Knit One Blog Too

I'm Moving!

2009-09-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm moving the blog over to another site and retitling it Knitting Up North.

Please find me at http://www.knitting.areavoices.com/

Hopefully there will be a fun addition to the blog soon.

Ohh ohh ohh

2009-09-09T20:03:00.001-07:00

I love getting boxes in the mail! Even when I know something is coming, I still get it excited when it arrives.

This is 1 pound of Yak/Alpaca. I split it with alcarin (Ravelry ID). It's kind of an odd story how this came about.

This one time, at knitting camp (Sock Summit), I sat down next to some complete strangers. We talked about the great things in the marketplace and all the things we coveted (I strongly considered Socks That Rock Sock Club). Carin told us about some yak alpaca that was being sold because it was over processed for commercial spinning. She and I decided to split 2 lbs. Since my share arrived, I've been dreaming of a February Lady Sweater.

-- Post From My iPhone

The Boyfriend Hat

2009-08-24T08:52:00.001-07:00

I took a little break from the Cinxia and Clapotis to whip up a Boyfriend hat for my nephew. Directions are at stephanieknits.blogspot.com

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 superwash wool in 004, a dark grey.

Mods: I cast on 90 and worked for just over 5" before starting the decreases. It used exactly one ball of yarn.

I'm thinking of doing a bunch of these in other colors as gifts for Christmas. This one took me just over a day to knit.

-- Post From My iPhone

Send Me Your Stories

2009-08-23T12:41:00.001-07:00

Do you have a stash so large you could run a yarn store out of your home?

Do you have to bribe yourself to finish projects?

What's your oldest WIP?

I'm working on a new project and could use some help. Send me your Knotty Knitting stories (all the ones fit to print or speak) at knittingupnorth at gmail dot com. I'll tell you the details of the project soon.

-- Post From My iPhone

Sa-weeeet

2009-08-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last night was Wednesday Night at the Races in Superior. The people who organize Grandmas Marathon put on little races for kids each week at a different park. Addie and Lily (and I) ran in the 4 and under category. Before we started I told Addie to run as fast as she could but if we got separated to just follow the other kids to the finish line. I should have told her to run like the wind, because she came in 3rd!

Afterwards we went to Culvers for dinner.

Addie wasn't too impressed with the dairy-free lemon ice I got for Lily ( be sure they use a clean scoop!) but when her friend AJ came to the table with an M&M sundae, she was lovin' it. What a great way to cap off one of our warmest nights this suet.

-- Post From My iPhone

There are Not Words

2009-08-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

There really are not words for the wonderful time I had at Sock Summit. I came home inspired by the knitting greats that I had met. My head is whirling with design and color ideas.

Daisy Muir bag - quite possibly one of my best purchases.

The other thing that has come about from SS09 is renewed energy to finish up UFOs. I took out my Clapotis again (Touched by Heather Ordover and seen in a photo with Stephanie Pearl McPhee!) and might even consider picking up a cotton baby blanket.

The Clap - modified

-- Post From My iPhone

Sock Summit Day 1

2009-08-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

The spinning wheel & I made it through the flight just fine. Despite all of the experts in Adam's office, the wheel fit just fine in the overhead compartment.

My first class was with Stephen from HizKnits. It was a funny class - I learned there is no lace in men's socks. However replace the YO with a make one and you might be in business.

And now, some photos...

The line to get into Marketplace.

And famous faces! That's a Kinneared photo of Stephanie Pearl McPhee.

-- Post From My iPhone

Testing

2009-08-04T14:05:00.001-07:00

I'm testing out the blogging app from my phone before I get to Portland for Sock Summit. I am expecting lots of yarny goodness and a great time. Hopefully the hassels getting my spinning wheel on the plane will be small and the seafood will be plentiful!

-- Post From My iPhone

Please Discuss

2009-07-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

Twisted Stockinette. (knit through the back loops on RS, purl normally on WS)

Important design element or pain in the butt?

Please discuss.

2009-07-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

After a particularly rough week at work, a week that questions my ability to even do my job, I find myself with some free time. Adam is taking the girls to a baseball game that his friends from work are playing in. It's a fundraiser for the Northern Lights Foundation. I have some free time of undetermined length. Adam will most likely get called into work today at some point, we just don't know exactly when.

So I think I'm headed to the LYS for a little spinning. I really need to clear off my bobbins and get some practice before Sock Summit. I have one little bolero jacket (Addie's) blocking before being sewn together and a baby sock almost done. Although I have huge projects waiting in the wings to be completed/started, I'm feeling like I'm in a bit of a knitting lull. Nothing has to be done on a timeline. It feels really good!

If you have any good job karma lying around, please send it my way. Otherwise, I'll be knitting, spinning and trying to forget that Monday is just on the other side of tomorrow.

Supersize This!

2009-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Do you think it would be possible to upsize this vest to an adult size? There are sizings for up to a 7 year old. Could I use a heavier weight yarn to size it up to a woman's 6?

Obviously I'm going a little nutty. I need one more project like I need a hole in my head. I'm working on the first of two Sidar Shrugs for the girls to wear in a wedding this fall. Addie's shrug is coming along nicely. It's actually going very quickly. I'm a little worried about doing 2 that are exactly the same. However, I decided (very wisely I think) to work the larger of the two shrugs first. That way the second one will go that much quicker. Or that's my theory anyway.

I'm also working on spinning up some wool so that I can empty my bobbins. (And practice spinning thin yarn!) I need 4 empty bobbins for the spinning class at Sock Summit. I actually only have 3 bobbins, one of which is partially full. So... a spinning I will go. I'm hoping to take the wheel "camping" with us this weekend.

Finished Object

2009-07-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Photo that should be of finished socks... Imagine socks the color of the lily pads.

I started off the month on the right foot. I finished yet another knitting project. After spending what seems like an inordinate amount of time on projects that never quite get done, I'm happy to have finished 2 projects worth blogging about.

The problem? Well, I didn't take any pictures of the finished socks. I finished the second sock on the way to my sister's birthday lunch. The only photo I have of the socks is one at the playground of the sock-in-progress while the kids play in the background. (multi-tasking) So, if you want to see what the socks look like, we'll have to ask my sister. And find her a date while you're at it. :)

The Deets:
Hybrid Socks
Pattern: It's a Hybrid - I cast on 60 stitches; knit 9, purl 1, repeat all the way around until the cuff is as long as you'd like it to be. I should have just gone on to a generic heel at that point, but I was getting a little bored with generic and decided to do something different. So I got out the Cat Bordhi book - New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I really like the way these fit, in fact I think they're the best fitting socks I've made so far. Too bad they don't live at my house!!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's the 3rd of July, I have a rare day off and it's finally warming up. I'm going to blow off the housework for now and go outside and pull weeds. When I'm done with that, I'm going to set up my reclining lawn chair and knit. Just sit in the sun and knit.

So today, I give you a Friday Fill-In.

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And...here we go!

1. When I heard yelling from the other room, I ignored it and hoped that Addie and Lily could work out their problem on their own.

2. Ice and Ibuprofen are the best medicine. (Fight club is kicking our butts lately)

3. It's late, but there's still a lot of the day left!

4. Laugh always.

5. My eyes have seen the girls make up their own rules to Shoots and Ladders.

6. Love strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time playing with the girls, tomorrow my plans include a parade and a cookout with new friends and Sunday, I want to eat deep fried pickles and sing Happy Birthday to my little sister!

The Sleepy Sherriff Sleep Sack

2009-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Every Baby Needs One of These

Pattern: Sleepy Time from Pipsqueak Knits. I found a bunch of patterns in this book that are absolutely adorable. The only problem from my perspective is that all the patterns are knitted flat and seamed. I'm really not a huge fan of seaming.

Yarn: Babyboo by Knit One Crochet Too, in Lime.

Modifications: OK, where do I start? To keep the long explanation short, I knit this in the round. I cast on, did the garter stitch bottom and added the eyelets for the drawstring bottom, then just started kniting it. I knit, and knit, and knit. I divided up the front for the button band and just kept going. I got up to the shoulders and bound off. That's when it hit me that I didn't leave an opening for the arms. It's one long tube of knitting. Much swearing ensued. All of this happened in the car on a very long car ride to South Dakota with two children. I blame that for the insanity that happened next.

I decided that there is absolutely no reason why I couldn't just steek the arms. After all, it's just knitting. I can reinforce around the steek and then just cut. What's the worst that could happen? Did I mention that since we were driving through SD at the time, I didn't have any time to research steeks since the entire eastern part of the state seems to be without wireless access or AT&T? I've read about steeking. I've heard lots of people say it's really not that bad.

Wellll.... let me tell you the worst that can happen. You can end up with the entire top of the outfit completely falling apart. Apparently the bamboo doesn't hold together the way a garmet made out of wool would. It falls apart exactly like your worst nightmare about steeking. Afterwards, I learned this from Eunny Jang,

"Steeks are useless, of course, if they unravel into the body of a sweater - different methods need to be applied to different yarns to ensure that this doesn't happen. To wit:

The traditional, unreinforced steek relies on slight as-you-work felting to hold the cut edge together. Along with tight gauge and frequent color changes, extremely "sticky" yarn is needed to make it happen. Shetland wool, with all its little fuzzy bits and scaly, wiry hairs, works beautifully. Other extremely grabby yarns may work, too.
Hand-sewn and crocheted steeks have some extra sturdiness from the applied reinforcement, but the real work is still done by the natural hold of the yarn - the reinforcement merely holds the strands in the close alignment needed. All yarns that felt are good candidates.
Machine-sewn steeks are very firm, with the machine stitching providing all the hold needed to stabilize the cut edge. Since the stitching does all the work, smooth, slippery yarns can be used. Beware, though - machine sewing and handknits don't get along particularly well; I often find that machine-stitched knits have an unpleasant stiffness that interrupts the fluidity and drape that are the chief pleasures of knitted fabric.
Wound steeks, which are purposely unraveled to the edge and darned in, end by end, don't need to stay together and are therefore suitable for any type of yarn."

Since no one in their right mind would define bamboo yarn as sticky, I should have known I would have a problem. So I ripped all the bits and pieces of bamboo yarn back to the bottom of the armpits and knit the garmet as 3 pieces from that point on. Other than ripping a sleeve out because I failed to read the directions, "at the same time," I proceeded to finish the sleep sack without incident.

Rumor has it that the parents really like the sleep sack even though the baby is still too small for it. I think it will come in very handy come fall. I'm particulary proud of the button choice - the daddy is in law enforcement and I think the buttons are perfect!

Sock Summit Update

2009-06-16T20:06:00.001-07:00

Socks from my Sock It To Me pal.

I found a roommate for Sock Summit. Thanks for the tips. I bit the bullet and posted a request on Ravelry. I found someone and I think it will work out well. I hope anyway!

My plane ticket is bought. I have a place to stay. I think I'm committed.

Fight Club

2009-06-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

The first rule of Fight Club, is you don't talk about Fight Club. So all I'll tell you is that I am wiped out. Wiped out and bruised in some very odd places. The back of my calf, under my chin and my glutes. Lots of falling on my glutes.

I did finish a very cute baby gift that I am planning on blogging shortly (I would be blogging about it now, but I haven't downloaded the photos from my camera yet and it feels like a very long walk across the house to get it).

I'm working on a pair of socks. A hybrid pair - sort of a made up cuff with a Cat Bordhi heel. This will be the first in my Summer of Socks challenge (you can look it up on Ravelry, I don't even have the energy to post a link. I promise I'll post it later)

Lots of hybernating projects are staring at me.

