Marn Casts On

Chakra with Mittens

2011-10-20T20:54:00.003-04:00

The Pattern: Chakra by Alysa Joaquin
The Yarn: 1 ball Noro Kureyon in #253 Turq, Royal, Red, Pink 1 ball (110yds/100m) and 1 ball Ella Rae Classic Superwash in cream (219yds/200m)
Needle size: US 7 (4.5mm)

Started: 8/12/11
Finished: 8/13/11

I knit this hat once before for a swap. I loved it, but I had to give it away. So I decided I'd make one for myself.

This time I decided to make mittens too. I made up the pattern as I went along.

Have you seen this?

2011-10-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

It is a fun little video. The creator describes this it as "a short stop motion, knitted adventure about a boy and his cat who travel far and wide to deliver parcels in their little red plane."

Baby Kimono x2

2011-09-05T23:35:00.000-04:00

The Pattern: Garter Stitch Baby Kimono by Joji Locatelli
Size: 1-3 months
The Yarn: Rowan RYC Siena (153.0yds/139.9m) in Flounce (3 balls), Grasshopper (3 balls), and Frost (1 ball)
Needle size: US 4/3.5mm

Started: 7/6/11
Finished: 8/11/11

Quick knits made for these two cuties, our soon to be god-kids. Twins born to good friends of ours. The one with the smirk is Grant and Gabby is the angel on the right.

I had a larger vertical gauge than was called for so I didn't do as many decreases along the neckline, so the necks ended up a little tight.

The edging is an applied I-cord.

Overall they turned out pretty cute.

Deluxe Oblique

2011-08-15T10:19:00.071-04:00

I love love love this sweater and I almost ruined it!

The Pattern: Oblique by Veronik Avery
Size: XS
The Yarn: Gedifra Shetland Deluxe in Med Brown (9293) 9 skeins (1143yds/1045.2m)
Needle size: US 7 and 9

Started: 1/26/11
Finished: 2/21/11

This sweater sucked up more yarn than was called for.
I only worked 2.5” of twisted rib on cuffs (I didn't do a reverse cuff as called for), my sleeves were still pretty long. I also eliminated rows 13-16 (36 sts remain unworked at each end of Row 12) of collar and then skipped to rows 17-20.
I still ended up using every last strand of yarn (a couple hundred more yards than specified) and then had to sew some of the seams with a different yarn.

I really hate sewing seams, I am just not good at it. But I wasn't sure I could figure out the shaping if I tried doing this in the round. So I sucked it up and knit everything in pieces :'(

This sweater turned out really well. I loved the fit and the yarn was soft and silky. Then I lost my mind and put it in the washing machine where is was viciously shrunk to 2/3 its size!
After several hundred gallons of tears and some elbow grease I managed to reblock it to the correct dimensions. Although the yarn has lost some of its silky softness *sniff, sniff* it still remains one of my favorite knits.

Keeping Warm

2011-08-07T10:54:00.028-04:00

It is a little hard to think about these legwarmers during 90 degree summer weather. But during January in Minnesota these were fabulous.

The Pattern: Bulky Cabled Legwarmers with Buttons by Liat Gat
The Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 1 skein in black (220yds/201.2m)
Needle size: US 14 - I think, I forgot to write it down again :'(

Started: 12/29/10
Finished: 1/19/11

I made these as a gift for myself :) It seem appropriate to post them today since its my birthday.
I've been looking for a good pair of tall boots for awhile now, but I just haven't fallen in love with any yet and I don't want to shell out a few hundred dollars on something I don't love or $80+ on something that isn't going to last.

So I decided that I would knit some legwarmers to help keep me warm until my I find my sole mates.

I used this yarn double stranded and I'm pretty sure that I used size 14 needles. I'm really kicking myself for forgetting to record my needle sizes Aargh!
I really love how these turned out. They look cool and really help keep me warm.

Eggplant Ascot

2011-08-01T10:07:00.011-04:00

Continuing with the gifts. I made this ascot for a friend's January birthday. It is being modeled by my mommy.

The Pattern: Huckleberry Ascot by Kat Coyle
The Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca Sportweight in Eggplant 2 skeins (260yds/237.7m)
Needle size: US 6

Started: 12/25/10
Finished: 12/27/10

I really like the Frog Tree Alpaca, soft and light.

Short rows are used to get the ends to flair out.

Then you pick up stitches along the edges and line them with bobbles.
A very nice looking quick knit.

Heads and Hands

2011-07-25T19:44:00.000-04:00

I had a lot of time off in Dec and Jan so I made hat and mitten sets for Megan and Anna.

The Hat Pattern: Ear Cozies (CH-34) by Bev Galeskas
Hat Sizes: Large for Megan and Medium for Anna

The Mitten Pattern: Kathy's Mittens by Chris de Longpré
Mitten Sizes: Preschool for Megan and Toddler for Anna

The Yarn: 1 skein of Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Baby in Berrylicious and 1 skein each of Caron Simply Soft Party Black Sparkle and Purple Sparkle
Needle size: US 9

Started: 1/5/11
Finished: 1/14/11

I really like the ear cozie pattern. It has two versions the pointed and rounded. I made the pointed for Anna in the past, so I used the rounded this time and added pom poms.

I wanted the sets to be similar, but not identical. So for the body of Anna's mittens and hat I used a polka dot pattern.
Anna has the hat on backwards in this picture. When it is turned around the cozies fit over her ears better.

Then for Megan I did stripes. Hmmm Megan has her hat on backwards too, I can see the seam O_o
The mitten pattern was relatively easy to follow. The only modification I made was lengthening the cuffs.

Christmas Cardigans

2011-07-18T10:01:00.167-04:00

The nieces and nephew recieved cardigans this past Christmas

This is Wes (4mo.) in his old man sweater. I love this picture, he looks like such a little gentleman.

The Pattern: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down
Size: 6-12 mo.
The Yarn: Berroco Vintage™ Chunky 1 3/4 skeins of Crackled Pepper 6107 (227.5yds/208m)
Needle size: US 8 or 9, sorry I forgot :'(

Started: 11/23/10
Finished: 11/30/10

This is a very easy to follow pattern and I love the shawl collar. I also really liked the yarn, it was nice and soft.

These plastic buttons fashioned to look like woven leather really helped complete the look.

Continuing from youngest to oldest...this is Anna (2 yrs 8 mos). with my brother. She is wearing Tiny Tea Leaves

The Pattern: Tiny Tea Leaves by Melissa LaBarre
Size: 3/4 yrs
The Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Grass 4.5 skeins (495yds/452.6m)
Needle size: US 7 and 8

Started: 11/13/10
Finished: 12/20/10

I was worried about the neckline. A lot of projects on Ravelry seemed to have loose necks, which I didn't want. So for garter stitches on the yoke I used the smaller needles. It helped tightened up the neckline, so it didn't look sloppy.

The yarn was from my stash. I had started making the hexacomb cardigan with it, but didn't really like how it was turning out so I frogged it. I think it worked well for this project though.

And here is Megan (4 1/2 yrs). I started out planning to make the Lion Brand hooded raglan cardigan, but realized it required a lot of seaming. So I switched to the Duck Soup pattern eliminating the knot on the hood and replacing the garter stitch edge with a 2x2 rib.

The Pattern: Duck Soup by Anny Purls
Size: 4/5 yrs
The Yarn: Lion Bran Wool Ease Chunky in Wheat 2.25 skeins (344.3yds/314.8m)
Needle size: US 11

Started: 12/20/10
Finished: 12/23/10

I had already bought the yarn called for in the LB hooded cardi, but it is a lot heavier than what is called for in the duck soup pattern. So I followed the instructions for the 3 mo. size for the stitch counts (remember that you still need to follow the vertical height measurements for the 4/5 size).

In order to do the 2x2 edging along the button bands and hood I eliminated 9 stitches on each side. When you get to the raglan increases start the row with K1 M1 place marker M1 work 2 sts for the sleeve M1 place marker M1 following pattern instructions for the number of stitches along the back then M1 place marker M1 work 2 for the sleeve M1 place marker M1 K1.

When you're finished with the hood and body pick up stitches along the edge to create the 2x2 rib. I used a 2:3 ration. Remember to add evenly space button holes on one side of the band.

If you look at the first pic you'll notice I knit the sleeves a little too short the first time around, so I had to go back and lengthen them. Unfortunately I didn't get a new pic.

Kiki Mariko

2011-07-13T17:46:00.015-04:00

I've basically been finished with this for over a year now. I've been waiting to post it 'cause I kept thinking that I would get around to binding the edge. But I don't think that'll ever happen :)

The Pattern: Kiki Mariko from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines by Kay Gardiner and Ann Meador Shayne
Size: 42.5 in x 35 in (108 cm x 89 cm) before felting
37.5 in x 29 in (96 cm x 74 cm) after felting
The Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky 2 balls of Chocolate and 1 ball each of Lime, Navy, Red-Purple, Burgundy, Pumpkin, Gold, and Oatmeal (108yds/99m)
Needle size: US 11 - 8.0 mm

Started: 6/6/10
Finished: 6/13/10

This is a colorwork project knit in the round, so you basically end up with a big tube.

A checkerboard pattern is knit at the beginning and end of the round to form the steeked egde.

To felt the rug I placed it in a pillow case and put it through the hot wash cycle of my washing machine.

As you cut through the middle of the checkerboard pattern your knitting will not unravel because the separate strands of yarn were fused together during the felting process.

The steek should be cut while the rug is still wet from washing, so that you can shape the rug. It took a lot of pulling and stretching to get the rug into a even rectangle. With a little more effort I could have also straighten out the edges. But I liked the slightly wavy look, so I left them alone.

The felting creates a nice tight fabric.

This is the edge that I had meant to bind in brown using a whip stitch. I just never got around to it and after a year I don't think I ever will. And I like the checkerboard pattern just as it is anyway.

Vertical Weave Fingerless Mittens and Flatbread

2011-06-30T12:00:00.010-04:00

So I've been MIA for quite awhile. I returned to school in the fall and have been super busy. I've still had some time to knit, but I haven't found the time or motivation to post anything until now.

So lets play catch up, starting with...

The Pattern: Vertical Weave Fingerless Mittens by Me!
Size: 8 inches around forearm, 7 inches around hand, and 2 1/4 inches around the thumb
The Yarn: 1 ball of Cascade Yarns 220 Wool in Teal 9420 (220yds/201.2 m) or 1 ball of Paton's Classic Wool Merino in Dark Gray 000225 (223yds/203.9m)
Needle size: Size 7/4.5 mm

Started: 10/22/10
Finished: 10/23/10

This is two pairs. Not a pair made up of one teal and one gray, although now that I'm thinking about it wearing one of each color would be cool. It only takes about half a ball to make one pair

When I started this project in October I took detailed notes because I was going to post the instructions. Then I put the instructions in a really safe place. Which has proved to be so safe that nine months later even I can't find them. And unfortunately I gave these away, so I can't even use the mittens to jog my memory.

The mittens are pretty much a tube until the thumb. Then, like most mitten or glove patterns, there's some increases to add the thumb gusset. The vertical stitch pattern came from Knit Stitches & Easy Projects Beginner's Guide from Leisure Arts.

This is no knead garlic cheese flat bread. The recipe is from the King Arthur website. This bread is soooo easy to make. You mix the ingredients, let the bread rise, pour into a sheet pan and bake. I cut them into strips and dipped in marinara sauce. Yum.

Happy Halloween Weekend

2010-10-29T18:08:00.009-04:00

The Pattern: Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie Nussbaum
Size: 35 1/2
The Yarn: 11 skeins of Valley Yarns Sugarloaf in Sienna (891.0 yards/814.7m)
Needle size: Size 7/4.5 mm

Started: 10/16
Finished: 10/24

This is another project that has been in my queue for a while. I might wear it like this.

Or like this.

I wish I made the smallest size, because it came out a little baggier in the shoulders and arms than I'd have liked.

I really like the texture of the moss stitch. I'm also really happy with the yarn. I love the color and the squishiness.

It's pumpkin season, so I made this pumpkin bread recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen. It makes 2 loaves, I have only been making a half recipe at a time. Partly because J and I won't be able to eat two loaves before they go bad. But mainly because I only have one loaf pan :)

The recipe calls for shortening. Instead I substituted coconut oil and butter. Coconut oil is supposedly very good for you.

Hey look crocheted baskets

2010-09-05T16:09:00.003-04:00

An interesting product I saw at the MoMA design store a couple days ago. The set goes from $220. MoMA lists them as knitted baskets, but up close it is clear they are crocheted.

They are made out of neoprene, a flexible rubber used in the automotive and plumbing industries. Interesting material, soft to the touch and holds the bowl shape well.

