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

Chockablock Full of House Socks

This was the first time I'd ever made socks. They were fun and easy to do. The pattern for the large girl's socks in taupe may be found in Twelve Months of Knitting by Joanne Yordanou (2008), and the pattern for the toddler's two-tone green socks is found in Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss (2006).

Beaded Gloves

I was amazed how quickly these worked up. Here's a definite case where the instructions don't make sense when read, but when knitting, everything makes sense. Jim picked out the washable wool, and I knit these gloves for my mother-in-law's 80th b-day (not until August). The pattern can be found in Knitting with Beads by Jane Davis, 2003. I used dark brown glass beads.

Another Kiddie Vest

I like making kiddie garments. They're so quick. This one is made in a diamonds and stripes pattern (courtesy of Barbara G. Walker, again). The lighter stripes/diamonds are actually a light pink, but against the dark blue background, they look white.

Nicolette's Candletree Baby Blanket

Hey, Knitting Mates! What's up?

Little Nicolette is due in June, and I made this blanket to welcome her. The block patterns all came from Barbara G. Walker's books: a) Candle Tree (Treasury of Knitting Patterns--1st one), b) Embossed Heart (Charted Knitting Designs--3rd Treasury), c) Lattice with Seed Stitch (Learn-to-Knit Afghan Book). I checked them out at the library (by special request because C'bad doesn't carry them, and there is a waiting list).

It's Crochet

I couldn't resist posting these. The beaded crochet pattern for the necklace (red) and choker/child's necklace (vanilla) may be found in Knit and Crochet with Beads by Lily Chin. There's a trick to making the beads appear on the side you consider the front, but I think it's easier than knitting the beads in.

Tommy's Hat

I made this simple hat for my brother. A couple of weeks ago he brought out the hat I had made him when I first began knitting. It looked like a shower cap on his head, so I thought he needed an upgrade. I thought the orange-ish pattern in the yarn would look good with his hair.

Icing Swirl Hat

This hat is knit from the top down which was new to me. It begins with a simple i-cord and and a series of yarn overs which account for the increases. It was fun to make but came out a little too small and tight around the band. I may make it again using bigger needles and will make sure to bind off loosely.

Aidan's Tricolor Wave Vest

My little friend, Aidan, will be one year old this May. I made this vest for him to grow into. It's done in dark purple & blue with light purple tricolor wave stripes. I wanted a loose rib: one that wouldn't hug and bunch up at the bottom, so I used a wheat ear rib (both the striping and rib patterns may be found in A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Barbara G. Walker, 1968).

Something for Mama

My good friend, Renee, is expecting a baby girl. Though I'm making something for baby Nicolette, I thought it would be nice to make something for mom, too. The beaded necklace was knit in size 10 crochet cotton and strung with size 11 glass beads. The "Harry Winston Has Nothing on Me" necklace pattern is from Knit & Crochet with Beads, 2004, by Lily Chin.