So that's it. I'll try to post more frequently... I've fallen off the Blogger bandwagon and I know I need to get back on. Thanks for the encouragement and questions about where I've gone. :)

Outside My Comfort Zone

2009-06-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

The trees are in bloom all around our house

I am doing something way way outside my comfort zone this summer. I registered for Sock Summit 2009. Don't ask me how I managed to find a spot, I just happened to check the website at the right time when there were still some classes available. I managed to luck out and miss most of the horrible craziness that went on at the beginning. When I couldn't get through right at 9 PDT, I went to a meeting and checked the website later in the afternoon.

So here's the comfort zone issue. I don't know anyone who is going to this.
Not a single soul.
I don't have a roommate.
I don't have a plane ticket yet.
I am freaking out.
I don't even know if there's a hotel room within walking distance to be had in the city of Portland.

So if you know of anyone (it could be a friend of a friend) who is going to Sock Summit, please let me know. Help!

P.S. There is much knitting going on in the Big Blue House. There seems to have been a plethora of spring babies born to our friends so I am trying to crank out the baby gifts. Photos to come.

Sparkles

2009-05-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a little bit of sparkly fiber in their life! I found this batt (3.75 oz) at the Shepards Harvest Festival over Mothers Day weekend. I completely overspent on all the wonderful fibers - although I went knowing that I would overspend and being OK with that fact. Hey, when your husband's lounging on some beach in Ft Lauderdale and you're in 45 degree weather in Florida, you are allowed to overindulge.

Speaking of fiber, I know a friend of a friend who is giving away 1-2 lbs of wool straight off the sheep. I don't know if it's been cleaned, carded, etc. I know nothing about it. But let me know if you're at all interested and I'll check into it for you.

Non-Knitting

2009-05-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

I've got several projects on the needles, but none ready to be photographed yet. We took this picture at my in-laws on Easter morning and I think it deserves to be seen. As you can tell, I'm pretty proud of my little family. The girls continue to amaze me with how fast they are growing and learning. We went to Kindergarten Roundup last week and it took everything I had not to cry through the entire thing. My baby is going to Kindergarten!

On Thursday at knit night, the owner of my LYS was wearing this. She made it out of a Cascade yarn that has linen mixed in with the wool - it was stunning. It's going to end up in my queue. In fact, the owner is ordering the yarn for me already and I'm going to use the gift certif I got for Mothers Day for it.

I'm also contemplating a lace tablecloth for my brother-in-law for his wedding in October. I know he appreciates knitted items and I thought that might be fun. Does anyone have any great pattern ideas?? I'm thinking a large circular shawl would work well. Am I totally nuts?

Swatch You Doin'?

2009-05-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

One of my coworkers has decided that she no longer wanted a cubic ton of Debbie Bliss merino aran in an army green color and slightly less yardage of a very nondescript tan. She offered them to me at an extremely reduced price. It seems like someone I know likes those colors...

Oh yes, it's Adam. The man that truly believes that army green (usually camo) coordinates with nearly everything in his closet. (To give the man his due, he does realize that you don't wear a tie with camo pants.) Now, you may think I'm being mean or snarky - I'm not - I have photographic evidence.

Here's the kicker. I have very successfully not knit Adam a sweater up to this point. I have knit him hats and scarfs, but no sweaters. I maintain that this is because of his crazy long arms. I'd be knitting those arms forever! It's basically the same reason I don't knit him socks - I just don't have that kind of attention span. I have the attention span of a gnat. Plus, the man is always overheating. He's not really a sweater kind of guy. However, when I mentioned that I might have enough yarn to make him a sweater, his eyes sort of lit up. I was thinking maybe a nice ribbed two tone sort of sweater, nothing fancy. Oh no, he has his heart set on cables. Elizabeth Zimmerman style.

So following EZ's advice, I made a swatch hat. Kid size. Now that's something that can hold my attention.

Surprise!

2009-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's a....

Baby Surprise Jacket!

It's an Elizabeth Zimmerman classic and one that I've done before. I cheat and use Dawn Adcock's notes. She gives you stitch counts for each row. This sweater was knit completely from Dawn's notes without checking the pattern for anything other than the recommended gauge. This sweater is headed to Baby Elliot. He's a month old but still tiny - he's smaller right now than either of my children were as newborns! Granted, I have big babies... but still!

Yarn: Malabrigo - have I mentioned that I love this yarn?
Needle: Size 5 16" circular
Modifications: None. (Wow! That's two in a row that I've knit as written!) I kitchenered the shoulders shut, which makes for a very nice seam.

The beauty of this sweater is that even though it is May, along the shore of Lake Superior we have been known to wear sweaters all summer long. It gets chilly at night and if the wind switches off the lake, it's downright cold.

If I get my act in gear, Baby Elliot might get a pair of booties in matching Kidsilk Haze to go with the sweater.

Lil' Buddy

2009-05-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

What: Buddy Bag from Anny Purls.
Yarn: Mostly worsted weight ella rae in 100% wool.
Needles: size 5 for the bag, 3 for the I-Cord and decorative bits.
Modifications: None. Can you believe it? I was tempted to put the bird on the branch and call it good, but I made the nest anyway.

38" of I-Cord didn't take me quite as long as I thought it would. However, it still wasn't a ton of fun to slog through. The I-Cord works as the backpack straps, you start at the lower left side, bring it up through one of the picot holes, thread it through 1 1/2 times around the top and end up in the lower right corner. I'm lining it with a pretty purple lilac fabric.

What Was I Thinking?

2009-04-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Obviously I did not read the pattern all the way through.

3 Feet of I-Cord.

3. Feet.

That's a lot of I-Cord.

I'm making a Buddy Bag for our LYS bag challenge. The idea is that you make a bag (any bag) and bring it into the store. The bags will be on display for a couple of weeks while people vote on them. Then they'll be donated to the PAVSA art auction to raise money. I needed a pattern that I could finish in a week.

Of course, now each girl wants a packpack of their own.

Burnin' Down the House

2009-04-22T19:00:00.001-07:00

Schoppel Wolle in Burnt Almonds

Well, I'm certainly not burning down the house with blog posts. I'm sorry, I just haven't felt the urge to blog lately, I've been completely swamped at work. I'm really hoping things will settle down soon. I also have been having a hard time because I haven't felt like I've really been knitting anything worthy of the blog - not that that has stopped me in the past. Oh yes, and my youngest has decided that it is perfectly acceptable to run around screaming until 10:30 at night. I put her to bed, she pops back out.

I did 16 baby hats in March.

I finished up my Sock It To Me III socks. Which I never took photos of...

I am almost done with a Baby Surprise Jacket.

I am looking forward to knitting Firestarters. I'm using Shoppel Wolle in Burnt Almonds. I'm very excited about this yarn. It's a single ply, super soft wool/nylon blend. I picked up one ball of the Burnt Almond, and one of the Tropical Fish. One of the girls at my LYS seemed to think that the Tropical Fish would go very fast. I couldn't let someone else get it before me!!

That's it folks, that's all I've got in me today.

Burnin

2009-04-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I Went on a Bender...

2009-03-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

I have been really well behaved this month (or at least I was well behaved). I've only bought one skein of yarn since Lent began. I've been knitting hats for the Optimist Challege out of stash. Lots and lots of stash baby! I probably should have kept track....

Hmm... 13 hats and I get about 2 hats per skein so roughly 6 skeins of yarn. Not bad in one month! The sad thing is, I'm not sure that it really made a dent in my stash.

So today I went to the LYS to (get out of the house) get some uninterrupted knitting time. I finished up one hat and made another in the time that I was there! As I was sitting there, being tempted by all the new yarns, I realized that I have hardly any blue yarn in my stash. And since our friends just had a baby boy, I will have to knit something blue. I have to, it's not even an option, it's a compulsion. I picked up 2 skeins of Malabrigo (are you shocked? I think it's my absolute fav of all time) and 2 skeins of Kidsilk Haze. The Malabrigo is chocolate brown with aqua and will be a baby surprise jacket and the kidsilk (one skein of aqua, one of brown) will be booties.

I was also drooling over this hard core... it's Malabrigo silky marino. Maybe after Lent.

Back to knitting hats... I haven't really made any progress on my list of things to knit that I posted back in February. Hats, hats, everywhere hats.

Are You Sick of Baby Hats Too?

2009-03-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

I'm getting kind of sick of baby hats. Yes, they are instant gratification, but knitting a hat a day or one every day and a half is getting a little old. I'd like to intersperse them with other knitting, but I just can't take the time. Not when the other team is pulling so far ahead! Does anyone have any good speedy hat patterns that they would like to share? Mostly I'm using up my supply of worsted weight yarn. I seem to have a lot of single skeins and those hats go pretty fast.

Are you ready for a bit of random? I promised some photos of my spinning a while back. Here it is.... The Sandstone from Ashland Bay Co. - it's 70/30 merino and silk. It was also my first attempt at Navajo plying. Overall I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I have a few sections that are overspun, but mostly it came out very nice. It's thicker than I had intended it to be, but that was because I forgot that Navajo plying gives you 3 plys instead of 2. Extreme close up.

I'm really happy with the colors in this yarn. I was worried about them becoming too muddy, but I think the pastels really held up well.

More random... someone from work was getting rid of 21 skeins of Debbie Bliss merino aran in a mossy green color and a very light tan. Theoretically it should be enough to make Adam a sweater. I'm having a hard time finding a pattern that he likes and that I would enjoy making. He saw a zip up cabled cardigan in Elizabeth Zimmerman's Opinionated Knitter that he thinks he might like. I am a little worried about
1. whether there is enough yarn in the green since I think that a 2 color cabled cardigan might look a little odd and
2. if I can follow the pattern. I did a swatchcap as EZ recommends and that worked out well enough. I like that there is very little seaming involved in her patterns. The problem, of course, is that she is just so darn vague. The women in the yarn shop assure me that if I can do cabeling (which I can) and if I've done a baby surprise sweater without issues (which I have) I can do any EZ pattern. And of course that I can always go in and ask for help if it's needed.

The stomach flu has hit both girls this week (we cancelled Lily's birthday party that was scheduled for this afternoon). So I'm going to enjoy the fact that my house is fairly clean and just sit and knit and maybe even nap. Happy Random Saturday.

More Hats

2009-03-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

I finished another 4 hats over the last week. When I brought them into the Optimist club, I found out that one of the men had knit 7 over the last week. Another man had knit 13! Apparently he had been knitting on the loom while watching the state hockey tournaments. I've recruited a couple of women with looms to be on my team so that I might have a fighting chance! I'm telling everyone that Slow and Steady might just win this race. I figure I have staying power.

I found this great pattern on Ravelry. It's free from WoollyWormHead. It goes very quickly, I've finished 2 1/2 so far.

And another squash hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders.

Even if I don't win the hat knitting contest for my team, it's really been interesting to see how many hats our little club can knit.

Knittin' for Britain

2009-03-07T16:17:00.001-08:00

(My own made up pattern)

There's an older gentleman in my Optimist club (he was one of the founding members 61 years ago) who often comments on my knitting during meetings. He always says that I remind him of the saying, "knittin' for Britain," during WWII. Well, I haven't been knitting for Britain, but I have been knitting for babies. This is part of the Optimist Club knitting challenge. So far I've made 4 hats that qualify during the month of March.

