It's in the Air

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

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*

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!

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!

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

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

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!