Shandeh's Knitting and Crochet Blog

2012 Mystery Blankets on Bernat Website

2012-01-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Yippee! It's time for more mystery blankets on the Bernat website!

Back in 2009, we had a knit-along, where we made pretty blankets, using Bernat Satin.
In 2010, we had a crochet-along, making lovely blankets, using Bernat Softee Chunky.
In 2011, we did knit AND crochet baby blankets for the Project Linus charity.

THIS year (2012), Bernat is giving us clues to do knit and/or crochet blankets, using their new "Waverly" yarn.

And they aren't alone in sponsoring the event. They've brought in interior design specialists from Waverly Fabrics, to help us in choosing just the right color combination for our blankets! :) I think that is just awesome. I especially like the "My Palette" webpage they created, that shows all the colors of Waverly yarn together, cleanly presented on a white background.

Along with the KAL/CAL, they have created a brand new discussion forum on their website, and they have asked ME to be the moderator. I am very excited about it, and have really enjoyed getting to know several knitters and crocheters all over the world for the event.

Right now in the forum, there are over 1,000 interesting crafters, talking about what colors they are choosing for their blanket. Some of the members are wanting to do the crochet blanket only, and others are choosing the knitted blanket. A portion of us (myself included) are opting to make BOTH blankets. Wish us luck!

Even though we have all that help from the Waverly Fabrics interior design experts, it is STILL difficult for us to make our final color choices for our blankets. BUT, since the yarns have been arranged in color "moods" for us, we can't go wrong if we choose colors in the same group.

Some of us (myself included) are color mood "rebels", and are just picking colors randomly. I guess we think we are smarter than the experts. HA!!

ANYWAY, I'm very excited to see how all our blankets turn out. It's a fun event, involving knitters and crocheters from all over the world.

2012 New Year's Eve KAL - Knitting Help Forum

2011-12-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

This year, I will be hosting our 5th Annual New Year's Eve Party on the Knitting Help Forum.

Every year, we knit a little project together, so we can keep it forever, to remember our party. :)

For our 2012 KAL, I've designed a little folding pocket to hold our knitting tools. It has TWO pockets, folded together, with plenty of room for a small pair of scissors, a tape measure, some stitch markers, point protectors, a yarn needle, etc. When folded, it is about the size of a deck of cards.

As usual, I am trying to keep the project simple, so knitters of all levels can participate. Feel free to jazz up the design with your own ideas.

Front:

Back:

Inside:

It is knitted all in one piece, then folded, and seamed on the sides with whipstitch.

Here is how it will look when you finish all the knitting:

And here is how you get started:

2012 New Year KAL Project - KH Forum
Folded Pocket for Knitting Tools

Materials:
4 small skeins of worsted weight yarn in contrasting colors (2 dark, 2 light)
The model was made with KH logo colors - Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Size 7 or 8 knitting needles
Yarn needle for duplicate stitch embroidery
2 locking stitch markers

Gauge is not necessary for this project.

Skills learned:
Garter Stitch, Stockinette Stitch, Changing Colors, Simple Seaming (whipstitch), and Duplicate Stitch Embroidery

Color Key:
A - Yellow
B - Red
C - Purple
D - White

Instructions:
Using Color A, Cast on 14 stitches.
Knit 3 rows (Garter Stitch)
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Knit
(Rows 4 and 5 repeated make Stockinette Stitch)
Continue in Stockinette Stitch (repeating Rows 4 & 5), until you have a square in Color A.
As you knit in Stockinette Stitch, you will be knitting all stitches on the "right side" of the fabric, and purling all stitches on the "wrong side" of the fabric.

Right Side (Knit):

Wrong Side (Purl):

If you need an easy way to check if your work is square, just fold the bottom edge up at an angle, and make a triangle. If the bottom edge is too long, you need to knit more rows.

Not Square Yet:

It's Square!

When the piece is a good square shape, make sure you worked the last row on the "wrong side" (all purl stitches).

Now, you are ready for your first color change.

First, cut the yarn you were using, leaving a 6 inch tail of yarn on the project. Now, get Color B, and tie it loosely to the tail from Color A. (you can untie the knot when you finish the project)

Now, start knitting with Color B. (Your first row will be all KNIT stitches, because you ended Color A with all PURL stitches.)

Here is how your first row will look after knitting with Color B:

Now, knit 3 more rows in Garter Stitch. This will create 2 ridges in your fabric.
Next, starting with a Purl row, knit in Stockinette Stitch until this next section is a couple rows longer than the first square.

Just fold your work along the garter stitch rows to compare the two sections:

It should look like this when you finish the Color B section:

Folded

Unfolded

You should end that section with a PURL row, then cut the yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.

Now, you are ready to tie on Color C.

With Color C, Knit 6 rows Garter Stitch. This will create 3 ridges in your fabric.

Now, beginning with a Purl row, work in Stockinette Stitch until this section is the same length as the Color B section.

End this section with 4 rows of Garter Stitch, creating 2 ridges in the fabric. You should end your last row of knit stitches on the WRONG SIDE of the work.

Now, cut Color C, and tie on Color D.
Beginning with a Knit row on the RIGHT SIDE, knit in Stockinette Stitch until the last section is square - matching the first section that was knit in Color A. End with 4 rows of Garter Stitch, creating two ridges on your fabric.

You can check to make sure all the sections were knit correctly, by folding your project in half like this:

Bind Off loosely.

Now, your knitting is complete, and should look like this:

At this point, you can fold the project, to make sure it will work correctly.

Pockets Folded In:

Folded Completely:

As you can see, the pockets will be folded to the inside, and seamed on the sides. But, before seaming, you will want to do your duplicate stitch embroidery.

First, you need to decide where you want your embroidery to be placed. You might want to finish up the project without ANY embroidery. You might decide to embroider the design on the inside pockets of the item. I decided that I want the embroidery on the outside of my project.

Now, you need to place two stitch markers, marking where you want the TOP of your embroidery to be placed:

Now, embroider the designs on your project.
I'm not going to do an explanation of duplicate stitch embroidery, because Bella Knitting has already done a great job of that HERE.

So, here are my wonky charts. I know....I should have asked my computer guru son to make them, but he's too busy being a programmer. :P

If you want to embroider different letters or numbers, you can use my free charts here:
Letters: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59646927@N00/6604369855/
Numbers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59646927@N00/6604342367/

The "KH" chart:

The "2012" chart:

Here is how my embroidery looks on the red section:

And this shows my Purple Section in progress:

And here is my completed embroidery! My "2012" section is a little off center, but I can live with it.

After completing your embroidery, you can weave in all the loose ends of your project.

Now, you are ready to seam together the sides of the pockets. I just did a simple whipstitch seam, which gives my project a "rustic" look, which I like. Some of you may prefer to seam yours a different way.

To do a whipstitch seam, just run your needle through both thicknesses of yarn, and gently pull your needle and yarn through the stitch. Keep your stitches close to the edge, looking closely at your fabric, to keep the stitches even. Just look at the edge of the fabric, and you'll start to see identifying marks in the yarn to help you place your stitches.

Here is how one side of a pocket looked, after I whipstitch seamed it:

When you finish seaming both sides of each pocket, your project will look like this:

Now, you can weave in those ends, and you'll be finished!

Here is how the inside of your project will look:

Now, it's ready to use! I hope you like your little folding pocket. Just place some knitting tools inside the two pockets, and you'll have them ready to take with you.

Enjoy!

Footississimo - Very Very Thick House Slippers

2011-12-23T03:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, say you find the thickest yarn you've ever seen in your life. For example - Red Heart Boutique Doodle.

Now, take it home, and try to knit or crochet with it, using the absolute biggest needles and hooks you can find. It's a LOT of work to make stitches out of this yarn - but it is possible, if you are patient. The yarn is actually made for non-needle crafters, who can just knot or braid the yarn by hand to make scarves.

I decided to give this yarn a try this week, buying 3 skeins at AC Moore (on clearance 50% off). The yarn is very soft, and surprisingly lightweight. After experimenting with a size S crochet hook (Lion Speed Hook), then with size 35 knitting needles, I decided I preferred the look of the knitted fabric. The crochet fabric was just too thick.

So, after playing with the yarn for a while, I held it in my hands, and imagined what I could make with it. Too bulky for a hat, and I didn't want to make a scarf. I considered making a baby blanket with it, but didn't think I had enough yarn for that. There are only 12 yards in each skein.

After some consideration, I realized it reminded me of house slippers! I figured that I could make a thick, fluffy slipper pretty quick with this yarn. So, I went to work. After just 30 minutes, my first slipper was finished!

I then wrote out the pattern, and made the second slipper. Just as quick as the first.

These slippers are SO comfy, and toasty warm! They are very thick, so I named them "Footississimo". My geeky musician way of calling them Very Very Big Feet! :)

Quick and simple - YES, but don't get me wrong.....the yarn is NOT easy to work with. It's a real workout, pushing the huge size 35 needle into each stitch, then wrapping the yarn (WHAP!) around for each stitch. When pulling the yarn through the hole, you have to really work to make it happen. So, I guess you could call it a "knitting workout".

I also used my size S crochet hook, to make an edging around the opening for the foot. When I finished the slipper, I wove in the loose ends with my fingers. There was no WAY I would find a yarn needle big enough to sew in the ends. Ha!

Here's the pattern:

FOOTISSISSIMO
Very Very Thick House Slippers

Size - Women's Shoe Size 8 or 9
(knit more or less rows before Row 7, to make it longer or shorter)

Materials
2 skeins Red Heart Boutique Doodle
Size 35 knitting needles
Size S crochet hook

Directions (Make 2)
Using knitting needles, cast on 7 stitches. Be sure you pull each stitch snug against the knitting needle (not too tight, though!). Leave at least an 8 inch tail of yarn, because you will use that end for seaming up the back of the slipper.

Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: Slip first stitch knit-wise, knit next stitch, then pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch (SKPSSO), Knit the next 3 stitches, Slip the next 2 stitches knit-wise, then stick the left needle through both stitches left to right, and knit the two stitches together through the back loop (SSK).
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: Purl
Row 11: Knit 1 stitch, SKPSSO, Knit 2 stitches
Row 12: Purl
Leaving a long end (about 2 feet), cut the yarn, and run it through the 4 stitches on the needle.

Now, your knitting should look like this:

Seaming
Before seaming, decide which side you want on the outside of the slipper. (Stockinette or Reverse Stockinette). I made mine with the stockinette side showing. To make the slipper, just fold the knitted piece lengthwise, and seam down the back of the heel, using your fingers to pull the yarn through openings on both sides - doing a whipstitch seam on the outside of the project. Next, seam up the top of the foot, starting at the toe, leaving an opening big enough for your foot to slip in.

Crochet the Cuff
Next, tie the rest of your yarn onto the end that was left after seaming the top of the slipper. Then, use your crochet hook to do a single crochet border around the opening for the foot. This will make the slipper fit comfortably around your ankle, and keep your foot nice and warm.

Finishing
Weave in any loose ends, using your fingers to pull the yarn through openings in the project.

Wasn't that easy?

Now, put on your slippers, and have fun sliding across the floors in your house! :)

Living the French Scarf Fantasy

2011-12-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with the French Scarf knitting pattern.
So far, I have knit 3 of them, and I have plans (and yarn) to make many more.

It only takes about a week to knit one, and the finished product is GORGEOUS!

That scarf was made for display at Yarnhouse in the NoDa district of Charlotte, NC. I used Louisa Harding "La Salute", and Universal Yarn "Curly Mohair" to make that one. When I finished, it was SO HARD to let it go. I immediately made plans to make one for myself.

If you follow my blog, you've seen the other two I've made, but I'll show them here again for newcomers.

That one was knit with ONline Linie "43 Punta", Plassard "Flore", and an unnamed Ormo yarn. Orange is one of my favorite colors, and I really love wearing this beautiful scarf. I get so many compliments!

My third French Scarf was knit with Lion Brand "Moonlight Mohair" and Moda Dea "Dream". I gave that one to my sister, when I visited her in California. I have enough yarn left to make another for myself. ;)

It's been about 6 months since I made that last one, and now my fingers are itching to create another one. I think that half the fun of the project is selecting yarns to make it! Since I have such a HUGE stash of yarn in my craft room, I have LOTS of options for my next French Scarf. In fact, I have so many options, that I'm not sure which one to choose.

I need to use light, frothy yarns for the scarf, so it doesn't get weighted down. One should be a standard fluffy mohair type, and the other can be a fluffier curly mohair type.

When I first started planning my project, I sat in my craft room rocking chair, and perused my stash photos on Ravelry with my little Samsung Galaxy Tab. (It sure is easier than looking through all my bins of yarn!) I am SO GLAD that I have posted every single skein of yarn I have. It just makes project planning so easy. :)

After awhile, I was getting confused, trying to remember all the yarn options I had. So, I hefted my weight out of that rocking chair, put down my Tab, and went to my main computer in the living room. The big screen on that computer, in addition to the old fashioned keyboard, just makes it easier to browse. Plus, I can open several windows at once with my PC.

With a cup of hot tea at my right hand, and a small plate of cookies at my left, I got to work. I opened up my Paint program, and then pulled up my Ravelry account. I started out by sorting my stash by fiber, but then realized that I couldn't really see all my fluffy yarn options this way. So, I just sorted it alphabetically, and scrolled down a screen at a time. Whenever I saw a yarn that would work well for a French Scarf, I clicked my "prt scr" (print screen) button - then went to my Paint program to paste the image there. In Paint, I would select the photos of the yarns I liked, and moved each image to the top of the screen. Eventually, I had a very large document, with LOTS of yarn photos.

