What I've Been Up To

A couple of weeks ago, I had the idea that some of my yarn base would be dyed to match some of the knitting project bags. This sock yarn shown is red, green, soft yellow, and pink, which matches the bag below. I cannot say enough good things about this yarn. It has a very tight twist, is superwash, and is amazingly soft.

The project bag/yarn combo would make a wonderful gift for someone who is maybe just learning to knit and, of course, a long-time knitter would enjoy it as well. Once the socks are complete, the bag has versatile uses. It could be used as a make-up bag, for instance. Does this sound like an ad or something? I'm not trying to sell it. At least, not yet. :)

The yarn has been dyed in a one-row stripe and my daughter says that the colors remind her of Spring. It would be fun to wear some warm, wooly, Spring colored socks during the dead of winter. I think that I will put it in my Etsy store as a pilot idea. If it goes over well, I may open another Etsy store. Keep a look-out. However, if you are interested now, just leave a comment.

I am hyped about Socktoberfest which begins tomorrow. Are you all ready?

Free Pattern: Quick Cabled Cup Cozy

As promised, here is the pattern! It is very easy and only consists of a simple cable rib, which has a multiple of 7 sts + 3. Oh, there is a little crocheting to do. If you need help with it, here is help. A quick knit--only takes about 2 hours to knit. I think they make for a great Christmas or birthday gift for your children's teachers, your Pastor, the mailman, or anybody you think worthy. Go ahead and make one for yourself. You are worthy. ;)

You will need:
Any worsted weight yarn (I used Cotton-Ease to keep down on allergies)
Size 8 Knitting Needles
Cable Needle
Size H Crochet hook
Two 1/2" Buttons (I used all leather ones that are machine washable)
Matching sewing thread
Jiffy Grip (optional)
Aleene's OK To Wash It glue (also optional)

Fray Check

Tea Cup

First, measure the circumference around the top of your cup. Mine measures 12 inches, but the cozy fits 11" and 11 1/2" circumference as well. Any needed adjustments can be made in the placement of the buttons. If your cup is larger than this, you, perhaps have a soup bowl? In which case, math and gauge would be necessary. I didn't bother with gauge because the cables dictate.

Cast on 52 Stitches. (Updated 9/30/09 ) Please Note - the number of repeats has been corrected and is now shown in red.

Rows 1 and 3: *P3, K4* repeat 6 times, P3
Rows 2, 4, and 6: *K3, P4* repeat 6 times, K3
Row 5: *P3, C4F [Slip 2 stiches on cable needle and leave at front of work, K 2 stitches, K 2 stitches from cable needle]* repeat 6 times, P3

Repeat these 6 rows four times or whatever is needed for your cup height. Mine is 4 1/4inches tall. It is possible to end after row 4.

Bind off in pattern. Do not break yarn. Insert the crochet hook into last stitch and crochet a chain of 4 stitches. Attach this chain by slip stitch crochet to selvedge of cozy. Continue to slip stitch until you are just above the last knit bump. Crochet another chain of 4 stitches and slip stitch this chain to the bottom of the cozy. Tie off yarn and weave in ends.

Sew on buttons. **NOTE** Sew top button just right of the selvedge. Put the buttoned cozy onto the cup and pull it across the bottom snugly (not tightly) and make a mental note of the placement, or mark the spot because the bottom of the cup's circumference is normally smaller than the top.

If your cup is slippery, (mine sure is) cut two or three 3" strips that are approximately 1/2 wide of Jiffy Grip, apply Fray Check around edges to prevent fraying, and glue onto the wrong side of the cable following the directions on the bottle. I was able to purchase only 4 inches of Jiffy Grip from JoAnn Fabrics. This is the way to go if you only need a small amount.



It's a good idea to give the cup also since you know that the cozy will fit.

This pattern is being provided for personal use only. Please do not make items for sale without my written permission.

Have a great day, and happy kniting!

