Free Time

Recently I have had my Saturdays free because my LYS, the one that I taught classes at, has closed its doors. It is nice because I can spend more time with my family and friends. On the other hand I very much miss the wonderful people that I met. I can truly say that I have developed long lasting friendships with all the lovely ladies that I worked with and taught classes with. Although the shop has closed we have vowed to have a monthly dinner/knit/chat session and the first one will be at my house the end of this month. I will make sure to take pictures of what each of the ladies are knitting. They are all very talented knitters.

So with all of this free time I have been doing a little bit of blog reading and shopping. First up is Jennie the potter. I fell in love with the mugs that she makes. The quality is excellent. I think I am going to have to buy another one. This is the yarn ball with needles mug. The yarn is


dark green kinda hard to tell in the picture. The mug is the perfect size because it is large, perfect for hot drinks or soup.

My next purchase I discovered while I was doing some blog reading. I found these piddleloop bags on Stacey's blog. Stacey had such an extensive collection she convinced me to get one. I loved the goldfish bag that she had and I had to have one for myself. Luckily there was one left so, I treated myself. The bag is the perfect size for a sock project. Since I have at least 50 balls of sock yarn the bag was a necessity. Now I just have to make some socks. My only problem is I suffer from second sock syndrome.

If you're interested check out Jennie's website and the Piddleloop teams etsy shop.

The First FO of 2008

I'm not sure why it took me so long to complete this sweater. The body knit up really quick. The sleeves however took forever. It could be that I kept forgetting which row of the lace pattern I was on. Not something I could knit while I was tired but it still worked for TV knitting.

Pattern: Cherie Amour
Source: Knitty
Size: Small
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted
Color: 610 Red Mahogany
Quantity: 3 hanks with a little left over
Modifications: None
What I would do differently: Knit a couple extra
rows for the bust. I feel that the ribbing comes
up a little high.

I am hoping that the sweater will stretch a little so that the bust fits better. Trust me I am not busty by any means. I would like to make this again maybe with another yarn so I could wear it during the summer months.

December

December was a very busy month. I even managed to finish my Christmas shopping early and had all of my gifts wrapped. It did not seem to make a difference. It left me plenty of time to do other crafting. I visited one of the local garden centers and saw a tree that was decorated with shells and star fish. I loved it but did not want to spend $5 - $7 per ornament.

So I decided to go to Michael's and buy some shells that I could decorate myself. I think I paid about $10 - $15 for all of the shells.First I used white acrylic paint and a dry brush and painted the shells. Then I used glitter glue and some glitter and WHALA I had some ornaments. I also hot glued ribbon to the back so I could hang them and I used a big star fish for the star at the top of the tree. I thought they came out perfect.

I also bought some new
decorations for my fireplaces. First is the first floor fireplace. I decided to get a wreath and garland that had fruit on them. The family room/grate room is open to our kitchen. I added my own lights to the garland and the wreath. I also bought some new stockings and stocking holders from Target.

Second is the fireplace in our basement. I purchased the Christmas stockings and holders at Target also.


I didn't get any pictures of all of the baking that I did. I baked into the wee hours of the morning on more that one night. No knitting content today but I promise in the next few days I will have finished pictures of Cherie Amour. It is blocking now so all I have to do is attach the sleeves. Happy New Year!!!

3 FO's

I finally finished Tree Jacket. It is in bad need of some blocking. I am not sure that I like the length. I think I would like it a little longer. The only problem is I have no more yarn. If I decide to lengthen it I will need to order another ball. I think I will block it first to see if I can lengthen it any, if not I will be making a purchase from Knit Pixie, where I purchased the yarn.

Pattern: Tree Jacket
Source: Zephyr Style
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8
Color: Warm Brown 06
Size: XS 28-31"
Needles: US Size 7
Modifications: None, sleeves knit flat.

I also finished two more Christmas knits for two little neighbors of mine. They are 8 and 10 years old. Although these colors are not my personal favorites I am sure they will love them.

Pattern: Cabled Purse
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky Hand Dyes
Color: Lilac (1020) & Aquamarine (1021)
Needles: US Size 15
Purse Handles: Purchased at JoAnn's

I will be stopping by Jo-Ann's to get some more ribbons so the girls can have a variety of ribbons to change out as they like.

Christmas Knits Continued

This is a pattern that I came up with last year. The cabled purse was a big thing last year and knitted and crocheted bags are still every where this year. This is a really quick knit. They are good for ladies of almost any age. Every year there is always an unexpected guest that shows up and I panic because I like to give everyone a little something. This was my answer. I knit a couple extra of these each year and if any unexpected ladies show up, I have a handmade gift for them. I hope you enjoy the pattern. Let me know if you have any questions.











Bag:

Cast on 50 stitches.

Row 1:(WS) K3, P2, *K3, P6, K3, P2*,
Repeat from * to * 2 times to the last

3 stitches, K3.

