YARNGEAR: A Knitting & Crochet Blog

Last Mother Bear Box of 2011

2011-12-17T01:11:00.002-06:00

Since discovering the organization this past spring, I've been knitting an average of 6 bears per month. It's a win-win activity. I enjoy making the bears, and I really enjoy seeing the photos of them with their African children recipients when they're posted on motherbearproject.org. A nice friend of mine from high school sponsored this entire shipment, so several of these bears bear his name. Many thanks to him!

My Very First Yarn

2011-12-09T17:27:00.001-06:00

Ok, I found it. I found the first yarn I ever spindled, back in fall 2006. Then I never spun again. It just seemed like a whole lot of work for very little yarn. And then when comparing prices :-O it was more expensive to buy the materials than to buy commercial yarn. (I’m still trying to figure that one out.) This is like 20-ish yards of superbulky thick-n-thin yarn from commercial wool top that my spinning friend Kelley gave me and tried to teach a couple of us how to spin using CD-spindles.

You should’ve seen me trying to ply this. My friend was gone, and I had no idea what I was doing. So I unrolled the singles and laid them out, zigzag across my bed. Then I picked up the two ends and plied back onto the CD spindle. Then it sat on that spindle for 5 years before I finally unrolled it and took this photo.

Part of me wants to just keep it skeined as a memento. On the other hand, I have the urge to un-ply it, un-spin it, and then spin it again to pull out the thick slubs. What would y’all do - keep it or modify it?

Learning to Spin in 2006

My First Spindle

2011-11-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

I said I would never spin yarn. Not that I don't like it, but I just don't have much room for more craft supplies, nor do I need any more yarn. But try walking into the Yarn Barn of Kansas and NOT get tempted by their wares. My first intent was to buy a small ball of luxury yarn. Instead, I came home with a Schacht 2.2 oz Hi-Lo Whorl and 8 oz. of Merino Mulicolor Top. After a few awkward batches, I finally got the hang of it, and can spin a fairly even and thin yarn to be plied into a thicker yarn.

Summer Has Come and Gone

2011-09-05T11:52:00.005-05:00

I spent one of the hottest summers in Arkansas record, first in Calculus class, and then the last few weeks completeing my Field Geology training, mostly in the Needle Mts of Colorado, and a few days in New Mexico. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the experience was, so much so, that I only knit a few inches into a sock the full three weeks, and that was mostly during the car trips.

The class spent our only full day off in Durango, Colorado. Of course, the first thing I did was look for a yarn shop, and amazingly, I found the gorgeous Yarn Durango. As fate would have it, it was Knit Night on that same Monday! While the rest of the geologists were buying souveniers, eating burgers, and drinking beer, I found Classic Elite Firely (a soft linen blend) and happily cast on what I call the Colorado Woodland Shawl I'm hoping to finish by Christmas for my Mom. I had a fantastic time chatting with a nice group of about a dozen Durango locals, and made a few Ravelry friends, too!

Crochet Mother Bear With No Seams!

2011-05-11T10:07:00.021-05:00

I modified the original crochet pattern of the Mother Bear Project for seamless construction, and a little neck shaping, too. The "seam" runs up the center of the back.

I kindly donated my seamless pattern modification to the Mother Bear Project. Please go to their website to purchase the Seamless Crochet Pattern. $5 gets you the pattern, a brochure, the wrist tag, and your first bear's airfare. Additional bears should include $3 each. All proceeds go to the distribution of many more bears to the children who love them.

ERRATA & CORRECTIONS:

(In the first batch printed Jan. 2012.)

Feet start with **Ch7**.
Arms start with **Ch6**.
Rnd 2 of arm/body join ends with **...sc2tog, 6 sc. 52 sc**.
Rnd 1 of head starts with **Ch 1. Turn work**.
And I didn't specify whether you're working on the outside or wrong side. First round of each section and each odd numbered round is worked with outside facing. Even rounds are worked with wrong side facing.

Mother Bear Tutorial: Seaming While Knitting

2011-04-27T17:10:00.027-05:00

I make the original flat-knitted Mother Bear pattern using a simultaneous seaming-while-knitting method. If you're like me, and would rather knit than seam; you enjoy the look & simplicity of garter stitch and prefer working with two needles, then this seaming-while-knitting method may be for you. The process is more complicated to explain than it is to actually knit, so I've included a photo-heavy tutorial.

Each step's explanation is followed by its respective photo. So, words first, then photo next. You can move your cursor over each photo for an explanation. You can also click on each photo for a larger view.

I've used some standard knitting abbreviations:

CO = cast on
BO = bind off
K = knit
St(s) = stitch(es)
PU = pick up, meaning place st on the needle; not pick up and knit

First, you'll need the original Mother Bear Knit Pattern. Otherwise, this tutorial will make no sense to you.

Knit the Bear all in garter st. (You can work another pattern, but keep at least 2 edge sts in garter, and work your pattern sts in the middle of your garter edges.)

Begin by knitting half the bear as written.

Stop halfway in head section, ending with wrong side row, ready to begin a front side row.

K across one front side row, then stop, don't turn.

With your empty left needle, begin with the 1st garter ridge in bear color at the bear’s neck.

PU one st for each garter ridge (or 1 st for every 2 rows), slipping your needle under the leftmost st on the front side of your work.

With several PU sts on your left needle, ignore them for now.

Just turn your work...

...and K the wrong side row of Bear’s head sts.

Turn your work. With your now empty right needle, starting at the neck, on the right side, PU one st per garter ridge on the front side of your knitting - the SAME number of sts as PU on the other side.

Next, work short rows to join PU sts with Bear's head sts:

Begin with Bear's head sts in the middle, and the same # of PU sts on either side.

(Your # of PU sts will coincide with your # of rows in half your Bear's head. For me, I work 24 rows, and that's 12 ridges for half the head, so I’ll have 12 PU sts on each side of my Bear's 20 head sts.)

For each front side row, K the 1st head st...

...then pass 1 PU st (the 2nd st on your right needle,
over the st you just K, much like BO 1 st.

Continue to knit across only the bear’s head sts until the last one...

...and knit that last head st together with the PU st next to it.

Turn work, and K the wrong side row plain, just across the Bear’s head sts only.

Turn work to the front side, and again, repeat the process:

*Start with front side row, K 1 st, pass PU st on its right over, like BO 1 st.
Knit across head sts to last one, k2tog (last head st with PU st on left).
Turn work to wrong side, work plain across head sts only.*

Eventually, your head will look like this:

The head may pop to the wrong side as you're knitting, so just pop it front side out eventually.

Repeat this process, from * to * until all PU sts are worked, and K the last plain wrong side row.

Work the sweater section as written, as you’ll need to keep it open to join the sleeves and for an opening for stuffing.

Stop after the last front side row of the sweater. Don't turn work. With your left needle, pick up the top 8 ridges of the pants, at same side as your full needle tip, on the front side of your knitting, picking up the waist st last.

Turn work. Ignore pants PU sts. K across last wrong side row of sweater.

Turn work. With empty right needle, PU the top 8 ridges on pants, at righthand side, on the front side of your work.

Cut sweater yarn, join pants yarn, then K and join in the same way as for the head:

Start with a front side row. K 1, then pass PU st on its right over, like BO 1 st...

K across pants sts to last one. K2tog (last pants st with PU st on its left).

Turn work to wrong side, work plain across pants sts only.

Repeat as before:

*Start with a front side row, K 1, pass PU st on its right over, like BO 1 st.
Knit across pants sts to last one, k2tog (last pant st with PU st on left).
Turn work to wrong side, work plain across pant sts only.*

Repeat from * to * but stop after the last k2tog with the last PU st...

Stop, don't turn. With your left needle, PU 1 st for each ridge on the front side of your knitting, on the leg opposite the tip your full needle, at the inside of the leg, starting at foot.

It IS possible to PU starting with the feet...

...then continue on with the leg...

...BUT if you join the feet, too, your knitting will eventually get very tight. It helps to initially CO the feet very loosely. Still, you won't be able to spread your needles apart more than 90°. It's easier to join the legs only, then knit the feet as usual, and sew them up later.

Photos show joining the feet, as I do enjoy wrestling with my needles :o)

K the 1st 10 sts of the last wrong side of pants...

...then slip those 10 sts you just K to spare yarn (don't use a stiff holder)...

...then finish working the last 10 sts of that row.

Turn work to front side. PU the same # of garter ridge sts on the righthand side of that same leg with your right needle.

Work the knit-while-seaming method as before:

If joining the feet, change to Bear yarn after the last wrong side row, after working all the leg's PU sts. If knitting the feet plain, just join the bear yarn as usual.

(To finish the foot, you can BO to the CO sts together with a 3-needle BO. Just unpick the CO sts and put them on a spare needle, or if loose enough, just slide each CO loop onto a spare needle. The BO sts on the outside of the foot blends in with the garter ridges.)

To work the 2nd leg, PU 1 st per garter ridge on the remaining leg, on front side of work, on the outside edge of the leg...

...then put the leg sts on holder, onto that same needle, starting with the outside edge, ready to begin a front side row at the crotch.

With your empty needle, PU 1 st per garter ridge on the inside edge of that same leg.

Knit while joining, in the same fashion, and work same as first leg.

Work the sleeves as written.

Turn Bear inside out and weave in ends.

Stuff Bear, then seam sleeves and sides as usual.

(It IS possible to PU the sleeve sts and place them on DPN's to work circularly. If so, first stuff most of the bear, as you'll only have tiny openings remaining at the sides, only enough to stick one finger through. Modify garter st circularly.)

Important points are:

In this tutorial, PU means pick up sts by simply placing the edge sts on your needle. It is NOT the same as picking up and knitting.

Always pick up 1 edge st per garter ridge on the FRONT side of your work, never the wrong side, on the far edge of your knitting. That edge st will either look like a smile or a frown, depending its orientation.

Always begin to PU sts for the next section, BEFORE working the last wrong side row of your current section. Then, work the last wrong side row, and then PU the sts on other edge BEFORE beginning the first front side row of your new section.

In seaming while knitting, rows always start in the middle, at the Bear's body sts. Never work across the PU sts. Only work the PU sts one-at-a-time, at each edge of a front side row.

FRONT side row is the joining row. Wrong side rows are always worked plain.

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I hope this tutorial is clear enough. If you have question, comments, corrections, or complaints please leave a message here. I will receive it in my email. It may take a few days, but I will eventually reply.

Happy Bear Knitting!

The Third Happy Mother Bear Box

2011-04-24T17:59:00.005-05:00

Another seven Bears are on their way to The Mother Bear Project. From there, they will make their way into the hands of a needy child somewhere in Africa or Haiti. Each bear is handcrafted with love. I've also included some much needed supplies for the organization, specifically, variegated & tan yarn, stuffing, and postage stamps. Bon voyage, little Bears!

Happy Mother Bear Box

2011-03-28T13:05:00.010-05:00

Another box of hand-knit & crocheted Bears is on its way to the Mother Bear Project. Yes, I have been a little obsessed with making them. The Bears may be small and simple to stitch, but the happiness that they can bring to an orphaned child is huge.

You may have noticed a donation page added to my blog. I'm not usually one to ask for money for my hobbies. It feels too much like I'm standing on the side of the road hold a sign saying "Yarn addict - please help."

I already have enough yarn to make scores of Bears, so instead, I am asking for donations to send them. Each Bear requires a $3 donation to the organization to cover postal fees to the various foreign countries. A little math shows than this box costs me $35 ($24 for the Bears and $11 for shipping).

I don't want my tight student budget to hinder knitting for charity, so if you'd like to help, any amount donated will be appreciated. I also encourage you to knit and crochet, or whatever you can contribute, to help with charities. It feels great to do something good for someone in need.

Bon Voyage, Bears!

2011-03-12T13:00:00.001-06:00

I adore the Mother Bear Project. I can't stop making them! I've sent them off, with a little prayer that each one will bring joy to an orphaned child. I've also included some extras for the organization: yarn, stuffing, needles, and hooks. Check their website for info about the contributions they need, and how they are used. And if you can't knit or crochet, you can always sponsor a bear!

Blog Housekeeping

2011-02-28T23:11:00.000-06:00

Please excuse the mess. Though I still own the domain name Yarngear.com, due to budget constraints, I have cancelled my webhosting service. As a result, many photos and patterns will simmply not be available for a while. I am in the process of moving them, so thank you for your patience.

