Lavender Sachet - Free Pattern!

Here it is, the quick and easy Lavender Sachet!Finished size:
approx 3" wide by 4" tall

Materials:
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Prairie Lupine (or any other worsted weight yarn you'd like) I don't know exactly what yardage, but it's not a whole lot.
Size US 6/4.0mm DPNs
Yarn needle
Stitch marker (or keep track of which DPN you're on)a
About 1 yard/meter of matching or contrasting ribbon
Two 8"x8" squares of tulle to match the ribbon
About 1/4 cup of dried lavender flowers

Pattern:

CO 42 sts using backward loop method, place marker and join for working in the round

Rounds 1-3: Knit all sts
Round 4: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * around
Rounds 5-7: Knit all sts
Round 8: Fold work in half, knit side out, *pick up one loop from cast on edge and knit it together with one stitch on needle, repeat from * around (this creates the picot edging!)
Round 9: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * around

Work in stockinette until piece measures approximately 4" tall.
Two ways to finish it off:
1) Transfer sts evenly between two DPNs and graft them together using the kitchener stitch.
OR
2) Turn work inside-out, transfer sts evenly between two DPNs and close it off using a three needle bind-off.

I used the second method, as I'm a bit lazy.
Weave in the loose yarn ends with a yarn needle and you're done with the knit part.

Now make it pretty!
Lay out the two tulle squares, one on top of the other, put the lavender in the middle and tie it up in a little pouch. Stuff it inside the knit pouch.
Fold the ribbon in half and tie off a 3-4 inch loop. Use a yarn needle to weave ribbon through the eyelet row of the knit pouch with loop in the center back. Pull loosely and tie in a pretty bow with ends hanging down and tulle sticking out the top.
Wa-La, there you have it.
(yes, that was intentional, i know it's voila)

Happy Solstice!

A happy day, indeed! Time for the days to start getting longer. Busy busy weekend around here. Friday night was a (mostly) fun gathering with friends. The hubby ate something that didn't agree with him and got sick, no fun.
Saturday we headed over to my dad's house and had a family picture followed by extended family gathering and gift exchange. Whew. It's amazing how something that's not really much work can leave you so tired.
Bringing us to tonight! A lovely mellow evening at my mom's house, tasty dinner and cocktails. My mom had commented on the rainbow hat a while ago when she was over visiting, so I finished it and gave it to her. I like how it turned out and she seems to like it too!I finished off the top with a three-point bind off, I don't know if there's a name for that...anyone? I had to add the pom-poms! I'm sure my mom would have been fine without them, but really...pom-poms! They had to be added.
I think this turned out pretty nice, and I think it would look pretty nifty as a double-knit too. Too bad double knitting drives me crazy.
Speaking of that, the Skarf is coming along nicely! It looks exactly like I was hoping. I'd post another picture, but damn the hubby, he actually read my blog and saw the last one! Still think he's going to love it. So, when it's done and around his neck (noose or not) there will be a picture...and a pattern.
One more new project! For the crazy extended family gift exchange, I made some cute little lavender sachets. Super fast and easy, I think I managed to make two in three hours while also dealing with a needy toddler. "I want something to eat" "Let's read this book!" "I want to sit with you"
So, you know, easy...fast. Pattern next post!

Not just Socktopus, Socktopi!

This is so cool! There are already Socktopi being made, with pictures on Ravelry, and the response to the pattern has been so awesome!
So, there have been a couple additions to the Socktopus family in our home already.
A slightly smaller orange Socktopus, commissioned by my aunt for a friend's baby.I also just finished a Giganto-Socktopus! Shown with original Socktopus for visual comparison.
Same pattern with size 11 needles and bulky yarn.
Hooray! Thanks to everyone for the encouraging and sweet comments!

SOCKTOPUS!!!

My face is still numb and I'm a little nauseous from the dentist visit this morning, but who cares! It's here, the new Knitty! Featuring my darling creation and my darling kiddo!
I'm so very excited and I'm sure half of my face is smiling just fine!
SOCKTOPUS, people!

