Greyhaven Cowl

Yay - a finished object!  I've had the urge to knit alot lately, mostly since the weather has cooled down a bit.  Winter in Florida is not the winter I've experienced in DC, but it gets cooler during the days and downright chilly at night.  Snuggling up on my comfy couch under a quilt with some knitting in my lap seems like just the thing!  I wanted to knit a gift for a dear friend of mine, and I thought a lacey cowl would be nice.  I found Grayhaven on Ravelry and dove into the stash.

I used Misti Alpaca in Cream and boy do I love this yarn.  Its soft and cozy and knits up beautifully.  The lace pattern on this cowl is really lovely, and she created it with a larger edge on the bottom, so it drapes nicely on your neck.  I think this is a perfect size to keep your neck warm and I think I might make another for another friend.  Or maybe for me!

My only modification to the pattern was using a US8 needle all the way through because I couldn't find my US7.  I had some difficulty with the purl cast off, but I got the hang of it towards the end.  I tend to be tight with a knit cast off, so I'll consider this in future projects.  The cast off here is still a little tight, but I think I can fix it.  I won't see my friend for a couple weeks, so I can re-finish it.  No models were available, so I took a shot of the cowl resting on an upside down flower pot. 

Do you find you knit more during cold weather?  Or maybe hand quilting or embroidery?

Nervous Knitting is Productive Knitting

My sweet 6 year old niece had surgery on her foot on Thursday and I took the day off from work to provide moral support for everybody.  Two grownups managing a two-child family is great, but three grownups is even better.  Between the three of us, the princess always had 2 adults watching over her and my nephew always had someone with him too during his normal daily activities.  I am working on a pattern to be published later this year, and taking this project along helped get me through all the waiting.

Would you believe I knitted an entire skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky between about 10 am and 4 pm?  I haven't been able to spend such a large block on time on knitting in ages and it was definitely soothing to the nerves.  Our little princess came out of surgery fairly well, although we forgot that the anesthesia makes her naseous.  All Children's Hospital in St. Pete is in a new building and the rooms are practically suites, they are so big.  There's a pull out couch & a pull out chair for overnight guests (aka Momma & Aunt Ellen), another guest chair, 2 tv's and a mini fridge, in addition to all the usual things you'd find in a hospital room.  All their rooms are private rooms, which is a huge blessing and the nurses and staff were all amazing.  I've spent many days and nights in various hospitals on the East Coast (always as a visitor, never a patient) and I have to say they are top notch here.  The patient gets a 42 inch flat screen tv (which of course now she wants in her bedroom!) and they've got tons of movies to watch, an activities cart that comes around everyday with games and crafty things.  If you have to have a child in a hospital, this seems a good choice.

Anywhoo, the Lamb's Pride Bulky is great to work with, although there were some limey green fuzzies on my black tee but I presume that's from the mohair. No big deal though.  I used a neat trick I just learned where you knit a bit, then roll it and add one stitch from the cast on edge to each stitch - creates a very cool hem.  And do you like how I match the couch in the Princess Patient's room?  Too funny. 

 

 

Hmfph. Those pictures looked better on my phone.  I did finish the entire skein and really wished I'd had another.  It looks like this project will take 3 or perhaps even 4.  But its a secret project, so no more info here.  No sirree, not till its ready!  Her royal Patientness is now recovering at home, and luckily her pain is manageable with the drugs so far. Nothing breaks your heart like seeing a child you love in a hospital bed.  T minus 3 weeks till surgery number 2.  Insert a big sigh here.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Finally a pattern to publish!

I finished the Detroit Lions dishcloth a long time ago and wrote up the pattern some time after that.  Its the age-old story of modern life - time moves on, computers crash, data is retrieved, yada yada yada.  Anyway, this is my first pattern and my first time trying to add a pdf to the blog so its a big adventure all around!  The photo is dreadful, I'll admit it, but the cloth is now happily in use in another home so I can't improve the picture without knitting it again.  One of these days ....

Detroit Lions NFL Mascot Dishcloth

I stress, therefore I knit.

