July 21, 2012
Vintage Baby Dress
Finally, a finished object! I have had very little time for knitting or blogging these days, but when you have a deadline, such as a baby shower, it's time to get cracking! I started this dress months ago when I found out a good friend of mine was pregnant, even before I knew she was having a girl. I was just hoping I would get lucky!
This pattern was from the 2009 Holiday issue of Vogue Knitting, and I wanted to make it the minute I saw it. So happy I finally had a reason to make it. I made the 6 month size, and I think it will be perfect just in time for the holidays!
March 31, 2012
Staring me in the face
I have to confess - knitting is pretty much always on my mind. It's like an addiction and I sometimes wonder if I should seek help. And now that I'm starting to write patterns, new ideas for new patterns pop into my head at the most random times. Like, when I'm at church and this woman in front of me is wearing a sweater with a really intersting lace pattern and I start thinking about how I can make that pattern into a scarf or a hat or maybe even some cool fingerless gloves. I'm sure God is staring down at me thinking, Seriously?
Most of the time ideas pop into my head when I'm driving to and from work. I have a long drive, so there is plenty of time for thinking. About yarn. About knitting. About writing patterns. At least it makes the drive go fast. Sometimes I wonder how I even make it to work!
I had some leftover teal and pink cotton yarn from the the Little Star Sweater I made a while back and was trying to figure out what to do with it. I set the yarn down on my needle case, and went to do something else. Later on, I noticed the yarn just sitting there, and I was suddenly inspired by the color combos of the yarn and the pattern on my needle case. The idea was staring me in the face. Pink, teal, lime green, white, and brown. So cute.
That's when the idea for a new pattern came into my head and I had to go buy more yarn. I had to. That's how you destash. You buy more yarn. Makes perfect sense, right?
And how perfect that Knitpicks had the exact colors I needed?
Most of the time ideas pop into my head when I'm driving to and from work. I have a long drive, so there is plenty of time for thinking. About yarn. About knitting. About writing patterns. At least it makes the drive go fast. Sometimes I wonder how I even make it to work!
I had some leftover teal and pink cotton yarn from the the Little Star Sweater I made a while back and was trying to figure out what to do with it. I set the yarn down on my needle case, and went to do something else. Later on, I noticed the yarn just sitting there, and I was suddenly inspired by the color combos of the yarn and the pattern on my needle case. The idea was staring me in the face. Pink, teal, lime green, white, and brown. So cute.
That's when the idea for a new pattern came into my head and I had to go buy more yarn. I had to. That's how you destash. You buy more yarn. Makes perfect sense, right?
And how perfect that Knitpicks had the exact colors I needed?
So my idea is a little dress for Audrey. And when it's finished, I will post pics. Someday. I'm not making any promises as to how soon this will be finished, but someday.
March 25, 2012
A little hiatus
Whoa, it's been a while since I last posted. I had a little computer issue - my old laptop was quite old and I literally ran out of room to save all my photos, and it was so bad that I actually stopped taking pictures. So sad. I really miss my camera. However, I finally gave in and splurged on a nice, new, fancy laptop. And now I can finally start taking pictures again.
My knitting, of course, continued as usual and I have some finished objects to post.
I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Dark Rose Heather. Audrey picked out the buttons herself. I thought I made this longer than the pattern suggested, because the largest size was for a 3-4 yr old, but it still looks like it won't fit her very much longer. At least I have a niece who will get a pretty nice hand-me-down.
And, I know I made a promise not to buy any more yarn this year, but that is pretty much impossible. When Audrey and I were at the fabric store looking for buttons, I happened to find some great yarn on the clearance table. And so I made this:
The yarn is Cascade Venezia, a bulky weight yarn that is 70% Merino, 30% Silk. I've already written up the pattern, but I can't publish it. The problem? I discovered that this yarn is now discontinued, hence the clearnace table. And since it's really not a good idea to publish a pattern with discontinued yarn, I'm on a mission to find a substitute. And so guess what that means? I ordered more yarn. I'm such a failure.