Approaching Maximum Hideosity

So, the nights are getting longer. Today, the official sunrise was 9:52, sunset 3:43. Sure, there's some residual light, but it can get to me. What do I do to cope? Get a fabulous purse that puts off it's own glow!I get the range of reactions to this. I have the ever tactful, "Oh, it's...nice!" The friends who know me well enough to know I don't care that they say, "That thing is HIDEOUS!" And one or two friends who actually have the same taste as me and think it's wonderful.
Here's the fun part: The way the purse is constructed, the two outside pockets (which both have zippered pockets attached) are only half the depth of the middle. This means that I'm not losing my keys/wallet/pen/whatever in the depths of side pockets aaaaaand the deep middle pocket is big enough for one medium or two small sized knitting projects!!!

Sheer sequined awesomeness!
So, you see the rainbow hat is one of the projects in there. The other is the Skarf. It's horribly slow going, I'm far enough along that I refuse to rip it, but every time I work on it, I swear I will never double knit again. I took this picture of it a few days ago, there's a bit more progress, but this is the start.I'm pretty sure the hubby doesn't even look at this, so it's safe to post the picture.
I got to proofread my pattern for Knitty and the anticipation of go-live is killing me! I'm really psyched about it. Not saying anything before it's actually out is the biggest secret I've kept in a long time. I obsessively check the site a few times a day since I proofed the pattern.
I'm out of steam for tonight. I think I'm going to slip into my new footie jammies (the kiddo likes it when the whole family wears them) and spend a calm evening in.

Easily distracted

Okay, so the rainbow hat was tossed aside for more cupcakes. They're so fun! And fast!

The bigger pink one is also for my dear birthday girl, but it'll probably be sent with her Christmas package. The blue one is for my brother-in-law's girlfriend...she calls him cupcake! Very cute.
I've also started some more projects. It happens. The Skarf for dear hubby is slowly progressing and I have decided that I will never again double-knit. Hate it! I would rather use intarsia to knit two scarves and sew them together...it would go faster. But I've already started and I'm not ripping that out. Plus, it's starting to look very nifty, I'll get a picture up soon.
In addition to the tie for my dad, I wanted to make him a hat. Not just any hat. I'm working up a sheepskin-looking ear-flap hat, the kind where you can tie the ear flaps up on the head. Did I mention nerd runs in my family? He'll love it.
So, since it's the weekend after Thanksgiving (hope everyone had a lovely time!) and I do my damnedest not to go out when that many people are trying to save, I'm thinking I'll go put up some lights and paint some ornaments. Maybe con the kiddo into helping. Being three, his artistic skills are in development and we NEED to paint! Not sure if the snow is going to stop or get worse, so maybe I'll put up the lights first...
Have a lovely weekend!

Chilly!

There was some ice fog last night! It's been sooo cold, but I absolutely love it when we get ice fog! Here, let me show you why:I took these pictures from my driveway. Sometimes I'm totally blown away by Alaska in all her glory. Here's a picture of the fog burning off and the mountains hiding behind it before the sun completely came out.
I just had to share that, doesn't it take your breath away?

So, in knitting knews, I made the cutest little birthday surprise for my dear, dear friend who recently moved to Colorado. I sent her a birthday package today, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this, so I can post a picture.Along with some fun little things I've been stockpiling, I got it into my head that she NEEDED a knitted cupcake. So I stayed up late to get it done last night and shipped off her package today. A little belated, as her birthday was Monday, but best friends let you get away with that.
The cupcake turned out so cute, though, that I want to make a zillion more. I have another friend who bakes. Oh, she bakes! She's amazing! I want to make her a dozen knitted cupcakes for no reason at all.
So, aside from the one-evening project, I've managed not to cast on anything new. It's killing me. I have the feeling that I NEED another beret, and really, it wouldn't take long... c'mon. Please?
But the Kiddo's mittens! And my dad's tie! And that rainbow hat! Ooh...that rainbow hat. It's calling me.

Some stuff on the needles

Hmm...well, I suppose I should let you in on what I'm up to. Since I decided not to finish the pattern for The Project right away, I've gone all crazy and cast on three more projects, I swear, I'll finish them! One is the tie for my dad for christmas.