The designer is Rosanna Contadini. She and two other designers, Isabella Nardone and Analia Restrepo, design handbags, home decor products, and jewelry all produced from neoprene. Check out there other items at Neo

Mitered Hanging Towels and Scroll Shaped Semolina Bread

2010-08-05T15:05:00.005-04:00

The Pattern: Mitered Hanging Towels by Cristina Bernardi Schiffman published in Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines and available online at canadianliving.com
The Yarn: 3 balls of Red Heart ECO Cottom in vanilla, denim, and linen marl - one of each color (145yd/133m per ball)
Needle size: US8/5.0mm

Started: 6/17
Finished: 7/10

I made these for a gift, but I still don't have a recipient in mind. This was a nice project to give me a break from Anthemion (This thing is taking forever!). You could knit one of these in a day or over the course of a couple evenings.

I bought this yarn with no particular project in mind. I just happened upon it when I was at Knit-A-Way. I loved the look of the denim and linen marl colors. The yarn is 75% recycled fabric remnants from t-shirts and 25% acrylic. It felt a little bit stiffer than other cotton blends I've used in the past. It is a good yarn for householdy items. So when I ran across this pattern in Mason-Dixon I decided to dig out the Red Heart.

The buttons are 28mm in diameter and made of horn. I got them at M&J Trimming on 6th Avenue between 37th & 38th. They broke my bank at about $5 a piece, but they are so handsome and perfect for these towels I couldn't leave them behind.

Here is my latest baking creation.

Pane Siciliano. Again from the Bread Baker's Apprentice. I didn't get the shaping quite right. I think the problem was the surface tension on the dough. So when they rose they sort of just melted together, making the scroll shape less obvious than the loaves pictured in the book.

I ate one loaf over a week and froze the other two loaves. They weren't quite as good out of the freezer, but they make good cheesy garlic bread.

This is how I do cheesy garlic bread:
Place desired number of slices under the broiler to toast.
Crush one clove of garlic and rub it on the toasted bread.
Place a layer of cheese on top. I use shredded parmesan, but you could use mozzarella or whatever.
Stick the bread back under the broiler until the cheese starts to brown. Enjoy!

Gulf Oil Spill: How you can help...

2010-06-16T22:20:00.006-04:00

Photograph by Sean Gardner, Reuters

For anyone interested in helping out with the oil spill disaster, here are a few organizations that have set up oil spill relief funds.

Greater New Orleans Foundation – Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund
National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Emergency Fund
(You can also donate $10 by texting "WILDLIFE" to 20222)
Oxfam America Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response Fund
United Way Greater New Orleans Gulf Oil Spill Fund

And check to see if your employer will match your donation.

It has been estimated that the spill is already far larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill from 1989.
BP spill vs Exxon spill comparison chart.
NY Times article on the rate of oil flow into the gulf

More info on the oils spill and how you can help:
EPA
The Daily Green
Deepwater Horizon Response
Google News
National Wildlife Federation
NY Times
Oil Spill Volunteers
Take Part
White House

Prairie Tunic and Focaccia Bread

2010-05-27T17:18:00.010-04:00

The Pattern: Prairie Tunic by Veronik Avery
Size: 33
The Yarn: 2 1/2 skeins of Valley Yarns Sheffield in Mirage (545yd/498m)
Needle size: US6/4.0mm

Started: 4/14
Finished: 5/22

I've been wanting to make this for 3 years now. Not sure what was stopping me. It is a great little top.

I am a bit unsure of what to wear under it. I've been experiementing with a couple tanks - one regular tank and one racerback.

The instructions tell you to knit this in two pieces, but I'm terrible at seaming. So I wanted to do this in one shot. So I cast on for both the front and back and joined to knit in the round. About 5 rows in I realized that there are supposed to be slits up the side - will I never learn to read a pattern before I start? So I frogged it tand started over.

This time I cast on the back piece and the front piece using two different balls of yarn, then knit two at a time (like with socks or sleeves or other things that come in pairs). Once they were 4" long I joined to knit in the round (the pattern calls for 6 inch slits, but that seemed really long to me). When joining make sure that you are on a RS row and that your work isn't twisted. I continued like this until I got to the the triangle shaping.

Then I knit the left triangle about 50 times. I had two problems.

One: When you get to the triangle decreases you also need to adjust where you start and end the lace panels. BUT the pattern doesn't say by how much. By looking at pics of finished Prairie Tunics on Ravelry I decided to eliminate one decrease and yarn over from the beginning and end of each panel on each third row.

Two: There was errata that I didn't know about. Note to self - always check for errata. The errata isn't much different than what's in the pattern already, it simply eliminates one of the decreases on the inner side of the triangle. Once I discovered the errata it went smoothly.

The twisted cord took me a while to get right. I kept dropping the ends when I was twisting. I finally tied loops in the ends and hooked them around my index fingers. Then I just rotated my wrist to get the cord to twist. I also stood to the side of the door knob that I had the other end looped around, rather than directly facing it. When I was facing it the end kept slipping over the knob.

I have one glaring mistake. I messed up one of the lace repeats. Whoops! It's really obvious to me, but hopefully I'm the only one who notices.

The yarn was good. It is a cotton/silk mix, so there is a little bit of shine. No problems with splitting. I usually avoid plant based fibers, because I like the strechiness of animbal based fiber. But a cotton mix is good for light summer clothes like this. I used about 2 1/2 skeins, there was 22 grams of the 3rd skein left over.

I also made this really yummy focaccia bread. It is from the Bread Baker's Apprentice. It takes about 3 days to make, but it is so worth it.

It is great plain or dipped in marinara sauce.

Textured Shawl & Braided Bread

2010-04-30T12:04:00.000-04:00

My third shawl for 10 shawls in 2010.

The Pattern: Textured Shawl by Orlane
Size: 44in/112cm neckline; 28in/72cm sides; 20in/51cm neck to tip
The Yarn: Three balls of Valley Yarns Sheffield in Light Grey (360yd/329.2m)
Needle size: US9/5.5mm and US10.5/6.5mm

Started: 4/4
Finished: 4/13

This was a really quick knit. Its simple and beautiful. I wanted to use a light solid color to show off the textured pattern. Dark colored yarns work well with lace because you get light shining through to highlight the pattern. But with a solid peice like this I felt that a dark color would just eat up the textured pattern. I also decided against varigated yarn because I thought it would make the texture disappear. I love how the textured portions look against the simple stockinette stitch. I think this would be lovely adapted into a blanket.

The Sheffield yarn was ok. It feels nice and was priced well. I think I just don't really like yarns with angora. I find that they shed alot. So the entire time I knit this I was a total mess. The yarn was shedding all over my lap and the little hairs would float up and stick to my face. Yuck. But it does look really pretty and feels soft.

I cast on using a crochet method where you make a crochet chain and then knit into it. I don't think this was the best choice. If I were to do this again I'd use a cable cast on. But if your interested in the crochet chain cast on Eunny Jang has a good tutorial here: Invisible Crochet Cast On II.

After casting on here's what I did:
26 rows of stockinette
9 repeats of textured pattern
18 rows of stockinette
9 repeats of textured pattern
18 rows of stockinette
7 repeats of textured pattern
BO with US10.5/6.5mm

Leaving me with only had 94in/23cm of yarn.

When I look at Orlane's shawl I think mine turned out kind small. Ooops. We have approximately the same yardage (Orlane used 328yd/300m), but different weights (I used worsted and Orlane used DK). So maybe that's why? I didn't swatch or anything before hand. I typically don't unless I'm doing a sweater or something where the fit matters. I might try blocking it again to get it just a little bigger. But I kind of like the kercheif size.

Here is my latest baking attempt.

It looks so pretty. It's cranberry walnut celebration bread from Bread Baker's Apprentice. Along with the cranberries and walnuts there is also orange zest in the dough. And surprisingly it is really easy to make the braided shape.

Clothilde & Pretzels

2010-04-29T14:12:00.004-04:00

Another shawl completed for 10 shawls in 2010. I have actually been meaning to post this for a few weeks now, but I'm lazy. I finally got my butt in gear and retouched my photos. Of course retouching wouldn't be necessary if I just took better pics in the first place.

The Pattern: Clothilde by Kristen Hanley Cardozo
Size: neckline 64”/162cm; sides 33”/84cm; neck to tip 45”/114cm
The Yarn: One skein of Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino in Pine over Gold
Needle size: US6/4mm and US10.5

Started: 1/23
Finished: 4/4

I'm really happy with how this turned out. The yarn is delicious. If I could afford to I'd use Sundara yarn all the time. Its soft and shiny and the colors are great.

Following Cattywampus's project notes I completed 4 repeats of the Gull Wing Lace and two repeats of the Spearhead Lace. I was a little bit afraid that I would run out of yarn. Cattywampus said she only had 12 grams left. I don't have a scale and have no idea what that really means in terms of yardage. But she had used the same yarn, so I put in a lifeline after finishing the Gull Wing Lace section in case I had to take out a repeat of something. The lifeline turned out to be a total lifesaver. I didn't run out of yarn, but I really messed up somewhere.

I'm still not sure what I did, the pattern was really easy to follow. But partway through my first Spearhead Lace repeat I noticed the sl-k2tog-psso's weren't matching up. I kept trying to fix the part that was screwed up but then it would mess up the next part. This led to much frustration and and angry muttering and I was forced to put clothilde away for a few days in order to preserve my sanity.

Luckily I'd put the lifeline in. This was my first time using a lifeline and it made it so much easier to fix my error. For those of you unfamiliar with lifelines check out the fixing mistakes section on knittinghlep.com.

I also made some soft pretzels.

I got this recipe from The Best of Cooking Light Everyday Favorites. I topped half with salt and sesame seeds and put asiago cheese on the other half. I prefered the asiago cheese topping. They were really good the first day, but weren't that great the next day. They got kinda tough. Anyone know how to solve that?

News Bulletin

2010-03-25T00:08:00.019-04:00

Thought I'd finally let you know what I've been up to.

Mid-Feb I was really busy putting my portfolio together. I had a review to get into upper division at FIT scheduled for the 26th. I worked really hard to get everything together, then there was a freaking snow storm and my review was rescheduled for March 11.

In between I went to Vegas.
My first time. J and I stayed at Cesear's Palace. Here's the view from our room:
That big pool of water is the Bellagio fountain. I swear our room was bigger than our apartment. Guess that's not so surprising considering we live in a studio.

Our friends from Fargo met up with us there and we had a really good time. I even played poker. Now J and I want to go down there for a weekend every year :)

When we got back my schedule was thrown off and I still haven't gotten totally straightened out. I had my portfolio review and was accepted into the BA program. Yay me!

Oh I've also taken up baking bread.

This is a loaf of sandwich bread and some buttery rosemary dinner rolls. Yum.

There has been some knitting too. I participated in my first Ravelympics. Its an event on Ravelry where you try to knit a project start to finish during the Olympics. Unfortunately I was a total failure and didn't finish my project. I did finish this before the Ravelympics started:

Another Duck Soup Sweater. This one was for Elise, the daughter of our friends that met us in Vegas.

Here's the project run down:
Duck Soup by Anny Purls
Yarn: MC Cascade Yarn 220 Superwash Color #858 - 2 skeins
Closures Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett Color #4451 - maybe 1/4 of a skein
Size: 18 months
Needle size: US9/5.5mm and US1 for closures

Pretty cute.

And I did another swap. This is what I gave my partner:

And I got this lovely package in return:

Whew! A lot has happened.

Now I'm working on:
Getting my portfolio in digital format to apply for a scholarship
Finishing my Clothilde shawl (I'm currently mad at it)
Finishing my Whisper cardigan that I started for Ravelry
School
Work
Sleeeeep

Ok I'm off to knock that last one off the list. G'night!

Paperchase Mug Cozie

2010-02-08T12:53:00.002-05:00

The Pattern: winged it
Size: Fits a Paperchase mug - approx. 3¼" (8¼ cm) high & 3½" (8½ cm) in diameter
The Yarn: Left over bit of Noro Kureyon in 240 pinks and purples
Needles: set of 5 US5/3.75mm DPNs

Started: 1/24
Finished: 1/24

I've been eyeing Cathy Carron's Garter Mug Cozies . It's a really nice looking pattern, but I thought $3.50 for a mug cozie sounded kind of pricey. If it was $2 I probably wouldn't have cared. I know that sounds silly, but right now that extra $1.50 is a deal breaker. So I decided to make up my own pattern.

Instructions:
CO 8 sts. Using the cable cast on method.
Divide the sts among 4dpns. Place marker. Join to knit in the round.
Row 1: K8 sts.
Row 2: *K to last st. on dpn inc. one st. Repeat from * 4 times.
Rows 3-16: Repeat Rows 1 & 2 7 times. (40 sts.)
Row 17: K across.
Row 18: Sl 1st. k to end. Turn.
Row 19: Sl 1st. p to end. Turn.
Rows 20-21: Repeat rows 18-19.
<-- start of Garter ribs. Odd rows are RS rows, even rows are WS rows. You can remove the marker now-->
Rows 22-31: Repeat row 18 10 times.
Row 32: Sl 1 st. k to end. CO 12 sts. Turn. (52 sts.)
Row 33: Repeat row 32 (64 sts.)
Rows 34-35: Sl 1 st. k to end. Turn.
BO all sts.

