Scalloped Edge Poncho

I recently completed this scalloped edge poncho but I could not get a good photo of it. The bottom of the poncho has a really neat pattern that looks like little trees above the scalloped edge. I managed to get a couple of OK photos outside this morning, but they would have turned out nicer, had the sun been out. The pattern is from sweaterbabe.com.

I also learned a pretty cool trick to use when casting on a large amount of stitches. Using two balls of yarn, make a slipknot but don't count it as your first stitch. Next, cast on all stitches using the two balls of yarn and then slip the first slipknot off and cut the yarn from one of the balls. It worked great and took the guesswork out of trying to gauge how much yarn to use to cast on.

Well, I finally got around to downloading photos from my camera.  These are Jim's new Fair Isle socks.

I've recently got on a "finish what you started" kick.  I have some knitting projects that have been set aside in favor of more immediately gratifying fun projects.  A while ago, I started "Crickie's Napghan"--an afghan made from yarn I recycled from 2 afghans knit by one of Jim's aunts (who is now deceased).  One of the afghans was made for our wedding (24 years ago in April!) and the other was made for Jim when he was still young.  The 2 afghans were falling apart so I decided to reknit both into something new.  It's called "Crickie's Napghan" because Cricket (who is now a 22-year-old cat) loved to knead and sleep on them.  I want to finish it before Crickie goes to kitty heaven (Jim thinks she'll outlive us both).

Jim's Socks

I am on a sock roll. I love the two at a time toe-up pattern I have been using. The socks knit up pretty quick and it is not hard at all. I recently started blocking my socks after they are finished. I got some sock blockers at knitpicks.com. I think it makes a big difference.

Jim's Sweet Socks

Cute Slippers

Hi Mary, check out these cute slippers.

The pattern is free here:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v1/url?k=OWT%2FB14AE7ysJN06F7d2nQ%3D%3D%0A&r=p8eWKxu8bgKmvdGBz7LxZ3kp5gXml67Nf0DlRC3vKWw%3D%0A&m=SrrpNIYf8IgrYH54%2Bhe92MXjRZBiEkeeZ05BwRqvi94%3D%0A&u=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Ffile%2Fd%2F0B0EIqNVqOqK4ODE3NjU2OTMtM2ZkYy00MjU2LTg4NmMtZDlmY2FiNmE3MWUx%2Fpreview%3Fpli%3D1%26hl%3Den&s=2427d91836353a3c5cbc178db0f39e16b2af039dc841301958bacb88001bf7c0

I want to try and figure out how to convert this pattern to make two at a time with the magic loop. Any ideas?

Magic Loop Socks

I have been wanting to knit more socks for a while now. I have been searching for the perfect two at a time, toe-up pattern and believe I finally found it! http://knitfreedom.com/

I need to see how things are done visually, rather than looking at a technique in a book. I found the perfect pattern, in the form of an e-book. I downloaded the e-book onto my iPad, printed out the pattern and began my socks. I absolutely love how it worked! It gave step be step instructions and incorporated videos in between each step. I had my iPad on my lap and could pause, rewind, etc. It was like being in my own private class. The instructor was wonderful and also gave helpful advice about not getting your two yarn balls tangled, and how to keep track of your knitting without having to write anything down. If you don't have a tablet, you could also view the e-book on your phone or computer, too.

I also loved knitting two socks at the same time on only one long needle instead of two sets, like I have previously done. The magic loop method is great. I immediately download her two at a time mitten class, as well. I can't wait to knit more socks!

I must have wound my two balls of yarn in opposite directions (oh well, adds character)

Sock Knitting Frenzy

I've been completely obssessed with Fair Isle knitting---I absolutiely love it!  Even though I see pictures of the patterns, they look different depending on the colors I use and how I "stack" the different patterns together.

I didn't have much time to knit before Christmas, but once I got some free time, I've been catching up on more sock knitting.  I call the socks in the topmost picture, the "Lucky Love Charms" socks.  It's actually a Fair Isle sampler with motifs taken from a book by an author, last name of Mucklestone, that features 200 patterns.  It's made from yarns left from various projects (same gauge), and I made them for work.  I wear steel-toed boots for work and thick knitted socks are the most comfortable.

Fair Isle even makes cheap acrylic look good.  The bottom picture features socks made from acrylic for my sister-in-law who is, unfortunately, allergic to wool.  They're very comfortable, thick, easy to care for, and didn't take long to make in worsted weight yarn.

If I could make a living just knitting like this......(many sighs)

Star Chart

Mary, I downloaded Google Chrome and then opened it to get to our site here. Works fine. For a test, I uploaded this star chart that I have no idea how to read. It is for decreasing into the star crown pattern for a hat. Can you decipher it?

Unable to Post Pictures

Hey, Paula!

I'm suddenly unable to post pictures on the website.  I go to the proper window but am not enabled to upload the jpeg files from my "stick."  Do you know why?