Row 2:(RS) P3, K2, *P3, K6, P3, K2*,
Repeat from * to * 2 times to the last

3 stitches, P3.

Row 3: Repeat row 1.

Row 4: Repeat row 2.

Row 5: Repeat row 1.

Row 6: P3, K2, *P3, C6B, P3, K2*, Repeat
from * to * 2 times to the last 3 stitches, P3.

Row 7 – 36: Repeat rows 1 – 6 five more times.

Row 37: Repeat row 1.

Row 38: Repeat row 2.

Row 39: Bind off in pattern.

Finishing Bag:

1. Attach the first handle by whip stitching around the handle through the cast on row.
Please Note: Do not whip stitch first 3 or last 3 stitches to handles.

2. Attach the second handle by whip stitching around the handle through the bind off row.

Please Note: You can line your bag before seaming up the sides or after. This is personal preference only.

3. Fold bag in half and seam up the sides.

4. Line your bag and attach a magnetic or Velcro closure.

5. Cut your ribbon approximately 46 inches long.

Tip: You may want to add fray check to the ends of your ribbon to keep it looking nice.

Weave ribbon behind the K2 stitches on either side of the cable and tie a bow. (You can refer to the picture of the bag for proper placement.)

Copyright 2006, Knittingnonstop. This pattern and pictures are the property of Knittingnonstop. All rights reserved. Pattern is shared for individual personal use only. No commercial reproduction of this bag is allowed without prior written permission.

These are for the boys

Every year around this time I go crazy with the Christmas Knits. Some how I fool myself into believing that I can complete a ridiculous number of hand made gifts. This year I have vowed not to drive myself crazy. I usually end up being stressed out and not really fully enjoying the holidays. The funny thing is I usually end up being disappointed that I could not finish all the gifts that I set out to complete. I have no idea why I am disappointed it's not like the recipient had any idea that I was making them a handmade gift. Well this year its gonna be different.
This Christmas Eve I will not be up til 5 AM finishing a sweater or any other hand made gift. Ahhhhh! I feel better already. Sorry for the blogging absence I have been fighting a cold.

So onto the Christmas gifts that I did decide to tackle this year. The gifts for the boys! I decided to make some sweaters for my brother and my cousin who too is like a little brother to me.


First is the Cobblestone Pullover. I loved this sweater from the moment I saw it. I knew it would be perfect for my brother. I decided to use Plymouth Tweed in color 5309 which is kind of a charcoal gray color. I love the yarn and the best part it's affordable. I am done with the body of the sweater and am now off to sleeve island. My brother is 6ft 2in so there is going to be a lot of sleeve knitting. The good part is it will be mindless TV knitting.

The next sweater I am making is the Seamless Hybrid by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The pattern can be found in the Elizabeth Zimmerman book Knitting Without Tears. I first saw this here. I fell in love with the sweater and the detail that Jared added to the cuffs and bottom of the sweater. I decided to add the same contrasting color detail. I really think it makes the sweater lay much nicer and gives it a finished look. I used knit picks Essential Tweed in Inca Gold and Flint. In order to get proper gauge I am holding the yarn doubled. This is a fingering weight yarn and I wanted a warmer sweater so holding the yarn doubled should help me achieve that and will also speed up the knitting process.

Don't be intimidated to make this sweater. If you are unfamiliar with it you have to determine your gauge and then do some calculations to determine how many stitches to cast on. The best part is that you can pick the yarn first without having to worry about the gauge because you with the help of EZ will determine for your yarn how many stitches to cast on for the perfect fitting garment. I am finished with the body on this one also and am off to sleeve island. More Christmas Knits to follow.

Juliet est fini

Juliet is finished. It has been done for a while but I couldn't decide if I wanted to leave it cropped or make it a little longer. Not to mention that I knit it twice because the first time I made the small which was too big. As you can see the front of the sweater is rolling in a little bit. I think a little blocking will help it to lay flat. I will definitely make this again in the longer version and will extend the garter stitch below the bust next time.

Pattern: Juliet
Source: Zephyr Style
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece
Color: Mariner Blue (4 skeins)
Size: XS 28-31"
Needles: US Size 10
Modifications: None

Since I finished Juliet I moved on to Tree Jacket another Zephyr Style design. I am using Karabella Aurora 8 in brown. I love the yarn and the pattern is a lot of fun to knit. So far I have completed the collar and am almost done with the garter stitch. Sorry for the dark picture. 7 PM

November and Cleveland translates to absolutely no sun light after 6:30. I will try to get a better picture. Maybe next time I will pull out my new Ott-lite.

I bet you didn't know that I have my own personal watch dog for all of my knitting projects. That is Max in both the pictures above. He watches over all of my knitting projects at no extra charge. Well, there is a slight clause. Watching over means he is allowed to use the projects as a pillow anytime that I put them down or anytime he deems necessary. Watching over some times means laying or sitting on. The best part is he doesn't charge for any hair that he leaves behind.