"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

1/31/12

Wheat Rib Uploaded



Finally, the testing and editing for my Wheat Ribs Socks is done and I've uploaded it to the net. If you're interested in having your very own copy of the pattern, visit my pattern blog:

click here ---->  Beadknitter Patterns

Live long and prosper. \\//

1/27/12

Poinsettia Santa Progress

I should have included this in yesterdays post. I've been working a bit on the felted Christmas stocking.


I added the packages and leaves at the toe last night. The black dots on the pink package are French Knots. I'm so proud of myself. I didn't have to redo a single one of them.

The weather is continuing the sunshine and blue sky today, though not as warm. It's 29F. That's quite a difference from yesterdays balmy 41F. Snow is predicted for the weekend.

I got quite a bit done on the BRS second sock yesterday too. I'm almost done with the foot part. Soon I will be doing the heel, following the patterns instructions I've written one line at a time to make sure I got it right.

Well, I think I'll take Cable for a walk. It's so beautiful out, I hate to miss the opportunity to soak up a wee bit of vitamin D.

I leave you with this.

Please Mom, can we get rid of the dog already?

Live long and prosper. \\//

1/25/12

WIP Wednesday 1/25/2012



Here's an update on the projects I'm working on this week. Of course, we have yesterdays pictured sock.

We also have the orange baby cardigan. The left front is almost done.



Then we have this, which is supposed to be the sleeve of a shrug for Knit Wits.



I stopped at this point because all of the first of the 3 balls of fuzzy yarn I have has been used and it's obvious that I do not have enough to do the whole shrug. (Did that make sense?) So I'm going to frog back a ways and start a stripe pattern. I really thought I could make the 3 balls of mint fur work, but alas. No such luck. I've found a skein of a mint/blue bulky boucle' to use for the stripes. Just gotta sit down and get to it.

I'm also working on this beading project.



It's a Christmas ornament cover I started some time around Christmas. I was doing it with size 8 seed beads instead of the 3mm pearls that the pattern called for, but I didn't like it, so I put it on hold until I could get some pearls, which I did a couple weeks ago. Last night I worked on it a bit, removing the size 8's and putting in the pearls. I like it much better now.

That snow we were gonna get last night ended up turning to rain. It got all the way up to 38F before I went to bed. There was a very warm wind blowing from the south and at least half of the snow we had on the ground melted away. Interesting turn of events.

At yesterdays Rathdrum Knitalong meeting I gave a little presentation on basic sweater finishing. I took my Jiffy Steamer, blocking board, and whatnot. The members made 2 swatches in preparation for the 'class'. I taught them how to steam block and then I went through some basic techniques for sewing sweater pieces together. I really enjoyed doing it. I'll have to think up some other subjects to present to them.

Speaking of teaching, you may notice I don't have the "Classes I'm Teaching" button in the side bar any more. I have decided to stop teaching at the shop. I got so few students in the last year that setting apart that day each week for it just isn't worth it. I can find more productive things to do with my time. Besides, being in 3 different knitting groups keeps me busy enough.

If you're interested in participating in WIP Wednesday, please join us.


Live long and prosper. \\//









1/24/12

One Foot To Go

I finished the first sock of my new design. It is tentatively called the Blog Reader Special socks cuz that's what kind of yarn I'm using to make them, one of Knitivity's Blog Reader Specials.



I love the way the colors pooled on the foot. I hope the second sock will be similar. I am also proud of the short row heel. It's the best one I've done-hand knitting, that is. (My machine knit ones put this one to shame.)



Speaking of sock designs, Wheat Rib Socks is still being tested. Man, did I make a lot of mistakes in the writing of that pattern. The way I wrote the instructions for the heel was a real mess. I'm so glad I've got test knitters other than me. Testing ends by the end of this month. Then I'll be able to post it on the pattern page.

I think I mentioned in my last post that we have snow. It's melted a little bit, but then we got more last night and now we have 8 inches. It's snowing again right now. We'll probably have more by morning.

Cable absolutely LOVES snow. She lays in it, rolls in it, runs in it, happily frolics and dances in it. I've never seen a dog that loves snow as much as she does. It's funny to watch her playing in the snow. I took some pictures of her.

Here ya go Mom.

She's getting pretty good at retrieving too. It's so nice to be able to toss a toy and she'll run and get it and bring it back. 

Wheeeee!

Catch the vicious frizbee toy!
Waiting for me to throw it again.

Rolling in the snow.