First and foremost, I am grateful that I live in beautiful, peaceful place and that my family is healthy and mostly happy.  My heart goes out to the parts of our country that have had such catastrophic weather lately.   I haven't had any monstrous issues myself, but a series of little stresses piled on top of one another and very little time away from my business has resulted in craving to knit.  I NEED to knit.  I NEED to make something pretty (or at least functional) that is all about me.  I NEED to do something that is totally under my control. 

So I've taken up the remainder of the hat I started for my dad back during the February blizzards.  Technically, a hat for my father is not all about me, but I'm willing to sacrifice that little aspect of the 'all about me' project.  It is a pewter grey from KnitPicks and will coordinate with the Prismatic Scarf I made for him out of Brooks Farms Solo.  The scarf took forever, but is so soft and warm and lovely, and most importantly he likes it!  The hat is a simple cable pattern from Knit Simple Winter 2006 / 2007.   I just spent an hour on it, and I can't tell you how good that 60 minutes of moving needles and yarn was, for my soul.  I feel like my batteries are slowly recharging, and maybe, just maybe, I can handle the curve balls that have been thrown at me lately!

I also decided to submit an idea for the Cooperative Press's new series, Fresh Designs.  I saw a twitter about the call for submissions and I thought of something really cute that I've wanted to do for a while, and I just went right ahead and filled out the form.  I've never designed a project like this, and I think I'd like to get into creating my own patterns and self-publishing.  Having a professional deadline would give me just the kick in the butt I need to get my feet wet.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Birthday hats

This years birthday gifts for the little ones included hand knitted hats! Both my niece and nephew have January birthdays, and it was pretty cold here in Florida so they were a perfect addition to the birthday bounty.  The truly wonderful part is that I finished them!  Niecey-poo received hers on her actual birthday, and the Little Prince's was only a little late.

Princess got a Hello Kitty hat - its an easy pattern, and available from Beadwhore Knitting's blog here.  After a foolish misguided start, I eventually followed the pattern exactly and it turned out to be a great size for my now 6 year old niece.  The embroidery on the front was the best part of course when it comes to instant gratification - the hat really comes to life once Miss Kitty's features are on her sweet face.  I gave her a pink nose instead of yellow.  This used less than one skein of Loops & Threads White from Michaels, and I added some leftover pink from Bernat.  Isn't Miss Kitty adorable?

So the Kitty is cute, but obviously the Birthday Boy needed something considerably cooler for a 9 year old.  He loves Star Wars, especially the Clone Wars stories so I did a hat with an Imperial Storm Trooper motif in the round.  I found this fabulous chart by Sarah Bradberry here, through Ravelry of course, and added it to a simple hat pattern.  Unfortunately, I did not do any calculations as to the size of the pattern and the overall height of the hat, so it turned into a sort of Cat in the Hat tall affair.  Precious child that he is, the Little Prince is still willing to wear it at home.  I haven't caught a shot of him in the hat, but here it is on its own featured in the snow from one of the Washington DC blizzards this winter.

I loved Sarah's idea of the checkerboard border, and as a special bonus I used white glow in the dark yarn.  Very cool.  I do try to keep my title of favorite aunt, and I think I've managed it for the moment!  If I were to do this particular hat again though, I'd need to have fewer rows before the pattern starts, and perhaps decrease for the crown more dramatically than I did.  I would like to start designing my own patterns, so these are good lessons, right?

A lightbulb moment

I have been working on two projects to take to my niece and nephew in Florida at Halloween.  I found an awesome chart for an Imperial Storm Trooper, so I am working on a black hat for Ryan with Bernat Glow in the Dark white yarn from last fall.  Its going to be so cool, even though I have run out of the white yarn and I'm only halfway through the storm trooper part.  (No worries just yet though, I have a lead on some from a coffee cuff that I made for my dad last year.  He doesn't use it, so he doesn't mind if I frog it.  Yay Dad!)