Anyway, I'm going to try this with Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky, which is a single-ply yarn, so we'll see how it turns out. Stay tuned! (And if anyone has suggestions for a Bulky yarn I should try, leave a comment!)
And for anyone who wants to try this with the Venezia, I discovered that WEBS still has some of this yarn on clearance, and for a much better price than I paid at my local store. So of course, I bought some more. Yup. But I have a good excuse. One of my coworkers saw my scarf and asked me to make one for her, so I did. I mean, who would turn down an opportunity to buy more yarn?
My knitting, of course, continued as usual and I have some finished objects to post.
Robin Hood Sweater, by Zoe Mellor
I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Dark Rose Heather. Audrey picked out the buttons herself. I thought I made this longer than the pattern suggested, because the largest size was for a 3-4 yr old, but it still looks like it won't fit her very much longer. At least I have a niece who will get a pretty nice hand-me-down.
And, I know I made a promise not to buy any more yarn this year, but that is pretty much impossible. When Audrey and I were at the fabric store looking for buttons, I happened to find some great yarn on the clearance table. And so I made this:
The yarn is Cascade Venezia, a bulky weight yarn that is 70% Merino, 30% Silk. I've already written up the pattern, but I can't publish it. The problem? I discovered that this yarn is now discontinued, hence the clearnace table. And since it's really not a good idea to publish a pattern with discontinued yarn, I'm on a mission to find a substitute. And so guess what that means? I ordered more yarn. I'm such a failure.
Anyway, I'm going to try this with Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky, which is a single-ply yarn, so we'll see how it turns out. Stay tuned! (And if anyone has suggestions for a Bulky yarn I should try, leave a comment!)
And for anyone who wants to try this with the Venezia, I discovered that WEBS still has some of this yarn on clearance, and for a much better price than I paid at my local store. So of course, I bought some more. Yup. But I have a good excuse. One of my coworkers saw my scarf and asked me to make one for her, so I did. I mean, who would turn down an opportunity to buy more yarn?
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
Not unlike most knitters, my goal this year is to tackle my giant yarn stash! It's really quite ridiculous how much yarn I've accumulated. My grandmother gave me a HUGE tote bag for Christams (one of my favorite gifts) and it only holds about a quarter of the yarn I have. But I have plans for a lot of it already. When I first started knitting (which the anniversary of that day was yesterday....three years!), I couldn't understand how anyone could own so much yarn. I was a "buy yarn for a specific project" type of knitter, but now I totally get it. I have even made an agreement with myself not to buy anymore yarn. Yarn is addicting!
Anyhoo, I have a few more really boring resolutions this year:
1) Get in shape by starting up my walking routine again.
Yeah, this is a pretty boring one. And so typical of a new year's resolution. I actually took a walk yesterday, and it seems if I start my new year's resolution on new year's eve, it might stick. Like knitting.
2) Read more books, especially those I've bought a while back and never started.
Kinda goes along with the yarn thing. I could just call this one Destash, and it can include yarn, books, and anything I've accumulated and haven't used yet.
3) Eat better
See? Boooorrring.
4) Publish five more knitting patterns.
This is actually a really exciting one. I LOVE writing patterns. And I have so many ideas for new designs. It just takes a LOT of time. But I will find it. Even if it's at midnight.
So that's it. Anyone have any cool resolutions this year?
Anyhoo, I have a few more really boring resolutions this year:
1) Get in shape by starting up my walking routine again.
Yeah, this is a pretty boring one. And so typical of a new year's resolution. I actually took a walk yesterday, and it seems if I start my new year's resolution on new year's eve, it might stick. Like knitting.
2) Read more books, especially those I've bought a while back and never started.
Kinda goes along with the yarn thing. I could just call this one Destash, and it can include yarn, books, and anything I've accumulated and haven't used yet.