Mother Bear Project

2011-02-20T16:37:00.003-06:00

With school keeping me busy, I haven't been knitting as much as I'd like, though I have been plugging away on a pair of simple toe-up socks, in KnitPicks Felici Sport, for my sister, that I'm hoping to finish before her birthday. Already well up the leg, they're close to finished.

Inspired by the CogKNITive podcast, I finished my first Mother Bear Project in ONE day. (Ok, it was like 6 hours or so, but still....) Knitting for charity takes away the guilt of knitting when there are probably other things I could be doing (like studying or laundry). The pattern is a little fiddly, with the body parts, yarn switching, and embroidered facial details, but it's such a small cute thing, that it knits fairly quickly.

Brown Leaves Wool Gloves

2011-01-12T22:12:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed a couple of snow "vacation" days, so I stayed warm and toasty inside, baking cookies and muffins, drinking coffee, and knitting these gloves.

The yarn is Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in Nature's Brown. The pattern is from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, and the leaves are from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishements.

Moonlight Mohair Cowl

2011-01-10T22:27:00.002-06:00

After all the holiday knitting was done, I wanted to treat myself to a quick, warm, yet pretty project. This is practically the easiest thing to knit, basically a rectangle folded and sewn into a cowl. For all you Ravely members, the pattern is Wrap Thingie by Strikkelise, though I changed the stitch pattern from seed to American moss. The yarn is Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, a strand of variegated mohair twisted with a sparkly strand of manmade stuff.

Up close, the yarn knits like this. Pretty! I have to say, it's mohair, so the scratchy factor is there, but after washing, like with all my animal fibers, I gave it a final rinse with some all natural hair conditioner, rosemary mint by 360, and it softened a lot.

Winter 2010 Yarn Crafting Recap

2011-01-07T20:37:00.023-06:00

Please excuse my long blog break. I was busying studying chemistry. I got through the semester with a 3.0, and that took every ounce of gray matter I have left.

I did get to enjoy tiny spurts of knitting, during the weekends (if I wasn't studying). Then, after my last final exam on Dec. 10, I went into maniac knitting mode. In this past month, I started and finished the following...

I knit this cute earflap hat for my daughter, from a beautiful rainbow-striping yarn, Mini Mochi.

She said all she wanted for Christmas was something I made, so I knit a shawl for my Mom out of Louisa Harding's Mariposa yarn. Mom is allergic to wool, and she enjoys a little bling, so I found this wonderful cotton & viscose two-ply yarn. It reminds me of tiger eye gemstone.

I knit a hat for my Dad, in Patons Classic Wool, representing his alma mater.

I knit my fiance another Quickie Knit Hat, out of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. This is his favorite hat. The first time the thermometer dips below 60°F he is never without one. And that's me, wearing Citron, in Malabrigo Lace yarn, that I finished just before Thanksgiving.

I designed a little crochet dog sweater for my nephew's new puppy, in some leftover Red Heart Supersaver. I have GOT to get a photo of little Coco wearing it.

I crocheted some pretty flower brooches for a craft show. There are various yarns shown here, mostly Patons Classic Wool and Berroco Lustra.

I knit a wonderful little design for a Star Ornament.

This is the third knit earflap hat in my daughter's high school colors, in Caron One Pound. I've been experimenting with different designs and this is the final. Pattern will soon follow!

I knit another of my designs for a coworker who wanted to purchase the hat instead of the pattern. It's Patons Classic Wool. The photo shows how I block the hat - on a large glass Pyrex bowl.

I knit another GIR hat for a coworker who saw a photo of the original on my blog and has been asking me to make her one ever since. This one is all Red Heart Supersaver. Next one will be knit in Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation yarn, because she has all the perfect colors for this hat, and the wool will make it more luxurious.

Finally, this is my UFO I'm carrying over into 2011. It will be a very colorful rectangular shawl in Lion Brand Amazing yarn. It is their answer to Noro, but much more affordable. I can't wait to wear this one!

Classes start again Jan. 18, so if it gets quiet around here after then, please understand.

Cascading Leaves Beret Pattern

2010-09-16T18:00:00.005-05:00

Celebrate with with me! After offering several free patterns here on my blog, I just posted my first purchase pattern here on Ravelry today, and already got 2 sales by this evening. Woo hoo!

Ok, here's my shameless self-promotion: If anybody here enjoys knitting lacy berets, and wants to contribute to the education of a future school teacher, then please buy my beret pattern for only $2.

Thank you!
Mei

Cocoa Risata Socks

2010-08-22T14:13:00.006-05:00

I finished these last month, and patiently put them away, to be gifted to my honey for his birthday, and boy, does he like them! He especially complimented the stitch pattern. Ok, so a person can only get so excited about socks. It's not like I got him a Porche. But the warmth he'll have on his toes when the temps drop, will be worth the thousands of stitches.

Thousands? Yes, let's do some math. These are 84 sts around, approximately 14 rounds per inch. Each sock is about 20 inches, and there's two socks, of course.

14 rounds/inch x 20 inches = 280 rounds

280 rounds x 84 sts/rounds = 23520 stitches

23520 sts x 2 socks = 47040 stitches in a pair of socks

That's love, baby!

Here's the pattern for those who've asked:

The sock formula is from Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. I knit the men's medium, at 84 sts around. Then I plugged in a stitch pattern that is basically a staggered ribbing.

Work K1-P1 ribbing for a few inches, then:

*K2 P2* rep for 4 rounds
knit even 2 rounds
*P2 K2* rep for 4 rounds.
knit even 2 rounds

Repeat 12 rounds until desired length.
After heel, continue stitch pattern on top of foot only, keeping sole in stockingnette.

The Trouble With Bristol

2010-06-17T14:24:00.001-05:00

I'm having doubts. I should've trusted my instincts with the ribbed hem of 5 fewer sts than the body. Though it's worked on the same needles, it pulls in, which might be ok for tunic length, but I have a feeling it will fit funny right on my hips.

My instinct is to rip it and start over, because another issue is with lace pattern repeats on the neck shaping. If I leave out stitches and maintain the lace pattern when possible, it looks weird. No wonder the model in the magazine is wearing a huge flower, in the exact area where I'm having trouble!

I plan to rip back to where the armholes begin and rework the neck line to accommodate the lace repeats. This will probably require a chart. Also, I'm contemplating how to cut the ribbing - yes, that's right CUT - then pick up the open stitches an knit a different hem.

Azalea Bristol from Verena Knitting Summer 2010

2010-06-15T10:51:00.006-05:00

For the first time in a long time, I'm knitting a project from a pattern. Verena Knitting has some beautiful lace tops in their Summer 2010 issue. I want to knit almost every single one!

Sticking with my own knitting traditions, I'm making heavy modifications to tailor this pattern to my liking, and to Arkansas' climate: shorten length by 3 inches, make it short-sleeved, add waist shaping, knit the smallest size instructions but at a gauge that’ll give me a medium size.

The schematics show a boxy sweater, but on the model, I detect a little waist shaping! Is this one of those styling tricks, where they pin the models clothes in the back, to give the illusion of perfect fit? Is it in the blocking? When I wear a boxy tunic, I look like I'm wearing a boxy tunic, but in the magazine, the model looks like she's wearing a tailored form-fitting tunic.

With my experience, I know to create this hourglass silhouette, I need to nip the waist. Starting w/ lace row #8, and every 8 rows, I dec’ed 1 st at each edge, down to 7 sts less each edge, so I had to accommodate a little on the lace pattern, but only at the sides. In the 3rd lace rep, row #8 is the last dec row. Then row #16 will be the first inc, and then every 4th row until #24. Then on #6, every 6 rows until I’m back to 91 sts.

Thick and Quick Slouchy Beret Pattern

2010-06-07T23:07:00.005-05:00

Here's a free beret pattern. The pattern took longer to write than the time it took to knit the beret, in just a few short hours back in February. I just HAD to have a purple hat for brisk mornings! I love quick projects, especially when they're fashionable, functional, use only one ball of yarn, and can be a great gift.

As for the rest of my life, all is well with school, work, and family. My daughter is sprouting like a beanstalk - she's just two inches shy of my height! I'm trying to enjoy a little summer break with some swimming and knitting (not at the same time) but I have to refresh myself in Chemistry I & II before I get into both Organic and Analytial this Fall. I made straight A's again, so now I have two Chancellor's List certificates to frame upon my wall, and want to continue the trend.

Knitting Here and There

2010-04-11T16:38:00.005-05:00

School, work, and family take priorty over yarn crafting. Still, I do try to carve out few moments here and there for knitting or crochet time. Sometimes I even forsake higher priority tasks to play with yarn. I once worked on a hat instead of studying for a physics test. I made a "C" on the test, but IMHO, the knitting deserved an "A."

I wanted a lacy beret that looked difficult, but was relatively easy to knit. This cascading leaves pattern was just the ticket. Stay tuned for the pattern!

I've been working on a few designs: two berets and one top-down raglan. The berets are cute, but I've only photographed one. The top was cute in theory, but my formula was all wrong, and it looked like a ruffled clown top. It has since been frogged, and I've re-worked the formula with less frequent raglan increases, and a better neckline. When I have more free time, I will design a truly reversible top!

Invader Zim GIR Hat

2010-01-30T12:45:00.015-06:00

I designed and knit this one for my DD, who is totally crazy about the GIR line of clothing at Hot Topic. As I was nearing completion, I couldn't stop laughing at my own creation. She won't wear it to school, in fear that her peers either might make fun of her or try to steal it, but she will wear it all day long at home, thank goodness!

I'm not sure if I can sell the pattern, due to copyright issues, so here it is for free! Download it through Ravelry.

Basketweave Blanket

2010-01-30T11:00:00.004-06:00

Yarn: Bernat Berella 4 Solids & Ragg
10 skeins = 1950.0 yards (1783.1m) in Teal
Needle: US 15 / 10.0 mm
Size: 40" x 60"

I really love how the stitch pattern works up in bulky weight, but after a while it gets cumbersome to knit something this heavy, but it kept my lap warm on chilly evenings. For the border, I connected a few cords of my Boye Needlemaster to make one long circ, and picked up about 400 sts and made a garter st border. DD loves it!

College and Knitting

2010-01-22T23:00:00.002-06:00

I made straight A's! Granted, they were all freshman & sophomore courses (History of Civ I, AR History, Intro to Psychology, World Lit, and Intro to Music), but considering I hadn't seen a campus in 15 years, AND I am a working mom, this feels like I just climbed Mt. Everest. Anyone who knows me well, or at least my knitting & crochet, can tell that I'm an overachiever, so my 4.0 should be no surprise, but it still feels good, I tell ya!

Now I'm back for another semester, taking Physical Geology, Historical Geology, and Elementary Physics, and basically it's like taking six courses, because they all have their corresponding lab class. These are required courses for a handful of science teacher degrees, and I'm still teetering between a BS in Middle school Ed, a BA in chemistry or in biology. I will definitely have to decide after this semester, so I can start taking my education courses, too.

As for knitting and crocheting, I didn't get much done until the Winter break. I completed several projects over the holidays, some of which I've posted on Ravelry. I also made a dent on some older projects, even completing a few. If I weren't on such a tight schedule, I would photograph them and make this blog more interesting, instead of droning on and on, all talk and no show, lol.

As of today, I've completed a lace scarf, lace cardigan, several hats, mittens, gloves, bath mitts, a blanket, and made some good progress on a pair of socks and am ready to felt the clogs. It sounds like all I do is knit, knit, knit, as I can only wish! In reality, I spent maybe a hour or two per day at most, and in stockingnette, I can almost work a stitch per second now. So a couple of good knitting hours equals several thousand stitches!

Here, I leave you with a few projects I did manage to photograph - a couple of hats to keep me cozy - and I promise I will eventually post more, but I can't promise when. However, if you're a Ravelry user, I keep my progress updated there more regularly, so check there if you really can't stand to wait....

Hot Pink Gloves

2009-10-30T22:10:00.003-05:00

I knit my first pair of gloves! The pattern is from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. It is one of my most favorite knitting pattern books, with basic patterns for hats, tams, mittens, gloves, socks, scarves, vests, and sweaters, the latter two which can also be cardigans. The patterns are written in a chart system, so you can match your yarn gauge to your garment size. Altogether, it adds up to probably hundreds of combinations. This book should be in every knitter's library, from newbies to the experienced.