Notes:

The cable cast on makes for a smaller hole on the bottom.
I like to increase by knitting into the stitch on the previous row. It is less visible than some of the other increases (doesn't leave any holes or bars). There is a good demo video on knittinghelp.com, just scroll down to KRL.
The stitch marker is to help you keep track of the beginning of the row as you work in the round. Once you get to the garter ribs you're no longer knitting in the round, so the marker is unneccessary.
If you want longer ties increase the number of sts. you cast on in rows 32 and 33. You can use the plain old backward-loop CO here.
To block, soak in warm water. Then tie it around your mug while it was still wet so that it will retain the mug's shape when it dries.

If you have any questions or notice any errors e-mail me at yarnymarn@gmail.com

Kureyon Dianna

2010-01-25T15:18:00.015-05:00

Last month I joined the 10 shawls in 2010 group on Ravelry. The point of the group is to challenge yourself to make 10 shawls between the 1^st of the year and the 31^st of Dec. If you're interested the challenge rules are listed at the end of this post.

The yarn was a clearance item I picked up at Knit New York almost a year ago. I really liked the colors but I had no idea what to do with it. In an effort to destash I've been using the pattern ideas tab on Rav. And that's how I discovered this pattern.

The Pattern: Dianna by MaweLucky/Jane Araujo
Size: 52" on the longest side, 36" on the short sides, about 28" from the center of the neck to the tip.
The Yarn: One skein of Noro Kureyon Sock in 164
Needle size: 7

Started: 1/4
Finished: 1/24

I had a lot of trouble starting out. The designer lists this disclaimer at the beginning of the pattern:

"This pattern is not intended for beginners and assumes you already know how to work entrelac. This document will not teach you how to do entrelac. If you want to learn this technique, Google is your friend."

However, the entrelac wasn't what gave me problems. It was the lack of instructions. This thread really helped me get going. There is helpful advice from the designer and others who've made the shawl and some good links.

My problem was I had no idea what to do on the wrong side rows. The chart that is included in the PDF is blank for the WS rows and there are no written instructions either.

From the thread I discovered a chart with the WS rows included. But I still wasn't sure what to do on the wrong side, because the chart key simply lists the | symbol as knit stitches and the — symbol as purl stitches.

On wrong side — should be knit and | should be purled.

I guess that it is supposed to be obvious that the | on the RS are to be knit and the WS purled (and vice versa for the — symbol). What confused me was that it states the shawl is reversible. So to me that also could have meant that the shawl was garter stitch. In the end I looked at close ups of completed Dianna's to figure it out.

I ended up with 11 tiers, using nearly the whole skein of yarn and with only a little blob of yellow left over. If I had more yarn I would have done triangles on the last tier to make the top/neckline of the shawl straight across rather than jagged.

10 shawls in 2010 challenge rules:

Make 10 shawls between Jan. 1^st and Dec. 31^st 2010
2 shawls must be a minimum of 500 meters (546 yards). The remaining 8 must be at least 250 meters/273 yards
NO WIPS count! Meaning anything that was started be for Jan. 1^st 2010.

At the beginning of January 2011, a prize drawing will be held for everyone who has completed their 10 shawls. The prizes are provided by sponsors and so far include:

Gradiance Shawl Sets from Painty at Unique Sheep
Lace collection (set of 7 patterns) from Leen002
Choice of 1 of 3 patterns (My Valentine, Fleur-de-Lis, or Valentine Scarf) from ShuiKuen
1 skein of lace-weight yarn from Fun Knits

There are also monthly prizes.

You can join the group here. So far there are over 2000 members and nearly 500 completed projects.

**Update 2-18-10**
Recieved a couple questions about this patttern, so I thought I’d post the answers here.

If the RS was facing I picked up knitwise (i think this was the even tiers) and if the WS was facing I did it purlwise (should be on odd tiers).

On the pick up row you are only picking up 12 sts. The following row you are working 13 (joining one stitch of the previous square without a decrease). So you actually don’t do a joining decrease until the 4th row.

Elvira for Megan

2010-01-11T12:44:00.009-05:00

The Pattern: Elvira by Sanne Bjerregaard
Size: 4
The Yarn: A little less than 3 balls of Sandnes Garn Lanett in 158
Needle size: 5

Started: 12/14
Finished: 12/23

I thought this was a fun item that could be worn year-round. All you have to do is switch out the long sleeves for something cooler.

I had a couple issues with the pattern.

I didn't like how the notation for the separate sizes was written. I'm used to having the alternate sizes written in parentheses. like this:
sizes 1 (2, 4, 6/8, 10/12) then within the pattern it would say knit 3 (4, 5, 6, 7)
Instead they were written like 1 (2) 4 (6/8) 10/12 and within the pattern like knit 3 (4) 5 (6) 7. The color makes it easy to follow, but all the added parentheses gets a little confusing.
On the increase rows it doesn't tell you how many stitches you should end up with. Granted I could figure it out by counting how many increases per repeat and how many repeats per row, but my math isn't all that reliable and it gets rather time consuming considering how many increase rows there are. Stitch counts (at least at the end of every section) would've been a help.

Other than that I thought the pattern was great. I like the strips of eyelets and the lacy collar. And best of all it is one piece, no seaming required!

I chose some clear, heart-shaped buttons to finish this off. They're hard to see in the pic. I should have taken a picture of them before attaching the the tunic. But I assure you they are cute.

I followed the pattern's instructions for the length and this ends up hitting her below the bum, but not long enough to be a dress.

Learn from my mistakes:

I didn't use smaller needles on the neckline as directed in the pattern, but I wish I had. The neckline fits her fine, but it is kinda stretchy so if she keeps tugging on it like in the pic its going to become a skirt. Using the smaller needles would have made the area tighter, perhaps preventing the neckline becoming a waistline.
The back starts out as two sections to create the button flap area and then joined together after that. When I joined the sections I wasn't paying attention. I got a good 2 to 3 inches along before I realized that I had gotten one of the sides twisted and had to rip it back :'(
Its one of those lines you always read in the pattern "join in the round making sure not to twist" and you think HA! I would never do that! And shamefully I did.
Also don't recommend giving yourself less than 2 weeks to work on this. I was on a X-mas time crunch, otherwise I would never have pushed myself to get this done in that little time.

Rhythm for Anna

2010-01-06T10:38:00.013-05:00

Now that all my holiday knitting has been gifted I can finally post about it.
First up are the hat and scarf I made for my 1 1/2 yr old neice.

The Pattern: Ear Cozies (CH-34) by Bev Galeskas
Size: Medium (1-2 years)
The Yarn: About 3/4 of a ball of Jojoland Rhythm Superwash in RS62
Needle size: 5

Started: 11/25
Finished: 11/26

A couple years ago I made a hat and scarf set for my eldest neice, so this year I thought I'd make one for my younger neice. I chose the ear cozie pattern because I love the way it covers the ears. Gotta keep those little ears toasty!

The ear flaps are made using short rows, which took me a few tries to get right. I was using a varigeated yarn and I wanted both the earflaps to be the same color.

In order to get the earflaps the right color I knit one earflap. Then on the setup row for the second earflap I knit 23 sts, knit wrap with st, k19 sts. Break the yarn and weave in end. Next I joined a second ball of yarn that started with similar coloring as the first and knit 14 sts to finish off the set up row. Continue to knit per instructions.

There are two versions of this hat, pointy and rounded. I chose pointy, it makes her look like a cute little elf :)

I chose this yarn because I was looking for something variegated and washable. This was also the right weight for the project.

I really liked this pattern and am thinking of making one for myself.

The Pattern: Speed Hook Scarf from Lion Brand
The Yarn: About 2.5 balls of Jojoland Rhythm Superwash in RS62 and almost 1 ball of Cascade 220 Superwash in colorway 1910
Hook size: P 11.5mm

Started: 12/23
Finished: 12/23

I started about 3 different patterns before I settled on this one. First I tried to do a striped version like Brooklyn Tweed's Noro Striped Scarf, but the color combo was looking to masculine to me. I'm not sure how purple and seafoam can look masculine, but it did.

Next I tried a brioche, but I couldn't wrap my brain around the technique.

After that I thought I'd try entralac, but it was too much work to alternate between the two yarns and I didn't have enough of the Jojoland Rhythm to use it solely. So I shelved the scarf for about a month.

At this point it was really late to be knitting a scarf. So I decided I'd go the quicker route using crochet, which remindind me of the speedhook pattern. Its the same pattern that I knit for my oldest neice. Quick and easy.
I'm not totally happy with how it looks with the hat. I feel like they don't look like a matched set.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T08:22:00.001-05:00

Created with Photoshop and InDesign

Here is the January Calendar. I'm doing a space theme for 2010. We'll see how it goes.

Click here to download the half page size .
Or click here to download the quarter page size .

Check back the first of every month for the new calendar.

Ouch

2009-12-18T11:26:00.002-05:00

I have a pain in my shoulder and its making my neck and arm hurt.
My eyeballs feel like raisins.
I'm getting a cold.

I need:

a neck brace
a sling for my left arm
cold medicine
eye drops
cough drops
~~gum drops~~ Nevermind, I don't like how they get caught in my teeth
chicken noodle soup, chicken noodle soup wit a soda on the side
emergen-c

If you could pick all that up for me that'd be great.

Oh and I'm out of TP.

thanks

Burnished leaves

2009-12-17T15:33:00.005-05:00

The Pattern: Burnished Leaves Cowl by Chrissy Prange
The Yarn: most of a skein of Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Tulip
Needle size: 6 (I think, but possibly a 5 - sorry!)

Started: 10/20
Finished: 10/28

You may remember this yarn from my lightside cowl. Well except for the pictures I never actually wore it :)
I never wear my promenade cowl either. So I've come to the conclusion that cowls are just not my thing.

However when stalking my swap partner I discovered that she had fav'd several cowls and her swap questionnaire said she liked pink. Somehow giving her a cowl I made for myself and never wore just didn't feel right. It felt like I was regifting...a gift i gave myself. So I frogged the lightside cowl and found burnished leaves, which seemed appropriate for a 'harvest' swap.

It was a quick knit and came out pretty nice. And I love this yarn, very soft and shiny.

The Harvest of Zen Swap: The End

2009-12-10T17:19:00.008-05:00

Here are the packages from the last part of the latest swap from the yoga swap group.

Again I sent knitsandbricks a package and received one from Heatherdox.

Heres what I sent knitsandbricks:

Project bag (aka Paperchase cosmetics bag), Toe socks, the fall issue of Interweave Knits, Burnished Leaves Cowl, Berroco Alpaca yarn, bent tip needles, yarn cutter, notecards with the design from my August calendar, and stitch markers.

Here's a close up of the stitch markers. They were made out of these really pretty agate beads that I got at M&J Trimmings

Since this was the 'Harvest' swap I thought that the Burnished Leaves Cowl was appropriate. Details on the cowl to come.

This is the second package I got from heatherdox:

Lulemon bag, aluminum water bottle, issue of Knit Scene, green tea, Brooks Farms Solo Silk Yarn, and homemade pumpkin bread. The pumpkin bread was really delicious and made from organic ingredients.

And I loved the yarn so much I used it right away to make a Shetland Triangle for myself.

December Holly

2009-12-06T22:53:00.005-05:00

Ok here is the revised December calendar.

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Uhh, it turned out pretty different. I have been trying to alternate between illustrated flowers and more graphic representations, so this month would have been an illustrated version. I just couldn't get the holly to look right. So I abandoned it and went for the graphic version. It is a pattern of white holly leaf shapes that criss-cross forming round red shapes aka holly berries.

Click here to download the half page size .
Or click here to download the quarter page size .

The previous version is still available.

December ?

2009-12-02T11:24:00.003-05:00

This months calendar didn't turn out as planned. Here it is:

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Kind of snowflakey, but I want to add the flower/plant for the month to it. I just wasn't happy with how the first round of holly was turning out. I won't have time to fix it until this weekend and I didn't want to completely ignore it. So consider this a temporary solution until I have time to revamp it. Thanks!

Click here to download the half page size .
Or click here to download the quarter page size .

Check back Sunday for the new and improved version.

Harvest Shetland Triangle

2009-11-26T12:13:00.007-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
I thought I'd share my new Shetland Triangle, because it is such a lovely fall color.

The Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark
The Yarn: 1 skein of Brooks Farms Solo Silk in Sierra
Needle size: 6

Started: 11/6
Finished: 11/14

I had to make another Shetland Triangle since I could keep the first one. The pattern is so easy and quick. And it looks great. I did 10 repeats of body chart and was left with less than a fistful of yarn.

I really like the solo silk. It is shiny and soft. It was a gift from my swap partner (more info to come). The color is a wonderful orange with hints of pink. Perfect Thanksgiving day wear. Thanks Heatherdox!