Live long and prosper. \\//

1/21/12

Vanguard Ribbon Bracelet

I did some beading. I made a bracelet. I joined my first Bead Along of the year. The pattern was written and provided by Carolyn, owner of CSD Designs, an Artfire shop. She is also the owner of the Yahoo beading group, Seedbeadersters that had the Bead Along.

I finished the bracelet yesterday morning. It was so pretty I decided to wear it when I went grocery shopping. Somewhere between the front door and the store the bracelet fell off and I lost it. I spent the better part of the day looking for it in the snow around my car (we had over 8 inches), in the house, in the parking lot at the store, and in the store itself. I was quite upset about losing it. Especially so quickly. It had only been done an hour!

Well, today my sweet hubby and I went outside. We kind of dug around the snow a bit in hopes of finding it, but no luck. So hubby decided to plow the parking area. He put all the snow that was around or under where my car was parked in a pile and then come spring, when it melted, if the bracelet was there, I would find it. After he got done, I was standing in the freshly plowed parking area when I looked down and there, in the ice, was my bracelet! He'd run over it several times with the tractor, so it took some doing to pry it out. But it wasn't damaged. In fact, it's just fine.



The base is Peyote stitch done with size 8 pearl off-white seed beads.



It's embellished on top with size 11 Czech seed beads in silver lined Montana Blue and size 12 Charlottes in pearl off-white. The picots on the side are off white transparent size 15 seed beads. The 4mm crystals are Mountain Blue Swarovski.



I put a silver box clasp on it. I have learned to make sure it's hooked together properly before leaving the house.



I did have to adjust the pattern a bit because it called for Japanese size 11 seed beads and I used something just slightly smaller in the embellishment. I added extra beads where necessary.



The pattern is available at CSD Designs as the Vanguard Ribbon bracelet.



We did finally get the snow storm. It snowed Wednesday night and all day long on Thursday. It snowed a bit Friday too. We had a total of about 8 inches. Today it warmed up and melted some and now the weather prediction is for rain.

Well, I think I'll get some knitting done this afternoon. I've gotta finish that sock for Ray.

Live long and prosper. \\//

1/18/12

Simple Woman's Daybook for January 18, 2012

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
The snow has finally arrived. It's coming down like crazy. We've already got 3 inches in just 3 hours. It's supposed to do this the whole rest of the week.

I am thinking...
I need to get some beading done today.

I am thankful...
that I have a nice warm comfy home to be in during this kind of weather.

In the kitchen...
is a pile of dishes that need to be done. I will tackle them after I get done with this. For dinner tonight, we're having beef stew and grilled cheese sandwiches. Good food for snowing evenings.

I am wearing...
A light avocado green short sleeved sweater and dark avocado green pants.

I am creating...
as always. I'm still working on the new sock design. I've spent a great deal of my time on the writing part, working on the heel and leg instructions. Not as easy as you might think. I've got it printed out and now I'm going to see if knitting it as written will work.

I am going...
no where today. Heck no! I'm staying out of that nasty white stuff! I'm going to get some laundry done, and do some beading. I'll knit this evening after dinner.

I am wondering...
how deep the snow is going to get. Originally, this storm was supposed to be here on Monday and drop 12 inches in the valleys (more in the mountains). That didn't happen, so then they said it was coming on Tuesday and it would drop 12 inches in the valleys. That didn't happen either. By yesterday afternoon they were saying the worst of it was going to be south of us and we'd probably get 2 to 4 inches today. Sheesh! If it's worse south of us, I have some empathy for those folks!

I am reading...
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I decided to find out what all the fuss is about. I'm enjoying it, though it's a bit more violent than I'm used to in my mystery stories.

I am hoping...
the weather will let up some tomorrow because we're supposed to have our first Yarnies meeting in our new location. As I mentioned last month, we were asked to stop meeting at the yarn shop (yeah-I'm stunned too) so we're going to start meeting at a coffee shop in downtown Coeur d'Alene called Calypso's. I went in and talked to the manager/owner about it and he was very happy with the idea. I tried their coffee too and it's pretty good. They roast their own right there on the premises.

I am looking forward to...
having Cable fully crate trained. We bought a collapsible wire crate for her last week. I've got her understanding that 'kennel up' means to get in the crate, but she doesn't like being forced to stay in it. I did leave her in it for a couple hours yesterday while I went to the Rathdrum Knitalong meeting, but she was pretty stressed out when I got home. The bed was bunched up into a corner. So every day I am going to have her in the crate for awhile while I'm here, making her stay there while I do something in another room (like taking my shower). I did that today and she actually started to relax a bit after being in there for about 30 minutes.