(Free Ravelry Download - Jester Hat)

It's been a busy day here in the Big Blue House. I got our taxes done, did a short workout, made a pie for hubby's birthday tomorrow, and worked on hats. Yesterday I finished plying the Sandstone yarn - photos to follow once it's dry.

(Free Ravelry Download - Cabled Baby Hat)

I like this little cabled hat so much that I'm doing a second in sparkly white yarn. It's a great stash buster for all of the worsted weight yarn odds and ends I have sitting around. Our friends are going to have a baby at the end of March. If it's a girl, she'll get the white hat. If it's a boy, he'll get this blue one. I hope it's a girl, I have enough yarn to do a Baby Surprise Jacket with a bit of sparkly pink as accent.

Now, I'm off to fold laundry and work on the hat.

Whee!

2009-03-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

Iapologize, I've got nothing witty or slightly clever to say today. I've got a nasty cold and just can't seem to sleep (which is what I think I need in order to kick this). Plus, I found out on Friday that my job description is going to change drastically. Instead of working on special projects, I've been handed a very busy territory to work (I work for a newspaper company). I was thrown into the fire on Friday and I'm just struggling to get my feet under me. Sorry for the mixed metaphors, it's just that sort of day.

I've been working on this very full bobbin lately. By lately, I mean the last 3 weeks. It's merino and silk, 80/20 I believe. The color is Sandstone and it's from Ashland Bay Co.

I watched a Joy of Handspinning navajo plying video about 30 times and practiced on some waste fiber. I think I'm getting it. It seems to be going very well, except my plyed yarn seems rather thick. I hesitate to call it "rope" since at most it is Worsted Weight, however, it's feeling pretty substantial. I think I need to figure out how much spin to put into everything. More photos, including some of plyed yarn soon I hope. I still don't have a camera (just haven't had time to bargin shop) but that's going to be high on the list of priorities this week.

Optimist Hat Challenge

2009-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Misti Alpaca Worsted

My digital camera is dead. D-E-D Dead. So you'll have to put up with crummy camera phone photos or old photos that I just haven't posted before.

I am starting a hat challenge in the month of March for my Optimist Club. We knit hats for the babies at the hospitals and for a couple of midwives in town. Lately the knitting has slowed down and I'm the only one who's contributing to the warmth of the babies heads. So... I decided I would challenge the club to a hat making contest. Most likely it's going to be me against the rest of the club. No one in the club other than me is a regular knitter and most use the Knifty Knitter loom. The downside of this for me is that they can whip out a hat in an hour. The upside, most of them only knit one hat a year.

So here is how I have it laid out. Any thoughts?

The Challenge:
To knit or crochet as many hats for the babies of SMDC and St. Luke’s as we can in the month of March.
Duluth Noon Optimist Club participants will be divided up into 2 teams.
Contest runs from March 1-31, 2009.

Scoring:
Any baby size hat counts. You may use any type of yarn – although the softer the better and natural fibers are preferred.
Each hat counts as one point for your team.
Hats may be brought to any Duluth Noon Optimist Club meeting during the month of March to be counted. Hats will be turned in to a non-knitting judge to be held and counted until the end of the contest.

The Prize:
Honor, Glory and the Recognition of your fellow Optimists.
A travelling trophy
Jess will buy the most prolific knitter’s lunch on April 7, 2009.

Insanity, thy name is...

2009-02-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

What does it tell you about me that I am starting a project that I know will drive me absolutely, completely, utterly insane? It's miles of stockinette. It's fine yarn. It's a project that will take me over a month when I have other projects that I have to get done.

This is destined to be the Silk Cocoon Cardigan from Interweave Knits Spring 2009.
The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Alpaca Prima - the softest loveliest yarn I've seen in a long time. Colorway 3181. The craziest thing for me is that when I saw this pattern I knew I had to have one. I searched through my stash thinking there was no way I was going to spend the money on more yarn right now. I found the Alpaca Prima that I had bought for another project that I just didn't have the inspiration for right now. I did the math (yes, really I did). I had more than enough yardage (well 300 yds extra). Then, (now I know you're going to laugh) I swatched. Really, I did. And guess what? I. Got. Gauge.

See, Destiny!

Valentine's Day Walk

2009-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

Adam and I took the girls for a walk on Saturday. Our plan was to walk down to the grocery store to pick up a loaf of crusty bread for fondue that night. It's 8 blocks to the grocery store.

We had no sooner gotten bundled up and out to the alley when Lily decided that she needed to be carried. There was no way I was carrying her the entire way (I've done it before and needed to seek chiropractic help afterward) so we got the wagon and some blankets out of the garage. Lily was very happy to be a rider, she kepting saying "Wheee! I'm on a roller coaster!"

Addie on the other hand, was quite the mountaineer. She went snowbank climbing and had to stop frequently for energy breaks (i.e. chocolate).

We got all of 4 blocks when we decided that everyone was too cold to keep going. We walked back home, got in the car and drove to the grocery store.

It's Mine!

2009-02-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the crummy photo. I think my camera officially died.

I made the Squash Hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (Is anyone surprised that I knit a pattern out of that book *again*?) I think I'm just putting a permanent link to the Amazon listing for that book rather than post it every other post. I'm in training for the Great Optimist Hat Challenge 2009 (more details to come), and wanted to see how fast it took me to knit an infant size hat. About a day is the answer.

Lily found the purple sparkly hat and immediately tried putting it on her head. Adam tried telling her that it was not for her, it was for a baby. Lily gave him "the look" and said, "Yes it is my hat, it has a noodle on it." How do you argue with that?

Chase's Scarf

2009-02-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

A co-worker asked me to knit a scarf for her boyfriend for Valentine's Day. We met up last Friday and she gave me some chenille yarn she had left over from a crochet project. I'll admit it, I'm a yarn snob. I am not a huge fan of chenille. However, I thought I would give it my best effort. I started with just an easy knit one, purl one rib and did a few inches. It was looking a little too much like Lily's favorite teddy bear at that point so I did the "Man Test."

I asked my husband if he would wear something like that scarf. "No. But my brother might."

Hmm... that was less than helpful. Since I don't know this woman's boyfriend I decided to play it on the safe side. I grabbed 2 skeins leftover from AJ's hat and started playing around.

The Pattern: Cross-Stitch Scarf from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I believe I have used this book more than any other in my library.
The Yarn: About half to 3/4 of a skein of Malabrigo in Foggy Gray and most of a skein of Berroco Puruvia
The Needles: Size 13 straights
Mods: I didn't think the scarf would be long enough for a man when I ran out of the Malabrigo so I added super long fringe. I think it works now.

Fiber-licious

2009-02-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

It's my first yarn since the wheel has been officially mine! The woman who sold me the wheel gave me some grey Corridale to practice with. I'm now working on some beautiful dark grey BFL. Boy, I need to get out of the rut of greys and browns all of a sudden. What's my deal? Normally I have a very deep rut that only runs to blues and greens with the occasional red. Come to think of it, that's how my house is decorated also. Can someone come over with a few gallons of paint to help me out? I seriously need a color overhaul.

Tash Enhancing - I found this Corridale roving at a store in Grand Rapids, MN last week. It's super soft and has a nice long staple. It's 6 oz. - approximately 3 oz of each color. My plan is to make long striping sock yarn. I think I'll try to Navajo ply it to keep the colors separate - assuming that I can find my spinning book that tells me how to do it. I guess there's always YouTube if I can't find it. Darn, I hate when I reorganize and then can't find anything!

*Edited to add- Ohh ohh ohh, I'm all excited. I just found this nifty conversion calculator. It has been killing me that I have no idea how to convert ounces to grams. Now I do!! I don't know if it's a failure of the US school system or just my particular small town school, but I was caught in the middle of the US/Metric conversion. I know some measurements in metric and some measurements in US, but I really don't know how to convert them. So I can tell you that a meter is 3 feet, but I don't know how long a yard is. I know that there are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup which is also 2 oz, but I have no idea how to convert it into liters. Basically, I'm math challenged.

Can She Do It? Yes She Can!

2009-02-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Challenge-
Find a hat pattern and Grey Malabrigo yarn on Wednesday late afternoon and cast on for a hat. Find contrasting colors on Thursday night and finish the hat by Saturday. The true challenge is trying to find time to work on said hat while still attending all the family activities that were planned for the week.

The Yarn-
Grey- Malabrigo in Foggy Day
Red- Malabrigo in Sealing Wax (this may be my new favorite color of Malabrigo)
Black- Berocco Puruvia

The Result-
I actually wrapped up the mostly completed hat for AJ's birthday party on Saturday. I was frantically working on it in the car, but I just couldn't quite get it done in time. I finished it up that afternoon and was able to give it to his parents the next day.

In Progress

2009-02-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm stressed or life seems out of control, I make lists. Normally this is contained to shopping lists and lists of calls that need to be made at work. However, right now I'm really stressed. So stressed that I wake up in the morning after having dreams of making lists that never end. Then, I go to work and make more lists that never end. Shit. Would anyone like to buy some newspaper advertising? Lots of newspaper advertising??

Projects in Progress:
-Scarf for Co-workers Boyfriend - Cross-Stitch Scarf from 101 One Skein Wonders
-Socks for Sock It To Me 3 Swap - 1/2 done
-Clapotis

Projects That Need to Be Done:
-Sizzle for Mom
-Socks for Advent Calendar (I'm already a month behind on my 2 kid socks a month goal)
-Fiddlehead Hat
-Debbie Bliss sweater (too much money spent on this yarn to be sitting around)
-Baby Surprise Jacket for Winterscheidt Baby due end of March - done in super soft organic cotton.
-Matching Hat for Winterscheidt baby??
-Set up Hat Challenge for Optimist Club. I need to kick the members in the rear to get more hats made. I'm thinking of challenging them to see if the club can make more hats than me in a given month. Might end up being a challenge to see how much coffee I can consume in a given month.

Not terribly long ago a friend asked me if I was a type A personality. Apparently he has a theory that most salespeople are type A's. I laughed and said, "I am so not type A."

Eye Candy

2009-02-06T07:56:00.001-08:00

Eye Candy....

Yarn P0rn....

However you want to look at it, it's good stuff.

Check out the Sundara Yarn photos.... it makes me happy.

Bad Blogger!

2009-02-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, I've been a really bad blogger. I have been absolutely swamped at work and home has been just as chaotic. I am overwhelmed with all that needs to be done in a day so that all I want to do when I get home is pour a glass of wine (or a bottle) and sit in the bathtub. This week has made me understand why salespeople have a reputation for being alcholics.

Enough whining and complaining on my part. I have been doing a bit of shopping so I'll have some new yarn to show you soon. Plus, I've finished one of the socks for the Sock It To Me 3 swap on Ravlery. It's a cute little thing, but I can't show it to you until I send it off. Plus, plus, we're supposed to have a lovely weekend... we are out of our deep freeze and on a bit of a warming trend. It was actually 10 above today when I left the house instead of 10 below. That means I'll be able to go to a car wash!! It's the simple things in life, folks. :)

2009-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

I have to keep reminding myself that there are children in 3rd world countries that spin laceweight yarn. Or at least they used to. Spinning used to be children's work. So wouldn't you think it would be easier for an adult to spin fingering weight?

Time Keeps on Spinning

2009-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a short post. I've got a migrain and I can barely put 2 words together into a coherent sentance.