Rani Satchel

2009-11-17T12:07:00.002-05:00

The Pattern: Rani by Katherine Matthews
The Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Berry Blast (this is my kool-aid dyed yarn)approx. 1/4 of a skein
Needle size: 0

Started: 9/11
Finished: 9/27

When I saw this pattern on the Knitty website I fell in love with the pictures. The colors and bead work are really beautiful. I'm not really a wristband wear'in girl, but I just had to knit this pattern.

So I decided to turn this into a bag. Red makes me think of fall leaves and I had extra yarn and beads from the entomology I'm working on. So I thought this would be a perfect peice to make for my fall swap partner.

I knit the pattern exactly as directed, using a crocheted provisional cast on. Once I'd joined both edges I had one wristband.

I chose one of the openings to be the bottom. Then using 4 dpns I picked up a stitch in every other row. I think it was 56 stitches in all, 14 per dpn. Knit one row. On the next row knit 12 sts then k2tog, you should have 13sts on each dpn now. Repeat these two rows about 7 more times (16 rows in all). Break the yarn and thread through the remaining sts, pulling the opening closed. Weave in ends.

The finishing touch is a ribbon threaded through the top part of the bag. The finished size was big enough to hold a candle that was 2 3/4" in diameter.

Overall I'm pleased. If I make this pattern again I'm going to use a contrasting bead color like in the designer's pictures.

There is always Christmas

2009-11-11T10:52:00.007-05:00

I know, I know.
I already have a set of interchangeables.
They work great.
There are nine sizes of needle tips.
I definitely don't need anymore needles.
Right?

They came with four cables in two different sizes.
They came with a case.
They were cheap.
Definitely don't need any other needles.
Right?

But Christmas IS coming.
Christmas gifts are all about what you want.
Right?

And I WANT these:

WEBS interchangeable needle set.

Basic features:

9 sets of hard bamboo needle tips
12 cables in 3 different lengths (16", 24", & 32") and two different diameters (thick and thin)
2 adaptors (thick and thin) that can be used to connect the cables for lengths up to 64"
4 knobs/end caps in case you want to use the same needle size for another project
Needle gauge with cutter
And one really delicious looking silk needle case

*drooling*

The advantages over my current set of KP interchangables are:

A really pretty silk case
cables that you can connect to each other, yeAH!
Bamboo needle tips. I don't like the multicolored KP harmony tips, I'm a plain old boring bamboo girl.
The pretty silk case
The sizes are printed on the needle tips. I continually get confused with my unlabeled nickel plated KP tips

The disadvantages:

Tips aren't as pointy
more expensive

Ok so clearly the case is a major reason why I like this set. Just wave something pretty in my face and I'll snatch it up. But seriously, the set has some great features.

I haven't been able to find a review from an official source yet, but there are a couple positive customer reviews on the product page. And the ladies from the All things WEBS group on ravelry have said good things about this set.

Find this set at WEBS
You can also read more at WEBS blog

The Harvest of Zen Swap: the teaser

2009-11-07T13:59:00.007-05:00

I just finished up the fall swap with my yoga swap group.

This swap was a bit different. We did a round robin this time, so instead of having one partner we had two. One that would send us a package and one that we would send a package to. We also sent two packages this time. One smaller, teaser package at the end of September and then a larger package at the end of October.

I sent knitsandbricks this for her teaser package:

The journal and red bag are handmade. The basket represents 'Harvest' and the red bag holds a candle representing 'Zen'

I really like how the journal turned out. The brown diamond fabric worked well and the red end papers add an element of surprise.

This is what I got from heatherdox:

A really great project bag, measuring tape, and leather organizer things. I love the birds printed on the project bag.

Chrysanthemum

2009-11-01T12:24:00.002-05:00

Here is the November calendar. The colors this month make me think of fall and Thanksgiving.

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Click here to download the half page size .
Or click here to download the quarter page size .

Check back the first of every month for the new calendar.

Calendula revised A.K.A Marni is estupido

2009-10-30T20:31:00.002-04:00

Today I realized that I mis-numbered the October calendar. Of course there is only one day of the month left.
I know countless readers are collecting my calendars each month, so for anyone who is interested here are the revised calendars:
Half Page
Quarter Page

Calendula

2009-10-04T14:42:00.002-04:00

Finally finished the October calendar. I got a late start on this and then I lost the file I was working on! So I had to start over. Apologies for the lateness.

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

This month there are two sizes available: 4.5" x 5.5" and 5.5" x 7"ish
Click here to download the larger size .
Or click here to download the smaller size .

Check back the first of every month for the new calendar.

Morning Glory

2009-09-01T11:24:00.005-04:00

Here is the calendar for September. Enjoy.

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Download a printable copy here.

Check back the first of every month for the new calendar page.

Vinyl

2009-08-26T12:57:00.004-04:00

I've been bad. I haven't posted in a looong time. I slacked off after my birthday. Then a week later when I was ready to write I realized I'd sent my camera with J on a 10-day trip. And what's a post without pictures?

So I'm excited to finally show off my new knitting storage.

First up, my new project bag:

Made of vinyl, very sturdy and resistant to needle punctures. The plastickiness (very technical textile term) protects it from water and makes it easy to wipe off any spills.

Technically its a pencil case made by Paperchase and found at Borders Bookstore for $6.99. But at 12" x 5 7/8" (30cm x 15cm) it is the perfect size for a small knitting project. And I couldn't resist the skull pattern. Creepy cute and colorful.

There were many other tempting pencil cases available. Perfect for projects, dpns, and other knitting items. With a sigh of regret I had to leave them behind for another day.

Next up, my knitting caddy:

This is a clear vinyl case with a metal frame and outer pockets. There's plenty of room to shove all sort of stuff. I was able to cram my needle case, a book, stitch markers, beads, tape measures, highlighter tape, miscellaneous items, and lamby into it with room to spare!

I love that it stands up on its own. It also folds down flat for easy storage and you can unsnap the vinyl case from the frame if you wish.

My Mother-in-law gave this to me for my B-day, I think she found it at a local knitting store in the Chicago area. Its about 10 1/2" wide by 6" tall and 5" or 6" deep. I couldn't figure out the brand. I'll have to see if she knows.

Lastly, the Option Needle Tip Stand:

Ok so I don't actually own this. I saw it in the newest Knit Picks catalog and now covet it. This is definately a want, not a need. I already have storage for my needle tips. And I don't know why I want to put my needle tips on display. BUT. I. DOO!

And its only $9.99

This is one for the wish list. Sigh...

Birthday Treat

2009-08-07T15:32:00.004-04:00

Remember in grade school when your birthday rolled around you got to bring in treats for the class - popsicles, cupcakes, cookies...mmm.

Well I never got to do that. 'Cause of my sucky summer birthday I never got to be the hero for bringing sweets to class.

So to make up for that lost childhood dream I brought cookies into work today. Yes it is my birthday! Happy Birthday me!

I found this delicious recipe on Tasty Kitchen, Pioneer Woman's new cyber venture. It's a place for home cooks to share their recipes, check it out. And, if you haven't, you should check out PW's blog. She's very funny and has great stories, pictures, recipes, and giveaways.

These are Cheesecake Cookies from the kitchen of countrycookingmama. The recipe calls for a block of cream cheese which leaves these cookies moist and tasty. I made them last night and they were very delicious right out of the oven! And still great the next day.My co-workers loved them.

I posted my guac recipe on Tasty Kitchen a few weeks ago. If you want to find me there my username is Marn

Have a great weekend!

Poppies and Peridot

2009-08-01T16:39:00.014-04:00

Created with Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Recently, I decided that I would start making calendar pages. And since my birthday is this month, I thought I'd start with August.

Download a printable copy here.

Check back the first of every month for the new calendar page.

Northeasterly reflections

2009-07-24T15:56:00.009-04:00

Now that we are halfway through South (the 3rd cardinal direction) I thought I'd circle back and review PS North and PS East.

North:
Color: Green
Material: Stones/Gems/Rocks
Season: Winter
Element: Earth

1. Marn's Guac, 2. Inga, 3. Shetland Triangle, 4. Inga, 5. Shetland Triangle, 6. Marn's Guac, 7. Shetland Triangle, 8. Marn's Guac, 9. Sounds of Spring Yoga Swap

East:
Color: Yellow
Material: Wood
Season: Spring
Element: Air

1. Lightside Cowl, 2. skulls2, 3. Darcy, 4. Darcy, 5. Sounds of Spring Yoga Swap, 6. sundary_aran, 7. stonemarkers2, 8. Lightside Cowl, 9. Darcy

Cold blooded

2009-07-17T12:58:00.013-04:00

Mustardy Darcy

2009-07-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

Well here is what I think I did.

The Pattern: Mrs. Darcy by Mary Weaver
The Yarn: Knit Picks City Tweed Heavy Worsted in Lemon Curd

just a little over 4 skeins
Needle size: 9

Started: 6/13
Finished: 6/21

Body: I hate hate HATE seaming. So I decided to knit the front panels and the back panels together. I cast on 138 sts, placing markers after the first 35 sts and before the last 35 sts. Then worked as one piece until I got to the armholes.

Armholes: On the RS row knit across until you get to the last four sts before the first marker. BO 8 sts. Continue knitting until you get to the last 4 sts before the marker BO 8 sts. Now the two front panels and the back panel are separated. Using 3 separate balls of yarn continue to knit the 3 pieces at the same time like you would when knitting socks two at a time.

Shoulders: Leaving the 3 garter trim stitches on each side live, I used a kitchener stitch to join the front panels to the back panels at the shoulder.

Neck: I wanted the garter trim to continue around the neck. So starting with the 3 garter trim stitch on the left panel, I continued the garter trim while joining it to the neck using a saddle stitch.
On WS: K2, k2tog (last stich of the garter with one stitch from the back panel).
On RS: slip one st from the back panel onto the left needle wyib. K2tog, k2
continue until all of the back panel sts are used.
Then using a kitchener stitch connect with the right panel garter detail.

The buttons I got are from M&J Trimmings in midtown. They have a large selection of all sorts of beads, ribbons, lace, buttons, etc. I choose blonde unfinished wooden buttons. Oh and I made 5 button holes instead of 3. For spacing I separated each by three garter ridges.

Lightside Cowl

2009-07-02T11:18:00.003-04:00

The Pattern: Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama
The Yarn: Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Tulip about 2/3 of a skein
Needle size: 7

Started: 6/13
Finished: 6/28

I've been wanting to work with the yarn for quite some time. Luckily in a recent swap I received a skein of this. The yarn is very soft and silky. I'd love to make a sweater out of it, but at $32/skein it is a bit spendy for a larger project. The color is beautiful, pink over a pale yellow.

Since I only had one skein I needed a small project. This cowl was perfect, the pattern even recommended using this yarn. The pattern is very simple. A repeat of the same stitches that gets bumped one stitch over every two rows.

The pattern is reversible too. So I'll never have to worry that my cowl is inside out.

I also finished a larger project recently and have been meaning to post details. But I've lost the paper that I wrote all my revisions on. I'm planning on going over the sweater with a fine tooth comb so I can remember what I did. I'll post the details later next week.

Until then have a great 4th of July!

Yarn Makeover

2009-06-23T13:28:00.006-04:00

Twice now I've bought camel colored yarn only to discover that I don't really like the color. So instead of leaving it in my stash to collect dust I decided to have a go at Kool Aid dyeing.

There are a lot of how-to's out there for dyeing yarn with Kool Aid. I chose to use the instructions from thepiper.com. She has a color chart to help you choose which flavor to use. And it shows both white and natural tan color (very similar to the camel I was starting out with).

I used the Blasts Berry Cherry flavor. It was the only Kool Aid that wasn't presweetened that I could find. Luckily I wanted red :) Of course you don't have to use Kool Aid brand, you're free to use any brand of drink mix. Just make sure you get the unsweetened kind, you don't want sticky yarn. From what I saw in the store the stuff in tubs all has some sort of sweetner, so look for the packets.

First I wrapped the yarn into loose skeins rather than balls so that it would dye evenly.

Then I had to soak the yarn for 20 minutes in hot water.

While my yarn was soaking I prepared the Kool Aid dye. The instructions call for 1pkg of Kool Aid per 8oz of liquid (6oz water, 2oz vinegar) for each oz of fiber. I had 3 balls equaling a total of 5.25oz. I decided to use 7 packets of Kool Aid, because I wanted the red to really cover up the camel color.

There are other recipes that don't use vinegar. But I was afraid that if I didn't use the vinegar to set the dye that it would bleed.

Next step calls for removing the excess soak water from the yarn and placing it in the dye mixture. The liquid should cover your yarn. If not add more water. Then you let it simmer for 45 minutes.

The heat helps the fibers to open up and suck in all the dye.

After its done cookin the water should be clear of dye - either clear or milky white. When I turned of the heat, my water still had a slight pinkish tint. But it cleared up as the yarn cooled down.

It takes a while for the water to cool down. But don't try to rinse your yarn in cold water to get it cooled down, it'll cause it to felt.

When it was cool enough to handle I wrung it out and then hung it in the bath tub to dry.

Voila! Yarn make over complete!

Towering Inga

2009-06-17T12:06:00.005-04:00

My first Ugh!