3) Eat better
See? Boooorrring.
4) Publish five more knitting patterns.
This is actually a really exciting one. I LOVE writing patterns. And I have so many ideas for new designs. It just takes a LOT of time. But I will find it. Even if it's at midnight.
So that's it. Anyone have any cool resolutions this year?
December 27, 2011
Amber Hat
My Amber Hat is finally done and up for sale! I named this hat after my friend Amber, who gave me all of this yarn which allowed me to get creative and experiment with a new design. I thought this stitch was really unique, similar to smocking, and it's something other than lace or cables. It's the perfect pattern if you're looking to try something new.
It's currently for sale on Ravelry, and the link is in my Pattern Store. It will soon be avaiable on Knitpicks as well!
December 10, 2011
November
Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted anything. Where did November go?
Let's see...last month was pretty busy....a quick last-minute weekend trip to Paso Robles for some wine tasting, but my real intentions for the trip were to get some cute pics of the kids for our Christmas card. And I think I succeeded in my mission. Here are a few shots:
Now I'm trying to catch up on December. We put the Christmas lights up on the house last week and are finally going to get a Christmas tree today. And Christmas knitting....I'm so behind! I think everyone is going to end up getting store-bought gifts this year. Except for a select (lucky) few...I actually have something quite fabulous on the needles right now ;)
Hope you're all having a happy December so far!
Let's see...last month was pretty busy....a quick last-minute weekend trip to Paso Robles for some wine tasting, but my real intentions for the trip were to get some cute pics of the kids for our Christmas card. And I think I succeeded in my mission. Here are a few shots:
What else...a wedding in Santa Barbara for a good friend, a bat mitzvah for another good friend's daughter, Thanksgiving, and a visit from hubby's parents from Canada. Phew!
Now I'm trying to catch up on December. We put the Christmas lights up on the house last week and are finally going to get a Christmas tree today. And Christmas knitting....I'm so behind! I think everyone is going to end up getting store-bought gifts this year. Except for a select (lucky) few...I actually have something quite fabulous on the needles right now ;)
Hope you're all having a happy December so far!
October 29, 2011
First Bath
It was time. My Fireside Sweater spent two weeks on display at the Fair, I've worn it a few times when the evenings were chilly and it finally needed a bath. I was really nervous about washing it, because I don't want to ruin it after all the time it took to make. I used 70% Merino Wool/30% Silk yarn, and to tell you the truth, the only thing this California girl knows about washing wool sweaters is AVOID THE DRYER! The instructions for this yarn were simply hand wash, dry flat. Hmm.
I did some research of course, 'cause that's what I do. I found fantastic instructions here and ran out to Target to get some blue Dawn. The result was fantastic. My sweater is even softer than before and still fits! The most important part! It did, however, take 36 hours to dry because I had trouble finding one of those cool mesh sweater drying racks in the store. I had to lay it on a towel and rotate every 12 hours. Later, I found this drying rack on Amazon, so I'm hoping it speeds up the drying time in the future.
When my sweater was finally dry, I was wearing it around the house. My husband said to me, "So, I bet you're going to wear that sweater all winter, aren't you? It's too bad you don't have one in another color."
Me: "No, but good thing I also ordered the same yarn in RED!"
I did some research of course, 'cause that's what I do. I found fantastic instructions here and ran out to Target to get some blue Dawn. The result was fantastic. My sweater is even softer than before and still fits! The most important part! It did, however, take 36 hours to dry because I had trouble finding one of those cool mesh sweater drying racks in the store. I had to lay it on a towel and rotate every 12 hours. Later, I found this drying rack on Amazon, so I'm hoping it speeds up the drying time in the future.
When my sweater was finally dry, I was wearing it around the house. My husband said to me, "So, I bet you're going to wear that sweater all winter, aren't you? It's too bad you don't have one in another color."
Me: "No, but good thing I also ordered the same yarn in RED!"
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