Thursday, December 22, 2011

Happy Holidays!

I hope to knit much more in 2012!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Debbie Bliss Fair Isle Wrist Warmers



I've not done much color work, and in particular, I've avoided doing Fair Isle work. However, when I saw the grey/off-white version of these wrist warmers in Debbie Bliss's winter edition magazine (I didn't know she had a knitting magazine), I just couldn't resist. The original pattern called for knitting them "flat" and then sewing them up the side, but I could see where the seam was even in the photograph, so I redid the pattern and worked them 2 at a time in the round. I understand why she did them flat: it's hard to get the tension right going around the edges, but I think I finally got it as seen here. They look good even on Jim.

Family of Socks



Well, I've been knitting. I just haven't been taking the pictures off my camera.


Everyone is getting at least one pair of socks this Christmas: Marita's hand-painted superwash merino, Richard's ribbed alpaca, Debi's Fibonacci Sequence striped acrylic, Voss's plain (huge) navy acrylic socks (starting from top left).


Knitting them from the toe up really makes for quick knitting.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Halloween Baby Socks




I loved making these baby socks (for a certain baby girl due on Halloween). I made them from samples of hand-dyed superwash merino by "Baah" of La Jolla yarns.

Jose's Gloves



I've been knitting but have been very lazy about taking the pictures off my camera.


An acquaintance commissioned me to make him some fingerless gloves. What do you think? The newest "mancessory"? The sad part is even though I had him rub the yarn against his neck and try the gloves on as I made them, it turned out he may be allergic to the alpaca yarn I used. He can't wear them for 3 minutes before his arms start to itch. Although he was disappointed, he didn't ask for his money back. This was not something that I could have known beforehand.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sail Fish

Jim and I showed the other dead fish hat to an acquaintance. It turns out her brother is a fisherman, and she thought he'd like a fish hat. I made this one bigger (it hangs down lower in the back) and I modified the top fin so that it's a sail fin. I really enjoy making this hat because I can do all sorts of funky modifications to the pattern, and it all just adds to the personality of the individual piece.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Charlotte's Web Scrap Afghan

Elise's little sister, Charlotte, will be born this coming August. When I sat down to think about what to give her, all I could think about was one of my all-time favorite books, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I made this afghan using scrap acrylic yarn, featuring Barbara Walker's arachnid. The rest of the blocks are assorted basketweave, miscellaneous texture blocks that were easy to do. It's totally washable, cuddly, and Charlotte can do her worst to it.

Yikes!

Elise came to visit me, and I was shocked. Except for sleeve length and a little more space in the shoulders, she has grown into the sweater that I thought for sure would last for at least the next 3 years. She's growing so fast! TOO FAST! I couldn't believe it. (The gretel tam fit, too.)


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Birthdays, birthdays...




Elise and her mother, Sara, are both celebrating their b-days this month. To commemorate the occasions, I knit Sara a smaller version of the Sea Horse scarf (from a knitting book that was inspired by the ocean), and I knit soon-to-be-three, Elise, a cabled sweater (Interweave Knits, Winter 2010, "Tuckernuck Cardigan" by Elinor Brown) and a matching hat (Stitch n' Bitch, Superstar Knitting, "Gretel Tam" by Ysolda Teague). The yarn for the Sea Horse scarf was part of my winnings from "Caught on a Corn Dog." The yarn for the sweater was Berroco Vintage, a wool/acrylic/nylon mix. It is very soft and great to work with. Because of the cables in the sweater, I used about 7 balls of the yarn!


First Place!!!

Hey!

"Caught on a Corn Dog" won 1st place in the knitting contest at the San Marcos store! Yippee!!!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Julie's Baby Blanket

I finally finished the baby blanket I have been working on for my friend Julie. Her shower is next weekend so I wanted to finish it this past weekend. I took a class at the San Marcos knitting store a few months ago and this is the project we learned. The blanket is interesting because it looks kind of two dimensional. It was fun to knit, but I am glad I am finally done and can move on to something else. I ended up making a matching hat for her baby boy, too.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Caught on a Corn Dog

Well, here it is! This is my entry in the Dead Fish Hat contest. It's for Elise who informed me that she loves pink, purple, yellow, and turquoise blue (I had no scraps of turquoise blue, so I had to make do with dark blue). The colors are much more vivid than the picture lets on (thank goodness!). The gals at the shop seemed to like it (although they might just be polite).

Elise in Her Experimental Sweater












Just thought you guys might like to see Elise in her new sweater (my "experiment"). It really looks good on her, but now that it's nice and warm, I doubt she'll be wearing it much. She's growing so fast, she'll probably outgrow it by winter time (not that we have much of an actual winter in Carlsbad). Oh well, little sis on the way will have a barely-worn hand me down from big sis.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Baby Wheaton's Channel Island Guernsey














I very recently read Gladys Thompson's wonderful little treasure of a book on making British Isle guernseys, ganseys, and jerseys. I enjoyed reading the stories so much that Jim got me a copy on Amazon. Though the book does assume the reader has a certain amount of skill, the book inspired me to take freedoms with my knitting. The guernsey shown here is pretty traditional, but I modified the pattern. I knit it for Elise's soon to arrive (August?) little sister.