Some Pretty Things

The yarn from the last dye job has dried and I will get it reskeined soon, but I just wanted to show you how it turned out.

First of all, the bad dye job originally shown here turned out beautifully with the dark brown overdye. It still has the purple in it, but it is now very dark and accents the brown nicely.

Secondly, the fall-ish colored yarn is also an overdye. It started out as a yellow semi-solid. When I took it out of the pan to rinse it, I unknowingly had traces of red dye on my hands from cleaning after some of the other yarn that I will show you later. Ughh! Yet, I rebounded and thought to add brown and yellow dye together in the cup, which made a beautiful golden ochre, then because of the red spots, I added red, and because it was so pretty and Thanksgiving-looking, I added dark brown. Also, this yarn is heavenly, it is a two-ply tight twist superwash merino. Very soft. I am anxious to see the knitted fabric in both of these. Once I get the samples knit, I will certainly post pictures.

Dyeing yarn is, like knitting, addictive. I thoroughly enjoy it. I need duplicates of myself. One to knit, one to dye, one to sew, one to clean the house, etc... Well, since there is only one of me, I had better get back to work. Have a great day!

Pink Vegetation

I needed to make sure the beret is going to fit and so while I had it on I went ahead and got a snap shot. It is very awkward taking pictures of oneself . It's also awkward wearing a piece of a hat with circular needles in it. :)

The first 8 row repeat has been knit and I'm ready to begin the second. The pattern repeat is very simple and easily memorized. Someone in Ravelry has given the heads-up that it becomes much more complex at the decreases.

The yarn substitution seems to be working out as far as gauge is concerned. The pattern recomments size 3 needles and they are working for me. It's pretty chilly here in OKC this morning, and if that is an indicator of things to come, I need to finish this hat sooner than I probably would have.

I started sewing project bags last night and I'm heading out to the garage in a couple of hours to dye yarn today. I'm not altogether sure what I'm going to do with these things. One of the local yarn shops here provides a "booth" type rental and you are able to sell your goods there. I am considering doing that. I will post some pictures of something that I've been working on next week. I've been working on many different things. Have a wonderful weekend.

Tea Cup Cozy -- I Did It Again!

Do you remember that in my post dated September 16, I said I wouldn't make this again? Proof, that one should NEVER say, never. I'll tell you though, that I really don't plan to make another one that is striped with 6 colors.

This one, however, was easy peasy! I knit it in about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or so. I'm loving it. It was such a quick and easy knit that, it is for sure destined to be at the top of my knitty gift giving goodies this year. Can you say that 10 times? knitty gift giving goodies, knitty gift giving goodies. Whew! I cannot even type it 10 times. LOL. Anyway, I'm not going to be selfish and the free pattern will be written up and made available to you soon. This would make a perfect gift for your child's teachers, your Sunday school teacher, the mail man, etc...

I've got to make a run to my local yarn store. Have a terrific Thursday!

Stitch Markers

I apologize for the weird blurry pictures, my camera, you know....it's sick. About 6 years ago I was really into jewelry making, and so, of course, I bought all of the things needed to make jewelry. It's nice how things come back around. I have had all of this stuff just sitting around and now have use for it. So, today I started making stitch markers.

I have had this little red heart for years and when I bought it I intended then to make a stitch marker of it. I have two, though I don't know where the other one is at the moment. I have regular stitch markers, but they are too thick especially for fingering weight yarn. I'm about to make a February Lady Sweater and will need a plenty of stitch markers. Maybe I will make a few everyday. It seems like I don't have time to put into them right now.

Really, I'm surprised that I am just now making these. Sometimes I will use a rubber band as a marker. With two young girls, I have plenty of those and I find them under the couch pillows ;). Industrious, huh? Anyway, I have bible study tonight and need to get dinner prepared early. Everyone have a good evening.