The Pattern: The Inga Hat by Sheila Macdonald
The Yarn: Main Color Ella Rae Classic in White 01
Contrast Color 1 Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool in Maple 911
Contrast Color 2 Cascade 220 in Teal 9420
Needle size: 3 and 5

Started: 3/7
Finished: 6/14

This is my second colorwork project and my first try with more than 2.

I did have a little trouble managing the 3 colors. It is much easier when you only have to worry about 2 colors.

It was fun to watch the braided edge come together. However, there is a lot of twisting of the yarn. Don't worry though. the first half of the braid twists in one direction and the second half twist in the opposite direction. So if you just let it keep twisting it'll eventually work itself out.

If you're having trouble understanding the pattern instructions for the knitted braid here's a good link to help you out: Siskyou Knits

I changed the chart up a bit, because I wanted to bring more of the second contrasting color into the pattern. So I used the second contrasting color for the centers of the diamonds and the lines inbetween. I recolored the chart so that I'd remember to use the correct color. The colors wouldn't have meshed as well if I didn't bring more of the teal in.

Things I love about Inga:
·The color combination. I really like the teal and maple combo, I think it looks really delicious and they really pop against the white background.
·The diamond design, I like the intricate look.
·The braided edge. Cool technique and I like how it turned out.

The ONE thing I HATE about how Inga is her size. She's ridiculously tall!

This is clearly my fault, because everyone else's Inga's seem to be the right height. Yet mine towers above. I suspect I should have paid more attention to the height of my gauge. I do confess, I didn't swatch for this.

I plan to go back and fix her. Eliminating half a a diamond should bring it down to the right height, but for now I'm shelving Inga. In the back of my closet. So I don't have to look at her. Because I'm frustrated.

fabric.com

2009-06-12T15:29:00.010-04:00

I'm not a quilter. Not by choice. My shoebox sized apartment doesn't have room for a sewing machine and such. But I love the quilts I've seen on Crazy Mom Quilts, yaiAnn, and Flint Knits.

My interest in quilting and bookbinding has led me to peruse fabric stores and sites. So when I saw How About Orange's $5 off fabric.com post I had to check it out.

And they have this awesome design wall feature. Simply clicking the 'add to design wall' button adds the fabric image to a separate page where your can drag it about. This allows you to arrange the images to see if you like the mix of patterns and colors.

Totally awesome dude.

What a great planning tool. I wish that yarn sites had this. Wouldn't it be great to be able to see the each yarn image side by side? I've actually pulled pictures off yarn sites and arranged them in photoshop to do this, but it would be so much simpler if you were able to actually do this on the site.

Check it fabric.com
Get a $5 off coupon code at How About Orange

Sounds of Spring Part 2

2009-06-11T10:16:00.001-04:00

So this is what I received from craftywillow:

Yoga Daily Exercises book - has some really great photos
Yoga block - wanted one of these for a while
Stitch markers
Homemade beeswax candle
Knitted beaded bag - perfect for my iPod shuffle
Bija Seeds of Prayer CD
Magnet with yoga pose :)
And Sundara silky merino yarn in tulip - I’ve wanted some of this for a long time :)

Close-up of some of the details

I'm really excited about the sundara yarn I think I'll make one of these with it:

Sarah Fama's Dark Side Cowl

Thanks craftywillow!

Mossy Shetland Triangle

2009-06-08T17:23:00.001-04:00

I know, I know. Everyone under the sun and then some has knit one of these. But how can you resist? It is such a great pattern. And really easy.

The Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark
The Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Verdant Heather and Clover held double stranded. Somewhere between 1 ¼ - 1 ½ balls of each color.
Needle size: 4

Started: 5/20
Finished: 5/26

The pattern starts at the top in the middle and works outward (is that a word?). Like this:
You start by chaining four in the middle, ch4. And then working around three sides of the chain you start increasing every other row.

I have to admit that I stared at the ch4 instruction for the longest time trying to figure out just what the hell it meant. 'Am I suppose to go to chapter 4?', 'Am I missing chart 4?'. Eventually I came to my senses and realized it is the crochet abbreviation for chain 4 loops. duh.

After that I still didn't really know what the hell was going on. I'm a really visual person so reading the cast on instructions for something I'd never done or seen before had me stumped. Eventually I just stopped trying to wrap my brain around it and just did it. Exactly as instructed and it worked out perfectly. So if your brain malfunctions like mine, just stop thinking so hard and follow the instructions a step at a time. It'll work out. I promise. I think.

After casting on it is a cake walk. You just repeat the main chart like 9 times.

And it is really easy to expand the pattern if you find that the finished size isn't to your liking. I actually did one repeat more of the main chart than called for. When you do the edging you just have to repeat the center area of each side an extra time.

Blocking this sucker is essential. If you don't you'll just have a bumpy blob like this:

Doesn't show off the lace pattern quite as nicely, huh?

If you want a nice straight edge at the top I recommend you get some lace blocking wires.

You don't have to use them on all sides, but it'll make the top edge straight as an arrow.

I really loved how this turned out. I'm only sad that I couldn't keep it. At least I know craftywillow loves it :)

I was really touched by this. I don’t think anyone’s ever knit me anything! The photo doesn’t do it justice. I can’t believe you knit a whole shawl, Marn…it would take me forever, I’m such a slow knitter! It’s the most beautiful shade of green. Thank you so so much!
-craftywillow

Hmm... I hope she doesn't mind me quoting her here

Sounds of Spring Part 1

2009-06-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

Another swap package completed. Same group but slightly different swap than last time. And a different partner: craftywillow.

On the questionnaire craftywillow said that for spring colors she likes dark greens and bright yellows. Hehe I said the same thing! She also said she likes lilac and hyacinth colors.

I knit her a Shetland Triangle in dark green. I chose this pattern because it was in her queue and it is something I've been wanting to make for awhile now. I'll post details about this project later.

The yarn is Berroco Ultra Aplpaca Light in a lilacy colorway.

I found these lemon scented wipes for yoga mats, feet, etc. They smell soooo good! And it got me thinking that if I include lemon scented/flavored items they could represent bright yellow, one of her color preferences. So I also put in ginger lemon flavored badger lip balm.

I also made these stitch markers. This is the third set that I made last weekend.

I made these the same way I made the first set. Almost exactly as CJ instructed, but without the wrapped loop.

There is a wild card item from each swap. Last time the wild card was something with a sanskrit symbol. I sent 3littlebirds a stitch marker with the OM symbol. This time the wild card was music. Get it, SOUNDS of spring?

I chose to send some yoga tunes: Music for Yoga and Other Joys. Sounded good in the store, I think I'll have to get my own copy.

Craftywillow I hope you enjoy your package!

Remember details on my Shetland Triangle coming soon...

A second try at stitch markers

2009-06-02T13:20:00.010-04:00

This is my second go at making stitch markers.

Above is the first set of stitch markers I ever made.
They were for my Winter Solstice Yoga Swap partner. I only made two, because the darn shrinky dinks kept warping. I wanted circles, but they wanted to be ovals. So after wasting 5 out of 6 sheets of shrinky dinks I finally gave up. I took the two best looking and gave them to my partner. Sumthin is better than nuthin right?

Over the weekend I tried again. This time I decided to ditch the shrinky dinks and just use beads. Using the instructions from CJ's Knitting Basket as a guideline I made three sets.

The first set was made almost exactly as the instructions instructed (?¿?). The only difference is that I didn't make a wrapped loop, I just don't like them (or I'm lazy). Instead I made a circle and cut the excess.
I used chain nose pliers to make the loops. They didn't turn out as well as they would have with round nose pliers, so I'm definately going to invest in some of those. Round nose pliers also would have made it a lot quicker too. With the chain nose pliers I had to make a lot of little bends the get a circular shape.

The second set I made with these fun skull beads. This is a combination of wood, plastic, and stone beads. I stumbled upon them in the store and thought they'd be really cute mixed together like this.

Instead of using a head pin for these I just made one loop out of the bead wire. Then I clamped below and above each bead with a crimping bead (see the dark colored rings in the supplies picture). Once again (because I'm a cheapskate) I didn't have the right tool and used my chain nosed pliers instead, so the crimping beads are squished flat.

The third set is a gift and will be revealed later this weekend...

I got all my supplies at Bead World

1384 Broadway
btw. 37th & 38th St.
New York, NY 10018
212.302.1199

Hours
Mon - Fri 9:00am - 7:00pm
Sat & Sun 10:00am - 5:30pm

My favorite way to make Guacamole

2009-05-26T13:01:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite foods is guacamole. Mmmmm.

I'm also kinda picky about it. I don't like my guacamole with sour cream, tomatoes, or too much onion flavor. I want the flavor of the avocados to be the star, I guess you could say I'm an avocado purist.

The texture is important to me too. I don't like having my guac too mushy or a jumble of chunks, there should be a good chunkiness to creaminess ratio.

Most grocery store bought guacs do not fit my specifications, so I've developed my own recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Avocados

1 Jalapeno, seeded

1 Small shallot or about 1 tablespoon chopped

¼ c. Cilantro

Juice of ½ lime

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

When you're shopping for the avocados you should be looking for a deep dark green/black color on the ouside and just soft enough that there is a little give when you press thumb into them. If they are green they are under ripe. When you squeeze if they feel soft then they are probably overripe. Under ripe can be solved by placing the avocados in a paper bag when you get them home. They should ripen up within a couple days. Avoid geting over ripe 'cause they can't be fixed.

Dice the avocados. Slice each avocado in half. Then give the pit a good whack with a knife so that the knife gets partly embedded in the pit and twist. The pit should pop right out. Next make parallel slices in the avocado flesh, followed by slices in the opposite direction to make little rectangles. Finally take a spoon and scoop out the diced avocado into a bowl.

Chop the shallot, jalapeno, and cilantro. You can add as much or as little as you like. I use shallots because they have a little bite but don't have an overpowering onion flavor.

Most of a jalapeno's spice lives in the ribs and seeds, so if you want your guac spicier leave the seeds and ribs in half the jalapeno. If you're a wimp when it comes to spice then make sure to remove all the seeds and ribs.

For some inconceivable reason some people don't like cilantro. If you are one of these people just use some flat leaf parsley instead.

Dump the shallot, jalapeno, and cilantro in the bowl with the avocado.

Roll the lime on the counter before you cut it, it’ll help get the juices flowing. I usually use about half the lime, but it depends on how ripe your avocados are. The less ripe the avocado the more you'll be able to taste the lime and vice versa. So add a little at a time, you can always add more later. I usually only use about half the lime.

Add the salt and pepper. Again the amount of salt depends on the ripeness of the avocado, so add a little at a time. I use about a teaspoon or less. Mix everything together using a stirring and chopping combo to make it somewhat creamy and somewhat chunky. Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary.

Grab some chips and enjoy!

Download my recipe

Birthday Bear

2009-05-22T08:55:00.002-04:00

I've been waiting to blog about this since its a gift. This was intended to be a birthday gift for my youngest neice, Anna. But I was a little late on finishing it. So then I was going to send it for her baptism a couple weeks later, but since I decided go home this weekend I thought it could wait some more :)

The Pattern: Cashmere Teddy Bear by Erika Knight
The Yarn: Jo Sharp DK Wool in Oak 910 purchased from yarn.com
Needle size: 4

Started: April 18
Finished: May 3

I pretty much followed the pattern to a T. Except for the little heart I added to the butt.

I thought it made it a bit more special and was extra cute. I think I may have stuffed him just a wee bit too much, whoops.

The bear is knit in seven peices (2 body/leg peices, 2 arms, 2 ears, and the head). There is a lot of seaming and I hate seaming. I'm just not good at hand sewing and its tedious. If I were to make this again I'd try to figure out how to modify it to combine some of the peices. I also wasn't thrilled with how the face seamed up, it doesn't look as polished as I'd like.

The plus side to this is that it is a pretty fast knit (minus the time for sewing all the peices together). And it is a great stash buster. I was able to use up a skein that had been rolling around in my knitting bag for a few months.

Overall I think he's pretty cute. My french knots and stuffing techniques could use some practice, but he's presentable.

69 Meters and other public displays

2009-05-19T12:15:00.004-04:00

Over the weekend I noticed this new addition to the parking meters in my neighborhood.

This is a part of the '69 Meters' art installation commissioned by the Montague Street Business Improvement District. Magda Sayeg, founder of Knitta Please, and 50 volunteers knit these colorful sleeves that are now covering all of Montague Street's parking meter poles.

Knitta Please is group of knitters from all over the world who display their knitting in public spaces, think of it like knitted graffiti.

Its kinda cool right? All these knitters comin together makin these tactile public displays.

Looking at this reminds me of Lacey Jane Roberts work.

I first read about her in the Winter '08 issue of Interweave Knits. She installed her Pink Fence peice in Clarion Alley located in San Francisco, California. Roberts stuff is pretty amazing, large works with very strong messages.

It also reminds me about the Knit Knot Tree. Which in looking it up again I've found that it was inspired by the Knitta group's work.