The yarn is Patons Classic Merino Wool in That's Pink. This line has been discontinued and replaced with Patons Classic Wool - no merino. I used about 3/4 of a skein.

The schematics for the woman’s medium fit my hand perfectly. CO K1P1 tubular, 44 sts on #1’s. Worked ribbing on #2’s. Changed to #4 for the rest of the glove at 6 sts/inch.

Followed pattern exactly, except used Linc & Rinc on thumb gusset. Also, when working the K2tog’s to close the fingertips, I used the #1’s so the last round of sts are smaller, making a neater finish when you cinch them.

I followed the helpful tip in picking up more stitches (four instead of one or two) to begin the fingers, then decreasing on the next round.

My Yarn Awaits

2009-10-06T19:52:00.002-05:00

Yes, I'm still around and doing well - thanks for all the kind messages. I still knit and crochet, too, though not nearly as much as I've done before. I took a second job in March to save some money to return to college, so I barely had any free time, just enough to work a few rows here and there. Now that I'm taking 15 hours this semester, I considerably dropped the hours of one job, but I still have even less time to play with yarn. All my free time is spent studying. So far, I'm doing well, and have all A's (hope I'm not jinxing myself!) All my WIP's are still lingering in the project basket, and only get attention a couple times a week, and only then it's just a row or two, to take a break from studying. I'm almost finished with a cardigan I started in May, and a blanket I started over a year ago. Stay tuned for FO photos!

Crochet Coasters

2009-05-27T22:45:00.008-05:00

I love simple circles, especially when made with cotton yarn.

One 2.5 oz ball of solid Peach'n Creme will make at least six circles,
approx. 4" (10cm) in diameter.

Use a 4.0mm hook, or whatever size suits your gauge.

(Beg ch3 always counts as a dc st.)

Start with an adjustable ring.

1st Rnd: Ch3, 11dc in ring, ss into beg 3rd ch - 12 sts total.

2nd Rnd: Ch3, 1dc in same 3rd ch as last ss, 2dc in next and each st all around, ss into beg 3rd ch - 24 sts total.

3rd Rnd: Ch3, 1dc in same 3rd ch as last ss, *1dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, rep from * to last st, 1dc in next st, ss into beg 3rd ch - 36 sts total.

4th Rnd: Ch3, 1dc in same 3rd ch as last ss, *1dc in each of next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, rep from * to last 2 sts, 1dc in each of next 2 sts, ss into beg 3rd ch - 48 sts total.

Fasten off, weave ends, pour an icy beverage, and enjoy your new coasters!

If you want a near-perfect edge, after the last dc, don't ss, instead cut the yarn about 4 inches or so, then pull it all the way through the top of the last dc. Next, thread the yarn on a needle, and run it under & through the top of the beg ch3, then back down into the center of the last dc. Adjust the tension to make it look like the top of a st, then weave in ends.

Jaywalker

2009-04-26T18:18:00.004-05:00

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Size: Women's 7
Needles: US 2 / 2.75 mm - Bamboo Clover DPN's
Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Jacquards in Fern Rose (2 skeins)

MODIFICATIONS:

Gauge: CO 68 for 28 sts = 4” in St st.

Cuff: K1P1, then k6 between inc’s & dec’s

Heel: St st, no slipped sts, 22 rows,
PU&K 2 sts / 3 rows. (Look Ma, no holes!)

Foot: Slipped the 1st st of N2 (instead of last st of N1) on alternate non-zigzag rows. (Lines up the pattern perfectly!)

Upstream Dove Socks

2009-03-10T19:07:00.002-05:00

The Upstream socks fit perfectly. This superwash merino/nylon blend so far is my favorite sock yarn. Not only is it soft, squishy, and silky, it's machine-washable!

From Cat Bordhi's New Pathways For Sock Knitters, I used the Master Upstream Pattern, a Standard Toe, the increase stitch pattern of the Dove Sock, and then followed with a Master Reinforced Heel. I had enough yarn to do two diamond repeats, and then finished with 1x1 ribbing, before binding off with just a few inches of yarn to spare. This is why I like toe-up socks: no yarn shortage & no yarn waste, either!

You can read more details about my hand-painted yarn on a previous post.

A Lot of Knitting

2009-02-27T19:57:00.006-06:00

February was a good month for knitting, because it was a slow month for working. I made lots of progress on my sock blank, and also completed two small projects - a pair of mittens, using my top-down pattern, and another Lily bath mitt.

I finally finished the SWS striped scarf. I alternated two colorways, Navy & Russet, inspired by Jared Flood's Noro Striped Scarf. Though it should've been a bore with endless 1x1 ribbing, the color changes continuously kept me interested. My honey likes it, too, although he has yet to wear it, but I'm not hurt, because I know he doesn't wear scarves. I was more interesting in knitting it than gifting it. Next winter, I'll make one for myself in more feminine colors.

I started an Ernie sweater for my nephew - a striped raglan, knit it pieces, so I can sew it up to perfectly match the stripes. It's based upon the construction of the pattern in Son of Stitch 'n Bitch, only much smaller. It's bigger than he is, though, and hopefully I can give it as a birthday gift, that he can wear when the weather turns cold in the fall.

For March, I will focus on finishing all UFO's before I start anything new, other than another small simple on-the-go-stuff-in-my-purse project. It keeps me sane whenever I'm out and about running errands and have to wait for something or someone.

Chunky Cabled Tam

2009-01-30T13:01:00.002-06:00

I've always liked the look of berets over beanies for females. They're stylish and chic, and yet still warm and functional. I like how the tam's top leaves room for lots of design elements, from colorwork to stitch patterns.

This pattern is from Knit.1 magazine's Fall/Winter 2008 cover, the Chunky Cabled Tam. What a fun and super quick project! I doubled the yarn and used a tubular CO of 48 sts on 5.0mm needles instead, to increase evenly more easily. 1st rnd (kf&b) 2nd rnd (k1, kf&b).

Post-knitting, I wasn’t too keen with my white color choice. My daughter suggested I dye it a rich color, to make it more stylish, so we used Berry Blue Kool-aid, with a touch of Wilton’s orange & no-taste red, to tone down the brightness.

Off the head, it’s absolutely gorgeous. On the head, it reminds me of a shower cap. I have to adjust it just so, to like a chic beret instead. As funky as it is, I still wear it proudly, and it really keeps my noggin warm!

Needles:
US 8 / 5.0 mm
US 11 / 8.0 mm

Yarn:
Patons Classic Wool Merino
2 skeins in Winter White, dyed with Kool-Aid

Rock-n-Roll Wristwarmers

2008-12-30T15:03:00.001-06:00

This is my last FO of 2008. My DD asked for fingerless gloves. These are essentially a knitted stockingnette tube with a little ribbing at each end, and a slit for the thumb hole. Doesn't get any easier, and it's the one piece of my knitting that she'll actually wear. Now she's asked for a felted black IPod cozy with a white skull on it. That may be more of a challenge, but I'm always up for a good one.

Christmas Oven Mitts

2008-12-24T19:57:00.003-06:00

I crocheted these in double-stranded kitchen cotton for my future Mother-in-Law.

Felted Cat Bag

2008-12-17T22:11:00.003-06:00

I saw the pattern on LionBrand.com, and I just couldn't resist. I should've taken photos pre-felting. It was drastically different! When I finally sew it together, it will make a cute gift for a kid or cat lover.

Special Mittens

2008-11-19T20:51:00.009-06:00

As I was babysitting one evening, I sat down with my knitting and put in a DVD for my nephew to watch. Naturally, he was more interested in what I was doing.

"You knitting for ME???"
"Sure! What would you like me to knit?"
"I want gloves!"
I cringed at the thought of those tiny fingers. "Wouldn't you like some mittens instead?"
He tilted his head to the side. "What's mittens?"
I had a copy of Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns, so I flipped it open to show him.
"Yes, I want mittens!"
I pulled out 2 different balls of Patons Merino. "Do you want blue or gray?"
"I want both!"

Double-stranded and tiny, the mittens flew off the needles. Before I left, I nearly had one finished. The next evening, I finished the other. A week later, after the mittens were washed with lots of fabric softener and blocked, I went to visit again, and gave them to him.

He promptly pulled one onto his hand, and I giggled as I watched him struggle with the other one, trying to grasp it with his mittened hand. Just as he was about to throw a fit, I finally stepped him to help.

"OOOOH! These are special!" he exclaimed as he studied the mittens on his hand for a minute. I think he liked the way the heathered blue & gray wool mottled in a random pattern. He wiggled his thumbs and smiled. He ran around the home, flopping his hands about, while squealing in delight. Then he pulled them off and threw them around the living room, demanding we play a game of fetch with his new mittens.

Knitting for Noggins

2008-11-10T20:50:00.001-06:00

I cast on some various acrylic worsted yarns on my knitting machine to work the majority of the brim, and then finished the crowns and sewed them up by hand. What a great way to stash-bust some leftover and single skeins! These are going to charity - Knitting for Noggins. If you're interested, mail a hat to Arkansas Children's Hospital, and help keep someone warm!

One Skein Quick Crochet Scarves

2008-10-30T21:40:00.004-05:00

Since the beginning of October, I've taught a few knitting and crochet classes. To the dozen or so new yarnies out there: Hello! I hope you're all enjoying winter's lure to stitch up warm things.

Also in October, I hooked up a couple of beginner scarves - the staple first project for my crochet classes. They also make nice quick gifts, under an hour if you're fast, and if you're a coupon-slinging shopper, it costs less than $5.

ONE SKEIN QUICK CROCHET SCARVES

Long & Skinny: 4" x 76" (10 x 190 cm)
Thick & Warm: 5" x 60" (13 x 152 cm)

You'll need:
1 Ball of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick-n-Quick for each scarf
Size P/16 (11.5mm) crochet hook, or size needed for gauge

Gauge: 5 DC x 4 Rows 4 x 4" (10 x 10 cm).

CH 98(78) very loosely, leaving tail as long as desired fringe.
Working into the back loop of each CH,
DC in 4th CH from the hook and in each CH across.
Including turning (skipped) CH's, you will have 96(76) DC's.

Turn. CH 3 (counts as 1st DC). Skipping first DC, DC in next and in each DC across, 96(76) DC's. Repeat this row 2(3) times more, for a total of 4(5) rows, then fasten off, leaving tail as long as fringe.

To make fringe, cut yarn into 20(24) equal strands, twice the length of desired fringe. Use 2 strands for each fringe point - at the beginning and end of the first and last rows, and in between each middle row.

Quickie Knit Hat

2008-09-24T18:30:00.002-05:00

Though it's not often, sometimes I can complete a project in one evening! It was so quick, in fact, that I realized after it was gifted, that I forgot to photograph or blog about it!

Luckily, I gave this hat to my fiancé, for his birthday back in August, so it's still readily available. It's been washed and blocked, but not yet worn. After all, love is not expressed by wearing wool in an Arkansas summer.

I made this for him to replace his favorite beloved first hat via the Knifty Knitter. The poor thing was growing more ragged and pilled each day, so I designed a new and improved version, using the same exact yarn left over from nearly 4 years ago! This time, I used size 11 (8mm) knitting needles, and worked mirrored decreases, so it looks more tailored. Now it sits atop his shelf in the walk-in-closet, awaiting the first chill of autumn.

QUICKIE KNIT HAT

SIZE: 22" (55cm) in diameter, approx 8" (23) long

MATERIALS:

1 ball each of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick-n-Quick (6oz/170g, 106yds/97m) in Navy (MC) and Denim (CC)

Tools: Size 11 (8mm) set of 5 double-point needles

(optionally a 16" circular needle can be used for the main portion, switching to dpn's when necessary)

GAUGE: 10 sts = 4" (10cm) in stockingnette

NOTE: This shape make a slight poof on top of the head when worn high, then nicely rounds out when pulled low on the brow. If you prefer a smooth skullcap, work about 5" long before beginning crown shaping.

PATTERN:

With CC, loosely cast on 56 sts, divide evenly over 4 needles (or on the circular), place marker (pm) and join to work in the round. Knit all sts for 16 rounds, then break CC and prepare for knitted-in hem.