I've been slowly working on spinning some Corridale this week. I got a little frustrated because I was letting the drafting triangle get a little long and poof, I'd loose the end and it would get buried in the bobbin. I got some advice from people on Ravelry to use some masking tape find the missing end. In the end though, I just had Adam find the end for me. He was much more patient than I could be. Once I shortened up the drafting triangle I didn't have any probem.

I'm in the midst of doing the plying for this right now. It's turning out to be about a worsted weight when it's plied. I have no idea what I'm going to use this for, it's mostly just practice yarn at this point I think. Maybe it will the skein that sits in my stash so that I can look back at it in several years and see how far I've gone. :) Or how bad I still am I suppose.

I don't know why, but I'm really amazed at how much fun spinning is. (Don't ask me why I thought it wouldn't be.) I think I resisted for so long and now that I have a wheel, I can work on it a little each night. I'm really looking forward to branching out and trying some different fibers and expanding the colors that I would normally choose.

Follow the Link

2009-01-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

Pursuit of Fiber is doing a Blogaversary Contest.

Oh yes, check out the Leyburn socks pattern on Pepperknit. I don't have anything photoworthy to show yet.

Fiddleheads - DONE!

2009-01-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

I finished and blocked the second pair of Fiddlehead Mittens this week. Since my Flip Top Mittens are getting a bit ragged, these will be my new every day mittens. So far I've had 3 people at work try to take them from me! :)

Now that I've done two sets of these mittens (one with lining, one without) I am very much done with the pattern. I may try variations at some point, but for now it's being set aside. I need something new.

Pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens from Hello Yarn
Needle: Size 3 - I'm using a 9" circular for the main body of the mitten. I cannot believe how fast these go when you're not changing needles all the time!
Yarn: Manos Silky for the outer mitten. Sport weight Frog Tree Alpaca for the inner lining.

I just discovered that we have a really nice backdrop with lights in one of our storage closets at work. Apparently the artists use it for posing photos. Guess what I'll be using more of?!

Eeeeee!

2009-01-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that I'm squeaking. I got a spinning wheel over the weekend. It's a Hitchhiker from Merlin Tree. I got it from someone semi local - She's NothernDyes on Ravelry. Check her out as she's got great fiber for sale also.

A Visit to the Darkside

2009-01-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

Darkside Cowl (Free Pattern on Ravelry)

Malabrigo worsted weight in the Baby boy Blue colorway. It's the never ending skein of yarn. I bought 2 skeins because I just didn't think I'd have enough for mittens, a hat and now this cowl. I still have most of a skein left!! I think it's bound to become some baby hats - something to use it up quick because even though I love the colorway, it's getting a little old.

Addie had to model the cowl for me because Lily refused. As you can probably see, Addie wasn't all that enthused either. That child puts everything in her mouth, so the cowl went in too.

Artic Blast

2009-01-16T08:44:00.001-08:00

On the last day of Artic Blast my Momma gave to me...

One Chickadee Cowl.

Addie's cowl is done. She's not too sure about it, but when the temperature is sitting at -20 F before the wind chill is factored in, I think she'll appreciate something warm on her face. And boy is it warm!

Pattern: Chickadee Cowl from Through the Loops (link on previous post)
Yarn: Leftover Freedom 100% wool and some purple bulky spun wool that my friend Darla found at a farmer's market.
Mods: None really. It's pretty simple, brainless knitting.

I promise that my floor is really not as dirty as it looks. The floor is just really scarred from our old dog's claws. We have almost no good light at 7am right now so I couldn't take it out into the cold to photograph it in the snow. Besides, I don't think my finicky camera would like the Artic Blast any more than I do.

Oh Canada...

2009-01-14T06:01:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of good things about Canada, especially when the state you work in shares a border with that country. Canadians use the cute "eh" sound at the end of their sentances. You can always spot one when they're going "oot and aboot." Canada gave us Michael J Fox, William Shatner and of course Stephanie Pearl McPhee. Mounties... Mounties are good. They've got sharp uniforms and they don't mess around with anyone.

But seriously, Canada can keep their "Artic Blast." It's horribly horribly cold here. This morning it was -18 F at our house, and that doesn't include the wind chill. I could go into a whole rant about why the schools are not closing for this and keeping kids home where it's warm, but I won't.
(Photo from Through the Loops)

So instead, I'm on a mission to make cowls for the girls. I don't like scarfs for little kids, I think they're dangerous. However, I think that a cowl won't get hung up on something as easily because it sits inside the neckline of your jacket. I'm making the Chickadee Cowl from Through the Loops and the Darkside Cowl out of leftover Malabrigo. Now the race is on to see if I can finish both of them before the extreme weather ends.

My Elf Name

2009-01-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

In a clear attempt to avoid exercise, I was surfing Ravelry while my tennis shoes warmed up. I came across a Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, which led me to a Fairy Name Generator.

Your fairy is called Tangle Elfdancer

She is a cheerful sprite.

She lives at the bottom of tangled gardens and in hedgerows.

She is only seen when the bees swarm and the crickets chirrup.

She wears tangled dresses of multicoloured petals. She has delicate green wings like a cicada.

Get your free fairy name here!

Ok, I'm going to run now. Running is good for me. Running will justify the 3,000,000 calories I will have tonight by eating a yummy burrito, large margharita and movie popcorn. It's date night and we're going to see Valkyrie!

I'm Drinking the Kool-Aid

2009-01-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

I'm drinking the Clapotis Kool-Aid. I have no idea why, but I just got a wild hair and decided that I HAD to make a Clapotis. Right. Now. It's not even that beautiful of a pattern. It's not stunning lace, it's simple. I'm not much of a scarf/shawl person, although I'm trying to be one. I don't know why I need to make this pattern. It really makes no sense at all. But I'm doing it anyway.

In case you've been living under a rock or you read this blog and are not a knitter, here's the photo of it. I'm making it out of Misti Alpaca laceweight - the handpainted Bar Harbor (I think that's the right colorway, I lost the tag). There's 800 ish yards so that should be plenty for a long lacy scarf that's a little lighter than the Knitty.com pattern.

I'm really quite content with stockinette with the occasional knit through the back right now.

I'm such a joiner.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yarn: Knit Me Now - Sock Love yarn in Chocolate Covered Cherries

This is meant to be the first sock in my Personal Sock Club 2009. It officially starts tomorrow and I'm debating about whether I cast on this sock right away tomorrow or wait until my Fiddleheads are complete. Decisions, Decisions.... I'm packing the pattern (Blackrose) and needles to bring to the cabin with me. After all, if I happened to finish an outer mitten and two liners in 4 days, well then I'd certainly need something else to work on. I wouldn't want to be stranded at the cabin with no knitting!

Note to Adam- we may be looking for a new camera shortly. Ours seems to be taking it's last gasping breaths. It randomly doesn't let you use the viewing screen so you have to take photos the old fashioned way, unfortunately then I end up with photos like the above one, instead of the photo that I wanted. Kind of defeats the purpose of a digital camera. If anyone has any suggestions on a camera to look for, I'd love to hear them.

Personal Sock Club 2009

2008-12-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

Link-o-Rama Post Today!

Her's the Line-up for my Personal Sock Club

January - Black Rose in some locally made Chocolate Covered Cherries sock yarn.

February - Nutkins in a teal and brown Yarny

March - Fargyles in my green Yarny in New Shoots.

April - Monkeys perhaps in red Pagewood Farms yarn.

May - Pomatomus in blue Wollemese

June - Lacy Kids Sock Kit from HazelKnits

I'm reserving the right to subsitute in a Spiral Tube Sock or a Generic Sock if the pattern and the yarn aren't working.

That should get me through the first layer of sock yarn in my stash. For those of you who read the blog who regularly buy me presents, this should in no way deter you from buying yarn or gift certificates for yarn. I will always find space for more. Plus, my knitting = gifts for you + insulation for our very cold house.

Random Christmas

2008-12-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Fiddlehead mitten in Manos Silky... mmmm....

I gave my co-worker 1 mitten today as a Christmas present. All I have is the thumb left to knit on the second mitten, so I hopefully can get it to her after lunch today.
The 2nd Fiddlehead mittens are not going to be done in time for Christmas. I'm only partially done with the first mitten. I absolutely love the colors and the Manos Silky is amazing. I think lining this with yellow Frog Tree Alpaca will make them gorgeous. Since they won't be done in time for Christmas, I wrapped up a bunch of Pampered Chef knives and a cutting board for my daycare lady. Kind of ironic that I would give my daycare lady knives, but she likes to cook.
All my other projects are folding for now. I'm going to start off with a clean plate in January with the Personal Sock Club. And perhaps a shawl.....

Does Shivering Count as Aerobic Activity?

2008-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Pretty Stash Photo From Hello Yarn

It's darn cold here. Darn cold. So cold that I'm happy I have so much wool stashed in my house. Perhaps the insulating factor will help keep my family warm. (And keep the pipes from freezing).

Speaking of stash, I've decided (thanks Knittymuggins) to joing the Stash Knit Down on Ravelry. I'm doing the sock knit down. I've printed off 6 patterns that I would like to knit and paired it up with 6 skeins of sock yarn. My goal is to make one pair of socks a month for the first 6 months of the year. I'll see how it goes, and if I'm having fun with it, then I'll keep going.

I'm not so foolish as to say, "No new sock yarn in the house!" But I will be trying to keep it to a minimum and only knit from stash.

My Little Helper

2008-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at the computer, knitting and checking my favorite blogs when for absolutely no reason at all, one of my double points fell right off the thumb I was working on.

"Argh! I dropped some stitches!"

Addie came running over, "Don't worry Mommy, I'll help you find them." Addie got down on her hands an knees and started looking on the floor for my dropped stitches.

It was so cute that I started laughing, which of course got me in trouble. Addie doesn't like being teased right now and she thought I was making fun of her. Ah, the trials and tribulations of being 4 years old.

Check, Check, Almost Check

2008-12-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Knitting continues in the Big Blue House on the Shores of Lake Superior at a furious pace.

I finished the Fiddleheads for my Grandma. Photo to be added later. - Check

Malabrigo Mittens for my co-worker - 1 down, 1 to go. I'm adapting a pattern in 101 Luxury One Skein Wonders for this. They're pretty dreamy.

I started the 2nd Fiddleheads using Manos Silky for the outer mitt and Frog Tree Alpaca for the inner liner. I did have a bit of a setback with this, surprise surprise. I found 2 beautiful shades of Manos Silky, a dark blue and a dark purple/yellow/green varigated, Unfortunately the varigated was too close in shade to the dark blue and it didn't have enough pop for me. So I'm ripping back a few rows and starting over.

In non-knitting news, we are in the middle of a big blizzard. We have gusts of wind from 40-60 mph and a ton of snow blowing. Roads are being closed and they've discouraged all travel. It's supposed to last through noon tomorrow (monday). Normally I'd be thrilled with the idea of a snow day, however with work being what it is lately I need every moment of this week before Christmas to sell sell sell. I'm a little stressed out about work and a day at home isn't going to make it any better. In fact, my eye is getting a little twitchy just thinking about it.

WHAT??!!?

2008-12-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

Frantic Christmas Knitters

Oh Dear. Why didn't anyone tell me? Actually, why did someone tell me that there are ONLY 14 days until Christmas? I am completely freaking out. Every year this happens. I think I'm totally in control of my Christmas knitting and then, Wham! I get hit with the reality of the situation. So here's where I stand.