I am learning
how to take care of Cable. She is so different from the Iggies. For one thing, she doesn't sleep 2/3rds of the day away like the boys did. She's awake pretty much all day and wanting to be entertained. Fortunately, she plays with her toys very well. I'm also figuring out what kind of dog chews she likes and I've taught her to retrieve already (did I mention she's smart?) so I can exercise her pretty well throwing her frisbee toy out in the yard, or a stick, or a ball. She definitely loves to run. She also loves the snow.

Around the house...
It's pretty quiet. The cats are sleeping on Ruth's bed and Cable is laying on the floor next to me. She's not asleep cuz I hear a sigh every so often. Ruth is not here. She left last Saturday to go visit her sister in Rhode Island for two weeks. I am not used to being all alone here with the fur kids.

I am pondering...
why there is so much insanity going on in this years race for presidency. I'm worried about the mess this country is in right now. No one qualified to fix it has stepped up to the plate. No one in our government seems to have the courage or character to do what needs to be done to fix it either. When they are sworn into office, they take an oath to protect the constitution and the people. Lately I feel like they are doing neither.

A favorite quote for today...
"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."
Steven Weinberg 

One of my favorite things...
Pouring a shot of Irish whiskey or Southern Comfort and putting it in the microwave for a few seconds. Boy, that'll warm me up nicely.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Not much. Yarnies tomorrow. Other than that, my plans are to stay warm and dry and get some things done around the house. Maybe knit and bead, and continue to teach Cable.

Picture thought to share...

"Oof!"

If you want to join the Simple Woman's Daybook, click here

Live long and prosper. \\//

 


1/11/12

WIP Wednesday 1/11/2012


I'm getting some knitting squeezed into my day.

I'm making good progress on the orange baby aran. The back is almost done. The orange is looking a lot brighter to me knit up than it did just in the skein.



I also started a shrug for Knit Wits. At the meeting last week I fell madly in love with a mint green fur yarn with sparkles in it. I decided to bring it home and do something with it. I'm starting with some plain off white acrylic, doubled, for a ribbed cuff. I'm doing it in the round so I don't have to sew it up later.



I think I'll do 5 inches for the cuff, then see how far I can make the fur go using big size 15 needles and a drop stitch pattern. I've got 3 balls of the stuff, 82 yards per ball. I should be able to make that work. This will be my brainless portable project.

I am also working on the BRS sock for my friend Ray.



I've had an interesting time with this design. As you'll remember, I chose a slip stitch pattern because it would look great with the variegation of the yarn. Slip stitch patterns, in general, tend to make a fabric that is wider and shorter than fabric done in stockinette stitch. It can be vastly different in gauge despite the same number of stitches and rows knitted. I wasn't sure if that would happen with this particular pattern, but I suspected it would. The only way to really find out was to start knitting.

This is another one of those stitch patterns that can't be reversed, so the socks are being knit from the toe up. After getting the toe done, I started with stockinette stitch for the sole and the slip stitch pattern for the instep (top of foot). When the slip stitch side was 3.5 centimeters long from the toe there was a very visible puckered look to the sole. I measured it and it was 4.5 centimeters long instead of 3.5. That is quite a difference for so short a distance. So I tinked back to the toe and I'm doing the whole foot in stockinette stitch. I'll put the slip stitch pattern on the leg.

We haven't had any more new snow, but it's been cold enough that what we have isn't melting much during the day. Watching Cable play in the snow is very entertaining. She LOVES it. She rolls around in it, frolics in it, lays in it-on her back and on her tummy, and even eats it. I'd say that's the Husky in her

.

If you're interested in participating in WIP Wednesday, please join us.

Live long and prosper. \\//


1/10/12

Adventures With Cable

I have been quite busy of late. Mostly cleaning. I won't go into details why, but my daughter is now paying us back $1300 by working for us cleaning the house from top to bottom since she doesn't have a real job. Think in terms of spring cleaning type activity going on here. It would be nice if I could say "clean this room" and walk away, but it's not that easy. I have to instruct her how I want it cleaned, and at the same time she's cleaning I'm going through everything taken out of cupboards and boxes and getting rid of things we don't need or use any more. So it's taking up a lot of my time. Somehow, it doesn't seem right that I should be working so much harder when it's the daughter who's the one in trouble. My kitchen hasn't been this clean in quite awhile though, and daughter took a rather stuffed car load of items to Goodwill yesterday.

