Knitting Needles – by Shape
Knitting Needles – by Brand
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These things sat upon my lap on a trip we just took to Houston, TX. It was a "vacation" of sorts, a good friend just got married so we went to celebrate. To knit or read, that was the question. I chose to do a bit of both, and that Noro yarn cake is nearly gone a week later...and that book is finished...which is pretty unheard of for me these days. That trip we took without our sweet little babies. I missed them like mad, but boy did I get a lot of reading and knitting done. It was fun to have some time to focus on myself and do whatever I wanted. I only packed my size 10 circular needles and this book that I started months ago, no toys, no kid books, and packing only a suitcase for yourself is pretty surreal when you are a Mama.
I felt sad, but excited about our 5 day adventure. I was super ready day 5 to see my babies. And they were so excited to see us too.
I haven't stopped knitting completely with the busy days of summer, but I haven't been as into it as I was when the weather was more frigid. I spent some time over the summer working on my sweater and I was hoping to have it done in time for Shane's birthday which is in two weeks so that's not going to happen, maybe Christmas? Maybe birthday next year? Hmm. I need some help reading my pattern so I'll just plug away until I hit that point where I cannot go any further, and it is near, very near. I also used some of that Cascade cotton yarn and whipped up a little ribbed hat for baby Clara, but I haven't taken a photo of it yet, I figured you'd probably be pretty tired of hat photos, so I'm going to really attempt branching out this fall...I promise not to bore you with continuous hats.
Happy Knitting and I'm back in the swing, so I'll be back to posting my projects! School is back in session and I have about 8 hours a week when both of my kids are in school, crazy! I'll be knitting my brains out.
The beach was amazing! We were right on Pacific Ocean in Ocean Park, WA and it was gorgeous. We met my dearest friend Nicole and her family. We stayed at their family beach house *right* on the beach, LUCKY! I mentioned in my last post that I had my knitting all packed up and of course I completely forgot to actually put it in the car, so packed or not, did me no good.
The craziest thing happened when I missed a turn about a 1/4 mile from the beach house and my husband noticed a little cafe that was in the same building as a yarn shop. What are the odds? We ended up enjoying some delicious breakfast at the cafe one of the mornings we were there and of course...yarn time!
The decor at the Full Circle Cafe was pretty adorable. There were felted fish hanging from the ceiling along with other pretty things - beach related - and seriously the food was incredible!
We enjoyed our breakfast and the kids and my husband headed back to the beach house while I did a little bit of yarn browsing/shopping. Of course I'd forgotten needles as well, so I had to indulge in a new pair (or two or three). Someone locally made these adorable needles with a pair of dice on the ends, so I had to snag those up and I was leaning toward a quick and easy project that I could complete in the sand on a blanket while my kids made castles and waded and my husband strummed his ukulele.
   
I ended up deciding on the Cascade cotton yarn so I could make little beach hats for the babes. It was a bit of a stretch for me purchasing something other than wool but it made more sense for the season to get cotton yarn. This yarn can stretch too, that little ball goes a long way and it is very user friendly. Oh, and I threw in a hank of Cascade wool too. That wool will knit something sweet and maybe I'll even felt it. I understand this Cascade yarn is wonderful yarn for felting.
In case you aren't aware of the temperature on the beach on the West coast, it's cold. We got so lucky and had beautiful weather everyday, but one, but it was still chilly. Windy and hat-worthy for sure. So I started on little Clara's hat. Oh my gosh I finally got to meet little Clara. She's a peach!
This was right outside of Tapestry Rose and I walked right along this beautiful coast from the yarn shop back to the beach house. Ahhhh! There is something very magical about the ocean.
And something even more magical about my new knitting supplies purchased right on the beach.
Look at those cute little dice needles and of course the variegated cotton wonders. I got myself another pair of circular needles and I was just crossing my fingers hoping I didn't have size 5 already.
Meet Gary - he and his wife Colleen own Tapestry Rose. I was happy to meet him and find yarn right on the beach. One of the more perfect vacations of my life. Best friends, really relaxing, and my kids love sand and sea!
Happy Knitting!
So I have been on the lookout for a circular needle holder for quite some time now. I've seen the kind where you can hang them, but I don't have the space for that. Then I noticed at Loopy, in one of their newsletters, that they'd just gotten a shipment in of Namaste Circular Needle Holders, so I headed down with a gift certificate in hand (that I got for my birthday from Sarah and Bryan) and nabbed one up! And, I couldn't be more excited.
I'd like to back-track for just a minute and apologize for the lack of posts lately. We've been soooo busy I don't even know where the time has gone. School is out, we're playing hard and we've had a LOT of company and we are about to have some more and then head West on vacation to the Washington and Oregon coast on Monday. I've got my knitting packed and I plan to knit right on the beach! Here is a little snip of what we've been up to these days.
 