Shannon's hat is going to be the Hello Kitty Hat and hopefully she is going to love it.  I seem to have a big problem trusting that knitting designers know what they are talking about, when they say to only cast on 76 stitches for a child's hat.  Being me, I cast on 87 instead.  And guess what?  Its too big!!!  Its even too big for me.  I am, seriously, rolling on the couch laughing as I think about what a dope I am to not follow the directions. I mean really, what are they there for???

I am already halfway through the decreases, so you know the light is at the end of the tunnel.  Once I determined that it was going to be too big for a five-year old head, I thought how much I would hate to frog it.  Ok, its just a simple acrylic hat in stockingette, but still, that was a few hours work.



(Isn't my fall teapot cute?  Its not a very large teapot so the hat probably appears even larger than it really is.  My teapot is holding my caramel candy corn at the moment.  Yumm!   But ... I digress.)
Anyhow, I was thinking about how sad it would be to frog the hat, and then I thought, "duh - finish it and give it to charity."  It was a total lightbulb moment for me!  So that's my plan.  I'm going spend maybe another 30 minutes and then find some place to donate it.  That makes my heart happy.   The next time I think I might frog something, I am going to try really hard to remember this is an option!

Think Pink - Knit Pink!

Its October again, and there are pink ribbons everywhere to remind ladies (well, mostly ladies) to get their yearly mammograms and to do monthly self-exams.  We lost my mom to breast cancer almost 4 years ago, and I sometimes have a hard time getting through October.  On the one hand, it all reminds me that she's gone and on the other hand, I love that we spend a whole month reminding women to take care of themselves, and I love that so many companies take the opportunity to donate part of their profits to cancer research.  (My shop does too of course - 10% of the purchase price of all our pink ribbon products goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.)

I have been eyeing the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern for some time now, but kept finding other projects to cast on.  The temperature dropped down to 40 degrees during the day this week, and its been drizzling non-stop and I really wanted to wear a hat!  What else could I do but cast on for a pretty pink one with my MMMMMMalabrigo worsted in Cactus Flower?



I love the pattern - the cables are graceful and each row is easy to memorize.  The hat works up so quickly, I think it would make a great last minute project a night or two before you really need to be gift-giving.  I used size 10.5 needles on the band to get started, and then switched to size 11 so I don't have exactly the same proportions.  The pattern called for size 10 and then size 11.  I finished it at work today, and will probably wear it home and then block it later.  My Buddha at work graciously agreed to model for me - at the moment I look like a giant pink headed mushroom wearing it!  I think I messed up some of the cables, but I can't really tell.  These photos don't do justice to the color either - it is beautiful!



This is the first time I've used Malabrigo before, and oh my gosh, it's so soft and lovely.  I have done two projects in different alpaca yarns, but this feels even softer.  I really wish I had started knitting a long time before my mom was diagnosed - all I ever knitted for her was a scarf out of Homespun.  She loved it though, and wore it daily.  I wish I could have made her a whole wardrobe of Malabrigo hats.  And maybe pajamas too - it is so soft, and the weather is so yucky here today that the thought of pj's made from Malabrigo is just heavenly.  Ooh - maybe long underwear?!?!?!

So, two thumbs up on this Finished Object - I knitted it to completion in a little over 48 hours.  Yay.  I'm not sure what I will do with the left-overs. Perhaps a coordinating cowl?

AND GO SCHEDULE YOUR MAMMOGRAM OR DO A SELF-EXAM!  Please.  It can save your life.

WIP Wrestling

WIPs, also known to knitters as "Works In Progress," are the bane of many a knitters' existence.  Many of us have half-finished projects laying around the house (or perhaps neatly collected), in whom we've lost interest, or lost a needle, or we need more yarn to finish.  A group on Ravelry has declared July to be WIP Wrestling Month - where the goal is to finish as many works-in-progress as possible, one way or another.   I have plenty of unfinished projects that are weighing on my crafter's soul, so I jumped in too!