To find out more about the '69 Meters' installation check out the Montague BID website or on Knitta Please.
You can also download a guide listing all of the knitters names and the location of their peice here

Leyburn

2009-05-04T17:24:00.004-04:00

So what was I knitting during our trip?

Pattern: Leyburn by Pepperknit
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Peacock, less than one skein
Needles: US 2

Started: April 1
Finished: April 25

This is my first 'pair' of socks. I have knit a sock before, but I never got around to knitting the second sock :) Apparently I don't like to knit the second halves of socks and mittens, because I still haven't knit my second druid mitten either.

I decided to knit Leyburn two at a time so I wouldn't lose interest before completing the pair. For those of your who've never knit two at a time, it just means that you cast on for both socks at the same time. Each sock uses a separate ball of yarn. Actually I didn't have two balls of yarn. So I just used the center pull of my ball and the end from the outside. Then as you work you alternate knitting each sock (one row for sock 1, then one row for sock 2). This helps make sure you knit the same amount of rows for both socks (two at a time is good for sleevs too). And it has the added benefit of avoiding running out of yarn on your second sock.

This is a toe up pattern. Instead of using the instructions provided I used Judy Becker's magic cast on. I also used Purlwise's short row heel instructions since I'd never done a short row heel before.

They ended up being a little big. I should have used a sz1 needle. When I got to the leg I realized that they were going to be too baggy to stay up so I decided to make them ankle socks instead.

For my first pair of socks I think they turned out well.

Morocco

2009-04-29T16:35:00.001-04:00

We stayed in Marrakech for 6 days, but took two day trips. One across the Atlas Mountains to Ouarzazate and one to Essaouira on the western coast.

Highlight pics from Morocco:

Gueliz, Marrakech's commerical district

Food stall in Jemma el Fna

Souks

Marrakech Museum of History and Art. The building is the actual attraction.

Marrakech Museum of History and Art. Very detailed decoration.

Knitting at our riad

Atlas Mountains (En route to Ouarzazate)

Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Holding a goat, they like to climb the Argan trees and eat the nuts. The Berber women use the Argan nuts to make cooking oils and cosmetics.

Essasouria

Essasouria is know as the 'Blue City', conversely Marrakech is known as the 'Red City'
(The reason apparent in the coloring of the buildings).

View of Bab Doukala from our rooftop. Several times every day they sound the call to prayer.
It starts at 4:30 AM

Where we stayed:

Dar Vedra, a riad own by two Frenchmen. The staff was very nice and the riad was beautiful. Breakfast is included and if you'd like you can request lunch or dinner. We ate dinner there one night, the chicken and olives was fantastic.

Restruarants:

La Maison Arabe. We were intending to go to a different restaurant, but they were full and so we ended up here. We arrived about 8 and it was empty except for one other couple, but they were really anxious about whether we had a reservation or not. It did start getting busier about 8:30. They have live musicians (at least for dinner) and the beef and pear tagine was sooo good!

Dar Moha was the place we had intended to go, we ended up going on Saturday night instead. I recommend requesting a table in the garden when making your reservation. It is a prie fix menu. They only offer one starter, which we were told was a traditional Moroccan salad. It consisted of nearly a dozen small dishes of vegetables prepared in a variety of different methods, my favorite was the pumpkin. I'm not sure what was in it, but it was good.

Chez Chegrouni is right off the square (Jemaa el Fna) and it has good, cheap food. We went there the first night we arrived and went back for lunch later in the week.

A couple recommendations:

Take along a french dictionary or phrasebook. Next to Arabic and Berber French is the most common language. Most shop owners and waiters speak at least a little English, but it is common for restauarants to have menus only in French or Arabic.

If there is something you're planning to buy I'd research it first or ask the manager of your riad for advice beforehand. Bargaining is expected in the souks, so having an idea of what price to aim for helps. And knowing what the item should look like and its key features will help you to avoid buying a bogus item. Most of the people are nice and trustworthy, but like anywhere else in the world there are those that will take advantage of naive tourists.

Things I wish we'd done:

The only thing I wish we'd been able to do is go camping in the desert.

That and taken a picture of the cat we saw eating a chicken head.

If you're interested more photos of our trip can be seen here.

If you have any questions about Morocco leave a comment or send an e-mail to yarnymarn@gmail.com

Sightless

2009-04-23T17:09:00.003-04:00

Poor Monster Bear. He has no eyes.

He's like Elijah Wood in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. You know that scene when Jim Carey keeps turning EW around to figure out who he is, but EW is faceless? Monster Bear is just like that.

Sort of.

Don't worry though, Kogepan is comforting him.

Monster Bear is one of nine projects that I haven't completed.

I have 6 WIPs. Some I haven't even gotten around to taking pictures of.

And 3 projects that are in hibernation and may never be resurrected.

But Monster Bear is almost done!

I just have to get off my lazy butt and buy him some eyes, but I don't know where I should get them. Where in Manhattan do you buy eyes?

I'd like to get some like this:

These are from Suncatcher Eyes. I would order from them, but I currently only need one pair. So until I set my sights (he hee) on another project that needs eyes I think Monster Bear will have to go without.

Pattern: 'Little Monster Bear' by Wendy Gross
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Dark Grey and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Mulled Wine, less than half a ball of each.
Needles: US 10

Started: January 20
Finished: January 21

Monster Bear was a really quick knit. The pattern called for a sz 10 needle, but if I were to make this again I'd use a smaller size. Even with the felting the stitches pull apart too much and reveal the stuffing.

On one arm I made a grey stripe for fun. I think that he turned out pretty cute.

If only he could see.

Paris

2009-04-20T15:54:00.071-04:00

Wow.

It's beautiful. The entire city looks like a museum. Parisians must be sorely disappointed when they come here.

We spent 4 days in Paris, 6 days in Marrakech, and returned to Paris for 1 day.

Here are a few highlight pics from our time in Paris.

Eiffel Tower

Pantheon

Notre Dame

Louvre

Knitting outside Palace of Versailles

Gardens at Versailles

Apollo fountain in gardens of Versailles

Street in Paris

Where we stayed:

Hôtel Jardin Le Bréa located in the St. Germain neighborhood, very close to the Luxembourg Gardens. Very cute place, only 23 rooms and the staff was very nice and helpful. A recommendations from Brandon and Shotz(Thanks!)

Hotel du Louvre located next to the Louvre Museum. A Concorde hotel, very big and nice. Staff nice and professional. We had a great veiw too. The Louvre and tip of the Eiffel Tower on the left and the Opera on the right.

Restruarants:

View Larger Map

We ate our first meal at L'Arcade Cafe. It was a little place tucked in an alcove on a side street. The food was great, and the staff was very nice to us. It made our first night in Paris really special.

La Coupole, a 'classic, old school bistro' recommended by Michelle (Thanks!). The steak was yummy, but the wait was kind of long. We were warned that we should make a reservation, but had neglected to do so.

Creperie. It's a cute little place across from Hotel Le Brea. I wouldn't make a special trip to go there, but if you are in the neighborhood they have good food.

A couple recommendations:

First timers should definately see the Eiffel Tower. Its huge and pictures just don't do it justice. I can't say whether the view from the top is worth it, we didn't go up - I'm afraid of heights :)

The gardens of Versaille are amazing, but I wouldn't go inside the Palace/Museum. The line is looong and it wasn't very good. The gardens are very expansive (800 hectares, over 3 square miles) and they have music playing. If you're a student there is a discount.

Look up to hours for the sites you'd like to see before you get there :) see below.

Things I wish I'd seen:
Trianon, Marie Antoinette's estate at Versaille. We didn't have time. I don't know if it's any good, but I'm interested.

The catacombs: showed up on Monday (the day we were leaving for Morocco) to discover that it isn't open on Mondays. And we wouldn't be able to get back there until the following Monday, so we were out of luck.

Musee d'Orsay: same issue not open on Mondays, we thought we might get there on the following Sunday, but no dice.

Paris was a wonderful city and I definately plan on going back.

If you're interested more photos of our trip can be seen here.

If you have any questions about Paris leave a comment or send an e-mail to yarnymarn@gmail.com

Need some cute wall art?

2009-04-17T14:40:00.003-04:00

Tollipop is having a giveaway. The grand prize is a set of 3 of her characters in the lovely blue frames pictured above. She is also giving away three Tollipop lockets. So cute! All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog. Hurry the giveaway ends tonight.

KP interchangeables

2009-04-11T14:54:00.001-04:00

I love my interchangeables! But they don't come without problems.

I got the nickel plated set. Spending the additional $10 for the wood just wasn't necessary for me.

Pros

Comes with two cable sizes
Cables have almost no memory
Smooth joins
Sharp needle points
Needle case included

Cons

Cables tend to pop out of metal bases
Nickel gets tarnished
Zipper pull on needle case is weak

I like the case that came with it, it has slots on the inside to put the needle tips in. The sizes aren't marked on the tips, but the board that they came attached to had the sizes printed on it so I cut it up and slid the pieces into the slots in the case and put the corresponding needle tips in the slot.

About 6 months after ordering the set the zipper pull on the case fell apart. I wasn't being rough with it, the metal just sort of crumbled. At first I wasn't going to do anything about it, but a few days later one of my cables detached from the metal screw base. This is a common problem with the KP interchangeables (I have also heard that the wooden needles also often come unglued from the metal bases). So I decided to call the customer service line 1-800-574-1323. KP was happy to replace both the cable and the needle case. And it only took about a week to get my replacements.

If you have any trouble with your set you should call customer service. In most cases they will replace the item. It is also important that they know about any quality issues so they can try to fix them.

$60 may seem like a lot of money to fork over at once, but it is worth it. Even with the problems.

Project Bags

2009-04-06T13:53:00.001-04:00

If you're on a budget, buying bags to keep your knitting projects in probably isn't one of your highest priorities (personally I'd rather spend my money on yarn).

I use several different types of bags to keep my projects in.

One. Plastic shopping bags from Borders Bookstore.

I like these suckers because they are little. Most of the projects I knit are on the smaller side, so these bags work great. They are also a little thicker than a normal plastic grocery bag from say Key Food or Cub. The downside is that even though they are thicker than the average plastic shopping bag they are still easily punctured by knitting needles. They are also fairly noisy, which may seem like a strange complaint when it comes to bags for your knitting, but believe me the crackling and rustling can get really annoying. This one is housing my hexacomb cardigan.

Two. Club Wedd organizer from Target.

When you are planning a wedding you get a lot of junk. Over 6 months after my wedding I'm still get a ton of junk mail and e-mails advertising DJ's, planning services, and caterers. One of the nice things about the junk is that some of it is actually pretty good quality. Thicker papers (nice for collages), ribbons wrapped around the junk (all sorts of uses there), and little bags with samples or in this case registry info.
This bag is really great for small knitting projects. It is made of a thin yet durable material with a snap closure. It also has a strap. So I hang the bag on my arm with the yarn inside and the tail hanging out of the bag. It is great when knitting while waiting for the train.

Three. Hand sewn bags. I have two.

I made this one from remnants I found at the fabric store (Pattern is the DIY Tote bag from Stitch and Bitch Handbook). I actually use this to keep all my little project bags together. J hates all of my bags so if I can combine them in a bigger one it makes it "look" like I have less :)

This one I got from my swap partner. It is currently housing the yarn I'm planning to use for the Coraline cardigan by Ysolda Teague.

I really want to try making one of these box bags as seen on DragoKnitFly's blog.

The things I love about handsewn bags are:
You can customize the size and color and it is another way to channel your creative energies.

Keep your eyes open and you can find some great storage options for you knitting. I've even used a package that came from J's underwear.

I'll be Out of the Office until the 13th...

2009-04-02T18:00:00.001-04:00

J and I are leaving for our trip to Paris and Morocco, so I'll be gone until the 13th. I have a couple posts scheduled for while I'm away. And when I get back I'll have vacation pics and hopefully will have finished one of the two knitting projects I'm bringing with me.
A bientôt

$19.99 Winders and Blocking Accessories!

2009-03-30T13:09:00.012-04:00

Knitpicks has started selling ball winders, blocking mats, and lace blocking wires for $19.99.

The reviews on Ravelry about the ball winder seem ok. Some people were having trouble with the yarn getting tangled on the base, but it seems that they weren't extending the metal arm that the yarn feeds through (I made the same mistake with my winder from JoAnn's).

This is what happens when the metal arm is folded in.

In order to get the yarn to wind properly the metal arm should be extended out like this.

If you've never used a ball winder before KP has a helpful video:

They say you have to use a swift if you are winding a hank, but I don't. I just wrap it around my knees while in a seated position.

Using a swift would definately be better, but if you have a tight budget (like me) knees work well.

I would love to get the blocking mats, because they are so white and pretty. But I already have somes, **sigh**.

Mine are from KMart. I got them during the holiday season for $5 a pack and they work great. I can reconfigure them to fit the project I'm blocking and break them down to store them when not in use.

