Summer Dress

I just finished Beebz's first summer dress. It was super easy, once I got over the weirdness of sewing knitting with a sewing machine. This pattern bears repeating.

I am also working on a knitted polo style dress. I am at the point where I believe it will never be finished, so I guess I must be getting close!

Done!

Man, I totally forgot to post finished pics of my hat! Here you go.


I chose the best model in the world.

Free from Kitchener!!!!!

I freakin' love cables!! SO very fun. This is my new favorite thing to knit, officially! I am done with the band portion of my new hat, and I am so so so excited!

An extra fantastic bonus reason for my excitement, besides doing cables, is that knit like a pirate taught me to graft. No more screwed up kitchener for me!! From now on, I graft. Go on and find where the graft is below. I double dog dare you!! I will give you a hint. It is not where you think it is!! WOO HOO!! I love grafting!!!!!

This is so like me.

It started so innocently. I went to visit a friend. I took my knitting. Like you do. As a back up project (I always travel with at least 2... yeah, I know. Addicted.), I grabbed some yarn I had bought for the love of the color (a dusky pink). I had thought of socks, but then decided on a hat like Beebz'. A simple spiral rib, super cute. The pattern had been given to me by a dear friend.



Well, I accidentally ended up leaving the pattern at my friend's house. Related is the fact that I did not knit at her house, but I did show her the pattern. sigh.

You must understand, I am a stubborn person. I like to do things MYSELF, even if it is reinventing the wheel. (I will pause for a moment for everyone who knows me who is laughing at just what an understatement this is. Done? K. I will go on now.)

I wanted to start the hat, and knew that I wouldn't need the pattern until it decreased at the very, very top. Except for the number of stitches to cast on, I could do 9/10ths of this hat sans pattern, no problem. But did I call either friend to ask how many stitches to cast on? No. Don't be silly. That would be...rational. Ha. I don't ask. I figure it out for myself. See above.

So I went on Ravelry.com (LOVE IT) to peruse patterns to see how many stitches might make a reasonable start. While on there, it occurred to me that I really didn't LOVE the brim of the spiral hat, and that a little Celtic knotwork brim might be really nice. After drowning in hat patterns, I emerged with a brand new project. Gone is the simple little hat. I am now doing THIS!

Have I ever done cables before? NO. Will this stop me? Ha. Stubborn, see above. I started last night, and cables aren't nearly as scary as I thought. This is several rows in, and they look like they are supposed to look!





FYI, knit like a pirate is pretty darned funny, and should be read even by non-knitters, just for the humor value.

Who knew mouth to mouth worked on computers?! Now would it work on my wrist?

Yes, it turns out that sometimes by removing the hard drive and blowing on the pins, new life is infused into an old computer. So I am BACK IN BUSINESS!!

My computer is fixed, but sadly, I am broken. I apparently have carpal tunnel in one (or two) of my wrists. My hand falls asleep while I am knitting. Both hands fall asleep while I am sleeping. I keep telling them that's redundant, but they don't seem to be listening.

I went and got a brace for my worse hand, and it seems to be helping. The weird thing is that my partner and some friends seem to think I should stop knitting or crocheting to let my wrists rest. huh. They haven't looked at a calendar. Hello? DECEMBER?! Hannukah? Christmas? Solstice? What are these people thinking?! I have presents to finish. Hell, I have presents to START! There is no time for resting. This is the time to play through the pain, dude. This is my Olympics.

I am not, however, unreasonable. I will stop working on anyone's present if they explicitly tell me to stop that project. See? I am at the height of reason. (If a person doesn't know I am making something they can't stop me tho... hehehe.) After the holidays I will give it a rest. After I make myself another pair of socks....

For now, I will sign off. It kind of hurts to type....

Gift Insanity

Well, I am doing it again. Sort of. I have more projects than I will be able to complete before xmas. The stress is not in finishing them, though. The stress is that I WANT to be knitting but have this cute little side kick who thinks staying up half the night is oh so fun. Last night it actually worked out well, since she let me knit, but usually she wants actual attention while we are not sleeping. My knitting time (read that as my ME time) has been cut down to almost nothing and boy do I feel the lack of it. sigh.

In other news, I am stressing about xmas presents for the kids. I want to get Beebz a dollhouse, and have finally narrowed it down to one: Plan Toys My First Dollhouse. Understand, the narrowing down was a harrowing process fraught with stress and strife, all made more complicated by the fact that I couldn't just go LOOK at all of them side by side.

