Knit for Your Life

Not Knitting

2011-09-29T17:40:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't knit anything since my last post, but I have discovered freezer paper stenciling. I loves it! Fun for the whole family!

It's the 90 minute shirt I mentioned in the last post, but I cheat and it works out to about a 30-45 minute shirt and doesn't look quite so fancy.
I picked up a bunch of shirts at the thrift store for more projects.

It is getting pretty chilly here in the mornings. We've had one frost day already. Which means I'm gearing up to being inspired to find the perfect sweater pattern. Again. I have a couple sweaters worth of yarn in my stash and I'm wanting to find something I love before I commit to knitting an entire sweater in the little free time I have. I'm imagining something loose-knit and drapey but still stylish and layerable. Maybe a deep v-neck. I'm not sure. Cardigans are always nice to layer too. I'm impressionable, any ideas?

Slowly, slowly

2011-09-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have been getting a little knitting done. Just some small stuff, but it's getting me back into the swing of things.
Things have been going okay, but I'm having some pretty alone moments. For anyone who still reads my sparse posts, thank you, it helps to know I'm not just screaming into the void. It also helps to check on Ravelry and see that there are people using my patterns. Seeing all the Socktopi and Lillie Cardigans out there makes me feel a little better. I'm trying not to use the kids as my emotional crutch, they don't need that fuel for their therapy sessions later in life.

Milo just turned six, it's totally blowing my mind! His birthday is just a couple weeks past the age cut-off for starting kindergarten, so he's pretty much the oldest kid in his class. He's having a blast, though. I put us in the lottery drawings for a few of the alternative schools in the city and he got into a small school that is half-day German immersion. Yeah, yeah, why German? Because it's a stand-alone school with a lot of parent involvement and learning any language uses that part of the brain. It's not about where he's going to be in the future, it's about using that amazing young child sponge brain now!
Ash is coming up on 6 months, and the kid is a little chunky monkey. At his 4 month check up, he was the size of an average 8 month old and his head size was off the chart for his age. Huge. But pretty darned awesome. I need to start making some baby hats and taking pictures since I have the built in model. (Hey, kid, wipe that drool of your face!)

I spoke with the owner of a local baby boutique about making hats, she was receptive to the idea. As ever, though, I need to get myself together enough to have some samples I feel are worth showing (and that Etsy shop...?) so we'll see how that goes.
We actually did quite a bit this summer, despite being bogged down by the baby (that was a joke). We had a super fun tie-dye party, there ended up being 14 kids in all, I think. I love the Internet, I found out about the good dye and how to make a few basic designs. I even dyed one of Ash's diapers!

Milo had soccer the first half of summer and ice skating lessons the last six weeks before school.
I've also been revisiting some quicker crafts. Sewing is pretty instant gratification. I'm loving the 90 minute shirt! The pictures I have of the ones I've made are on a friend's daughter and I don't want to post without their permission. It's stinkin' adorable, though! I've also revisited my love for nail polish, since discovering quick dry top coat. Giving myself a simple or artsy manicure is fast, cheap and easy and a good pick-me up. I know, I bite my cuticles, it's gross, whatever. Pay attention to the pretties!
We had a pretty nice summer, but it's fading fast. We're still getting some beautiful days, but there's definitely a chill in the air. Oh, Alaska, I don't think I'll miss your six month winters. I don't think I'll be keen on killer Texas summers, but it's only temporary. Yeah, we're planning on moving to Texas for a couple years. I'm really interested to see what the hell people in Texas knit! I can't imaging anything, no matter how lacy, that could be appropriate for Texas except a month or two in the dead of winter. Any Texans out there care to weigh in? I can't accessory knit forever. Or maybe I'll adjust and 70 degrees will feel like cardigan weather.

Blogger Failure

2011-05-21T22:45:00.005-08:00

Hey, if anyone is still with me, I'm sorry. I'm totally done making resolutions and getting my hopes up about writing regularly, it never seems to work. Only now I have an excuse. He's warm and tiny and mumbly and currently sleeping on my chest as I'm typing.
This is Ash. Just Ash. Not Ashton, Asher, Ashley or anything else.
He's the reason I'm sleep deprived and not getting much done these days. Totally worth it.
My knitting has been pretty minimal in the last few months, even before he was born. I'll talk about that in a minute. But first, I'm sure you all want to hear the story of the day Ash came into the world. Or not, but I'm telling it anyway. For posterity, right?
So, the official due date (which means pretty much nothing) was March 28. I was really hoping for 2 weeks early (totally unlikely) because my dad and I share a birthday and three generations would be pretty awesome. But I was still waiting on the 28th, and the 29th...and the 31st.
On April 1st, I got up, took Milo to his last day of preschool and went to work. Having Braxton-Hicks contractions all day, and totally ignoring them because I'd been having them for the last few months. Took cupcakes to preschool as a special last day treat. Back to work. Talked to the hubby on the phone about my day, it was our anniversary so we were talking about going to a movie that night. Went to pick up Milo from school, gathered all his stuff to take home, last little bit of chatting with teachers and other parents. Aaaand my water broke. So they helped me get everything to the car, I called Hubby, Mom, Dad (who was 2 hours away at his cabin and was going to watch Milo), midwives, and Friend-who-bakes. Made it to the birth center parking lot before I had another contraction and it wasn't much. So it's about 5:45 at that point, and I'm in soaking pants with none of my stuff and a bored 5 year old. (Ash just snorted really loudly)
My midwife wanted me to hang out and walk the halls and stairs for at least an hour to see how things were progressing. So my mom came and picked up Milo and I wandered around calling and texting everyone to let them know what was going on. Oh, technology. Around 7:00 the midwife checked me out, only at 5cm, but the contractions were getting stronger so we decided it would be best for me to stay. Called and texted everyone again and decided to sit on the floor instead of walking around. I really like the birth center experience, I want to sit on the floor, fine. I want to sit on the ball, fine. I hate the ball and roll it into the spare room, fine. Couch, fine. Back to floor, fine. Just before 8:00 Hubby shows up with friend-who-bakes. Mom arrives with Milo. Dad arrives to pick up Milo, Mom stays. Good timing because the next 4 contractions take me from concentrated breathing while standing and swaying, to gutteral screaming on the floor. So they help me up and to a bed. I only vaguely remember, but friend-who-bakes tells me, the student midwife was feeling bad that it was happening so fast and was trying to comfort me, telling me, "That's your baby's head..." and I yelled, "I KNOW!" Friend-who-bakes laughed, then felt bad for laughing.
So Ash was born at 8:31 pm. 9lbs 4oz, 21 inches long. Again, Friend-who-bakes tells me as he was coming out the midwives were kind of going "woah!" at the giant baby, but I was just trying to get him out.
This was a totally different experience than my long, slow, totally in control labor I had with Milo. I would prefer that one over short, super-intense and emotionally jarring any day.
So, that's how it went down, and now we're a family of 4 and it's pretty great.
If you've stuck with me til now, I have my tiny bit of knitting news. On my last trip to the yarn shop when I was still pregnant, Milo found Rebecca Danger's Big Book of Knitted Monsters on a bottom shelf where it caught his attention. Since he's always so patient with me when I'm yarn browsing, we got it and he picked out some monsters he wanted. I have to say, they're pretty addicting! I've made 4 so far, but I only have a picture of one.
This is Coco, the canister monster. All the monsters have names and stories to go with them. Sometimes Milo picks out this book as one of his before bed stories. Pretty dang cute, monsters and kiddo.
The boys also got me an awesome gift card to my favorite yarn store for Mothers' Day. I went in a few days ago and they just got in a ton of new yarn. I didn't buy anything yet, I need something I really want to knit. Any suggestions on a pattern? I'd really like to have a perfect cardigan, but I'm not sure I've found what I'm looking for just yet.
Well, I'm off to get a couple hours off sleep before it's baby feedin' time again. I'd like to say I'll write again soon, but no guarantees.
Thanks for sticking with me!