Last Thursday and Friday we started working on my knitting room, which hasn't been a knitting room since I closed my yarn shop. It's been a storage room. I want it back. I want to set up one of my knitting machines so I can use it. Can't do that until I get that room cleaned out. It's been 6 years since I closed the shop. It's amazing how much of that stuff I brought home, like office supplies and whatnot, I don't want or need any more. I actually unloaded a whole closet full of stuff on to Goodwill.

I also can now see how much knitting machine yarn I have. Sheesh! I need to get my machines going!

The room is not done yet, but progress has been made.

We have a bit of snow. Last week Sweet Hubby ordered a new Touring bike, custom built. The day after he gave them the required deposit, it started snowing. So he probably won't get to ride that new bike until spring.

Cable is adapting to her new home. She's definitely to the point that she's accepted it, happily. She loves it here at the Parkarosa. So now she's started the misbehaving.

On Friday, she stole a pork chop off the platter that was sitting on the kitchen counter after dinner. Just grabbed that sucker and ran with it. She also has been caught licking dirty plates on the counter. She is so much bigger than the Iggies were! She stands up on her hind legs and the kitchen counter is clearly available for her amusement. It's going to take some adjusting on our part to keep things away from her, and she has to learn to keep away from the kitchen counter.

On Sunday Sweet Hubby took her for a walk on the Parkarosa. I told him not to let her off the leash yet. It's too early. He didn't listen. Somewhere in the woods she ditched him. So he spent time trying to find her. In the meantime, she'd come home and was waiting for him outside in the yard. My daughter saw her out there trotting around the yard, but assumed her father was out there with Cable. It's good that she came home after ditching Sweet Hubby, rather than taking off down the road like she did the first week we had her.

Later that day we decided to take Cable over to brother-in-law Dan's house to meet their dog Tripper. It is important that Tripper and Cable be friends because we do so much together. Well, it didn't start off so good. Tripper attacked (which is not normal for him) Cable because he was startled to find a strange dog in his house. We pulled them apart. Then Cable was afraid of Tripper, hiding behind me and growling at him for awhile. We leashed Tripper up to prevent any more fighting and took both dogs outside for a walk together. Within an hour they were all happy and playing together and having a good time. I am so relieved.

Me? Misbehave?

Yesterday I had to go into Coeur d'Alene so I locked Cable in the bathroom with her bed, a blanket, a chew toy, a bone, and her lizard stuffy while we were gone. Oh boy! When I got home and opened the door, she'd been a bad girl. She ate a goodly portion of the toilet paper, and managed to drag most everything off the bathroom counter, including a couple bottles of my medication. She'd chewed the plastic bottle of one of them into pieces. Pills were all over the floor. It scared the bejeezers out of me! I gathered all the pills and carefully counted them. ALL were accounted for. She didn't eat any of them! She just ate the plastic bottle they came in. Nothing harmful got into her. I think we were pretty lucky there. Leaving her in there wasn't a good idea.

She also got her collar off and chewed it into pieces. She is now sporting a brand new much heavier and somewhat tighter collar. I don't think she'll be chewing through this one. We are going to be purchasing a crate for her later this week. She can't be trusted on her own when we leave her to go somewhere. I think, though, in time, that will change as she learns where her boundaries are. She's such a smart girl. I've got her retrieving now, and she comes immediately when she's called every time which is great!

I am going to be getting a wire collapsible crate for her. She is such a big dog she'll need a big crate. We don't have room in this house for a large crate sitting around all the time. At the feed store, in Rathdrum, they showed me this really cool crate that collapses flat so it can be easily set up, taken down, and stored. Sounds perfect for us.

I have been knitting and beading too, but there's nothing to show because I promptly frogged it all and started over. I'll get into that more tomorrow.

Live long and prosper. \\//


1/4/12

WIP Wednesday 1/4/2012



Lets start the first Wednesday of the year with a WIP Wednesday post, shall we?

On New Years Eve I started a Baby Aran sweater for Knit Wits.



The yarn is a Lion Brand Sayelle 100% acrylic that was donated to Knit Wits. So far, I'm liking it. It's nice yarn to work with even though it is very old.

I started a new sock project yesterday. I'm going to design some sock patterns for an independent yarn dyer, Knitivity, for him to sell or give away with his yarns. I worked out the stitch pattern I'm going to use and made a swatch to see how it will look in the yarn I chose. I'm using a slip-stitch pattern with an interesting cable in it combined with regular rib. I'm waiting for Ray's opinion before I cast on the first sock.



I decided to start with a skein of yarn I actually bought from him last year. It is one of his Blog Reader Specials-yarns he dyes with leftover dyes, or maybe they're yarns that didn't come out the way he wanted for a particular customer so he puts them up on his blog and sells them. All of them are one-of-a-kind yarns.