In addition to looking for new ones, I am looking on ebay, since you can get so much more bang for your buck. I love the idea of recycling toys, and getting something gently used seems much more kind to the environment. And my pocketbook. Of course, the problem with ebay is that there are all these good deals that have tons of extras, but are more than we wanted to spend. Of course, we can put away some of the furniture etc for later, but the money part still goes out now. Also, ebay is stressful. I rarely win auctions, since people are more than happy to spend more on ebay than things would cost NEW on amazon. Argh.

So that means new, right? Part of me loves the thought of getting a brand new dollhouse for her, with just one set of furniture, and letting the house evolve, getting more rooms and accessories as gifts over time. But inside me is a little kid who thinks that instant gratification is WAY more fun than accruing stuff over time. Hence the stress.

What to do? Get used that is tons of stuff at once (and more than we really want to spend) or be mature and get a little at a time?

Oh, and did I mention that we found an amazing train table on craigslist while looking for something else? We know the kids would love it, and we will buy it if we can. So should that replace the idea of the dollhouse? I mean, those are both pretty big items. hmmm. I will say that when we went to the toy store yesterday, Beebz sat and played with the dollhouses for a LONG time, but she then went to the train table and had a blast. My partner thinks she would like the train table more, but I disagree.

It is a quandary. And I have no idea what to do. I bet it would all be more clear if I had more knitting time.

at least my failures are wearable....

I keep having these great ideas that turn out not so great. Knitting socks. Great idea, right? Man, finding the perfect pattern is almost impossible. I found a pattern I loved except for the horrible short row toes and heels. They are a mess. So I made a pair of socks with so many imperfections that I am not willing to give them to anyone with eyes. Or hands. Or anyone who knows anyone with eyes or hands. And since I don't know anyone fitting that description, they are now mine.


Then I was going to knit and felt some slippers for the baby. Everyone told me how easy it is to felt. Just make it big and shrink it in the washer. No problem. Finding actual directions? Ha. Make a swatch first? Double ha. Once they were done and big enough for me without being felted, I looked up some directions before felting. Oh, use bigger needles so there is room for shrinkage? huh. No way these puppies will fit her, so I just got myself a pair of unfelted slippers. Using, I might add, my new favorite sock pattern. No stinkin' short rows.



In the mix of trying to figure out if the slippers would felt down, I made a swatch. A tube, in fact. I thought I could find something fun to do with it. While it did shrink, it proved once and for all that I was going to own those slippers. But what to do with a tube of red knitting about 4 inches long and a couple inches wide? I don't know a single person to whom I can give a penis warmer, so I came up with this.


People will appreciate little candy shaped tree ornaments, right? They will never know the other uses....

PS Beebz now has little red slippers just like mine, unfelted. She is currently napping in them so I can't get a picture. Just imagine mine. Little. On the cutest little girl ever. Got it? Got it.

PSS Also Pablo now has one slipper and the second is on needles. He wants to hop around in just one and is put out that I won't let him. Poor kid.

Failure and SUCCESS!

Knitting patterns should NOT start with the words: make a short row toe by the method of your choosing. No, they really shouldn't. I give a little credit for linking to a website that shows you how, but only half credit because the instructions were seriously confusing and had to be abandoned.

Also knitting patterns should not contain a knitting chart that goes from bottom to top. Who reads stuff from bottom to top?! Crazy. Now, maybe I just don't know and it is standard, but it is not right. Again, I will give some credit for the rows being numbered. But only half as much because I didn't see them until row 6, so clearly they weren't obvious enough for the (exhausted) average knitter.

And finally, it should be really obvious in knitting when you screw up so that you can rip out and go back. You should not rip out, painstakingly get everything back on the needles without dropping stitches, only to find that you need to rip out 2 more rows. It is not fair.

Not the pattern's fault tho so no points off the pattern.



Now on to brighter news: I finished the baby's skirt, and it is awesome, if I do say so myself. (Also, this was not the pattern I had the problems with.) No idea why it came out looking like the shot was taken in the 70s, but you get the idea.

Snobby pinky syndrome

Yes, I admit it. I have snobby pinky syndrome and this lace edging is the reason why. What? You haven't heard of it? weird. Probably because I invented it myself. Which is pretty impressive considering how much my pinky hurts. Let me back up.

I have snobby pinkies. You know, the kind that stick out when you pick up your tea cup? Right. I first noticed this as a freshman in high school, when I went on a school trip to New York city to see Broadway shows. As part of our indoctrination into loving the Big Apple, we ate at Tavern on the Green, thought we were SOOOO cool, and sat around, holding our pinkies up and snickering.