It's Love

2011-01-21T13:13:00.006-09:00

If I had to pick one brand of yarn to knit with forever (because people routinely hold guns to knitters' heads and force them to do this...) it would probably be Malabrigo. For the colors and the texture. Sentence fragment.
I went to my favorite local yarn shop for the first time in MONTHS a couple days ago. The only yarn I've purchased in the past 4 months has come from a craft store, was purchased for specific projects and has been used for those projects. I needed something for me, and I found it. If you haven't seen Malabrigo's Rasta in person yet, don't bother looking it up online. All the pictures I've found don't do it justice. And you can't FEEL it through the internet. I could feel this running through my fingers and watch the colors flowing together and be content with my life. The colors are like Koigu KPPPM on a macro scale. I really love KPPPM, but it's so damn tiny. Rasta made me a headband (kind of like Calorimetry, and for the same purpose) in an evening, easily.
For me, it's definitely a splurge yarn. I'm broke and we're about to have two kids. But I went back and bought more. I don't know what for yet, but I don't care. If I could afford it, I would make a loose guage sweater with wide cables to cuddle up in because January in Alaska is sub-zero.
SPEAKING OF WHICH! I'm going to Hawai'i on Tuesday, screw this sub-zero weather! Speaking of being broke, too... My mom has generously bought my ticket and said I can pay her back. It's a family trip with my mom, my aunt and uncle, and my grandmother. And a couple friends of mine said that it sounded like a good trip, so they'll be there too. There will be pictures. I wish the internet was more than just sight and sound, I'd share some warmth and sand with my friends who are still in the dead of winter.
I hope most of you are looking toward the end of winter. We still have a few months to go, but I'm fantasizing about gardening with a baby on my back and a 5 year old running around the yard, knitting something in cotton on the deck, keeping up with an Etsy shop. *POP* That's my bubble, I really should prepare stuff for an Etsy shop.
Okay, I feel good about two posts in less than a month! Hope I can keep this up, hope you keep sticking around.

HA! Made you look!

2010-12-24T10:00:00.005-09:00

I know, I completely failed at keeping up with that blog thing for the last six months. In my defense, I'm pregnant...? Does that count as an excuse? Due March 28-ish, another boy! Oh boy... Also, I'm open to name suggestions, we're totally stumped.
The other little guy turned FIVE in September. It's blowing me away watching him grow and become his own person. I may be biased, but I think he's pretty awesome.
I have been getting a little knitting done, mostly small stuff. A few hats, a couple shrugs, that sort of thing. The only thing I have a picture of right now is the Double Cap (Kat Coyle, KnitScene, Fall 2008) that I made a while back. They yarn I used was a little finer than called for in the pattern, but I think it still makes for a darn cute hat. These pictures are from our camping trip in Homer in July. It was colder there in July than it is some places now in December. Alaska is still pretty amazing.
So, I really hope to keep up with this. Maybe a New Year's resolution. Did I do that last year...? Probably. We'll see.
I also really want to kick my butt into gear and get an Etsy shop opened up. I want to have a little something coming in when I'm taking time off from my real job with the new baby.
I hope everyone has a lovely holiday season, whatever you're celebrating.

Is this thing on...?

2010-07-30T15:02:00.002-08:00

If anyone is still reading this, I apologize for the 7 month hiatus. My excuses are many, but now I'm back.
In the past 7 months, not much has been going on in the way of my knitting. I have knit four hats and a shrug as a birthday present. I believe that is absolutely it. Although, a couple of the hats are new patterns and I hope to have pictures for you soon and patterns for you sooner than another 7 months.
Also! My cup hat won me first prize in the I (heart) my Lunette contest on FaceBook! They also asked if I might knit up a couple for the team over there. It's on my list of things to do. Along with socks for my mom's birthday, a couple hats and a shrug for various other gifts and a sweater that fits my son. And opening an etsy store. Wait, haven't I been saying that for about a year?
I'm not sure what's causing my knitting slump, but I do seem to be working back into my groove. I really hope I can come up with more fun stuff to knit and share.
As this is breaking my 7 month silence, hopefully I'll keep it up a little more. I promise pictures of the new hats, which were well used on our camping trip last weekend. Camping in Alaska in July is like winter camping somewhere where they don't actually have winters. It was still a blast!
I'm back, let's do this thing.

Crafty Holidays

2009-12-17T16:25:00.006-09:00

Maybe I'll make it a resolution for 2010 to blog more regularly. And get crackin' on the patterns I need to post. And get an Etsy store set up.
Anyway, I've actually been doing some knitting in the past month that I haven't been blogging. I get the Knitting Daily e-mails and they had a free pattern for some knit ornaments that I thought were cute. These are just the ones I have left. I think I've knocked out about 10 of them. Quick and cute, good little gifts.
My favorite local yarn store, Far North Yarn Co, got in some new yarn, Marshmallows. I'm not a big fan of novelty yarns, but this stuff is so squishy and cool! One ball makes a scarf in about half an hour. For about $11. Can't beat that!
AND! I finished my pretty cardigan out of the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. I'm really happy with how it turned out! I finished it a couple days before Thanksgiving, but I had to enlist the kiddo to get a picture of it. I'll try to figure out some sort of pattern for this. I think it would look nice in a finer yarn, too. Experimenting to do!
He also took this fabulous picture of me sporting my Noro top. I finished that this summer, but I don't think there was ever a picture. It's just a top-down raglan with yarn-over increases. I can't remember the name of the yarn. It took two skeins and I alternated skeins every other round so the stripes would show.
So, even though I've been neglecting you, my needles are still in use. In case I don't get around to posting again in the next couple weeks (likely), I hope everyone has a lovely holiday and new year!

A Bit Personal

2009-11-16T23:38:00.004-09:00

I have recently discovered the awesomeness that is a menstrual cup. Hey, I warned you this was personal. If you are a woman who is so lucky to deal with this on a regular basis, I highly recommend you look into one.
How is this related to knitting? Well, I was so inspired and I needed a way to bring it up in conversation...It's my new religion. Have you heard the good news?
Pattern soon, for the 2 other people who knit and use cups...

Step One

2009-10-13T21:27:00.004-08:00

Friends, I have a problem. My problem is procrastination. I do believe I've had it most of my life.
But, I finally got around to posting the pattern for that baby cardi! Woo! It's at the expense of some current projects, but, hey, those don't involve getting a free pattern to my readership.
It recently started getting a little chilly, as I mentioned before. I took this picture a couple weeks ago. It was sunny and gorgeous in most of the city, then right at the edge, dark clouds and snow creeping down the mountains.
The past few days are giving me hope for a longer fall, because summer is definitely over here. I can hope there won't be snow for trick-or-treating, though.
The chill in the air got me furiously knitting that Alpaca Silk cardigan and I knit most of a wearable garment in about 4 days. Sounds quick, but it's on size 10 needles, I'm a cheater like that. The plan is to make a wide band that is the finishing around the fronts and neckline. That's the killer. I've managed to get about 10 inches knit in two weeks. It's a pretty cable pattern, but not so difficult that I shouldn't be completely done by now and wearing that thing out in the pretty fall weather.
I just decided to start knitting something else instead! I'm tentatively working on a stash of items for a local eco-chic boutique, scarves, hats, simple things like that. Thing is, the first scarf I made, I ran out of yarn half-way through the bind-off. Seriously. And it's knit lengthwise, so I can't just undo a row. So, I'm having a glass of wine and blogging.
That, dear friends, is why you have the cardi pattern now. The shame.
Usually it's the finishing that kills me. I promise that most, if not all, of my patterns will have the least finishing humanly possible, for myself and you. That cute leaf purse I made for my friend (should I make a pattern for that one?) nearly killed me. It was absolute torture sewing the lining to the outer. I had two inches left of whip-stitching, no problem, and it took every bit of my willpower to finish it instead of cleaning the bathroom or going for a bike ride. Anything but finishing, in both senses.
That's my rant on procrastination. I'm going to go finish my wine and probably watch a movie. I don't feel guilty!
Here's my favorite recent picture. A very small 40 year old yuppie in the back seat of my car:

Lillie Baby Cardigan - Free Pattern!

2009-10-13T20:18:00.009-08:00

Edited Jan 2011: I added stitch count and hopefully clarified the sleeve/body transition.
Here it is! This sweet little baby cardi is exactly how I envisioned it. I'm disappointed I can't offer a picture of it on a sweet baby yet, but I'm working on that. I made a few adjustments from the original blue one, barely noticeable, but more structurally sound and appealing. The final pattern is the three button version pictured in orange. It is worked top down seamlessly (because, really, who likes sewing seams?) and uses only 4 basic stitches! If you need, Knitty has a great stitch index.
In all versions, I used Berroco Comfort because it's very soft, machine washable and dryable, inexpensive, comes in MANY colors, and one skein is enough. I imagine it would be adorable with ribbon yarn and the pattern would work just fine with any similar weight yarn.
Happy knitting for a little one in your life!