I am teaching Cable how to fetch. I bought this funny looking frisbee toy to do it. The first time I took her out, Monday, I would throw the toy and say 'fetch'. She'd run to the toy, then run back to me, leaving the toy behind. Yesterday she brought the toy back to me about 50% of the time. That is pretty good progress! I expect by the end of the week she'll be a pro at fetching. She is such a smart girl and seems to learn things quickly.

We still have no snow. The temps have dropped down, but the sun continues to shine and the days are beautiful. I have to admit, it's a lot easier walking a dog in this kind of weather than if we had a foot or more of snow. Yesterday morning I heard Towhee's up in the trees. It was a surprise to hear them. Usually I don't hear them until spring. Last summer I heard a lot of predictions about being in snow up to our ears this winter. They haven't been accurate. We do need snow on the mountains though, or it will be a very dry summer.






If you're interested in participating in WIP Wednesday, please join us.


Live long and prosper. \\//




1/1/12

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Wow, where did 2011 go? I can't believe it's 2012 already.

As you can see, I am starting the New Year with a new blog template. I have been having problems with the format of the old template and could not figure out how to fix it. After some discussion with Sweet Hubby, I decided to get one of the Blogger WYSIWYG layout templates and customize it. It's more compatible with Blogger and much easier for me to mess around with.

I hope your New Years eve was a pleasant one. We went to my nieces house and partied. I played two games of Farkel and actually won one of them. I also started a new knitting project, which I'll talk about at a later date. Mostly I ate, drank, and was merry.

The biggest thing, though, is we took Cable with us and introduced her to the family. I was very nervous about this. Dogs can sense your nervousness and will feel anxious too, so I was trying very hard to remain calm. I was worried about all the family dogs. Would Cable get along with them? Would they accept her?

You see, Tommy and Morgan were not socialized properly with other dogs, which has remained a complete and total mystery to me because Morgan was a retired show dog (he was afraid of dogs bigger than him. He was fine with dogs smaller than him) and Tommy spent 2 years in a shelter with big Greyhounds. But he had a terrible time getting along with other dogs. For the most part, I had to leave them both home whenever the family had one of it's parties. So I was expecting bad things to happen with Cable.

I need not have worried. Rocky and Gracie (my nieces dogs) were happy to meet her, and she was happy to meet them. None of the other family dogs were there, so it was less overwhelming for me and Cable. We'll meet the rest at a later date.

Introducing her to the people was a little bit more difficult. She is extremely timid around humans. Especially men, which makes me wonder. She really pulled on the leash when we walked in the door and she saw all these strangers. But I dragged her in anyway. I introduced her individually to each person (this is your cousin Brendan, this is your grandma Diane, this is your aunt Sue...), and everyone gave her lovins. My husband's family are big dog lovers. I sat at the table most of the evening playing games. She spent the time under the table, watching. Every so often she'd venture out to sniff someone, then retreat under the table. By the end of our evening she was much more relaxed and willing to be petted.

I remember when I first brought Morgan home he was deathly afraid of people. Especially men, because his prime abuser was a man. After a year with us he would happily trot up to any stranger he met. I think, in time, Cable will get over her fear of people too.

The knitting project I started will be a baby sweater for Knit Wits using my favorite baby aran cardigan pattern. I'm using a soft orange yarn. I got it cast on and the bottom welt done.

I've been thinking about what knitting goals I want to set for 2012. I want to get a sweater made for me. I should work on the Alice Starmore sweater and get it done. I'm going to write more patterns to post on my Beadknitter Patterns blog too. That should keep me busy.

What knitting goals do you have?

Live long and prosper. \\//



Finished Knitting 2012





Beanie For Toddlers

Pattern: I made it up.

Size: Size 5T +/-

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 7.

Yarn: Patons Canadiana

Content: 100% Acrylic

Cast on: December 24, 2012
Bound off: December 26, 2012

Comments: I modified the pattern Beanies for the Brave to make this hat, decreasing the stitches to 72 instead of 100.

~~~~~~~~~~




Mittens for Toddlers

Pattern: Classic Mittens by Bernhard Ulmann

Size: Size 5T

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 5.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarns Coffe Beenz
Content: 75% Acrylic/25% Wool

Cast on: December 16, 2012
Bound off: December 18, 2012

Yarn: Patons Canadiana
Content: 100% Acrylic

Cast on: December 19, 2012
Bound off: December 23, 2012

Comments: I like the rainbows.