_______ for ___________ (reader of the blog) DONE
slouche hat for ___________ DONE
snail hat for ________ DONE
turn a square hat for _________ DONE
washcloths for Oma edited to DONE
Fiddleheads for Grandma - 1 to finish by Christmas (weekend after)
Mittens for _________ - to finish by the 24th (on 1st cuff) Edited to may be frogged to cast on more stitches, this is pulling weird across the hand.
Fiddleheads for __________ - not even started
hat for ____________ - not even started

Realistically I think I can finish the 3 projects that are on the needles but not done. Which means that if I don't get the other items done, then I have a little more shopping to do. I need to knit like the wind folks!

Sneaky Sneak #2

2008-12-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

One Fiddlehead mitten down, less than 1/2 to go on the 2nd. These are for my Grandma. Since she's in her 80's I think the chances of her reading this post and spoiling the surprise are slim to none.

Details:
Pattern: Fiddlehead Mittens from Hello Yarn
Needles: Size 3 US. I used 2 circulars for the first mitten and one 9" circular for the second. I am totally and completely in love with the 9" circular for socks and mittens. I think I want one in every conceivable size. It's the best thing since sliced bread. Seriously.
Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca sport weight - mmmm.... alpaca....
Modifications: I've decided not to do a lining for these mittens. They are a touch small (seems I knit extremely tight when I'm doing colorwork) and I'm not sure how well they will fit if I do a lining. Plus, my Grandma really would only be wearing them from the house to the car and back. She doesn't spend a ton of time outside in the winter anymore.

Sneaky Sneak #1

2008-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

I finished one of the sneaky sneak items from my list.

I discovered that no matter how much red wine you drink, some people are just not meant to look all stylish and French chic in a slouch hat. It's just not me.

This however, is. Hanging out with the girls.

Details:
Pattern: Le Slouche hat from Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Merino Gold from Knit One Crochet Too. Cream with a bit of gold sparkle. It might be discontinued since I can't find it on their website anywhere. It took a little over 2 skeins.
Needles: Size 9 US.
Modifications: I held the yarn doubled since it's a worsted weight yarn.

Doing the Sneaky Sneak

2008-11-24T14:02:00.001-08:00

I feel like a bit of a sneaky sneak lately with my knitting. I've got lots of projects going on, none of which are listed in my new side progress bars. (see, I'm sneaky)

I'm almost done with one _________ for __________. One left to go! New super short mini circulars are on their way from The Knitting Knight in Hibbing (call and tell them they need a website).

I have a ____________ done for ___________.

I have another ____ done for _________. Well, I need to sew up one dangly end, but it's done.

I have the yarn for a _________ for _________.

I'm almost done with a _______ for __________.

See, Christmas knitting doesn't make for very exciting blogging.

Knitstoned

2008-11-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

To use a Knittymuggins word, I was so knitstoned this weekend. I started knitting on Friday night and absolutely did not want to stop until I made not one, but THREE hats! One per day, well sort of. I started this rainbow hat (Freedom yarn, 100% wool) on Friday night for a 2 year old's birthday the next day. In my house, at night, it looked very boyish. In the light of day, it was obvious that it was pink, not red. Eeee... So off to the LYS I went. I asked their advice on whether I could give this to a 2 year old boy. The reaction was mixed, leaning heavily toward no. So I finished this one up and bought a skein of Sheep Shop Yarn to make another hat. I ended up giving the little boy this just so he'd have something to open and including the skein of Sheep Shop so the Daddy wouldn't freak out.

Looks like Addie gets a new winter hat!!

Immediately after the party I started in on the Sheep Shop hat. Somehow I screwed up the pattern and ended up with a slightly different spiral. Not a big deal, it looks cute this way too! I finished this one up on Saturday night so that Adam could bring it along when he went hunting on Sunday with the Daddy of the 2 year old.

On Sunday morning I started yet another hat. This time out of Frog Tree Alpaca bulky. Mmmm... Alpaca. I finished it around 10 pm Sunday night. Not too shabby! This one is a Christmas present for my nephew. I'm debating about making another for his older sister, but my hands need a break from the bulky.

Pattern: Snail Hat by Elizabeth Zimmermann.

Big Pink Cardi

2008-11-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that I am finally to this point. I feel like I have been talking about the "Big Pink Cardi" forever. I sewed up the seems at the scrapbooking retreat I went to last week. I modeled it for everyone with the strings hanging out all over. I discovered that scrapbookers are not nearly as impressed with an almost finished cardigan as they are over an almost finished page. Seriously people, do you understand how long this sweater has taken me to finish? Your 20 minutes per page is nothing compared to my hours of work. I get more appreciation from my husband.

It's the big pink cardigan I've been working on since the Summer Olympics started. This is the second of two projects I was really hoping to finish. I guess I missed the mark on this one!

Check it out, the arms are actually the correct length and the striping turned out almost perfectly matched!!

Pattern: Needful Yarns Shawl Collar Cardigan (I believe the company has gone out of business)
Yarn: Katia Tundra (Ravelry Link)
Modifications: I didn't do the crochet edging on the collar, mostly because I don't crochet - but also partly because I like the scalloped edging. It works for me.

The cardigan is currently drying after blocking. I hope that will make the collar lay a little nicer and make the seems look like someone actually knew what they were doing when they sewed them up. Hey, I can hope for a miracle, right?

Wouldn't You Know...

2008-11-10T14:44:00.000-08:00

My kiddo loves her hat!

We spent this last weekend down at my sisters house. I had promised my almost 7 year old niece that I would teach her to knit. I bought her some child size needles and some wool/acrylic indestructible yarn. She did really well. She worked intermittently on the knitting, in between playing Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop with Addie and Lily. I have her making a hat, although I think her mom will probably have to rip it out and start her over again once she gets the hang of it. It seems as though her big problem is that she stops in the middle of the row and then forgets which way she was going. So she's got several short rows on one side. Not a big deal, she'll get the hang of it.

Here's the kicker. I taught my sister to knit as well, thinking that she'll have to know the basics in order to help my niece when she gets stuck. My sister picked it up right away - she's even knitting Continental. I struggle to knit Continental. It's so much faster and easier to throw for me - I guess I'm very right hand dominant. I can do it, especially if I'm knitting with 2 colors, but I really don't like it. So of course my sister does it naturally. Ugh. I'm blaming it on the fact that she learned how to crochet first and that's the way they taught her to hold her yarn.

Hat's Off to You

2008-10-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Jessica and I am addicted to making hats. I finished yet another hat last night and immediately I started thinking of making more. I looked through my stash to find the right yarn to make another Turn a Square hat. I'm not sure that I have that yarn. I may have to make it to my LYS to buy the Manos Silky that I've been craving again. I bought some for my Good Karma swap partner a while back and it was very difficult to get it all into the package. One skein kept calling my name and asking to stay at our house. It was very difficult to do the tough love routine on a skein of yarn and explain that it would indeed be going to a very good home. Now I know what that skein was calling out to be made into. I need more yarn.

Details:

Turn a Square Hat by Jared Flood - Free pattern by following the link above and clicking on the link on the right hand side of his blog

Yarn: A leftover skein of Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk Aran (which may win the prize for longest yarn name ever) and 1/2 a skein of Boku colorway 15

Modifications: I did 2 inches of ribbing instead of 1 in case the recipient decides that it doesn't quite fit as is. Otherwise I did the jogless joins just as I was supposed to.

Time Keeps on Spinning

2008-10-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me the other day how my spinning has been going. Well, to be honest, it hasn't. This has been the extent of my spinning since August. It's a fairly even worsted weight single. I think it's destined to become a hat for my neice. This is from some pencil roving I picked up at Athena Fibers in Sioux Falls, SD this summer.

If you're anywhere near Sioux Falls (and really, there's nothing near there) you should check out Athena Fibers. It's in a beautiful old Victorian House. My non-knitting companion at the conference was amazed by the flooring. Personally, I was more amazed at the silk lace weight that they had! It's a beautiful house and she stocks the first floor with beautiful yarn and roving.

Elyanna's Hat

2008-10-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Part 3 in my crusade to keep the heads of my tiny relatives warm is complete. I finished up the Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap (Ravelry Link) for Elyanna this weekend. It was really fun and easy to make. The finished hat fits on Lily's head, but it was too tight for her to comfortably wear, so Curious George had to step in to model.

Pattern: Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap - directions in both English and Norwegian
Yarn: Claudia's Handpainted fingering weight - Strawberry Latte. I've been coveting this stuff since my LYS started carrying it. For some reason the yardage is a bit slim - 112 yds I think - so I could never justify buying 2 skeins. It's really dreamy to work with though. The color pooling is beautiful.
Needles: Size 2 circular and double point.
Modifications: None. I did the strings by doing the long-tail cast on and then casting off. I really hate making I-cord and this seems to work for me.
Size: This should fit a 15-18 inch head or maybe slightly larger. My gauge was slightly off (as usual) but I knew I wanted this to be big enough for a 6 month old with maybe a bit to spare.

Knit Along With Us

2008-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

My bloggy friend Knittymuggins and I just started a Knit-a-Long on Ravelry. We're going to be knitting Fiddlehead Mittens from Hello Yarn.

Not my photo. :) Taken with permission from Hello Yarns

The group is located here - everyone is welcome! The more the merrier! The actual KAL starts November 1 and runs through December 31. I can't wait to see what kind of color combos people have and how many mittens get made. I've heard this is a great pattern and is slightly addicting.

I picked out my yarn for this last night. It's not at all my usual colors, so I'm not really sure who these will be going to. I bought 6 skeins of Frog Tree Alpaca in greens and brown. I'm not going to do as many color variations as the pair you see above. I just want to pet the yarn.

Instant Gratification

2008-10-07T09:09:00.001-07:00

*Edited to add photos*

Sometimes, you just need a little instant gratification. I feel like I've been working on big projects for so long and they just don't do a lot for the blog. It's hard to take a picture of 3 more inches of a big pink sweater. So I'm on a bit of a hat making jog.

Fancy Nancy Hat -done. I decided to do the Marley curls on top instead of the tulle because I wasn't sure how well tulle would hold up to the Wisconsin winters. It's not quite as Fancy Nancy as I had hoped, but Addie loves it.

Bunny Hat - One ear done at swim lessons last night, one ear to go. It's going to be the cutest freakin' hat you've ever seen on a 2 year old.

Inca Hat - My sister requested this for her littlest one

Yet to be Determined - a pale blue hat for my neice and a yellow & black hat for my nephew (also requested by my sister). I'll have to search the stash to see if I have pale blue yarn. I know I don't have bright yellow - that's just not a color I normally use. I would love to do a bumble bee hat for him, but at 4 I think he might be too old for that.

Sherbet

2008-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when the weather gets cool and the leaves start changing colors, I rebel and go for a little dose of spring and summer. What is more summery than sherbet? The pretty pastel colors all melting together to make a wonderfully creamy cold treat.

At the same time that I was rebelling against the cold weather we've been getting at night and early in the morning, the practical side of me was digging out hats to send to school and daycare for the girls. I realized that Lily's winter hat from last year wasn't going to fit anymore and that Addie didn't have a really good hat that fit her. She's been wearing a slightly illfitting bear hat that I picked up really cheap last winter. I looked at a couple of shops, but had a really hard time spending $18-$20 on a kids hat. (Somehow I ended up spending around $18 a hat anyway...)Ugly photo that blogger won't let me delete.

Instead I did what any good knitter does. I stopped at the LYS! Yes, I have stash yarn that would probably work, but I didn't have what I really wanted. I wanted a nice soft superwash wool. Something that would keep the girls toasty warm and yet be washable AND supercute.