Size 0-3 months

What you'll need:

Approximately 200 yd/190m worsted-heavy worsted yarn
Size 9 (5.5mm) needles, one set of straight or a circular and a set of DPNs or a long circular for magic loop
Stitch markers
Scrap yarn
Yarn needle
Three buttons, one-half to one inch size

Gauge: 17 sts and 24 rows in 4 inches flat stockinette

Neck and Sleeve Shaping:
Using straight or circular needle, cast on 44 sts
Rows 1-3: K all sts
Row 4: K9, PM, K6, PM, K14, PM, K6, PM, K9
Row 5 (Right Side): K2, YO, K2tog, *K to 1 st before next marker, YO, K1, Sl M, K1, YO, repeat from * to end [52 sts]
Row 6 (Wrong Side) and all even rows through 24: K4, P to last 4 sts, K4
Rows 7, 9 and 11: *K to one st before marker, YO, K1, Sl M, K1, YO, repeat from * to end [Row 7 - 60 sts, Row 9 - 68 sts, Row 11 - 76 sts]
Row 13: Work as for row 5 (button hole row) [84 sts]
Rows 15, 17 and 19: Work as for rows 7, 9 and 11 [Row 15 - 92 sts, Row 17 - 100 sts, Row 19 - 108 sts]
Row 21: Work as for row 5 [116 sts]
Row 23: K all sts
Row 25: (remove all stitch markers as you get to them) K18, transfer next 24 sts to scrap yarn, K32, transfer next 24 sts to scrap yarn, K18 [68 sts on needles, 24 sts for each sleeve on scrap]
Row 26 (Wrong Side): K all sts, joining under-arms

Body:
The rest of the body is worked in a modified feather and fan pattern with edging worked in:

Pattern Row 1 (RS): K all sts
Pattern Row 2 (WS): K4, P to last 4 sts, K4
Pattern Row 3 (RS): K4 *[K2tog] twice, [YO, K1] four times, [K2tog] twice, repeat from * to last 4 sts, K4
Pattern Row 4 (WS): K all sts

Repeat these 4 rows ten times, less for a cropped version, more for a duster.
When desired length is reached, K 2 rows and BO loosely.

Sleeve:
Remove 24 sts from scrap yarn and divide evenly over DPNs or longer circular for magic loop.
Begin knitting at underarm.
Sleeve rounds 1-15: K all sts
Rnd 16: P all sts
Work feather and fan in the round (below) three times
Knit one rnd, purl one rnd, BO loosely.

Feather and fan pattern in the round:

Rnds 1 & 2: K all sts
Rnd 3: *[K2tog] twice, [YO, K1] four times, [K2tog] twice
Rnd 4: P all sts

Weave in all loose ends. Attach buttons. DONE!

As usual, if you notice any errors in this pattern or have any questions, please contact me!

It's in the Air

2009-09-21T12:35:00.006-08:00

Okay, so maybe you can't feel it yet except here, but there's definitely a chill in the air. In fact, on my way to work this morning, I did spy some snow on the mountains. UGH! I'm not ready for winter yet! Although it has kicked my knitting butt into gear. I've knit another lace leaf beret and started on a cardigan. I don't have pictures yet, but the cardi is being made in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in a pretty muted teal. I managed to get a good deal on Ebay a while back...like two years ago. And I'm trying so desperately not to buy new yarn. My friend in Seattle says her yarn storage is now a display case in her living room and it helps immensely with the buying urge. I really should do that.
So, I've been meaning to post in the last couple weeks, but there's always something.
I took the kiddo to the State Fair on Labor Day, just the two of us, and we had a pretty good time. Sometimes his fearlessness worries me. He was completely unfazed:
And I have to show this picture because it cracks me up. How much ice cream can you cram in your face?
Also, he is now four. F-o-u-r. It's mind-blowing. We had a little birthday dinner at my mom's house on the day of, and had planned for a party on Saturday with some kids. Unfortunately there's a nasty bug going around, and in the last 8 days, the three in my house and at least one extended family member have gotten to see some graphic examples of digestion.
The good part is, he had it the easiest and was not entirely turned off of food.
Leaving on a happy note, before the weather really turned icky, and before we all got sick, there was some beautiful sun, a good bike ride and a harvesting of herbs.

The Play-by-Play

2009-09-03T21:12:00.005-08:00

So, I'm home. It's nice to be home, not so nice to be back to work and maddening that I completely missed the BABY!
My dear friend in Colorado had a baby due on the 24th of August and I got in on the 25th. I was so excited she hadn't hatched yet and thrilled at the possibility of being there for the birth. Alas, when I left on the 31st (in the evening, no less) still no baby.
I did get to give her the orange baby cardi with the pretty heart buttons and finished a second while i was there, blue with little seashell buttons (no pics of that one). Working on a third, purple with flower buttons. Baby stuff is so fast and easy! And I think I've finalized the pattern, so I may post it tomorrow or this weekend.
Here's the baby wearing the orange cardi:
If you need some perspective on what 41 weeks pregnant looks like, there's this one!
After we (the kiddo and I) left Colorado, we spent a couple days in Seattle before heading back home. I got to visit with a few friends and we stayed with our Oma.
Oma is the grandmother name we gave to my other mother, my mom's partner through my childhood. She moved to Seattle in 2001 and we try to get down to visit at least once a year.
So, yesterday morning around 5am, I think, my phone rings and it's Colorado calling to tell me they're on the way to the hospital (only because there were no birth center type places...don't get me started!) and another call around 10 to let me know the baby was born. I'm so happy for them, but bummed I didn't get to meet her on the outside.
Bummed was made a little better by getting to visit my Seattle friends, one in particular. She is also a knitter and she told me her favorite yarn store and I managed to get a quick trip in before we caught the plane last night!
So, that's about it for my trip, not very productive, but that's the way I like my vacation.
Then I had to come home and revive my plants that hadn't been watered and pick some burst tomatoes off the vine. I'm heading up to the big garden tomorrow and hoping at least a few things have survived my absence. Wish me luck!
Bonus picture, a rare shot of the four of us, almost five!

Whew

2009-08-23T23:01:00.003-08:00

Hi friends, just checking in before I take off on vacation for a week! Woo! I'll be heading to Colorado to sniff that brand new baby head smell and give a new cardi! Made a couple little tweaks to this version, I like it better.Not sure why it flipped...
Then we're off to Seattle, home away from home, for a few days just to hang out.
Aside from that, I've had some out of town family visiting, running around doing touristy things you rarely do in your home town. It's fun every now and then.
Also got some more cukes and berries for preserving. I'll take pictures when I get back.
It's late and I still need to pack some stuff. Have a lovely week (or so) everyone!

Viking Hat - Free Pattern!

2009-08-08T14:46:00.005-08:00

Created as a unique birthday present, and a quick last-minute one at that. It knits up very fast and the yarn is fairly inexpensive. I figured that even if it was just a novelty, I'm not out much time or money, although he assures me that it will get plenty of use this winter!
I hope I don't earn a reputation for this, but there's a little short row shaping on DPNs and I know a lot of people found that to be trying in the Socktopus pattern. But I thought it was necessary to get the horns the right shape and I don't think it's quite as annoying in this pattern.
As ever, please don't hesitate to say something if you find something off in the pattern or you have any questions. I finally got around to putting my e-mail on my profile page, so now you can contact me directly. Have fun with this one!

What you'll need:

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky
Color A: Bronze Patina - one skein
Color B: Sandy Heather (or a cream color) - 20 yards is a generous estimate, should be plenty
Set of size 10.5 (6.5mm) DPNs and/or a 16" circular of the same size
-I knit tightly, if you are a loose knitter, size 10 (6mm) would probably be just peachy
Stitch marker
Yarn needle
A bit of stuffing or scrap yarn to stuff the horns

Special Stitches:

Bobble - Knit into front and back of sitch twice (this requires a little tugging) so there are a total of 4 sts from the single one. Turn work and purl these 4 sts. Turn work again, slip first stitch to right needle, knit the next two sts together, pass the slipped stitch over, knit the next stitch and pass the (k2tog) stitch over, so you have a single stitch again.
(I really hope that was explained well enough, again feel free to contact me!)

W&T (on a knit st) - With working yarn in back, slip stitch to right needle, bring working yarn to front of work between needles, slip stich back to left needle and turn your work.

W&T (on a purl st) - With working yarn in front, slip stitch to right needle, bring working yarn to back of work between needles, slip stitch back to left needle and turn your work.

Hat:

Using color A, CO 60 sts, place marker and join for working in the round.