~~~~~~~~~~




Ribes Jumeaux

Pattern: Ribes Jumeaux by Linda Jo Park-planning to publish in January

Size: Mens medium

Yarn: Knitivity Down Home Art Yarns Sock in Patina
Content: 75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon

Yarn: Red Heart Heart & Sole in Navy Blue
Content: 70% Superwash Wool/30% Nylon.

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 2.

Cast on: November 18, 2012
Bound off: December 4, 2012

Comments: I loved working with the yarn. I love the Patina colorway. In all honesty, it makes me think of a river in Montana that we camp near on occasion. But Bull River socks doesn't sound right to me.

The stitch pattern is super easy. Only two rows to memorize.

~~~~~~~~~~




Mittens for Toddlers

Pattern:  Classic Mittens by Bernhard Ulmann

Size: Size 5T

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Content: 100% Superwash Wool

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 5.

Cast on: December 8, 2012
Bound off: December 15, 2012

Comments: Quick to knit. I used the leftovers from the hats I made for my nephew. I adjusted the pattern I used to make it better. A matter of personal choice. The pattern is fine as is, but there are increases and decreases that don't make much sense and aren't really necessary for good fit so I removed them.

~~~~~~~~~~




Lace Neck Warmer

Pattern: Mericash Neck Warmer by Jean Gray

Size: One size to fit adult.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine
Content: 50% Wool/30% Nylon/20% Alpaca

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 5.

Cast on: September 17, 2012
Bound off: November 15, 2012

Comments: I added one full pattern repeat for a better fit. It was a little too narrow for my taste.

~~~~~~~~~~



Katey's Mittens

Pattern: Classic Mittens by Bernhard Ulmann

Size: Childs 2-4

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in heather purple
Content: 100% Wool, worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 4.

Cast on: November 29, 2012
Bound off: November 21, 2012

Comments: This is an old pattern published so long ago it's now in the public domain. Some of the instructions aren't the standardized we have for today so I did get a little bit confused when working on the decreases for the top. There is a typo error in the pattern, for this size, after slipping the thumb stitches on a piece of yarn to be held. Where it says "There will be on needles... sts 3", it should read 30.

~~~~~~~~~~




Coffee Bean Hat

Pattern: The Boyfriend Hat by Stephanie Nicole.

Size: To fit a +/- 23 inch head.

Yarn: Coffee Beenz by Plymouth in 9003-Brown
Content: 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 9.

Cast on: November 2, 2012
Bound off: November 9, 2012

Comments: I chose The Boyfriend Hat pattern because I like the way the stitch pattern (3x2 rib) is decreased for the crown. It's also a nice masculine style. I enjoyed knitting it. The pattern is written clearly and is easy to knit. The yarn is nice to work with too.

~~~~~~~~~~



Conductive Mitt

Pattern: Flashy Fingers Gloves by Shelley Mackie. (Made for Knit-n-Crochet)

Size: Medium

Yarn:  Schachenmayr nomotta Bravo Color in Madrid Print
Content: 100% Acrylic, sport weight

Yarn:  Conductive Thread

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 3.

Cast on: October 10, 2012
Bound off: October 15, 2012

Comments: I love the yarn. I had not used it before. It feels wonderful and is extremely nice to work with. One of the best quality acrylics I've come across. I hope to see more of this yarn in my future.

The pattern is okay. It runs a little on the snug side. Increasing a needle size should fix that.

I also found errors in the size medium, the size I knit. It was easy to fix. I don't want to go into details here. (You can find that info in my Ravelry notebook entry.) I added the conductive thread in at the last half inch of the index finger. Would have done all of the fingers and thumb that way but didn't have enough thread. It takes about a yard per finger. One finger is sufficient for a class model.


~~~~~~~~~~



Yellow Fuzzy Baby Hoodie

Pattern: Baby Yeti by the Berroco Design Team. (Made for Knit Wits)

Size: Newborn/3 Months

Yarn: Aldemir Yumos
Content: 100% Polyester, bulky weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 11.

Cast on: July 11, 2012
Bound off: August 14, 2012
Blocked and Assembled: October 14, 2012

Comments: This is actually a very fast knit. I just took my darn sweet time on it. The pattern calls for Berroco Plush. I substituted the Aldemir Yumos, which is very similar in weight and used one size larger needles. I had no problem getting gauge. There's a lot of sewing involved, but it doesn't take long. I steam blocked it just like I usually do.

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Rainbow Cats Paw Scarf

Pattern: Cats Paw Scarf by Elizabeth Lovick

Size: 70 inches by 10 inches

Yarn: Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace Yarns
Content: 80% superwash merino wool/20% nylon, worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 10.