I've finished a Harry Potter House Hat - in Gryffindor colors of course.  I originally started a House Scarf in hopes that I could wear it to the Half Blood Prince movie, but it was taking way too long, and I was frustrated with the color changes (one edge of the scarf is not very neat as you change colors).  I frogged it, and started the hat instead.  Took considerably less time, and although it is a wee bit too long for my head, I'm quite happy with it.  No errors!  This one is more burgundy & gold, than scarlet and gold, so it'll make a nice hat if I get to go to any Redskins football games in late fall.  I may knit the scarf at some point - I loved the quidditch scenes where everyone was wearing them.



I also frogged a shrug I have been working on for a little while.  It was about half finished, but I am not crazy about the way the colors were turning out, and I was sure I'd never wear it.  Life is too short to waste time completing a project, if your heart isn't really in it, isn't it?  I'll return to the pattern with a different yarn choice at some point, and return to the yard with a different pattern.  I have also been working on two gift scarves, which I aim to finish by the end of July.   Of course, the recipients won't need them for several months but I'd like to get them off my plate, so to speak, and get on with something new!

Next up on the needles will be Hermione's Cable and Eyelet Hat from JL Yarnworks.  After seeing the Half Blood Prince movie, I must, Must, MUST make one!  A big thanks to JL Yarnworks for sharing!   I loved the movie - all in all, I think they did a great job.  Its never easy to condense a book that size into a mere two and a half hour experience.  The best part from the knitting perspective, was of course when Dumbledore came out with the knitting magazine and said "I do love knitting patterns."  The best!  There was a nice range of knitted items to think about - I loved Hermione's sweater with the two different stripe patterns on each sleeve.  Unique!

Detroit Lions Knitted Cloth

I love football.  A wee bit of personal history here - skip down to the picture if you're not interested.....  I grew up in Buffalo, where it is practically the law that you must be a Bills fan.  In my customary ornery-ness, I actually started out  supporting the Dallas Cowboys - this was waaaaayyyy back when Tom Landry was head coach there.  My mom was a huge fan of the Cowboys at the time, and their games always seemed to be on tv.  I can remember sitting in front of the television with a clipboard, trying to keep track of which player wore what number, like Ed "Too Tall" Jones - #72.  (He was my favorite.  I always seem to have a thing for defensive ends.  All hail Bruce Smith - Buffalo's best #78!)  No internet searching then for the team roster, so I every Sunday I had my handy clip board and a pencil, and I would frantically try to read the back of every player's jersey.   Then they fired Landry, and I thought that was unforgivable, so in protest I dumped the Cowboys and started learning about my home team, and I have never looked back.   No matter where I live, the Buffalo Bills have always had my heart!

Skipping forward to the present, I have a friend who grew up in Detroit and is an impressively fierce fan of all Detroit professional sports teams.  He and I often bet on who's hometown hockey or football team will make it farther during a season, or who will score the most points etc.  We've also done fantasy football against each other.  (I am quite proud to admit that my football prowess won me the Fantasy Football Super Bowl title one year, in a league with 9 guys.  Yup.  Got their butts kicked by a girl!)  Anyhow, I owed him a trophy of some sort for some bet or other, and decided to make him something.  I found a neat website where you can upload a graphic and it will give you a grid in return, making for an easy-peasy knit / purl pattern.

So here we have the Detroit Lions NFL Mascot cloth.  I have yet to write up the pattern, but if anyone is interested, send me a message and I'll make a concerted effort to put it on paper.  I altered it a bit from what the graphics program gave me, and have ideas on how to make it a little more defined after seeing the finished product.  This was just the basic Sugar & Cream cotton in Cornflower Blue.  Go Lions!

Busy as a Bee

I can't believe its past mid-April and I haven't posted in forEVER. Well, its been a while at least. I haven't been knitting much, since I don't have alot of free time these days.

How can I amuse you? Let me see - how about the preemie pumpkin hat?  Hats this size are fairly quick to make, and I am hoping it looks as sweet as I think it does.  This is the Seamless Preemie and Newborn Pumpkin Hat that I found on Ravelry (big surprise there) by Cathy Gilroy.  I love, love, love the way she has crafted the decreases at the top - they make a lovely shape - see them in the second photo.  I've done two now.