Rounds 1&2: Purl all sts
Rounds 3&4: Knit all sts
Round 5: *K5, make 1 bobble, repeat from * around
Rounds 6&7: Knit
Rounds 8&9: Purl
Work st st (knit all sts) for another 3.75 inches
Begin decreasing:
Dec. Round 1: *K4, K2tog, K4, repeat from * around [54 sts]
Round 2 and all even rouns: K all sts
Round 3: *K7, K2tog, repeat from * around [48 sts]
Round 5: *K3, K2tog, K3, repeat from * around [42 sts]
Round 7: *K5, K2tog, repeat from * around [36 sts]
Round 9: *K2, K2tog, K2, repeat from * around [30 sts]
Round 11: *K3, K2tog, repeat from * around [24 sts]
Round 13: *K1, K2tog, K1, repeat from * around [18 sts]
Round 15: *K1, K2tog, repeat from * around [12 sts]

Cut yarn, leaving an 8 inch tail. Use yarn needle to thread tail through remaining 12 sts twice, pull tight and tie off.

Horn (Make 2):

Using color B, CO 12 sts, place marker and join for working in the round.

Knit 12 rounds
Work short row section two times as follows:

K9, W&T
P6, W&T
Knit to end of round, picking up wrapped st
Knit 2 rounds, picking up wrapped st on 1st round

Next round: *K1, K2tog, K1, repeat from * around [9 sts]
Knit two rounds
Next round: *K1, K2tog, repeat from * around [6 sts]
Knit two rounds
Next round: K2tog around [3 sts]
Knit one round, cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.
Use yarn needle to thread tail through remaining three sts, pull tight and tie off.

Finishing:

Stuff a little fiberfil, roving or scrap yarn into the horns to make them stand up.
Use yarn needle and an approximately 12 inch piece of yarn to sew horns to hat.
Weave in all loose yarn ends.

Lots of Things! And Stuff!

2009-08-08T13:11:00.010-08:00

Hello, friends! I've been having way too much fun these past couple weeks, and I do feel a little guilty about not sharing any of it with you until now. But I'll try to make up for it.
I know I blather about my gardening adventure a lot, but I'll save that for a couple sentences to let you know that when I'm done blathering about my garden, I'll end this post and do another post which will be a new free pattern! Woohoo!
So, last night there was a birthday party for the fiance of [Friend Who Bakes] and it was a blast. He's in a black metal band, very much about the Norse roots, but not in a racist kind of way (I guess there's a lot of that out there). So I knit him a Viking helmet.
It was very last minute and I wrote down everything as I was making it so I could share it with my readership since I haven't posted a free pattern in a while and I've been promising the baby cardigan pattern for a while. Sorry it's not the baby cardigan! But it's a fun and super fast project!
And he loved it and wore it most of the night even though it's the middle of summer and the hat is made of wool. I made the kiddo model it for me, too, like I usually do with my finished projects. Bat-Viking!
So, that's my knitting news, for those of you who aren't as interested in the garden, you may be dismissed.
But we had a good week in gardening! A few tomatoes, some cucumbers, non-garden wild berries, and a little preserving.
I'm not sure what the deal is with larger tomatoes, and I'm certainly open to tips, they just seem to be so bland! The little cherry tomatoes were impossibly delicious, and I only started liking tomatoes a few years ago, but the bigger ones, and they're not even that big, were just kind of bleh. I don't remember what variety they are, I wish I did. We have some Romas growing in the cabin greenhouse and I hope they taste good enough to warrant using again next year. The cherry tomatoes are so very good, but they're not exactly ideal for making anything with. Any suggestions on flavorful tomatoes?
I was also excited to see some pickling size cucumbers in the greenhouse! I like pickles. A lot. Especially tiny ones. I got a few ranging between an inch and a half to about four inches long, enough for a half-pint of pickles, and I was determined to have my half-pint of pickles. But there was something else. This is the first time I've ever grown cucumbers, so I have no idea what to expect. Being from Alaska, I know very little about warm-weather plants, and my gardening policy in general is to just see how it goes. Perhaps someone else can tell me. As I was looking around for cukes big enough to justify pickling, I came across TWO of these monsters:
Where did they come from?! I think I was actually laughing to myself in the middle of nowhere over giant cucumbers. So I picked them, took them home, crinkle cut and pickled them along with my half-pint of tiny cukes. Two huge cukes = three pints of crinkle cut pickles. Crazy!
In addition to that, the kiddo and I wandered the property picking wild berries that ended up being enough to make a half-pint of jam with a little left over. I had some on my toast yesterday and it was pretty tasty! It's a little early for most of the berries here, so I had to mix three different types. Tart, sweet and unexpectedly flavorful. Later in the season I should be able to have enough to make batches of single berry jam. I think I just lost my punk rock lisence to being excited about preserving.
My last preserving adventure this week was zucchini relish. The sad part is, I had to buy zucchini. Our garden got a late start and I'm sure we'll have a bunch soon enough, but not yet. I bought local zucchini and carrots from the market though, so they're going to taste really good. Another thing I'll see if any of you know: Does the relish have to sit for weeks like pickles? None of the recipes I found said anything about it. Anyone know?
So, here's a jar of each, in all their glory. Hooray for preserving!
Now I have to go read some books to the kiddo and then I'll bang out the pattern for the Viking Hat!

Knit for your Weekend

2009-07-26T16:55:00.002-08:00

Hello darlings! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty darn good and it's not over yet. It's been a little chilly and rainy this weekend, but that's okay. Spent some good time with family and friends! My mom came over Saturday and she and I and the kiddo went for a walk in the rain to the park near our house. I love the way the rain smells, especially after all the wildfire smoke this summer. Saturday night the Hub and I and some friends went to see some good music and have some tasty beer. He does a podcast with a couple friends and they focus on Alaskan musicians. This week they hung out with David Reynolds, boy and his guitar, definitely worth a listen! He had a couple gigs in town and is heading out this week. So last night it was the Snow Goose restaurant, which houses the Sleeping Lady Brewery. Good times.
Nice lazy Sunday morning today and in about an hour [Friend Who Bakes] will be coming over to sew! Although I'm feeling my sticks and string the past few days, sewing has a faster gratification rate.
I wanted to say a few things here, too. I've gotten a couple questions about my blog/patterns. The answer is YES. Link to me! I love how knitting and crafting can bring together people across the country and the world for no other reason than a common interest in yarn! Link to me! Use my patterns! Share them with anyone!
As far as selling things, I prefer my patterns to be for personal use, gifts and such. If you knit and someone else wants to commission a project, this seems perfectly reasonable to me. I'm going to try to get an Etsy store up and running in the fall and I'd like to reserve the right to sell my finished products commercially.
Let's end on a happy note, shall we? Another of my tomatoes is turning red and should be ready to pick in a couple days. This one is all mine!
Have a good week, friends!

My Week in Crafting

2009-07-23T22:23:00.008-08:00

So, here's the rest of the of the specifically designed chemo hats. Yarn is very important for these! I'm totally into Plymouth Oh My! yarn. I don't care that the stuff is not good for washing! It makes up for whatever it lacks in being SO SOFT. SOFT. This is the perfect yarn for chemo hats. Also tried some Bernat Natural Blends Bamboo. Very nice and soft too! And inexpensive. Well, both of those, really. And here's another shot of the wig, I think the kiddo took that picture, it's his new hobby.
Also, I'm finalizing the pattern for the newborn size of the baby cardigan. My thoughts are posting this size for free on here, then eventually working out sizing for up to 24 months and compiling into a PDF for my eventual Etsy store. So, that should be up soon. I'm making a set of them for my dear friend who has a baby due in a month! And I get to visit her in Colorado and hopefully get to meet the new bitty baby! So exciting! P.S. I know you're reading this and I just found the perfect buttons for the orange version!
In other craftabulous news (wow, my spell check didn't underline craftabulous) I've spent the past three evenings being creative with the kiddo. We got some of that Crayola Model Magic, pretty fun stuff. He made a ladybug I'm really impressed with. He's also started drawing faces and I have pictures on the fridge at home and stapled to the wall at work. Makes me smile when I'm stuck at work. Tonight we had [Friend Who Bakes] and her step-daughter over for hanging out with craft projects. Mostly beading, a little modelling clay. Good times!
On the garden front, I have no idea what's going on. I skipped the long trip this week because my dad went up the same time I usually go and he took care of the watering for me. Not too optimistic about anything but peas and potatoes. My plants at home are doing very well, though! Kiddo and I pick the peas as they grow. I figured out something to do with all the basil, too. My gawd, try this! Delicious. Seriously.
I got my first two little tomatoes and gave them to my dad. I should have swiped a bite before he ate them, now I'll never know how tasty they were! Sad. But there are more growing! It's so exciting to be growing food, even if it's way more time and energy than going to the store and grabbing a few tomatoes and peas.
Alright, time for bed! Woo! New free pattern coming soon!

