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.

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

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).

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.

Christmas Needles

My wonderful husband surprised me this Christmas by making me a set of knitting needles. He bought the dowels, sized them, sharpened the tips, fine sanded them, and finished with a varnish. He then glassed the ends at his surfboard shop in various swirled colors. I love them. I think it was the most thoughtful gift I have ever received. He also made me a mini set of needles to use for a Christmas tree ornament. I can't wait to knit with my new needles! I bet we could sell some on Etsy too.

Mali's B-day Gifts

Mali Mehtlan turned two not too long ago. I made the cardigan and pullover just in time. The patterns came from a company called "Cabin Fever." They specialize in simple, knit from the top down projects. These didn't take that long at all. I spruced up the pullover by adding a beaded design from Jane Davis' Knitting with Beads book. All in all, they were fun to make and even more fun to give.

Jim's New Single Cable Chargers Hat

I wanted to make Jim a new Chargers hat for this coming football season. The last one I made for him a few years ago had a stripe that didn't line up correctly. Meg's jogless jog (http://tiajudy.com/jog.htm) alleviated the problem this time.

Richard's Aran Socks

These socks are a Christmas present for my brother in law, Richard. I got the pattern from Wendy Johnson's second book (Toe Up Socks for Every Body), which is available at the Dove Library. It's really a great book!

Long Beaded Gloves

Well, have taken a break from quilting to do some knitting. I was commissioned to make some long gloves, similar to the beaded gloves I posted some time ago. I didn't have a pattern so I used what I learned from making the gauntlets (long fingerless gloves) and the beaded gloves to make up my own pattern. I used Jane Davis's same beaded pattern so that I wouldn't have to figure that out, too. This is the result. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in Pea Soup with clear iridescent green beads. I didn't taper the fingers as these are meant to be a surprise gift for someone, and the only info. I got was that the hand size was about the same as for the beaded gloves I made (the gal is very tall). No tapering leaves a bit more room for the fingers just in case it's needed.

Crickie's Orca Quilt

Hey, Guys!

Well, here I am at the library posting an entry after trying unsuccessfully for the last month to do it at home. My time is ticking away....

Anyway, I started this quilt about 11 years ago for someone's baby (the "baby" is now in high school). It was one of those things where I thought completely hand quilting the piece would "not take that long since the piece was so simple." The "baby" got another handmade gift, but now that this is done, Cricket has fallen in love with it and sleeps on it at the foot of our bed. It's also a great lap warmer.

Dane's Hat

I had the boys pick out which yarn they wanted for their hats. Dane chose this variegated blue yarn. I used the same single cable pattern, but it is hard to see it in these pictures. I will try and take some better photos later.

Damon's Single Cable Hat

I have been wanting to knit this pattern for a while now. I got a bunch of new yarn in "boy" colors so I can knit the boys some winter hats. Damon was first up and he picked a green/white color combination. This hat was very easy to make and took me just two days to knit up and still hold down a job.

The pattern can be found here:

http://www.minimalistknitter.com/

Last Cabled Hat

I am back to being obsessed with knitting again. I finally finished Jim's last cabled hat last night.

I have so many projects on my mind that I want to complete. Hats, socks, and who knows what else. I went through my massive yarn stash over the weekend and pulled out a bunch of skeins to use on a few upcoming projects. I want to make hats for the boys.

I wish I had a knitting room in my house so I could display all my yarn in cubbies like the yarn stores. Jim says one day we can have a knitting room/sports den. We will see how that works out.

Snappy Hat

By Corrina Ferguson for

http://picnicknits.com

We've Been Quilting

Hey Everybody!

I know it seems like I disappeared off the face of the planet, but the truth is, we haven't had a computer for a few weeks. My laptop finally died (motherboard and hard drive went kaput) as did our desktop. We're finally up and running with a new desktop.