I found the perfect sherbet-y colors in the perfect worsted weight yarn from Lorna's Laces. It's Shepard Worsted in Happy Valley and Winona. Addie choose which color she liked (I guessed totally wrong! She liked the pink purple blue yellow varigated.) and then picked out her hat pattern. She choose a very plain hat with a very Fancy Nancy foof on top.

Lily on the other hand didn't really seem to care which yarn was hers, she was much more concerned that I make her the Bunny Hat. I was slightly bummed that neither girl wanted a pretty lacey hat, but these hats from Itty Bitty Hats are so sweet that I don't think I could go wrong.

Good Karma

2008-09-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

I participated in yet another Good Karma swap on Ravelry. Yet again, I got an awesome swap partner. This time we exchanged with each other, which was kind of fun. I enjoyed getting to know her and felt like we had a lot in common. She doesn't have a blog so I won't link, but I will say that alura (Ravelry ID) is a pretty cool Momma. :)

She gave me this....

Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in Beach Fog. I've really wanted to try out this yarn, but never was willing to pay shipping for sock yarn that I haven't squished in person. I know lots of people who rave about it though.

This... Lantern Moon rosewood needles. And a little black sheep measuring tape. Which is perfect because sometimes I feel like a black sheep. By the way, all photos have been borrowed from their own websites... I am a total slacker/sick person the last couple weeks and haven't taken photos off my camera.

I also got some super cool tan wool/yak blend worsted weight yarn. It's from a local-to-alura place I think. Sorry, don't remember where.

Then to top off the coolness, I got a bag of my favorite coffee (fastest way to my heart), a handmade project bag, and 2 kid size crowns (perfect for the princesses in my life) and 2 coloring books for said princesses. The girls were super excited about their crowns.

So now I had better get crackin' and knit up some of the great yarn I have. I've been feeling a bit guilty about the sheer craziness of the amount of yarn I have. It's. A. Lot. I'm hoping to have a finished project soon too.... My pink cardi is over halfway done. Just in time for fall!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-09-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

I have nothing witty to say today. I'm at the tail end of a super nasty cold. It hit me like 3 semi trucks loaded with bricks. It hit me hard. I ran a fever for 4 1/2 days and have a cough that just won't quit. I'm feeling better now, but mostly just want to sleep. It's been a week so every day I get up expecting to feel just fine.

We celebrated my birthday last weekend at the cabin. Our friend from college came with her little boy. The kids all played. I don't think Lily quite understood that this was just a baby - after all, he's 10 months old and the same size as her! She played a little rough, but by the end of the weekend we were able to convince her that he was a baby.

Our friend bought me this yarn for my bithday. The blue is Mountain Colors fingering weight - just over 400 yds. The red is 800 yds of lace weight Misti Alpaca. Pretty! Sorry, no links, I'm tired and I'm running too many windows as it is right now.

I also got a nice gift certificate to my LYS from my Mother-in-law. I headed there yesterday for some low-impact knitting, but haven't bought anything for myself yet. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting, but I have so much in my stash right now I want to wait a bit. I'm really hoping I can do some stash elimination for Christmas. Otherwise I'll be on a yarn diet for the new year.

Check This Out

2008-09-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

There's been minimal knitting in the Big Blue House by the Shores of Lake Superior this week. I started a new job and have been completely wiped out at night. I've fallen asleep at around 8:30 in Lily's bed every night this week. The information overload at the new job is just over the top. My head is swimming with rates, sizes and projects that are going on.

I'm hoping to get back on track this week and I've found some motivation to do so. Living Crafts magazine. This month is full of fun wool crafts, including a very cool set of felt crowns. I think I'm going to make a couple for Christmas. I think it would be a riot to see my nieces and nephew along with my own girls running around in their crowns. Plus, there's a great resource guide in there for wool roving. Gee, twist my arm to get more spinning done. :)

I guess it's a little neurotic to be planning Christmas presents already, but I have a lot of ideas swimming in my head. I'm hoping to do a lot with the stash I already have. It's going to be Stash Christmas this year!

What's the Story Morning Glory?

2008-09-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blurriness of the photos, I am having camera issues. I haven't been doing a great job of blogging lately and just wanted to catch you up to date on what I'm doing. First, I started a new job today. It's full time so I have all these Mommy Guilt issues to work through. Not to mention the busyness of having a 4 year old's birthday party, closing up things at my old job and the hubby being out of town. It's just a generally busy place around the Up North Household this last month.

We did get out of town for Labor Day weekend. We went to the Minnesota State Fair. I hadn't been there in almost 15 years - not since I was in high school and marching in their parade. I was shocked to see that the price of the All You Can Drink Milk went up to $1! Really it's a deal when you consider that a bottle of water was $2.

I drug my hubby into the Creative Arts building on the off chance that I would see this Blankie. It's Shelly Kang's blankie. I haven't really been keeping up with her blog, so I wasn't sure if she even entered it this year or not, but I knew she had wanted to. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but it's all mitered squares make out of leftover sock yarn. It was beautifully blocked and finished with an I-cord edging. This blanket is amazing in person - way better than any photo can show. There were a lot of other really neat knitted projects. I wish I had known Adam had my camera with so I could have taken more photos. There was an adorable little girl's Fair Isle cardigan with the abc's at the bottom. There were also lots of socks and popular patterns that looked great, but my favorites were by far the ones that people had designed themselves.

I'm tired and heading to bed, but first I want to ask... have you ever entered anything in the fair??

Still Sizzling

2008-08-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

It matches our coffee table!

Yarn: Sirino Yarn from Great Adirondack Yarn Company. 50% silk, 50% merino. 100% softness and shine! 675 yds per skein.

Pattern: Sizzle by Knit and Tonic. I was showing my Mom the Sizzle I made for myself and she absolutely loved it. I decided I would make one for her. I'm going to make a few changes... perhaps knit it in the round because I hate to purl, add a picot edging instead of the seed stitch and probably raise the neckline a bit. After all, she is my Mom, she doesn't need to be showing her girls to the world! :)

********

I'm plugging away on the pink and brown yarn even though the Olympics are over. I have a portion of the back done. So not that hot really. I only medaled in one category, but it really gave me a good idea of what I could do in 18 days. By the way, did I tell you that I decided not to do the shrug after all? After all that knitting of swatches, I decided that I probably wouldn't get the use out of a shrug that I would get out of a sweater. So instead I'm making a shawl collar cardigan from the same Needful Yarns pattern booklet. I'd link it, but I guess Needful Yarns has gone out of business and I can't find any photos anywhere.

The Medal Stand

2008-08-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's cuter than Shawn Johnson, almost as fast as Michael Phelps and is winning more than Misty Mays and Carrie Walsh. It's a EZ Baby Surprise Jacket. I used EZ's pattern with help from Dawn Adcock. Her notes really helped to demystify the process. This was really fun to knit.

The yarn is Cascade 220 which I got at 20% off - oh yeah baby! Actually I was a little annoyed to have to buy yarn for this. I have a ton of stash yarn. I had planned to use some homespun that was in my stash (my mom bought it for me years ago). However, as part of the Ravelympics team for a LYS, I got a 20% discount on the yarn for one project. When I explained what I was doing and asked if I could use the discount at a different time, they were very prickly. They only wanted me to use the discount on this particular project. I also picked up a circular needle at the same time. They asked me if I was going to use this particular needle on my Ravelympics project. I said I didn't know because I needed to see if I got gauge. Since I wasn't sure I was going to use that needle, I didn't get the discount. Ergh. That's probably why I don't shop at that store very often.

I have enough yarn left over in the green and yellow to make a matching hat (with maybe enough brown to do a cute accent on it) and maybe socks.

This one will be sent off to Warm Woolies as soon as the hat and socks are done. I did try this on both girls and completely fell in love with it on. I was amazed to see that on a 4 year old, it becomes a super sweet short sleeved sweater. I am going to experiment with more stitches across the back and see if it comes out right for her. I'm determined to use stash yarn on this.

I also finished my Sizzle from Knit and Tonic. Despite the horrible picture, I love it. I'm going to have Adam take some nice photos on Saturday, but I wanted to get this up. I've already bought more yarn for another one of these for a gift.

The Olympic Saga Continues...

2008-08-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

*Warning: Not so cute kid story ahead*

I woke up early Saturday morning to Lily saying, "I go potty Momma." Fantastic. What more (other than 2 more hours sleep) could a mom ask for? A not quite 2 1/2 year old that gets out of bed and goes potty by herself is pretty spectacular. Well... almost.

I walked downstairs (some could argue sleepwalked) to make a pot of coffee. I found that all of my knitting notions were strewn across the living room floor. There were 2 inch pins used to make stitch markers everywhere. Lily had glass beads still clutched in her hot little hands. Tape measures strung out like drunken Christmas lights, basically it looked like a frat party had happened in my knitting bag.

It wasn't until I walked upstairs to the bathroom that I realized that there was poop smeared all over the floor. Fantastic. Lily had pooped in her Pull-Up (night-time safety device) and had tried to take care of the situation herself. So I washed the floor, the toilet and the little potty.

I went back downstairs to flop on the loveseat (no couch, long story) with my hot cup of coffee when I realized that there was poop smeared on my WHITE loveseat. Now the loveseat is not new - we got it secondhand and I've been trying to keep it covered by a thin throw. However, it's all we've got at this point. To make matters worse, she also managed to smear poop on my yarn. Yep, the yarn for the shrug that I struggled with all day the day before.

The yarn is washed and is drying in the windowsill.

It's a sign. I cast on for my backup project. A Baby Surprise Jacket with Cascade 220. Pictures coming soon.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Cast On....

2008-08-08T13:41:00.001-07:00

Katia Tundra - 197 yds, worsted weight, 50% wool-40% acrylic-10% viscose

I got up this morning at 6:00 am in order to cast on for the Ravelympics at 7:00am which is the offical start of the Olympic Games in Beijing. I was a little annoyed to find out that our local NBC affiliate isn't actually airing the opening ceremonies until 8pm Central time. Ugh, we're a whole 12 hours behind. It annoys me that I can find out who won individual events before they are aired.

Anyway, I cast on.

I checked gauge.

I ripped out.

I cast on with a different needle size.

I went to work.

I stopped by the LYS (not my normal one but one that's hosting a team). I check gauge.

I ripped out.

I bought new smaller needles

I cast on with said needles.

I checked gauge. I'm much closer.... I'm going to do another inch and see if I'm distorting the fabric while I measure. I'm hoping another inch will make a difference.

Oh well, every Olympian has to work hard to get the gold. Everyone has trials to overcome. My trial just happens to be swatching.

I love this feeling!

2008-08-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

It's the feeling you get when you can almost taste a finished object. This is drying today and by tonight I should be able to seam it and just start the neck and arm edging. I am meeting a group to knit tonight so it should be done shortly. The jury is out on whether it will fit or not, but I'm thinking positive.

The really good news is that I should be done in time to start the Ravelympics projects I have planned. I'm being overly ambitious and listing 3 projects I would like to get done - a wip that just needs sleeves, a shrug and a baby surprise sweater (for donation to Warm Woolies). Starting at 7am central time on Friday I'm going to be a knitting machine!