PSA

2009-07-18T13:14:00.002-08:00

We here at Knit For Your Life feel it is our duty to share some disturbing information with you. As you may or may not be aware, there is a growing problem in so many communities across America and the world. I admit that I have become involved and feel I need to share the facts with my readership so they may not fall into this vicious cycle, as I have.
I used to consider this problem something that affected people different from me, older people, people with more time and money to spare. But it turns out the problem goes deeper than that. Younger generations are getting involved, and the internet is so readily available with all the information you need whether for personal use or on a large distribution scale.
I admit, for me, it started as just something to try, I was never too serious about it. Personal use, I thought, maybe a little for family or friends if they wanted some. But before I realized it, things were getting out of hand and I feel I'm in over my head.
You may not realize it, but someone you know may be in the same situation. I personally know of at least 5 people with same problem I have, although they're not as deep into it as I am.
I feel it is up to me to do my part to make people aware of this problem and ask you to share this information with anyone you know.
I have a picture to share, but you may find this image disturbing.
Below is a picture of a recent crop from my "personal" stash.
Basil: It's easier than you think.

Summer time!

2009-07-15T20:37:00.005-08:00

So, of course, I meant to have more pictures things I've gotten done, but here's a start. You'll just have to check back for more later!
Because there's pictures of the wig, but not of the other two hats I'm working on. Special wig and hats for chemo-head. Not the kiddo, he's just the model.
And I have yet to get a picture of the cute sweater I knitted out of that Noro. But stick around, baby, I can change! I've just been busy with summer. I need to get as much out of it as I can! The long days are amazing, but they're getting shorter already. We actually have to turn the lights on around 10:30, ridiculous. But we got a ride-along bike for the kiddo, since I hate trailers and he was too big for the plastic baby seat thing last summer. I love it! Some of the cheaper ones, people are giving bad reviews because the rear wheel locks up. We had the same problem once or twice, but it can be easily fixed by holding the pedals and pulling the wheel against them to tighten what's inside. No problems since, and it was $120 cheaper than the exellently reviewed REI models. But no pictures of that either.
I picked my first crop at the garden two weeks ago. Radishes are so gratifying! Picked the rest of them yesterday. Also have a second round growing.
OH! Guess what else! I've been really excited about trying pickling since we started this garden, so a couple days ago, I had my first attempt. My brother-in-law's birthday is in September and I'm %99.9 sure he hasn't, doesn't and won't read my blog, so I can post this. He likes spicy stuff, so I thought this would be good. He doesn't get them all, though!
It drives me nuts that they have to age, I want to see how they turn out!
Here's how I connect gardening to knitting: I really really want to knit a fruit and veggie basket, including the basket.

Y'all come back now, y'hear?

2009-07-14T09:46:00.002-08:00

I have some knitting to show! And some veggies from the garden! And a totally awesome looking first attempt at pickling!
But here's the catch: later.
I'm at work right now, sneaking a blog in. Later today I have to drive 2 hours to tend the garden, see how things are going and hopefully drive home tonight. Last week was a day-trip fail. I figured I'd head up when it was nap time for the kiddo and head home at bed time. Nap time worked, bed time didn't. He usually goes to bed at 8:00, but we got home after 10:00 and I figured since he was still up, he needed a shower. That makes for a cranky baby the next day, let me tell ya. We'll see how it goes today.
I have the day off tomorrow, though! And that means I'll have time to show and tell about stuff!

Oh yeah, I have a blog

2009-06-26T18:00:00.004-08:00

It's been over a month since my last post. If you're still reading, you're probably one of two people. Hi guys!
Things have been pretty busy and I find I'd rather spend my spare time doing something other than blogging. I have some edibles growing in the garden and at home. The garden is some property about two hours away and I've added a 24 hour round trip garden tending to each week. It's fun though, I like to get out there. Especially since there's a mosquito magnet that really helps with the itch factor. I'm also growing tomatoes in buckets. My dad was headed up to the property tonight, so he took 4 of the 5 buckets to put in the greenhouse. I kept the 5th because it's the only one with fruit on it already and just in case he kills the others, I'd like to have one that makes it. We'll see. Mostly I'm worried about them getting burnt. It's too cold to have them directly outside, so they've spent their entire lives in my living room. As you know, it's just past Solstice and that means we're still having over 19 hours of daylight out of 24.
The garden takes up a lot of time, but I still get knitting in. I finished the Noro top, but don't have any pictures to show for it. Two skeins and size 15 needles makes a cute short-sleeved summer top and there's enough yarn left for half sleeves if you wanted to! The large gauge means it stretches to fit a range of sizes, I would probably say the single top would fit small through large.
I'm also fiddling with another Lillie cardigan, modifying a few things and getting the pattern worked up. But, of course, I interrupt myself with some sewing and starting more hats.
I've been thinking I should resolve to blog more often and try to keep my readership. We'll see how that goes...

Back to your regularly scheduled knitting blog

2009-05-22T21:34:00.005-08:00

Okay, so I guess I can post a couple things. I just didn't want to do it in the same super-story blog.
So, here's that crazy/lovely/hideous Noro!
The picture doesn't do it justice, but I'm really excited to make a super loose knit pullover with stripes that don't match anything.
And some delicious looking roving I picked up because there was a little confusion with my pound of merino and, really, can you leave empty-handed?!
The hot pink is a merino bamboo blend that is, well, HOT PINK! The other is some really pretty tonal blue pencil roving and I've never used pencil roving so this seemed like a lovely start.
And, finally, summer hit Anchorage like a green bomb and it is awesome.

Deviating post/ Story Time

2009-05-22T18:48:00.004-08:00

I'm sorry, did I promise pictures of yarn and spring? Sorry, I lied, something more important came up. My son had his first visit to the ER. And I'm going to tell the story!
I'll start out by saying he's fine, you don't have to stick around if that's all you wanted to know.
So, we got together for our first play date with a friend of mine who has three boys 8, 5, and 3, just right for going bonkers in the play area of a particular mega fast-food chain of the Irish persuasion, if you catch my drift. And the kids played, then ate, then played, then had some ice cream, then played some more and two minutes after I said, "Just a few more minutes, it's past your bed-time!" he bounced off another kid and into one of the padded poles. Now, these poles have padding held on with these little bands that probably break a lot. Because the high-traffic area padded poles mostly have the padding held on with zip-ties. So, as my son bounced off this pole, one of those poorly cut zip-ties happened to be right at the level of his forehead. I watched him bounce off and fall down, I saw a spot on his forehead turn red and as I was getting up to see what happened, blood started gushing down his face.
Side note: I really try not to exaggerate unless it's for humorous purposes and there's really nothing humorous about blood gushing down my only child's face.
Side note: I'm not an over-reacting parent. I have only taken him to the doctor outside of regular check-ups three times. The first was when his penis was dripping blood after his circumcision didn't go quite perfectly (but his wee-wee is fine now!), the second was when he had a full body spotty-rash and the only reason I took him in was because we were going out to the middle of nowhere for the weekend. And this is the third.
So, I grab him, run back to the table and grab a napkin for his head, my friend is trying to help get the blood out of his eyes. Another couple came over to help, the husband was a chiropractor, so he had some medical knowledge and, with the best intentions, tells me it's probably not as bad as it seems, head wounds tend to bleed a lot. So I lifted the napkin for a second and got, "Oh..."
So, of course it's the one time I don't have my phone. But this other couple helped us get to the emergency room, he drove so I could keep a napkin on the gash. She followed and they went home when we got in, but gave me their phone numbers (I called and thanked them profusely on their voice mail).
My mom met us at the ER, I called her from the couples' phone, but called my husband at work from my mom's phone at the ER.
So, at the restaurant, the kiddo cried for about ten seconds then just dripped tears a little. He's not much of a crier and usually gets mad at me if I try to console him when he gets any kind of minor boo-boo. So, as we're cleaning him up and figuring out how to get to the hospital he says, kinda quietly, "Mama, I'm gonna be okay..." If I hadn't been in do-something-now mode, I probably would have cried. He's such a tough cookie. He even feel asleep on the way to the hospital. And don't get all upset with me, he was talking and acting totally normal and I was checking his eyes. It was just past his bedtime and he had been playing for nearly two hours before.
So, the two hour ER visit went fine, he was bored, but got to have a pirate cotton-ball strapped to his head for a half hour and then "they glued me back together!" Which, really, I was glad it was the glue and not sutures. The doctor said there may not even be a scar (which I doubt) or that it would be pretty small. And might I say, if there's something that can get the hackles up on the coolest of parents, it's a harsh doctor asking the nurse for the [pointy metal tweezers] because there's some fatty tissue that keeps wanting to come out of there. Lady, it's a REALLY good thing you numbed him up first, don't think I won't take those tweezers to you!
That's about it, then. The little guy didn't seem to mind anything, the nurse said he was easier to work with than some 16 year olds. Plus, he got THREE stickers when we left!
This picture is a little dramatic...
Because he's totally fine and it's difficult to keep him chill enough not to rip the damn thing open again.