 
Okay now back to the Namaste Needle Holder.
Here it is closed, at first I thought it looked too much like a briefcase and that didn't seem very fun to me, but then I realized it was just a tool and every tool doesn't have to be cute - but it is a perk!
I can put a whole lot of needles in here and there are little tabs so you can label them yourself. They came in a couple of different shades - I chose indigo. I have some 29" circulars in here but mostly 16" since I'm a little bit 'hat obsessed'.
So - long story short - I love my new needle holder and it is small enough to fit right in my knitting bag or tote and I don't have to worry about finding a spot to hang it! There will probably come a day when I need more than one circular needle holder - then I'll get a cute one!
Oh and here are some shots of my completed baby hat - my cute model is holding it on his 'baby head sized' fist.
  
I loved the way this handful of things all matched. Yarn-corn nuts-knitting bag from my sweet friend-cozy couch - ahhh! I'm making yet another hat for a doula client and I'm using some more of the yarn I got from Skyline Yarns . The doula client is less of a "client" and more of a friend so I wanted to make sure to use something special. This is a worsted weight superwash 100% wool yarn. Machine washable wool is the best! It says to knit with size 7-9 needles and I am using size 8 circular needles. I cast on 68 stitches to start this sweet little baby hat. Knit 2 Purl 2 round and round we go! It is still under construction as I type. This yarn makes a pretty amazing pattern, look at that beautiful stripe.
I'm of course doing my favorite pattern - the good old ribbed hat. I love how stretchy they are and it just seems like a little person can get a little bit extra use out of a hat like this - it will fit for longer. I wonder what Karen used to dye this yarn, she dyes her yarns with all natural dyes - maybe carrots? Whatever it was - it looks delicious!
The second hat I wanted to make mention of, I whipped up in a couple of nights. It was for my last doula client and her sweet baby - Claira Rain - she was born a month ago (with the rain on April 30th) and I actually used the same yarn I used for the other Clara's hat. It is special Skyline Yarn again but a bit lighter weight, sock yarn, fingering yarn.
This yarn called for size 3-5 needles. I used size 6 circular needles to knit this up. Same pattern knit 2, purl 2. I think I got a little bit slack when I decreased and closed up the top, I'll have to look back at my old patterns when I close the hat I'm currently working on. It still looks pretty sweet on baby Claira's head.
 
Look at that sweet little newbie and her pretty Mama. Knitting hats for new babies is quick and easy and so fun. I remember when my midwife knit a hat for Gussy while I was in labor, and it is one of my most favorite sentimental keepsakes ever. It goes on the top of our Christmas tree every year. Here is a photo of Gus in his baby hat 3 + years ago. Maybe some of the hats I knit will end as tree toppers? Who knows, what I do know is those babies will have warm little heads.
Happy Knitting!
I really scored this weekend at a yard sale. I nabbed up a cute little knitting tote or project tote. I don't know what they are officially called I just know that all of the inspirational knitters in my life have them and mine was $1.00!
  
It came at the perfect time since I've been spending a lot of time knitting out in the sunshine.
I like to sit on our back deck and soak up some Vitamin D while I work on Shane's sweater, watch my kids and chickens play, and watch my garden grow. The problem I was running into was that my ball of yarn seemed to fall off the table and somehow target a pile of chicken poo, which doesn't tend to have a very good outcome. This is no longer a problem! I can keep my ball of yarn in the knitting tote, poo free!
I've made some progress on the sweater I'm working on. I'm using chunky Noro Yarn - that I'm completely in love with. It is great to work with and self-striping and the colors are great! I started off using size 6 needles at the bottom. The first piece I'm working on is the back. I think I cast on 99 stitches and I used size 6 needles for 6 rows of 99 sts in stocking stitch or stockinette stitch (which is just knitting one row and purling back on the other side). After those six rows the pattern tells me to switch to size 10 needles and work 16 + inches. I thought I loved the look of this pattern on Ravelry when I was admiring a photo of someone's completed project, but once I visited the pattern on Yarn Forward I wasn't as impressed. I decided today that a stripey colorful version will look much different. I can always fall back on myself as the owner of the sweater if all else fails.
  