I had pictures that I lost all ready to post but will have to do that another time. I've been spending most of my time quilting and am currently working on a queen-sized quilt for our bed. However, I thought I'd post Jim's "Three-Wave Set." The whole thing is completely hand done from the cutting, piecing and quilting. He got hooked on quilting around my b-day, when a friend gifted me with the amazing book, Accidental Landscapes by Karen Eckmeier. Jim is really getting good! He has three beach scenes (one of which I quilted) on sale at Beach City Smoothies in Carlsbad and there are two mountain/forest scenes for sale at Yoga Vista (right next to a knitting shop--the name just escapes me at the moment, but it's the one we couldn't find, Paula).

Anyway, I'll post more finished projects. The dial-up is still slow, and that problem with pictures not showing up when I access the blog still plagues me. I know it has to do with our very slow connection (but night/day it always seems to be slow).

Operation Caregiver

Hey everyone,

I saw this and thought it would be nice to make a few of these hats for our troops. I hope you will too.

Elise's Beaded Hat and Scarf

Hey, Folks!

Unbelievable! After several days of "weirdness" where I couldn't see any pictures (there were only empty boxes with x's in the close boxes), I finally logged in today and everything is back to normal! Well, I have some catching up to do. Lots of completed projects....

This is the first. My little neighbor, Elise, turned 2 this past June 13th. Jim and I went to her beach party on June 12th. I took the pattern for an adult beaded hat and resized it for a two-year-old's head. I then took a pattern for a child's mittens and added beaded hearts (using graph paper to grid out the heart). It turned out well. Elise is so cute in them and her mom says she loves to wear the mittens.

Thorpe

I am doing a test to see if pictures are showing up. I decided to post a picture of the hat I want to make.

Something Weird...

Hey, Everyone!

Is anyone else having the same problem I'm having? When I logged onto the blog, none of the pictures showed up and everything I've tried yields the same result. I tried twice to download an image but nothing came up.

I've finished several projects and only just today emptied my camera and organized the pictures. I've got some really cool quilting pictures to share with you guys, too! Jim has really gotten into making quilted scenes: beach, mountain and desert.

I'll try to post just these words. E-mail me if there are problems as I'm not sure if I'll be able to access comments on this site.

Mary

Another Cabled Hat

I am on a roll with the cabled hats. I found another pattern that was well written and very straight forward. It was easy from beginning to end, and I didn't have to constantly refer to the pattern. I told Jim to text me a cute picture of him wearing the new hat and he sent me this picture. Here is the link for the hat pattern:

Snappy Hat
By Corrina Ferguson for
http://picnicknits.com/

Funky Scarf

I made this scarf a while ago and never posted it. I love the color combination with the red, brown and turquoise. I knitted it lengthwise and it came out a bit short, but I still like it.

Jim's Cabled Hat

My husband reminded me that I had not knitted him a hat in over a year. Since he is my biggest knitting fan I wanted to try and make him something a little different than the usual knit hat. I found a cabled hat pattern that I liked, but it really wasn't worded very well. I got through the pattern fine until the decreases. It just did not make any sense. Mary always says to trust the pattern, so I did. Well, I tried anyway. I took it out three times and finally just decreased in a way that made sense to me. It came out pretty ok. It should be good for the cold weather we are supposed to get this week. He just sent me a text of him wearing his hat at work so I will post it!

More Toe-Up Socks

Hey, Guys!

I've been meaning to post these pictures, but I really hate the dial-up! It takes forever to upload photos.

Paula, the self-striping yarn you gave me knit up just great! I'm going to give the socks to a friend whose birthday is this weekend. I thought some comfy socks and See's candy would be just the thing. I hope the yarn doesn't pill too much. This is the first time I've used this brand of yarn.

To the far right, those aren't mittens on my little friend, Elise's hands. She has been growing so fast and has outgrown most of the socks I've made for her. I made her a new pair. It turns out, she loves to wear socks on her hands. Time to knit some mittens....

Knitted Sushi Platter

This is so cool! This lady sells the patterns for these on http://www.etsy.com/. She goes by needlenoodles.

Groovy Bus

Jim's Camouflage Socks

Sorry, it took me so long to post these. All we've got now is dial up at home, and because it's so slow, I'm less inclined to sit in front of the computer.