Picture Post!

2009-05-12T14:36:00.008-08:00

So, my camera battery died before I could take the "after" pictures for spring. I have some other pictures to share!
In case I haven't made myself clear, I procrastinate. Big time. So, I had a birthday party to go to on Saturday and around Wednesday I decided I should make her a purse. Because I had some great bamboo handles and she's an earthy girl. And some leftover sage green tweedy yarn from the sweater I made for the hubby. I started and ripped it out about half a dozen times before deciding on a lace leaf pattern over cables or other lace patterns. It was a pain in the arse working around the handles, but I like how it turned out, and so did she!
I even added a couple elastic-top pockets on the inside. I'm big on pockets.
One of the things I wanted to post a picture of is some new yarn I picked up yesterday. I keep telling myself I should use more of my stash, but isn't there always something?! So the conveniently close yarn shop just got in some new Noro. I've never been big on Noro, the color combinations usually appeal to me as much as nails on a chalk board. Usually. Then sometimes they have something come out that I'm absolutely into. And it happens to be the most HIDEOUSLY AWESOME colorway ever! I'm not even going to link to anything. I have to post my own picture so you can see the true glory of lime green, fucshia, purple, teal, orange and more. Picture next post, I promise (along with the spring ones, right?)
So, sew. A friend thought it would be a good idea for me to teach her to sew. I don't really know much, so we did a little project together. It turned out pretty awesome! We went all matchy-matchy to the birthday party.
This, by the way, is the friend who BAKES. And this is the cake of awesomeness she made for the birthday party!
Not only was it super cool to look at, it was chocolate cake with raspberry cream on the inside. My mouth is watering just thinking about it...
And finally, the kiddo:
Tyrannosaurus Rex says "RAWR!"

Baby Cardi stumble

2009-05-05T09:34:00.002-08:00

Somewhere between making the cardigan and writing the pattern, I gained two stitches. I'm not doubting my math, but perhaps I cast on two fewer stitches than I thought... And I already gave it away. I may have to steal it back for a bit so I can figure out what I did.
Just a hiccup, the pattern will be written!

2009-05-03T21:14:00.006-08:00

I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with the whole seedling thing. I don't have enough dirt or containers for everything and they're taking over!
Okay, the big tomato plants I bought at a greenhouse, but the rest is growing faster than I expected. This picture doesn't include the two big pots housing the okra and peas. Oy vey!
I have a couple pictures to demonstrate spring in Alaska.
Taken Saturday and Sunday in a couple locations, I'll have pictures next week from the same spots and chances are everything will be green, the lake will be totally melted and it will be awesome! (Yes, we do have a plastic deer in our yard, the kiddo likes to ride it like a horse.)
And, of course, knitting news. Spring makes me super productive, planting, sewing, knitting, all of it getting done in the last few days. I started this baby cardigan last night and finished it this morning. Quick, easy, cute! I suppose I'll write out the pattern.
Off to do something else before Monday sets in...

Not terribly exciting

2009-04-24T23:28:00.003-08:00

Unless you're me! Yesterday, it RAINED! Real rain! I know, for so many people that's been the whole winter, just lots of dreary rainy days. But I'm really psyched because it wasn't snow, or even slush and it smelled like wet earth and after 6 months without it, that is an AMAZING smell!
Also, had another sewing night last night and we actually got to the sewing part. After patchwork matching with the help of some creative juices (read: tequila and margarita mix), of course! It's a not really top secret projects and there will be some fun pictures when they're done.
I sewed today, too. This is only important to one person, but there are two new baby dresses of indeterminate size (have I mentioned I don't use patterns much?) and the baby size to weather ratio is the determining factor in who gets them. Two baby dresses in one day is some decent productivity...there will be more!
Oooh! Oooh! Since I do kind of advertise this as my knitting blog, I'll throw this in. I wrote about the now pith-covered Corriedale wool I got on Ebay, not impressed. In searching prices on Ebay versus local supplier, I find they're about the same. So, now I'm waiting to hear back on a pound of merino. Something I know for certain is sweater-worthy. I have a picture in my head of the perfect poppy red cardigan made from hand spun and Kool-Aid dyed yarn. If you could see it, you'd totally be on board with me and asking me for the pattern, I swear! Here's hoping my hands and my brain will see eye to eye and make it happen!
Here's a random picture for good measure. Where I was at this time last year, Garden of the Gods in Colorado.

Dear Diary...

2009-04-21T20:50:00.006-08:00

It's spring! For real! I'm SO excited! Last summer was an absolute bust here. We had a total of less than two weeks that the temperature went above 70F. In town, that is. A couple hours north there were some nice 80 days. On top of that, there was a day in late April when it snowed 24 inches in 24 hours. Lucky me, I was in Colorado, but I really feel for everyone who got stuck here!
So, seedling time! My dad owns some property about two hours north of here (coincidentally) and he's got it into his head that there needs to be a huge garden there. Guess who's in charge! So, what it seems to mean for me is traveling up there about once a week to do major tending. Basically we're going to be growing stew. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, that sort of thing. And I get a little corner for salad stuff.
I planted some seeds on Friday and already all the brussels sprouts, broccoli, basil and cherry tomatoes have sprouted! I'm totally awed by the visible change in seedlings over the hours. I know it's a little late for starts, but this is an experimental year. At worst, we'll have to buy starts from a nursery.
Spring also means it's time for iced tea! Real iced tea with lemon, and if I'm feeling ambitious, pureed fresh strawberries...oh, summer in a glass!
I also get motivated to cook more! Sure it's not the most season appropriate food, but there's a Guinness beef stew on the stove right now that smells soooooooooo good. I fell sorry for my husband, because there is no possible way it can taste as good as it smells. (The only meat I eat is fish and seafood, but the man likes his meat.) My dinner was damn tasty too, in case you were wondering! Jerk shrimp with rice and a super-salad. I like salad, real salad with green lettuce and lots of extra veggies tossed in. Olive oil and balsamic and a little basil...yum.
Okay, enough of that! What have I been knitting?
I made a little set of cupcakes for a friends' daughter for her birthday, it was kind of hard to part with them. Also made a little shrug for the friend, her birthday was yesterday and she likes to ogle my black and white shrug. Hers was black and maroon and shorter in the sleeves, but she loves it, so I'm happy. And she still wants a black and white one.
Also working on a stack of Lacy Leaf Berets. I think I'm going to knit and stockpile untill fall and open an Etsy shop when the weather starts to cool down.
Spun some of that Corriedale wool I got on Ebay, really not impressed. It spins really easily, but the fibers are pretty coarse and the finished yarn doesn't give me the ooh-ahhs. I'm the sort of person who gets an idea, does it, and deals with the consequences after the fact. That is why there is strawberry pith well attached to that yarn now. I had some black tea from last year (iced tea!) that is old and bitter and pretty much unusable, so I figured I'd try to dye the yarn with it. In a saucepot on my stove. Turned out pretty pale caramel colored, not bad, but not terribly interesting. But wait! I had some strawberries that were turning grodie, why not mash them up in a little water and brew out the pink?! And throw in a few frozen blueberries for good measure, those things stain everything... And just throw the yarn in there with all the mashed fruit. Yep.
Doing some sewing, too. A friend (the one that bakes!) got a new sewing machine and I'm supposed to be imparting my sewing knowledge, such as it is. Although last night we just drank margaritas and talked about sewing. Just as fun!
Another fun thing, I got new glasses. Sure, that doesn't seem so interesting, but I've had my eye on these babies for about 5 or 6 years. Finally decided I needed to get new glasses (I wear contacts most of the time) and I haven't taken them off since. Expensive, but I've been in love with them for so long! Dig the little flower! Pure awesome!
So HOORAY for SPRING! No strawberry pith is going to ruin my mood!

Craft Ash

2009-04-01T20:53:00.006-08:00

Hooray for spa weekend! A couple friends and I decided to take a trip to Alyeska, stay over night at the hotel and spend too much on food and drinks, go swimming and get massages. It was great! Alyeska is a ski resort, but that wasn't on the list of things to do. Which was good, because Mt. Redoubt blew, there was ash and the lifts were closed early on Saturday. We just watched from the indoor hot tub. It snowed Sunday morning though, settled things down a bit. The inside of the car had a lovely view though!
I thought about taking my laptop with me. I thought about taking a knitting project with me. I did neither and I'm really glad.
I finished the second Lacy Leaf Beret beforehand. I like how it turned out! Misti Baby Alpaca Grande is a tasty yarn choice! Smooshy soft and warm, great for a trip to a ski resort. I'm still in love with the Kool-Aid handspun though. Fun stuff!
Also working on a new Socktopus. This one is for my aunt who didn't want to give up the orange one as a baby gift.
In other crafting news, I've been making pants for the kiddo. Mostly from the hubby's old t-shirts. The cat-in-the-hat ones are my favorite! If I can talk him into modelling them, I'll have some pictures up soon. He has no problem letting me know I drive him crazy with the trying everything on and taking pictures. Would anyone be interested in a sort of DIY t-shirt lounge pants pattern? I'm still trying to decide wether to make pants out of the KMFDM shirts or piece them together in a quilt...