Mary

Bryce's Starburst Hat

I wanted to make Bryce a hat that had a star at the crown. I followed the pattern, but when it came time for the crown, there were not any instructions - just a chart. I tried and tried, but could not read the chart. I gave up and modified a pattern I tried about a year ago, called "Ida's Kitchen," since it has sort of a starburst top. I think I may take the original pattern to the shop in SM and see if they can help me decipher the chart.

Bryce's Hat

Original Pattern

Jim's Cabled Hat

I finally was able to make Jim a new hat. I feel like all the stuff I knit lately is too big or too small. Probably because I don't check my gauge... Oh well.
This hat pattern is called Bushwick Beanie: loveisallyouknit.wordpress.com.
It came out pretty good, but the cabling and intricate pattern became a bit much toward the end. You can't really see the cables in the picture, but you can see what it looks like if you go to the website for the pattern. I like the colors of the self striping yarn. I got the yarn at a shop in Santa Barbara last time we visited.

Christmas 2012 Gifts 2

   After finishing the kids' gifts, I went on to make adult gifts.  Jim and I had no idea what to give Jim's mother.  What do you give someone who has everything?  I settled on the Tri-Color Fingerless Mitts (designed by Mira Cole) pictured at the very top.  I made them 2 at a time using a circular needle.  The slip stitch pattern was very easy and allowed for a nice color combination.  It was very quick, but if I were to do it again, I'd probably increase stitches past the wrist band.  The simplicity of the pattern allows for all sorts of revisions.

   The bottom picture features men's fingerless gloves for our neighbor, Jim V., whom we've known for many years and has been Crickie's cat sitter of late.  I believe the designer called them "Beer Gloves."  The pattern came from the Son of Stitch n' Bitch book.  Again, I was able to make them quickly by using a circular needle to knit them 2 at a time--until I got to the fingers, which, of course, had to be knit individually.  The pattern had mistakes when it came to making the fingers, but it was easy to figure out.  I made notes so that I wouldn't forget what to do.

Christmas 2012 Gifts 1

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Well, I didn't have as much time to knit this year.  The real knitting frenzy came when I took vacation time during Thanksgiving and this Christmas week.  The topmost picture features mittens for our little friend, Charlotte.  She will be turning 1, but past experience has taught me to make things for the future for little kids.  I got the pattern from a Fair Isle Book I purchased at the San Marcos store.  The Fair Isle part is only in the colored band just above the wrist ribbing.  The picture below it features Fair Isle socks for her sister, Elise, who will be turning 5 this year (my how time flies!).  The patterns on the instep came from a book of Fair Isle patterns.  The bottom of the foot is basically a "spotted" pattern for carrying the yarn around.  I figured that since no one sees the bottom most of the time, might as well do something simple and reinforce the bottom of the sock as well.  I love Fair Isle!  An added plus is that both of the projects above were made from washable wool scraps from various wool purchases made over the years.

Cute Labels

I think I need to get these labels to sew inside my finished projects when they are gifts!

Cabled Scarf/Cowl

I have so many things I want to knit right now. I started on this cabled scarf pattern a couple months ago and it seemed to be taking forever. Also, it was time consuming because I had to keep track of my rows and mark them off as I went.

I decided to turn the scarf until a cowl instead.

I looked up how to make button holes, sewed on the buttons and I was done. Much better than leaving the project half finished.

Stained Glass Creation

There's a lot to do in Bakersfield, but without Jim and Crickie, it sometimes gets lonely. I decided to take a stained glass class that was being offered at one of the galleries there. This is my first project in lead work. I'm also finishing a butterfly night light which utilizes the copper-foil method. I'll post a picture of that at a later date.

Jim's Fair Isle Socks

Hey! It has been a while. I moved to Bakersfield after I got my new job. In fact, I live there during the week and then drive back home to Jim and Crickie in Carlsbad on the weekends. My laptop finally died, so except for my computer at work (which is monitored), I'm computerless during the week.

In any case, I haven't stopped knitting even though I don't have as much time. (I basically work all day, come home, talk with Jim, go to bed, and the whole thing starts all over again the next day. Good thing, I love my job!).

I've fallen in love with Fair Isle colorwork. I recently finished these nice thick socks for Jim (just in time for summer...). The pattern can be found in the 2nd "Toe Up Socks" book.

Leopard Hat

I love this hat! It sells for $215 at a high-end boutique. It looks like it could knit up fairly easily to me. The yarn looks bulky enough to be able to wing it to make the spots, too.

I haven't done much knitting lately, since I got a second job. I need to finish a hat I started for my husband.

Elise's Felted Purse

Ever tried needle felting? This is my first attempt, and I'm hooked. It's really not that difficult, and it's a great way to embellish felted knits. (The only annoying thing is that it's so easy to break the needles.)

Happy Holidays!

I hope to knit much more in 2012!

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Starburst Hat #2

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

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.

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).

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.

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

 

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.