I didn't seem to have trouble remembering to hold up my pinky. I must have aristocratic roots.

Or a deformity.

Or something.

Two days ago, the pinky on my right hand started hurting when it is lifted away from its friends (ie, in snobby pinky pose). This is odd, because I am left handed. My right pinky is not something I use on a regular basis. Who does?! Then I realized: knitting. It has to be knitting. More specifically, knitting while holding up my right pinky finger. Ridiculous, right?

Yesterday, it hurt to hold anything in my right hand. Driving the car hurt. Knitting, strangely, didn't hurt TOO badly. Yeah, yeah. I know.

Today, it is worse. But the thing is, I am so close to finishing this awesome skirt for Beebz! I can't stand letting it sit there, when I only have the lace edging to go. It is the stinking edging that is doing it, so the sooner I am done the better I will feel, right? Right?! Only 3/4 of it is left to do....

So soxy!

I finished my yoga socks, and boy are they AWESOME! I really love them, and even more important, they gave me the courage to knit a real sock.

I used the non-pattern in Knitting Rules by the Yarn Harlot herself. If course, I don't have a picture. Yet. This one I will get up soon. really. promise? Anyway, the Yarn Harlot, aka Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, explains how to make things without actual patterns (nice for me, since I kind of think of patterns as cheating....). She takes the parts of the sock (or hat, scarf, or shawl) and breaks them down into components so that anyone can make whatever kind of fun sock et al that they want. I am so excited! Also, a big shout out to LD for loaning me the book!!

I am currently working on a hat for the baby. I am really psyched about it, since I am winging the pattern. Ah, the thrill (and fear) of flying without a map... I will let you know how it goes.

Obsession with needles...

Mr. Man needed a new hat for winter, so I let him pick the pattern and the yarn. He wanted a newsboy cap, and I think he chose well! I am working on a matching scarf, but since I am obsessed with knitting more than crochet, I can't say I am making much progress. He kept acting silly for the camera, but I tried my best to get a couple of good shots!




In knitting news, I finished the baby's dress, and am so excited! Well excited and disappointed. I was using old yarn, trying to get rid of the yarn I used before becoming a big yarn snob. So it doesn't hang the way I would like, and once it came out, I think it looks a big Jesus-like. She should be out wandering in a desert in this outfit. I think I will make it again in better colors, with better yarn. The pattern is so awesome, she will end up with 20 of these, I think! This is supposed to be her solstice dress, tho, so I think the spiritual connotation works out just fine. ( I also added a little inset piece in front so it loses the plunging neckline affect. But I couldn't get another pic without her obsessing over the camera AGAIN....)


"O, follow me, ye who despair. Together we will find cookies." She could be the next messiah!

Newborn blanket, only 20 months late!

Yep, one newborn blanket for my teeny tiny... almost 2 year old. Oh well. I am super proud of it, since it is my first serious completed knitting project. As you can see, she LOVES it!




I am now almost completely finished with my first knitted dress. It is UBER cute, and I am so very excited with how easy it has been. I have a feeling that I am getting close to designing my own patterns with knitting. Maybe. We shall see....

Would you buy this?

In honor of the cool new bookstore in my neighborhood, I have been thinking about making and selling bookmarks. But I can't decide if anyone would buy one, and if so, for how much. What do you think?




Come on, lurkers, this is a great time to come out of the commenting closet!

Knitting with Toothpicks. You think I am kidding.

But I am not. I am just that crazy. You know how I gave Pablo a medicine bag to take to camp, and then wanted a matching one? Well I had just learned to knit an I-cord and I thought, what better than an I-cord for the necklace part? Then I thought, where the heck am I going to find needles small enough? Apparently in the kitchen. Hey, it worked. So without further ado, here are our crocheted medicine bags (I made Pablo a brand new one) with knitted I-cords, ready for camp a whole week early.










I love how his shines!

And speaking of crafting...

Every summer, I want THE PERFECT HAT. You know, the one that is cute, stays on, not too floppy, not too heavy, etc.

And every summer, I make do, not ever having THE PERFECT HAT.

Recently, we were out shopping and I saw a potentially awesome crochet hat. I also saw the price tag. Then I said to myself, "Self, you could make a hat just as awesome as that!"

You know what? I was right. I made this hat in time for the beach and it was almost perfect. It needs a tiny bit of work on being less floppy now that it has been soaked in the ocean, but I have some tricky ideas for a solution involving wire or maybe plastic? I am not sure yet.



And Beebz likes it too!

Mindful Mama, now on ETSY!