Making Up For It / Famouser

2009-03-20T21:18:00.006-08:00

So, to make up for my previous procrastination, I kicked into high gear since the last post.
First, the cloud of merino has been spun, dyed and half of it knit into a hat! I really like dying yarn with Kool-Aid. Really. It's so easy and CHEAP. I'm all about the cheap. If you'd like to try it, but haven't, there's a great tutorial on Knitty. So half of it is this sweet pale aqua color, from apple and ice blue lemonade flavors and the other half is the very awesome bright orange with poppy, pink, red tones made by spooning mandarin and black cherry randomly over the skein. I've always been in love with the bright Orange You Glad shade that Brown Sheep has, but this puts it to shame.
Also recieved my pound of Corriedale roving, but it's just sitting there waiting to be spun. My thought was to crack down and spin and dye enough to make a half-sleeve cardigan, but it had to be put on the back-burner for now. Why, you ask? Because my dad's birthday (and mine!) was Sunday, the 14th. On Tuesday, I decided I wanted to knit him another tie, this time out of pure silk. I really like Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, but the only colors I could find locally were black (too dark to show), pink and purple. Damn. Hey, I could spin that and knit it before Sunday... And I did! Blocked and everything, but it still needs to be backed and finished. He's a patient kinda guy though. So I picked up 1.5 ounces of this beautiful locally dyed teal silk roving, and, oh hey! That purpley merino-silk roving looks pretty too, I may as well get that...
Oh, hey! Guess what! One of the ladies at my favorite local yarn shop e-mailed me a couple days ago to let me know that Socktopus was mentioned in Country Living magazine! I'm really not into magazines and probably would never have known, but of course I had to go out and buy a copy. It's just a two or three sentance blurb about DIY with free patterns found on knitty.com, but to see it in print in a magazine was so COOL! The people around me probably thought I was crazy, grinning like an idiot at some magazine.
I picked up the Spring issue of Interweave Knits, too. I don't think I've ever knit anything out of the couple dozen knitting magazines I own, but they're so darn pretty to look at. Someday, you'll see.
Oh, by the way, that hat is the rough draft of what will be the Lacy Leaf Beret, a new pattern I'm working on. It looks like a lot of work on paper, but when you see how it knits, it's pretty easy to get the swing of the pattern. Very fast, too. I knit, took apart, knit, took apart, knit, took apart, knit, took apart and knit it in two days. I'd like to change the shape of the leaf, but that's for the next draft. As it is, I dig the orange! And I hate to bust any bubbles, but I think I'm going to sell this one. But $2 sounds reasonable to me for a hat pattern. Any input?

Whatcha been up to?

2009-03-08T22:18:00.005-08:00

Oh yes! Who rocks the procrastination? Me!
I've been thinking about blogging, but really, there hasn't been much that interesting to write about lately. I got some fun new stuff this week though, so I figured I'd share!
First thing to note is the GORGEOUS new bright striping rainbow yarn! A dear recently renewed friend was in town for the weekend and I managed to get a few hours to hang out with her. She is amazing! We pretty much lost contact (this makes me sound old) about 15 years ago. In that time, we've both gone through hellish teens and early twenties and have come out very similar! She knits! She makes soap! She pickles and cans and gardens! All this in her spare time because she's a 4th year medical student as well! I'm not edumacated like her, but crafty as hell. I'm absolutely psyched that our lives have met up again. We went on a field trip to a yarn store, surprise, surprise! She bought me this yarn, she said for driving her around. Really, that's not a good reason! I only had to cross one major street to get to her and would have driven hours to get to see her anyway. So I'll be calling this an early birthday present (my birthday is next Saturday! Party!) instead. I was thinking I would finally get down to making a real pair of socks on teeny tiny needles, but (lucky me) this stuff is pure merino and I would hate to have them wear out too fast. I know, I could use nylon reinforcing, but I'm lazy. Plus, how cute is this yarn going to be for arm warmers?!
The yarn shop we visited also happens to be the only one in town that carries fiber for spinning, so now I'll direct you to that fluffy cloud of merino the rainbow yarn is resting on. Lovely. Since I took that picture, I've spun about half of it. It was only my third try at spinning, but I feel like I'm making progress! My goal is a Kool-Aid dyed two ply that I can use for a hat. Fingers crossed. I also have a full pound of Corriedale roving coming to me via eBay. Woo!
Last but certainly not least of my new goodies is the sewing basket. I've been eyeballing the thing for months and finally decided 40% off was worth actually buying it. I've been sewing lately and I've accumulated enough stuff to warrant buying a new sewing basket, as my old one was about six inches in diameter. I think I'll have an entire summer wardrobe of sun dresses this year. Last summer in Alaska was a total bust. I think we had less than two weeks total that the temperature went above 70. Really, it has to be better this year! I'm reaching the point in the year that the cold is getting to be too much. I'm ready for sun and skin and margaritas on the deck! Who's with me?!

How Life Is

2009-02-19T17:27:00.001-09:00

If I had known the firefighters were going to be at the coffee shop this morning, I would have put on a little makeup...

I went to a party last Saturday night...

2009-02-15T21:04:00.012-09:00

I didn't get laid, I got in a fight. Uh-huh, it ain't no big thing.
So, I've had that song stuck in my head all day. Good thing I like it!
I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's day. Not that I'm real big on the consumerism aspect, but I can get behind a day intended to remind your sweetie you appreciate them.
My sweetie appreciates me by linking up arms when we're skankin' to our favorite local ska band, this is the only time he dances, other than once at our wedding. It was a truly fun night! The stickers were their Valentine promotion. The other great thing about our favorite ska band? They've been around a while, so not all the members are original, but this means that my cousin is the newest member...can you guess which one he is?
That suave cat in the Skarf, perhaps? Shameless self-promotion on my part, I suppose, but I'm putting a band sticker on my car, so we'll call it even, okay?
I gave the unfinished skarf to the hubby for christmas, and the double-knitting just killed me. Seems that my knitting technique makes it take about 4 times as long to use this style and I will probably never do it again. But, since he was so psyched about the show, I busted my butt and finished it up so he could wear it. Skarf inaction:Skarf in ACTION!And, I wore my skankin' socks. Nice and cushy! Really, seriously, a fun fun night. We got there early to make sure we had a table and have some tasty food and tried some of the many beers they have on tap. Mmmm...
This is what makes my world go 'round. Good friends, family, music, beer and knitting! In no particular order.
Once again, I hope everyone had at least a little of the fun that I got to have this weekend.
I'll leave you with a very special Valentine message from the little guy. It just brings out the romantic in me!

Floofy Cupcakes - Free Pattern!

2009-02-06T17:49:00.008-09:00

Here they are! Forgive me for not decorating them, perhaps after I work on something else for a while. And if you're on the west coast or in Alaska with me, it's still Friday!
The sizes run pretty true to mini-, regular-, and costco-sized muffins/cupcakes. The pictures of them in the muffin pans didn't turn out so well though.
This is another de-stash/leftovers pattern, half the fun is matching up yarns. I don't have nice feelings toward novelty yarn. No offense intended to those who like it, I just find it very rarely lends class to a project...if you get my drift. I don't even know why I had any. I don't remember buying it, some didn't have ball bands, so I'm not even sure what they are. I like Sirdar Snowflake, I guess it's a novelty yarn, but not so garrish. I used the white and pale pink to make a kitty ear hat for my best friend's baby girl when she was teeny tiny. But I digress...
So, let's get down to pattern!