One thing that I have thought of, is since this pattern is having me do the front independently from the back the stripes most likely won't match up, but I don't think I care and who knows, maybe I'll get lucky. The cable stitching near on the armholes will also prove to be very tricky, as I have no idea how to work with cable needles. I will learn I suppose! And I realize that might be a matching nightmare also - again I don't think I care. I just wanted this first sweater to be a fun, toasty, colorful sweater and I'm prepared for the imperfection that comes with it. I think the Noro yarn will make up for it.
  
My little model wasn't thrilled with me, he was just trying to enjoy his frozen yogurt pop.
More to come soon on the sweater, just knitting my "spare" time away.
Happy Knitting!
I decided to take the plunge. I don't mind visiting my favorite local knitting shops to convert my hanks to something more easy to work with. But, since I order yarn online quite frequently I decided I wanted to have the means to make my very own yarn cakes whenever I darn well please! Don't get me wrong I adore the winder that I used to take complete advantage of, but this made a lot more sense to me. So I got myself a pretty pine swift and got myself a ball winder to go along with it. My kids are having more fun with it than me. The swift attached nicely to my yarn cubby and we just put the ball winder on the little table from our store.
  
It is very easy to move around so it doesn't get in the way, it is easy to store the swift and winder away whenever we want to, but oh so nice to be able to take them out whenever the need arises. This little guy takes his yarn cakes very seriously!
  
In case some of you might not know what the heck this all means you untie a hank of yarn and open it up around a swift (they come in an array of different sizes and styles). You find the ends and pull one of them over to a ball winder (or just use your fingers).
You just turn the crank on the ball winder and the swift spins about while the yarn winds up really nicely. I like to make pretty little cakes and that is precisely what this ball winder will make for you.
Mmm that is a delicious looking cake! I'm going to use this cake to start my sweater! It is in the very very beginning stages...pretty exciting! Wish me luck.
Happy Knitting!
Birthday Hat takes on two meanings for me today. I made this hat for a friend for her birthday because as I mentioned before - why mess with success, when you are good at something you might as well make that useful thing for everyone that needs it right? Plus they are fun to make, so I made yes another ribbed hat. The second meaning is that I finished this hat while I was fortunate enough to be a doula at a sweet birth...so it is extra special to me. This was while the Mama was laboring for a bit in another room, I snapped my progress on my lap in the rocking chair in the dark room, in the wee hours of the morn.
It doesn't take me long to whip out a ribbed hat these days. One night and I can get one done from start to finish. This particular hat I cast on 68 stitches and k2 p2 the entire way to the decrease at the top. I used size 10.5 circular needles and I really just like the way these fit, they are snug and warm, so I'll keep making them. In fact I'm thinking about starting to sell them on Etsy just because I like to make them so much. That's when I ask myself, "Self, do I have time for an Etsy shop?" And the answer is as long as no one likes your hats you do!
  
I used Sheep Number Two yarn from the Sheep Shop Yarn Company. I love knitting with this yarn it is so soft and colorful! I used color number G026. I got it in hanks and just used my new tools (they'll be featured in one of the next blog entries) to turn it into a big yarn cake. Both times I've made hats with this I didn't even use a whole hank. The last hat was Lexie's birthday hat. It is made in Uruguay and 100% pure wool!
Now for the Pom Pom! I haven't ever made one before but I'm not sure why, it is incredibly easy!
  
So the first three steps pictured above: 1.Find a piece of flexible cardboard. 2. Wrap yarn around the cardboard (approx 50 times). 3. Remove the wound yarn from the cardboard. I just slid my finger in place of the cardboard - but you want to keep that wound yarn nice and neat for the next step.
  