Down the Rabbit Hole

2008-07-29T17:38:00.001-07:00

I finally fell down the rabbit hole that every other knitter seems to eventually do. I purchased a drop spindle from Hello Yarn. Actually Knittymuggins helped me with this a bit. She was so sweet to buy me a gift certificate back in March to cheer me up. I've been watching the yarn come and quickly go on Hello Yarn for quite some time. This time, when the yarn was posted I pounced on it. I bought some sock weight in "Fruitbowl." Not quite my normal colors, but I think it will be great with a neutral color in the Fiddlestick mittens. Anyway, the gift certificate was for slightly more than the yarn and I needed to use it all up so I got a drop spindle as well.

Let me say that I have no idea what I'm doing. Anything I've learned (I've probably learned wrong) I've learned from watching YouTube and reading online. I found KnitSix which was very helpful. I also think I'm spinning backwards from most people since I hold the spindle in my left hand. Comes from looking at photos of spinners while trying to figure it out I guess. :)

I also ran into a very helpful resource that only lives 1 1/2 hours away. In this neck of the woods, that's *almost* local. She owns Northern Dyeworks in Ashland, WI. She's also NorthernDyes on Ravelry. She brought me some great fiber to play with from Ashland Bay. I am completely in love with the Mojave merino multi that they have. I'm saving my 2 oz until I'm a better spinner. I might even have to save my pennies until I can buy more of it - it's that pretty.

This is the first yarn I spun. The yellowish green came as a tiny sample from Hello Yarn. The rest I bought at my LYS. It's pretty loosely spun bulky weight. I think there's enough there to knit a baby/toddler hat. I'm pretty crazy proud of that yarn even though no knitter in their right mind would pay money for such fuggly stuff. :) Still, it's mine and I like it. In fact, I might even name it and start talking to it I like it so much.

Yeah, I like my crazy subtle too. :)

Send fiber to:
Crazy Yarn Lady
Big Blue House
South Shore of Lake Superior
(Don't worry, there's handspun yarn hanging on my doorknob, the mailman will know exactly who I am!)

My Inspiration

2008-07-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Phoeknits is having a contest. The rules are easy, just post 3 or more pictures of what inspires you and email Phoe with the link to your blog. You can win pretty jewelry and some yumm-o pink yarn. Pretty Pretty!

So this is what inspires me...
Lake Superior - whenever I need to calm down or just relax I head to one of the many spots in the area that I can watch the waves crash. Lake Superior is never dull, the waves can be crazy huge and from our vantage point we can't see land on any other side. It feels vast and huge and makes me feel like a tiny speck whose problems are really not that big of a deal.
Finished Objects - mainly someone else's. How can seeing a sock drawer like that not make you want to knit up a storm!
Babies - I love knitting for the wee ones. They're so cute and adorably tiny. They don't say they hate the color or pretend they love something and shove it into a drawer never to be worn again. Every baby deserves a hand knit hat or sweater.
Yarn - I walk into a yarn store or troll online for yarn and the possibilities are endless. Maybe it's the wool fumes talking, but I love playing with the yarn and dreaming about what it could become. The other day I woke up from a dream with a very intense blue/teal color in my head and now I'm trying to find that color. I don't know what it will become but I'm on a mission to find the color yarn I was dreaming about.
I'm a country girl at heart - I am at home walking down a wooded road or driving through country roads looking at the dairy farms around where I grew up. Whatever I make has to be functional. Pretty is great, but it's got to do something for me. For instance, I think the Felt Rocks are very funky and interesting, but I just can't get what I would *do* with them.

The only thing left to say is, "Pick me, pick me!" Go on over to Phoeknits and join in on the fun.

Miles and Miles of Stockinette

2008-07-22T13:52:00.001-07:00

I remember now why I don't knit items for myself. Miles and miles of stockinette sucks. I don't find it at all calming, I find it mind numbingly boring.

This is the back of my Sizzle tank. It's all stockinette with an increase or decrease row thrown in every so often. All I can think about as I'm knitting is what I'll do if this doesn't fit me. Who will I gift it to? I sure as h*** don't want it thrown into a pile on a bedroom floor never to be worn. This morning as I was knitting I thought maybe if it doesn't fit me I'll have a Knitting Gallery ala Knitting Daily and let my commenters figure out who looks best.

What makes me most anxious about this not fitting (besides the fact that I don't want to give it to someone who wouldn't appreciate it) is that this morning I decided to change to a circular needle. The straight needles were making my wrists hurt from all the weight hanging on them. However when I picked up a size 6 circular, it looked too big. I got out my needle gauge. Sure enough the labeled size 6 bamboo needle is actually a 5. Go figure. I'm knitting to stitch gauge, however I didn't check row gauge. I might need a margarita for this one folks!

Ravelympics

2008-07-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm competing in the Olympics! Well, if knitting truly counts as a sport (I think it should - you try doing miles of stockinette - it's an endurance sport!) It's the Ravelympics on Ravelry.com

Basically you choose what you would like to knit. It's something that should be a challenge for you to finish during the span of the Olympic Games. I'm competing in Work In Progress Wrestling (trying to finish up at least the pinwheel sweater and maybe another oldie but goodie that's hanging out there) and I'm also lobbying the Ravelympic Committee to allow Whitewater Shrugging. I've got a great shrug that I'm planning on knitting out of my stash. Mostly anyway, I may have to dip into emergency yarn funds at the very end if I don't have enough yarn to finish it.

To compete you must belong to a team. I'm on Team Yarn Harbor - a local yarn store that I sometimes frequent. Wish me luck and perhaps send moral support my way during the Olympics, I may have bitten off more than I can knit.

Sizzling!

2008-07-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool - in forest
I bought 4 skeins last week to start working on Sizzle from Knit and Tonic. Since the yarn has a little tweed in it, I'm not sure the tank will sizzle, but it will definitely pop!

For some reason this yarn is making my arm go all crazy again. My arm is sore from my elbow all the way through my thumb. I'm not sure if it's because the yarn is dk weight or if it doesn't have enough stretch and bounce in it or what my issue is. All I know is that I'm popping ibuprofen and using the heating pad. It's sort of pathetic to have a knitting injury. I moved my computer mouse to the left side of my computer, hoping that it helps to not have that repetitive motion every day.

In other knitting news, I'm also swatching for a lace shawl. It's #32 from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2007. (Ravelry Link here) We're doing an informal Knitalong at Fabric Works in Superior, so stop on by on Saturday mornings if you're a local.

Somebody Get This Girl an Agent

2008-07-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Addie knew that she wanted to pose with one of Mommy's flowers.

Too sweet! Give that girl a modeling contract!

The Deets:
Pattern: Emli Hat from the blue blog
Yarn: dk weight cotton - all without ball bands, all part of hats donated to the hospital back when I was pregnant with Lily. Boy, it's nice to get some of that old yarn used up.
Modifications: None really. I used green for the "stem" and then changed pinks as the balls ran out. It was a great stash reduction hat.

Addie wore the hat all weekend. We went to a Taste of Greece festival in Duluth on Sunday and then down to the Lakewalk. People stopped Addie wherever we were and asked her if Grandma made her hat. Like a good daughter, Addie said no. "My Momma made it just for me." I should have had a stash of them in my purse, I could have made some cash for the girl's college savings account!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane....

2008-07-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

This did not look blurry at home this morning!

It's Super-SOCK! No, it's really not a sock, although it is the Embossed Leaves pattern from Favorite Socks. It's the Emli hat from Alison at the blue blog. I'm knitting it out of all my leftover cotton from projects I have forgotten. I used up about half of my green, all of the pale pink, probably all of the dark pink and I may even add one more color in there - a variegated pink/purple. This pattern is a lot of fun - way more fun than I would have expected. I'm at the point where the brim flairs out and it's just flying along. I think this should fit Lily beautifully. Perfect on a day like today when it's barely 50 degrees F!

An Honest to God Knitting Post

2008-07-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

I finished a project for me!! It's the Mia Shrug from Yarn is My Metier. I finished it at my grandparent's on July 3rd. My Grandpa, always dry, asked me where the rest of my sweater went. While we were at the cabin I asked Katherine to model it for me, since I knew exactly what photos I wanted taken.

Specs:
Yarn - Manos Silk Blend - almost 3 skeins in Pewter. I probably have enough left to do either the cuffs or the flowers along the neckline.
Pattern - Mia Shrug (Ravelry link this time)
Modifications - None, I left it very simple without adding the cuffs or collar which I think suits the yarn and color well. The pattern is written so that you take all your measurements first, then knit to fit. I love this as I have rather wide shoulders. You can tell that it's a little wide on Katherine, but otherwise a nice fit.
The girls would like to send a shout out to Crazy Uncle Matty, Katherine and all the folks that were at Cabin Time this year.

I've Got Nuthin'

2008-07-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've got nothing for knitting pictures right now. I'm so close to the end of my shrug I can almost taste it. I have about an inch or so of ribbing to do, sew up the sleeves then decide if I want a finished cuff or not. In the meantime, here are some before and after shots of the back yard. We've been working really hard on this.

This spot by the back steps always looks so cluttered. I have pots of tomatoes, beans and flowers here, but we're really not good about weed wacking. So it always looks terrible. This is the main door we come in and out of so it can really make or break someone's day seeing this every day.

Beside the back steps we have this little indentation. It gets full afternoon sun, plus the dryer is vented out here, so everything has to be very sun resistant. I planted some irises and another plant in a desperate attempt to make this bush look a little less lonely, but all it did was make mowing back there even more difficult.

Improvements... I planted a ton more flowers back here. Some Peruvian Daffodils, some poppies, some random spreading plants. I also added the leaves (that we raked and placed around the house for added insulation last fall) as mulch to keep the weeks down. Adam helped a lot with this. It was his idea to add the blocks. Adam had found the blocks a few years ago and they had just been living in part of my garden. I'm happy that they have a new home! The gutters will get replaced and put up shortly. They came down when we resided the roof - since we made some changes to the house, we needed to get a few new pieces of gutter.

This was the first improvement I did. Adam ended up redoing it so that the block fit up snuggly against the sidewalk. It will fit 2-3 planters nicely. The goofy thing on the container in back is a Wall-O-Water. It insulates the tomato so our growing season can be longer. Traditionally we do not get hot enough weather for long enough in the summer to have a really good tomato crop. I'm hoping this helps with that. The tiki torches are something we do every once in awhile. :)

The other side of the steps. I planted more Peruvian Daffodils in the pots in the back (tiered stand). The daffodils are from my fantastic gardening Grandma. They need to be dug up and taken in every winter, so I thought clustering them in pots might be the easiest way to do that. I placed the block under the tiered planter 2 weekends ago. (Adam finished up the front part for me.) I planted morning glories all around the block. I'm hoping they will twine their way up the planter and onto the deck. I put a Gerbera daisy and moss roses in the next container and some bush green beans with more moss roses in the front one.

My sweet little neighbor next door keeps telling me that our back yard looks "Very inviting," so I guess we're doing something right. I think it looks cluttered with the 2 grills, kiddie pool, sandbox, and multiple toys. :) Oh well, baby steps, right? If we can get what we currently have to be easier to maintain, I will be happy.

Winner Announced!

2008-07-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

See what I've been up to? I found this fun barrette idea at Angry Chicken and just had to try it out. Mine don't look nearly as nice as hers, mostly because I hate my sewing machine with a passion and try to do everything without one. So, these are hand sewn and look hand sewn. And I'm pretty much ok with that. I love this idea though. I used great big barrettes that I picked up cheap at Target and the felt I found at Michaels. It took me about 15 minutes to cut and sew one. I imagine if I did it assembly line style it would go faster, but I was just checking this out.