Vine and Leaf Beret

Everytime I would come across the Fall issue of Vogue Knitting, that pink beret would beckon to me so I went ahead bought the magazine and yarn on Friday. Since I rarely wear hats, ('cause I don't think that I look good in them) my hope is that I will love it on my own head as much as on the cover model's head.

I cast on for it on Saturday and I've already knit the band and worked the increases. Today I will try to get at least one total repeat done.

I substituted the Debbie Bliss cashmerino for Naturally Caron.com Spa which is a bamboo blend. It is very soft, but also very splitty. When I did the gauge swatch I really liked how well it showed the stitch definition, and so although I don't like how it easily splits, I like the finished product. In fact the ball band says that it has superior 3-D stitches, shape control, and softness. I would concur!

We are nearing Socktoberfest and I have about 4 patterns in which to decide upon. I might have to make more than one pair, although I know that I would not complete them all by the end of October. I'm kind of a slow knitter because I won't sit still long enough to stay with one craft. While I'm knitting, I'm thinking about sewing, or something else.

Maybe I will get a chance to show progress pictures of the beret at the end of the week, if my camera says the same. Poor camera. I dropped it and it is sickly. That little shutter eye opens and closes like it's saying, " I'm trying" and then it poops out and stays closed. Poor thing. :(

Have a good day everyone.

Birthday News

Yesterday was my birthday and my husband bought me these pretty flowers and took me out to dinner. There is a restaurant here called Rococos and the owner/chefs are from the East Coast. Boy, I tell you those guys know how to prepare a serious crab cake, which we got for the appitizer. My entree' was lobster and shrimp risotto and my husband got a filet mignon. Wonderful stuff.

My oldest daughter took me to lunch on Saturday. I cannot beleive that she is 19 and now asking to take me out, instead of the other way around! The two youngest girls made cards. There is nothing like card from your children that come from the heart. So sweet.

I also received a yarn ball winder (Thanks again, Ivy!), a gift certificate for a manicure/pedicure, a gift card to Bath and Body Works, and cash. I will use the cash to purchase a new camera. I thought that I could make my old one work indefinitely, but the more I use it, the worse it acts. It is sick. Poor camera. I will just have to put it down and buy another one.

I've got some things ready to list on Etsy, but the camera won't allow me to zoom in and get appopropriate pictures. That will be put on hold for what I hope is only a few days.

House maintenance calls. Have a marvelous Monday!

Girls Can Rock Snails

I took my camera to the repair shop and the cost to fix it is just about $29 shy of buying a new one. Needless to say, I will not be getting it fixed. However, I am able to make some minor adjustments and it works! Yay! God is merciful and good.

There was a lot of deliberation over whether to put a snail on a little girls' bodysuit. The choices in which to use the spiral shape were few and I could only come up with a snail or a lollipop. Maybe the next one will have the lollipop. I purchased a fat quarter of fabric and only got 1 1/2 aqua colored spirals. The sensible thing to do with the half spiral was to make a snail.

The ensemble is complete and ready to be listed in my Etsy store, which I will do sometime next week. I am waiting on my new CPSIA care labels. I hope to get them today. Have a good weekend.

Is There a Statute Of Limitations...

...on giving birthday gifts?

I sure hope not, because this gift is shamefully late. There is a dear young lady that goes to my church who will be the recipient of this gift. I instantly thought of her when I saw this little mesh thing-a-ma-jig to put your tea into. She likes to drink tea and hot chocolate and stuff. So, once I purchased the tea thingy I thought "why not make a teacup cozy"?

I bought the buttons for a baby sweater but didn't use them. It's good to have inventory, or stash, or some people just call it stuff, 'cause you can just go shopping in your own house. ;)

I can say that while I try to never say never, I won't ever make this again. All those ends to weave in for something so small. That is why it is two birthdays late. Oh, my hand is over my mouth! I have now told how pitifully late the gift is. Oh Well, happy belaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated birthday Ashley! To everyone else, have a wonderful Wednesday.

One By One

Today is just a post-so-that-I did-a-post day because I'm a busy lady. I don't know what kind of flower this is, but for some reason it is the only one in my backyard. The previous owners of our house must have planted these perinnials and we have two different sets that grow during different seasons in the same area of the backyard. It is a lovely flower that only lasts about 3 days and dies. Yesterday I saw that another one is blooming. It's like it got the memo that the other one is dead and it is time for it to now come up. We have six 5' X 5' windows facing the backyard and it's a pleasant surprise to see them come up one by one. Well, I feel like I've taken more time away from work than I needed to. Have a terrific Tuesday.

Fabric Love

There are many different avenues of craftiness going on over here. I found some delightful fabric for knitting project bags. Can't wait to see how they turn out. I began cutting fabric on Thursday and I hope to get some sewing done this week. I've got to figure out how to use my serger. It's been sitting around over two years now. I'ts not that I'm afraid or anything. ;)

Since I will now embellish the bodysuits with fabric, I've also purchased some for those. I have some fun ideas for the bodysuits stirring around in my head and they want to get out. I will, hopefully, post pictures of Christmas baby booties and get them listed in my Etsy store this week. Have a happy Monday.

Christmas yarn

In keeping with the crafty Christmas theme of the last few days, this yarn from the last dye session, is red, green, and pink. It is my all time favorite and will be used to make some Christmas socks. I have been looking through this old book that I purchased from the library for stitch patterns and will design something for these myself.

I like the way that it is patterned when knit. I will still need to do some tweaking on the dye processes. Can't tell if I want a slight variegation, or stripes, or what. I do love this yarn and I'm looking forward to seeing it in a finished pair of socks.

Can't spare much time. Have a spectacular weekend!

Christmas Knitting...

... has begun. My plan is to do some assembly line type knitting on the baby booties. All of the parts are being knit and I will assemble them during some TV time in the evenings. I have the tops and backs for one pair complete and have just started the sole. A trip to my local yarn store is on my to-do list so that I can acquire more yarn in Christmas colors. I also may make matching hats.

The baby pants are being made in the 12 months size. I don't think I will make them 12 - 18 months since they will likely not get that much wear. These will be listed in my Etsy store as made per order. I don't want to stock a lot of Christmas pants, but I will make a certain number for the Craft Fair that I will be working in November.

I bought fabric today and I found some that will work well for embellishing the bodysuit that will be worn with those black and white striped pants with the aqua ruffles. Lots to do. Have a super day.

Rebound

The knitting of these pants, or re-knitting rather, is done. They have been seamed and only need to have the elastic put into the waistband. I should get that done today or tomorrow. The size for these capri pants is 12 - 18 months. Black and white works with just about any color. I have plans to knit some with orange and maybe with red. This style has become my favorite and the knitting seems to go faster with the striping.

Due to the CPSIA laws, I am no longer making the t-shirts with heat transfer iron-on. So, I had decided to embroider. Embroidering onto t-shirt fabric, even with the stablizer, was difficult. Look at this try....

It's pretty bad. My next choice is to get fabric and do applique. I will head over to Quiltworks tomorrow to see what I can find. Enjoy your day!

Skein and Re-skein

The last few days have been busy with re-skeining dyed yarn. As promised, I am showing a few of the colorways. I will show my absolute favorite sometime later in the week. The blue yarn is going to be used for my Socktoberfest socks. This year, Lolly is combining Socktoberfest with Project Spectrum and the chosen color is blue.

I named it September's baby. It is a semi-solid dyed in Saffire with variations of the color throughout. As it happens, my birthday is in September and I will make myself some birthday socks in October. Does anyone have any good pattern ideas for me? I'd like something challenging, but not so challenging that I could not complete them by the end of October.

This next yarn was especially fun to dye, I mixed sun yellow and brown and so this yarn reminds me of fall. I am naming this yarn Changing Leaves. My monitor is not doing it the justice it deserves. It is very pretty.