I do plan to get some of those lace blocking wires. Blocking wires can make blocking lace a lot easier and creates straighter edges on your lace projects.
If you don't have 20 bucks to spend on blocking wires I read that you can use welding rods:

"Since I find this site so helpful to me with my projects, I’d like to give back and share a very money saving tip as alternatives to lace blocking wires which, if ordered from a yarn source, can cost alot of money: You need to go to your local hardware store or a welding supply store and simply tell the nice man there that you want ”welding rods for tig welding, the size of a strand of spaghetti.” They come in 3 feet lengths, I bought six of them for a little over $4.00. More money for yarn :) They are stainless steel, make sure they are uncoated (I guess some of them come coated with something). Honestly, there’s no excuse for not wire blocking with a deal like that!!! Have fun, enjoy. If you are already familiar with blocking wires, they work every bit as nice as those “expensive” ones. :)"

-prairiesu on Ravelry

I'm a little too intimidated by the thought of picking out welding rods. So I'm gonna spend the extra bucks and get KP wires.

Warning! The following pics don't have anything to do with winders, blocking accessories, knitpicks or knitting. They're of my baby niece, so if you don't like babies stop scrolling!

But how could you not like babies? Especially one as cute as this!

Hahahaha, what an expression!

Handmade Memories

2009-03-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

Last weekend J and I went to see Yeondoo Jung's Handmade Memories at the Tina Kim Gallery in Chelsea. The handmade aspect and the Korean origin piqued my interest in going to this show.

Barley Field, 2008

Jung interviewed six elderly Koreans he randomly met in parks around Seoul. Each interviewee answers the question 'What is the most memorable experience of your life?'
The work explores the minds of people who lived through the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910 – 1945) and the Korean War (1950 – 1953) and is a continuation of the artists investigation of the 'subjective instability of memory as well as the tenuous authenticity of mechanically-produced images'.

Barley Field, 2008

The installation was made up of three pairs of large flat screen TV's. One TV would air the interview, while the second TV aired the staged recreation of the memory being described.

Legend and Poverty, 2008

Often times in the beginning we weren't sure how the two images were connected. As the video progressed our minds would slowly develop a connection between the scene being constructed and the story being told by the interviewee.

If you're interested in going, you better hurry. The show ends this Satuday (March 28th).

Handmade Memories by Yeondoo Jung
Tina Kim Gallery
Chelsea Arts Tower
545 W.25th Street, 3rd Floor
212.716.1100
Open Tues. – Sat. 10 am – 6 pm

Head Gear for Baby

2009-03-25T11:41:00.004-04:00

I have yet to master teeny tiny socks and booties, so when a friend or family member is expecting I've been making hats.

Pattern: 'Vine Lace Baby Hat' by Sandy Wiseheart
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Sport in Black and Ivory and Reynolds Wash Day Wool in Red - less than half a ball of each.
Needles: US 3 DPNs

This is one of my favorite gifts to knit. It looks like it takes a lot of skill and time, but it is really really really easy. I've made this hat at least 4 times and each time the recipient(s) opened it they were thoroughly impressed. In fact upon hearing that it was a handknit one couple's looks of shock were so pronounced they could have been characters in a cartoon, jaws hanging on the floor.

One of these hats could easily be whipped up in a day. I've used a couple types of yarn. I really like how the alpaca turned out, because the fiber looks so soft and perfect for babies.

The other yarn I used is Reynold's Wash Day Wool. Sorry no pics of the hat, I blanked out and forgot to take any before giving it away. The Wash Day Wool is a superwash, so pretty hassle free for new mommies. But it doesn't have the soft, delicate look of the alpaca.

Here's another pattern I've knit for newcomers:

Pattern: 'Umbilical Cord Hat' by Jennifer L. Jones published in Stitch and Bitch
Yarn: Plymouth Jeannee in Pale Brick - less than half a ball. Plymouth Jeannee in Lilac - a scrap will do.
Needles: US 7 24" Circ.

Started: February 10
Finished: February 11

This was another easy knit. I used some yarn left over from my Duck Soup sweaters.

I made a couple modifications. I shortened the i-cord on top and the body of the hat looked too plain, so I added an 'e' (for Elise).

I attempted to crochet embroider the letter, but I didn't actually know what I was doing or bother to look up instructions. So I'm pretty sure I didn't correctly perform the technique.
Oh and I totally winged the letter form. Regardless of my inept embroidery skills it still turned out well.

Creepy Cute

2009-03-23T11:22:00.004-04:00

I love things that are creepy and cute at the same time.

Like these figurines:

Monster by etsy seller mmmbiscuits

Bruce the Bunny from loopyboopy

I also love things that are versatile. The above figurines were created from polymer clay, a medium with numerous uses.

you could make custom buttons for all your knitting projects:

Wood grain buttons from etsy seller blarneyyarn

you could make cute little stitch markers in any shape you want.:

Rubber Ducky stitch markers from etsy seller weeones

Or you could make accessories for your Amigurumi:

Indian Jones amigurumi and accessories from etsy seller GeekCentralStation

Accessories for Link (from Legends of Zelda) as seen on Geek Central's blog

Wow Geek Central really pays attention to the details. Makes me want a custom doll with jewelry, headresses, and/or weapons!

For resources and information about polymer clay check out:
Skygrazer's Polymer Clay Link Index
About.com Getting Started: Polymer Clay

Lace Ribbon

2009-03-18T19:16:00.003-04:00

Pattern: 'Lace Ribbon Scarf' by Veronik Avery
Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in Smoker, 2 skeins
Needles: Knit Pick Circ US 4

Started: January 10
Finished: March 18

The yarn I used is a lace weight, so I held it double stranded. I just kept knitting until I ran out of yarn. With scarves I'm usually not concerned about the exact measurements. The final measurements of this are smaller than the pattern, about 8.5" by 72".

The only problem I had was it felt like it would never end, but it was worth it. I'm in love with how it turned out. The pattern, the color, love it. I wore it yesterday and kept walking with my head down because I couldn't stop staring at it :)
The lace pattern is beautiful and the Alpaca Cloud really shows it off.

New tool

2009-03-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

I am constantly peeling post-it notes off their pads and applying them to my knitting charts. It helps me keep track of which line I'm on (counting challenged me need all the help she can get). The only problem with post-it is that I can't see the previous line. So in order to tell if my stitches are matching up with the previous row I have to stop, peel back the post-it and peek underneath.

The solution? Highlighter tape

Some ladies from the Sit N Knit group introduced me to this wonder. I can place a piece underneath the row I'm currently working on and still see the preceding rows.

And best of all it's removable! So I can stick one piece down, pull it off and move it up a row when I'm ready to move on.

Highlight tape where have you been all my life?

There are a lot of suppliers out there, but I got mine at Avid Aviator. 3 rolls for $6.50. With only $3 shipping it seems like the best deal.

Fashioning Felt at Cooper Hewitt

2009-03-15T14:45:00.008-04:00

I hiked it up to the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum yesterday to see the Fashioning Felt exhibit.

There were some pretty interesting and beautiful pieces. Of course they displayed the usual clothing, furniture, bowls, and the ever popular felt rocks.

I love this picture of Christien Meindertsma making her Flocks Pouf

Look at the size of those needles!

My favorite pieces were the more unusual installations:

Faucet with felt water

~~Sorry I didn't catch the name of the artist~~
Created by Janice Arnold. See below for some great comments from the artist!

Janice Arnold's Palace Yurt

West entrance to the conservatory

Conservatory ceiling

North exit

The Palace Yurt is a really spectacular installation located in the museum's conservatory. Janice Arnold was inspired by the conservatory's structural similarity to a yurt. She details the design process further on the Cooper Hewitt blog. There are also pictures of the construction process on her website. If I had a conservatory, sunroom, or any room with a lot of windows I'd love to drape it in JA's creation. The material and soft light create a very relaxing cocoon.

The Fashioning Felt exhibit will be on display until September 7th.

Cooper Hewitt is open Mon–Fri 10–5, Sat 10-6, and Sun 12-6.
Regular admission is $15 or $10 for students and senior citizens; children under 12 are admitted free.
The Museum is located on 91st btwn Central park and Madison Ave.

If you can wait to go until May or June the garden will be open. Or even better you could just go again :)

Multi-Section Case-Binding

2009-03-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

For the Winter Solstice Yoga swap I decided to try my hand at multi-section case-binding.

What is multi-section case-binding?

The multi-section binding is the king of binding structures and is one of the most recognizable. Its sewn and glued structure is strong and durable, making it suitable for binding an important book that needs to stand the test of time.

-Heather Weston

So basically it is the method most commonly used to construct hard cover books and journals.

To make my journals I used a combination of the instructions in Heather Weston's Bookcraft and a tutorial from Curiously Craft Blog.

Bookbinding supplies are available at your local art store. I bought most of mine from Utrecht. Another place to go is Talas. A bookbinding supply store I've been dying to go to, but unfortunately they have rather limited hours; 9-5:30 M-F (I'm usually at work then).

I got my paper and cardstock at Paper Presentation, which also had a number basic bookbinding supplies. I used the above flecked paper for the book block aka the pages.

I used a few different kinds of 80lb. cardstock for the endpapers.

I really liked the effect of this french paper, because it is patterned on both sides.

My fabric came from B&J Fabrics in midtown. I bought 3 different types:
Cotton shirting - the darker violet. I don't recommend using this. The fabric was too thin, so the glue bled through. I found a way to avoid the bleeding but it was a hassle.
Cotton twill - the lighter violet. Worked out ok but I preferred using...
Cotton Canvas - the damask print. It was the thickest, which I was actually concerned about. But it ended up being the easiest of the 3 to work with.

Check out TJ Bookarts to find more resources on bookbinding - that's how I found the Curiously Craft Blog

Promenade Duo

2009-03-10T11:43:00.001-04:00

So awhile ago I knit Mimi Hill's Promenade Scarf

I liked it so much I decided I needed a hat to go with it.

Here's what I did for the scarf

Pattern: 'Promenade Scarf' by Mimi Hill

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lambs's Pride Bulky
Needles: Knit Pick Circ US 10

Started: January 22
Finished: January 28

Since I was using a bulkier yarn I only cast on 89 stitches and eliminated 4 rows (one set of the cable pattern).
I used the Norwegian long tail cast-on (from Favorite Socks) and a dbl crochet bind off (from knittinghelp.com).
I also only cast off 2 sts for the button holes, because 5 sts seemed too big for the buttons I used.
The finished size ended up about 23” x 6” and fits well.

Here's how I made the hat

Pattern: My own based off of the scarf pattern from above

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lambs's Pride Bulky
Needles: Knit Pick Circ US 9 and US 10

Started: February 22
Finished: February 28

I determined that I should do 9 repeats of the 8 stitch pattern by wrapping my finished scarf around my head. Then starting with the smaller needles I cast on 72 stitches and joined to work in the round.
For 5 rows I did a 1x1 rib. Then I switched to the larger needles.
I followed the cable pattern until the hat measured approx. 6 inches.
I repeated rows 1 and 2 of the cable pattern one more time, then I started decreasing:

Row 1: K1, k2tog, k1, ssk, k1, p1 and repeated to the end.
Row 2:I K5, p1 to end
Row 3: Cn1 hold to back, k1, k1 from cn, cn1 hold to front, k1, k1 from cn, p1 repeat to end
Row 4-6: repeat row 2
Row 7: repeat row 3

Row 8: repeat row 2
Row 9: K2tog, k1, ssk, p1 to end.
Row 10-12: K3, p1 to end
Row 13: K3tog, p1 to end.
Row 14: K1, p1 to end. Break yarn leaving tail.
With tapestry needle thread tail through remaining loops and pull tight. Weave in ends. Block.

Happy knitting.

Chakra

2009-03-08T17:30:00.001-04:00

Pattern: 'Chakra' by Alysa Joaquin
Yarn: Noro Kureyon in 240 about 2/3rds skein and Ella Rae Classic in white 01 less than half a ball.
Needles: Knit Pick Circ US 7/4.5 mm

Started: February 1
Finished: February 9

Joaquin describes the pattern as:

Inspired by the art of Alex Grey, this hat is decorated with a representation of the crown chakra.

Since the colors of the crown chakra are white and violet I chose a natural white yarn for the main color and a violet colorway for the colorwork.

I loved the way this turned out. The pattern includes two variations and was very easy to follow. This was my first colorwork project and my first time using Noro.
I found that the colorwork wasn't as complicated as I'd thought. You just have to remember to keep your knitting loose and to spread out your stitches. This will allow color that you are carrying along to not get too tight, preventing your project from puckering. It also helps to work with a wool or other scaly yarn so that the floats will sticks to itself on the inside.
The Noro yarn is so beautiful. I love how saturated with color some of the areas get. I was concerned about the violet bleeding onto the white when I blocked, but I didn't have any bleeding problems at all.

I love Kogepan

The only modification I made was to omit the duplicate stitching. I didn't like the way it look on other projects and since I was using a multicolored yarn I didn't see the need.