Next, I divided that Paint document up into several documents, sorted by color. Then, I uploaded those photos to my Flickr account. That way, I would have my documents online, so I could view them with my Tab anywhere I went. :)

So, after all those hours of work, here are my yarn choices for a French Scarf:

White Options

Black

Brown

Red and Orange

Yellow and Beige

Green and Grey

Teal

Blue

Purple and Pink

Like I said, LOTS of choices.

I wonder if I will ever actually start another French Scarf? HA!!
I just have too many options to choose from.

Which combinations do YOU think would work well for a French Scarf?

Blanket for Domestic Violence Center

2011-11-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

In the midst of my craft room remodel, I got a request from the Union County Treehouse Children's Advocacy Center. They need blankets and toys for the children and teen exam room.

When a child or teen in Union County, NC experiences abuse, they go to the Treehouse Center for support, counseling, and legal advice. As part of the process, they receive a medical exam. Unfortunately, some of the children have never even been to the doctor before, so that makes the experience more unsettling than normal.

So, they are given a handmade blanket and toy to keep. They can hold onto the blanket during the exam, which helps alleviate some of their anxiety. Here is a photo of how their supply looked when I gave them some handknit blankets and toys in the past:

Right now, the center is low on blankets and toys, so they asked if I could help get some for them. I want those shelves filled up again, like they were before!

This week, I cast on a blanket, using Lion Boucle yarn. I have a HUGE bag of that yarn - most of it was given to me for my charity knitting. So, now is the perfect time to put it to use. These blankets should go FAST!

I'm using size 13 needles, and cast on about 70 stitches. Just knitting every row. I think the children will appreciate the bright, happy colors.

If you would like to help make blankets for the center, just let me know. I'm willing to accept squares, and seam them together to make blankets. I can also accept yarn donations for the blankets.

Craft Room Remodel #2

2011-11-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

Things never seem to go as planned, do they?

I ended up catching a cold, and was stuck in bed for the last few days. All that bedrest was needed anyway, because I had worked so hard getting everything out of the craft room, and installing new flooring.

So, after my cold finally went away, I got back to work. This morning, I sawed and sanded all the toe molding I'll need for the room. It will make the flooring look even better.

If anyone had been here to see me, they would have gotten a good laugh. My craft room is at one end of the house, and my driveway is at the other end. I had placed a table outside on the driveway, for me to do all the sawing and sanding of the toe molding. All of my stuff is in the rest of the house - including a huge stack of boxes in the hallway, leaving just a tiny walking area.

So, I was constantly walking sideways through that tiny bit of hallway, carrying a long stick of toe molding over my head the entire way. I think this morning counts as an EXCELLENT workout session, don't you?

The good news is that all my sawing and sanding is DONE. Tomorrow, I plan on drilling pilot holes for the nails, then sanding the sharp edges on the pilot holes, then painting everything white. After it dries, I'll be doing the crazy walk down the hallway again, with the toe molding carried over my head. (It kinda makes me look like I'm ready to throw a javelin. Ha!)

Hopefully, I'll be hammering in my toe molding tomorrow night. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Remodeling My Craft Room

2011-10-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am re-doing my craft room! I've been needing to do it for quite some time.

First things first: Get everything out of the room.
This took a LONG time. About a week.

Some of the stuff went to the living room.

All that stuff was not craft related anyway, so it's gonna stay OUT of the craft room from now on. (Well....except for the sewing machine.)

More of the stuff went to the hallway. Now there is a tiny pathway there, where I have to sneak through sideways. And the rest of the stuff went to the big bedroom across the hall from the craft room.

Now, I can REALLY see how much craft stuff I've accumulated! Yikes!

After several days of moving stuff out, I still had a pile of yarn bags in there:

And on the other side of the room, I had bookcases, filled with craft magazines and books:

I let myself take a break occasionally, as I was emptying the room. I would work for about an hour, then take a nap, or have a snack, or play a computer game.

After I finished taking those photos, I took a little break, then went back in there to get all the yarn bags off the floor. I decided that I needed to replace the flooring, because it's just in such bad shape.

I installed those tiles over 4 years ago, and they were the thin, cheap version at Lowe's.

After some consideration, I chose some new tiles at Home Depot. They are thicker, and look much nicer than the ones I installed last time.

But before I could install the tiles, I needed to repair the holes and tears in my existing floor. So, I went to Ollie's discount store, and bought some cheap tiles to use for the repairs. I used a hair dryer and my hands, to pull up the bad tiles, and replaced them with mismatched tiles. No need to worry about how it looked, because I would soon be covering the whole floor with new tiles.

It only took about an hour to replace all those bad tiles. Sure looks funny with those mismatched tiles, doesn't it? And now, I had a smooth floor, to use as a base for my NEW tiles!

Today, I finally installed the new tiles over half the floor in the craft room. I love how it looks!

Tonight, while everyone else in the world is celebrating Halloween, I'll be installing the rest of the tiles. Then, tomorrow, I'll be sawing, sanding, and painting toe molding to go around the edges of the floor. Hopefully, I'll be setting up my new craft room in just a few days!

Mill End Bags at AC Moore

2011-10-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

As usual, I've been adding yarn to my craft room. I just can't pass up a good deal on yarn.....especially since I knit so much. AND, I have so many knitting and crochet friends that will help me use the yarn for charity. :)

Recently, I've fallen in love with the mill end bags at AC Moore. I have gotten some INCREDIBLE deals on yarn that way. Sometimes, I'm not exactly sure which yarn it is, or even the brand name. But it's still good quality yarn. Occasionally, I will come across a few bad spots, but that's to be expected with mill ends. Most of it is in great shape, though.

The great thing about mill-end bags is that they contain SIXTEEN OUNCES OF YARN!
That's a full POUND of glorious yarn to work with - AWESOME!

So, now that you know about my mill-end yarn obsession, it's time for me to share some photos of the mill end bags I've bought so far. I never pay full price for mill ends. I always use a 40% or 50% off coupon.....which makes my deal even better! AC Moore usually has great coupons on their website, and I think they accept competitor coupons as well. You'll have to check with your local store to confirm that, though.

To get your AC Moore coupons, go to this website, and enter your zip code (or city and state):
http://www.acmoore.com/e-acm.StoreLocator.aspx

Here are the mill end bags I've gotten at AC Moore, for less than $4 a bag!

Magenta Nylon, which I believe is Patons Allure

A variegated acrylic yarn, that looks and feels like Bernat Mosaic, but it's in a colorway I've never seen before

Some very nice ruffle yarn - I mean, it's WEDDING QUALITY. Very good yarn. I truly believe that it's Trendsetter Cha Cha, but I could be wrong.

Some colorful mohair yarn. I KNOW that it's mohair, because when I opened the bag, it smelled like fresh, clean goat! Ha!

Another bag of acrylic yarn that feels like Bernat Mosaic - but no variegation. Very odd color, too. But, it would work well as a shawl, I bet.

I have NO IDEA what this yarn is, but it's a lovely DK cotton blend, in a nice dark blue color.

This is another pretty DK blend. This time, I'm sure it has acrylic...but not sure what else is in there. I really like the tweed look of this yarn. I wish I could find another bag of it, but that's the breaks!

I really love this gorgeous purple boucle. Should make a very nice hat, scarf, and mitten set. Yum!

This past week, I found this very pretty baby pompadour yarn. At first, I thought it was Lion Baby Soft, but it's thinner than that yarn. Maybe it's Bernat Baby Sparkle? Whatever it is, it will work perfect for knitting a christening gown, or making baby burial outfits.

Check out this nice cotton! I'm positive that it's Bernat Cottontots. Looks very similar to Ecru, but it's a teeny shade darker. Will work great for washcloths. :)

Last but not least is this fun poodle-y pom pom yarn! This is just one skein I got out of the bag, so you can see how it looks. I have 4 skeins of it now!

Lots of fun yarn, isn't it? So, if you haven't looked at mill-end bags before, give it a try. They usually have lots of dishcloth cotton and crochet cotton, plus some standard worsted weight acrylic.

Knitting, Crochet, Fall Magazines, Friends

2011-10-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

You know, if it wasn't for yarn, I don't know what I would do with my time. I am just addicted to it! Yarn for knitting, yarn for crochet, yarn for crewel embroidery, yarn for needlepoint. In my little world, it's just all about YARN!!

(Well, except for music - I do enjoy teaching piano lessons to my students, and playing organ and piano at church every Sunday.)

Recently, I went to Barnes and Noble to look at the Fall 2011 knitting magazines, to look for plus size patterns for my Plus Size Knitting Blog. Look at all the issues I found!

It took over 4 hours to look through them all. You can see the results of my labor on that blog.
Plus Size Knitting

As for YARN, I have made some very lucky purchases lately. On eBay, I won an auction for a box full of vintage nylon sock yarn. Just $4 (plus $4 shipping) for all of it! To make things even better, when I received the package, the yarn was in a vintage Bear Brand yarn box!!! LOVE IT!

A few days later, I was looking at Hobby Lobby's clearance shelf, and found some good acrylic yarn for my charity knitting. Just over a dollar a skein for all of these.

Those will all make a nice addition to my huge yarn stash. If I don't use them all, I'm sure I will find a knitting or crochet friend who will be happy to use them. :)

A few weeks ago, a member of my church asked me to do her a favor. She said that she had an afghan that her grandmother crocheted for her - and it had been damaged when someone was cutting something with scissors, but didn't realize the afghan was caught in the scissors at the time. I told her that I would try to fix it for her, and she could give me some yarn in exchange for my work.

Last Sunday, she brought the afghan to church, along with a few skeins of yarn for me. I took it all home, put the yarn on my stash mountain, then pulled out the afghan to have a look at the damage.

Yikes! That damage is PRETTY BAD!! :(

I don't know if I'll be able to fix this or not. I still consider myself a beginning crocheter, so this is a very big project for me.

One option would be to just sew across the damaged areas with strong thread, to keep it from unravelling, then doing some handwork with yarn across the cut, to try to make it look better. The problem with that is I don't have any yarn that EXACTLY matches the afghan.

Step One: Look for Matching Yarn
I looked in my huge stash, and found precisely ONE skein of yarn that was close.

Not exactly the same, but not AWFUL.

Next, I went to Hobby Lobby, to see if they had anything that would match better.
Nope.....not a thing.

I still need to go to AC Moore and Michaels, but I don't have high hopes. I think I will have to live with my Bernat Super Value in Oatmeal.

My other choice would be to unravel the afghan to the section where it is damaged, and re-crochet the blanket from that point. It would certainly look better than sewing by hand....and I wouldn't need to look for matching yarn either. But, that would take a LONG TIME, and I don't know what the pattern is for the existing stitches.

Any experienced crocheters out there who can offer some advice on the pattern?

AWESOME KNITTING RESOURCE!

2011-09-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

I just found a GREAT magazine at the bookstore last night.

It's actually a book, because it's thick and FULL of great info on knitting!! I just had to buy it.

It's called "Techniques Tips & Tricks to Hone Your Knitting Know-How" (Fall 2011)

It costs $14.99 on the shelf, but if you're smart, you'll use a coupon to get a discount on it. ;)

(Hurry - the coupon expires this week!)

If you're impatient, you can buy a download version of it here:

http://www.e-patternscentral.com/detail.html?prod_id=8650&cat_id=89&source=EPCKD

Hobby Lobby 40% Off Coupon: http://www.hobbylobby.com/assets/dynamic/_weekly.coupon/2011_40_coupon.gif

AC Moore 50% Off Coupon (scroll down page when viewing): http://www.acmoore.com/images/upload/week39_11Couponse.pdf

The book has information on what knitting tools to purchase, making a gauge swatch, seaming and garment assembly, making pockets, buttonholes, finishing necklines, dropping stitches, lace knitting, smocking, modular knitting, mitered knitting, circular knitting, making cables, doing colorwork (fair isle & intarsia), mosaic knitting, twined knitting, and adding embellishments. It is a wonderful resource!

French Scarf is Finished!

2011-08-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

Actually, I'm kind of sad to be finished knitting the French Scarf. It was so fun to knit, and went too fast. But now, I can wear my lovely French Scarf any time I want. It is so warm, but very lightweight and fluffy. And the yarns feel so soft! :)

I love how the different yarns worked together. The colors remind me of a Gala Apple!

Here's a view of how wide the scarf is:

Now, I want to knit another one, because like I said, it's so fun to make!

Until then, I'll just have to keep myself busy with all the other projects I've been knitting.

Beautiful, Frothy, Lightweight French Scarf

2011-08-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with this pattern!!
(French Scarf by Ellene Warren)

After just a week, I'm already halfway through!

I started out, with the plan of using these four yarns:

I knit the first section, using the ONline Linie 43 Punta in the darker shade, and the Plassard Flore mohair in orange.

When I ran out of those yarns, I started the next section with the Debbie Bliss "Angel". Unfortunately, that yarn is too thin for this project. It's a kid mohair, so it will have to wait for a lace scarf or something.

After searching through my stash, I found three skeins of Ormo mohair/acrylic blend. It's a variegated yarn, with orange, yellow, and green in the mix. I held it up to the scarf, and it looked like a good match. It's thinner than the Plassard Flore, but not TOO thin. So far, so good.

Planning Miss Marple's "Diddle Dumpling"

2011-08-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

As you know, I'm wanting to knit the "Diddle Dumpling" baby sweater, that Miss Marple (played by Joan Hickson) was knitting on "A Caribbean Mystery".

Thanks to a very intelligent person (basicallylois) on Ravelry, we now have the actual knitting pattern at our disposal! :)

So, I've been studying the pattern for about a week now, and I've figured out that I need to use size US 5 knitting needles. (The pattern calls for size 9 Bairnswear needles, which were vintage UK knitting needles.)

The yarn should knit to a gauge of 7 stitches per inch, so that's fingering. I'm sure that Miss Marple would only use 100% pure wool, so that's what I want to use also.

The sweater is a size 1-2 years, so it should fit a toddler. I don't know if I'll ever give it to anyone, though. Maybe it will be a fancy teddy bear sweater, on display in my craft room. Perhaps, I could dress up the bear with a "Miss Marple" style hat and glasses on a chain. :)

So....back to the yarn I need. I want to find the perfect vintage yarn for the sweater. I have quite a few vintage yarns in my stash already, and found one that might work. It's called "Rochelle Sweater and Sock Yarn", and is 100% virgin wool. It's a pretty aqua color, and is the right weight - fingering.

I can't find ANYTHING online about that yarn. I wonder if I have the only two skeins left in the world? Ha!

Tonight, I will cast on and knit a few rows, just to see how the yarn might work for this project. Stay tuned!

A REAL Knitting Mystery

2011-07-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

I am a true fan of Agatha Christie mystery novels. I think I've read about 25 of them. Poirot and Miss Marple are both so fun to read about. And I love all the other characters as well.

Speaking of Miss Marple, several years ago, I was watching an Agatha Christie televised movie called "A Caribbean Mystery", and noticed that the cameraman looked over Miss Marple's shoulder to show what she was knitting (a baby cardigan). It showed an actual pattern book, and the name of the pattern was "Diddle Dumpling".

I immediately went searching on the internet to find out if the pattern was real or not. After searching all over the place, I finally gave up. It must not be a real pattern after all. :(

Segue to 2011, and I'm perusing Ravelry, as I do every day. I had recently joined an Agatha Christie Ravelry Group called "Delicious Death", and mentioned the sweater in one of the discussions. The other group members were interested in the sweater as well. In fact, they said that this pattern has been the quest of several knitters for quite a while now.

Great minds can do wonders, especially if we are all tuned in together. Believe it or not, one of us FOUND the pattern!! She watched the episode over and over again, until she was able to figure out the name of the publisher. (Bairnswear) Then, she kept at it until she discovered the actual pattern book that had "Diddle Dumpling" in it. (Bairnswear #107) She even found a lady that sells PDF copies of the book!
http://www.theretroknittingcompany.co.uk/babypattern1.html

We were all SO PLEASED to have the pattern available to knit, so several of us quickly purchased the PDF from Sue at The Retro Knitting Company.

Now, we are doing a knit-along, making the same baby sweater as Miss Marple made. I think we are dedicated fans, don't you? :)

Oddball Charity Blankets

2011-07-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

As usual, I've been doing lots of charity knitting. It's always a joy to share my knitted items with people who really appreciate them. :) I have several friends who feel the same way. Over the past 4 years, more than 200 of my knitting friends have been working together to make Oddball Blankets.

The project started in the Knitting Help Forum back in February of 2007, when I posted about an idea I had. I really loved talking to all my friends in the Knitting Help Forum online, and wished that I could see them all face to face. I thought that one way we could "connect" would be to work on a project together. So, I grabbed some knitting needles and started a blanket by casting on 200 stitches.

The next day, I posted about my idea in the forum, and everyone was interested! I showed them a photo of the blanket I had started, and by the end of the day, I had several knitters signed up to knit more sections on the blanket. It was a WILDFIRE! All of a sudden, MORE knitters signed up. I had to start four more blankets, so there would be spots available for everyone that wanted to participate.

Our blankets travelled from one knitter to the next, with the original knitting needles still attached. All each knitter had to do was choose a similar yarn, and knit a 3 inch section of the blanket, then mail it to the next person. Some of us added little gifts to give to the next knitter. It was a very special way for us all to connect with each other. We wrote about our time with the blanket in a little journal, and also posted about it in the forum, and on our knitting blogs.

The large blankets were very exciting, but took a very long time to complete. So, we decided to make smaller versions for babies in hospitals. They are really fun to make. The baby blankets each get a name, so they are easy to follow online. They finish up quickly, and in the end they are given to charity.

Our baby blankets are now being knit by people all over the United States and Canada. At one time, there were some Oddball Blankets being created in England and Australia as well. I haven't heard any more of them for the past two years, so I don't know if they are still going or not. One thing we've added with the Oddball Baby Blankets is a touch of crochet. Each of our baby blankets looks so much better with a crochet border. So, we've added a "Crochet Border Patrol" to our list of workers.

You'll find some Oddball Blanket groups on Ravelry: Oddball Charity Knitters, and Western Canada Oddball Blanket Society. There is also a group there that knits 100% WOOL Oddball Blankets: Wool-Aid

Our exciting project has been fun and has been a benefit to charity as well.

Today, I am packing up a box of two of our larger blankets, and mailing them to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota - the poorest spot in the US. The unemployment rate is 90% and the teen suicide rate is four times the national average. Basics such as running water, heat and food are scarce for many residents let alone jobs and health care. I've heard that they really appreciate handmade blankets, so I'm very happy to send our blankets their way.

Here are the blankets I'm sending to them:

Oddball Blanket #1

Oddball Blanket #4

Those blankets are two of the ones I started back in February of 2007. Now, it's four years later, and our blankets are finally ready to go to charity. It took a long time, and a lot of love. We should all be proud of the work we did. :)

I've already mailed one of our blankets to another Native American reservation in California. And I'm working on finishing up two more blankets as well. It's a joy to finish them up and see them finally going to charity.

Our projects are a joy to create, but expensive to mail. If you want to help out, but can't knit or crochet, you are more than welcome to help out with postage. You can donate by clicking the Paypal button on this blog, or by sending stamps to any of our Oddball Knitters. We appreciate any help you can give. :)

www.knittinghelp.com/forum

Pretty Vintage Baby Sweater Pattern

2011-05-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Back in June of 2006, I was out browsing in an antique shop, and I came across this nice vintage Woman's Day magazine from July, 1957:

Of course, I HAD to buy it, because it had a nice article about Grace Kelly knitting a sweet baby cardigan for her new little baby girl, Princess Caroline. :)

Such a sweet story, and a lovely baby sweater knitting pattern as well!

Here's the story:

and here's the pattern:

I haven't tried knitting the sweater myself yet, but I will!

Warm Wool Sweater

2011-03-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

Recently, I knit a wool sweater for charity on the Bernat Blog. When I finished the sweater, I put it in the trunk of my car, so I could mail it when I'm out teaching.

Well, I've been sick lately, going to the doctor a lot, and only able to teach piano lessons occasionally. So, I haven't made it to the post office yet.

The other night, I was at choir practice at church, and it was a chilly night. I didn't have my jacket with me, but remembered the thick wool sweater in my trunk. So, I took it out, and tried it on. It fit!

And gosh, was it warm and comfy!

I was SO tempted to keep it for myself, but my conscience reminded me that this sweater is for a very cold person in Mongolia. They certainly need it more than I do. I have plenty more jackets and sweaters to keep me warm.

So, it's back in the trunk now, ready to be mailed. At least I enjoyed wearing it once!

Bernat Crochet & Knit-Along for Charity

2011-02-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Yippee! The Bernat CAL & KAL for Project Linus begins tomorrow!
http://bernatcares.com/make/blankets_for_project_linus.html

I hope that some of my friends will be joining in the fun. There is a discussion forum for us to talk about our blankets, and there are videos to help with making your blanket.

Can you tell I'm excited?!

So far, there are over 200 people signed up in the discussion forum, and the pattern hasn't even been released yet! I think the sound of our collective knitting needles and crochet hooks are gonna set off a sonic boom tomorrow! Ha!

CUTIE PIE!! Monster for Your Love

2011-02-11T10:07:00.001-08:00

OMG! I'm in love with the cute little "Monster for Your Love" knitted toy on the Bernat website!

I really want to make one of these for my hubby for Valentine's Day. (and one for me too!)

I also like the sweet little "Comfort Pillow", covered with hearts.

Practicing Crochet Basics Again

2011-02-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

This weekend, my hubby and I took a trip to our local library. We haven't been there in quite a while, so I had to update my library card. Little did I know, but I had a balance on account for late books! Ack! So, I paid all those pesky fees, and got everything right.

While browsing through the DVDs and books at the library, I noticed the stand of CDs to check out. In the stand, I found "Crochet Made Easy" by Coats and Clark, so I decided to check it out.

I'm SO glad I decided to use this CD. It has encouraged me to re-learn the basics of crochet. I've always had trouble at the end and beginning of rows. Sometimes, my projects get a little wonky, because I did a row wrong. So frustrating! :(

I was also unsure about how to work in the foundation chain. I didn't know if I should work under 1 or 2 strands of yarn on that row. Now, I know that I work under ONE strand on the foundation chain, then under TWO strands on every row after the first row is done.

The lessons on the CD are very easy to follow. You can pause the video when you want to think about something, then click "play" again when you're ready to move on. After just a couple hours, I had re-learned basic stitches, and learned some new ones as well!

Now, I know how to do SC, HDC, DC, TC, DTC, and TTC. Before today, I didn't even KNOW about Double Treble Crochet or Treble Treble Crochet.

While following the lessons, I took some notes about each stitch. I knew that I would never be able to remember everything later, so I decided to put my notes in spreadsheet form for easy reference later. Maybe it will help some of you also!

Now, I feel MUCH more confident about my stitches in crochet. And I think I will remember where to start and end each row better now.

My next lesson on the CD will be about increasing and decreasing. I've made these two little swatches to use for the lessons. The one on the left is all single crochet, and the one on the right is double crochet. Each swatch is 11 stitches wide:

I'll try to post some photos of my increasing & decreasing projects tomorrow. Wish me luck in remembering to do it! Ha!

Bernat KAL/CAL - Baby Blankets for Charity!

2011-02-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm a proud Bernat blogger now. I have been blogging on Bernat's website for over a year now. You can see all my posts here: Shandeh's Posts on Bernat Blog

At the end of this month (Feb 28th), Bernat will be hosting a new KAL/CAL, where we will all be knitting and crocheting baby blankets for charity. AWESOME! The blankets will be donated to Project Linus, to keep some needy babies warm. I always enjoy knitting for charity, so this KAL/CAL is very close to my heart.

As part of this particular KAL/CAL, Bernat will be adding a discussion forum, so it will be easier for us all to talk about our blankets. Stay tuned for more details on that!

Bernat's Fast Cowl Patterns

2011-01-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have noticed lately that cowls are very much in style. Scarves are popular too, but cowls are easier to wear. No need to tuck in any ends when you wear them. And they are very quick to make! Not much yarn either. Great for a fast, fun project. And you can wear them every day this time of year. Love it!

Here are some nice cowl patterns I've found on the Bernat Yarn website.

Bernat Yarn Cowl Patterns:

Crocheted Alpaca Cluster Cowl
Bernat's "Alpaca Natural Blends" yarn is so soft!

Knitted Mosaic Cowl
I would love to see this cowl made with each of the beautiful colors of Bernat "Mosaic" yarn.

Crochet Alpaca Hooded Cowl

Knitted Roving "Last Minute" Cowl
I really love the look of this one, because of the pretty cables. And the "Roving" yarn is very thick, so this would be SUPER fast to knit!

Crocheted Softee Chunky Neckwarmer
This neckwarmer looks so classy! And would be perfect to show off some fancy buttons. It could be made with any of Bernat's "bulky" yarns.

I want to make some cowls for myself, my friends, and some family members. Now, I just need to decide which ones I like best!

Hailey's Blanket Complete!

2011-01-14T03:44:00.000-08:00

Yippee! Break out the bubbly! Time to celebrate the completion of Hailey's handknitted blanket. :)

It took over a year to knit this blanket. I designed it as I went along, just making squares with Bernat Softee Chunky yarn in the colors Fern, Med Sea Green, Pale Antique Rose, and Lavender. Using size 10 1/2 knitting needles, I cast on 30 stitches to knit each square. I stopped knitting when each square was "square". I made some of them in garter stitch, a couple in seed stitch, and 5 in stockinette. I drew a little diagram on a piece of paper, to help me see when I had enough squares, and to keep my choice of colors symmetrical. (I'm OCD about things being in symmetry.) :P

There are lots of re-writes on my diagram, because I changed my mind a lot as I went along. I even made two extra squares without even realizing it! I used two colors of yarn in a slip stitch pattern called "Partridge Eye" to knit those.

As it turned out, I didn't like the way they looked with the blanket, so I'm glad they were extras!

The duplicate stitch embroidery was done with the same yarn, using a leaflet called "A Beginner's Guide to Duplicate Stitch" by Hickory Hollow. I did the letters for Hailey's name on my own. Part of the rose design was stitched with Bernat Baby Coordinates Chunky in "Cosy Rosy".

Lots of counting and planning was involved with the embroidery layout. Again, my OCD was hard at work. I even went so far as to put the flower design in my computer's Paint program, then clicking "reverse image" to get the leaves on opposite sides for the blanket. It would have driven me crazy for the leaves to be on the same sides. ACK!

It's good that I have a hobby that needs this kind of detail work. Otherwise, I'd be knit-picking my husband to death. (Maybe that's why he always encourages me to knit? Hmmmmmmm.)

Anyway, back to my original story.....
When I was satisfied with all the embroidery, I laid it out to see how it fit together. Nice!

Next, I just needed to decide how to seam it all together. Usually, I seam back and forth on the right side, kind of like mattress stitch. But, this time, I went with a simple whipstitch....again on the right side, using lavender yarn all around. It turned out great!

Here's a close view of the center square, so you can see how the seaming looks:

When all the squares were seamed together, I got started on the border. First, I used single crochet in "Lavender" all around. Next, I switched to "Pale Antique Rose", and went up one side. Then, I noticed that I was almost out of that color, so I changed to Bernat Baby Coordinates Chunky in "Cosy Rosy" for the top, then back to the Softee Chunky in "Pale Antique Rose" for the other long side, then back to "Cosy Rosy" for the bottom.

After that, I did a double crochet border all around in "Med Sea Green". Then, I switched to "Fern" and did single crochet. My last section of the border was done with the "Lavender" yarn, in a simple shell stitch. I don't know if it's the correct way to do a shell stitch, but I did it anyway. The stitch repeat for the shell is this: *SC, chain 1, skip next stitch, 3 DC in following stitch, chain 1, skip next stitch*. I settled on that after trying a few different things.

I hope Hailey likes her new blanket. I know I do!

Finishing up a Blanket for Hailey

2011-01-12T04:34:00.000-08:00

For the past year and a half, I've been working on a blanket for my step-granddaughter, Hailey. She asked for a warm blanket, made with purple and green yarns. I'm using Bernat Softee Chunky in Fern Green, Medium Sea Green, Lavender, and Pale Antique Rose. Been making it up as I go along, just making odd squares.

I finally had enough squares ready last week.

Next, I decided to add some duplicate stitch embroidery on the stockinette squares. I'm using a leaflet by Hickory Hollow, called "A Beginner's Guide to Duplicate Stitch" for the heart and the flower designs.

After laying out all the squares, I've decided to not use the two color "woven-look" squares, because they just don't work with the design. I had already knit two pink seed stitch squares, so I'm using them instead. Maybe I'll make a pillow with the two leftover squares. We'll see.

My duplicate stitch embroidery ws complete, and I really loved the way it was looking! Now, I just needed to seam it all together.

2011 - Happy New Year Coffee Sleeve Pattern

2010-12-28T07:31:00.000-08:00

KH New Year’s Eve 2011
Sleeve for Large Coffee Drinks
Designed by Shandeh, for the Knitting Help Forum
http://www.knittinghelp.com/

Every year, I host a New Year's Eve Party in the Knitting Help Forum. We have a lot of fun, talking, knitting, and ringing in the New Year all over the US. This year, there will be prizes, and we will also be knitting this coffee sleeve together, as a memento of our event. :)

This is a large coffee sleeve, to keep our hands warm while we enjoy our favorite iced coffee drinks or milkshakes. Yum!

Of course, the sleeve can also be used for hot drinks. Freedom to the knitters!

Gauge: 18 stitches over 4” in stockinette stitch

Size 7 knitting needles
Worsted weight acrylic or wool yarn in 5 contrasting solid colors
Yarn needle for weaving in loose ends

The sample is knit in the following colors:
Main Color (MC) – Black
A – Pink
B – Yellow
C – White
D – Green

KFB: Knit into the front and the back of the same stitch, making two stitches out of one stitch.

Instructions:
Using main color (MC), cast on 34 stitches.

Row 1, 2, 3 & 4: K1, KFB, Knit to end of row.

Row 5: This will be the first row of the charted design (See below).
Knit 9 stitches, then attach color A, and follow chart for Row 5, reading right to left, knitting every stitch.

Row 6: Purl every stitch, following Row 6 of chart, reading left to right.

Row 7: Knit every stitch, following Row 7 of chart, reading right to left.
(you will add color B on this row)

Row 8: Purl every stitch, following Row 8 or chart, reading left to right.

Continue in this manner, reading knit rows from right to left, and purl rows from left to right, adding colors as needed, according to chart.

When you finish chart on Row 24, continue knitting with main color as follows:

Row 25 & 26: K1, KFB, Knit to end of row.
Row 27 & 28: Knit every stitch
Row 29: Bind Off very loosely, leaving long tail for seaming.

Adjust loose yarn ends at color changes, checking to make sure it looks good on the right side.
Weave in ends securely on back. Sew back seam closed, and weave in final loose ends.

Enjoy your comfy coffee sleeve!

CHART:

Christmas Projects

2010-12-27T02:07:00.000-08:00

We had some icy snowy weather in Charlotte, NC, so I was stuck at home for the holidays. So, I've been finishing up some more projects for Christmas. I guess it was a mixed blessing! Snow, and more time for knitting. Gotta love it. :)

I've made several knitted and crocheted cloths.

I also knit a hat for my dad:

And now, I'm making a matching scarf for him:

I'm also pulling out some other projects I started a long time ago. Maybe I'll be able to finish some of them this week, while I'm stuck at home.

Two Completed Christmas Stockings

2010-12-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas is only 10 days away, so I made myself finish up the two vintage Christmas stockings I've been working on. Today was the day, and they are both complete now! Woo Hoo!

Here's the green version of the "Old Time Santa" by Mary Maxim. My mother-in-law gave me the vintage kit, and I followed it from beginning to end. It involved a lot of knitting, which included two kinds of colorwork (stranded and intarsia). When the knitting was complete, I had to weave in all the ends (took forEVER!!), then I added the gold beads, a bell, green and red ribbon bows, and gold thread embroidery. The last step was adding the name with duplicate stitch, and seaming up the back.

Here's the back side of the green stocking:

The other stocking I've been finishing up was the "Mr Claus" Santa Stocking (another vintage Mary Maxim kit from my mother-in-law). I added some extra decorations with duplicate stitch, and did some embroidery, beads, and bells.

Here's the back of that one:

Making Stuff for Christmas

2010-12-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

So, now everyone can smell Christmas in the air. Which means, I'm busy making stuff for Christmas.

Number one on my list is a stocking I've promised to knit for a family member. My mother-in-law gave me all her knitting stuff, because her arthritis will not permit her doing it anymore. I'm using a vintage Mary Maxim #9042 kit she gave me to knit the "Green Santa Stocking".

Here's how it looked after a couple days of knitting. I think I spent the first day just getting everything organized, so I would be able to knit it without getting up over and over again.

Now, after 6 days, it's looking great!

My mother has asked me to make some dishcloths as a gift for a friend. So, I grabbed some cotton yarn from my stash (Lily Sugar 'n Cream in the color "Potpourri Ombre"), and got started. I'm crocheting the first one, using a free pattern on the Lion Brand website. It's called "Almond Back Loop Washcloth". Easy to make, and it goes fast.

I'm also knitting a corner to corner dishcloth, so it will go fast too. More photos soon!

A Knitter's Night Before Christmas

2010-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

NEW TWIST FOR KNITTERS ON
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
(based on a friend's post in the Knitting Help Forum)

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there!

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.

And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment, it must be Saint Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplexed-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected

"Move, Ashford; move, Lopi; move, Addi and Clover.
Move, Reynolds; move, Starmore; move, KnitPicks--move over!
Patons, don't circle round; just stand there in line!
Pay attention you sheep and you'll work out just fine!
I know this is hard as it's just your first year
But I'd hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a'grazing!
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
'Ol Santa's big feet marching on the porch floor.

I rose from my knees, and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round, Saint Nick, I did meet!
He was dressed all in wool, from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.

A bright Fair-isle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.

SC was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
and I asked "Saint Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"
He proudly replied "Ho-ho-ho, yes I did, I learned how to knit when I was a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.

He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd placed knitting needles and yarn for a cap.
He soon began stitching, first one cap then two;
For the first time, I thought that I'd really get through!

He put heels on the stockings, and toes in some socks,
While I relaxed, drinking some Scotch on the rocks!!
So quickly like magic, his needles they flew,
That he was all finished by quarter to two.

He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder, he peered back at me.
I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Concentrating on Finishing Projects

2010-12-06T22:29:00.000-08:00

I've been a good knitter lately, finishing up LOTS of stuff! Yay me! :)

So, how did the fire get lit under me to finish up my projects? A change of scenery! Recently, my hubby's kids came to visit for a couple days, so I had to move some things around to make room for them. This cleared out some junk from the living room, and I've been able to sit with my hubby every night to talk and watch tv together. Nice! I've brought ONE project at a time into the living room, and have been surprised to see the projects finish themselves up very quickly.

I guess I've been too distracted in my craft room, seeing all the things I should be working on. In the living room, I just knit or crochet, without thinking about anything else. Woo Hoo! I think I'll keep that spot on the sofa open from now on. :)

Take a look at all I've gotten done in the past few weeks:

I started a Drop-Stitch Scarf in June of this year, using some pretty Lion Landscapes yarn I had in my stash. (I cast on 12 stitches, with size 13 needles). I originally started it as a sample for my knitting students, but fell in love with it as I was knitting it. Now that it's finished, I am planning on using it as a Christmas gift for someone. I have enough yarn left to make another one, so I'll get on that after the holidays are over.

This Ann Norling Snowflake Stocking is for display at Yarnhouse Knits (a yarn shop in Charlotte). SO glad I finished that one up before the holidays were completely over. Now, I just have to get my butt over there to deliver it! Ha!

Yesterday, I finished a knitted birthday gift for the choir director at my church. He has asked to be surprised, so I can't post a photo here. I will say that it was knit with wool yarn! He knows that already, because I had to ask him if he was allergic to wool.

The mother of one of my piano students recently asked me to knit a silver headband for her baby girl. I had some Lang Lanalux leftover from knitting the Snowflake Stocking, so I used it to knit a quick band. Now, I want to make a little flower to dress it up a little.

Another of my piano students asked me to knit an ipod cozy for her, using "hot pink" yarn. I found some yarn in just the right shade (Red Heart Super Saver "Pretty in Pink"), and cast on 7 stitches with size 7 needles. After making it long enough for the front and back, I added a little flap in garter stitch, and made a loop for a button. I used a pink pony bead as a button. Quick and easy. The photo doesn't really show how cute it is. Maybe I'll take another when she puts her ipod in it.

I was on a roll, knitting requests by my piano students, so I got to work on another one. This was a completely different kind of project. My student had a hand-woven purse that she loved to use, but the strap was very weak, and broke after just a short time. So, she asked me to make another strap for her. I read the label inside: "100% Alpaca - Made in Peru". After looking closely at the construction of the purse, I realized that the only alpaca on the entire purse was the tiny tassels at the bottom of it. The rest was woven out of simple cotton yarn. So much for honesty from the Peruvians!

So, I set to work on finding a matching yarn to make a good strap. After checking at several craft stores and yarn shops, I was about to give up. Then, I was shopping for groceries at Walmart one day, and found a perfect match in the yarn department. Good old "Peaches & Creme" cotton in Black and Ecru. Ha!

Next, I had to decide how to use the yarns to make a good strap. I finally settled on making i-cord. But, I wanted it to use both colors. I decided to just switch colors every other row. Voila! I was making striped i-cord! :)

It looks GREAT with the purse, and I think it captures the essence of the purse design well. I hope my student agrees with me.

With all that work behind me, now I can get to work on some other things I want to finish before Christmas. I'm making two scarves and a blanket for the Bernat Blog right now, as presents for three of my family members. Not sure when they will be published on that blog, so just keep checking back!

I'm also making a Christmas stocking, three blankets, a jacket, a hat, some curtains, a wrap, a bag, a shrug, and some socks for a friend. In addition to those projects, I'm finishing up 4 large Oddball Charity Blankets, 3 Oddball Baby Blankets, and 8 Oddball Shawls. They have been pushed aside for so long, because I have overcommitted myself to other projects. Time to make myself sit down and get them completed.

Maybe I should just bring one of the unfinished blankets to the living room? ;)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

2010-11-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

I think I can hear sleigh bells! And a great big "Ho Ho Ho!" :)

Christmas will be here before we know it, so I'm trying to get a few projects finished in time.

Christmas Stockings
My mother-in-law used to knit a lot when she was younger. But now that her arthritis has made her life very difficult, she has given all of her knitting stuff to me. What a blessing! Included in the large bag she gave me is enough to knit 5 large vintage Mary Maxim Christmas Stockings.

This kit has everything needed to knit two stockings. One in the Wreath design, and one in the Snowflake design:

This one has enough left to make the "Old Time Santa" stocking. (The green one on the bottom.) My mother-in-law has asked me to knit this stocking for her to use as a gift this year. I'm casting it on this week!

She was able to finish all the knitting on two stockings already. "Mr & Mrs Santa"

She asked me to finish these up, to make one for her great-granddaughter, and one for me. I've chosen Mrs. Santa, of course, because she has knitting needles in her hair! I think I'll add some other knitting images with duplicate stitch, to make it more festive.

The Mr Santa stocking was my project this past week. I searched online for Christmas charts, so I could embroider some fun designs on the blank spots of the stocking. I think it turned out very nice! Now, all I have left to do is seam up the back.

Now, I'm ready to get going on the "Old Time Santa".

I'm also finishing up a stocking that will be displayed at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte. It's a very basic design by Ann Norling, called "Snowflake Stocking".

Relaxing at My Annual Fiber Festival

2010-11-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful treat to go to the mountains again! As usual, I went to SAFF, in the beautiful NC mountains. This was my 6th trip to SAFF, and it was as wonderful as ever.

My sister went with me this time, and we shared a hotel room for a couple nights, so we could go all 3 days. WONDERFUL! I really enjoyed our trip. We got along most of the time, except for one argument when I was trying to go to sleep. I mean, we are sisters, after all. You didn't expect us to have a perfect relationship, did you? Ha!

SAFF was filled with fiber animals, yarn, roving, spinning wheels, knitting and crochet books and supplies, etc. I didn't take a camera this time, so no photos. I was able to take my time, walking through every single vendor's booth. How perfect was that?!

There was one yarn that captured the admiration of every single person that looked at it. I was in love as well. My sister bought a skein of it for me, and now I am fondling that skein every day. It's called "Charlotte" - a new yarn by Carriage House Woolens. SO SOFT!! It's a fingering weight yarn, so there is a LOT of yardage in the skein. I plan on making a pretty lace scarf or shawl. Haven't chosen the right pattern yet.

There is no way to capture the beauty of that skein with my cell phone camera. Maybe I'll take another photo when I get a new camera for Christmas this year. The yarn is just a gorgeous color - reminds me of my MawMaw's rose bushes when I was young. So, I'm calling it "Rose Bush". There is no list of color names available on the internet for this yarn.

Before we went to SAFF, I decided to knit a quick steering wheel cover, to dress my car up for autumn in the mountains. I used the free knitting pattern I designed several years ago. http://spinningsandy.blogspot.com/2006/03/furry-fuzzy-steering-wheel-cover.html

When I finished the wheel cover, I had some of the funky wool yarn leftover, so I knit a headband.

I LOVE the sweatshirt I got at SAFF this year. I'm wearing it in the photo above. It says, "If I'm sittin', I'm knittin'" SO TRUE!

On our second night at SAFF, I chose to sit in the hotel lobby to knit for a while. At first, I was busy working on a wool sweater for the Bernat Blog. After working on that for a while, I pulled out a brand new project that I am making for display at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte. It's a Christmas stocking, using Ann Norling's Snowflake Stocking pattern. The yarns for the project are Louisa Harding "Kashmir Aran" in burgundy (#30), and Lang Yarns "Lanalux" in white (#0023).

I think the stocking is going to be so lovely. The yarn is soft and excellent to knit with. I got a good start on it so far, so it won't be long until it's hanging in the yarn shop for everyone to see. :)

Now, I am home from the fiber festival, and have some wonderful purchases.

Here’s what I got:
1 pound of beautiful, lavender wool roving from Windy Acres Farm. Can’t wait to spin it!
8 ounces of simple, brown Romney roving, and 1 pound of nice superwash merino/tencel top from Miss Babs
5 knitting magazines, one knitting for babies book, and one weaving for knitters book
A very long bead necklace, with sparkly black beads - perfect to wear for music gigs
2 bars of handmade soap from Heaven Sent (I buy from her every year)
Some yummy handcream and spray
A comfy purple sweatshirt that says, “When I’m Sittin, I’m Knittin”
A SAFF t-shirt
A gorgeous, heavenly-soft skein of Carriage House Woolens “Charlotte” yarn, from Yarnsmiths
2 skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted
A bunch of sale-priced circular knitting needles, to share with my charity knitting friends.
A sweet little ceramic lamb

I didn’t buy as much yarn as usual, but I did get bitten by the spinning bug again! Time to dust off the wheel…

Falling in Love with Crochet

2010-10-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the last Christmas stocking I made for a customer. (Finally took a photo of this one.)

I've also been busy learning to crochet, using Bernat's Mystery Blanket CAL. Nice to finally get comfortable with the craft again. I couldn't crochet for the longest time, because of my arthritis. I just had so much pain from the twisting, that I didn't think I would ever be able to crochet again.

Over the past 7 years, I have concentrated on knitting instead....learning a lot, and feeling very proud of my knitted creations. During these years, I've collected several knitting magazines, books, and patterns. I've also spent hours gazing online at interesting designs with yarn. Occasionally, I have found some GORGEOUS creations that don't involve knitting - just crochet. It has been frustrating, since I didn't think I could crochet anymore.

In the midst of this frustration, I have watched others crochet, and noticed that some people were using a different kind of hook - an ergonomic hook! So, I decided to buy a few. As usual, I used coupons at Hobby Lobby and AC Moore for my purchase. Pretty soon, I had a decent collection of ergonomic hooks, including a nice Provo Craft set with interchangeable hooks.

Up until now, I've only done very basic crochet stitches, and haven't really understood how to read a crochet pattern very well. So, I decided to join in on the Bernat Mystery Blanket CAL, and give it a try. I figured that I would learn more about crochet, and would hopefully get one step closer to being able to make some of those pretty crochet designs I've seen on the internet.

Now, after 4 weeks into the CAL, I can honestly say that I've learned a LOT! I'm comfortable reading a crochet pattern now, and have learned how to hold the ergonomic hook effectively. I have to constantly remind myself to KEEP IT SLOW while I'm working, so I don't overdo it. I am tempted to let the hook fly, and crochet quickly.....but I know I will pay the price with pain....so I make myself go slowly and carefully.

Here are the granny squares I've made in the CAL:

I've made other squares of different designs as well, but you'll have to watch the Bernat Blog to see photos of them.

Now that I've learned how to crochet safely (without pain), I am taking another look at those pretty crochet designs I want to make. I know that I still need some more practice, so I think I'll do some easy and intermediate level crochet designs to give me that experience.

I think I've fallen in love with crochet. :)

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2010-10-11T21:25:00.001-07:00

I finally finished knitting the vintage Christmas stocking for a client. I didn't take a photo, because it looks exactly like the 3 others I made for her last year. Here I am, with the stockings I knit last year, along with the original she gave me as a guide. The free pattern is here: Personalised Christmas Stocking from 1945

Now, I'm trying to finish up another project for a different customer before the year ends. I'm making a yellow and black blanket, using Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" in yellow, black, and white, and some Bernat Super Value in True Grey. I found a Paton's pattern that is working well with these colors. The pattern is called "Fresh Stripes". The customer is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

I'm also doing some more charity knitting:

A wool sweater, using Bernat "Felting" yarn
(photos soon on the Bernat Blog)

I've also started another Oddball Charity Blanket for a Mexican orphanage. Right now, we have 11 knitters signed up to work on that. We will each take turns knitting a 5 inch section, keeping the blanket on the knitting needles while it travels from knitter to knitter. Here's my section, ready to hit the road.

And, I'm working on other projects, of course. Too many to mention here. :P

A couple weeks ago, I took two of my knitting students to a local alpaca farm, so they could see where nice yarn comes from.

When we pulled up at the farm, they were SO excited!
When we walked closer to the animals, their footsteps got slower
and S L O W E R ...........

"What's that smell?" they whined.
:) Now, they REALLY know where yarn comes from. (tee-hee)

They soon got used to the smell, though. And enjoyed petting the animals.

Fall Blanket Knit-Along (KAL)

2010-09-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already heard of the Bernat Mystery Afghan Crochet-Along (CAL) going on on the Bernat Blog. http://bernat.com/CAL2010intro/

Well, I'm participating in the CAL, making a smaller baby blanket, so that I can learn how to crochet better. I've been reading posts in Ravelry discussions, where some people have said that they would like a Knit-Along (KAL) as well, because they don't know how to crochet.

So, I've started an "unofficial" Bernat KAL, so the knitters will have something to do until Bernat makes a "real" Bernat KAL next year. (tee-hee)

I've chosen a beautiful afghan for us to make: The Bernat Super Value Harvest Blanket.

The KAL has just started, so it's not too late to join us! The main location for our KAL is in our Ravelry group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/bernat-kal---harvest-blanket

If you are not a member of Ravelry, just post your comments and photos here. The blanket is designated as an "Easy" pattern, and will make a beautiful addition to your home decor. It uses 7 skeins of Bernat Super Value yarn in the following colors: Taupe Heather, Rustic Heather, Steel Blue Heather, Moss Heather, Plum Heather, Teal Heather, and Redwood Heather.

Of course, you can use any worsted weight you want, in whatever color combination you prefer. I've chosen Bernat Super Value for mine. Using 40% Off coupons at AC Moore, I bought one skein a day last week. :) I just got started knitting Panel 1 this week!

Latest Accomplishments and Delays

2010-08-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

Still knitting for the Bernat yarn company! I'm really loving that gig. Every month, I choose a project and yarn, and they send me all I need to get it made. Then, I take lots of photos and write about the project on their website. The best part is that I get to keep everything I knit! Can't beat that. :D

Last month, I made some sweet dolls for charity. I donated them to a local support center for abused children called Treehouse Children's Advocacy Center. You can read about my project on the Bernat Blog here: http://bernatyarns.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/love-these-dolls-for-charity/

My mom has been watching my knitting projects as I talk about them on Facebook. And she keeps saying, "Oooo....I want one of those!" So, I'm trying to make a few things for her birthday.

Here's a market bag I've started for her:

And I've started work on two projects for customers.

A yellow & black afghan:

And a Christmas stocking:

I'm still at work on a "Oiseau" wrap for display at Yarnhouse Knits also. It is VERY slow work, with detailed stitching on every single row. Not a single row of "rest" in the entire project. I'm not sure WHEN that wrap will be completed.

At least I did finish ONE other project. Red slipper socks for my oldest son, just in time to celebrate his 25th birthday. :)

I think I might need another pair of hands to finish knitting all these projects!

Knitting Mags at Barnes & Noble

2010-08-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Every weekend (and sometimes during the week), my hubby and I will take a trip to Barnes and Noble bookstore. We both love to read. When we walk in, we are hand-in-hand, then we quickly lose track of each other. He heads off to look at the History and Military sections, Poker books, comic books, and magazines. I look through the clearance and discount section, then head over to the knitting magazines.

Pretty soon, we are both waiting in line at the Starbucks counter, ordering a drink so we can browse through the magazines together. We usually buy a big cookie to share, and sit down to talk about what we've found so far in the bookstore.

Tonight, my stack of magazines was about 6 inches thick, and included some art magazines as well. I've been interested in art for the longest time, but don't have time to pursue it.....at least I can see what others are doing with art. Maybe one day, I'll learn to paint.

After my perusal of the art magazines, I zeroed in on the knitting publications. NICE this month! I decided to purchase two European magazines, because the patterns and articles just stole my heart.

The Knitter, Issue 20

This issue has some SWEET patterns!

A precious doll, called "Prairie Poll"

A lovely, handcrafted pillow, called "Homestead"

And a nice, loose shrug that is the perfect style for my plus-size figure.
(And it has directions for my size! WOO HOO!!!)

Yarn Forward, Issue 28

SO MANY nice designs in this issue! LOVE IT!

The "Flirt Tee" is definitely my favorite, and it has directions for my size! :)

The "Belle Cardigan" is exactly my style, and once again in my size!!

I think my son will like the "Baltic Beach Hoodie"

And I plan on making the Japanese "Kokeshi Doll" for one of my piano students. She is originally from Japan.

I am so glad we went to the bookstore tonight! I would have hated missing these nice knitting magazines.

Lotus Leaf Scarf for Yarnhouse

2010-07-26T14:59:00.001-07:00

Just finished a quick scarf for display at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte.

The pattern is "Lotus Leaf Scarf", and I used Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran yarn.

Beautiful Mohair French Scarf

2010-07-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

I am in LOVE with this beautiful scarf I knit for display at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte. Just gorgeous!

It is so light and airy, and feels heavenly.

I'll be delivering it to the shop this weekend, so if you are in the area, be sure to see it in person! (or...should I say, "in scarf"?) :D

Finished Felted Bag for Yarnhouse Knits

2010-07-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last night, I finished felting the bag I've been knitting for Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte, NC. This morning, after it was completely dried, I sewed on the marabou trim. Looks great!

I delivered it to Chris at Yarnhouse today. He is very happy with it. I also gave him the market bag I knit earlier. He loved the way it stretched to accomodate whatever was placed inside!

I got another skein of Louisa Harding La Salute yarn, so I can finish up the French Scarf. Chris also gave me another project to make as well. A Lotus Leaf Scarf, using Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran yarn, in a lovely shade of tomato red.

I'm enjoying knitting displays for Yarnhouse. :)

Knitting Displays for Yarnhouse Knits

2010-07-08T13:57:00.001-07:00

I'm still at work on the handknitted items that will be displayed at Yarnhouse Knits.

Almost finished with the French Scarf:

And I've started the Marabou Felted Purse:

This Saturday, I'll be spending the day at Yarnhouse Knits, to deliver the market bag and felted purse, and finish up the French Scarf. (I ran out of one of the yarns for that project.) I've heard that the Charlotte Purls knitting group will be there that day as well, so it should be fun!

Knitting Students Learning Well!

2010-07-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

I'm SO proud of my knitting students. They are quickly learning, and making projects to keep and share. So far, they have made napkin rings, a bracelet, an anklet, sachets, hula doll puppets, dishcloths, and hair scrunchies. Now, two of my students are learning to knit drop-stitch scarves as well!

This past week, I taught two of my students basic crochet stitches, and they did their best to understand. I think they are better at knitting, which is a surprise to me!

I taught my two older students how to dye yarn with Kool-Aid. They did much better than I did with their dyeing! In this photo, you can see the four skeins we completed. They did the first two, and I did the two on the right.

Abby used blue and pink Kool-Aid, Melissa used blue and yellow for hers. I used orange Kool-Aid on the stovetop for the solid orange yarn, and used blue, red, and yellow for the variegated skein. We had fun!

We used this tutorial for our Kool-Aid dyeing:
http://www.thepiper.com/fiberart/koolaid/dyeingwithkoolaid.pdf

Knitting for Yarnhouse

2010-06-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been working on some handknitted projects to be displayed at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte.

I offered my services to the yarnshop owner about a month ago, telling him that my summers are usually slow. He gave me five projects to work on, asking me to finish them as soon as possible.

Little did I know that my piano and knitting students would not slow down that much this summer! Ha! So, now, I'm trying to juggle lessons and knitting all at the same time.

So far, I've finishing knitting a Market Bag, using Cascade Ultra Pima cotton yarn. So soft!

And now, I'm knitting a dreamy, frothy, beautiful French Scarf, using two different mohair yarns. "La Salute" by Louisa Harding, and "Curly Mohair" by Universal Yarn.

First Knitting Lessons Went Well :)

2010-06-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today, I taught two knitting students, and it went very well!

One thing took me by surprise: One of the students is left-handed! I've never tried left-handed knitting before, but we figured it out. It took a LOT of thought for me to understand it and show the correct steps.

When the lesson was over, they both knew how to cast on, do the knit stitch, and how to bind off. We made a tiny napkin ring for them to keep, and got started making Hula Hand Puppets. I gave them enough yarn to finish the hand puppets this week. I was happy to hear the left-handed student tell her mom that I was a good teacher. Yay!

This afternoon, I spent a couple hours looking for left-handed knitting videos online. I found some great ones!

Cast on and Knit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v00r6CJs48o

Cast on and Knit Continental: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxWtcFuQGHI

Purl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHQg0kGZU7I

Purl Continental: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmdEhuveBqo

Drop Stitch Scarf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pK54VjHTwM

So, now I am practicing knitting left-handed. I've cast on and knit 3 rows so far, and now my brain feels different! I'm an old dog, but I'm learning new tricks now. :)

Teaching Kids to Knit

2010-06-14T23:57:00.000-07:00

This week, I'll be teaching knitting lessons to some smart girls I know. They are excited, and so am I! For the past few months, I've been reading books, watching videos, and searching online for everything about teaching kids to knit. I've also been gathering all the supplies and yarn I'll need, and printing out copies of free beginner knitting patterns. Now, I'm knitting samples of some of the designs, so my students will see what the finished items should look like.

All of my research was worth it. I found LOTS of knitting patterns that are perfect for beginning knitters. Here are the patterns I'll be sharing for the first lesson. We won't be making all of them, of course. But, I will give them copies of the printed out patterns, because they will have all the skills they need to make any of them after just one lesson! :)

Beginner Knitting Patterns:

Ponytail Scrunchie

Headband

Bean Bag

Simple Ball

Can Cozy

Hula Hand Puppet

Thick Washcloth

And if any of my students learn simple shaping and the purl stitch, I'll share these designs with them as well:

Cosmetic Bag

Seed Stitch Headband

Quick Knit Potholder

I hope the class goes well!

Reversible Baby Hat

2010-06-10T03:43:00.000-07:00

This month, I needed to make a fast baby gift. So, I looked on the Bernat website, and found a free pattern called "Cottontots Bear Hat". I had some Cottontots yarn in my stash, so I got to work.

After just a few hours, I was halfway finished.

The next day, I added the blue yarn, and all my knitting was complete.

Now, I have TWO hats in one! (I decided to leave off the bear ears.)

Next up on the Bernat Blog, I'm making the Satin Lace Edge Cardigan.

I'm really having fun knitting things for Bernat yarn. :)

Marabou Trim Yarn

2010-06-07T04:43:00.001-07:00

Marabou Trim Yarn
Originally uploaded by Shandeh

Take a look at this lovely marabou trim. It's included in the Sweaterkits Marabou Felted Purse kit. You can buy the kit at Yarnhouse Knits in Charlotte, NC.

I just love the way the marabou trim moves with the slightest breeze.

Knitting for Yarnhouse

2010-06-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went to Yarnhouse Knits in Charlotte, NC to meet with the shop owner. I had told him that I would be happy to knit some samples over the summer for him. My piano students are few and far between in the summer months, so I have some time available for more knitting. He promptly agreed, and had 5 projects ready for me to make! Cool.... :)

I have just started working on the market bag he wants. I love the yarn. Cascade Ultra Pima cotton. Very soft and easy to knit!

When I finish that, I think I'll start the next bag he wants me to make. It's a beautiful kit for a Marabou Felted Purse.

I just love the way the marabou trim moves with the slightest breeze. So soft and elegant!

My Daily Schedule

2010-05-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

Another day....

I usually start each day by popping my thyroid pill in my mouth, with a swig of water. Then, I turn on my computer, update the antivirus stuff, and put on a kettle of water for tea. While the water comes to a boil, I check my email, and all the rest of my usual internet spots: Knitting Help, Facebook, the Bernat Blog, eBay, Ravelry, and Flickr. In the midst of surfing the net, my teapot whistles, and I make a cup of tea (or two).

When an hour of waiting has passed after taking my thyroid pill, I have breakfast at my computer, while playing solitaire or one of my favorite video games. Recently, I've enjoyed playing "seek & find" games like Women's Murder Club or Peril at End House. I should really get the "Dream Day" games - they would be fun.

After breakfast, I turn off the computer and head to the craft room to knit. Sometimes I will watch tv as I knit, but most of the time I knit in silence. It's just nice to relax and listen to the birds singing outside...and feel my even breathing as I knit stitch after stitch.

Sometimes as I knit, my arms or hands will start to ache a little. So, I'll set down my project and browse a knitting book or magazine. It's so inspiring to see what others are knitting or crocheting in their part of the world. Soon, I am back to knitting again, sometimes humming a tune as I work. I'll think of all the things I need to take care of....or about what I wish I could do. I imagine what life would be like if I could afford a large house: a room for each of my crafting pursuits. One room for knitting and crocheting. Another room for storing all the yarn. A different room for spinning yarn, filled with roving and fleeces. And a sewing room, with patterns and fabrics, and a large sewing table.

Wow....that would be nice. :)

Soon, I realize that it's time for lunch. So, I get to the end of my row, mark my spot in the pattern, and put everything in a basket for later.

My body aches as I stand from my knitting chair, so I stretch and groan a while until I'm able to move freely. Then, I head down the hall for a bite to eat. After lunch, I'm getting drowsy....so I take a nap, setting my alarm to allow time to get ready to teach piano lessons.

When all of my piano students have been taught, my day is almost over. Time to eat dinner, maybe knit some more....talk to my hubby, grab a quick hug or kiss. Then, we each put on our CPAP masks and collapse in bed. I usually play a game on my little pink Nintendo DS, and get more and more relaxed as I listen to the even breathing of my husband behind me. Occasionally, I fall asleep with the game still running in my hands......

Most of the time, I cannot sleep through the night. So, I sneak out of bed at about 2 AM, and go back to the craft room again. This is when I actually do my best knitting....when the rest of the world is asleep. I like to watch Forensic Files or whatever interesting show I find on PBS, Nat Geo, or the History Channel. If nothing is on, I'll watch a DVD or video in our collection.

When I hear my husband's alarm, I go down the hall to make his coffee. Then I finish up my row of knitting, put everything away, and snuggle with my hubby for a while. It usually takes him about 20 minutes to wake up completely, after hitting his snooze about 3 or 4 times. So, I lay in his arms, resting for a while. It's the only quiet time we ever have together. When he finally gets up, I make his coffee, and maybe toast a bagel for him. Then, I kiss him goodbye, turn off the coffeepot, turn off all the lights, and go to sleep for a few hours.

And I always look forward to waking up again, so I can knit some more.....

Cabled Bernat Sweaters

2010-05-18T09:44:00.000-07:00

My sister and I finished knitting our cabled sweaters! You can read about them on the Bernat Blog.

New Design Complete

2010-05-15T09:49:00.001-07:00

Woo Hoo! After six weeks, I have finally finished designing and knitting the Lime and Chocolate Baby Blanket and Hat! I hope the customer likes it. If not, she'll just have to go buy a gift she likes better. Ha!

Now, I can focus on the other things I've been working on. I think I'll stick with the lavender cardigan I'm making for the Bernat Blog.

Cabled Sweater on the Bernat Blog

2010-05-06T13:20:00.001-07:00

Today, one of my projects for the Bernat Blog is published! Yay!
http://bernat.com/blog/

It's the Cable Yoke Cardigan, from Bernat's "Cold Front" pattern book. My sister and I made our cardigans at the same time. :)

Here's hers:

Lime and Chocolate Set Making More Progress

2010-05-06T04:02:00.001-07:00

Getting there! Just need one more square in each color, and I'll be ready to seam them together and add a crochet border.

Then, the hat will be quick work. :)

Lime and Chocolate

2010-05-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

The lime and chocolate baby set is taking a while to make. Probably because I'm using sportweight yarn.

I finished the center square, which I made following the Ballband Dishcloth pattern. Now, I'm making solid colored squares in garter stitch. Boring and slow, but looking good!

New Altar Cross Scarf & Baby Set

2010-04-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

This past week, the pastor asked me to make another scarf for the small altar cross at the front of the church. He wants this one to be red for Pentecost.

I searched through my stash, and found a partial skein of vintage Brunswick Fairhaven fingering yarn I've had for several years. Very nice yarn - works perfectly for this project.

In other news.....(ha!), I'm still going with the Lime and Chocolate baby set. So far, I've finished about 4 squares, so I'm at the halfway point. :)

Tiny Scarf for Altar Cross at Church

2010-04-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

A couple Saturdays ago, I was practicing organ music at church, for our Easter service the next morning. I noticed that the small cross on the altar did not have a white scarf for the celebration. So, I decided to knit one up that night.

Using one strand Aunt Lydia's Bamboo Crochet Thread and one strand Patons Lacette, I cast on 124 stitches, using a size 10 knitting needle. After knitting about 10 rows, it was done!

I think it looks nice on the little cross. :)

Crocheted Bath Set on Bernat Blog

2010-04-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

Check out my hand-crocheted bathroom set on the Bernat Blog!
http://bernat.com/blog/

Next week, my Cabled Yoke Sweater will be published there. Keep checking back!

Still Planning Lime & Chocolate Baby Blanket

2010-04-03T03:35:00.000-07:00

I started working on the baby blanket yesterday, and thought, "Hmm....I bet it would look nice to make squares and seam them together, with different designs on them."

I'll use the "brick" design for half of the squares, and do some garter stitch squares for the other half. Then, I'll add a crochet border around each square, seam them together, and add another crochet border around the whole thing. I think that will look nice. Plus, it will be easier to work on.

Here goes!

New Baby Project for Commission

2010-04-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

This week, I had to get a lot of medical tests on my heart. (Had a weird thing happen last week. You can read about it on my health blog: http://sandyhealthlog.blogspot.com/2010/03/heart-trouble-at-hospital.html

Anyway, when I was at the check-out desk in the doctor's office, the lady heard me mention that I was a knitter. Her eyes popped up from her computer, and she said, "Could you make a blanket and hat for me to use as a gift for a baby boy?" Of course, I agreed. We worked out the details, and I told her that I would get started on it.

She wants it to be washable. And the colors of the nursery are lime and chocolate.

When I left the doctor's office, I stopped at AC Moore to see what they might have in those colors. I found it! And for a good price too. :)

Here's the lime. (Trust me, it looks more "lime-y" in real life.) It's Bernat Baby Sport in "Kiwi".

And here's the chocolate. Red Heart Designer Sport in Cocoa.

I've spent the last few hours searching for a good pattern. I think I'm leaning toward these:

Patons "Diamond Hat"

Bernat's "Woven Look Blanket"

I think those should work well for a baby boy.

A Whole Lotta Needlecrafting Goin' On!

2010-04-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

I'm getting better now at doing simple crochet stitches. Nothing fancy, but that's okay.

Here's the green dishcloth I made for my Mom on St Patrick's Day:

When I finished it, she asked if she could have TWO, so I made another one with thicker yarn:

The first cloth was made with DK yarn (Plymouth Stone Cotton) and a size F hook. I used Bernat's free pattern called "Handicrafter Cotton Dishcloth for Beginners". I added a border all around, using one round of single crochet, and another round of half-double crochet. I like it!

The second cloth was made with worsted weight Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton and a size H hook. I made it the same way, to help make the cloths look like a set. I think my Mom likes them! :)

I posted photos of the cloths on my Facebook page, and some of my friends started asking if they could buy some from me. Then, the secretary at my church asked for one also. So, I grabbed a skein of Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed DK, with a size F hook, and quickly made one for her. She hugged me when I handed it to her this past Sunday! :)

I'm also making a bathroom rug, holding together two strands of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn. The colors of the yarn are Pilgrim Peach, and Country Blue.

To make that rug, I measured the size of the floor I'm wanting to cover. Then, I did a little swatch, to see how many stitches per inch I got. Then, I multiplied that number by the number of inches I wanted it to be. That told me how many chain stitches I would need to start off with. Now, I'm just doing single crochet every row until it's long enough. It's slow going, but I'm halfway there!

In the middle of these projects, I also knit two sections on an Oddball Blanket.

Last week, I decided to make some quick slippers for my Grandma. It's her 90th birthday! She loves the slippers I make for her, and calls them her "booties".

I made those slippers in one day, using the "Slipper Sock" pattern by Tropical Yarns. Instead of using two strands of worsted weight yarn, I used one strand of Bernat Softee Chunky. Worked perfectly!

Now, I'm making another pair for my son Josh, in red. Photos soon!

Knit Something Green for St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T07:45:00.001-07:00

Happy St Patrick's Day!

One of my ancestors (William Simpson) came from Ballymoney, Ireland to America back in 1772, landing on the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. He brought his wife (Martha Orr Simpson) and 3 children with him. The youngest child (James Simpson) was my Great Great Great Great Grandfather. He was just a baby at the time he arrived here.

It's nice to know my connection to Irish heritage. :)

I was born with red hair, and had a temper from the start. Ha!
But, I sure was cute, wasn't I?

Since I have a valid connection to Ireland, I usually enjoy watching St Patrick's Day festivities. I won't go as far as drinking green beer, because I don't like the taste of beer. But, I usually wear green, and try to spout out a few Irish sayings with a pretended accent. It's fun!

Today, I have no piano lessons, and no other reason to leave the house. So, I think I'll just make something green for the day. My mother has asked for a green dishcloth, so I'll grab a crochet hook or some knitting needles, and get on it.

My Pretty Crocheted Dishcloth!

2010-03-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

Yay! I really like the look of my first crocheted dishcloth from a pattern, even though I didn't do it right. HA!

Here's my "wrong way" dishcloth - all pretty and lacy.

Funny thing.....while I was finishing up the cloth on our sofa in the living room, I noticed that I had orange things all around me. An orange knitting bag, an orange tea cup and saucer, as well as an orange box of ginger snaps. Incredible!

Preemie Baby Set Complete

2010-02-17T05:31:00.001-08:00

After finishing the knitting on the booties and mitts for the Bernat Preemie Garter Stitch Set, I set it all aside and put off the seaming for about a week.

I don't know why I put it off, because when I finally sat down to take care of it, it only took about 30 minutes. :P Silly me!

So, now my little preemie baby set is finished, and ready to mail to charity. I hope the family that receives it enjoys it! :)

I used Bernat Baby Coordinates in "Daisy Yellow", with the pattern "Preemie Garter Stitch Set", found in the "Traditions" pattern booklet. Quick and easy, and fun to make. Baby stuff is always so precious!

Learning to Crochet!

2010-02-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

You know, it's been 20 years since I've tried crochet. The only thing I ever did before was practice...and make granny squares. I've never followed an actual crochet pattern before in my life.

So, I want to learn to do it RIGHT.

I've been collecting those "Crochet Lite" hooks whenever I could find them on sale, and now I have a pretty good set. I think the lights on the hooks will help me with finding the stitches. My eyesight is just not what it used to be.

Since I'm a blogger for Bernat, I've decided to make a crochet project on the blog, to help me stay motivated with learning this craft. Before diving into my blog project, I chose to practice a little. So, I pulled up the Bernat website, and looked at their Beginning Crochet stuff. I also asked some of the crocheters on the Knitting Help Forum for their advice. They gave me some links to crochet videos and glossaries. After perusing the internet a while, I felt a little more confident.

So, I found a beginner crochet pattern for a dishcloth on the Bernat site. Then, I looked in my stash of cotton yarn for a bright, happy color of yarn. (I chose orange) I'm using one of my new lighted crochet hooks - size I.

I did the beginning chain pretty easily, taking care to keep the stitches loose. (That's one of the things I learned on the websites I studied.) Then, I looked at the next part of the pattern. I had a little trouble working into my chain stitches, so I guess I need to loosen up even more on that part.

The next row gave me a little trouble, because I'm not confident in "reading" the crochet stitches. The good thing about knitting is that the stitches on each row are obvious...they are all waiting on the needle for you! But, crochet takes a little more eyeballing. Time for all the bright lights to be on in the craft room!

I made a few mistakes, trying to do that next row. I ended up having to search the internet again, to figure out what "SP" means. (It means "space", by the way.) I was very frustrated when I didn't understand what that meant. I thought it might be a special kind of stitch or something. (tee-hee)

So, I continued my work, and was very happy with the way it was going. :)

Next, I posted a photo of my creation on Knitting Help, to see what the expert crocheters had to say. My bubble was soon burst, because they told me I was doing it wrong. :( I had been working "in the chain" instead of "in the space". (So THAT'S why the pattern kept mentioning the space!! - Duh!)

So, I've learned what I did wrong, and I'm feeling better about the whole thing. It's so nice to know that I can get help from my friends on the internet to figure out this crochet thing. :)

By the way, I decided to finish up my washcloth with the mistake stitching, because I like the way it looks. I'll make another one the CORRECT way. ;)

Preemie Baby Set

2010-02-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

The Preemie Garter Stitch Set in the Bernat "Traditions" pattern book is going fast! Such a fun, easy knit. I just love knitting precious, tiny baby clothes! :)

Last night, I seamed up the sleeves of the jacket, and made the little matching bonnet. Adorable!

I tried the set on a small baby doll. Her arms are too short for the jacket, but it still looks good.

Now, I'm making the booties and mitts. They should go very quickly. When the set is finished, I will donate it to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. They need preemie baby clothes right now.

My New Lovely Alpaca Leaf Pullover

2010-01-29T05:32:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with my new handknit sweater. It only took a month to knit this lovely "Leaf Pullover", using Bernat's Alpaca yarn.

I decided to make half-sleeves instead of long sleeves, because it's just more comfortable for me that way. Also, the alpaca yarn is VERY WARM, and I've been so hot lately. (must be having hot flashes - HA!)

The pattern for the pullover is in Bernat's "All Alpaca" book. Quick and easy!

Preemie Baby Set for Charity

2010-01-29T05:27:00.001-08:00

Yay! I'm knitting a SWEET set for a preemie baby. I'm really loving the happy yellow color of the Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn in "Daisy Yellow". :)

When the set is complete, it will go to the Special Delivery Unit of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. One of the Oddball Baby Blanket leaders (Spikey) has asked us to make some things for the babies there. I am happy to help!

The pattern for the set is in Bernat's new "Traditions" pattern book, which has several nice knitting and crochet patterns for babies.

Huge Mitten

2010-01-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

I've also been test-knitting a mitten pattern for a friend.

Bernat Alpaca Pullover

2010-01-26T08:16:00.000-08:00

I'm really enjoying making the Leaf Pullover for the Bernat Blog. I'm not used to knitting things for myself, but I'm getting more accustomed to it now. I'm really looking forward to wearing this lovely handknit sweater.

I've almost finished the body, and will soon start working on the sleeves.

Alpaca Pullover - Making Sleeve Holes

2010-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here's how the alpaca pullover is coming along. Nice!

Leaf Pullover from Bernat Alpaca Yarn

2010-01-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

I've recently started knitting a lovely leaf patterned pullover for the Bernat Blog. I LOVE the Bernat Alpaca yarn I'm using - especially the deep teal blue color.

You can see the color better in this photo. Isn't it gorgeous?

The pattern is in the "All Alpaca" book from Bernat.

Knitting Projects from 2009

2010-01-04T20:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a view of all the things I finished knitting during 2009. I was a busy knitter!

Slippers for Me! Yay!

2010-01-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

Our house has been SO COLD lately, so I decided to make myself a pair of warm slippers. I chose the same pattern I used recently for the slippers I knit for my son. It's the free pattern "Red Hot Slipper Socks" on the Lion Brand website. (Now that I've figured out all the errors in the pattern, they are very easy to make.)

I love the way mine turned out. They remind me of Eddie Bauer colors. (tee-hee)

Here's how they looked when they were on the HUGE double-pointed needles. I think I could actually hear the "whoosh" of the wind as I was wrapping the yarn for each stitch. Ha!

Now, I'm planning on making some more slippers for other members of my family. It will be a nice way to use up the bulky yarn in my stash.

Cute Baby Earflap Hat

2009-12-28T12:28:00.001-08:00

Today, I decided to make a quick baby gift. After searching through different patterns I could find online, I chose to make a baby earflap hat. I needed DK weight yarn, so I grabbed a pretty skein of red yarn I recently received as a gift - Magic Garden "Buttons", which is 83% Pure New Zealand Wool, with 17% Polyester Effect yarn. It makes a fun fabric for kids and babies!

Here's the free knitting pattern:
http://heyjulie.wordpress.com/2007/03/20/babykids-earflap-hat/

It only took a few hours to make this cute little baby earflap hat. Fun!

Pidge Podge Scarf

2009-12-23T22:12:00.001-08:00

Here's another quick knitting project I've made in the past week.

It requires just one skein of Lion "Mystery" yarn, with the free pattern called "Pidge Podge".

I haven't sewn on the button yet, because I haven't decided which ones I want to use. It will be easy to do that, so no rush.

Bulky Slipper Socks

2009-12-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, I was able to knit the other bulky slipper sock. Now, I have a nice pair of warm slippers to give my son for Christmas. Yay!

The knitting pattern is free on the Lion Brand website. It's called "Red Hot Slippers". Be sure to write the pattern corrections on your printed pattern. They don't show on the PDF file. You'll see them on the main page for the pattern.

Pretty Cabled Hat & Bulky Slippers Socks

2009-12-22T20:22:00.000-08:00

I finished the cabled hat! So nice!

And, now I'm making bulky slipper socks, using a free knitting pattern on the Lion Brand website called "Red Hot Slipper Socks". It calls for Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, and I have LOTS of leftover skeins of bulky yarn. So, I'm just grabbing different yarns, and making slippers of many colors!

I wonder how many slippers I can make before Christmas? This one sock only took a few hours of knitting to make.

More Knitting Before Year's End

2009-12-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm finished with the Christmas stockings, I can get to work on some other projects I've been working on. I've also been sick with a cold recently, so that set me REALLY behind.

Anyway, here's what I've gotten done on the Bernat Cabled Hat, using Ultra Pink Berella 4.

The cables are pretty!

And here is a bulky scarf I'm making as a Christmas gift for someone.

I'm planning on making more bulky scarves and some slippers also. Better get back to work!

Yay! The Christmas Stockings are FINISHED!

2009-12-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo! I finally finished the Christmas stockings for a customer. :)

I am very proud of my work.

And my customer is pleased with them!

Still Making Stockings

2009-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

I needed a few more days to finish up the Christmas stockings I've been making for a client.

I've finished the chartwork on all three of them!
(The original stocking is shown on the left)

Now, I'm weaving in the ends on those sections.

I've finished all the end-weaving on two of them. :)

Tonight, I'll be blocking them, then tomorrow I'll get to work on adding the feet. I'll have two days to finish them up before delivering them to my client on Thursday!

December Knitting on Overload

2009-12-10T03:09:00.001-08:00

My knitting year has been a busy one, and it hasn't slowed down yet. I think I'll finally get a breather in January. (giggle)

Still working on the Christmas stockings for a client. They should be finished by this weekend.

I've also gotten a good start on another project for the Bernat blog. This time, I'm making a pink, cabled hat.

And I just recently found out that the Red Scarf Project (benefits orphans through the Orphan Foundation of America) is short on scarves for this year. So, I've cast on one to help out the cause.

And I STILL want to knit some things for my family for Christmas! I wonder if I'll ever get any sleep this month?

Yay! The Stockings Match PERFECTLY!

2009-11-28T21:57:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo!

I'm so glad I changed to smaller needles on the Christmas stockings. Now, they are matching EXACTLY! Yay!

It's not an easy task, knitting with all those different skeins of yarn, but I'm dealing with it.

Now, I'm onto the next stocking, to do the children, Santas, and trees. SO glad I got the needle sizing figured out. :)

Finishing Up the Bernat Star Afghan

2009-11-28T13:58:00.000-08:00

It took two months of knitting, with only three rows of purling at the very end. Now, it's finally complete! I finished weaving in all the ends today, and ran it through a cold rinse cycle with fabric softener in the washing machine.

Here's how it looked before blocking:

Next, I needed to block it. After placing my usual blocking pad on my bed, I put the afghan on it, and realized that it was too large to block there. So, I just pinned it on the wall! Ha! (The wall will be worked on this year anyway, during our house repair work.)

Sometimes, You Just Have to Say, "Enough Already!"

2009-11-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was happily knitting along on the Christmas stockings I'm making for commission. I had completed the names on all 3 stockings, and was halfway through the intarsia charts on the first stocking.

I decided to hold up my knitting and compare it to the original stocking the client gave me. BUMMER! My knitting was WAY too large. :(

I tried to convince myself that it wasn't that bad. Maybe she would be satisfied with it anyway. I knit a few more rows, and felt worse and worse about it. Then, I held up the "children" section of the stocking, and realized that the knitting had holes in it, because my needles were too large. Also, the children didn't look right - their hands looked like claws. Ugh!

Oh well.....I decided to frog all that work, up to the names. The names looked good as they were. Then, I realized that it would be next to impossible to frog this work - all those color changes would be a pain to unravel. So, I grabbed my scissors and cut it off. DONE! It actually felt kinda nice....disciplining the "bad" knitting. Ha!

So, now I'm starting the intarsia sections again with smaller needles (size 3 this time). At least I got plenty of practice with the charts!

Bernat Star Afghan is Growing

2009-11-20T04:18:00.001-08:00

I have been so busy working on the Bernat Star Afghan. It will be such a relief to actually finish it.