Fold knitting in half, with the CO edge directly behind your working needle. Place the first CO loop on your left needle, and knit it together with the first st on your needle with MC. *Locate the next CO st, place on left needle, and knit it together with the next st on your needle with MC. Rep from * until hem is complete.

Work in St st in the round until hat is 7" (19cm) or desired length from bottom edge of hem, placing marker after 14th st, 28th st, and 42nd st, so there are 14 sts between each marker, to prepare for crown decreases.

Rnd 1: K1, *SSK, K to 3 sts before next marker, K2tog, K2, rep from * until 3 sts before last marker, then K2tog, K1.

Rnd 2: Knit even.

Rep these 2 rnds until 16 sts rem, ending with rnd 1.

Last Rnd: *SSK, K2tog, rep from * until end of rnd.

Cut yarn, leaving 12" tail, place first 4 sts on 1 dpn, and last 4 sts on another dpn, and use kitchener stitch to close top of hat (or just sew through all 8 sts and cinch shut). Hide ends.

Customizations:

Modified the number of sts by adding or subtracting in increments of 4 sts. Depending on your multiples, you may end up with "Rep these 2 rnds until 20 sts rem, ending with rnd 1." In that case, your last 2 rnds will be:

Last Rnd 1: *SSK, K1, K2tog, rep from * until end of rnd.
Last Rnd 2: *K1, K2tog, rep from * until end of rnd.

Knitting and Crochet

2008-09-21T14:28:00.005-05:00

Here's a few things I've finished here and there: An Easter-like basket, a bath mitt & cloth set for my dishcloth exchange partner, another of my ubiquitous bath mitts again, and the baby blanket us Knit Niters finally finished for Laura's baby boy. All projects are in some form on Lily Sugar'n Cream - perfect for lazy summer knitting.

My favorite WIP of all, is this Master Upstream Socks from Cat Bordhi's book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I'm loosely following the Dove pattern, just for the decorative increases. Since my socks are at a tighter gauge (36 sts = 10cm on 2.0mm) the diamond pattern stops just a few inches after the heel, so I'm mirroring the pattern all the way up the leg.

The socks began on the magic loop, both at once, but after the heel, I put them onto DPN's. For one, I got tired of untangling the yarn, and two, I knit faster on DPN's. Still, the magic loop is great for insuring that both socks will be identical without too much counting and measuring.

Unlike the feet, I can easily work the legs identically without measuring, because one, the stitch pattern itself creates a built-in self-measuring feature, and two, I'm using the identical balls of yarn from the same sock blank, and will knit until I run out.

Once I got a few inches into the leg, I switched to 2.25mm DPN's so the socks won't cut off my circulation. So far, then fit perfectly. I look forward to happy, warm, and cheerfully bright feet this winter.

Knitting and Drumming

2008-08-21T00:35:00.004-05:00

There's a lot of correlation between knitting and drumming. Both require two sticks. Both have evolved into varied styles. Both require rhythm, tools in different sizes, dedication, and practice. Both can be an art form when you put your heart into them.

I used to play the drums over a decade ago, before DD was born. Then I sold them to a house band in Hot Springs, and regretted that day ever since. Every now and then, the opportunity to play would arise - usually at parties or in a bar. It felt good knowing I still had it in me. But I didn't had the drums.

When I turned 36, I decided that if I could find a good set for under $300, I'd go for it. I found a cranberry red Pearl set locally on Craigslist. Granted there's only one cymbal and the throne is a little crooked, BUT the heads are new, and the hardware is in good shape, and they sound AWESOME.

So I sat down again after way too long, and recorded this clip with my same camera for knitting photos. This is what I came up with. Don't worry, I won't stop knitting!

Reworking the Rainbow - Super Stretchy Bind-off (Cast-off) for Socks

2008-08-19T11:55:00.006-05:00

About two years ago, my DD chose the yarn for hand-knit socks and described a pattern to me. I happily embarked on the journey, since the self-striping rainbow yarn was fun. In the end, she couldn’t stand to wear wool, and I was left with the choice of ripping and reclaiming the yarn, or gifting them, because I couldn’t get the cuffs past my ankles.

Instead, I ripped back just past the ribbed cuffs that were worked on size 000 (1.5mm) needles, which made them extremely elastic and perfect for staying on the calves of a 9 year old. I put the stitches onto size 1 (2.25mm) needles and worked 2x2 ribbing. When it came time to bind-off, I stopped to think.

The standard bind-off is too firm, even when worked on larger needles. Sewn bind-offs are better, but the best one is the 1x1 tubular bind-off, which I did not do, and the others have to be done so loosely that they tend to look sloppy, plus sewn bind-offs are very tedious. On my last two pairs of socks, I simply doubled the number of stitches, by adding yarn-overs after every stitch on the last row before binding-off.

This time I tried something different – still very stretchy, but without the YO holes, a bit more decorative, since it's done in purl. You could also work it in knit, in ribbing, or whatever stitch pattern you prefer:

SUPER-STRETCHY BIND-OFF

Purl 1, *yo, BO over the yo, purl 1, BO1, rep from * till the end, then fasten off as usual. Weave in the yarn tail underneath the “V” of the 1st BO stitch, then back though the middle of the “V” of your last BO stitch, to bring the edges together seamlessly. For me, I prefer to BO with a tiny crochet hook, since it’s much easier to pull the yo through the st than to try to leapfrog the st over the yo on tiny needles.

The socks now fit me perfectly, and await patiently for the first nip of cool weather. Then I’ll return to the Kool-Aid sock blank. I’m trying the Upstream master pattern from Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitters.

Bernat Glow in the Dark

2008-08-18T09:44:00.007-05:00

70% Acrylic / 30% Polyester
Machine washable & dryable
40g / 1.4oz. & 66m / 72yds

The balls may be small, but they glow brightly! It's mostly acrylic yarn, plyed with a strand of glowing fiber, which I'm guessing is the polyester content. It reminds me of Bernat Satin or Red Heart Soft - silky shiny acrylic yarn.

It comes in pure white and baby pastels. In the pink, yellow, green, blue, and lilac, you can see the white glowing ply twisted around the color plies.

I can imagine this as an accent yarn, like a skull intarsia on a hat or glowing flowers on a sweater. The free patterns on the labels are all headgear - a couple of standard hats, and then fun stuff like an alien headband and one with bunny ears, too! Since all the patterns are for kids, maybe I should feel a little imature for getting excited about this yarn. I bought 4 balls of the white. I'm not sure what to make with it yet, but something for halloween would be fun!

Red Calorimetry

2008-08-08T14:36:00.005-05:00

Calorimetry was quick, easy, and fun to knit. The shaping is via short rows, very much like bust darts or sock heels. I could've finished it in one day, but I had other things on my plate, so I worked on it for about 3 days, but altogether it took about 2 hours to knit.

It's a little narrower than the actual pattern, so it's more like a wide headband than a headscarf-earwarmer. I modified the pattern by using Red Heart Super Saver, CO'ed 100 sts, and worked it on 4mm needles. I knit down to 34-32-34 sts before increasing. Instead of a button, a twisted cord holds it together. Next time, I'd like to try it with wool, and CO all 120 sts to make the thing wider.

Upstream from a Sock Blank

2008-08-07T14:10:00.003-05:00

When I got the last KnitPicks catalog, I was facinated by their new sock blank product and technique of dyeing them. I've heard about this in blogs and magazines, but it never occurred to me that I could actually make my own until now.

First I unwound 2 skeins of KnitPicks sock yarn into 2 loose piles. Then I slipped the 3.5 keyplate on my Bond knitting machine, and double stranded the yarn to knit one long sock blank. I immediately realized that the blank was longer than my kitchen table, so I unraveled half of it, which left me enough for one pair of socks.

I soaked the blank overnight in tap water, then squeezed it in a towel. Next, I placed the blank on on plastic wrap, then mixed up approximately 1 packet of Kool-Aid per every 1/2 cup of water, and applied the solution with a sponge brush. Then I carfully rolled up the blank in the plastic wrap, and nuked the whole thing at 30 second intervals, flipping it over each time, until the plastic wrap looked like it was going to burst. Finally, I let the whole thing cool overnight in the wrap.

After unwrapping it, I rinsed it, squeezed the water out in a towel. Most people let the whole blank dry, and then work their socks directly from the blank as it's unraveled, but then the yarn is kinky. I prefer working with straight yarn, so I carefully unraveled it while still wet, then wound it back into hanks, and let them dry before rolling them into balls.

The dye didn't quite penetrate the yarn completely, either from knitting too tightly, or perhaps I could've squished more dye solution into the yarn. The yarn has little light and white blotches, but still, I like the way it knits up with a mottled hand-dyed look.

I've decided to work the Upstream Master Sock pattern from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I've finished the toe, and now am ready to begin the increases. I haven't decided yet whether I just want to work the increase triangle in plain stockinette, or some sort of stitch pattern to show off the unusual construction. Stay tuned!

65 Miles

2008-07-22T17:00:00.002-05:00

One of the many great features of Ravelry.com, is that you can download your yarn stash into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. In doing so, I was able to create totals of my inventory. I have 65 miles of yarn, which doesn't sound like a lot at first, but converting it to 114,464 yards in 641 balls, makes it seem like I’m buried in a mountain of yarn.

If the average top requires 900 yards, then I could make 125 tops. Clearly there's yarn in here I wouldn't want to wear (can you imagine a Fun-Fur sweater?) and since I make lots of little things like dishcloths, scarves, and socks, let's say my average project is 400 yards, which equates to about 280 projects. If I finish a project every 2 weeks, then I have over 10 years worth of yarn!

Since reacquainting myself in late 2004, knitting and crochet have become my favorite hobbies. I now have practically every tool for them in every size known to mankind. Still there’s more that I want. I’d like to have an entire set of 16” and 24” Addi Turbos. I’ve seen some gorgeous hand-carved and bejeweled crochet hooks that make me swoon. I’d like to carry a giant Jordana Paige knitting purse, instead of old canvas tote bags. I just discovered that Michaels is remodeling its yarn department. There will be REAL sock yarn, new Cotton Ease colors, and glow-in-the-dark yarn, just in time for Halloween. Soon, the yarn stores will be stocking their new fall lines.

My acquisition behavior is repetitive in all my hobbies. When I wanted to play music again in my 20's, I could’ve just dusted off my violin and refreshed my memory with some old sheet music. Instead, I bought 2 guitars, keyboards, an entire drum-set, various microphones & amps, and a 4-track recorder. When I got into origami, I could’ve just folded some stationary from my desk. Instead, I bought several books and stacks of colorful designer origami paper. When I got into cake decorating, I splurged on an entire professional decorator set, along with several pans. I also have extensive supplies for papermaking and soap-crafting.

I almost got into scrapbooking, and have all the “essentials, ” or enough to get started making basic scrapbooks. Seeing as how I don’t really have the time to spare, I’m safe for now. I almost got into beer-brewing, too. I’ve had all the equipment for over 10 years now. I tossed out the old grains and bought some fresh stuff last year with the intentions to try again when the weather is cooler. Still, there are more hobbies that spark my interest, like sewing and painting.

As much as I already have, I’m not planning any yarn diets in the near future. I work hard, so feel I should be able enjoy life within reason. Some people collect antiques, shoes, or CD’s. I can empathize with such obsessions, because those things can be useful as well. Then there are people who collect stamps and coins, or rocks and seashells because they’re pretty. They may be useless objects to some, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To a collector, the personal value of his collection can be priceless.

I collect yarn. It has entertainment value when I craft with it, and it has aesthetic value to me when sitting prettily in baskets around my home. Yarn is also therapeutic. Though I’ve fallen off the wagon a few times, knitting helped me quit smoking. Through knitting groups, I’ve made some lasting friendships. When I crochet, I feel connected to my late great-grandmother Betty. Yarn shopping both excites and relaxes me, as I stroll through the aisles, admiring the myriad of colors and stroking the soft skeins, all while dreaming of potential projects. Finally, when I arrive home with the latest additions to my collection, and sit down to knit a swatch amongst the many skeins already in my home, that’s when I find true happiness.