For any first time colorworkers here is a good video tutorial from knitpicks:

Winter Solstice Yoga Swap Part 2

2009-03-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

On the swap questionnaire 3littlebirds said she liked purple/lavender and since lavender is one of the colors of the crown chakra I decided to make that the theme of the package. So most of the items are some form of lavender or otherwise related to the crown chakra.

Here is the package I assembled for 3littlebirds :

Back L - R:
Handmade Journal in Lavender
Magnets of yoga poses
ignore the white box and light lavender yarn. I was using the box to prop up the hat and the yarn to tie things together.
Chakra Hat
Tapestry needles

Front L - R:
Lavender take out box holding yarn and decorated with 2 stitchmarkers
Juniper scented candle - the scent is supposed to help open the crown chakra
Yoga Mat Spray Wash
Dr. Bronner’s Magic organic lip balm- orange & ginger and lemon lime
6 “fat quarters” of quilting fabric

I put the yarn inside this lavender takeout box so that it would match the color of the theme.
Tied to the handle are two stitch markers. I meant to make a set, but I was having trouble with the shrinky dink material. These two were the only ones that weren't too warped.

Inside the take out box were two balls of Madil Eden Bamboo in Red . I chose red because 3littlebirds said she also liked this color and I didn't want to overwhelm her with lavender.

I also knit this hat, the pattern isChakra by Alysa Joaquin It is a representation of the crown chakra.

I also made this journal

I really glad that 3littlebirds was happy with the package.

Coming Soon details on the Chakra hat and making the journal.

Winter Solstice Yoga Swap Part 1

2009-03-06T12:34:00.007-05:00

Back in January I joined the Winter Solstice Yoga Swap group on Rav and was paired with 3littlebirds

By lucky chance we both sent our packages out at the same time and received them yesterday.

Here's what I received:

Starting in the back left - front right:
Card with beautiful pic of Buddha
Knit Simple Magazine
Quotable Magnet
Knit Picks Circ Needles
Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut Tea

L-R:
Aluminum water bottle with copper finish and beautiful blue pattern
Chakra Workbook by Anna Voight
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Peacock colorway

Beautiful Italian Stationary

Handmade items from 3littlebirds:
Amanda Hat
Bag perfect for knitting projects

I love the details on the bag. Look at the eyelets

And the bottom on the inside of the bag

Looks cute :)

This was my first swap and I loved it. We had from Dec. 15th to March 14th to assemble out packages, so there was plenty of time to get to know our swap buddies and to brainstorm about what to give them. 3littlebirds was a great partner and the package she gave me was really bright, colorful, and thoughful.

She even decorated the box my package came in:

I had a lot of fun with the swap and I'll definately do another in the future.

Thanks 3little birds!

Coming soon the package I assmebled for 3littlebirds.

Prepping for PS4 - Cardinal Directions

2009-03-04T15:26:00.022-05:00

I've joined the 4th round of Project Spectrum. Project Spectrum is a wonderful group created and led by the author of Lolly Knitting Around.

The theme for this year is the compass rose and four cardinal directions. Each cardinal direction will run for 2 months.

PS4 opens with
North:
Color: Green
Material: Stones/Gems/Rocks
Season: Winter
Element: Earth

From now until the end of April the PS members will be exploring North through art, craft, and simply taking notice of what is around us.

So far I've only been able to look at my stash and this is what I've got:

I have a couple ideas of what to make with this already.

I also recently bought this from Purl Patchwork:

The green thread will work in nicely.

And of course this guy is a big inspiration:

Or maybe he's just cute :)

Find out more about Project Spectrum:
Lolly Knitting Around.
Ravelry
Flickr

Cocktail Umbrella Lamps

2009-03-02T15:31:00.009-05:00

from Bright Lights Little City:

Ooooo.
Aahhh.Cool.

If you go to the Bright Lights Little City website you can scroll over the lamps and the image will automatically switch off and on. Fun way to waste some time :)

There are several different styles of lamps available on the Bright Lights website. This one is called Happy Hour. It measures 13.5" wide, 40.5" around, and 10" tall and costs $85 USD.

I imagine that making your own wouldn't be too hard and much more budget friendly. You'd just have to find some good fire retardant spray to coat your creation with.

Chickens wear sweaters?

2009-03-01T12:41:00.003-05:00

Photograph by Debora Durant

I had no idea

This post, on the Berrocco Blog, describes Mo Rocca's appearance on the NPR show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Mo mentions that he hates handmade sweaters because they are always itchy. Of course someone started a Ravelry thread And of course several people have set out to make Mo a non-itchy sweater to prove him wrong. But what triggered Mo to confess his dislike for handmade sweaters? That's right folks sweater wearing chickens.

Raveler JoniMarie described the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me discussion in more detail:

"They were talking about the woman who has launched an effort to knit sweaters for hens without feathers. Hens kept in industrial egg-laying facilities are so stressed they lose their feathers. When they can’t lay anymore, some people
rescue them and they need sweaters. His comment came up in this context."

My mind is officially blown.

Hear the segment of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

Visit Little Hen Rescue [sweater pattern] to find out more about hen resuce and to find the pattern for a chicken sweater (this is the organization mentioned on WWDTM)

For more instructions on chicken sweaters visit Invisible Voices

All wound up

2009-02-27T15:38:00.003-05:00

I have been in need of a ball winder for awhile now, but I kept buying yarn instead!

However, Joann.com is having a sale on their ballwinders and swifts. So I have finally bit the bullet and bought one. Only $30 plus free shipping! I got this one:

I don't know anything about different styles of winders, but the reviews for this one were good. I didn't get a swift. I'm a rebel. Or maybe just stupid. Time will tell.

Code for free shipping: CCABINFEBFS9

Binding of another kind

2009-02-18T15:15:00.011-05:00

My night classes have required that I design and assemble several books, which has allowed me to dabble in the world of book binding. So far I have only tried a few soft cover methods.

The first is the star-fold. This is a very simple method and I was shown this by a couple of instructors. I have tried to illustrate it in the crude (sorry) drawing below.

The pages are printed in spreads (two pages per sheet of paper). Then each spread is folded in half. The backside of pg 2 is glued to the backside of pg 3 and so on.
When all the pages are glued together the backside of the front cover is glued to the backside of pg 1. Then the cover is wrapped around the spine and the back cover is glued to the backside of the last pg.

The pages are all printed in numerical order (odd numbers on the left and even on the right). However the covers MUST be reversed (back cover printed on the left and front cover on the right). This is because the spread with the covers folds in the opposite direction as the spreads with the pages.

The second type of binding I've used is my own made up sewn binding :) I tried this before I knew much of anything about binding. And I just sewed the pages together as I saw fit. The actual stitches were pretty messy, but I was able to cover them with a strip of cardstock. It wasn't not very sturdy, but whatev.

After using these first two methods I got curious. So I bought Bookcraft by Heather Weston:

Bookcraft: Techniques for Binding, Folding, and Decorating to Create Books and More
by Heather Weston
Published by Quarry Books
ISBN 9781592534555

So far I have found this to be a really great resource. It has not only filled my head with dreams of creating masterfully bound books but also gives detailed descriptions of materials and instructions.

After perusing Weston's book I decided to try out the Japanese stab binding. Which up until I started writing this post I thought it was Japanese sLab binding. Don't ask my why, my mind just processed it as such. Here's the result:
So far the best book I've made!

The JSB is characterized by the decorative sewing along the spine and the spine caps (those little peices of green cardstock protecting the corners of the spine).

So those pictures don't have anything to do with the binding, I just like those pages OK?

Notice the subject of my book was Cowichan Sweaters :)

I plan to try a hardcover binding method in the next couple of weeks. The instructions are a lot more complicated that anyting I've tried so far. Hopefully it won't be a total disaster.

Little Knits

2009-02-15T13:30:00.004-05:00

I am constantly adding baby and kid knits to my RavQ, they are just so cute! Luckily my oldest sister has two daughters, Megan (2yr 8mo) and Anna (10mo):

Perfect recipients for all of the little items I dream of knitting. For Christmas I decided to knit them sweaters. I decided this on December 1st. This left me 24 days to choose a pattern, find and purchase yarn, and knit two sweaters while working full-time and going to night school. Not ambitious at all.

The Pattern: Duck Soup by Anny Purls
The Yarn: Jeanne purchased from WEBS yarn.com

Anna’s Duck Soup

Color: 24 Lilac
Size: 18 months
Needle size: 10

Megan’s Duck Soup

Color: 29 Pale Brick
Size: 2/3 yr (see below for details)
Needle size: 9

This is a great pattern. Very fast to knit, Anna’s sweater (w/o the closures) only took me one week and Megan’s a mere 4 days. Of course I was knitting every second of my free time. By the end of this my hands felt like little claws, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to straighten my fingers again!

The part I found most time consuming was making the i-cord buttons and loops. I felt like the i-cords would never end. Of course you don’t have to make i-cord buttons and loops, you could add button holes and use regular buttons or put in a zipper, but I’m in love the look of the i-cords.

I followed Anny’s instructions almost exactly as-is, including using her favorite type of increase: “knit into the back of the stitch in the row below the next stitch". It has now become my favorite type of increase as well. The only adjustment I made was to knit Megan’s sweater in the 4/5 size using size 9 needles resulting in a 2/3 size.

This is the only Anny Purls pattern I’ve knit, but she has more including a few free patterns. Check out her website at jujubeandlolo.com.

Bake My Valentine

2009-02-14T10:00:00.014-05:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

On Thursday my office had a Valentine's Day celebration. So I donned my apron and got baking.

I had this great plan to bake these:

Vanilla Chocolate Wafers from MarthaStewart.com. And instead of leaving the vanilla side white I would add a little red food coloring so that they'd be pink! So cute!

Hmmm...I didn't take into account that as the cookies bake the edges brown up, making my pretty pink and brown cookies brownish-pink and brown cookies:

Note the wonky shape the two colors create, definately not like Martha's. Oh and I burned half of them to cinders. They were so horrible not even the pigeons would go near them. Okay I didn't really try giving the to the pigeons. But I thought about it.

I was also really excited to make these:

Raspberry Almond Financiers! I'd never made a financier before and didn't know exactly what one was, but the picture and description left me believing that they would be cupcake-ish.

"honeyed, cakey interior beneath a crisp, crackly surface"
-description from MarthaStewart.com

"fin·an·cier
A French pastry. The financier is a light tea cake, similar to sponge cake, and usually contains almond flour, crushed or ground almonds, or almond flavoring."
-definition from Wikipedia

Huh.

Mine turned out like this:

More of a muffin than a cupcake. The tops were rounded not flat like in the photo. And I couldn't get the raspberry to look like Martha's! These were the best looking out of the batch.

Well at least everything tasted good.

**note: all recipes are from MarthaStewart.com. I am in no way associated with Martha Stewart, I'm just a fan of the recipes.**

Dear Charcoal Blue Gedifra....

2009-02-13T16:50:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry we could not meet. If you should ever return I will be here waiting.

Forever yours,
marn

Unresolved

2009-02-11T12:27:00.035-05:00

I had this new year's resolution:
I will not buy any new yarn without a specific pattern in mind.

My first slip was January 31 when I bought this:

I was at Knit NY purchasing yarn for my yoga winter solstice swap project and it called to me from the sale bin. It wasn't until after I walked out of the shop that I realized I'd broken my new year's resolution. January wasn't even over yet! Well I couldn't turn around and return it right away, I'd look like a weirdo right? Anyway, one skein of yarn isn't that big of a deal.

Then not even two weeks later along comes this:

Well that would just be perfect for a cardigan right? Maybe I don't have a specific pattern in mind, but I still have a purpose: CARDIGAN.

Hmm I think I'll have to get this too:

I've always wanted to try bamboo and it's on sale! If I can just find a pattern to justify it: chevron scarf (or not, I'm still undecided). Well I better get it before its sold out right?

Oh wait what about this:

I find the colors just yummy! Well there is only one skein of the Venice colorway left, I better call and see if I can add it to yesterday's order.

Finally the next day this color of the Gedifra Shetland DeLuxe became available again:

Well I had to get it. It was the color that drew my attention to the Gedifra Shetland and I'd been kicking myself for not ordering quick enough after it first sold out.

So less than two months into the new year I'm 25 skeins heavier and $110 lighter, crappers.

Here're the stat's on the above yarns:

Purchased at LYS: Knit NY knitnewyork.com

Noro Kureyon Sock
Sock 100% wool
Colorway: 164

Purchase online: WEBS yarn.com

Gedifra Shetland De Luxe
Worsted 50% Wool/25% Baby Alpaca/25% Mohair
Colorway: 9293 Med Brown

Plymouth Royal Bamboo
Worsted 100% bamboo
Colorways (left to right): 01 Taupe, Blue, & Silver, 24 Blue

Jo Sharp DK Wool
DK 100% wool
Colorways (left to right): 356 Venice, 911 Maple, 910 Oak

Gedifra Shetland De Luxe
Worsted 50% Wool/25% Baby Alpaca/25% Mohair
Colorway: 9202 Charcoal Blue