bold pattern. The sweater is oversized, with dolman sleeves and a deep V neck. She is standing in a wooded corner of her backyard in early spring, with a few daffodils blooming amid the deep fallen leaves. The sky is deep gray. The turquoise on the sweater stands out starkly against this near-monochrome background. Photo of a woman, smiling joyfully with her head thrown back, arms outstretched, wearing a handknitted sweater. The sweater is made up of squares in marled black and white with flecks of turquoise, and punctuated with bars in turquoise in a random bold pattern. The sweater is oversized, with dolman sleeves and a deep V neck. She is standing in a wooded corner of her backyard in early spring amid deep fallen leaves. The sky is deep gray. The turquoise on the sweater stands out starkly against this near-monochrome background. Photo of a woman, arms outstretched, wearing a handknitted sweater. The sweater is made up of squares in marled black and white with flecks of turquoise, and punctuated with bars in turquoise in a random bold pattern. The sweater is oversized, with dolman sleeves and a deep V neck. She is standing in a wooded corner of her backyard in early spring. The sky is deep gray. The turquoise on the sweater stands out starkly against this near-monochrome background.
April 3, 2025 at 5:59 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits Baby!

This baby blanket, the Bear Claw Blanket by Veronik Avery, was a LOT of work. The subdued color palette matched the the recipients' nursery. Not my usual! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed knitting these subtle semisolids. Loved the modular construction too.
A handknitted baby blanket in a pattern reminiscent of a bear claw quilt. It is worked in medium gray-blue and white on a dark blue ground. It is hanging on a clothesline in a dull late autumn landscape.
March 30, 2025 at 6:07 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits Baby Items!

I became enamored of these reindeer from Mary Jane Mucklestone's book _Scandinavian Motifs_ and ended up making cardigans for three little friends of mine. The cardigan pattern is Åsa Tricosa's Child Ziggurat.
Photo of a baby standing unsteadily while wearing a multicolored handknitted cardigan with a reindeer motif. Photo of two handknitted baby cardigans hanging on a clothesline. One is mostly blue and green, the other mostly pink and neon yellow, but both have the same reindeer motif in red.
March 30, 2025 at 5:33 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
A quote in white text on a black background, saying: "They want you to feel powerless and surrender and let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact the we cannot save everything does mean that we cannot save anything, and everything we can save is worth saving. Rebecca Solnit"
March 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
I love to make multiples! For me, familiarity breeds creativity. I made, I think, 48 pussyhats. I treated them as swatches for motifs and techniques and they just got more and more elaborate. My Barbara Walker books got a workout! But I've made multiples of many other patterns, too.
Photo of a pink handknitted hat with cat ears shown on a glass head. The edge of the hat is encircled with large fluffy crocheted flowers in shades of red and pink. Close up photo of a pink knitted hat with cat ears. The band is striped in light pink and orange in a heavily textured stitch pattern, and main body of the hat is worked in a basketweave stitch in darker pink.
March 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits Colorwork!

I made this cardigan for a young flamingo-loving friend of mine who wore it for years. He has long outgrown it, but he still loves the pink birds (although, sadly, he no longer calls them "flingingos"). Not the strongest design work, lol, but lots of flingos.
Photo showing the back of a handknit child-sized colorwork cardigan featuring flamingos. The yoke is white with flamingos, followed by a band of tessellating fish in aqua and teal, followed by the word "flamingo" in pink, repeating around the chest on a white background, then a body with aqua and teal stripes and a band of tall pink flamingos around the bottom. the sleeves have narrow stripes in aqua, teal, and pink on white. Photo of a child (with the head cropped off) wearing the flamingo cardi described in the previous image, standing still but poised to bound away at any moment.
March 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Progress shot of my Kurt-in-progress. That's Kurt by Junko Okamoto. I love Junko's patterns, and this one may be the most fun yet! #knitting

Lots of details on my Ravelry progress page. ravel.me/KimDenise/k2
Photo of knitting progress, showing the back of a sweater made up of squares of stitches oriented both vertically and horizontally. The squares are worked in a black and white blend with splashes of turquoise and rust, and each square has a contrast strip in turquoise. The contrast strips are turned every which way. Yes, this is very hard to describe.
March 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
I didn't think I'd have the energy to block this and sew the buttons on in time for #showmeyourknits GREEN, but I did! My energy did not extend to getting dressed, so pajamas and bedhead will have to do.