Anyway, these were the socks I was knitting at our jammie party. Jim really loves them. They're made from fine merino wool courtesy of "Happy Feet." I'm working on a new pair for a friend, using the self-striping yarn that Paula gave me (many thanks!). I'm on the gusset and will post them as soon as I'm done.

Paula, the jammie party was great! Thanks again for the gifts and the VIP treatment!

(Hope this post turns out better than the bunny one. This time, I uploaded the photo first before adding the print. Everything looks normal when I work on the post, but when it's published, pictures and print go haywire. What have I been doing wrong?)

Toe Up Socks on Two Circular Needles

A couple of weeks ago Jim took all the boys on a snowboarding weekend. I had Mary and Lisa over and we had a sock knitting/martini pajama party extravaganza. I made lasagna, Mary brought her homemade bread and Lisa brought a salad with her homemade croutons.

Mary had a very easy toe up sock pattern she shared with us. I will only make socks on two circulars so that I have two finished socks when I am done, otherwise I would never finish the second one.

I really liked the pattern and colors of my sock yarn. It is the Patons brand and very inexpensive. Working with such thin yarn and small needles was challenging. It took me a month to finish the socks and I worked on them for hours at a time. I tend to knit tightly so I had blisters on four of my fingers. Who knew knitting could be so hazardous?

I finally finished the socks and learned a very valuable lesson. DO NOT BIND OFF TOO TIGHT. I went to try on my pretty new socks and could not get them up around my ankles. I almost gave up, but decided to unravel my bind off and redo them with an extremely loose bind off. It was not easy and took me hours last night. Finally they are done and look pretty good!

Bunny Blanket Buddy: The Linus Version

I finally finished my Bunny Buddy. Originally, I used two strands of worsted weight yarn, but the bunny was too stiff, and I didn't like how small it was. I envisioned a "blanket buddy" should be like the one the Peanuts character, Linus, carried around with him. So, I revised the pattern to make it big enough for a small infant or toddler. I also used a single strand of worsted weight yarn so that the blanket would be softer and more cuddly, and I enlarged the ears and arms. I'd like to make a larger blanket version. This was a cool pattern, and I learned a lot.

Bunny Buddy Blanket

I met Mary at the coffee shop last weekend to knit. We both made the bunny buddy blanket. We knit for around eight hours and my fingers were killing me the next day. We modified the pattern a bit to alleviate holes. Mine came out a bit stiff and looks like a bunny pot holder. I am in the middle of making it again in green fuzzy yarn for my friend Kathy's baby. Hopefully it will come out better! Here is the pattern:

http://joann.lionbrand.com/patterns/50722.html

Inspired By Elise Socks

Hey, Gals!

Hope everyone is having a good new year thus far! It has been a while! Are you guys still knitting? I've been working on an afghan constructed from the yarn of 2 afghans that were made by Jim's aunt (now deceased). One of them was a wedding gift, and the other was a gift for Jim. They are of great sentimental value, and we just didn't want to throw out the afghans now that they're frayed and worn out. I'll post before and after pictures once the afghan is completed.

Recently, I had to drop the afghan project in favor of making the socks pictured here for my sister-in-law, Debi. I modified the "On-Hold Socks" pattern (July 27, 2009 posting) to include a basketweave cable in the center flanked by a "thistle" pattern. They're made from the toe up--my favorite method for making socks.

Halloween Pumpkin

Is this cute or not?

I thought it was kind of cute. Maybe I will try it. Here is the pattern:

You can knit this pumpkin using any yarn, any gauge, and any double-pointed needles.

CO 35 stitches. Divide over 3 DPNs. Start knitting in the round. Mark the beginning of the round. Make sure to keep your stitches untwisted.
k4p1 around for 25 rows. Thread yarn tail through stitches on the needles and pull closed.
Stuff with wool roving, batting, etc.
Using your tapestry needle, thread the cast-on tail around the stitches of your cast-on end to cinch the top closed and with your tapestry needle, bring the yarn down through the pumpkin to the base and pull tight. Knot it to the other remaining tail. Weave in the ends. This procedure causes the dent in at the top and bottom.
make a small i-cord stem and attach.