Mossy Border Tank Top

2008-07-14T22:00:00.005-05:00

I finished it long ago, but have been too busy to even think about a photo shoot, much less noting the details. Since Ravelry automates the noting of project details, I use their database instead of typing everything out here. I suggest y'all go sign up for Ravelry. It's free, and it's like MySpace for knitters and crocheters.

I used humble Sugar'n Cream yarn, in sage heather, a Bond knitting machine, and then handknit the borders. For the moss panel in the middle, I actually dropped down those stitches after working them on the machine, and then worked them back up in moss stitch - something easily done with a 10" double-ended crochet hook.

My cake decorator training has been keeping me from my needlework - sometimes for days at a time! Now I'm an official Wilton Method Instructor. I started my first cake decorating class this month, Course 1, where I teach a beginner class the essentials of cake decorating. So far, everything's been great fun. In the meantime, I leave you with the photos of my latest cake creations.

Lily Bath Mitt

2008-05-15T00:16:00.005-05:00

I've made five of these so far. One for my sister, three for me, and one for my future sister-in-law. I tried to be clever by modifying the pattern to work them in the round, thinking that avoiding seaming would save time. Wrong! Garter stitch circularly on double pointed needles is tedious, compared to working the pattern as-is: flat, all knit stitches, a few decreases, and minor seaming. I can almost knit them without looking. Also, in the process, I learned from Principles of Knitting how to seam garter-stitch properly, which magically looks seamless from both sides!

So far, I worked this half in just under an hour, which means the last half will probably take less. I foresee lots of Christmas gifts along with some handmade herbal soaps. Currently, I've only experimented with melt-and-pour formulas, but in my Michaels Book of Arts and Crafts, there's some recipies for "real" soap, mixed with dangerous lye, natural vegetable fats, and essential oils, that read like a chemistry experiment. Now this is something I definitely can't resist trying!

Modular Knits Garter Squres Dishcloth

2008-05-14T23:54:00.004-05:00

I worked this multidirectional dishcloth a little differently than the instructions in the book, but I think it looks ok, is a little easier and faster to me, and considering it's a dishcloth, perfection is not the forte. Anyway this is with something like "Faded Demim" in Sugar 'n Cream yarn, and obviously, one of my favorite dishcloth patterns. It was sent to a lucky exchange receipient, in addition to some of my handpainted cotton and some stationary goodies from Michaels.

In return, she sent me a lovely white butterfly lace dishcloth, a ball-band stitch soap-sack, some handmade lavender soap, sandalwood & rose bath bombs, and some lavender-scented clothespins for drawer & closet freshening. If y'all are interested in joining the exchange, it is totally fun, and the group is "dishclothexchange" on http://groups.yahoo.com.

Seed Stitch Accent Tank Top on a Knitting Machine

2008-05-14T23:46:00.006-05:00

I worked the body on my Bond knitting machine, and the borders by hand. In the process, I experimented with working short rows on the machine to make bust darts, and so far, they look good. Afterwards, I noticed a very obvious split stitch halfway down the middle of the front, so I decided the best thing was to drop the stitches down and rework them back up. In the process, I though, "why not work them back up in seed stitch?" It was painstaking, but halfway up the column, I got into the rhythm of it, and then worked three more. I think I'll also add another two columns of seed st on each side, to to balance it a bit more. Now all it needs is a proper neckline and some sleeve borders. Only time will tell....

Yellow Jasper Wool with Kool-Aid

2008-05-14T23:40:00.003-05:00

This is one whole skein of Lion Brand Fishermans Wool, dyed with a combo of Berry Blue and Tangerine. Sorry, in my excitement, I forgot the ratio's, but I believe it was 2 or 3 of each. Somehow, I didn't dissolve the Kool-Aid well enough, and ended up with some dark green splotches on the yarn, but in the end, it produced a nice variagation that reminds me of yellow jasper stone. Still, I'm not sure what I'll make with about 450+ yards of this - maybe a bag or a nice scratchy scarf?

Another Crochet Oven Mitt

2008-05-14T23:35:00.003-05:00

This time, I worked the one one the right in the round from the top, much like the format for my mittens-from-the-top pattern.

Since I didn't add extra stitches to account for the seams, the seamless version ended up larger, but still very wearable, even for a man's hands. Pattern will soon follow....

Booga Bag Remix - Done!

2008-05-14T14:01:00.003-05:00

I finished the Booga Bag over a month ago. I've also been knitting & crocheting a lot, in addition to teaching classes, taking more cake decorating classes, working 2 jobs, and being a mom, a sister, a babysitter, a fiance, so I do have good excuses not to go running about with a camera and computer.

Basically, I used 3 balls of Patons SWS, all in three different colorways, 2 stripes per ball, on 6.0mm needles, getting about 3.5 sts/inch. As you can see, I added a closure strap, knitted right onto the edge, then added 2 buttons. Also, instead of one long i-cord, I made 2 separate straps. CO with long-tail, about 200+ sts (sorry, can't remember) and then BO the next row. So far, I love it!

Almost There!

2008-04-05T22:47:00.004-05:00

I bound off the final stitch on Knit Nite. All that's left are some buttons, but first, I've got to shop for some matching thread.

I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Lake, Lime, and Taupe, on size 4.5mm, 80 cm circulars, and got 20 sts/10 cm. First I knit the rectangle collar, then at the yoke, I used short-rows to bring up the back of the neck. The body is worked back & forth, a breeze in garter stitch. I worked the sleeves magic-loop style in the round, which means alternating knit & purl rows. In retrospect, I should've worked the sleeves flat as well, so the garter stitch stripes would match up better. To hide the jog, I very tightly knotted the begining and end of each single stripe, in esscence, pulling them closer together. Finally, I picked up the button bands, worked them in garter stitch, and made YO's for the buttonholes.

I used Barbara Walker's Classic Raglan Cardigan formula from Knitting from the Top. I made up my own calculations as I went, from the my nephew's measurments at 12 months.

Knit Nite was also a pre-birthday party for me, although at my age, birthdays are beginning to be a dreaded occasion. I'm now closer to 40 than 30, but then when I watch reruns of Sex and the City, and see Samantha in action, I realize there's still much to look forward to!

My lovely sister Char brought me a chocolate birthday cake. Yum! This time, we kept the candles to a minimum. We didn't want to set off the smoke alarms!

Needles & Books on Ebay

2008-04-04T22:30:00.003-05:00

Six sets of double point needles, in US sizes 0 thru 6 (latter not shown) in lovely bamboo from China, at only 99¢ for the entire set (albeit $6 shipping) I couldn't resist these little 4-inch cuties. There's a catch. First of all, size 4 (3.5mm) are missing. Second of all, the tips are not uniformly shaped. Some are pointy, some are blunt, and some are actually flattened! Luckily, I have access to several grades of sandpaper, so I'll try to transform these into high-grade needles, and then knit some gloves.

I've been eyeing these circulars for quite some time now, because they'd be perfect for knitting big-gauge afghans, but at $20 a pop, I avoided them until I actually needed them. Then I found them at $9 for 2 sets, so I placed my bid and was pleasantly surprised that nobody else competed with me. Now that I have 2 sets, I can feasibly work smaller circular projects using both needles.

I'm still waiting for the final purchase to come in the mail. The Harmony Guide to Crocheting is the original version of Volumes 6 and 7 of the Harmony Guides series, or at least that's what the photos seem to reveal.

To justify my purchasing of items I don't really need, I've been slowly selling excess knitting and crochet items I don't ever use. So if you're interested, check out my auctions under meilynne.

Hiatus

2008-04-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

I haven't knit or crocheted anything in 3 days. My honey's been sick with the flu. I've been trying to take care of him as best as possible while following hazmat procedures.

Just when I though the coast was clear to play with yarn, along comes a trail of dangerous thunderstorms. We spent most of the night either glued nervously to the TV or in the basement.

I actually took my knitting with me. There's no way I'd be able to save all my yarn in time, but my extensive collection of knitting tools and favorite reference books are all in one bag, so that, and my current project bag, were all safe in the basement with us.

As the warning siren was blaring, a tornado went right over our heads, and then touched down again a few miles past us at the North Little Rock Airport. Some people weren't so lucky - several homes were destroyed, lots of big trees were uprooted, and a car dealership was damaged.

On another note, over the next few weeks, I'll be updating the older posts with better photos. Basically, I'm moving them from a paid site, to the free blogger/google/picasa service, and at the same time, provide more detailed images. That way, if I do die in a tornado and/or yarngear.com site expires, this blog will still have its photos.

Revised Oven Mitt

2008-04-01T21:07:00.001-05:00

This time, instead of working them flat from the bottom, I'm crocheting them in the round starting from the top. Using the principles from my mittens-from-the-top, I hope I can get past the thumb join sucessfully. If so, I will write a pattern for all to enjoy, and hopefully can be easily converted into mittens with some appropriate yarn.

Knitting for Babies

2008-03-19T14:04:00.003-05:00

One of my cousins just had a baby boy, so I'm working on a little seamless top-down raglan in Cotton Ease for him. It's going very quickly, but seeing how it's March and they live in Florida, I made the 12 month size so he can wear it this winter, especially if they go visit family over the holidays up north.

Our favorite Knit Nite waiter is having a baby girl, so some of the knitters in our group each made a square or two in Sugar-n-Cream. Now it's up to me to block the squares, then seam them together, and finally add a border.

Crocheted Oven Mitt

2008-03-07T16:35:00.000-06:00

I followed the schematics for the bath mitt, and tried to make a crocheted one, but in single crochet stitches, the fabric was so stiff and dense that I deemed it an oven mitt before it was all said and done. In retrospect, I should've either used double crochet stitches or a bigger hook. Also I wish I'd crocheted this in the round, but still, I enjoyed the practice of seaming crochet. At first, I tried the whipstitch, but didn't really like that look, so then I used the equivalent of the mattress stitch in knitting (is it called the same thing in crochet?) and was very pleased with the seamless look. It took exactly one ball of Peaches-n-Creme, and with the other ball left over, I may just make a twin.

Snowflakes in March

2008-03-07T14:08:00.006-06:00

Old man winter just won't let up. Look what he did to my daffodils! Still, it's a great excuse to stay in and play with yarn. Although I crocheted these snowflakes around Christmastime, in all the retail holiday chaos, I never got around to blocking them nor hanging them on my tree.

I finally got around to soaking them in a little fabric stiffener, then pinned them to styrofoam. They dried as hard as a rock. It's rare for a southern gal to have snowflakes on her mind in March.

If you want to try your hand at delicate thread crochet, this is a great little sample, as none of the snowflakes take more than four rounds, and you can make several with less than $5 in materials, and the patterns are free.

Happy Birthday Sis!

2008-02-29T22:35:00.002-06:00

I knit her a bath mitt, mixed up some camomile & tea tree soap, and baked a butterfly birthday cake. My DD got her a Yarn-Tainer and filled it with a couple of balls of Sugar-n-Cream. I'm beginning to think that my little one just might be the real yarn enabler in this family. After all, she's the one who got me knitting/crocheting/looming, which in turn re-sparked the interest into my Mom & Sis.

The family came over to my house, Mom cooked fish, rice, and veggies. I love you, sis! Hope you had a good time!

Booga Bag Remix

2008-02-26T18:21:00.000-06:00

At our second Knit Nite this past weekend, it was a little cozier with only 5 of us this time. Happily, we now have 2 new ladies to grace our group! Hi Jodi & Steph! Diane and I exchanged sock books for 2 weeks. Rachael worked on a felted purse, and I can't wait to see how that turns out!

I worked on my Booga Bag in Patons SWS, in 3 different colorways, basically knitting two-row stripes in each. I also modified the pattern by making it wider, but narrower in depth. With the extra yarn left over, I tried making a button strap, but it didn't turn out so well, so I'll have to doctor it a little after I find just the right button.

Diagonal Knit Dishcloth Pattern

2008-02-22T13:30:00.002-06:00

I'm in a simple knitting phase again. I introduced my version of this popular dishcloth pattern it to some of my knitting students. Susan made 3 in a week. I made 4 this past week.