This is Dunes Cardigan by Caidree.
Cheerful photo of a fat, middle-aged white woman in a handknit cardigan taking a smiling mirror selfie. The cardigan is sage green with green vintage plastic buttons and the lower half is lacy. The room, which is filled with natural light, is painted peach, and her t-shirt and glasses are pink. Her long light brown hair has no discernible style.
March 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits GREEN

I designed and knit this for a small friend of mine years ago. He is now as tall as I am, and it won't be long before he towers over me.
Photo of a small child on a balance bike, wearing wellie boots, pajama pants, a green wool sweater, and a helmet. Photo is taken from behind, on a stony roadway crisscrossed by tree shadows. Photo of a child-sized handknitted green pullover sweater. The sweater is worked in a zigzaggy variegated green colorway, with a traditional design of Norwegian stars in pink and coral. The jumper is on a wooden hanger hanging on a clothesline, with a background of snowy trees.
March 19, 2025 at 2:28 AM
kimdenise.bsky.social
March 14, 2025 at 10:32 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Well, golly, Trump is congratulating Schumer for "doing the right thing." I need to go take a walk before my head explodes.
March 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Okay it's done. And I can just sneak it in under the wire for #showmeyourknits Chonky! Both yarn and the knitter/wearer qualify as chonky, lol. I always block my knitting, but this isn't blocked and I kind of like it like this.
A mirror selfie showing a fat woman wearing a handknitted cardigan. She is standing in a sunny coral-colored bedroom, she is wearing pink glasses, she has long messy light brown hair, the cardigan is sage green yarn heathered with pink, and her cellphone is in a mint green case.
March 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
Knit knit knit. My body cannot hold up to the amount of knitting that is required to keep me sane these days.

Here I am nearing the end of 4 hours' worth of a sewn bind off on a bulky weight cardigan.
Photo of a sage green piece of knitting, still on the needles, with the working yarn threaded through a red tapestry needle that is poked through the knitting. The knitting is being held up by a white-skinned hand and shows part of the a burgundy sweater sleeve.
March 14, 2025 at 1:44 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits CHONKY!

I've made two of the Polar Opposites cowl from the Plucky Knitter. It's a fast and fun project and makes a great gift!
A smiling woman outdoors wearing a black parka, a black knitted hat, and a bulky striped handknitted cowl wrapped twice around her neck. There is a smiling man, similarly bundled up, out of focus behind her. Closeup photo of a smiling woman wearing pink glasses and a bulky handknitted blue-striped cowl wrapped twice around her neck. She is outdoors on a sunny summer day and looks a little overheated.
March 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits CHONKY!

My Owligan. Pattern by Kate Davies. One of my favorites!
Photo of a smiling woman with short blond hair wearing a handknitted red wool cardigan with a design of owls, fashioned from cable stitches, around the yoke. The owls have tiny buttons for eyes.
March 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
kimdenise.bsky.social
#showmeyourknits: Lace. I posted some lace shawls, but here are a couple of lace sweaters I made for my daughter. Fairag Cardigan by Elizabeth Johnston, and Ivy Line by Yoko Johnston. Both patterns highly recommended; an absolute joy to knit!
Photo of a smiling young woman wearing a waist-length oatmeal-colored cardigan in a chunky lace pattern. Photo of a dark green handknitted cardigan with plain long sleeves and lacy front.
February 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM