the knitbook

Heart-worm

2011-02-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting a lot. I really have. But my documentation of crafting activities hasn't kept up. Even my Ravelry page has fallen by the wayside. I will have to play catch-up. For now, in honor of Valentine's day, I'm posting a few pictures of the projects completed over the past few days.

First up, Earthworm, byt Hansi Singh from the book Amigurumi Knits. This is one of the simpler patterns in this book, and I'm dying to try them all (just cast on for the black-devil anglerfish today!)
This was a wee Valentine for my wee lad. He named him Sherman. This evening, he fell asleep clutching Sherman to his chest.
Moving on, I've been on a heart-themed dish cloth rampage ever since agreeing to participate in a secret valentine pal gift swap at work. The four pictured below are Heart Washcloth by Nicky Green. So simple and quick...every valentine deserves one.
Finally, there's the Heartbeat Cloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Hopefully, my secret pal will be as please as I am with this pattern.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones.

Christmas wreath, glad tidings

2010-12-25T18:44:00.000-08:00

Knitted Wreath pattern by Julie Weisenberger.

Happy Christmas to you all!

Wee giftie: the big big (tiny) ocean

2010-12-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I asked Silas what we should make for Papa (my dad) for his birthday. Silas said we should make him a big big ocean. Since an ocean is a little difficult to package and ship 2000 miles, I made a tiny felted ocean scene instead. It's maybe 4 by 3 inches at most. My father said they will hang it on their tree.

I am becoming increasingly familiar with sea creatures and needle felting techniques. Papa's tiny ocean was just a warm up to the big December project I'm in the middle of. I will take some pictures and talk more about this project as soon as I can...

Below, Silas helps get the tiny ocean ready to send to Wisconsin, along with a dishcloth. My parents use the other dishcloth I sent to them and requested more. This one is Diamonds in Your Dishrag, by S.M. Kahn.
Much more knitting/felting to do for the Holidays...

Arts & Crafts Motif Mitts

2010-12-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to post pictures of these fingerless mitts for over a month, and I figure I better do so before I get too involved in December/holiday crafting and baking. I wanted to donate something handmade for my son's preschool auction fundraiser. I have wanted for some time now to make some felted fingerless mitts, so I made up this pattern. The body is just a basic pattern. The cabled cuffs were added on after the rest of the mitts had been felted.
I am so very fond of the Arts & Crafts movement, so when doing the needle felting embellishment, I wanted my motif to be stylistically in keeping with motifs from that era:
I'm kind of wishing I had a pair of these...hmm.

This is not the only felting project I've been doing as of late. I made a wee giftie for my dad's birthday, and I'm in the middle of a project for my son's December/Christmas Tree/advent thingie. Both involve sea creatures. I will share more in my next post.

Silas Robin Hood Jacket

2010-11-28T21:15:00.001-08:00

Can you imagine how excited Silas and I both were last Monday when the snow began to fall? Silas was into it, because he's a kid and loves the snow: Me, because I knew I'd be able to get some pictures of him wearing his new cabled sweater in the falling snow!

This is the Robin Hood Jacket from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits for Tots. I've had this book for most of Silas' life and have wanted to make this jacket for several years now.

Posing for pics, before the storm:
Cables and seed stitch together: you can't really go wrong.
Things I did differently: First of all, this pattern calls for bulky yarn, but swatching in bulky yarn was a disaster. The sweater would have been big for me if I'd proceeded with the yarn type called for in the pattern. Instead, I went with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted. It ended up being the perfect yarn for this project.
I made the body of the jacket two inches longer than called for, and also lengthened the sleeves (he's inherited my monkey arms, so a little extra length is a good thing). It appears he'll be able to wear the jacket for several years. Woo-hoo!

Instead of binding off and then sewing the top of the hood, I kept the live stitches and used Kitchener stitch to create a much flatter seam.
Other than the issues with gauge, this is a wonderful pattern. Once you get the swing of it, it's quite simple. As is the case with cables, they really do most of the work for you.
I don't think I've seen the end of cabled jackets. My husband wants one now too. And I think I've been meaning to make one for myself for several years now...

December is usually a big crafting month, so I'm gearing up for that. I will be posting pictures of some felted fingerless mitts I made for my son's preschool auction. After that, I've got some super secret felted objects I'm working on for Silas. Stay tuned!

Hermit Crab Costume

2010-11-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

For previous Halloweens, I've basically chosen Silas' costume for him. But this year, he knew what he wanted to be months in advance: a hermit crab. So, I got to work, made felted claws which are really just elongated and pointier mittens, and then crafted a hat with googly eyes.
There wasn't really a lot on Ravelry or the Internet to go on in terms of patterns, particularly for the hat, so I made it up as I went along. I had all the yarn in my stash already (brown sheep lambs pride), so it was also a low cost costume.

The costume was a joint effort with my husband. He took a bike helmet (same one we used to turn Silas into a turtle his first Halloween) , and used papier mache to sculpt it into the shell you see below.
This last picture was taken weeks before Halloween, when I had just finished his mitts and hat. He was very excited to be a hermit crab and would grab my hand and gently pinch it. "See mommy, I'm a nice crab!" Yes indeed.

Butterfly Bag

2010-09-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, only a month or so behind... This is the butterfly bag I made for my niece's birthday. Like all of the Lucinda Guy patterns I've done, I am quite pleased with the outcome. The bag is knit flat in two pieces and then crocheted together, giving it a picot edge.
I lined the inside with some scrap material:
Moving on, I turned the heal on the latest pair of socks for Drew, and then set those aside to work on Silas' Halloween costume. He wants to be a ghost hermit crab monster. Yeah.
So far, I've completed one felted claw, and I have a basic plan in place for the rest. It is totally doable to have it done before the end of October, provided I don't procrastinate too much.

Jennie's Birthday Hat

2010-09-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to whip up a birthday present for my sister while my parents were visiting, and this was the result. It's Couvercle, from Knitty, summer 08.
The yarn is nothing special, but it was from my stash and was looking for a project to knit itself into. It was the right gauge, was soft and will be easy-care. It was the right yarn to do the job!
Drew says I should knit one for me too :)
On another note, I hit a knitting slump hard this summer. It took having a solid deadline to complete this project, plus another small gift that I will share in another post, to get me out of it.
While I'm knitting again on a daily basis, this blog will most likely not see a whole lot of activity. I will share my finished projects, but that's about it.

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer!

Bubble Up

2010-06-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

My bathroom is probably the least favorite room of my new house. It's small, awkward, and could really stand a remodel. But that's not going to happen for...I don't know how long. In the meantime, I felt like it could stand for a hand knit touch.
We still use the garter stitch bath mat, which has actually held up pretty well for the 5 or 6 years we've been using it. But I wanted something more...a hand towel perhaps. Enter the Bubble Up Towel by Susan Luni.
I thought this was such an smart design. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who can use bobbles elegantly has my vote. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the result. Now, if only I had a totally remodeled bathroom to hang it in :)
In a continuing effort to knit from my stash, I've started a short sleeved raglan cardi using some Wool-Ease thick n quick procured at a Rotary Auction ages ago. Not really my favorite of yarns, but the price is right and I know my bank account will thank me for my stash-busting endeavors. Anyways, you can see the newly cast-on project in my son's hands. What you can't see from this still shot is that he's about to bring the needles up to his mouth and pretend that they are slugs, yummy, delicious slugs that he just can't resist eating. Thankfully, no needles, or yarn were harmed in the making of this photograph.

Paloma, in pictures

2010-05-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Did my Paloma photo shoot last weekend... Here is the link to my project page on Ravelry, if you'd like to read about how excruciatingly long this project took me (despite how fairly straight-forward it is and the fact that each sleeve has only 4 rows).

In non-knitting news, my mom and I are getting an old White sewing machine from the 1940's up and running and we will be making drapes while she's in town. Will post about that later on...

Paloma est complété

2010-05-05T19:57:00.001-07:00

Just finished Paloma last night. I couldn't help myself: I skipped blocking and wore it today. Kinda love it. This image was a rush shot taken before I left for work this morning. I'll take some more this weekend and will post about Paloma again...

The arts and crafts house

2010-05-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Pictured: A corner of our living room, featuring a table that traveled down the Erie Canal with Drew's ancestors (early to mid 19th c.) and flowers from our garden.

We are all moved in, and have been for just over a month, which if you've read my other blog, is not exactly news to you. I have only been working on one knitting project since moving, and that would be Paloma from French Girl Knits (shown above). After working on this project on and off for almost a year, I am now nearly finished and am looking forward to wearing it. But Paloma isn't really what's on my mind at the moment. It is a lovely pattern and a fun knit, but it exists now as a project within a project...the house itself is the real work-in-progress. Since closing on March 18th we have torn up most of the carpets, put cork down in three rooms, replaced a broken fridge, built a raised bed and planted seeds and starts, torn out baseboard heaters, dealt with electrics, replaced two-prong with three-prong outlets, painted rooms (the living room got painted three times until we decided it was the right color), etc. We are gearing up to replace the last two non-energy efficient windows and Drew is working on making new 8 inch high baseboards. Meanwhile, 18 yards of linen arrived recently, and when my mom arrives next week, we will work on sewing drapes for the 7 enormous windows in our living and dining rooms.

All of this, along with the job and the boy, throw on top of that the unpacking and making the house homey, and you can see why my attention has strayed from the knitting a bit. But I'm not complaining. Looking into the architectural design and age of our house (craftsman/1916), Drew and I decided that we wanted to renovate and decorate with the Arts and Crafts Movement in mind. While we aren't purists, we have been looking into the sort of colors, elements, shapes, etc. used during this movement. Our future plans include Drew doing some stenciling, and me picking up another fiber-related skill --embroidery, in order to add some Arts and Crafts motifs to our home, such as this one:
I will still be knitting and crocheting of course (I've got a crocheted afghan planned for our couch), but expect more house-related and potentially non-knitting posts in the future as we restore our Arts and Crafts home...

Hubbie Hoodie in action

2010-03-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have yet to do a proper photo shoot of Drew wearing his hoodie. With all of the craziness of our upcoming move, I'm not sure when said photo shoot will take place. But the important thing is that he is wearing it. In fact, he's worn it quite a bit. I think he knows that if he doesn't wear this sweater, there will be no more hand knit sweaters for him ever, just as there certainly will be no more hats (made two, he never wears them). It does appear, however, that he genuinely like this sweater, which makes me breath a big sigh of relief. I believe I see a cardigan in his future...

My two boys, saying "cheers" over glasses of vitamin water. A not-so-great shot, but I couldn't resist a candid picture in which they both happen to be wearing the sweaters I knit for them.

Blocking

2010-02-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Silas thought all the hoodie needed to be complete was a bit of paint (pretend paint, thankfully).

Finally, we are at the last stage of the Hubbie Hoodie (aka the Hacky Sack Hoodie). Blocking is absolutely essential to the fit of this garment, as the gauge given in the pattern is post blocking, and quite in contrast to the pre-blocking gauge achieved when knitting. This stark difference in gauge is one of the only thing I don't like about this pattern, which is otherwise pretty cool.

I am still nervous to try it on Drew. But, it turns out that that moment will have to wait a bit longer. I forgot to cover it and the cat used if for a nap after coming in from the muddy wilds. Damn it. It will need to be cleaned and possibly re-blocked.

Pictures of the finished product, hopefully by this weekend.

Nothing much to share, except...

2010-02-16T21:23:00.000-08:00

...pictures of our new house! We close on March 22nd and so far, everything with the sale has gone smoothly. But it's still a hectic time, and my knitting is suffering as a result. I should have finished Drew's hoodie a while ago, but after completing the sleeves, he said he would like them to be an inch and a half longer. This was a reasonable request and easy enough to execute. I could have fixed them both that very same day. But did I? Nope. Instead, I put the sweater down and didn't knit for a week, which may be the longest I've gone without knitting, well, since I taught myself how to knit in 2002. I am going to attribute this behavior of mine to new house/first-time home buyer jitters and not judge myself too harshly. Today I ripped out the ribbing on one of the sleeves and began to add on that inch and a half. So, all is not lost, and his hoodie will be completed before we change addresses at the end of next month.

But you don't really care about that stinking hoodie do you? You want to see more pictures of the new digs right? Here's the blog post from my family blog relating more info about it. And here's the direct link to the flickr photo stream. Enjoy :)

The new year is old news...

2010-01-17T22:28:00.000-08:00

...and I'm finally posting to this blog for the first time this decade. I'm in a wee bit of a knitting lull. Drew's Hubbie Hoodie (Hackie sack hoodie from Son of a Stitch n' Bitch) really could have been done by now. It's easy-peasy, mindless knitting. But even after the holiday knitting came and went along with my excuse for not hurrying the hell up on this project, I still haven't been giving it the time it deserves. Today, Sunday, I didn't knit at all. Not on the ferry to Seattle, not at Drew's poetry reading, not in the car on the way back. Not even while watching Julie & Julia this evening. What's wrong with me? This is the perfect project for me right now too because it uses next to no brain cells and is therefore an anxiety-buster, rather than the headache-inducer a more complex project might be.

That's not to say that I haven't made any progress. I'm almost to the front pocket, and mind you, this is a top-down project so the hood is already completed. There is really no reason not to finish this project post-haste. I will let you know when that occurs, hopefully before another decade draws to a close.

As you can see, a certain toddler is my biggest (and best!) excuse for my knitting lull, though he does occasionally indulge me by letting me get a few rows in during cuddle time :)

Happy Christmas to you all!

2009-12-25T12:46:00.001-08:00

Above: the tree on Christmas eve.

Quick icord Candycane:
Reindeer ornament, with gold snowflake in the background:
Happy holidays to you all!

Rivulet Scarf

2009-12-20T21:20:00.001-08:00

The Rivulet Scarf (Interweave Knits, Fall 2009).
My mil asked me to make this for my sil Amy to match the Cranberry Cap I made her this summer.

My first consideration when choosing a pattern was that it be reversible. My second is that it would have cables or some sort of pattern to hold my interest. The Rivulet Scarf was a perfect choice! The entire scarf is in k1 pi rib, including the cables, and that means that there is really no wrong side to the resulting fabric.
This was a hard one to part with, but part with it I did indeed! It should be in Wisconsin by now, or nearly there, with several days to spare... :)

Little Rabbit's Hat and Mitts

2009-12-13T21:46:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite picture books is "Shall I knit you a hat: a Christmas yarn" by Kate Klise.
To summarize:
When Mother Rabbit knits a warm winter hat for Little Rabbit, he likes it so much that he suggests they make hats for all of their friends as Christmas gifts.
At the end of the book, there's a pattern for making Little Rabbit's hat. I couldn't resist the temptation! You can read more about that book HERE.
I thought Little Rabbit's paws might get a wee bit cold too, so I whipped up a pair of the Angelina Cable Mitts in the same yarn (Cascade 220 Quatro), and stuck them in his boot for St. Nick's Day. We have been getting a lot of use out of them this past week and they stay on his hands way better than the mittens I made for him last year.
The result: One cute and toasty warm Little Rabbit :)

Look who's sportin' his Auntie's handknits!

2009-12-03T22:06:00.001-08:00

This is the Zip up the back Hoodie I made for my youngest nephew prior to his arrival on planet Earth. I can't believe it fits him already!

Christmas Forest

2009-12-01T21:56:00.001-08:00

All 24 trees...lined up for picture taking time. This project was a lot of fun and a great way to stash burn, though I'm about plum out of green feltable yarn now.
The numbers are painted on buttons, which are actually velcroed to the trees so that they can be taken off, shifted around or what not. During the course of creating these trees, Silas would often run off with them and occasionally, they'd end up as trees on his farmland. It will be nice to have the option of taking the numbers off of the trees in case he wants to use them in this way throughout the year.
I'm looking forward to using this for years to come, and that tradition starts...TODAY! Silas uncovered his first puzzle piece this morning. By Christmas Eve, he'll have all 24 puzzle pieces, and we can put his puzzle together. Won't Santa be impressed :)
The little yellow car, by the way, is not the prize, but is simply being used to navigate through the forest.
While I'm not sure that Silas fully gets what's going on here, I have a feeling it will only take a few days for him to catch on. His puzzle piece this morning showed a starfish and his response was "maybe tomorrow, I'll get an octopus one!"

"They're for Christmas"

2009-11-29T15:49:00.000-08:00

I will post pictures of the finished Christmas Forest soon.

Backlogged

2009-11-27T21:21:00.001-08:00

Not only am I behind on posting to this blog, but I've also been negligent in keeping Ravelry updated, something I'm usually pretty up on. So, consider this blog my first intent to get back into the swing of things. First up, I've been working on my advent tree project for over a month now and thought I'd post a few pictures of it as a wip. The trees are all felted, but I thought I'd throw in a few pre-felted pictures and then a shot of them pretty much as they will look when all is said and done. I'm actually putting the finishing touches on them this weekend. The trees themselves are done, but I also had to paint numbers on buttons and then figure out how to attach them to the trees. I thought it would be nice if I could take the number buttons off of the trees. Silas likes to play with them and pretend they're trees on his farm so it would be nice if the numbers weren't perminantly attached. The obvious choice was velcro. Ive got about 18 more buttons that need to have velcro glued to them and then this wip will officially cross over into fo-land. Just in time for December 1st.

Other than my advent forest, over the past several weeks, I've made Silas a pair of slippers and knit him a hat. I feel like I'm forgetting to mention a project, but, those were the big ones at least. I will try to keep the blog posts coming.

In costume

2009-11-05T21:52:00.001-08:00

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For those of you who don't read my other, more frequently updated blog, here are a few pictures of Silas in his Halloween costume, featuring the digger sweater I knit and the bulldozer his dad made. Both the sweater and the bulldozer will get plenty of post-Halloween use :)

Other than the whole Halloween thing, I've been knitting and felting little trees like mad. I need to have 24 completed by December 1st and I'm well on my way. I'll try to include a post with pictures of that project soon.

Big Digger for a Little Boy

2009-10-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

With just over a month to spare, I've finished the knitted portion of Silas' Halloween costume. He really could not wait for this to be finished. I completed it last Wednesday night after he'd gone to sleep, then slipped it into my bag so that I could show it to my friends at work the next day. In the morning, Silas got up, found my bag, took it out and said, "I want to wear it!" And so, he wore it that day and also on Saturday and Sunday, when dh and I took him out and about for a couple of photoshoots. We went to the farmers market and then down to the waterfront to see the boats. I also could not resist taking pictures of him wearing a front-end loader while he sat on a front-end loader (he's got permission from the owner to "drive" it whenever he wants).

This was a very rewarding project. I used Knit Picks Cotlin yarn and liked it very much. It makes the perfect sweater for our cool but certainly not cold fall days. Lucinda Guy did a wonderful job on the digger motif. What machine-obsessed little boy wouldn't want this sweater? Can't you feel the joy?:

Sheep Yoke Cardigan

2009-09-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

I mailed this sweater off to its recipient last week and it has hopefully arrived, or will shortly. I won't say it wasn't hard to part with, but it is going to a very good home, and a very pretty little baby. I thought it was time to post a couple pictures. It's only been completed for, um, a month :)

This is a lovely little project and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun interesting baby knit. You do have to do a bit of math to get the increases in the yoke just right. I had intended to write out how I did my increases, but I'll be damned if I can find my notes on it. Anyways, don't let that scare you off. It's worth the bit of effort, even for those of us who are mathematically challenged. The pattern is free!

The sheep are intarsia rather than stranded. Either way would probably work out fine, but I felt they were spaced a little too far apart to carry the yarn. Perhaps the end result wouldn't be that noticeable one way or the other.

That's about all I can remember about this. It's only been a month, but my mind has spent that month occupied by Si's digger sweater, and the surprise project/pattern pictured in my last post. And speaking of that...Several people guessed they were mittens. Lovely mittens they might make, but nope, that's not it! Keep guessing!

Something new is brewing...

2009-09-26T16:52:00.001-07:00

I'm working on a new pattern, which I'll be posting as soon as I can write it up. This might take a bit, given how many details I need to work out, so this picture will serve as a teaser. Can you guess what it is?

Big Digger, or Halloween, here we come!

2009-09-08T22:12:00.001-07:00

Like many toddlers, Silas thinks that big construction vehicles like diggers and bulldozers are the coolest things ever. He is pretty excited for the costume I've got planned for Halloween 09. This sweater, from the fabulous Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids, is perfect for what Silas and I are envisioning! Silas can't wait for this sweater to be completed. He keeps opening the book and asking for the bulldozer page. He’ll then spend a good deal of time staring at the picture. He has asked me several times if he could help me make it because he wanted it to be done right away, and one day he even grabbed the needles while I was working on it and said "I want to help."

I started making this at the end of August. I wanted to give myself a big cushion of time in order to avoid scrambling to finish in time. Not necessary. It's knitting up so quickly, and now that I'm past the digger motif, it will be easy breezy from here on out. Not looking forward to the seaming, but I'll live.

What could this be?

2009-09-05T21:39:00.001-07:00

I am hesitant to post too many pictures of this fo, since it is a gift for the new baby of a friend who sometimes follows this blog. I want it to be at least somewhat of a surprise. Here at least, is a preview.

I'll have some WIP photos to post in a day or two, and soon after, some more shots of this item as well.

Little Bubbles for Lilah

2009-08-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am really behind in my blogging. It's an understatement to say that I have next to no personal time on the computer right now. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean this blog has yet again suffered a period of neglect.

Well, anyways, I have just enough time to write a few brief lines about this project:

This lovely pattern from Knit Picks was a joy to make. The bubbles were super easy to do and the result is so very pleasing. I am very much looking forward to making more of these in the future. Top down, seamless sweater, gotta love it! The hat was made with no decreases. The top is seamed and then the "ears" are made by pinching the corners and wrapping yarn around them. Hopefully, the moon booties will be the kind that don't fly off of baby's feet every 30 seconds. They seem to have the potential of being the useful variety but one can never tell until they are tried on for the first time. Hopefully, the mommy will check in with me and let me know :)

Zip up the back Hoodie

2009-07-24T15:37:00.001-07:00

This is a gift for my little nephew-to-be. It zips up the back and the hoodie makes a point at the top. The little babe should look very gnome-like in this sweater. Self-striping yarn (Universal Yarn Classic Worsted Tapestry) is very reminiscent of self-striping sock yarn. I'm not a lover of acrylic, but must admit that this was a good choice for this project, and my sister will appreciate the easy-care aspect of it. I linked this to Kathy Roletter Gayner's pattern on Ravelry, but it is based on a very old pattern and the version I did was adapted by someone else. They are very similar though, but I do believe Kathy's version used sport weight and the version I worked from called for worsted.

Thanks to Barb at my office, I was able to sew the zipper in with no major calamities. I think little Austin will be snug as a bug in this sweater and I hope he wears it often!

Crock pot dying results

2009-07-12T15:26:00.001-07:00

The crock pot dying was a big success! As pictured in these images, the color is fairly true. I used Gaywool dye in Cedar. The outcome was green, but with a blue-gray shimmer. Perhaps the fact that I'm dying light gray wool rather than white adds this element. I've got some white lambs wool to card and then I'll try dying that in order to see how it compares.

I spun up the wool today:
Lovely outcome! But my dye lot was so small as I wasn't sure how much wool my small crock pot could handle. It only spun up about 38 yards double plied. Next time, I will dye more wool and increase my lot.
I'm very impressed with this dye and will use it again (quite a lot came in the container). I noticed no noxious odour but still, it is a chemical dye. In the future, I'd like to experiment with natural dyes as much as possible.

Back in the spin of things

2009-07-10T11:45:00.001-07:00

I'm off of work for most of this month and have taken the opportunity to dust off my spinning wheel and get it moving again.
I've probably mentioned before, but spinning with a toddler around presents challenges that will be obvious to anyone with small kids or anyone who has ever been around small children for more than two minutes, for that matter. They are just so curious. My son sees the wheel and says "I'm going to drive it!" He moves his little chair over to it and the wheel is then at a perfect height for him to pretend to drive a boat or car or truck or lawnmower --whatever suits his fancy. While this is nice for Silas and his wonderfully vibrant imagination, his interaction with my wheel can make my head spin faster than the yarn. In a limited way, I have been able to engage him in helping me in the spinning process. I've gotten him to hold the yarn while I'm plying two strands together and he will stand there letting the yarn flow through his hand saying "I'm spinning yarn!" This works while plying, but it's going to be a while until he's able to handle drafting. So, basically, I spin while he's asleep or out of the house with his dad. This limits things, but whatever. You do what you can.

Today, I'm trying my hand at dying by using a crock pot. We had an old crock pot we never used, so I decided to make it my dye pot. I'll know in a few hours how it turned out and will post pics soon. I also dyed wool last fall using coffee and I don't believe I ever posted pictures. I'll be spinning that up soon. Dying wool is pretty new for me, but I'm getting tired of spinning nothing but variations on grey, and I have SO much grey batting. I've gotta do something fun with it!

My knitting speed has slowed while I focus my attentions on spinning, but I have started another project from the book "French Girl Knits." The pattern is Paloma, which is a lace cap-sleeve blouse. While I'm loving the pattern so far, it's been hard to find the time to knit more than a few rounds a day. It's going to be a while before this becomes an fo, that's for sure.

Time to go check my dye pot!

Just one (or two or three) more

2009-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

I never imagined that I'd be stocking up on Peaches N' Cream cotton yarn and queing pattern after pattern of nothing but dishcloths. Apparently, I just can't help myself. They're quick, useful, and mildly addicting. I really do need to move onto something else. At least, that's what I keep saying...right before casting on for another dishcloth. "Just one more," I tell myself. Right.

Anyways, above and below is the Harmony Mosaic Dishcloth. I LOVE this pattern. The outcome is so pretty! I skipped one pattern repeat because I was running out of the cc yarn, but I don't think it matters much.
And below is my most recent fo: the Scrubby Washcloth, designed by my friend Amelia.
See the whitish tufts in the picture below? that's tulle, sliced into strips and knit along with the yarn. It creates an abrasive surface that should be great for scrubbing dishes and counter tops. Since I just cast off a few hours ago, dh and I have yet to break this one in, but I have a feeling we will like it so much, I'll have to knit just one more dishcloth (or maybe two) before the month is over.

Cranberry Cap

2009-06-28T18:02:00.001-07:00

My MIL commissioned me to make this hat for my SIL, Amy. I made up the pattern as I went along. Amy took a liking to one of the hats I'd knit for Silas that had three i-cord tails so I added those to this hat as well.

Here are the basics:
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: size 8 USA
Cast on 80 st. k1 p1 ribbing for about an inch and a half. Spiral purling every 10th stitch for about 20 rows or until ready to decrease. Decrease while keeping the spiral purling as much as possible... Perhaps someday, I'll be organized enough to write out the pattern, though I'm sure similar and more refined patterns abound.

I am happy with the outcome and have told my MIL that if Amy likes it, I'll make her a matching scarf for Christmas.

Garterlac Dishcloth

2009-06-17T22:25:00.001-07:00

My friend Beth made some lovely dishcloths using garter stitch entrelac. I've never done entrelac, and thought a small dishcloth might be a suitable introduction. The next day, a ball of Peaches n' Cream dishcloth yarn appeared on my desk, courtesy of Beth. I could resist no longer: That weekend, my first handknit dishcloth was born. My darling house husband has asked for a total of 7. I will surely make a couple more from this pattern, but have also been searching on Ravalry for a few more ideas. There is no want for dishcloth patterns, let me tell you.

If you have never knit a dishcloth and can't figure out why anyone would want to, consider this: They are quick to make, useful, make good gifts, and cost next to nothing to produce. Whenever I'm between projects, I might just have to whip one up!

Socks of Three Firsts

2009-06-09T22:33:00.001-07:00

So named because this is my first time doing:

1. Toe-up socks.

2. Two at a time.

3. On two circs instead of on dpts.

I used the magic cast on for these and LOVED it. Everything else went pretty smoothly. I did a gusseted heal which was perhaps the trickiest part because the short rows must be done one sock at at time. My count was a wee bit off on one of them, but it's not noticeable in the fo.

Doing two at a time is definitely the way to go for me. Still, it takes me way too long to knit a pair and just doing stockinette is brutal on my boredom radar. The next pair I do will have to have an interesting pattern to keep me engaged and motivated. Still, D loves them and has worn them every day since I finished them. He wants me to start another pair of self striping socks, no patterning just "regular." Gaah! He'll have to wait a bit.

Austin's Bunny

2009-05-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

My parents are visiting from WI this week and my mom brought the book Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding as a little gift. She especially loved the stuffed rabbit pattern. While she's here, I thought I’d quick knit one up for her to take back to WI to give to my sister, who is expecting a new baby around September 1st. This is an extremely easy pattern, but it is knit flat and then sewn up, which seems kind of unnecessary to me. I chose to knit it in the round instead. That’s a time-saver! There's no increasing or decreasing, and this results in a less-than-elegant bunny. But it is a sweet little toy, none-the-less. I hope my new nephew will like it :)

Wrenna

2009-05-10T14:46:00.001-07:00

Wrenna, Wrenna, how do I love thee?
Enough to post a gazillion pictures, apparently.
I really am in love with this fo. Misti Alpaca is soft as soft can be. And would you believe it, it took less than 250 yards to knit this sweater! That's the magic of chunky yarn and size 17 needles. If I wasn't the working mom of a 2 year old, this would have been an easy weekend project. But even with my hustle and bustle life, it still only took a week. That's as close to instant gratification in the knitting realm as I get these days. I'll take it! I'm making a hat with the remaining alpaca yarn, as I barely broke into the third skein for Wrenna. Then, it's on to 2 socks on 2 circs for dh. That'll be quite a switch after working in such a large gauge!

Here's one of my Mother's day shots with Silas, and another bonus Wrenna picture ends the post...

Satisfaction

2009-04-30T22:15:00.001-07:00

Satisfaction is a finished 14 point tee that turned out just the way I wanted it to. Strictly speaking, this isn't really a tee anymore. I lengthened the arms and the body from what the pattern dictated and it's made of wool rather than cotton. But I've been calling it the 14 point tee for a month and a half, so I'm sticking with it.

The weather was perfect for our photo shoot this afternoon. The outside shots are from right outside our house, where I've been doing a lot of gardening the past several weeks. The inside shots were taken in our greenhouse.

I love this sweater. I love this sweater. I love this sweater. I also love the fact that there was so little finishing work...just a few ends to weave in really, and no blocking was necessary. I finished it at 11 pm last night and wore it to work today! This will be a well worn and well beloved wardrobe item, hopefully for years to come.

Barb's hat

2009-04-20T22:33:00.001-07:00

I can take no credit for this hat. Barb, a friend from work, made it for another kiddo, and asked me to try it on Silas to see how it fit. I'd call it a success, Barb!
I just got Barb set up with a Ravelry account, where you can find her as grandmax, so this hat may just be the first project she posts...

Divide and Conquer

2009-04-18T14:14:00.001-07:00

A few posts back, I was working on this sweater, the 14 point tee, and you may recall that I was uncertain about how the ruffled yoke would look once I divided for the sleeves and body. Well, see for yourself:

Personally, I am pleased with it and am very much looking forward to finishing and wearing it (just in time for summer, naturally). I decided to alter the pattern just a bit for the body. First of all, it was meant to be a straight body, with no shaping. I thought that would make the garment too boxy for me, so I decided to decrease after the bust line. In order to keep the continuity of the knit 4/purl 4 pattern, it was necessary to decrease 8 stitches on each side, for a total of 16 stitches decreased.
There's definitely some shape to it, and so I'm glad I did it. I have enough yarn, so I will also make the body longer than the 10 inches called for. It's about 11 inches as pictured above, and I will go at least 2 more. I know cropped is "in," but I hate having my midriff freeze during the winter months. I have a long torso, so adding some length will be a good thing.

Tonight, after the gardening is done for the day and the boy has been put to bed, I'll start on the sleeves. I'm hoping to have this completed soon, though I'm not sure what I mean by "soon." In my head, I think it may be defined as "Amber really wants to start on about 5 other projects and is really sick of basket weave, so let's get a move on."

Choo-Choo Cap

2009-04-10T23:17:00.001-07:00

Thus named because I think it resembles a conductor's hat. This is the way-cute "Kiddie Cadet Cap" available free through Ravelry. I used Rowan All Seasons Cotton in a denim-like colorway. This was yarn from my stash, left over from the Eyelet Skirt I made about 4 years ago. The All Season's Cotton is perfect for Pacific Northwest weather. He literally can wear this all year round, but really, I made it so that he'd have something hand-knit to wear during the summer months. It will be a great hiking hat. I made the toddler size, which, surprise surprise, since he is a toddler, fits him very nicely. I was convinced it would be too small, however. Then, when I was just a few inches in, I thought it would be too big. I did take a gauge. I did, I really did! But it wasn't until I could plunk the partially finished hat on Si's head that I realized my fears were groundless and I could stop doubting both my gauge and the pattern. The garter stitch rim is a bit wider than the stockinette portion and were I to do this again, I'd go down a needle size for that part.

Other than that one minor thing, this was a great quick project. I love the short rows and the doubled over brim, and the overall look is great. He'll be a stylish young chap this summer.
Oh yes, and Silas also loves his Choo-Choo Cap. He even insisted on wearing it at the breakfast table this morning. (Man I love that misty-eyed, tousled-hair, just woke up look).
You know, I always feared that since I love to knit, I'd have the kind of kid who refused to wear what I made for him, especially hats. Another ungrounded fear, as you can see :)

Something for the April (or May) baby

2009-04-07T20:40:00.001-07:00

It seems that when the economy tanks, people stay home and make babies. Maybe that explains why I've got four babies to knit for this year. Three of them, including my sister's, are due in September, but my friend Anna's baby is up first, and is due this spring. The baby shower is on Saturday, and I just finished the above pictured hat and sweater set.

Silas is modeling the (way too small for him but isn't it still cute) Baby's cabled milk-silk cap from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders. Instead of the milk yarn, I chose a luscious cotton/Tensel yarn from my stash. It is wonderfully soft and I'm so happy with the f/o. Cables. Gotta love 'em.

Below is the finished Baby's Pure and Simple Pullover from Weekend Knitting. This is a garter stitch sweater, but is constructed from side to side. In order to create the rolled edges, the pattern switches to a smaller needle and the last 4 stitches on the rs are purled. I found it a bit awkward to switch to the smaller needle every single row. I often forgot and damned if I could keep the smaller needle from sliding out all of the time. The effort was worth it though, as the effect is quite nice. Unfortunately, there is seaming involved in this sweater, but I really enjoyed the design otherwise, so I will overlook it. Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, the yarn used in the sweater is from my birthday gift stash. I almost went with the Hemp for Knitting yarn called for in the pattern. I had it in my hands and it was a lovely blue similar to the yarn I ended up with. Alas, it just didn't feel right. I know from all of those macrame hemp bracelets and necklaces I used to make "back in the day" that hemp gets much softer after repeated washes. And I wanted to use hemp, really I did. But I'm not going to wash this sweater 20 times before I give it as a gift this Saturday. I just can't imagine knitting something as a gift for someone else's baby that doesn't feel soft. So, regrettably, I put the hemp yarn down and found instead Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK, which is a cotton bamboo blend. It's a good color, knit up nicely, and most importantly, feels soft to the touch.

Hopefully, once Anna's baby makes his way into the world, and grows a bit, I'll be able to post a picture of him wearing this outfit.

One baby down...three more to go!

16 point 14 point tee

2009-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Although I've temporarily set this project aside in order to whip out a couple of baby items in time for a fast approaching shower, I thought I'd write up a quick blog post about this sweater, which is about 15 % completed. As soon as I saw this design, the 16 point tee by Cathy Carron, in the winter/spring 2009 issue of Knitscene, I knew I wanted to use the Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed I'd been squirreling away for a rainy day. Unfortunately, the gauge was totally different from the suggested yarn, which means that I was forced to use my rudimentary math skills to adapt the pattern (casting on 72 stitches instead of 96, for instance).
This pattern is meant to have 16 increases in a round for the yoke; hense it's name. However, due to my alterations, I only need 14 increases a round.

I am uncertain as to how my slightly thicker yarn will affect the ruffle look that is inherent in the pattern. Will it be too much? Will it look too bulky, or just off a bit? There's really no way to tell until I am far enough along and can divide for the sleeves and start on the body. I am cautiously optimistic at this point. If it doesn't look right though, I will say a big fat thank-you to the top-down sweater gods that I only waisted several weeks, rather than a whole month on this. How bad would it suck to make the whole thing, only to have it look awful, because I wasn't able to try it on as I went along.

This yarn is really special to me. Tweed is my favorite, first of all, and this yarn is so very lovely. I also used some of it for my kiddo's farmland (the pasture area) and it creates the feeling of being in a warm meadow with a spring flower here and there. So, if it doesn't work out for this sweater, you can bet I'll be spending an evening ripping it out and re-balling it. Let us hope it doesn't come to that!

They know me so well

2009-03-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

I'm really easy to please in the gift-giving department. Just stick with a knitting theme and all will be well. My birthday this year, was a particularly good one for many reasons, including the fact that I got 2 knitting books, a long coveted EZ knitting DVD, and a very generous gift certificate to my lys.

Here's how it all went down...

Drew headed to said lys, Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on my birthday. The minute he walked in there, it was apparent that he was shopping for someone else, and he was as he puts it "set upon by every woman in the store." He looked and looked for the perfect book for me. He was given advice and was very particular, finally settling on the book French Girl Knits. Good choice, Drew. This is a book that I probably wouldn't have thought to buy for myself, but I'm SOOO glad that he did. It has many beautiful, classic patterns, 3 of which I've already queued on Ravelry. He was also advised to buy Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, but he thought if he bought that one as well, I would complain that he spent too much money. This is probably due to the fact that he has to constantly keep his book collecting habits in check in order to avoid bankruptcy, and he knows I give him "the look" every time he's eyeing a new purchase. But two books for ME, I can handle that!

So, I was frightfully close to not getting my EZ book, when our friend Patrick saved the day and offered to buy it for me instead. Yea! I've been reading through the Knitter's Almanac, and well, I probably don't have to convince any of you knitters out there about how wonderful it is. We all know EZ rocks.

And, sticking with the EZ theme, when my mom called and asked what she could order for me through Amazon.com for my birthday, the first thing that came to mind was Ez's Knitting Workshop on DVD. Again, because I'm fairly frugal, especially right now, this isn't something I would have spent my own money on. Oh, but how I've wanted it! I've heard knitters on several podcasts go on and on about how great it is and now that it's in my possession, I cannot wait to watch it. In fact, as soon as I post this, my plan is to pop it into the computer and watch it until my son wakes up from his nap. Perhaps I'll have more to say about it after I've watched the whole thing.

Lastly, if you'll look up again at my photo, you'll see some very lovely yarn. This yarn is courtesy of an incredibly generous gift certificate to Churchmouse that my Mother-in-law sent to me. Wow, and thank you, Carrie! I took in my project list this morning, sent my son off to wander around downtown with Drew so I could shop at my leisure, and bought yarn for 3 projects. I would name the yarn and the project they are intended for, but time's a waisting and EZ is calling. As the projects hit the needles, I'll get more specific, but till then: Two of the yarns are for French Girl Knits sweaters (Wrenna and Paloma) and one is for the Pure and Simple Baby Pullover from Weekend knitting. That last one will be the first up, since I've got to finish it in time for a baby shower in exactly two weeks. Gotta go cast on now...

Sheep Sheering '09

2009-03-22T14:51:00.001-07:00

For all of you sheep enthusiasts, here are some pictures and a video from the sheep sheering that took place yesterday (my birthday!).

Blu is the sheep getting sheered in the first 2 pictures. That's our house right behind Silas, so you can see, we were right in the middle of the action.

This is Bart. All of the sheep, including Bart, seem to dislike laying on their sides, which takes place towards the end of the process, much more so than being flipped into a sitting position. When sitting upright, they more or less go limp.This is Azure, pre-sheering, in all his woolly glory:

And the after shot:Last but not least, here's a video detailing much of the process (as well as the voice of my neighbor's son trying in vein to get my kiddo to play with him).

Silas' Knitted Farmland: the big reveal!

2009-03-16T16:33:00.001-07:00

I finished the Farmland...finally! And just in time for Silas' birthday, which is today, in fact. In the end, I'm very happy with how it turned out. It's not perfect, mind you. The many different yarns of varying textures, gauges, etc., were not always easy to piece together. And I'm still planning on adding a flannel background to make it more durable (it's holding up well so far, but it's only day 1). But, I love it, and more importantly, as you can see below, Silas loves it.
This pattern was inspired by another knitting, blogging mama, who had started a farmland of her own a while back (which, sadly, has since been frogged). Once I had the idea, I just sort of ran with it, making things up as I went along, and trying to incorporate as many stitch patterns as possible, in order to keep things interesting.

As much as I love this play blanket, I'm oh so glad to be done with it. It's time to move on to my next project, which is already on the needles. So, if you've been bored stiff reading farmland postings and not much else on this blog for the past several months, never fear; there'll be something new to write about soon enough!

"Making farm"

2009-03-09T21:47:00.001-07:00

I was surprised to discover that Silas actually knows all of those squares can be put together to make a farm. I'm glad he's already having fun playing with his knitted farmland!

Only 2 more squares to go!

2009-03-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've been too afraid to count my farmland squares this past week because I thought I was really far behind. But no! I've got 62 squares completed, which means I can easily finish the remaining 2 by tomorrow's self-appointed deadline. That way, I'll have the full week to piece it all together and do the border. Hopefully, I won't be rushing or burning the midnight oil to finish this project.

And hopefully, I won't hate how it looks when it's completed.

Yes, that is a fear of mine. I've been so close to this project. I've worked on nothing else for 3 months. To be honest, I am getting tired of it. Sure, each square is different, and I've improvised and made things up as I went along, which has kept me from becoming utterly bored. At the same time, other projects are beckoning to me. I have patterns, I have project yarn. All I have to do to start on them is finish the Farmland. But because I live and breath the farmland, I'm afraid I can't give it the distance it needs to see it for what it really is. Right now, I'm looking at it as something that needs to be done by my kiddo's birthday, instead of as a unique project that I'm really in love with. I'm hoping that I have an "aha moment" when it's all pieced together, rather than an "ohhhh moment," if that makes any sense. It will be quite unpleasant if I end up hating something I invested so much time and energy into.

Chances are, though, it will be just fine, and I'll be glad I did it, and even gladder that I finished it!

Almost, but not quite

2009-02-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

I haven't actually counted, but I don't think I quite made my goal of completing 60 squares for the Farmland by the end of February. I've gotta say, the Wisconsin trip set me back a bit. And shifting back to west coast time has taken the kiddo and me the better part of a week. Therefore, my knitting pace was way slower in February. But I'm so close to the finish line! I'm in the final push...

Tomorrow, I'll take stock of the squares that I have and figure out exactly how many more I need to knit, then figure out the pace at which I'll have to make each one in order to finish on time. I'd like to give myself at least a week to put it all together and crochet the trim. This means, I'll need to have all of the squares completed in a little over a week. Zoinks!

At least one post during my WI trip...

2009-02-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

Despite promising to post several times during my trip to WI, it didn't quite happen (you can see a bunch of pictures on my family blog, though). As often happens, I knit, but not as much as I had planned for. That's okay. Visiting with family and friends to keep me very busy. And I did bring along the knitted farmland to show to people as well. I knit a few squares and even seamed the pond squares together while I was here.

I'm heading back to Washington State in the morning with husband and toddler in tow...wish us an easy and uneventful flight :)

On the road, and up in the sky

2009-02-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly "paving" a road through Silas' farmland. I haven't totally figured out how I'm going to lay it all out, but it's fun to play around with.

In a couple of days, we'll be taking to the sky, flying from Seattle to Milwaukee. I've been in a rush to get ready, so haven't been posting to this blog much, or spending much time online, outside of work. However, I will try to update once or twice while I'm in Wisconsin. In particular, I wanted to mention that Cat at AmLo Farms honored me by giving me a Lemonade award. Thank you Cat! I will use my time off of work next week to pass this award along to some other bloggers, as is the tradition. So, stay tuned for that!

I made my goal!

2009-01-31T14:56:00.001-08:00

As of today, I've completed 40 squares for Silas' Farmland. And that means, I've made my goal for January. Woo-hoo! All 40 are pictured above. Just look at all of those ends I still have to weave in. Fun times.

I hope to hit 60 by the end of February, though it would be nice to have all 64 finished, giving me two weeks in March to put it together and do a boarder. Looks like I'll have to bring it with me to Wisconsin in February. I'll be gone 11 days and I'll definitely need to work on it during that time in order to stay on target. It might not be the most transportable of projects, given the many different yarns I use, but, I'll make it work!

Crop Circles

2009-01-28T17:43:00.001-08:00

If you guessed that the visitors to Si's Farmland mentioned in the last post was of the extraterrestrial variety, you get a gold star.

It took me a long time and several failed attempts to come up with a decent crop circle design. I'm still not 100 % satisfied with the outcome, but I think this is going to be the final patch dedicated to our alien visitors. I'm ready to move on to other aspects of the farm. Still, the farmland wouldn't be complete without a bit of sci-fi whimsy (or government cover-up, depending on your perspective).

Time's a waisin' too. I've gotta keep up the momentum so that I make my deadline of having the farmland finished by March 16th. My immediate goal is to reach 40 completed squares by the end of the month. Better stop writing and knit!

Roadside U-Pick Berry Patch

2009-01-25T20:36:00.001-08:00

Looks like some city folk made their way to Silas' farmland to pick some berries from the roadside patch.
All looks tranquil on the farm. But wait! There's a surprise in store for you. The farm has had a visitor, and you might just get a glimpse...in a few days.

Stay tuned!

Happy Day

2009-01-20T18:56:00.001-08:00

Have fun in Texas, Bush. Don't call us, we'll call you.

Happy Inauguration Day everyone!

Michelle's Birthday Giveaway

2009-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Fellow blogger, knitter, and mama extraordinaire is having a fabulous giveaway in honor of her birthday. If you have a chance, head over to her blog, and add a comment to this post for a chance to win. The deadline is tonight, so don't delay!

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Halfway there!

2009-01-16T22:22:00.001-08:00

I just finished my 32nd square for Si's knitted farmland. Woo-hoo! I'm at the halfway point with exactly 2 months to go till his second birthday. I've gotta work fast as it's going to take me a while to get the thing pieced together. I'm pretty determined to meet the deadline and it helps that I'm an extremely monogamous knitter. I'm working on the farmland, and nothing else. Since each square is different, I've yet to get bored. I will, however, be happy to move onto something different, come March 16th.

A pond for Si's farmland

2009-01-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

I decided Silas needed a pond for his knitted farmland. It took a while to complete because it meant 9 squares (well, more like rectangles) had to be planned out in order to give the pond a natural shape. I used loop stitch to create tall foliage around the pond and create what hopefully comes across as an organic transition between water and whatever crop/grass/plant is growing beyond the water. I still have to embroider flowers on the three lily pads. And a felted frog or two might be a welcome addition as well...

The pictures don't really do justice to the pond, especially since the pieces aren't sewn together yet. Still, I wanted to share the progress I've been making. It's exciting to see it come together a bit. As of this evening, I've completed 27 squares. Pretty soon I'll be at the half-way mark!

Crafting Resolutions

2009-01-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

(Pictured: Silas on New Year's Day, wearing bruiser hat, roll-neck giraffe sweater, and stripy mittens.)

I'm not really the resolution making type, but thought it worth the effort this time. Perhaps actually having a list, seeing it in print on the blog, and being able to cross items off it it will be motivating. It's worth a shot. So, without further ado, here are my crafting resolutions for 2009:

1. Finish Silas' Knitted Farmland by his birthday in mid March. This is doable, as long as I stay motivated and use my time wisely.

2. Complete at least 1 largish crochet project. I love crochet. I really do. But my default tends to be to pick up two needles rather than the hook. I dream more in knitting, than in crochet. Still, crochet has an important place in my crafting world, and so finishing a sizable crochet project this year is a must, in order to keep those skills honed.

3. Spin more. I'm always putting this off in favor of other projects, so I need to figure out how to make this a part of my regular routine. I have some wool I dyed with coffee way back in September. I'd like to have that all spun up by the spring.

4. Steek something. It seems that everyone is steeking these days, and I'd like to jump on that bandwagon too. I actually have a sweater sitting in my cedar chest that I'd like to convert to a cardigan. It's no big loss to me if I ruin it in the attempt. After all, it's just sitting there, too big and shapeless for me to actually wear. It really is the perfect candidate with which to practice this skill on. So what's stopping me?

5. Knit Sylvi for myself! I'm a little bit a lot smitten with Twist Collective. I love just about everything I see in it. Sylvi would make a great coat which would work basically throughout the fall, winter, and spring here. This is a huge project though, and I am already in the middle of a big project. That doesn't mean it can't be done, though.

6. Get my Roaring 20's cloche hat pattern up and available in Ravelry. This is one of the things I've been meaning to do for forever. I've had several requests for it, and still, it remains undone.

7. Knit something extra nice for Drew. Drew is the neglected one in the family. Whenever anyone remarks about all of the sweaters and hats and whatnot that I've made for Silas, Drew proudly shows them his socks...and that's about it. He has a few hats, a scarf, but he's not really the hat or scarf type, so the only thing he really wears that I've made for him are his socks. I really need to make him at least one other pair. I'd like to say that I promise to make him a sweater, but...perhaps that will be at the top of the list of crafting resolutions for 2010 instead :)

8. Keep my stash in check and organized. That one probably goes without saying, but as most of you know, it's easier said than done.

Mud and Meadows

2008-12-30T20:09:00.001-08:00

More squares for Si's knitted farmland:What's a farm without some mud?...and the pigs seem to love it!

There will be several different kinds of meadows on the farm. The square above, I've decided, is a field of golden bell heather. I used loop, or elongated, stitch to create texture and the illusion of raised plants. I'm also using this same technique for squares of different grains.

I needed to choose a yarn for the grassy areas and meadows of the Farmland. Although there were several different green yarns in my stash with which to choose from, when I recalled that I had a few extra skeins of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed, I realized that the flecks of color inherant to the tweed would make lovely meadow flowers. The color in the photo isn't exactly true, but it's as close as I could get.

More Farmland squares, coming soon.

Season's Greetings

2008-12-24T19:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays to you all!

Stripy Mittens

2008-12-21T15:08:00.001-08:00

He's got a cardigan, a hat, and socks in this ginger and blue yarn, so why not some mittens, too! With all of the snow we've been having, he really did need a pair to keep his hands warm.

Here they are, in action:
Whoever thought of putting mittens on a string to keep them from getting lost was a genius.
This is the Bold Banded Mitten pattern from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits for Tots. Just a slight variation: 4 extra rows added before decreasing, to make them a bit longer. I'm hoping he'll still be able to wear them next winter.

Carrots anyone?

2008-12-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

Uh-oh. Looks like a rabbit's gotten into the carrot patch. Where's Mr. McGregor when you need him.
This is one of the first squares knitted for Silas' Knitted Farmland. I'm most likely going to have 64 squares total, and with only 10 or so completed, I have a long way to go. It's a lot of fun, though, as each square is unique. --So fun, in fact, that I had to needle-felt a little bunny to cause some trouble...
I'm basically making this up as I go along and am hoping it all comes together in the end.

I will post pictures of more squares as I make them.

The stockings were hung...

2008-12-14T22:00:00.001-08:00

Our little holiday nook...Silas can turn the lights on and off with the switch on his right. It has fast become a favorite game.

I finally finished the third stocking. Till today, it's been sitting in my basket, all done except for about 3 rows on the heel. I ran out of green, unfortunately, and was feeling too stingy to go buy an entire skein just for 3 rows. Finally today, I looked through my stash and found another skein of Lamb's Pride in a dark green. Not the same dark green, mind you, but close enough. I guess I didn't feel like being picky, and at any rate, I'm the only one who will ever notice, most likely.

Anyways, the are all done, hung, and ready to go!
Making these stockings was an incredibly joyful experience. Here's a slightly closer look at my stocking, Stocking #3, with two different snowflake motifs. Very appropriate, given today's weather (see this post on my family blog).
Now that the stockings are completed, I've moved on to Silas' knitted farmland. This is a BIG project. I've already completed about 10 squares, but I intend on having at least 48, but most likely 64 (8 x 8), so I have a long way to go!

I'll post pictures of a few after I've blocked them.

Meet the Sheep

2008-12-06T19:56:00.001-08:00

It occurred to me recently that it might be nice to post a picture of the sheep on the blog and talk briefly about each one. These four Romney sheep belong to Shannon, who owns the property I live on. The sheep's "house" is only about 20 feet from the southeast corner of our home.

Here's the rundown.

Bart is the sheep in front. He's got more black wool than the other sheep and we really have no way of knowing if he's pure breed. Shannon bought him at a garage sale and he was her first sheep. Bart is by far the tamest of the four. He's the only one who will let you pet him. This is probably due to the fact that Shannon led him around the neighborhood on a leash when she first got him. Bart and I have a love/hate relationship. One time, when I was trying to get into their pen for something, he pushed me over in order to run out of the gate. I am not a fan of being knocked down into sheep poo and mud and I made sure to tell Bart that as I chased him around the yard. That was a trying day for us. Most of the time though, we're cool.

Blu, the sheep on the right, was bought as a companion for Bart, and that's all I really know about his origins. I call him the split personality sheep because he can never seem to make up his mind about things. Do you want the treat, Blu? Yes. Do you want to get close to the human in order to get it? No. Will you go for the treat? Yes. Will you really go for the treat? Yes, yes...no, wait! maybe no, maybe I like it better back here. I want that treat though, but no I don't, maybe. Clearly, he has very complex emotions. Blu's absolute favorite thing in the world is the swing hanging from our big oak tree. When we let the sheep out of their pasture into the yard, he'll go stand by the swing, gently rubbing his head on it. He'll stay by that swing for hours.

Next to Blu is our little girl, Audrey. We named her Audrey because she resembled Audrey Hepburn when she was a lamb (must have been the eyes). If I had to describe Audrey in two words, it would be "trouble maker." "Escape artist" would likewise be appropriate. The two phrases go hand-in-hand. Each time she is sheered, we have to prepare for several weeks of Audrey-corralling. She's tiny enough to find spots in the fencing where she can squeeze through. Luckily, her wool grows fast and before long, she fluffs up and can no longer get out. One time, when she was not yet fully grown, she got her head stuck in the gate. It took us 45 minutes to get her to turn her head and move back so that we could slide her out. Sheep, apparently, (or at least this one) only want to move forward.

And last but not least, in the background is our young alpha male, the incomparable Azure. I should say, that Audrey and Azure are both from the same flock, so I think of them as siblings, even though they are not. They were given to Shannon only a month or two after we moved to the farm. They were considered too runty for the flock, or some such nonsense. Given the fate of most livestock, especially those considered not up to par, these sheep really lucked out. Anyways, back to Azure. He is the most beautiful of the sheep. I love the coloring of his coat. A few years ago, he broke a leg, which in the olden days would have meant a trip out to the field with Pa's shotgun. But, he survived. I cannot express to you how much it sucks trying to keep a splint on a sheep. Despite this injury, Azure still became the alpha sheep. Whenever dogs or coyotes come into the pen to threaten the sheep, Azure always stands in front as the other three huddle behind him. I'm not playing favorites, but, well okay, Azure is kind of my favorite.

That's about all. Drew still can't tell them apart, even though we've lived right next to them for over 5 years and they don't look identical. Sheep have individual personalities, just like any other sentient being, but their personalities may be admittedly subtle. And I won't lie. They're not the brightest bulbs on our little blue marble, but they are endearing. And they make wool, and lots of it, lest we forget :)

The Prepster (Fall/Winter fashion shoot #2)

2008-12-02T18:16:00.000-08:00

Here's another sweater I made for Silas while I was pregnant with him, and which finally fits him. This basic v-neck pullover is "The Prepster" from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits by Julia Carles and Jordana Jacobs. It certainly lives up to it's name! I feel like I should be enrolling him in Ivy League Pre-school. It was a perfect show-off outfit for Thankgiving.

I used Cascade 220, which is an incredibly reliable yarn, in my opinion, and works well to give this sweater a consistent and polished appearance. I remember being very pleased when I finished this project, ever so long ago (though that's about all I remember about it). I'm glad it finally fits!

And then there were two, two and a half, three...

2008-11-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

Two down...one more to go! I rather like the look of Drew's stocking --all green and white except for the red toe and heel. My stocking will be the opposite --all red and white with a green toe and heal.

A lot of people seem interested in what the inside, or wrongside, of this sort of colorwork looks like, so here's a picture:
You can really see how thick these are. They would keep feet nice and toasty even on the coldest of nights.

Here's a look at my stocking, which is on my needles right now.
That metal thing around my finger is a Norwegian knitting thimble. I decided to try it out to see if it helped keep the two colors separated, since I prefer to hold the two strands in the same hand, rather than one in each hand. I haven't quite gotten used to it yet, so the jury's still out. It does keep the colors in order, but I find it a bit awkward, and I have to wrap something inside it so that it doesn't slide around (or off) my finger constantly. I'm not so sure I'll continue to use it or not, but I can see it's potential as a handy little do-dad.

Tricot Machine

2008-11-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

Another knitter had this video posted on her blog and I just had to share. It's an animated music video unlike any you've ever seen --the entire thing is knitted, believe it or not. More info about the project is on youtube. Enjoy!

Christmas stocking for Si

2008-11-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas stockings are fun to make. Really! This was a very satisfying project; so much so that I'm going to make one for myself and one for dh too. After all, one stocking hanging by its lonesome just won't do. Here's the pattern I used. It's very versatile, with several motifs to choose from, which should keep things interesting as I begin stockings # 2 and 3.

We are not really into decking the halls for Christmas, but I am into the idea of homemade holidays, so making this stocking for Silas was a first step in that endeavor. I will not be making gifts for everyone because that's just crazy and stress inducing, but Mr. Silas will be getting something special, and there will be a few more handmade decorations too.

Pumpkin Sprite Costume

2008-11-07T21:28:00.001-08:00

Better late than never, here are pictures of my son's Halloween costume.
The hat ended up being a pretty tedious project. It was first knit, then felted, and then the pumpkin segments were needle felted onto it. My goal was that the needle felting would make the hat plump and ridiculously cute.

Knowing that he would never keep the hat on otherwise, I made ear flaps. And since he hated how it felt and tore it off of his head within 2 seconds, I had no choice but to line it with a soft flannel. That seemed to do the trick as he wore it for 4 hours straight on Halloween without trying to take it off once.

To complete his costume, he wore his pumpkin longies, which I had completed in early October...
...and I crocheted him a quiver to hold Chinese lanterns. He wasn't too thrilled about the quiver but luckily soon forgot that it was on.
Good little pumpkin sprite that he was, I had him pass out mini pumpkins to people we know during trick-or-treat.

This was Silas' second Halloween and the second time I've made him a costume. I love doing it, but I may have to tone it down in the future and opt for something less time consuming (I saw a toddler "mummy" wrapped in strips of old sheeting--now there's an idea that wouldn't take over a month to render!). Then again, he wears both the pants and the hat all of the time, so it's not as though I went through the effort just for a one-time deal. Well, who knows. During trick-or-treat, Silas eyed some boys who had made themselves cardboard cars and seemed really interested in them. Hmmm. Maybe next year, it will be Drew's turn to make the costume :)

Pumpkin Head

2008-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Silas is going to be a pumpkin sprite for Halloween. This is part of his costume, a hat that I've been working on for quite some time...I'll have more pictures and info on the hat and the rest of his costume after Halloween.

"Baby A" for Baby S (Fall/Winter fashion shoot #1)

2008-10-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

During my pregnancy, as well as in the months following my son's birth, I knit Silas 4 or 5 sweaters in larger sizes, anticipating his rapid growth. He's just growing into some of these now. Because I prefer to have the pictures I post on Ravelry showing items being warn whenever possible, I haven't posted these projects, or blogged about them yet. Over the next few months, I'll showcase these as part of Silas' fall/winter wardrobe.

With that, I give you the Baby A hat and cardigan ensemble from the book Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason.
Aw, my heart just melts. This kid knows how to work the camera!

Back to the sweater. This a garter stitch pattern. It's been a while since I knit this, but if memory serves me correctly, the blue piece was knit and then the upper portion was constructed by picking up stitches along the side of the blue piece.
For once, I used the exact same yarn that the pattern called for --Rowan Felted Tweed. I usually substitute yarn, but I was so in love with the colors, the textures, the yum factor of this yarn. I'm glad I sprung for it.
The hat was slightly obnoxious to make. Have you ever made a completely garter stitch hat in the round? I felt a bit like a belligerent child being forced to clean my room every time I had to purl a row. Why do I have to do this, is it really worth the effort? But, again, I made this over a year ago, and all strife was forgotten when I completed it and put it on his little head. It's still a bit big on him...
And because I just couldn't help myself, I took the leftover yarn and made him a pair of matching tube socks. I may make another pair using the colors inversely. They are, unfortunately, a slip-n-slide experience when worn on our tile and wood floors. I figure, it will be a good opportunity for him to hone his balancing skills and practice awareness (is that too much to ask of a 19 month old?).

And finally, the entire ensemble:

Pumpkin Longies (30 days till Halloween!)

2008-10-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

My first pair of longies! We will use them for everyday cloth diapering, but I must admit that I made them post haste with Si's Halloween costume in mind. The costume will have a pumpkin theme (I'm working on the hat right now).
The pattern is named Booty Extreme Knit Pants. For anyone making this pattern for the first time, note that it assumes you know some basics and can figure out a certain amount on your own, Elizabeth Zimmerman-style. If you haven't done short rows before (the technique that allows you to get a nice round behind), this pattern won't teach you how, so consult the wisdom of the interwebs and look up a tutorial. The gauge was for 7 stitches an inch but I made mine with a 5 stitches an inch gauge. Because the pattern is so adaptable, it was quite easy to do the math and proceed with the different gauge.
I had originally thought I'd embroider little pumpkins or leaves and such things. I also contemplated crocheted pumpkin patches (pun intended) or felted do-dads. But frankly, everything I tried looked stupid. Finally, I decided to leave the longies as is. They're orange. They'll do the trick!

Si likes them too, apparently :)

Spinster and Son

2008-09-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

My mom took some pictures of me spinning recently.
It's pretty much impossible to keep the kiddo from becoming involved. While it's not easy, I have found that it is possible to spin while a 25+ pound child is on my lap. I figure it's a good thing that he wants to observe the process.

Estes Vest is off the needles!

2008-09-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I've finally got myself a finished Estes Vest! It took some last minute tweaking after several days of finishing work, but it finally fits just about the way I want it to. The bottom was a bit too wide, and after weighing my options, which included steeking the sides in order to make the bottom smaller and more fitted, I decided to crochet a chain and run it through the bottom, slightly cinching it. This was a much faster fix and seems to have worked without making it look odd.
I have a long torso and I do regret not making it slightly longer than the pattern called for. but I can live with the length.

And now for the pattern variations. First of all, when I was just about 4 inches into the back, I realized that I wasn't following the horseshoe cable pattern and that I was cabling every 4 rows. I suppose I could have fixed it by dropping the cable stitches and redoing them, but I decided it wasn't worth it. The photo below makes it look like the middle cable gets wider at the top, but I think this must be the angle.
Also, there is a discrepancy between the pattern photos and the pattern instructions. The instructions do not include the line of knit stitch separating the hexagons from the cables on the front of the vest. I decided to include this element (see picture below) which makes the front pieces match up with the back piece. Here's what I did (instructions are for left front piece, size 36 1/2 inch).
k 2 salvage stitches, then hexagon for 24 stitches, p1 k1 p1, horseshoe for 12 stitches, p1, k1. When it came time to break for the pocket, I bound off after 20 instead of 22. This allows for half of a hexagon pattern to continue (along with the p1 k1 p1 repeat) between the pocket and the horseshoe cable. As far as I can tell, this will make the pattern more closely resemble the vest pictured in IK than as it is written, which is just with a single purl, rather than the k1 p1 k1 repeat that appears in the pictures and also on the back of the vest.

Yummy yarn thanks to Beth

2008-09-07T12:34:00.001-07:00

This is the first weekend since I returned to spinning that I have not spun. I'm on a mission to finish the Estes Vest, which probably won't be completed till Monday or Tuesday, realistically. But that's where all my crafting energy has been directed.

I do have some homespun yarn to show, however! My friend Beth gave me this lovely roving while I was pregnant. It's 85% wool, 15% mohair and was intended to be spun up and knit into something for the baby. Well, I'm a little behind, but finally, a year and a half later, it's all spun! It will have to be knit into something very special... Thanks, Beth!

Political Interlude

2008-09-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, this has nothing to do with knitting, but look what arrived in the mail, finally. Love it! DH got one too --a tan t-shirt with Obama's picture on the front and Obama 08 on the back. Silas looks at the picture, points, and says "bah-uma."

I'm making great progress on the Estes Vest and will hopefully finish it over the weekend.

On the needles: Estes Vest

2008-08-30T10:49:00.001-07:00

Man, I love cables. Don't get me wrong, I like lacework too, but if I had to choose between cabling and lace, I'd choose cables, hands down. I find cable patterns easier to memorize and I am less prone to making mistakes because I have to pick it up and set it down again in the middle of a row. My knitting seldom gets my undivided attention these days, so it is nice to have an interesting pattern to work with that won't frustrate or bore me. In this way, the Estes Vest has been very good to me so far. EV and I are having a lot of fun together. I've almost finished the back piece. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to wearing the f/o!

These pictures don't contain the true richness of the dark green Lopi yarn. It has subtle shades of earth tones that thankfully don't detract from the texture of the pattern itself. If only every knitting project could be as joyful as this one. Every time I stop and really look at what I've done so far, I smile. That is the beauty of cables. I've got 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed waiting for me to find the perfect project. Hmmm. I think a cabled sweater might be just the thing!

More Bart Yarn

2008-08-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I've recommitted myself to spinning and while I have a long way to go till I'm really decent at it, I've been enjoying myself and the outcome of my labors. This past weekend, I spun the above yarn. Again, I'm using wool from our old sheep, Bart. Bart is possibly not a purebred Romney. If you'll recall, Bart was bought at a garage sale, so, who knows what he is. Unlike the other 3 sheep, Bart has a lighter topcoat, and a darker undercoat. So, what you see here is a two-ply yarn, one strand of which is the silver topcoat, and one strand which is the charcoal black undercoat. I rather like the effect.

To me, the pictures don't do the yarn justice, but they are better than no pictures at all, at least! I'm hoping you will see an improvement in the quality of the images I post shortly. We just ordered a new camera and it should be capable of producing better pictures, even though, unlike my husband, I have little talent for photography. We finally settled on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K. It has a Leica lens and can shoot raw files, which is what my husband wants, and it takes great pictures with little lag time plus has video with sound, which is what I want. I'm looking forward to playing with our new toy!

And for my next design fiasco...

2008-08-25T18:14:00.001-07:00

I designed a wool wrap soaker held together with Velcro when Silas was little, but he outgrew it long ago and I never wrote down what I was doing when I made it. So, I decided to try my hand at designing another wrap-styled soaker. I wanted it to tie together, rather than be pinned or Velcroed. After several variations, I really thought I had it right. The ribbing on the legs seemed perfect--Done in a smaller needle size, it created a nice pucker around the thighs.

All seemed well.

And then I lanolized it. After it dried, everything seemed way too blocked, though I didn't intentionally block it. The ribbing was stretched out and it sagged on the baby. I also struggle with the tie part of the design as it didn't totally seem to keep the diaper and the front flap of the wrap in place correctly.

All in all, this pattern needs some major improvement before it's usable or sharable. I want to make it work, but I also don't want to spent too much more time on it. For now, I think I'll lay it aside. I've begun the Estes Vest from the fall IK, and I've got felted scarves and hopefully a couple pairs of longies in my queue to complete before fall hits. Maybe after that, I'll revisit this pattern. Maybe.

Imagine Peace Vest/Tank-top for Toddlers

2008-08-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Imagine Peace Vest/Tank-top for Toddlers

Inspired by Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Project, I designed this toddler vest/tank-top to reflect the idea that if we as individuals think of peace, this thought has the potential to spread throughout the world. Yoko’s goal is to have 1 billion people participate by imagining peace, so I encourage you to join in by trying your hand at this simple pattern.

I used cotton yarn in order to create a summer tank-top, but two contrasting colors in a worsted wait wool yarn would work just as well if you would prefer to make a warmer winter vest.

When selecting the size you want to make, please note that this is a close-fitting vest. I knit up the 1 year old size to fit my average-sized (25 lb.) 16-month-old son. If you are in doubt, measure your toddler around the biggest part of his/her belly and make the size with the chest circumference that is just a bit bigger than that measurement, regardless of age. If this is a gift and you can’t take measurements, err on the side of caution and make one size up. They’ll fit into it eventually!

If you have any questions or notice something that needs to be corrected, leave me a comment, or contact me, amberbryant, in Ravelry. I will be happy to hear from you!

Sizes: 1 yr.(2 yr.,3 yr.)

Finished Measurements:
Chest circumference: 22(24, 26) in.
Length: 12.5(13,13.5) in.

Materials:
Yarn:
MC: Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton 1(2,2) skeins in Sand or other light color
CC: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Organic Cotton 1(1,1) skein in Periwinkle or other contrasting color

Needles:
US 6/4mm needle
US 7/4.5mm needle
1 set US 6/4mm double pointed needles

Notions:
Stitch holder or spare needle.
Tapestry needle.

Gauge: 16 stitches = 4 inches (change needle size to achieve correct gauge)

Pattern notes: If you’ve never done colorwork before, don’t be intimidated! This is a pretty simple project, color-wise, so jump right in. If you need some guidance, I’d recommend reading Knitty’s tutorial on color stranding, to help get you started. Note that the MC can be stranded throughout the peace symbol, but the CC should be dropped (after twisting it around the MC) each time you finish the outer circle of the symbol.

Directions:

BACK

Using CC and smaller needles, CO 44(48, 52) stitches.

Work in K2, P2 ribbing for 4 rows.

Switch to MC and larger needles and work in stockinette stitch until piece measure 7.5(8, 8.5) inches from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Arm hole shaping: BO 2 stitches at beginning of next two rows. 40(44,48) stitches remain.

BO 1 stitch at beginning of next 2 rows. 38(42, 46) stitches remain.

Continue until piece measures 11.5(12, 12.5) in. from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Neck shaping: knit 8(9,10) stitches, BO 22(24,26) stitches, Knit remaining 8(9,10) stitches.

Back right shoulder:

R1: Purl.

R2: K1, SSK. Knit to end of row.

R3: Purl.

R4: K1 SSK. Knit to end of row.

Continue until piece measures 12.5(13, 13.5) in.

Put remaining 6(7,8) stitches on stitch holder.

Repeat process for back left shoulder as follows:

R1: With WS facing, reattach yarn and Purl.

R2: Knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, k1.

R3: Purl.

R4: Knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, k1.

Complete as with Right shoulder.

FRONT

Work as for back until piece measures 5(5.5, 6) in. from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Begin chart as follows:

The first chart line will form the bottom 6 stitches of the peace sign. These six stitches should be in the middle of the vest to ensure that the entire Imagine Peace motif is centered. Knit 19(21,23) stitches with the MC, then knit 6 stitches in CC, then knit 19(21,23) stitches with the MC.

Continue with chart.

AT THE SAME TIME that you are working the chart, remember to BO for the armhole shaping the same way you did for the back when the piece measures 7.5(8,8.5) in. from CO edge.

Finish the chart and continue until piece measures 10(10.5,11) in. from CO edge, ending with WS row.

Repeat same neck shaping as with the back piece and continue until piece measures 12.5(13,13.5) from CO, leaving remaining stitches on needle.

FINISHING

Graph shoulder pieces together using Kitchener stitch.

Weave in loose ends.

Block pieces.

Seam sides using mattress stitch.

Using double pointed needles, pick up 36(40,44) stitches evenly around each armhole and work k2,p2 ribbing for 4 rounds. BO loosely.

Pick up 56(60,64) stitches evenly around neck and work k2,p2 ribbing for 4 rounds. BO loosely.

Weave in remaining loose ends.

click on chart to print a larger copy

2 yr old size of the IPV

2008-08-11T19:51:00.001-07:00

While everyone waits for me to get my butt in gear and publish the pattern, here's a picture of the 2 year old size Imagine Peace Vest that I finished on Saturday.

It's a start, thanks to Bart

2008-08-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks a bit, um, rustic, but it's a start (or a restart, more accurately). This is un-dyed Romney yarn spun from the wool of one of our sheep --Bart the sheep, to be specific. Shannon bought Bart at a rummage sale years ago. Bart is a very lucky sheep, considering that the people selling him assumed he'd become her dinner, rather than her pet. He makes good wool. I'm using some batting from a few years ago to get back into the spinning game. This is a simple 2-ply yarn. Nothing to write home about, but I'm happy just to be spinning again.
Other than spinning, I'm working on getting the Imagine Peace pattern up. I have very little computer time these days as I share a laptop with a facebook-loving husband. And more than that, I'm feeling a real drive to craft and actually, gasp, read a real book made of real paper! That translates into less time online, which is really ok. But I do have to type up the pattern and work out the kinks, plus figure out how to go about creating a graph for the lettering and peace sign motif. Once those hurdles have been jumped, I can go ahead and post it. I have completed one thing I felt I needed to do regarding the publishing of the pattern, and that is to knit up the 2 year old size of the vest. I'll post pictures soon.

Back at the Wheel

2008-08-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

I realized a while back that it had been over 2 years since I'd spun. I stopped around the time I got pregnant with Silas. At first, I felt too sick to want to spin. Then, I went into crazy knit-for-baby mode, which has basically been where I've stayed till the present. But it's something I really want to get back into, so last weekend, I brought out the wheel, oiled it up, and started up again. I love doing it and wish I had more time for it. After all, wool batting is pretty cheap for me, given that my landlady has 4 sheep. It just seems easier to break out the needles and knit a few rows while the Bear is otherwise occupied, or at night when we're watching a show or movie on the computer. I tried spinning around Silas, but he's at the age when he's just too curious but at the same time lacks reasoning skills. He sticks his hand in the moving parts essentially. Not so safe. So, this means that my only real opportunity to spin is if I'm home on the weekend and he decides to take a decent length nap. Well, I'll take it! Hopefully, I'll have some yarn to post before the end of the decade.

What else have I been doing this past week? I've got the basics of the Imagine Peace Vest pattern written out and I'm making the 2 year old size right now to test it out. Also, I'm working on a felted scarf pattern. I made one this week and hope to make enough by fall that I can sell them at a local boutique and open up my own Etsy shop. More pictures of that coming soon...

Imagine Peace Tank/Vest Prototype

2008-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here it is --the grand unveiling! Looks like I've got myself a little John Lennon in the making!

(See the posting below for more info about Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace project.)

My goal now is to write this pattern up in 2 or 3 different sizes and publish it on the blog/link it to Ravelry within a few weeks. I'll need people to test the pattern for me once it's up in order to work out any kinks (hint, hint, crafty readers). I used Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic Cotton yarn, but I think it would be nice as a winter vest worked in wool as well (perhaps Peace Fleece would be an appropriate choice?). If you've never done color work before, don't let it intimidate you. It's not hard, just perhaps a bit awkward when first beginning.

Well, readers, have a peaceful Sunday and expect the Imagine Peace pattern to appear on the blog sometime soon...

Imagine Peace Project Preview

2008-07-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak-peak at my current project, which I'm designing as part of Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace project, which asks that a billion people around the world imagine peace. This will be my contribution.

The project, the specifics of which I'll leave to your imagination for now, is just about complete. Hopefully I'll get it photographed and posted in a day or two. Below is the charting (several versions) I was working on.

Mr. Greenjeans KAL --The Finale

2008-07-21T10:39:00.001-07:00

Well, as you can see, I ended up having enough yarn to finish. I do like the short sleeves, too, so I'm calling this a success, overall. My only qualm is that the button pulls a bit which makes me think I should have made the bust slightly bigger, but I'm wearing it with a pin right next to the button and that seems to do the trick.

I wasn't going to block this project (laziness), but in the end, I ended up doing so. I'm glad I did as it seems to be lying better and the button-pulling is way less pronounced.

Lovely pattern! I see many more top-down projects in my future.

Mr. Greenjeans KAL --The Middle

2008-07-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Eh, not the best picture I've ever taken, but you get the point. Mr. Greenjeans is progressing. I finished the main part of the cardigan and will begin on the sleeves tonight. Here's the kicker, though. You may remember, Gentle Readers, this post, in which I described a moth infestation in which some lovely alpaca yarn was partially eaten. Well, this is the yarn.

In theory, I have plenty of yarn to complete this project as it is written. But 3 of the 8 skeins of yarn were partially or entirely damaged by the little flying devils. I've used all of the undamaged skeins, which means I'm now in salvage mode. Not all of the yarn will survive, unfortunately, and as a result, I will most likely make this a short-sleeved cardigan. That's really alright with me. I actually envisioned it as short-sleeved when I first saw the pattern, so I'm not crying buckets yet. As long as the sleeves look decent, and I have enough yarn left over for the button band, I will not mourn the yarn lost to the moths. I think I will have enough and will know for sure soon...

Mr. Greenjeans KAL --The Beginning

2008-07-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

I'm immersed in my KAL for the Sleeves Off and Buttons On Ravelry Group. The project is Mr. Greenjeans, a top-down cardigan. This is the first time I've done a top-down sweater. I have no idea why I haven't done so before. It's way faster then bottom-up, is knit in one piece instead of several (meaning minimal finishing, which I hate doing), and best of all, I can try it on as I go along to make sure that it fits.

I'm also smitten with the yarn, Araucania Atacama. It's hand-dyed alpaca and knits up so nicely, I'm already dreaming of living in this sweater, even though I'll be finishing it at the hight of summer.

I was at first very doubtful that I'd actually finish this sweater by the end of July, but barring unseen circumstances, I think I'll make it. It's going quite fast so far. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm off of work till the 28th. Even with a baby, household work, internet distractions, etc., there's a lot more time to knit without the stinky old job interfering.

Can't wait to be able to post the finished project... Gotta get back to knitting!

Ants in His Pants

2008-07-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another soaker made from Michelle's pattern. I designed the ant motif, which you can probably see best in the picture below. I can't decide if the ants are decipherable or not. Drew says they are. At any rate, I'm happy with how the soaker turned out. I tell you, I cannot get enough of knitting them lately.
And apparently, I can't get enough of taking lots of pictures of the finished project. Here's a bunch more, for your viewing pleasure:

And just a final word about wool in the summer. It seems like an odd thing to put on your child, but I tell you, they are way more breathable than plastic. I haven't conducted a scientific study, but it seems as though they don't trap as much heat in as plastic (either disposable or wraps over cloth). And they are way lower maintenance than you would imagine. We air them out between uses, but they never smell. Wool is amazing!

Schoolmarm Vest

2008-07-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Love it! Love it! Love it! But man, what an ordeal to get this thing finished. I had to rip back twice and it just seemed to take forever to finish (note to self: a large garment crocheted with a size D hook will not be a quick project). I think I'm a slower crocheter than I am a knitter, even though most people report the opposite to be true.

At any rate, it's done, as of today. And the weather was happy to cooperate with me as it was cool enough to wear it comfortably all day. Leave it to the Pacific Northwest to provide us with wool-friendly mid-summer days. It's a mixed blessing here, folks.

If you're reading this entry because you are about to begin this project, please note: I used the smaller hook only for this project. The pattern calls for getting gauge with the bigger hook, but this is inaccurate. The D is the only hook necessary for this project.

These are the leather buttons I found at the Rotary Auction last weekend. They were the perfect touch!
This is a great, close-fitting vest which will be perfect for work. Thankfully, today was the first day of my vacation, so I won't have the occasion to wear it in a work setting till the end of the month. I'm hoping to knit a lot during my time off, beginning with another soaker for the boy. And I'm really hoping to join the kal for the Sleeves On and Buttons Off Ravelry group this month. I am not a knit-along kind of gal as I am given to procrastination, but I'm trying to reform my ways. So I will try my best to finish Mr. Greenjeans by the end of the month. No promises though :)

SnB Reunion

2008-06-29T11:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my monthly Stitch n' Bitch (SnB), but it was no ordinary get-together. Our founding member, Heather, is visiting from South Korea, where she's been living for the past year. Another of our group, Sandra, will be heading off to join her there in just a few weeks. The six of us haven't all been together for a Stitch n' Bitch in over a year. Not only was it lovely to be with all of these wonderful friends (and a rare night out for me sans Silas), but the setting, the picturesque country home where Heather is house-sitting, was a perfect backdrop for our little shindig.

What a spectacular evening. Wish I could have stayed later, ladies!

slim pickins'

2008-06-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

I usually look forward to the Rotary Auction because there is always a lot of great yarn. This year, however, was quite disappointing. I got a small selection of mystery yarn, including some handspun wool, but really, nothing too thrilling. The biggest find was probably the jar of gorgeous old leather buttons, three of which will go perfect on the schoolmarm vest I'm currently working on. Other than that, and a few nice things for the kiddo, the auction was a bit of a let down. Well, there's always next year.

Yarn Fairies Inc.

2008-06-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Dear anyone who will listen,

I quit my job today.
I have never felt freer.
And what's even better, the good people at Yarn Fairies Inc. have offered to pay a generous salary (with benefits of course) to knit full time!

Wow, I can't believe my luck! The stars must all be aligned for me!

Or maybe not. OK, I didn't quit my job, I just really REALLY wanted to. But since I really REALLY can't, I thought I'd pretend a bit in order to salvage the thin line connecting me to sanity at the moment.

Maybe Yarn Fairies Inc. will one day be a real company (paying knitters real money to knit!) rather than just a figment of my imagination. Women used to make an income that way, damn it! I say, the time has come again!

Sincerely,

Amber

a roll-neck giraffe sweater is born

2008-06-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

This is the roll-neck giraffe sweater from soft + simple knits for little ones by Heidi Boyd. It's a very easy pattern and knit up fast. The gauge and schematic measurements were a bit off in the pattern, but because I tend to knit tightly, it actually worked out for the best. Fits him now, but should fit him into the winter. I am loving how it looks on him and as it's a cotton blend, it's perfect for our chilly northwest summer mornings. Wouldn't you know it, though: The long string of 50 degree overcast weather we've been having since, well, January, ended the very day I finished this sweater.

I used the yarn called for in the pattern, which is Berroco Love It, a cotton, acrylic, poly blend. It makes a comfy sweater, to be sure, but I'm a little out of love with working with synthetic yarns. Sigh. It's not your fault ,Berroco Love It. You can't help what you're made from. It's me, not you. I am a hippie at heart, but you wouldn't have known that when I purchased you with my credit card and high speed internet connection. You could never have guessed that I wished you were really 100% organic cotton colored with natural plant dyes in a facility running on power produced from windmills.

Anyways, our affair was fun while it lasted, and the giraffe sweater you helped make totally rocks. I won't forget you!

World Wide Knit In Public Day

2008-06-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today is World Wide Knit In Public Day. As I'm going solo most of the day with my 15 month old while Drew is in Seattle, I probably won't get much of an opportunity to participate. Maybe next year. For now, I just wanted to give a shout-out to all of my knitting comrades. Knit on!

Tag, you're it!

2008-06-10T19:26:00.001-07:00

I just got tagged by Michelle. I've seen this whole tagging thing on a bunch of blogs lately and the funny thing is, just yesterday I wondered if anyone would ever tag me. Nah, probably not, I thought.

So, for those of you who read the last several lines and have no idea what I'm talking about, here are the rules for a tagged blogger (a tagee?) to follow:

The tagee answers the following questions about herself. The tagee then tags 5-6 other people and lets them know they’ve been tagged. When you post your answers, let the person who tagged you know.

So, let's get started:
1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

In June of 1998, I had just finished my junior year of college. I was double majoring in Anthropology and Comparative Religions. I was also practicing Tibetan Buddhist meditation and was working for my awesome Buddhist teacher and Tibetan translator, Dr. Robin Kornman. My job description was quite varied, with duties that included gardening, housekeeping, editing, errand-running, and making the house ascetically pleasing so that dralas (Tibetan spirits) felt like they could land on objects around the house during translation session (no, I'm not joking).

2. What 5 things are on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
1. Quit my job so that I can knit full time (not gonna happen, but who ever gets through everything on their to-do list, anyways).

2. Win a billion dollars so that I can afford to quit my job and knit full time (this might happen, anything is possible).

3. Get through the intarsia part of the giraffe sweater I'm knitting for my kiddo (this might happen, the night is young).

4. Wash a load of diapers (already done! cross one thing off of my list!)

5. Snuggle up in bed between my husband and son (on my to-do list everyday, because it is just so doable).

3. What snacks do I enjoy?
I'm addicted to these Greens+ protein bars. The ones with peanut butter and chocolate are so amazing, but they're really expensive, so I'm trying to cut back. My excuse for consuming them in bulk quantity is that I'm a nursing mom and a vegetarian, so I have to get my protein and calories somehow, right?
I am also a big fan of kettle chips and these little organic truffles that come in a green box that I'm sure are meant to be shared amongst a group of people, rather than eaten just by me.

4. What would I do if I was a billionaire?
That's so funny, because becoming a billionaire was on my to-do list today! What a coincidence. I'm glad this question was included, because now I can figure out my plans before the high of winning all that money overwhelms my ability to distinguish right from wrong.

I've actually thought of this before, which is why Michelle's response to this question made me smile. It is exactly my plan too, believe it or not. I want to build a totally green off the grid house for my family and give money for my friends to do the same as well. I'd probably have one more child and maybe adopt another one as well. I'd also make my stash completely organic/fair trade. I've been thinking lately about yarn made from who knows what by people making who knows how much money, using who knows what chemicals and dyes. And think of the sheep, won't anyone think of the sheep? I think there definitely needs to be a greater variety of organic yarns, so since I have a billion dollars, I might as well design many many new ones.

There are a lot of charities and causes out there and I'd probably give to several that I really feel closely aligned to--environmental, anti-war, literacy, orphans, puppies. You know. Fight the good fight (pacifistic fighting, that is).

Oh, yeah, and it probably goes without saying, but, I'd quit my job so that I can knit full time.

5. Where have I lived?
I was born and raised on the west side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My parents still live in the same house, in fact. I moved all the way over to the east side of Milwaukee and lived in various locations near the University during undergrad and grad school. In 2003, I accepted a job in Silverdale, Washington over the phone, and sight unseen, my husband and I decided to jump ship and head west. We've been renting a sweet little house on Bainbridge Island ever since.
In addition, I often live inside my head. I keep a beach house there.

I guess I should follow the rules and tag other people. It makes me feel a bit like I'm sending chain mail, but that's part of the fun, right. So, I'm tagging the following people who probably don't want to be tagged. Maybe the billion dollars I'm going to win today can help persuade them to respond. The new tagees are: Beth, Jessica R, Jessi L, Amelia, and Alias Polar Bear. Have fun, kids.

Thus it begins

2008-06-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is shaping up to be a super easy sweater. I'll be starting the intarsia section soon, but it doesn't look too daunting. This is a good project for me right now. I'm feeling the need to de-stress after the kiddo's in bed with some no-brainer knitting. In fact, I had a crappy day at work, and I'm so desperate to forget about it that I turned on the tv and am watching Nashville Star. It's horrible. Truly. It's one of those shows you watch with someone similarly-minded so that you can make fun of it together. My husband just asked "what happened to real country?" but that's like watching American Idol and asking what happened to real rock. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day at work and I won't feel the need to purge brain cells by watching reality tv while I knit. But wait, isn't that talent show with Jerry Springer on on Tuesdays?