It's amazing that all of these patterns were created by individuals who pass them on by word of mouth to the next generation. The sad part is many of the youngsters don't want to knit.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Dead Fish Hat Contest

Hey! The San Marcos yarn store is having a dead fish hat contest. The hats are very cute and can be downloaded for free here: www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter08/PATTfishy.php. Cool 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Knitter's Choice awards. I got the entry form at the store. Deadline is May 5th so there's still time!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Starburst Hat #2

I love this "Ida's Kitchen" hat pattern. I made this second hat and I am planning to make a third!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Baby Hat 2

I wanted to knit this baby hat again with nicer, softer, bulkier yarn. This one took me about two hours and looked nicer than the green one. But, binding off at 11:30 p.m. was not the best idea. I forgot to do the three needle bind off with the two wrong sides facing each other. So I guess I will be making a third hat.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Unwilling Model in My New Scarf

I get really cold at work so I knit myself a scarf (imagine that, something for myself). Crickie looked really cute in it, but when I finally got the camera she had already shimmied half of her little furry body out of it. I tried to get Jim to model it, but he's just as unwilling as Cricket (and Jim hates to use my camera).

Friday, March 18, 2011

Fun Baby Hat

I taught my friend at work, Jenna, how to knit a year or two ago. This week, she showed me a picture of a cute baby hat she wanted to knit for her brother's baby. I found this pattern: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62826026/chunky-jester-pompom-baby-hat-knitting and tested it out so I could show her how to do it. It was really simple and quick to knit. The pattern allows for knitting in the round or using straight needles. I chose to knit in the round and used a three needle bind off. It looks cute, but it is a bit stiff and would probably fit a toddler instead of an infant. I am going to get some softer, bulky yarn to try. I took these pictures, but did not have a suitable model. Our dog, Kaya was not very cooperative.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Starburst Hat

This hat was really fun to make. The pattern is called "Ida's Kitchen." I downloaded the pattern from Ravelry. If you haven't signed up on Raverly, you should! http://www.ravelry.com/
I am going to make a more "manly" colored one for Jim next. For this hat, I used Blue Sky Alpaca Melange and Blue Sky Alpaca 100% Alpaca Sport Weight yarn. Here is a link to the pattern:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/idas-kitchen


 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Experiment 1: Old-Fashioned Dewdrop Sweater




I saw a picture of a side-buttoned sweater on the cover of the winter issue of Interweave Knits and was inspired to design one of my own. The original was made from the bottom up, so I made mine from the top-down. Also, the original was for a grownup. I made this one for my favorite model (and neighbor), Elise. It fits her just right! I'll have to post a picture of her when I get one.
When I finally write up the pattern, I'll incorporate some improvements (like making the beaded buttons with thin wire instead of quilting thread--all that I had).
Paula, I read your comment. The "Knit & Stitch" group meets every first Thursday of the month at 3 pm. I went this last time as I was lucky enough to have Friday off. I wish that they met at least twice a month, but oh well. It's just a treat that I get to look forward to. I just hope my luck keeps up and I get the first Fridays off.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bryce's Single Cable Hat


I finally managed to finish knitting a new hat for Bryce. The previous hat came out too small for him, so this one is extra roomy.

Group Knitting Opportunities in San Diego

If you are looking for knitting groups in San Diego, this site is pretty helpful:
http://www.walkaboutknitter.com/San_Diego/events.html

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Some thoughts...

Hey!

I've been looking for a regular knitting group to join (which isn't easy given my unpredictable work schedule). This past Thursday, I knitted with a nice group at the Del Mar Library that meets the first Thursday of every month. I had fun mostly listening to everyone (there were 6 of us there) and wish that it met more often. I know that a lot of the knitting stores have knit days (have you guys checked out the new Yarning for You website?), but I think I'd feel self conscious about knitting in with a store group and not using their yarn.... There's a Stitch n' Bitch group that meets on Wednesdays at 7 pm, but I always work on Thursdays :-( . They meet at the Oceanside Barnes & Noble. Anyway, I hope to meet with the Del Mar ladies again next month.

Recently, I finished reading Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair by Laurie Perry. I also checked out her blog (Crazy Aunt Purl). I loved the book because of her obvious sincerity. She had some very wise things to say. I may not be drunk and divorced, but I'm definitely covered in cat hair, and though happily married, I feel lost at times. (Yes, bad day at work.... Ever notice how men want women to listen to them, but they don't necessarily want to listen to women?) Blogging as Laurie Perry does takes some courage though. I don't think I could share as much so readily (but face to face, I could vent with the best of them).

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

My Little Helper


Hi, Everybody! Hope everyone is having a good new year so far.
I ended up knitting most of our Christmas gifts this year. Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to take pictures of everything. I did get this picture of Crickie "helping" me to block 2 scarves (pattern name: "Starfish on the Beach" by ?????). It's hard to believe our "little girl" will be 19 this year (we think that's 90-100 people years). She's still as feisty and lovable as ever.