[caption id="attachment_118" align="aligncenter" width="183" caption="Preemie Pumpkin Hat"][/caption]

This is going to be part of the group of hats I send along to the Helping Kids at Hopkins Group on Ravelry.  If you're a Raveler, check out the Brag and Vote discussion thread to see some really cute hats!

Ok, back to work for me.  Check out my shop blog and register to win an excellent gardening tool  - leave me a comment before April 25!

An algae green cowl - sounds gross, looks great!

Another lovely quick project! I really enjoy doing small pieces like cowls - this one is called The Darkside Cowl, its by Sarah Fama, and I found it on Ravelry. (All roads no longer lead to Rome - they lead to Ravelry!!!) I used some pea green yarn that was given to me by a former knitter (she overdosed on scarves for Christmas gifts one year and & has sworn off knitting for a while. She very sweetly passed along her leftovers to me.) I think its acrylic, but I might be wrong. Its very stretchy, which I guess makes it good for a cowl so it will stretch over the head easily.

Anyhoo, I love this pattern - its easy to follow and things keep changing so it stays interesting. Not to mention, it makes for a lovely finished object! I think next to cables, anything that resembles basketweave is my second favorite thing to knit.

[caption id="attachment_111" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="the Darkside Cowl in algae green"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_112" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="totally scrunchable!"][/caption]

And speaking of basketweave, I have started a new scarf in a gorgeous deep forest green, in alpaca.  I officially adore alpaca - this is Misti International Misti Alpaca Chunky and it is the softest yarn I have ever used. It reminds me of the satin bindings on my blanket when I was a little girl - the ones I rubbed so hard they wore out. How I loved that satin binding. There is just something terribly comforting about rubbing something soft on your cheek.  This pattern is Basketweave Scarf by Ann Budd, also available here from Knitting Daily.  I really like how the sides undulate with the basketweave, and its an easy pattern to follow.  Its good for semi-short-term knitting too, since the repeat is only 18 rows.  I think I am doing this for a friend of mine who wanted a soft scarf to wear with his topcoat, but I just might keep it for myself.  It would be a nice color for a Michigan State Spartan's fan, but he might not be so lucky!  I'd made him a cabled scarf out of some Noro wool/silk two years ago, but he thinks its too scratchy, so I started this.

[caption id="attachment_113" align="aligncenter" width="257" caption="Super Soft Alpaca Scarf"][/caption]

And I learned that I really need to find a better place to photograph my projects, instead of the dining room table.  The chandelier makes huge shadows!

I also finished another berry sweet preemie hat - used the circs this time, so the main portion of the hat went super quickly. Not bothering with a photo, as I don't want to bore you to tears.  Also did one that looks like a pumpkin.  I am really enjoying the i-cord stems.  What a neat trick!

Instant Gratification

I recently learned about a group of knitters and crocheters on Ravelry who are making things for the Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital in Baltimore.  They are collecting hats for the preemie babies in the NICU during March and April, so I thought I'd pitch in.   Preemie baby hats only take a couple of hours, and they are too cute for words!  I finished two in the last two days for starters.

Since I had a snow day today, I thought it would be a great chance to get in some extra knitting.  Bonus!  I did a wee bit of cleaning & work for the shop too, but the knitting was the most fun.  :)

First there's the Berry Baby Hat from randomstitches ...

[caption id="attachment_63" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="Wee Berry Hat"][/caption]

And then there is the Lots of Eyelets Preemie Hat from P2Designs.  Love it too! Its fun to try new patterns on such tiny pieces - I'd love to borrow this border for something else sometime.  The border is not so easy to see in this photo, but its lovely.

[caption id="attachment_64" align="aligncenter" width="448" caption="Eyelet Preemie Hat"][/caption]

 

Wonderful things come in little packages, and I am hoping that these little hats will keep some little packages warm and toasty during their time at the Children's Hospital.