SUPPLIES:

• 2 oz. ball of worsted weight cotton yarn
(2 balls of variegated Sugar-n-Cream or
Peaches-n-Crème will make 3 dishcloths)
• Size 8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles
(or size needed to obtain gauge)
• Gauge 9 sts=2" (5 cm)

Finished size is approximately 8 x 8 inches

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cast on 3 sts.
Row 1: K3.
Row 2: K1, Kf&b, K1 (4 sts).
Row 3: K2, Kf&b, K1 (5 sts).
Row 4: K2, Kf&b, K2 (6 sts).
Row 5: K3, YO, K to end of row
Repeat last row until you have 50 sts.

Decrease row: K2, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K to end of row.
Repeat decrease row until 6 sts remain.
Next row: K2, K2tog, K2 (5 sts).
Next row: K2, K2tog, K1 (4 sts).
Next row: K1, K2tog, K1 (3 sts).
Bind off row: Slip 1 st from left needle to right, K2tog, bind off slipped st, then pull yarn through last st to fasten off. Weave in the ends.

Kf&b: (Knit front & back) Increase a stitch by knitting the next stitch, but do not remove the stitch from the left needle. Place the right needle into the back of the same stitch and knit again. Slip stitch off left needle.

YO: (Yarn over) Increase a stitch and create an eyelet by bringing yarn to the front, and then wrap the yarn over the top of the right needle from front to back.

K2tog: (Knit 2 together) Decrease a stitch by putting tip of right needle through next 2 stitches on left needle, and knit these 2 stitches as one stitch.

Another Ball Band Dishcloth

2008-02-16T20:12:00.000-06:00

Now my original traffic jam dishcloth has a fraternal twin! I didn't have quite enough in the peach to go all the way around in single crochet like the first, but they're still perfectly functional as dishcloths.

Alpaca Hat

2008-02-15T18:42:00.000-06:00

I knit a nice and warm hat from some bulky 100% alpaca I got in a random yarn purchase from an Ebayer, obviously another knitter/crocheter who was unloading random single balls to a willing yarn junkie like myself. Still, I made something nice with it, a hat knit from the top, and I gave it to my honey for Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day Vest

2008-02-14T23:11:00.001-06:00

I spent about a week, knitting a little here and there, on this little red vest for my nephew. I originally intended to make it for Chinese New Year, but procrastination got the best of me. That's the great thing about red, though. It's appropriate from Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day, and birthdays, too.

This pattern is from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd. I had worked with Lion Cotton before, and got 17 sts/10cm on 5.0mm needles, so I cast on appropriately. But this time, I got 18 sts, and didn't realize it until after a few inches into the back. I increased a few sts to make up the difference, giving the vest a little wedge shape, but it still fit him perfectly. Other than that, I made no other mods, but if I could do it again, I'd make the neck opening larer by starting the neck shaping at the same time as the armhole shaping.

Here's the results. He didn't want to wear it at first, but then again, like most toddlers, he'd rather run around naked. I barely squeezed it over his big head, so I know now that cardigans are best for him. Also, I've learned how crazy it is to photograph a toddler who's high on sugar!

Crocheted Scarf at Knit Nite

2008-02-10T19:56:00.000-06:00

We hosted Saturday Knit Nite at a new location, and it happened to be our largest group ever! I think I counted at least 15 of us - so many that we could barely all talk to each other, but still, it was fun.

I finished a crocheted scarf I'd been working on for a few months now. It was originally going to be a classroom sample, to help promote my classes at Michaels, but now, the whole class program is in hiatus while undergoing changes, so I'm having to help rennovate the classroom, while working retail with no yarn-related benefits, except to walk by it occasionally and sigh.

Hot Tamake Socks are Finished!

2008-02-06T18:45:00.000-06:00

Finally, after nearly a year on the needles, these socks for my daughter are finished! I'm modeling them on my feet, but they're very tight, so even though they may not fit her now, with the way kids grow, it won't be long!

This is the standard pattern from Queen Kahuna's Crazy Toes & Heels, using Bernat Hot Sox yarn knit with size 2.25mm needles, giving me 8 sts/inch. I increased to 60 sts, used a K4-P2 rib on the instep and leg, then switched to 2.0mm for K1-P1 rib on the cuffs. I used a standard BO, but made a YO then BO after every knit stitch, which makes a ruffle, because essentially I've increased to 90 sts at the BO.

Aside from knitting socks with acrylic yarn (not exactly my favorite) I'm happy with the pattern itself. Now hopefully it doesn't itch her sensitive skin!

Lace

2008-01-25T16:33:00.000-06:00

One pair of Clover bamboo knitting needles: $5.00
The Harmony Guides Knitting Stitches, Volumes 2 & 3: $25.00
One ball of Rowan Kidsilk Haze Yarn: $14.00
Designing and knitting my first real lace scarf: Priceless

My original plan was to knit three different lace patterns, in blocks along the scarf, all surrounded by seed stitch. I chose patterns that all repeated in the same multiples. After a few rows into the second one, I realized it was just like the first "lacy lattice stitch" which has purls on the front side rows, while the second "lacy diamond stitch" is all knit on the front side. The YO's are all in the same places. The "feather lace" to follow, will also have YO's in the same places, but different decreases.

The swatches all looked so unique in their photos, but now, seeing the patterns in the same yarn, they will look very similar. Now I want to start over with 2 or 3 totally different lace pattern. Also, I'm not liking the purls on the front side of my lace. I have two options here: rip out 4 hours of knitting, which will probably be a nightmare in mohair, or take scissors to it and cut off the first block, bind off those live stitches, and continue onward. Or should I just go for it, as is, instead of being too obsessive about all this?

The Lessons of a Teddy Bear Sweater

2008-01-23T19:51:00.000-06:00

The teddy bear sweater lingered for months. It was another Barbara Walker formula from Knitting from the Top. The Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed was soft and knitted up quickly in just two evenings. All that remained was a tiny sleeve. Even the ends were already woven! Still, there it sat in my main knitting bag for months. I'd see it occasionally while looking for other things, but it never did capture my attention long enough to finish that darn sleeve!

Then it dawned on me why I couldn't finish this project. The sweater, though cute and in a delicious red tweed, was of freakish proportions for a teddy bear. The same formula for a human adult would be fine, but scaled down, I couldn't find a single doll in DD's room that could fit its head through the neck opening. It finally fit over a Barbie, but then the rest of the sweater was hugely out of proportion, even on Ken.

In a post-holiday sweep of my needlework collection, I frogged the sweater. I also sold unused tools & yarn on Ebay, organized my stash of everything, and designed a better storage system. Now all my yarn is either in Space Bags, in pretty baskets, or in ziplock bags inside a variety of bigger bags and purses already taking up space in my closet. Ravelry inspired me to inventory everything, so now I know what I really have. I cleaned up and old Ashland Sky knitting needle organizer, a gift from a favorite shop customer who recycled it to me years ago, because she didn't like the sticky plastic. After a thorough rub down with rubbing alcohol to clean up the ink pen stains (probably the real reason she stopped liking it) now it holds my entire circular needle collection. I should've done this years ago!

Now there's no evidence of those lingering UFO's anymore, the ones that start with excitement and good intentions, or a new novelty yarn, or a questionable substitute for the actual yarn in the pattern. As I rewound the yarn into balls, I reflected upon why I never finished the projects. One scarf, from eyelash yarn, would've been a fun scarf, but I didn't like the yarn nor the color, so after 3/4 of the way through, it sat indefinitely, I didn't even bother to take a photo of it. There were many projects like that, some even minutes away from completion, and because they were so quirky, didn't fit, or just plain ugly, I felt they weren't worth finishing, nor even posting on this blog, so I tucked away, and now they're gone for good.

On the other hand, some projects had a glimmer of hope. There was a slipper, basically an experimental sock knit on super-bulky yarn and giant DPN's, and the finished one is warm & functional, so I'll finish the other soon. Then there were these caps, in various stages of dissatisfaction. You may recognize the upper-right hat. It was a Kool-Aid dyeing creation, so bright even a clown wouldn't wear it, so I overdyed it with black food coloring, and though the colors are better, it shrunk from overzealous simmering. The others, I estimated the gauge and haphazardly casted on, and even after discovering they wouldn't fit, I finished them away.

Still, the hats would fit somebody else's head & taste, so my daughter and I marched them up to the Children's Hospital to donate them to Knitting for Noggins. A nurse whom we asked directions, commented on how many there used to be, but probably weren't any left to fit us. I raised my bag full of hats and showed them to her. "No, I'm here to DONATE, so where do I leave these?" The showed us a table across the waiting room, where there were just a few crocheted acrylic caps in baby pastels, all too small to fit anything but a teddy bear. I added my hats to the table, as a few curious onlookers admired the hats, so I'm sure they're gone by now. Hopefully they're keeping a little kid warm this winter. That thought alone gives me deep satisfaction, even if the hats themselves didn't.

In conclusion, I've decided that when current projects linger into UFO's status, I'll ask myself, "Will this make a nice gift?" If yes, then I'll finish the thing anyway. You know those projects, like when, you thought you liked purple, but when you wrapped that half-knit bright purple scarf around your neck, it made you look washed out. Or like that poncho that seemed fabulous, but then you realized your gauge was off, and that you didn't even like ponchos in the first place. Well, most kids love ponchos, and there's someone out there who's everything is purple, so I will finish them anyway and give the gift of hand-knits, even for no reason at all. Everyone loves to receive a gift!

Traffic Jam Dishcloth

2008-01-16T18:02:00.000-06:00

Traffic jams, stop lights, and waiting for DD at school, are all perfect opportunities to knit a row or two. It took a few months, but all those wasted minutes, where I'd normally be cursing at the city traffic, have been transformed into productive knitting time. Now I have another ball band dishcloth.

Knit Cap Transformation

2008-01-16T17:59:00.000-06:00

When the temperature drops, I reach for a cozy cap to hold in my heat. My small collection of knit and crochet caps does the trick, but sometimes, I feel like just a big round head when I wear a beanie. Oh, how I longed for a cap that was more stylish and fluffier -- much like how we southern gals like to wear our hair.

I thought to myself, "French people seem to know what looks good, so I'll knit myself a beret!" After comparing a few patterns, I decided top-down might be better, since no gauge swatch is necessary, and I can tailor it as I go. I grabbed a ball of Bernat Soft Boucle, double-stranded it on 8mm needles, and came up with my own formula - knit a circle until it's 12" in diameter, knit a few even rounds, then decrease until it fits my head. I had a beret in 2 hours flat, so I rushed the the bathroom mirror to model it.

Eh. I'm not française, so maybe that's why the beret just didn't do it for me, or maybe it needed to be bigger, or maybe it was the yarn, or maybe....

Then it occured to me that all those stylish oversized newsboys caps I've been seeing around town were nothing more than a beret with a BRIM. So off I went, to look up the Cabled Newsboy Cap pattern in Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, because I remembered its cool little brim technique.

I traced the template onto some plastic canvas, made a few calculations to rework the brim pattern to my gauge, and in another 2 hours, I had a newsboy cap! It's big enough to pull over my ears when needed, but a little too floppy to sit neatly on top of my head when above my ears. Some elastic may fix the problem, and if another one does come flying off my needles, now I know it'll have to be tighter. Still, it's much more stylish than a beanie, and my ears are WARM!

Cabled Hat Makeover

2008-01-11T00:19:00.000-06:00

I wasn't totally satisfied with the brim, since it didn't cover his ears, and the loose bind-off looked a little sloppy. So the day after Christmas, I unraveled the bind-off and reworked the hat an inch longer and with a hem. Sewing it down was not easy, but I managed well enough for a first-timer. Then after I washed and blocked it, the yarn bloomed into near perfection....

It's been cold lately, so DF wears one of my knit hats everyday. He almost exclusively favors the first one, made on a Knifty Knitter. It's starting to look a little ratty now, and probably shouldn't be worn in public anymore, but he still wears it, and that means a lot to me.

But for over a week, he wouldn't wear this new one. He wouldn't even pick it up to feel it or try it on. My feelings started to get hurt. Was it the color, the cables, or was he afraid that it would itch? So I kindly asked, "Is the cap just not your style honey? If not, I can knit you something else that you like better."

He replied, "Oh no, it's just that it's SO perfect, that I don't want to mess it up. You worked so hard on those little twists, and it's pure wool, and...."

I reassured him, "Honey, it only LOOKS hard to make. If it gets dirty, I'll wash it for you, and if something happens to it, I can easily knit you another one in a weekend."