What you'll need:

Smooth light worsted-ish yarn. Not sure of exact yardage, but it's not much
Light novelty yarn, again, not much
Set of size 5 (3.75mm) double pointed needles (I knit tightly, if you knit looser, maybe size 4)
Stitch marker
Yarn needle
Fiberfil or other stuffing
Buttons, beads, sequins or anything you like for decorating

Some of the yarns used for wrappers include: Rowan Calmer, Filatura Zara, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Lion Microspun, Caron Simply Soft
Icing: Sirdar Snowflake, Patons Cha-Cha, Bernat (not Berocco) Bling-Bling, Muench Touch Me

Wrapper:
With worsted yarn, CO 30(42, 60) sts. Divide evenly over 3 DPNs and join for working in the round.
Work K1, P1 rib for 1.25(1.75, 2.25) inches
Purl one round
Sizes small and large: Knit next two rounds
Size medium: Knit one round, next round: [K19, K2tog] twice (40 sts)

Begin decreasing:

Large:
next round: [K10, K2tog] around (55 sts)
next round: [K4, K2tog, K5] around (50 sts)
next round: [K8, K2tog] around (45 sts)
next round: [K3, K2tog, K4] around (40 sts)

Continue decreasing size large, begin decreasing size medium:
next round: [K6, K2tog] around (35 sts)
next round: [K2, K2tog, K3] around (30 sts)

Continue decreasing large and medium, begin decreasing small:
next round: [K4, K2tog] around (25 sts)
next round: [K1, K2tog, K2] around (20 sts)
next round: [K2, K2tog] around (15 sts)
next round: [K2tog, K1] around (10 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a 10 inch tail. Using yarn needle, thread tail through remaining 10 sts, pull tight and tie off.

Icing/Top:
With novelty yarn, CO 40(56, 80) sts, divide evenly over 3 needles and join for working in the round
Knit one round
next round: [K2, K2tog] around (30, 42, 60 sts)
next round: with each stitch in this round, pick up one loop from cast on edge of wrapper and knit the two together (see picture, the ribbing can make it difficult to see all the loops)

next 3(4, 5) rounds: Purl all sts

Begin decreasing size large:
next round: [P8, P2tog] around (54 sts)
next round: Purl all sts
next round: [P7, P2tog] around (48 sts)
next round: Purl
next round: [P6, P2tog] around (42 sts)
next round: Purl

Continue decreasing large, begin decreasing medium:
next round: [P5, P2tog] around (36 sts)
next round: Purl
next round: [P4, P2tog] around (30 sts)
next round: Purl

Stuff and shape cupcake before the hole gets too small, or it'll look like a mushroom!

Continue decreasing medium and large, begin decreasing small:
next round: [P3, P2tog] around (24 sts)
next round: Purl
next round: [P2, P2tog] around (18 sts)
next round: Purl
next round: [P1, P2tog] around (12 sts)
next round: P2tog around (6 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a 10 inch tail. Using yarn needle, thread tail through remaining 6 sts and tie off.
Use yarn needle to sew in any loose yarn ends.
Sew on beads, buttons, sequins or whatever you like for decorations. VOILA!
Please let me know if you catch anything wrong that I missed when I was writing it!

Hey, guess what!

2009-02-05T23:44:00.002-09:00

I'm really tired and I finished a dozen knitted cupcakes!
Since I was making them in three sizes for the pattern, I thought it would be fun to make 4 in each size and have a dozen. So now I'm totally burnt out and probably won't make any more. Not really though, knitting one at a time makes them more fun.
Just letting anyone who is paying attention that I PROMISE I will post the pattern in the next day or two, hopefully tomorrow.
Sleep well, everyone! I'm about to.

Crafty!

2009-01-18T22:47:00.007-09:00

Yeah, I was supposed to do this yesterday, but I'm pretty sure no one is following me that closely. I was distracted with all the fun things to make and was baking apple cinnamon buns at 11:30 or so and decided to hold off on the post. They turned out to be a very tasty dough-splosion.
Why, yes! My kitchen is a mess, thanks for noticing!
I've also put aside most of my knitting for a while, as I'm borrowing my mom's sewing machine and making dresses for the little girls in my life.
There's a long story about a little girl who played with my little boy and was wearing an adorable little dress. I searched around and found this pattern, which, it turns out is super fast and easy and the suckers multiply. I'm planning on knitting some cupcakes to go with these dresses when I send them off to the girls. But I haven't gotten to those yet. I have, however, managed to finish some socks that I started months ago. I love the color, especially in the middle of winter. Cascade Fixation, size 7 needles because I knit so damn tight, short row heel because the flap heel bothers me for some reason. Details for those who care.
Cupcake pattern coming soon, I swear.

...Or do I?

2009-01-16T22:27:00.003-09:00

Wow, okay, I know the weather is generally just boring small talk, but this is crazy! In the last week, we've had a 60 degree weather change! No, it's not -80... Everything is melting, peoples' houses are flooding, the ceiling at my work is soggy, saggy and dripping.
I'll have a real post tomorrow, I just had to share about the WEATHER! Because it's interesting, I swear. The temperatures this week and last, both very unusual.
On the real post: socks, dresses, cupcakes!
Tune in tomorrow!

I don't know from cold

2009-01-07T20:25:00.003-09:00

HAHA! I posted a blog a bit ago about the chilly weather and ice fog. Silly me, I think I tempted fate. For about two weeks, it's been hovering in the -10 to -20 F range (that's about -23 to-29 C), the kind of cold that freezes your nose hairs and makes you not want to do anything. So I'm trying my best not to do anything.
The only knitting I've gotten done in the last week or so is on some socks that have no owner. I know I'm not going to keep them, but I haven't decided who gets them yet. Because they're still abstract as a gift, it doesn't feel forced. I also need to knit myself a little eye mask for night-time since the hubby reads usually well after I'm asleep.
Okay, here's another thing! I've gotten some feedback on the cupcakes! You like them! So, next free pattern will be for cupcakes in three (maybe more!) sizes. I was inspired by the cupcakes in One Skein, but I think my pattern is different enough to be it's own pattern. Also, I'll try to work out a pattern for the rainbow hat, also to be modified for sock yarn so more of the pattern is visible. Whadda ya think?!
By the way, the picture was taken out my car window at about 9:30 in the morning. The moon is usually up most of the day, the sun, not so much.

2009

2009-01-01T14:08:00.007-09:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Holiday of choice and enjoyed ringing in 2009!
I was lucky enough to spend time with many friends and much family over the last week. Christmas eve and day mostly spent with my extended family with plenty of good food and good company. I know I'm fortunate to have this life.
Last night was a blast! We were invited to a party at some friends' house and spent the evening into the early morning just having fun. We got to watch some fireworks and had a champagne toast at midnight outside in -20 cold. I wish there was a way to convey the feeling of being with wonderful friends, food, drink and ridiculously cold weather. I could bottle it and sell it for millions!
In the past week, I have not, however, picked up my knitting needles once. Thought about it a couple times, but I think I'm burnt out from gift knitting.
I made a silly ear-flap hat for my dad. He's already made good use of it. He has some property about 90 miles north of here and the temperature drops considerably in that 90 miles. I don't even want to think about what the temperature has been the last few days when it's been below zero here.
So, the hat was mostly knit in two pieces. Inside is some un-friendly boucle (supposed to look like fleece) knit on size 11 needles. The outside is a silk-wool blend that I lost the ball bands for, so I'm not sure what it is other than the fiber, knit on size 9 needles. Both pieces are top down since I just winged this pattern and had no clue how big to make it. The ties at the ear flaps are i-cord and the two pieces are just whip-stitched around the edge with the boucle yarn. Not too bad for improvisation.
Guess what else I've been making progress on! The Skarf! Silly hubby saw the picture on here, so he knew I was working on it. I made him wait till Christmas before I unrolled it to show him the progress. It's still in progress, I can't seem to muster up more than 6 rows at a time lately. Still, he and I both like how it's turning out! My goal is to finish it in time that he can wear it this winter.
Being in Alaska gives me some good time to finish this. At least three months, probably more like four.
Which means maybe I can work on something completely selfish. I've been coveting some sweaters in a certain lingere and clothing catalog that look fairly simple and I think I could rip them off. They charge too much for sweaters and I have three giant plastic storage tubs of yarn. Once again, the Alaska advantage. Sweater season is half the year.
Happy 2009 everyone!

Lavender Sachet - Free Pattern!

2008-12-22T19:16:00.009-09:00

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!

2008-12-21T22:56:00.004-09:00

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!

2008-12-13T14:56:00.004-09:00

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!!!

2008-12-10T12:43:00.003-09:00

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

2008-12-05T16:56:00.009-09:00

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

2008-11-29T12:03:00.002-09:00

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!

2008-11-18T19:40:00.006-09:00

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

2008-11-15T12:07:00.004-09:00

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

2008-11-06T20:03:00.002-09:00

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

2008-11-01T16:40:00.003-08:00

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

2008-10-28T23:51:00.003-08:00

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

2008-10-23T13:26:00.004-08:00

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

2008-10-19T17:39:00.002-08:00

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

2008-10-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

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!