Yeah! Look What She Made

I was going to make my daughter a hat to test out a pattern I've been working on. She came and picked out the colors and decided that she would make it herself!

We had a wonderful time knitting together and the hat is adorable. What's next? Matching mittens???? Or a hat for Dad?

Thanksgiving Hiatus

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was wonderful to be with family, eat too much, and sit and knit!

It was fun to hang out with my cousin, Gwenn, and work on our projects together. This baby blanket is a gift for a friend.
There was a bit of a family discussion about whether or not the blanket was green and was this really a baby color. We set them straight! The picot trim really finishes it off beautifully.

I worked on another felted bag. It's a gift, I love the colors - very Lily Pullitzer. Here's the before felting picture. It measures 26" across, 18" tall, and 6" deep. It's in the washer as I type!
I also began working on my husband's cashmere gloves. I'm designing these as I go. So much for surprise, I have him try it on at every finger. I really thought I'd hate working on the individual fingers, and I didn't. It was fun.
I'm also working on the Ella shawl pattern from Knitty. I'm hoping to finish it to wear to a party.

I met with Michelle and Lynn this Wednesday. Michelle found an error in my fingerless gloves pattern and I'm really glad. We worked out the glitch and posted the errata on Knitting Centrals website. I had written it for a closed thumb instead of an open (fingerless) thumb! Don't know what I was thinking. I kind of liked it though!
Michelle also finished the back of a collared "wallaby" type sweater knit in Puffin by Crystal Palace Yarns. Puffin feels like fleece and is machine wash/dry. I just wish it came in adult colors.

Lynn is well into her garter stitch scarf and probably will have it done next week. We talked about having one easy (mindless) knit project and one slightly challenging project. This seems to work well for all of the stitchers in our merry band of knitters (I'm a little punchy, end of a long day). It serves two purposes, one, if you run into a problem with your challenging project, you have another project to fall back on; two, if you just feel like knitting and not working hard at it, you have an option. Lynn's going to make a felted cat bed for her cat and join us in our purse knitalong (kal). I'll have another post up with all the details soon.

I finished a herringbone scarf knit with Sheep Two variegated yarn. I love it! It's so soft and the the colors of the show up vibrantly.

Fair Isle Knitting

Recently Nicky Epstein did a one-day workshop at Knitting Central . I was working that day and didn't participate, however the enthusiasm for Fair Isle knitting got to me and I've been researching what books would be best. In my research travels, I learned of a video demonstration clip. It's really cool and there is a free sampler purse pattern to try it out. Here's the link to the video clip and pattern.

While we knit, we talked about where we were in our current projects and what we were interested in next.

I'll have to find a picture of the Daffodil bag from the book, 25 More Bags to Knit: Beautiful Bags in Stylish Colors . The link doesn't allow for searching inside the bag. The daffodil bag is a medium sized purse. In the picture it's done in a sparkly yarn, so I imagine it could be a purse for dressier times. The pattern calls for a flat, cotton, ribbon that gets 3 stitches/1", and the pattern requires approximately 308 yards. The bag was pictured with bamboo handles and we could order those.

For anyone looking to make a felted bag, these books offer great choices that have a good range from beginner to intermediate: Pursenalities: 20 Great Knitted And Felted Bags and Pursenality Plus: 20 New Felted Bags .

Elizabeth learned the Kitchener stitch by watching an online tutorial. It takes a very ordered mind to learn it this way. Kudos, Elizabeth, it came out great. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished garment. She's knitting a contrast variegated Koigu lining to keep the cardigan fronts from rolling too much.

Sara's cabled sweater for her husband was a big success. (we'll have pix after Thanksgiving). Her 99 year old grandmother was very impressed, it fit her husband perfectly, and her brother and father were trying to place orders for their own sweaters. Next project is for Sara though! Well, maybe after the baby hat. Here's the first ruffled edge of the baby blanket.

Robin is knitting a seed stitch scarf in Noro Silk Garden and while she likes the colorway, she's not sold on the yarn or the seed stitch. Time will tell. Noro Silk Garden continues to be one of my favorites. Well, Noro yarns period. I think every year I make at least one garment out of a Noro yarn.

We had an interesting discussion based on a recent 60 minutes segment entitled,

"The "Millennials" Are Coming; Morley Safer On The New Generation Of American Workers". To paraphrase a bit, the article says that the generation of kids coming of age now were raised in an environment where their every action was rewarded with praise and/or trophies regardless of whether they were mediocre, average, or excellent. As a result, these kids can't handle criticism and it's changing the workplace.

Weekend Fingerless Gloves

I'm excited to write that I've designed a pair of fingerless gloves. The gloves are knit in Cashmerino Aran yarn and have a simple pattern stitch that give the gloves some stretch. I chose to trim mine in fur, however, it could be made without it. This is a great advanced beginner project and makes a great gift.