Now, it's the size of a lapghan.

Knitting the Night Away

2009-11-02T06:09:00.000-08:00

It seems like I do my best knitting in the middle of the night. I have trouble sleeping at night sometimes, so I just park myself in the craft room and knit away.

Here are the Christmas stockings I'm working on for a client. Getting more serious about them now, since they are due by the end of November.

The Bernat Star Afghan is growing nicely. Now it's as big as a seat cushion!

Busy, Busy Knitter!

2009-10-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, because I've been a busy knitter.....as usual.

I'm getting started now on the Bernat Star Afghan. Right now, it looks like a Star PILLOW!

And I'm still working on the Christmas Stockings, as well as some other projects. (No updated photos...sorry.)

Yesterday morning, I was reading my usual stuff on the internet, and took a look at the Afghans for Afghans blog. The current campaign has a VERY FAST deadline. Everything must be in California by next week. So, I decided that I would not be able to participate this time. I then turned off the computer, and walked down the hall to my craft room to work on my projects.

When I sat down, I felt a little tug on my heart. So, I reached behind my knitting chair, and pulled out a bag of 100% wool yarn I use for charity knitting. And got started knitting a hat. I just had to do what I could to make a child warmer in Afghanistan. They have very cold winters there, and most homes have no electricity or running water.

It only took about an hour, and I finished this pretty hat, with some nice bulky 100% Alpaca yarn. The yarn was in a Nicky Knits poncho kit I got on clearance at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. It knits FAST...which was exactly what I needed.

Now, at least ONE child will be a little warmer.

Vogue Knitting - Lace Panel Gloves

2009-10-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Yay! This morning, I finished knitting the Lace Panel Gloves I've been working on to display at Cottage Yarn in Mint Hill, NC.

The pattern is in the Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting.

Ta Da!

Yay! My Cape is FINISHED! :D

2009-10-15T02:42:00.001-07:00

Yippee!!!

Last night, I completely finished the cape I've been making for the Bernat Blog:
http://bernat.com/blog/

I can't believe it! It took about 5 or 6 weeks to make, using Bernat Softee Chunky yarn. I was working on several other projects at the same time, so that caused a bit of a delay on my cape.

Anyway, I'll quit talking, and show you the finished cape.

The front:

The back:

I love it. :)

And my hubby likes it too! When I walked down the hall to show it to him, his mouth dropped open, and he said, "That looks great!" Such a sweet hubby. (glowing with pride)

The thing that really finished off the hood and made it look nice was the buttons on the side. I also added a big button on the front, where the neckline separates. I think it adds a nice touch.

Knits in Progress

2009-10-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Quick update:

Here's the large Oddball Blanket #5 - ready to be donated!

The Bernat Side Button Hooded Cape. The back is done, and the front is halfway there!

And, I'm on the last finger of the Lace Panel Gloves.

Knitting....as Usual :)

2009-09-29T03:19:00.000-07:00

I've been SUCH a busy knitter.....so busy that I couldn't even get on here to talk about it!

So, to make up for lost time, I'll try to show everything I've done since my last blog post.

A friend of mine is opening a new yarn shop in Charlotte (in the NoDa district of the city), called "Yarnhouse". He gave me 3 skeins of yarn, asked me to knit some things with them to display in his shop.

Using Queensland "Kathmandu Chunky", I made this nice, cushy hat.

Here's the free pattern: "Handspun Ribbed Hat"

With Mirasol "Hacho", I made this lovely "Gloria Cowl".

And with Elsebeth Lavold "Silky Wool", I knit this sweet baby hat and booties.

Scalloped Lace Baby Cap (free pattern on Ravelry).

Mary Jane Baby Booties

While working on those, I was also adding a few rows on one of our large Oddball Charity Blankets. I was actually able to bind off the stitches this week! Yahoo!!! Now, I'm adding a crochet border, and the blanket will be ready for donation to charity. :D

I'm still going on the Bernat Side Button Hooded Cape, and have also cast on my next Bernat Blog project, the "Knitted Star Afghan". I'm using red, black, and gray yarns, because that's the colors my step-son requested for an afghan. He's been waiting a couple years for one, so this is my opportunity to make it for him. The beginning was the hardest part, with the 3 dpns in a teeny tiny circle. It's getting better now.

I'm using a large project bag (LL Bean) that my mother-in-law gave me for my knitting. She used to knit and crochet a lot when she was younger, and knew that I would need a bag this big. It's PERFECT for carrying my afghan project supplies. :)

And I'm still working on the gloves and Christmas stockings as well. Maybe I should just go back and knit now..... I don't have time to sit at this computer any more, with all that waiting for me in the craft room! (tee-hee)

Talk again soon.

Finished the Back of My Cape!

2009-09-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yay! Last night, I finished the back of the cape I've been working on. It looks so nice! Cushy and comfy. I just can't wait to wear it.

I didn't let myself rest on my laurels, though. Time to start the front!

Bagsmith "Little Brown Bag" Kit

2009-09-15T03:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got the greatest gift from a friend in the Knitting Help Forum.

It's a "Little Brown Bag" kit to knit a nice purse. How cool!

The kit contains everything I need to make a nice purse...and it's in my favorite color - brown!

Yay!

Getting Busy on the Christmas Stockings

2009-09-15T03:19:00.000-07:00

Now that I have all the yarn I need to make the Christmas stockings, I'm able to get to work.

Before I started knitting, I charted all the names and years I'll need on a sheet of graph paper. I placed the chart on a music stand, with a magnetic bar to mark my place. The stand is just in front of my knitting chair, so it's easy to see.

Here's my knitting chair. I'm using my old Fujitsu laptop computer to view the pattern. It would have taken 5 sheets of paper to print it out, and I'm out of toner right now. This is working very well, because I can zoom in and out of the document for better viewing.

After the first day of knitting, I had completed casting on all 3 stockings. Now all the ribbing is done - Yay!

The following day, I completed the name and year on one of the stockings. Looking good!

Everything I need for knitting the stockings is in a basket, so I can get going right away.

Persistence Pays Off

2009-09-12T15:34:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! Today, I received the yarn I needed for my Christmas stockings. I asked my client to order the yarn from Knit Picks, because it looked like it would be a perfect match (gauge and color) for her stockings. I was right! WOO HOO!!!

Here's the yarn and stocking together - couldn't be better.

And here is another photo, without flash. It STILL matches! :)

In Other Knitting News....

2009-09-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

Aside from the lovely gloves and Christmas stockings, I'm also in the midst of knitting a cape, and a ribbed hat, among other things.

Here's the latest view of the cape. I'm halfway up the back now!

And the hat is going well also.

Cedar Chest is FULL

2009-09-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

Remember my new cedar chest? Well, it's filled to the brim now, with lovely wool yarns and a few handknitted items. Time to buy another chest! Ha!

Yarn Adventure for Christmas

2009-09-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

As you know, I've been commissioned to make three Christmas stockings. She's already paid me for two of them. I told her to pay me for the other one "on delivery", to give me an incentive to finish them. (tee-hee)

Anyway, when I agreed to make them, I had an idea of the yarn I would be using. I figured it would be easy to get a good match. HILARIOUS!!!! The yarn has turned out to be the most frustrating part so far! :P

To start with, here's a photo of the original stocking I am using as a guide. It was knit with acrylic yarn a LONG time ago:

When I saw the colors, I immediately thought, "Red Heart Sport yarn would be perfect".
So, I went to my local Michaels, Hobby Lobby, then finally AC Moore, and found the Red Heart Sport in red, green, and cream. I also found Red Heart Designer in a great blue to match.

I was happy with my purchase, and set it aside to start working on it in a few days. My time was focused on making gloves for Cottage Yarn. Aren't they pretty so far?

In the midst of this, I had also been asked to make some samples for a new yarn shop in Charlotte, so I was figuring that out as well. AND I was working on a cape for the Bernat blog I've committed to doing. (I think I need ONE more thing to knit, don't you?) Ha!

So, after a few days of divided knitting, I took a look at the Christmas Stocking project again. I looked closely at the stocking, then looked closely at the yarn, and said, "Oh my gosh....this yarn is too thick." UGH!!!

So, off to Hobby Lobby I went, because I remembered having seen "I Love This Yarn" sportweight in the right colors. I was able to get a refund on the Red Heart yarn at AC Moore, so that turned out okay.

Then, I took my new yarn purchase home, and tried knitting a swatch with this thinner yarn. No go....STILL too thick. ACK!!!! :(

Back to Hobby Lobby I went on the following day....and got another refund. I kept the green yarn, because I figured I could make it work if necessary....the green was the hardest to match. So, there I was....starting over again.

This time, I got SERIOUS, and went to a real yarn shop. Cottage Yarn, where my cousin happens to be the owner. :) I was happy to see my cousin there, so I could show her the gloves I'm making to display there. She loved them. Yay! After some mutual glove fondling, I told her all about my problem with matching yarn for the Christmas stockings. I showed her the original stocking, and asked if she had any yarn that would knit to a gauge of 28 stitches per 4 inches (7 stitches per inch).....IN THE RIGHT COLORS.

We searched for quite a while, and only came up with two yarns that might work. Katia Mississippi 3, which is a cotton-blend, and Universal Pace sock yarn.

I had found some Delft blue DMC floss at AC Moore that matched the blue section, and figured I could just double strand it to knit the eyes and shirts on the stockings. Not the best option, I know, but I was desperate. So, now, here was my new yarn configuration:

I wasn't too happy about it. Because, now I would be using FOUR DIFFERENT YARNS to make the stockings. I didn't feel like it would knit up well. But, I thought I would have to settle for it.

Then, when I got home, I had a brainstorm.....Why not just knit it with all wool yarns? My client said that she never washed the stockings, because she was afraid she might mess them up. So, this gave me hope. I then remembered that I had a nice red wool in my stash. Bear Brand Ever Match Sock and Sweater yarn. So, I went digging in my cedar chest, and found that yarn at the bottom of the chest. Gorgeous yarn.

I knit a swatch with the red yarn....wonder of wonders. It matched gauge PERFECTLY!!!!!
Hallelujah!!! Praise the Lord!!!!!

I couldn't believe it....I think I fell to the floor in tears.

So, now I had a little bit of hope. I wondered if I could possibly find a match for the blue, green, and cream in my stash. I spied a skein of Knit Picks Palette in White, and quickly knit a little swatch. Again....PERFECT GAUGE!!! YAY!!!!!

Unfortunately, the white was too light for the project, but I had a great feeling inside. I decided to look at the Knit Picks website, to see if I could find a match for the other colors. EUREKA!

Chicory is a perfect match for the blue.
Cream is a perfect match for the ivory.
Grass looks VERY CLOSE to the green.

So, I'm ordering yarn from Knit Picks for the stockings. They will all work together nicely, and should look very professional. I'm so pleased!!!

New Cedar Chest!

2009-08-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

I am SO PLEASED to have a new cedar chest in my craft room. We found it on clearance at a local antique store for a great price. Yippee!!!

It looks like it has never been used. The original tag and large label are still attached from when it was made back in the 50's or 60's. Nice!

Here's how it looks when it's opened:

The label still attached:

And the tag, stil hanging by it's original string, hooked at the front of the chest.

The inside of the chest smells WONDERFUL, and will make a perfect home for my nice yarns and handknit wools. Yay for me!

Current Knits in Progress

2009-08-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

I have so many WIPs (works in progress), that it's just ridiculous.
23 projects, to be exact.

Most of them are high priority, but I have a deadline on six of them, so those are the ones I'm concentrating on right now. In between working on those, I'll grab an Oddball Charity Blanket, and add another row to it.

My deadline projects are:

Bernat - "Side Button Hooded Cape" for new Bernat blog (going live in October)
Cottage Yarn - Lace gloves from Fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting
Commission for a Client - 3 Vintage Christmas Stockings
Yarnhouse Knits - 3 knitted samples for the shop

Here is my progress on some of those:

Side Button Hooded Cape

Lace Gloves

Vintage Christmas Stockings
(So far, I've just selected the yarn)

I've also started one of the samples for Yarnhouse Knits, but don't have a photo right now.

In addition to those high priority items, I'm working on these as well:

Oddball Blanket #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and the Orphan Blanket (finishing up)

Bulky Jacket for me

Silk Shrug for a friend

Chenille Lapghan for my mother in law

Lace Curtains for my craft room

Chemo Cap

"Dream by Moonlight" Shawl for me

Fair Isle Headband

Mohair Lace Scarf (my design)

Lacette Drop Stitch Scarf

Simply Anne's Infant Sweater

Chevron Lapghan

Harry Potter scarf for my hubby

Noro Lily Drop Stitch scarf

In addition to those things, I also want to cast on the following:
Wool baby jumper for Cottage Yarn
Purple shawl for my sister-in-law
Illusion scarf for my son
Something pretty for my son's girlfriend
Socks for a musical friend
Lapghan for my stepson
Lapghan for my grandma
Shrug or Cardigan for my mom
Sweater for my hubby
Cushions for my hubby's CPAP machine
Sunglass pocket for my hubby's sun visor in his car
A gig bag for my keyboard (I'll probably sew that instead of knitting it.)
Slipper socks for most of my family
Hats and socks for family and friends
Chenille lapghan for our house
Lapghan for my mom
Ribbon top and wrap for a friend
Sweater, Vest, Scarf, Hat and Gloves for me

I wonder if I'll ever make all of those things? Ha!

Oh well, at least I have goals and plans. :D