Cast on: October 1, 2012
Bound off: October 10, 2012

Comments: This is a very fast and easy knit. I'd recommend it for beginning lace knitters for certain. I love the way this stitch pattern looks in this yarn. I'd originally intended to use the yarn for and entrelac project. I like this better. It's going to be a gift. I sure hope the recipient likes it.

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Pattern: Beanies For The Brave by Kathy Lang made for my nephew Tyler.

Size: Adult

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Blue and Orange
Content: 100% superwash wool, worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 7.

Cast on: September 25, 2012
Bound off: September 27, 2012

Comments: I love this pattern.

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Pattern: Beanies For The Brave by Kathy Lang made for my nephew Tyler.

Size: Adult

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Blue and Orange
Content: 100% superwash wool, worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 7.

Cast on: September 23, 2012
Bound off: September 23, 2012

Comments: It took me just a few hours to make this. A lot less time than I expected.

I love the star shape you get on the crown via the decreases.

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Pink Fancy Flossy Shrug

Pattern: Fancy Flossy Shrug by me

Size: Ladies, 56 inches from cuff to cuff.

Yarn:  Bobtail by Schoeller+Stahl in shades of Pink (discontinued)
Content:  58% Polyester/42% Acrylic, bulky weight.

Yarn: Caron Kolormatch in White (discontinued)
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight

Yarn: Red Heart Supersaver in Rose Pink (this color is discontinued)
Content: 100%  Acrylic, worsted weight 

Needles: Addi Turbo Circulars in size 10 and 15.

Cast on: September 5, 2012
Bound off: September 16, 2012

Comments: Took less than 100 yards of furry yarn. I carried one strand of Rose Pink throughout, except the cuffs which are one strand of White. Made it just a little longer than usual. Some people have longer arms.

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Pattern: Cute as a Button Fingerless Mitts by Lisa Hoffman (made for KnitWits)
Size: Ladies Medium

Yarn: Loops and Threads Snuggly Wuggly Baby Sport in soft lilac/sport weight.
Content: 100% acrylic

Needles: Addi Turbo Lace Circular size 5.

Cast on: August 13, 2012
Completed: September 3, 2012

Comments: This pattern is aptly named and easy to knit. It's fairly well written. The thumb gusset is a little weird, but they feel comfortable when worn. The buttons are antique plastic from my button stash.

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Army Green Treads Fingerless Mitts

Pattern: Treads by Victoria Ann Baker (made for KnitWits)
Size: Ladies Medium

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Pacific Solid in Dark Army Green
Content: 60% acrylic/40% Superwash Wool

Needles: Addi Turbo Lace Circular size 5.

Cast on: June 28, 2012
Completed: August 22, 2012

Comments: I've modified the pattern a bit. The original design has individual half fingers knit in stockinette stitch. I decided I didn't want that and did an inch of 1x1 rib instead. I bound off with the EZ Sewn Bind Off for extra stretchiness so they'd be easier to put on. These are a little snug, but very comfortable mitts. I love the stitch patterns used in them-linen stitch and lateral braid. I would make these again, and again. A good KIP project too.

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Aran Baby Cardigan in Aquarium Blue

Pattern: Aran Baby cardigan from McCalls Knitting Book 5 (1972)
Size: 6 months

Yarn: Red Heart Eco-Way, color Aquarium
Content: 70% acrylic/30% Polyester

Cast on: April 24, 2012
Bound off: August 4, 2012

Comments: I used a size 9 needle this time and I really like the results. It came out just a little bit larger. I didn't have to stretch it to size when I blocked it. I love the yarn. It's very nice to work with.

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Butterfly Wings Shawl

Pattern: Butterfly Wings Shawl by Ruth Park (for Knit Wits)
Size: 66 inches wide by 28 inches long at center.

Yarn: Unknown brand 3/12 lace weight in off white
Content: 100% baby melting Acrylic

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 5. 

Cast on: April 17, 2012
Completed: July 26, 2012

Comments: I love this pattern. But I'm biased.

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Modeled by my friend Rosie.

Fancy Flossy Shrug

Pattern: Fancy Flossy Shrug by me

Size: Ladies, 52 inches from cuff to cuff.

Yarn: Aldemir Lumos in Khaki Lurex
Content: Polyester and Metallic, bulky weight.

Yarn: Cascade Pacific Multi in Lucky Clover
Content: 60% Acrylic, 40% Superwash Wool

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular in size 10 and 15.

Cast on: June 24, 2012
Bound off: July 8, 2012

Comments: I had a lot of fun knitting this.