The pattern is available at Knitting Central or from a paypal link on the right hand column of the blog.

Inspiration

Claudia, who is new to Stitch and Chat, has a contagious enthusiasm for knitting. She's nearly done with her first project. She left us speechless with her progress. When we met today she shared with me a book on knitted bags called 25 More Bags to Knit: Beautiful Bags in Stylish Colors.Claudia asked if the one she had flagged (Daffodil bag) was right for her. Not only was it just right, we all liked it and I think this will be our first group knit-a-long (kal). We're all bag ladies at heart. We like to make them, use them, and give them as gifts. You can never have too many bags. (As evidenced by the reaction to Theresa's doctor's bag). We'll start the kal in about two weeks. If you're interested in the kal, let me know and we can get the books ordered and I'll let you know what supplies you need (you can add a comment to a post or email me).

We had a long talk about knitting resource books and some of the smaller ones that you can take along with you.

A portable book Mary likes is the The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask . We both like the Maran Illustrated Knitting and Crocheting (Maran Illustrated) , however it's not portable. A new portable resource book I've come upon is Knitting VISUAL Quick Tips (Teach Yourself VISUALLY Consumer) . At Knitting Central Cynthia brought in a very interesting book called Knitspeak: An A to Z Guide to the Language of Knitting Patterns .

Robin bought two skeins of Noro Silk Garden to make a seed stitch scarf. We played around with the yarn, learned the difference between seed stitch and ribbing, and had a refresher in casting on! :) When we were done, I think she was happy with what was happening with the scarf. You might want to practice the Continental style knitting on left over yarn, rather than your scarf.

Michelle brought in her husband's cable scarf. Which is, as i said before, magnificent. She did a little loopy knitting to show Mary just how "unfun" it is. What do you say Mary, are you going to give it a try? Michelle started a wallaby type sweater for her step-daughter in a variegated supermerino yarn by artyarns. We agreed with her that it would be more classic in a solid.

Mary finished her sock class at Knitting Central. Once the gauge issues were resolved, the knitting was working out fine. Socks done in stockinette are easy to knit with the exception of the heel and toe. That will come with practice.

Lynn joined us today and had a refresher in casting on and the knit stitch. Next we'll have a go at the purl stitch and fixing dropped stitches.

I showed the group my soon to be felted bag so they can see the difference after I felt it. I'm also working on a pair of cashmere gloves for myhusband, if he gets them!

Success! Finished Projects

It was an exciting day in the stitch and chat neighborhood. Robin finished her first projects, a baby blanket that she's making as a gift. It looks great and we felt almost as proud and excited as Robin did.

We were debating what her next project could be, baby hat, felted bag, gifts, a key-hole scarf.

Mary had us in stitches (pardon the pun). She was binding off the brim on her hat and something wasn't' right. Turned out she was binding off in her own unique way. When she came back to the project, she didn't remember binding it off in the first place. I think it was the knitting fates. She also made up a purl bind off, slipping a stitch and binding off the next. The result was super tight (she needed band-aids) in direct contrast to how relaxed she knits. When she was back on track, she bound off loosely (knit wise!) and the result is an adorable cotton hat.

Mary brought out her sock (or sock puppet as she called it). It's actually coming out better than she gives herself credit for. The purple heel makes a bold contrast to the variegated color she's knitting the rest of the sock in. And, it's not nearly as big or slouchy as she thought it would be. We did all agree though, that Mary is going to end up making a lot of single socks and make up her own "pairs" as the mood fits.

Elizabeth spent the week working on her dog afghan while her husband away. She has one dog left and the border. The pattern is from the Fall '06 issue of Knit Simple Magazine. It really is a work of art.

While surfing the Internet, Elizabeth read a post on the Yarn Harlot's blog about Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, a designer and yarn store owner. Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton joined her knitting group and knits from an unwound hank of yarn laid across her lap and in the event of needing two skeins, one draped over her shoulder. Well, when Elizabeth told us about this we were as shocked and freaked out as the members of that knitting group. You've got to click the link to the post and scroll down to the "third thing". It's wild and worth it. I said, "she must not ever jump up quickly for anything", Mary said, "What if there was a bee buzzing around her?". Check out the post.

In the Cafe

We met in the cafe on Wednesday and as much as I like the poet's corner for it's coziness, there's something to be said for sitting in the cafe at tables.

Michelle and I got our large doctor's bags from Baggellini and Mary brought in the small doctor bag she received by mistake. (We all ordered the small bag by mistake the first time). Mary and I are still considering keeping the smaller bag. These doctor's bags look good and have a very functional set up. Theresa, look what you've started. This bag is becoming our "group bag".