Such tiny stitches! I'm only able to work on size one needles because the thing is about three inches at the widest point. It goes pretty quickly, in fact, since I took that picture I've knit another couple inches on it. I can't imagine that people knit entire sweaters on itty bitty needles. I couldn't do it.
Next on the list, I had bought (on ebay!) some of this lovely rainbow self-striping Zitron Loft yarn. The original intent was to make a rainbow felted bag with black icord piping. Sounds cute, no? Well, of course I never got started. But I recently found a pretty intarsia pattern that I thought would be pretty for this particular yarn. Whadda ya think?Aaaand I'm not really sure why my pictures are all turning on their sides. Not a fabulous picture anyway. It should be done pretty soon, then I'll have a better picture. I'm thinking of doing that three-point finish for the top with little pom-poms at the corners. I haven't done anything with pom-poms in a while, I need the ridiculousness.
The third project is another of my pattern that's going to be in Knitty (very soon!) so I can't put up a picture just yet. But on the upside, that might be finished by the time the pattern comes out, so it won't look like a mass of wierdness.
Okay, I have plans to take the Kiddo out for hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles, so I should get myself ready to leave the house.
Have a lovely weekend!

This Week is History

I thought that I would keep this a strictly knit blog. Then I decided I'd let myself use the loophole that this is a blog about my knit and my life. In my life, I am living history! This has been a hugely important week in United States politics. I won't go on and on, because if you agree with me, you feel the same way I do, and if you don't, there's another chance in 4 years. That's the really great thing about it! We have a say in what goes on. Really, this country can be amazing.
Okay, on to knit, shall we? I've decided to give myself permission not to finish The Project as scheduled. It's not completely done for, just on hiatus for now. There's enough stuff to deal with in my life without my hobby being a stress. So, on to presents! That's what I'm telling myself, but the first thing I cast on this evening was an experimental hat for myself. But it's only 8:15! By the end of the evening I may have one or two more cast on and revert back to The Project. I have a short knitting attention span.
Okey dokey! Time to get crackin' on some non-stressful, non-productive knitting!

Halloween and Holiday Knitting

I got to take the cutest little purple dragon trick-or-treating last night! He's been wearing the costume for about a week and if he's in it, he gets upset when I refer to him as Kiddo, Bubba, Baby or any other name besides Dragon. He cracks me up!
I had hoped to go out after Mr. Dragon crashed out, but, sadly, it was not to be. The Hubby and I just stayed home and watched a DVD. For all the fun stuff that goes on in this town for Halloween, I missed it all. I'm bummed that I didn't get to dress up, Halloween is usually major for me. Good news is, there may be some girls' night plans solidifying for tonight! And possibly some plans for sugar skull decorating for Day of the Dead. If that pans out, there will definitely be pictures!
On the knitting front, I've got project ADD. The Project is about 80% done and I desperately want to do something else. But I really need to finish this one and start on a SECOND one. Damn. The queue of projects in my head is getting longer! And the time between now and the holidays is getting shorter! Not that all of my presents this year are going to be knitted, I just don't have time. Especially if I want to finish The Project, including pattern. Ugh...just thinking about it makes me want to make something easy and unimportant. But it will be very nice when it's done. I'm just arguing with myself on my blog. Fantastic.
Let me tell you about my plans for holiday knitting. No, I'm not just trying to kill time. I want to make my dad another tie, I really like the Knit Picks Bias Knit Tie, and he actually wears it. I used Panda Silk for the first one, but I think I'd like to try KPPPM, see if he'll wear something a little less subtle. For the Hubby, I have had an idea for a scarf for him that I've wanted to make for years and I'm determined to get it done this winter. If it turns out the way I'm hoping it will, there will absolutely be a pattern posted! It will be called "Skarf" and if that gets your attention, just you wait!
I want to make a cozy hoodie for the Kiddo, too, but I think that will have to wait till post-holidays. That's fine, though. I refuse to buy/make him any clothing that isn't at least a size too big. Kids grow too fast to clothes that only fit them for 6 months! The winters here last long enough that a hoodie will be useful for quite a while. I really like Knit One, Crochet Too's PJ's yarn. It's a little ribbon of fleece material and I think it would make an awesomely cozy sweater. But that's not in any of my three tubs 'o yarn and I should use up something else before I invest in more yarn, even enough for a toddler sweater.
Okay, I suppose I'm done for now. Procrastination time over, time to KNIT!