This next yarn was dyed in two different dye sessions. I marked off eight sections and four of those were to be left white. What I have found to be interesting and maddening is that the dye had somehow make it's way to the middle of the white. How crazy is that? For that reason, I painted all the supposed-to-be-white places turquoise. This yarn is very child-like and I've named it Child's Play.

On a side-note, I purchased six 100g skeins of Supersock for my base. Every skein, but one, has at least two knots and some weak spots. I have been appalled and will not buy it again. Just wanted to get that out. =(

I don't know if I will dye this week. My focus has turned back to baby knitting and Etsy. I'm out. Have a wonderful day.

One Of These Things Is Not Like the Others

Last night when I sat down to seam these pants I was feeling so accomplished. I had reskeined two hanks of dyed yarn and dyed one. These things were, of course, done in addition to taking people to and fro, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the general needs of running a household. So, let me say that to also get the chance to seam these pants was, in my opinion, phenomenal.

Sing with me.... I'm every woman. It's all in me. blah, blah, and etc.... That elusive frog keeps coming to my house. This time he didn't ring the doorbell. He came on in unannounced. I sat down and starting seaming and alas, what is this? Why don't my legs line up? Oh. No. One leg is shorter than the other. Where is the mistake? At the beginning. I knit 1/4th out of 4/4th legs wrong. It is shorter than the rest. Nothing to do but pull it out. Frog it and reknit it. The whole front side. No. Not the whole front, just 3/4ths of it.

I'm a grown-up knitter. No crying or whining, or kicking, or screaming, nope.... I just smile and cast on.....one, two, three...

Finished Socks

Well, my mother's birthday is tomorrow and I actually have had her socks finished for about a week. She is cold-natured, and I know that her feet will be grateful for the treat of handknit wool socks.

I absolutely love the how the dye job turned out from the other day. I will endeavor to post pictures next week. There is a need for knitting over here. Maybe I will use post-it notes to prioritize my day. Too many irons in the fire. I'm heading back to get some work done. Have a Terrific Thursday!

I'm Hopeful...

...that this is how the yarn that I dyed yesterday has turned out. The yarn shown here is Baby Ull and, of course, is not fingering weight. Considering that, yesterday's dye job may actually have two complete rows of each color. I will have to knit up a sample once it's dry. I will probably just post pics of all dyed yarn together one day soon. By the way, my monitor shows the colors of this yarn as green and a sort of light navy . The yarn is more of an olive and navy with different variations of the same color throughout--just in case anyone was wondering. =)

I was out in the garage yesterday doing the work of a mad scientist.... Well, maybe not mad, but more of a happy scientist. I mad scientist laughs like this ...Mwahahaha . I don't know how a happy scientist would laugh, so I guess that I'll just laugh as normal. I used these little medicine droppers that have carried over from the times that the kids were on antibiotics to measure the dye and make new colors. I'm glad that I kept them.

I finished knitting the black and white striped baby pants with the aqua ruffle on the back. I've got to sew them together. Not sure when that will get done. Hopefully soon. Have a Happy Wednesday!

Hedgie Hedgehog

There are people selling handmade items on Etsy with unbelievable abilities. I came across Tadpoles and Tutus a few months ago and knew that I would buy something from this store in the future. Among church members, we have had 5 babies born in recent months. With babysitting this summer and getting things ready for my own Etsy store, I haven't had the time to knit something for each one.

A few of us chipped in and got this outfit and I knit some booties to match. This little Hedgie Hedgehog bodysuit and hat set are absolutely adorable. Heidi (the owner) has mad skills. Her workmanship is topnotch. I highly recommend her.

If you are in need of a shower gift, or if you just want something for your own child, head on over to TadpolesandTutus.etsy.com. You will not be dissapointed.

Well, I'm heading out to the garage to dye yarn today. I've got my math-mind ready. Have a great day!