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Red Fancy Flossy Shrug

Pattern: Fancy Flossy Shrug by me

Size: Ladies, 52 inches from cuff to cuff.

Yarn: Eyelash by Fan-Pel Collection in Multi Red
Content: Polyester and Nylon, sport weight.

Yarn: Caron Wintuk in Christmas Red
Content: 100% Acrylic

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular in size 10 and 15.

Cast on: June 7, 2012
Bound off: June 14, 2012

Comments: The fur yarn in this one is sport weight instead of bulky, but it worked just fine.

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Green Fingerless Mitts for Knit Wits

Pattern: Jeffs Mitts by Lorraine Ehrlinger 
Size: Mens large

Yarn: Pacific by Cascade Yarns in Dark Army Green
Content: 60% Acrylic, 40% Superwash Merino, Worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 5. 

Cast on: June 1, 2012
Completed: June 22, 2012

Comments: I've done this pattern a couple times before. It's become my go to pattern for plain mens mitts. Admittedly, I did some pattern adjustments on the thumb gusset, but I'm not going to go into them because I just did personal little anal things. The pattern is fine the way it is.

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Ruffled Scarf for Elizabeth

Pattern: One-Skein Scarf in Marina by Universal

Yarn: Rozetti Yarns Marina Multi
Content: 100% Acrylic. 50g/33 yards per skein

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 10. 

Cast on: May 25, 2012
Completed: June 1, 2012

Comments: Elizabeth liked it.

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Stacked Olives Fingerless Mitts

Pattern: Stacked Olives Fingerless Mitts by me
Size: Womans

Yarn: Knitivity Phydlbitz
Color: Lakewood Berry
Content: 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon. 430 yards / 113 grams

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 3. 

Cast on: March 3, 2012
Completed: May 21, 2012

Comments: I can't believe how long it took me to finish these. It's not that I didn't enjoy working on them. I don't know why it's taken so long. I like the yarn but I think the stitch pattern would show up a lot better if there wasn't black in the colorway.


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February Lady Sweater for Sarah

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynn
Size: Medium

Yarn: Pacific by Cascade Yarns in Dark Army Green
Content: 60% Acrylic, 40% Superwash Merino, Worsted weight

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 8

Cast on: February 23, 2012
Bound off: April 10, 2012

Comments: I love the yarn I used for this. Very nice to work with. I can't believe Sarah will fit in something this small.

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Front
Fuzzy Mint Shrug for Knit Wits

Pattern:  I made it up as I went along.
Size: Ladies, 52 inches from cuff to cuff.

Yarn: Ice Yarns Eyelash in Mint Green
Content:  100% Polyester, Bulky weight
Yarn: Bernat Soft Boucle' in Carnival
Content: 97% Acrylic, 3% Polyester
Yarn: Red Heart Baby Pompador in Mint Green (discontinued)
Content:  Acrylic, Nylon. Fingering weight
Yarn: Super Yarn Mart Orlon Sayelle in white. (discontinued)
Content: 86% Acrylic/14% Nylon, worsted weight.

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 10 and 13.

Cast on: January 7, 2012
Bound off: March 24, 2012

Comments: I only had 3 balls of the Eyelash and figuring out how to make an entire adult size shrug with them was quite a challenge. I decided on dropped stitch lace, a second color for stripes, and really big needles.

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Baby Aran in Orange

Pattern: Aran Baby Cardigan from McCalls Knitting Book 5 (1972)

Size: 12 months

Yarn: Lion Brand Sayelle #133 Tile (discontinued decades ago)
Content: 100% Dupont Orlon Acrylic

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 9.

Cast on: January 1, 2012
Completed: March 3, 2012

Comments: This is, of course, my favorite baby sweater pattern. It turned out larger than the pattern sizing because I used a size 9 needle instead of size 6. I like it. The fabric is a little softer as a result.


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Blog Reader Special Socks

Pattern: Blog Reader Special Socks

Yarn: Knitivity Down Home Art Yarns Sock
Color: Blog Reader Special  8-April-11 #403
Content: 75% Superwash Wool/25% Nylon

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular size 3.

Size: Ladies Medium (size 8 shoe)

Cast on: January 3, 2012
Bound off: February 1, 2012

Comments: I created this pattern for Ray at Knitivity. I picked a stitch pattern that I think goes well with variegated yarns. It is an easy pattern to memorize. These are knitted from the toe up. The yarn was nice to work with. I love the way it pooled on the feet. The pattern will be available from Knitivity when I get it done and delivered.