Embroider a face on your pumpkin if you want.

Knit pumpkins in different sizes by changing your number of cast on stitches (always cast on in multiples of 5) and rows (Do about 10 rows less than my number of cast-on stitches). Make your pumpkin with green yarn and a bobble stitch and call it a gourd.

Who Knew?

Husband's remark makes her drop a stitch

This was printed in the Chicago Tribune recently. What do you guys think about this?

Dear Amy: We went away last weekend to our friends' cabin on the river. We love to sit with our friends on their enormous deck. People lounge, eat, chitchat, etc. I brought along some simple knitting projects so that I was able to participate in all the conversations, occasionally putting the knitting in my lap to have eye contact and be more involved. I wasn't working on anything complicated, and it didn't take any concentration to work on it. After we got home, my husband told me he thought it was rude of me to knit (while everybody else is doing nothing really but talking and eating and/or drinking). I always made myself available to help with setting the table or cooking, so it's not as though I just knitted and let everybody else do the daily duties around me.I am floored by this. This wasn't our first visit up there, and the last time we were there we spent so much of our time sitting around and visiting that I was sorry that I hadn't thought to bring my knitting.Be honest: What do you think? Personally, I can't stand to have idle hands, and it's not as though I was engrossed in some novel all the while (which would be rude), or constantly checking my phone and sending and receiving text messages.-- Knit Wit in California

Dear Knit wit: I don't think it's rude to knit in the presence of others. In fact, the world would be a more congenial place if more people laid aside their hand-held devices and picked up some needles and yarn. Knitting and chitchat seem to go well together, certainly if the knitter is working on something uncomplicated and makes an effort to engage and make eye contact with others. You don't mention what about your knitting strikes your husband as rude -- but that would be a good follow-up question to ask him.

On-Hold Socks, Knit from the Toe Up

This was the first time I knit socks from the toe up, and I must say that I probably will not make socks any other way. I can try the socks on as I make them, see how much yarn I'm using (so I know whether to make shorter/longer socks), and even better, there is no grafting or picking up of stitches. The socks knit up in one piece! I used a single circular needle (size 1) and the magic loop technique. I could have used 2 circular needles, and the method can be adapted to knitting 2 socks at the same time. The pattern for these "On-Hold Socks" can be found in Wendy Johnson's Socks from the Toe Up. (There's a better picture of the socks in the book where the lace pattern is more evident.) It's available at the Dove Library. You can also go to her blog: WendyKnits.net where she first published a general formula for making socks from the toe up.

Clever Knits in Vista

Hey, Everyone!

This past Monday, Jim took me to Clever Knits, the new yarn shop that opened in "old" downtown Vista. I met the owner's mom--a very nice lady, but I didn't catch her name. It reminded me of a smaller version of Noble Knits. They don't have the selection of yarns that our more familiar local stores do, but I believe that's largely due to the fact that they're new. What they do have IS REALLY NICE and reasonably priced (for the amount of yarn one gets). I was even able to find a US 0, 40" Addi Turbo Lace circular needle (hard to find!), and it was about $3.00 cheaper than I've seen at other stores.

Here are the particulars on the store: Clever Knits, 214 S. Indiana Avenue, Vista; open 12-8 pm daily (although I think they're open until 10 pm on Tuesdays when they have a knitter's session that I've been told is packed); website is http://cleverknits.com/. The directions to the store are on the website. Jim took his usual roundabout way of going somewhere, so I couldn't give directions to anyone. It's hard to see the store as you drive down Indiana street, but it's just a store away from the Vista Yoga studio (on the same block). They've got classes posted, but I think the one that would interest most of us is the "Owls Sweater Class." It's a 6-session class beginning 8/19, and as long as materials are bought at their store, all 6 sessions cost only $40! From what I see, they go through all sorts of skills like waist shaping, bust increases, joining body and sleeves, etc.

Hope you guys are still knitting!

Mary