Knitting In Public

I have been knitting at the shop, knitting in public (aka KIP'ing). Its a small but open space, and the counter is directly across from the front door, which is set into a wall of glass, so I when I'm sitting there knitting I am rather obvious to those walking in the entrance. These two couples walk in, and the one man says "Hey you're knitting - do you know my mom?" What do you say to that? I don't think he meant to be funny, but I thought it was hysterical.  Its like saying - "hey, you're from New York, do you know Joe Smith?"  What are the chances?

Back to the customer- he said she always has a project in the works, and once we started chatting you could tell he was proud of her work.  It was actually very sweet.  She sounds like my kind of lady!

I suppose there are people out there who think of knitting as an activity for the older generations, but it is for all ages who want to create, and I am glad to have learned. Knitters are all ages - from senior citizens to seniors in high school.  I've had teenage girls chat with me about patterns, a little shyly at first, but you can tell they enjoy it too. I think its wonderful that knitting is coming back into vogue and is garnering the respect that any handcraft deserves.  I've told lots of knitters about Ravelry, and even met a few who already knew and we chatted about how awesome it is to have such a resource of patterns, expertise and camaraderie right at your fingertips.   There is something quite theraputic about following a pattern, and not thinking about the trials and tribulations of the world, and after a while you have something to show for it.  A lovely handmade item that you can treasure yourself, or give to someone you love, or just give away to someone in need.  What could be better than inexpensive 'me' time that produces an actual useful thing?  Although I am not Catholic, I have been chatting with friends about taking time during Lent to reflect, and knitting is a great opportunity for that.

Can you tell I am in a knitting happy place today?

So what's new on my needles?  I'm starting a new scarf for my dad, in Brooks Farms Solo - a 100% wool DK weight and it is a joy to knit.  Soft and smooth, and hopefully it will turn out as beautifully as I expect it will.  I am trying The Prismatic Scarf from Feather and Fan - I can't wait to see how the colors work out.  She has alot of lovely patterns on her site - I am looking forward to trying more!

[caption id="attachment_60" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Prismatic Beginnings"][/caption]

Fly Fishing Gloves

A friend of mine asked me to make him long fingerless gloves for when he goes fly fishing.  It is a fun and easy project, for the most part, so I was happy to get started.  I couldn't find a men's pattern that I liked with short fingers, so I took a super popular pattern called Dashing (from Knitty.com) and added fingers based on a men's glove pattern.  Modifying patterns is something new for me, so it was an adventure!  I have finished the first, and tried to take good notes so I can finish the second just the same. 

[caption id="attachment_37" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="First One Is Done"][/caption]

 

I've been knitting at the shop when it gets quiet, and I am amused at how many people are interested and politely ask questions.   I have met some nice knitters, and told some people about Ravelry.  Its such a fun community of knitting knowledge.

I am using Plymouth Yarn's Galway and am really enjoying it.  I wanted a yarn he could toss in the wash without worrying about it felting.  (Don't I sound like I know what I am talking about?  I don't really, but I am learning!)

[caption id="attachment_38" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Love those cables!"][/caption]

 

I told you I'm crazy about cables!

Cables, cables, cables

Is there anything prettier than cables?  I am making fingerless gloves for my sister.  They were supposed to be to keep her hands warm this winter, but winter is fading fast in her neck of the woods, and I only have one finished.  It is just so pretty though that I had to share...

Aren't they lovely?  This pattern is Fetching, from Knitty.com.  The cables all swirl in one direction on the right wrist, and in the opposite direction on the left wrist.  Very demure.  I'm using Lion Brand Cotton Ease for easy care.  I don't know how they'll stretch or wear, but we'll see.  This is a perfect blue for Elizabeth.  Looking at the photo though, I seem to have done one cable row, one row too soon.  Ergh.

It really is a fabulous pattern - easy to read, and an easy on-the-go project too.  I love, love, love this patter, and I am curious to know how many people have knit it.  On Ravelry alone, there are 10,371 pairs listed.  TEN THOUSAND!   How cool is that?  Plus several "Fetching-inspired" projects and patterns available too.  A big thanks to author Cheryl Niamath for her inspiration, and for sharing!

My photos do not look as crisp as some others I have seen on blogs.  I am still learning how to use my new camera, and hopefully things will improve.