On the knit side, Michelle had a box pleat to make in the sleeve of her Gedifra sweater. The pattern is in the Gedifra Knitting Patterns Highlights 72 booklet, and is called the Lordana jacket. Well, I've never done a box pleat in sewing. Mary knew right away what it was. Making this pleat involved juggling four needles at once in kind of a z formation and purling 3tog across 6 stitches and then doing it again in reverse to complete the pleat. I practically broke out in a sweat completing this, Michelle on the other hand was giggling up a storm watching me juggle the needles and directions. That is until it was her turn. I am happy to say that we managed it, don't try this at home alone! :)

And here's her Rowan sweater pinned and ready for finishing.

Here's another picture of the wonderful wallaby Michelle knit in Artyarns supermerino.

Mary is near done on the brim of her hat and will be ready to do the i-cord trim soon. She's ready to do another one. Her sock is still evolving. She's had to take it down from a size 2 needle to a 0. Do I hear size -1? Mary is just a "chill" knitter.

Claudia is flying through her first project. Her yellow baby blanket looks fantastic. She had an idea to work an trim in another yarn on it when it's done. She can either do knitted strips or learn crochet and crochet an edge. Either way, it's going to be lovely. All the talk of different projects has her motivated to finish her blanket and try another project!

We talked about mittens, felted bags, chunky sweaters, and socks. I'm thinking we do either a knit-a-long (kal) or dedicate a chat to a project where we can all make the same item, just adapted to each skill level.

Knitting Fool

I was surfing the Internet for a raglan sweater pattern and found this link for Knitting Fool . It's a great resource. There are several free pattern generators and a significant stitch pattern library. It's worth checking out if you like to design your own knits. Read through the home page before you get started.

Real Guys Do Knit

Mary sent me these pictures of her son and his friends, taking a class in knitting. Outstanding! That's my kind of school.

Friday Stitch and Chat

Mary, Elizabeth and I met yesterday. Mary, bless her, brought her sock to a Bon Jovi concert, to keep up with her homework. Now that's commitment! Her knitting was fine, her gauge was way too loose. I had to frog it back to the beginning of the ribbing and put her on a smaller needle. The Koigu colorway that I've been drooling over is P118 and Mary got the last two that Knitting Central had! Well, it just gives me time to contemplate what I want to make when the yarn comes in!
Elizabeth was new to the allure of Koigu and did not want to tempt the fates by inquiring about it. However, when she brought out the green cardigan she's working on that has the rolled edge (the edge that will annoy her now end when it's done) and went looking for a yarn to knit a facing for the edge....she ultimately ended up at the Koigu. She found the most amazing match for her sweater. It's going to make for a beautiful and subtle contrast and will straighten out some of the roll at the same time.
Oh! Elizabeth made a terrific find while leap frogging around the Internet. It's highlighter tape for knitting to use on patterns instead of post-it notes. Not only that, but when I checked out the website, knit foundry, the have this really intriguing software for charting patterns.

Here's the gauge swatch of the "El Tejido" sweater she's making for her husband in Karabella's Aurora 4.

Mary's hat is in the home stretch, she picked up for the brim. Unfortunately for Mary, she got distracted while we did our "koigu walk" and got off track while doing the increase row for the brim of her hat. I got her back on track. As she said herself, she may need earphones to keep out the distractions. On the other hand it's the distractions/conversations that make getting together so much fun.

I finished the second pair of my "weekend fingerless gloves". The pattern will offer the option of trimming with fur or not. The pattern will be available soon.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot

I've been reading the books written by The Yarn Harlot and thoroughly enjoying them. (Knitting Rules!: The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks ,Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter ,At Knit's End , and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off. It is uncanny how she has put into words exactly how we knitters view our knitting and all things connected. My sister is reading the same book at the same time and we are constantly calling each other up, and jumping into sharing passages we're enjoying.

Now, I've taken it a step further and have added her blog to my Google reader. Her most recent post contained a question from someone about how she gets so much knitting done. I loved her response. (It's at the end of the post following the question by Anne). Basically she gets it done in increments in the day (while waiting, reading, walking) and my favorite, while neglecting housework.

Rosie O'Donnell vs. Elisabeth Hasselbeck Cat Fight!

We had a new knitter join our midst, Claudia. She knit as a child and it came back to her really quickly! She started a garter stitch baby blanket.

Mary started a pair of socks on circulars in one of my favorite Koigu colouration's. It's things like this that make my stash grow. It looked so pretty knitted up.

Robin mentioned how she enjoyed the youtube video demonstration of Continental Knitting. (To see the post, click on the "techniques" category.) Claudia is from Peru and we talked a bit about how some people from South America knit with the yarn running across their back to achieve their tension. I tried to find an example of this on the web, and couldn't. If anyone has a link, please share it. Knit wise, Robin is onto the garter border of her "forever" baby blanket and happily considering her next project. She also found a garter stitch she started way back when, so she'll resume that as her "mindless knit".

Mary was really making us laugh, telling us about The View and the fight Rosie O'Donnell had on live TV. Now I learned that Whoopi Goldberg is hosting The View. Time to "Tivo".