Past, Present, and Future

Past,

A few years back, 2006 ?, Brad and I visited England.  While there we found a really neat craft farm where I purchased a lot of wool.  Why?  I wanted to have a keepsake from England that wasn't a t-shirt or paperweight.  I don't want to have a keepsake of a big pile of wool either.  So, I have future plans for this wool - carding and spinning with a drop spindle!

I found this merino yarn earlier this spring on a trip to NYC.  Brad and I stopped at the Greenmarket in Union Square where I purchased this yarn from Catskill Merino Yarn.  I really didn't have plans for the yarn other than to purchase a few skeins and then see what happens.  I love the orange color and the white yarn makes me think of cream.  The orange knit really nicely into the Zig-Zag scarf you will see later in the post.  The undyed yarn's future has yet to be determined. 

L'illo

Finished this a few weeks ago and just haven't posted.  I need to find some buttons for the front but the button holes are awfully small so I may need to find another option, like snaps or a zipper or something.   Anyway, I really like this little cardigan because of the wonderful textures.  Hopefully my baby will grow into this sweater during a season that he can actually wear the sweater, i.e. not summer.

Present,

My favorite local librarian, Sue, who also happens to knit recommended this book, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders.  I am so glad she did because I have found so many really cool patterns.  The one I am currently working on, Baby Squash Hat, can be seen in this picture.  Right now, it doesn't look much like a hat but it will get there, I promise.

The Zig-Zag Scarf pattern came from this book too.  I really didn't need another scarf I guess, but I did need to learn a technique used in the scarf, the short row wrap.  All the zigs and zags come from these short rows.  With a better understanding of short rows I can knit one of the soaker patterns I found, Curly Purly.  Also, many socks require a short row heel.  Woo-hoo! 

and Future...

Since we are planning to cloth diaper, I want to knit some wool soakers to cover the prefold diapers.  I learned recently that the long ones ("Longies") can sell for as much as $50!  That is just a little too rich for my blood, especially when I can make my own.  Here are some examples of what I plan to make.

  

Here are some great tools to help me card and spin all the wool purchased in England.  I have had plans to card and spin all this for a while but have been delayed partially because I needed the right tools.  Well, now I have them so nothing (except procrastination) can get in my way!

Hats, Hats, and more Hats

I love to knit baby hats, I will just say that from the start.  A few reasons, they knit quickly, don't require much yarn, and are just generally adorable.  Anyway, so to recap these hats.  The first hat is a night cap, think about sugar plums and fairies dancing through your head when you see this hat. The yarn is a DK weight wool/acrylic blend in light pink and an oatmeal/light tan color.  The pattern came from a great book which I would someday like to own titled, And so to bed...: Handknits and Things by Lucinda Guy.  Guy created some of the cutest knits for children including cute little owls, pajama holders, foxes, sweaters, hats, and so much more.  I definitely see myself knitting more patterns from this book.

This lovely little cabled hat knit really quickly, like maybe 2-3 hours.  I don't knit all that quickly so if you do, then this would be a really blazin' fast project.  I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease and size 8 straight needles.  You can find this easy pattern here.  This is the ten cable hat.  Because I knit the pattern on straight needles instead of circular I needed to do a little "reading between the pattern lines" to make it turn out correctly.  But I have to say that this turned out really well for never having knit cables before.

This hat is my own creation knit in the round on size 4 double pointed needles.  I wish I had written down the pattern as I went along because now I really like the hat and cannot remember how it came to fruition.  Oh well, I guess it is truly one of a kind.  My favorite parts are the 4 I-cords up on top which give it a funky look.  If you like to/want to knit baby/toddler hats, this site has a great collection of patterns.  Some patterns link to sites like knitty.com and others, like the cabled hat, come from individuals who can create some awesome stuff.

Knitting Knews

Well, if I had this much time on my hands and didn't knit, boy there would be something wrong.  If you don't already know, Brad and I recently moved to Ft. Lewis Washington.  While he works and has things to do all day, I pretty much veg out.  At first, I enjoyed the chance to watch TV, go on walks, and just chill.  Now, I feel ready to pull my hair out and start talking to myself due to boredom!  To stave off insanity I have knit a few things that I want to share with you.

This pink hat knit quickly and I learned how to make a real pom-pom to put on the finishing touch.  I plan to make more in smaller sizes and a variety of colors for babies of all sizes and genders.  Currently this hat is a prototype for my friend Gina who photographs babies.

This matching hat and sweater are for an undesignated baby at the moment.  I may keep it for Joshua but who knows.  I actually don't know if the sweater will fit a baby as the sleeves are short and the bodice is rather boxy.  So while the length may fit a 3-6 month old, the sleeves may be goofy and the body too wide.  All in all, I like sweater because it was fast and easy to  knit but next time I will make the sleeves longer and wider.

That's all for now.  I will keep the needles clicking so I don't develop some weird boredom twitch.  Take care!

Honda Odyssey - the best van for knitting

While spending many hours in the back of my parents van I discovered the perfect knitting knook while traveling.  Room for the yarn, a snack, and something to drink.

Appeasing the Cat Goddesses

I am certain that Cat Goddesses rule the cat universe.  I can't explain my theory as it is simply in the beginning stages.  Anyway, as any knitter with a cat knows, yarn entices any cat.  So, in an effort to appease the Cat Goddesses I have knit my two toerags, cats, lovely kitties (phew) a kitty bed.  

The pattern can be found in Stitch' N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller.  One thing I should mention about this pattern, just knit the big size.  My cats aren't all that big but the bed seems a little small.  

Beatrix meet Bed, Bed meet Beatrix.

I guess she will need to choose which end rests in comfort.  Front end or Back end?

Ah well, it was a fun project anyway.

Want to see another great project knit from this book?  Check out Tanya's hat!  I am pretty impressed with anyone who can pick up knitting after a while and start out on DPNs.  What an achiever!