The next day, he wore it, and it hasn't come off since.

Basketweave Baby Cardigan FO!

2008-01-02T21:04:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

The last FO of 2007, became the first handknit sweater for my newphew in 2008. I used 2.25 skeins of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn on 3.5 mm Addi Turbo's, at 6 sts x 9 rows per inch, in a simple baskeweave cardigan. I roughly followed the formula to Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top Seamless Set-in Sleeve, Simultaneous Method. This has become my favorite sweater pattern formula. All in all, it was both a challenge and pleasure to knit. Too bad they don't stay small enough for very long. Maybe sis will have another, and we can hand it down to the next little one.

Knitting Books Galore

2007-12-25T23:11:00.000-06:00

This Christmas, the two favorite men in my life, my Dad & my Fiance, updated my stash of knitting books. My Dad went straight to my Amazon wish list and got me the three books on the right.

Knitting America details the history of sticks and yarn on our homeland, along with photographic eye-candy and 20 patterns too! I'll be reading it to sleep for many a night. Afterward, it'll grace my coffee table.

Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters is more than a sock pattern book - it's a sock ARCHITECTURE book that borders on revolutionary. It shall inspire my next sock project - maybe EVERY sock project.

Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge, like the first two in her series, has beautifully photographed knitting swatches of unique designs to get the creative juices flowing. Though it contains some strange neck ruffle patterns, I can see how applying them on something else will be fabulous, like on purses, home decor, or girly baby sweaters. My favorite chapter is 'Closures' which has the most gorgeous button bands ever.

My fiance did a little research to find me the two books on the left. America's Knitting Book by Gertrude Taylor is a nice 1968 vintage encyclopedia of knitting techniques. Though I've only glanced through it, it looks like it has a little of everything, from learning how to knit, to designing stitch patterns and sleeve caps.

Last and definitely not least, behold the golden tome of many knitters - The Principles of Knitting by June Hiatt! This out-of-print book can set you back a couple hundred bucks for a decent copy, so it's only for the truly dedicated. Luckily our local library carries it, so I've had it on loan for over two years. I only had to mentioned once to him that I wish I could afford my own copy, so for Christmas, not only did he find me a MINT copy...

...it's also SIGNED by the author herself! OK, it's not addressed to me, but still!

For his handmade gift, I designed and knit him a top-down cabled hat in a bouncy smooth merino, Emmanuella by Goddess Yarns. After he donned it, I found a few improvements to make, so I'm going to rip the edge and rework it.

From building me a knitting machine workstation to giving me one of the most expensive books ever, my fiance is a knitter's dream come true. I shall knit for him as long as we both shall live!

Merry Christmas!

Basketweave Cardigan Progress

2007-12-11T17:36:00.000-06:00

In addition to a fun toy, this cardigan will make a cozy Christmas present for my nephew. The pattern is developing wonderfully, and it only looks complicated. I'm working the sleeves via the magic loop, to ensure symmetry, but it makes for a bad photo, since one sleeve is twisted 180°.

There may be enough leftover yarn for a hood, but I've never knit a hood before. Maybe this close to Christmas, a hat is better, in case I can't finish in time.

I love this Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn. I've got 4 more skeins of it in 2 colors. I wonder, will it be enough for a top for me? If not, I'll buy 2 more skeins for my first 2008 yarn purchase, so I can make something in a colorful slip stitch pattern.

DD's Scarves

2007-11-21T12:50:00.002-06:00

I finished these quite some time ago....

This one was knit with Rowan's discontinued alternative line, R2 in Rag. There may be some left at The Handworks Gallery. It's a ribbon yarn, and this colorway is like a shredded oil stained work shirt - so punk rock!

I used 3 balls here for a 3" x 72" scarf, #17 needles, and dropped garter stitch - a great pattern for ribbon yarns:

CO any # of sts (7 here)
K 2 rows

Next row, *YO, K1, rep from * till end of row

Next row, *K, drop the YO, rep from * till end of row

Rep these 4 rows, until desired lenth

End with K2 rows and then BO

To keep the feel of the deconstructed look, I didn't bother to weave ends - just knotted & trimmed them, then added fringe.

This scarf was knit with my birthday yarn that DD gave me. Only 1 ball was needed for a 5" x 90" scarf, with Red Heart Symphony on #8 needes. This bias garter stitch is pretty much the same as those simple diagonal dishcloths, but with a longer body in the middle. It helps to tie a marker or place a safely pin on the inc/dec side, so you know where you're at in the pattern.

Place slipknot on needle

Kf&b, (1 inc's made)

Kf&b, Kf&b (2 inc's made)

K1, Kf&b, Kf&b, K1 (2 inc's made)

K1, Kf&b, K across to last 2 sts, Kf&b, K1 (2 inc's made)

K all

Rep the last 2 rows until desired width (32 sts here)

K1, Kf&b, K across to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

K all

Rep the last 2 rows until scarf is desired lenth

K1, K2tog, K across to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1

K all

Rep the last 2 rows until 6 sts left

K1, K2tog, K2tog, K1

K2tog, K2tog

K2tog

Cut yarn and pull through last st to fasten off

Weave ends & add fringe if desired

Oddball Bath Mitts

2007-11-19T23:44:00.000-06:00

I'm always thrilled when I discover some oddball knickknack that I saved years ago comes in handy. For instance, all my remnants of cotton yarn became a ball band dishcloth months ago, and the remainder became these colorful bath mitts.

The pattern is straight from the label of Sugar-n-Cream. It's also distributed freely online with registration.

To avoid the dreaded seam sewing, I knit them in the round on bamboo dpn's. Working garter stitch in the round means alternating rounds of knit and purl. If you want to try and recreate this colorway, use Peaches-n-Creme in Fiesta, Sugar-n-Cream in Splash, Hot Pink, Hot Orange, and Lion Cotton in Poppy Red. Knot on new colors when it feels right, sometimes on right side rows, sometimes on wrong side rows, or in my case, purl rounds and knit rounds.

Now it's time for me to go bathe in technicolor!

Mama Betty

2007-11-15T22:13:00.000-06:00

My great-grandmother was an avid and talented crocheter. I remember as a child, watching her fingers fly, as baby booties, blankets, lace tablecloths, and (my favorite) doll clothes, would flow from her hooks. My last memories of her were back in my teens, when she was approaching her 90's, and my family visited her in a nursing home. She slowly became an invalid, and it always felt sad to see her like that. My sister and I would hold her hand as we spoke to her, and sometimes that would bring tears to her eyes.

After she passed away, my Grandma gave this doll to me. It still brings me joy to stroke my fingers over the perfect little stitches of fingering weight baby yarn. Over the years, the cute matching bonnet has disappeared, probably when my daughter played with her. I'm sure I'll find it someday, when I unearth boxes of old baby gear from storage.

Nowadays, whenever I pick up a crochet hook, I always think of my great-grandma Betty. Sometimes I imagine her as my guardian angel, watching over my shoulder and nodding in approval when I hook up something pretty. Or I imagine her shaking her head in disgust when my gauge is off, or I crochet a project like...

this fluorescent beanie cap. I used the "Boy Beanie" pattern straight out of the pages of Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker. The pattern actually calls for Red Heart Super Saver, which I have quite a bit of in my stash, even the "camouflage" color. Instead, I used "bikini," probably the brightest colorway known to yarnkind. Sure, I could've gone for something softer and subtle, but sometimes, I find great satisfaction in creating something fun & crazy. Mama Betty, I hope you understand.

Crochet Stuff

2007-11-11T22:46:00.000-06:00

Today was Michaels' annual Great Yarn Event. All week long, every yarn is discounted from 30% to 50% off. To kick off the sale, my job was to set up a table of full of project samples, yarns, and class information. I also had to perform knitting and crochet demonstrations, but with only an hour dedicated to each project and having to juggle the PR work, I only managed to finish one project - this crochet newborn cap.

Occasionally I need a break from complicated, lingering projects. Working on something for hours, only to STILL be in progress can be frustrating. Sometimes I want instant gratification, or just need to keep my hands busy so my mind can ponder on something else besides needlework. A simple crochet dishcloth is the perfect remedy. A few nights ago, I whipped up a granny square dishcloth, straight from the label of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn. I don't remember what I was thinking when I made it, but after the sweet little quickie, I slept very well that night.

Knitting and the Stash

2007-10-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

I've been superbusy, but I do manage to sneak in a few precious moments of knitting time here and there. A raglan tunic for my DD, a basketweave cardigan for my nephew, and a pair of socks are all active on my needles now.

After a long wait, I finally got the invite to Ravelry! If you don't hear from me for a while, gently peel my hands away from the keyboard, and remind me that there is more to life than knitting and the internet.

Since my last post, I've taught about a dozen more people to knit or crochet. To reward my good deeds, I broke a promise and bought more yarn. On the bright side, it was clearance yarn with my associate discount. I only spent about $12, so I don't feel too bad. On the other hand, it was a bunch of 60¢ balls (you do the math), so it wasn't easy to find space for it. To solve the dilemma, I donated some old clothes to Goodwill, making enough room for an empty dresser drawer to spread out the stash.

FO! Oil Slick Wrap

2007-09-22T22:59:00.000-05:00

Last Knit Nite was a blast as usual, and with two FO's: Kelley's baby washcloth, and the wrap cardigan I've been working on for 3 months. Both were knitted from the results of our last Dye Party.

I'm veeeery pleased with this project. It's my favorite one, so I'm already planning another! I followed the general instructions for simultaneous set-in sleeves from Walker's Knitting from the Top. I can't say enough about this book. Then I tailored the fit exactly to my measurments, and all went smoothly - not one single frog! And this baby is totally seamless - the only thing I used a darning needle for was weaving in the ends.

D'wan & Cherilyn somehow missed the lens. We all had a great time enjoying all sort of things with the conversation: knitting, algebra homework, wireless internet, needlepoint, beer, coffee, chocolate, food, and that mushroom knitting spool thingy!

A Crochet FO and Knit Nite

2007-09-14T00:50:00.000-05:00

The Fat Bottom bag is one of my favorite quickie crochet patterns, from one of my favorite crochet books. It's made of stash yarn, a tweedy Lion Brand Wool Ease, and some bamboo handles from Ebay. Sometimes I try to wing artsy photo shoots, but hanging it on my stitchionary calendar atop my computer was all I could muster today.

Last Knit Nite was a nice turnout again. D'wan took photos....

That's my sis & I, drinking beer while playing with yarn. She's been working on the same afghan for years, since it takes over half an hour to finish a row. She's made several smaller projects in between, mainly Knifty Knitter stuff, and a gorgeous felted crochet bag. Due to work or childcare conflicts, this is only her second Knit Nite. I hope we can convince Mom to babysit more.

Probably because of the beer, I dropped a stitch several rows back on the socks. Rather than ripping back hundreds of stitches, I performed surgery later when sober. Since I kept knitting over the spot where I dropped, I had to create a ladder, or enough yarn in between stitches to create the new stitches. So I tugged the slack from a few stitches on either side, then zipped right up the ladder. It was a 100% recovery.

You can find more photos of our knitting antics by searching "mei" or "knit" or whatever you can think of on D'wan's Flickr. She takes like a thousand photos a day, so you may want to sit down awhile.

Other than that, I finished a UFO from rag yarn that my DD started long ago, then handed to me, "Mom, will you finish my scarf, and add something fancy to it?" It sat in her knitting bag for months, but after a few quick flicks of size 17 needles, it's drying in the laundry room, awaiting its photo shoot this weekend.

Another FO - Socks!

2007-09-04T16:18:00.000-05:00

Magic Stripes on the Magic Loop!

This yarn, Lion Brand Magic Stripes in Jellybean, has been in my stash since the beginnings of my knitting. It feels like a nice sturdy sock yarn, but the dye-job looks a little splotchy, like maybe the dye-master was tipping back a few during the night shift, but yet, they still appeal to me in a hand-painted sort of way.

The socks were knitted two at once, toe up, on a 32" 3.0 mm Addi circular. I got them from an Ebay seller out of Hong Kong. For only $8, who could resist? Now I'm starting to wonder, could they be they fakes?

The rest of my knitting looks untouched to the untrained eye. Though I've added three more inches on my top, 20 more inches on my scarf, an a few inches on the other pair of socks, in photos they'd still look relatively the same.