I finally did it. I put some stuff on Etsy. Two handmade crochet toddler dresses. I am really excited! And also a little nervous. I mean, I don't have a physical space to pace around in, wondering if anyone will come in. There is nothing to mindlessly rearrange. I can't see if people are looking in the window.

All I can do is let it go. And what fun is that?

Oh yeah.

The peaceful kind of fun.

(inhaling.... exhaling....)

But come on in and look around, OK? Just scroll down and click on that button on the left!

The Amazing 2 Week Blanket!!

I complained a while back about the amazing blanket I was making and then had to rip out TONS of yarn. Despite the delay, it is finished in about two weeks. This is by far the prettiest pattern I have ever done. It was fun, challenging, and exciting to do. This is impressive since most blanket patterns get boring very quickly. Needless to say, I am darned pleased with it.


Now quick, someone have a baby so I can make another one!!



ILLNESS UPDATE: Now the boyo is sick and the baby is well. They are both napping right now. The fact that Pablo is asleep during the day shows that he is feeling REALLY lousy. I have a sore throat that hurts too much to let me sleep, so I am goofing off and drinking hot tea. And enjoying the quiet.

Success and ... delayed success!

A few weeks ago, when we went to visit my parents, my mom retaught me how to knit. I knew how, but had figured it out in one of my few awkward fits of left-handed, no one can show me how to do it right, kind of way. (Most things that I didn't have someone to show me, I do right handed. Like crochet. And golf. Not that I play golf.)

So my mom showed me how to knit right handed. And I got it. Suddenly, it all made sense. I can now tell knits from purls with confidence. I can feel it in my hands. They now know, without my brain having to constantly monitor them, what they are doing. It was exhilarating. I love the feeling of really getting something. So I got all kinds of crazy and tried a pattern. And not an easy one. But why not? I felt invincible. Here it is. Nothing useful, just a swatch. But it represents my new foray into the world of fearless knitting. I wish the pictures showed better detail!






In sadder crafting news, I am working on this blanket for a dear friend's baby due in May. This is by far the most complicated (and FUN) blanket I have ever done. It has flown. I was 33 rows into the circular pattern in 4 days. That is 33 out of 38. Home stretch.

Then the problems started. There is an error in the pattern. I found the fix online.

It didn't work.

Then I saw that at row 30, I had made a mistake. A big one. grumble grumble. I ripped out 3 rows.

Then as I was fixing that error, I found another one. A little one. A pivotal one. On row 26. Sigh. I ripped out.

I have gotten back to row 30.

Oh well. Gotta love a pattern where every row changes 3 times and there are no repeats!!

No, really.

I do.

That wasn't sarcasm.

FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!

As you may or may not remember, I started making Christmas presents for people I loved last June. 2008. For Christmas, 2008. This weekend, the last present was FINALLY delivered.

It was the only one that was late. This had something to do with me creating my own pattern and getting seriously STUCK for about a month. I could barely look at the damn thing for a while, but once I had the light bulb moment, I loved it again. Let's just sum it up and say that reducing granny squares is not easy. Turns out the trick is triangles.

The cute story attached to this sweater is that when I asked my friend if she wanted me to make her anything for Christmas, her eyes lit up, and she said, "Oh, you have that awesome shrug you made. Will you make me one like that?"

I of course said yes, and asked her to try it on to check size. She then started adorably requesting the alterations: Could you make the torso more filled in (My shrug is basically arms and back and nothing else)? Could you make it longer? You know how I love long sleeves that bell out. Could you do that? Maybe in black. How about wool? Could you do that?

I thought, "Well yes, I can, but then it won't be this shrug...." But that was fine since I didn't remember how I had made it anyway. (My shrug, in my opinion, was a failed experiment. I never wear it.)

I don't know if she even remembers this conversation, but it was pretty darned cute.



So this is the end product. She loves crosses, so I made Greek cross granny squares. See them? I came up with a cool and lacy way to connect the kabillion granny squares and made sleeves out of granny squares (and a blessed triangle!) and Bob's your uncle, it was DONE. Merry Christmas, 2008. Now for 2009....

Cause who doesn't need a crochet childbirth doll?

My friend sent me this. I have to make one now. Seriously. Could this get any better? Check out the details! Placenta! Umbilical cord that detaches from the belly BUTTON! Seriously, people, this is fantastic in ways I will never find words to describe. But who needs words? I have pictures.






In the interest of full disclosure, I stole this from this blog. Gonna have to follow it.

Thank you, Cozy Coleman, for your amazing creativity!!!!