Ravelry n' stuff

It's nearly midnight and I'm working on getting tired. I did the whole Ravelry invite request and found my invite in my e-mail today. So, there's that... in case anyone cares to check me out, my handle is iheardsheknits.
Still working on The Project. About 2/3 done!
I guess this post isn't going to be as interesting as I'd hoped. But here's something pretty:
Pseudo-pattern:
5 skeins Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere, Hot Pink (yes, it has to be this color!)
Size 8 DPNs or smallish circular

CO 108 sts, place marker, join for working in the round.
Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Purl
Rounds 3 & 4: Knit
Round 5: *(K2tog) 3 times, (K1, YO) 6 times, (K2tog)3 times repeat from* around
Round 6: Purl

Repeat rounds 3-6 till cowl is about 12" long, end on a pattern round 4. BO loosely.

Does that count as a pattern?!
It's time for bed.

Inspired

This is how I rock my Hourglass Sweater!
I don't remember when I made it. It may have been almost two years ago! That seems like a long time, but time really flies with everything that goes on. It looks a little wonky because I decided (as I do) to switch up the pattern a little bit. I used size 9 needles instead of the size 7 the pattern called for. I knit pretty tightly, so it was part that and part that I like a more open fabric. So, the neckline is a little wide and I probably should have added a couple inches to the body, it's a little short on me. But I still like it a lot! And today is the first day since it's the temperature has dropped that I haven't been absolutely freezing at work.
In other news, I really like the idea of having a pattern published! I had an idea for another pattern, similar to one I've made before, but different enough that it could be it's own pattern. After spending the weekend working on it, I decided it wasn't what I was hoping it would be. Frustration and knitters' block is now gone! I was inspired yesterday, and got what is hopefully a third of the project done! I'm to the difficult part, and writing the pattern for it is the hardest thing for me, but once it's done, I think it would be something some people would like to knit. If it doesn't make it into Spring Knitty, my goal, I'll post it here as a free pattern. If I have time soon, I'd like to write out and post one of my easy patterns on here to draw people in. Oh yes, I'm sneaky like that.
Well, I'm off to work on The Project some more while the Kiddo is napping.

A Fabulous Weekend

So, I'm still totally psyched about the Knitty thing, and recently getting in touch with a long-lost best friend, Northwest Knitter. I found her recently via Facebook and coincidentally she came up for a visit this weekend. We had lunch for two hours, then she came over and I made dinner and she hung out for another 5 hours. I made seafood chowder that turned out so yummy and we had mulled wine that I've been dreaming about since it started snowing. I forgot to make a fire in the fireplace, but that's okay! I found a friend I haven't seen in 12-ish years and we picked things up like it had only been a week!
I've been feeling motivated to make things this week and I've been in a creative slump for a few weeks, so it was nice to feel more myself. I have a new idea for a pattern that might get sumbitted to spring Knitty, made the tasty chowder last night, and the Kiddo and I made some pumpkin cookies with marshmallow-cream cheese frosting this morning. He mostly helped with the tasting.
Well, I guess it's not terribly interesting when I write it down, but I had a great weekend and I'm in a better mood than I've been in for a while, so I had to share! Chipper bubbly mood all around!

Inaugural Blog

Hi there! So, mostly I'm starting this blog because I just found out one of my patterns is going to be in the upcoming issue of Knitty! I'm very excited and I wanted to have a way for people to let me know what they think of the pattern. I'd love to see other peoples' takes on it.
It's snowing and I want nothing more than to curl up with some mulled wine and my latest project, but I have to wake up the kiddo and get to the grocery store.
Nice to meet you!