Next step is just to tie a about a 12 inch piece of yarn twice around your bundle (through the middle).
Finally you just cut the bundle (opposite side of where you tied it together). Then you've got yourself a pom pom. I just attached it after I cut it.
TaDa!
What do you guys think? Etsy shop or no?
So Loopy had a sale and I just bought all of this incredibly enticing Noro yarn because I never can resist it, and it was on sale! I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to knit a sweater for my sweet husband! In order to even begin something so huge though I needed to really work on my increasing and decreasing. Sure, I decrease all of the time when I knit my hats, but I haven't had much of a reason to increase.
This yarn was my inspiration, well this combined with a very simple dishcloth pattern. This yarn is called Amaizing because it is made from 100% corn fiber. What a perfect time to make your own dishcloths! *Earth Friendly Dishcloths* during earth month - how fitting. I will never buy another dishcloth as long as I live. I usually get dishcloths by the handful whenever I visit my Great Aunt Jean - so she's always been my "supplier" but she'll no longer have to stock my dishcloth drawer. I'll forewarn you - there isn't the element of perfection I usually require, but it is a dishcloth and my first one using this pattern, so be gentle.
So this simple pattern uses size 7 needles.
Cast on 3 stitches.
Increase Section: Row 1 - Knit 3
Row 2 - K1 M1 (increase or Make one stitch), K1, M1, K1
*Row 3 - Knit all stitches
Row 4 - K1, M1, K all stitches until one stitch before the end, M1, K1*
Repeat Rows 3 & 4 (between *) until you are half way
Decrease Section: Row 1 - Knit all stitches
**Row 2 - K1, K2tog (knit two together), K all stitches until 3 stitches before the end, K2tog, K1**
Row 3 - Knit all stitches **
Repeat Rows 2 & 3 (between **) until you have 3 stitches left.
Bind off loosely.
So pretty simple, and really really quick! Since I didn't really know how to Make One (m1) I used this book as a tool to teach me.
I was increasing like a madwoman in no time! You can be too, if you aren't already. If the book doesn't do the trick I always watch You Tube knitting videos. You Tube is a really good teacher! You can make one of these dishcloths in one evening, so you could gift them or build up your supply at home. I have another washcloth that I made when I was just learning to knit (all garter stitch) and supposedly this yarn gets softer with each wash, but I don't find it to be incredibly absorbent, so if you like your cloths to soak things up (in bulk) maybe this yarn won't be your cup of tea. It is really soft though and I found a pattern for a handkerchief headband and it calls for corn yarn, so I'm planning to use this yarn to make that really soon as well.
It looks very pleasing to me close up.
So watch for my sweater progress, I plan to start soon. I have two other smaller projects that will happen within the next few weeks. A birthday ribbed hat - why mess around - when you are good at something might as well give that as a gift, right? The new endeavors are for people like Shane who will hopefully love it even if it isn't perfect, since he's married to me. Sucka!
Happy Knitting! Happy Earth Month!
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Hope everyone had a fantastic Earth Week! I knitted most of an earth-friendly dishcloth last night, pattern coming soon. I was trying to teach myself increasing and decreasing and I think I've got it down now - soon I'll be able to move onto a sweater (that's the plan). For Earth Day I also planted a new strawberry bed right by our front door...Mmmm. I dug up our grass, used some scrap wood from around our shed and mixed some compost and soil - TADA! A new home for our berry plants, now lots of TLC and only about three years until we get to enjoy those flavorful berries!
 
Happy Earth Week! Happy Crafting! Happy Knitting!
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Finally finished up the blanket...and it is en route to Madison to sweet little Clara. I started crocheting her one back in June before she was born, but once I learned how to knit, I decided that crocheting was for the birds - well not really - but knitting this up was a lot quicker for me. I still really like crocheting too and luckily there are many projects where these two abilities go hand in hand. I used size 11 needles and this yarn was pretty chunky and it all came together pretty quickly when I would actually sit down and work on it. I mostly knit the entire thing but did a few rows here and there where I would knit two, purl two (k2, p2) just to add a little bit of variation.
So my blanket ended when my variegated yarn ran out. It ended up being really soft and actually a pretty perfect size for just a lap blanket, but great for a cuddle blanket for a wee one. It was pretty much square when I was done.
And of course we had to test it out before sending it. Hopefully little Miss Clara will pose in a photo for us that I'll post as soon as she gets her gift. Since I'm sure you're all dying to see her sweet little face again, I know I am!
 
My little testers seemed to be fans of the cozy blankie - that's always a good sign. So onto other projects, next my plan is a bag/satchel of some sort.
I have a fun new book that I just got called Head to Toe Knits by Zoe Mellor and there are several projects in there I plan to attempt.
I'll dive into my yarn cubby to find the perfect yarn and I'm kind of thinking I might do a felted variation of something, I've been dying to knit and felt something, so I think that's my plan.
Still working on this...whenever I get a wild hair. And someday I'll finish at least this one! Who knows if I'll ever make two - no just teasin' I will!
Happy Knitting! Pull up a hammock and knit in the sunshine, who says you can't knit in the summer?
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