On the Needles

2007-08-23T18:06:00.000-05:00

I checked out Cables Untangled from my library, and I give it 5 stars. Though I've experimented with traditional rope cables, this book helped me wrap my brain around twists, and how to knit without a cable needle. This swatch is my lesson, and also the beginnings of a possible project.

I'm recycling yarn from an old baby hat that was too small to begin with. My sister made it on the Knifty Knitter, but as she discovered, babies's heads are bigger than we think they are, and the twisted stitches of loom knitting don't stretch much.

I'm almost finished with these socks. I can hardly wait until it gets cool enough to wear them! I've got another pair OTH, but I couldn't snap a photo today since they're stashed at work, for lunch break knitting.

My Oil Slick Cardi-Wrap is down to the waist. Now I'm trying to decide how to make the belt, so I've consulted and compared other patterns for ideas. So far, I like the look of a similar garment in Stitch-n-Bitch Nation. Stay tuned.

Simultaneous Set-in Sleeve Tweaks

2007-08-23T17:42:00.000-05:00

I love Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. One of my favorite knitbloggers, The Boy Who Knits, was having issues with the simultaneous set-in sleeve, so it sparked my motivation to share my tweaks & changes with y'all. In no way am I criticizing the great Ms. W. These changes just help things drape better on the bodies I knit for, so maybe they'll work for yours, too.

If you don't have the book, the following will probably make no sense to you whatsoever.

If the shoulders are really broad, a neck opening that 1/3 of the shoulder measurement is fine. For normal or narrow shoulders, especially kids, try 1/2 for the neck, then distribute the remaining, 1/4 on each shoulder.

While working down from the shoulders, instead of stopping when the edge is 1/3, narrow this down to 1/4 of the sleeve measurement. After picking-up the shoulder sts, increase the sleeves EVERY ROW until 1 inch worth of sts are added on each sleeve, using the lifted-strand-make-1. Then return to increasing sleeves every OTHER row, or whatever rate of increase works best for the stitch pattern.

Increase each sleeve, until minus the number of sts to be added in 1 inch of rows when increasing every other row, and minus the extra cast-on stitches needed for the body. If you reach the correct number of sleeve stitches before reaching armhole depth, knit even until the armhole depth is reached. If you reach armhole depth before obtaining the correct number of sleeve sts, cast-on extra at the underarm, and decrease them away in the body.

Next, increase both the sleeve and body stitches for 1 inch of rows, or 8 extra stitches every other round. Then, the underarm stitches are cast on, the sleeves are put on holders, and continue working the body.

When it's time to work the sleeves, pick up 2 extra stitches, one at each edge of the underarm cast-on, to help close those offending holes that often occur. Then, decrease those extra stitches away on the following round.

I hope this helps you, Kenny!

Knitting from the Top (Again)

2007-07-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Ever notice puddles of leaked engine oil on asphalt when it rains? The fabulous rainbow of colors swirling around on the shiny blackness always mesmerize me for a few seconds, before someone honks at me to move it. Well, that's what the colors of my recent yarn dyeing adventure remind me of, hence, Oil Slick Wrap is the name of my latest knit-to-fit project. I'm trying one of those thingies that crisscross between the boobs and tie around the waist.

Besides a few sock rounds, that's all the knitting I've done in July. I've been teaching arts & crafts classes to kids full time, with a few knit classes in between. With all that work on my feet, once I'm home, all I want is food, shower, and bed. For several days, I didn't even knit at all.

I was so ready for Friday. Knit Nite was a blast! We completely filled our regular meeting room at the coffeeshop - a warm and welcoming end to a long week. Some new friendly faces showed up, and I hope the trend continues. Thank God for friends, yarn, and beer, or I problaby would've gone home and painted my toes in front of the TV.

Yarn Dyeing Party

2007-07-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here's the result of our last Knit Nite yarn dyeing party. I think I'm in love.

This is one pound of Sugar-n-Cream handpainted with Cibracon dyes. Everyone else used Procion MX, and D'wan brought wool & food coloring. There's more photos on my Flickr account. Most of us are contacts there, so you can see their results as well.

Crochet Capelet

2007-06-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

From Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker, may I present Cold Shoulder....

Modifications: Not being a fan of mohair, and because I'm working from my stash, I used Red Heart Symphony (only 1 skein!) The stitch gauge was correct, but my row gauge was tighter, so I made several more dc rows in the yoke, then a few more of lace rows, also to make it longer than the pattern. Instead of attaching the ties directly to the collar, I just crocheted a long chain and weaved it through the dc stitches at the base.

Though I completed this in April, I'm still pondering over pom-poms or beads on the ties. That's why I haven't blogged it, and why I'm covering those unfinished ends.

Since the yarn was so light, I worried it might not drape well, so I with the help of Lily Chin's Knit and Crochet with Beads, I ventured into my first experience with bead crochet.

Pistachio Lace Raglan

2007-06-27T14:06:00.000-05:00

Yarn: 3 balls of Cotton Ease in Pistachio

Tools: #6, #7, & #8, circulars, F & H crochet hooks

Gauge: 4.5 sts/in largest needles

Pattern: my own via Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top v-neck raglan with bust/waist shaping, fern/vine lace stitch, garter stitch edge, picot bind off, simple crochet flower - all stitch patterns from the Harmony Guide series

Opinions: I like everything about this top, but I'm not happy with the extra bagginess in the underarm area. If I did it over again, I would either cast on fewer underarm stitches, or make fewer sleeve increases in the yoke.

Hot Sox Progress

2007-06-20T18:21:00.000-05:00

The discovery of my DD's adversion to wool wouldn't have hurt so much, had I not first knit her a pair of knee-high socks in fingering weight yarn. Still, she wanted socks. Cotton seemed like the best option, but all I could find were cotton/wool blends. I was reluctant to knit socks with acrylic yarn, but this Bernat Hot Sox attracted us with it's bright colors. It actually knits up nicely, and I love how the colors are spiraling in a weird pattern.

Then I came across this Knitty.com article, Knitting for diabetic feet. Surprising, for socks, this author concludes that acrylic yarn is one of the best choices! Wool is still excellent, but cotton is the worst. Now I have an incredible urge to reorganize my sock drawer.

Felting with the Knifty Knitter

2007-06-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

This project was a test how felted knits behave when made on the Knifty Knitter. In needle knitting knitting, most objects shrink more lengthwise than widthwise. That's why I knit this bag long and skinny. Post-felting, the bag is still long and skinny - not what I intended.

I theorize that with traditional loom knitting's twisted knit stitch, the felting process behaves differently. The length to width felting ratio was not quite as extreme, in fact, it's nearly the same.

This was Patons Classic Merino, double stranded on the yellow 41-peg round loom. I basically knit a long strip, 26 stitches wide, until it was a yard long, then folded it in half and loosely sewed up the sides. Then I added the 4 stitch wide straps as shown. Not including the straps, it measured 12 x 18 inches. Post-felted, it's 8 x 12 inches. Both measurements are a 2:3 ratio - exactly the same.

Cotton Ease Tee Progress

2007-06-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks, I've been working on a top-down raglan tee in one of my favorite staple yarns, Cotton Ease, in the discontinued Pistachio.

I'm also trying something new - a top with boobies! It's barely noticeable here, but hopefully it'll help in fitting over that awkward gap right below the bosom.

Now all that's left is to decide what kind of borders to knit....

Crochet on the Double

2007-06-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

I've been carrying this hook around ever since I first started playing with yarn, so I finally gave it a go....

Whether you call it cro-knit, crochenit, double-ended crochet, or crochet-on-the-double, it's all the same. I tried it, and I like it. These potholders are both sides of the same basic stitch. It reminds of garter stitch, only bulkier and prettier.

Michaels has 101 Double-Ended Hook Stitches by Annie's Attic, which I may snag with the next 40% off coupon. Funny, they don't carry the actual hooks!

Wait! I'm not supposed to buy any yarn-stuff till 2008. I'm proudly maintaining my willpower, and have only succumbed to one measly $1.25 ball of cotton yarn for my dishcloth pal, which qualifies as a gift, and my one "get out of jail free" card is still unredeemed.

Oh, and here's that cloth....

Playing Catch up with Summer Shrugs

2007-06-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

I apologize to you who've received no response from your questions on this blog. Blogger used to send email notifications with every comment, and from what I can see now, it all stopped months ago, probably when this was converted to Google. Anyway, I thought nobody was reading, so I didn't post much, but now I'm happy to know I have company. Welcome!

Yes, I'm still crazy about yarn, so I sneak in a row or two (or fifty) in between priorites. Here's what I've been doing for the past 6 weeks....

This is one of my favorite projects. Experimenting with instructions from Barbara Walker's Knitting From the Top, I tried a top-down raglan with no front, in hopes of making a shrug, and then something very similar to the One-Skein-Wonder slowly emerged.

Increase #6 is also my new favorite double increase, though the book's instructions are easier done than said. Essentially, when you come to the seam stitch, make a lifted increase on the right leg of the stitch below, knit into the back of the seam stitch, then make another lifted increase on the left leg of the stitch below. The way she words it (and please forgive me Barbara, for I still think you're a genius) about knitting into fronts and backs is all wrong. The way I look at it, the front of a stitch is relative to the way it's mounted on the needle. Knitting into the front produces a standard knit stitch, and knitting into the back produces a twisted knit stitch. If you knit English with all your stitches mounted with their right legs in front, then you knit into the front by inserting your needle from left to right. If you knit combination, and all your knit stitches have their left legs in front, then knitting into the front means inserting your needle from right to left.

This is from my hand-painted yarn collection: blue, yellow, and green McCormick food coloring on Patons Classic Merino in Gray Mix. I piled the hank loosely in a bowl and randomly squirted colors all over, not caring if they ran together, and microwaved it.

I loved the pattern so much, that I made another, in Lion Cotton. Like the first, it took only 1 skein with less than a yard to spare. I calculated by knitting the body, then the front border, and finally divided the remaining yarn in half to work each sleeve until I ran out.

Magic Stripes Sock Progress

2007-06-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

Loosely following the Crazy Toes and Heels formula, I've been slowly working on another pair of socks. I finished the toes months ago, and then this past week....

Memorial Lace

2007-05-28T22:42:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a happy Memorial weekend. I spent the majority of it in the pool or eating hot dogs. I'm tan and sick at my stomach now. Oh yeah, and I worked on a lace cloth from Bernat Handicrafter yarn from Cheryl, my Canadian dishcloth pal.

Green Booga Bag Accessories

2007-04-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

Using my own simple patterns, I knitted a cellphone cozy and makeup bag with more handdyed LB Fishermans Wool. I love how this yarn felts, though it shrinks a lot - nearly 50% in width, and even more in height. Afterwards, it must be shaved, so I gently stroke a disposable razor over it while it's still wet. Now I've got to find a button and a zipper and get to work.

Knifty Knitter Throw Pillow

2007-04-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

In effort to lure people into my needlework classes during the sweltering months, I offered more accessory projects. This Knifty Knitter throw pillow class did the trick. It feels cool to the touch, full of soft and silky fuzziness, and is machine washable - traits that only good ol' nylon can provide. Two skeins of Patons Cha-Cha and a skein of Bernat Soft Boucle, equals a stash-busting project you can rest your booty upon.

I heard or read somewhere that one could dye nylon like wool, with acid dyes. I'd like to try it, but what happens when you put nylon in the oven and crank it up to 200°F?

Rachel's Booga Bag

2007-04-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

From her first hand-dyed yarn, to a fabulous Booga Bag with crocheted flowers. Too cute!

Psychedelic Granny Square Tote Bag

2007-04-23T00:33:00.000-05:00

I finally finished it, though it may need a lining, ya think? For some reason, I thought the bag would be huge. Now it's more like an tote than for the beach.

Before you go gagging at my color choice, remember, this yarn has great sentimental value to me - the first skein of yarn I ever bought, though it was originally used in my DD's craft box for string.

One day, when DD was like 4 or 5, I was horrified to find she'd tied and strung up all her Barbies around the room with this yarn. She had them noosed or hanging upside down in various torturous positions. I slowly asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm playing Barbie Fear Factor, Mom!"

Knitting in the Dark

2007-04-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Clover Knit Lites and slow exposure photograhy.