I want to thank everyone who gave me hat ideas. I haven't decided on any hats yet, but I've checked them all out and printed out a few patterns. I really appreciate everyone who leaves me comments. I love comments - even from my little sister when she's a bit snarky. :) Love you Sis'!

The winner is.... (drumroll).... Carly. I put one name in the hat for each idea you gave me and had Addie pick out a winner. She was very excited to do the picking. Carly, email me at knittingupnorth at gmail dot com with your address. I have a very cool sock kit that I will send out to you. :)

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type

2008-06-27T13:00:00.001-07:00

The price of gas looks cheap compared to the price of milk!

Dear Farmer Brown,
The cows are cold. They would like electric blankets to keep warm at night. There will be no more milk until we get blankets.

Sincerely,
the Cows

In other news, it hasn't been all hanging out on the beaches of Lake Superior for me. I really have been knitting. I've been working hard on a shrug with the Manos Silky I got from the Good Karma exchange on Ravelry. It's also gotten really hot this week so I haven't wanted to work on anything huge, but I'm plugging along on it. I've got 2/3 done (actually it's more than 2/3 but since it can easily be divided into 3 parts, I have 2 of the 3 done). So you should see finished object pictures soon.

In the meantime, here's a little something that Lily asks for every morning when she wakes up...

Give that girl a sippy cup of warm soy milk and a bowl of popcorn and she's a happy camper!

Last Call for Contest

2008-06-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Random Yarn on a Sunny Tuesday

I'm having a hard time deciding what to do about the contest I'm running. I've only gotten two people to enter so far. I know I have more readers than that. Gee, I really hope I have more readers than that. Yikes! I'm just having a problem deciding do I put those 2 names in the hat and pull one out, do I put their hat ideas in the hat and pull one out. What should I do?

So... I'm going to give you all one more shot. If you link this contest on your blog (please let me know you did it) I'll give you another entry. If someone mentions you sent them my way, I'll give you another entry. You have until the end of the week... I've got yarn that's burning to get sent out!!

Charity Knitting

2008-06-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Remember this yarn? It's from the Glitter Knitter's Charity Knitting Gang. I just can't pass up free yarn. Especially yarn intended for cute little baby hats. I do love my baby hats. This one turned out so adorably cute it will be hard to give away.

The crazy part is that it is sooooo stretchy that it fits both of my girls. That almost never happens. I may have to make a second one with the leftovers for Lily for next winter. Addie will get one out of the leftovers from this....

The blue will be stunning with her gray-blue eyes.

I was talking to some midwives and doulas in the area and they would love slightly larger baby hats. I gave them some hats a while back, but I guess they were all on the too tiny side. So now I'll be in production mode - trying to whip out a bunch of bigger hats for normal size babies. I'm hoping to use up a bunch of my dk and sock weight odds and ends.

My question for everyone out there, what's your favorite baby hat pattern? Each commenter will be entered into a drawing for... yarn! The more patterns you give me (especially if they're free or from a book I already own!) will give you more entries.

More Projects Than I Can Shake a Stick At!

2008-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

So just as I was getting ready to cast on my shawl with the amazing Tili Thomas, I got this package in the mail from my Good Karma swap on Ravelry. There was beautiful Misty Alpaca, lots of little goodies and 3 skeins of Manos Silk Blend. I decided right then and there that I had to cast on something for myself.

So I started a shrug. It's the Mia Shrug from Yarn is My Metier. Check out Karen's blog while you're at it. She's a hoot. I found her way back last summer during Sockapalooza 4. I've been reading her blog sporadically since then, but never noticed the shrug. All the sudden I have 3 skeins of dk weight yarn that are begging to be a little somethin' somethin' for me. Wham bam boom, a Ravelry search later, I find Karen's pattern.

There must be something good in Texas, 'cause I think I have my knitting mojo back! Thanks rjacktoo!

Pay No Attention to the Hat in the Dryer

2008-06-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

See, aren't the apple blossoms pretty? Gee, I hope it stops raining so the bumblebees can pollinate. And oh look, there are 2 little blossoms on our new cherry tree too!

Did it work? Am I distracting you from the Fake Isle Hat that's in the dryer? Why on earth would I put a wool hat in the dryer you might ask. Well, since there aren't any giants that need their heads warm this time of year, I thought I might try shrinking it down to a normal size. (If you do happen to have an exceptionally large bean stalk in your yard, please let me know. I'd be happy to give the giant at the top a peace offering of a very soft, beautiful wool hat.) So cross your fingers for me folks, I'm hoping for a nice shrink with not a lot of serious felting. I know, I'm pretty much doomed from the start with this one.

So here you are, more distraction....
Mmmm.... Tilli Thomas disco and some Kidsilk Haze. Yum-O! I might just start a shawl with this stuff next. A shawl doesn't mind when you screw up gauge. A shawl doesn't mind a few inches larger or smaller (then it's a stole!). A shawl this beautiful might just help me get my knitting mojo back!!

More On Me

2008-06-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was in college in Stevens Point, WI having a fantastic time. I was a pre-med student and had every intention of going to med school and becoming a doctor. I loved my classes (well, except for physics) and I had a ton of friends for the first time in my life. I was working as an RA on campus and playing every chance I got. I loved college! I was actively trying to avoid this guy called Adam who was stalking me - I was dating someone else!

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?

shower

go to the YMCA luncheon that's honoring the Optimist Club

knit

print and deliver my resume/cover letter

playdate with our friends at McDonalds

3. Snacks I enjoy:

popcorn

ice cream

chocolate - especially good dark chocolate

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off our house and cars

Pay off our parents houses

Invest in a yarn store. :)

Travel

Go to medical school

5. Places I have lived:

Boyceville, WI

Stevens Point, WI

Superior, WI

6. Jobs I’ve had: (this makes me look like I've had a ton of jobs, but a lot of them were held simultaneously with others to make my way through college.)

Convenience Store Pizza Maker

Dairy Queen girl (5 or 6 years during HS and college!!)

On Campus Bartender for special events

Hostess at local restaurant

Bartender/Waitress/Chef for Golf Course (one summer of that was almost enough to make me go crazy)

Research Assistant for a professor doing research on potatoes

Residential Advisor and Academic Resource Coordinator

Tutor

Coordinator of Residential Life at a private college

Caribou Coffee barista

receptionist for a local Housing Authority

Advertising Sales

7. Peeps I want to know more about:

Lisa

Dana - she just started her own blog

The Other Jess

Be Sweet - Be Mine

2008-06-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember that I picked up 2 balls of Be Sweet African Bead Balls a few weeks back when my LYS had them 50% off. I intended to use only one ball, but kind of got carried away. I wanted to make a lacey sort of scarf but couldn't find a pattern to my liking. I ended up starting a feather and fan scarf. However, when I realized that one ball of yarn (or even 2) wouldn't cut it with this pattern, I adapted. I ended up with this sort of ascot looking scarf. It's perfect for keeping your chest warm with those silly v-neck coats.

A totally dorky picture of me wearing said scarf on the one really warm day that we've had. Actually, I like wearing this one doubled and then pulled through the center so that it's kind of frothy and frilly up against my neck.

If you're interested in the pattern, let me know and I'll write it up.

*By the way, the Fake Isle hat seems to be playing nicely again.

Where the Gauge Runs Wild

2008-06-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

The gauge was running a little crazy and loose (okay, a lot loose) this weekend at my house. I got through the first pattern of the Fake Isle Hat when I had Adam try it on. I knew it was really big on me, but I thought since he has a bigger head (evidenced by him stretching out my sunglasses in the past) it would fit him fine. Um, no. It's too big. So I frogged the entire thing.

Gauge is supposed to be 20 stitches to 4". Mine is 19.

The nice thing is that Adam helped me rewind the yarn.

I'm remaking it in the small size and went down one needle size so I should be okay now. I just checked my stitch gauge and it's 18. Can that possibly be right? I might need a drink. It's past noon here, pour me a margarita on the rocks!

It fits me fine so we're going with that. I think. Oh man, I think I need to have a liquid lunch today!

The Glitter Knitter

2008-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know it? I went to see The Glitter Knitter yesterday and I forgot my camera! For those of you who don't know who he is, Steven Berg owns (co-owns with his sister) the Yarn Garage in Rosemont MN. He is FAB-U-LOUS! He is a designer, knitter and cheerleader for all of us knitters. Steven told us a lot about his life and his theories of knitting, including "there are no mistakes, only variations." He also taught a little bit of modular knitting out of your stash. Who couldn't do a bit of stash busting now and again?

He brought a huge selection of yarn and knitted items for us to peruse. I ended up completely blowing my yarn budget out of the water. But there was TILLI THOMAS yarn there. LOTS of Tilli Thomas. And the patterns, whoooo-weee there were amazing patterns. I did restrain myself in a couple of areas, namely that I bought a pattern for a fantastic shrug, but I didn't buy the yarn. I know I can get a similar yarn much cheaper at my LYS. I took pictures of my yarn haul but I have to wait to get those on the blog. My laptop doesn't like to talk to my camera anymore. :(

Oh yeah, another cool thing about Steven? He has the Yarn Garage Charity Knitting Gang. They make baby hats and donate them in the Twin Cities area. This is a project that's near and dear to my heart since I coordinate the baby hat knitting efforts of the Duluth Noon Optimist Club. The Yarn Garage put together little pink bags of yarn together with a pattern to knit beehive hats for babies. I snagged one for myself and someone else gave me theirs, so I'll be whipping those up shortly. They're adorably cute.

Coming Soon...
Photos of my yarn haul (aka. yarn p*rn)
Photos of my frogged Fake Isle Hat and the story to accompany it
Photos of my Be Sweet-Be Mine scarf (a Jess original)

Under the Sea

2008-05-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

I whipped up these little stitch markers on Tuesday during nap time. They are for a Good Karma swap on Ravelry. My partner loves the sea, so I thought this was appropriate. These little guys were so cute I had to make a couple for myself!

*No, these were not made with the same type of pin that Lily swallowed. I was extremely careful that nothing was dropped on the floor!

Like Crack for Knitters

2008-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Jess and I'm addicted to knitting baby booties. Maybe it's the instant gratification, maybe it's the shear cuteness of it all, I don't know. I just know I need more. This is the super duper stay on baby bootie from Knitting for Baby. I've knit it enough times that I don't need to look at the pattern anymore. Just cast on and go. These were knit with some Koigu (two strands) from my stash. I had enough left over to make another pair, but I decided to branch out and make an EZ Baby Surprise Hat. Unfortunately the hat is too big for Lily, so I have to wait until Addie gets home from her time at Grandma and Grandpa's to get a picture taken. Had I used a single strand for the hat, I think it would have been the perfect size. However, I find EZ's vagueness just a little too vague when it comes to choosing the right yarn. I think I need to find myself a copy of The Knitters Book of Yarn to study while reading EZ. I think it's because she lists everything in ounces or in her own brands of yarn that I have trouble converting it to other brands. Just gimme some yardage lady! :)

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been....

2008-05-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

Lily had her appendix out last night. It's a very long saga (starting Tuesday night/Wednesday morning), but the short story is that she swollowed a pin and it went into her appendix. We've been in the hospital since Wednesday afternoon and hope to go home sometime tomorrow. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the doctors and nurses here, but it will be a relief to be home again.

She is doing well this morning but is in a lot of pain. I'll post more including cute hospital pictures when we are home.

*Edited to add: see 4 P's in a Pod for the extended story minus photos.