Goodbye, for now.

I would like to invite you to my fancy, new blog. As an incentive, there will be a prize.

The hat pictured above is from a pattern called End of May that I designed. You can win your own copy of the pattern.  But you must go to the new blog to enter.  See you there!

the swap

I sometimes refer to the kitchen as MY kitchen, but it really is more my husband’s kitchen. He does most of the cooking, so it’s just natural that things are more his way than my way. If I had my way, we would use color coordinated potholders and hot pads. But since we do things his way, we just use ratty dish towels when we need to put a hot pot on the counter.

In a way, then, it doesn’t make sense that I would sign up for a potholder swap since we don’t use them and I can’t foresee us ever using them in any practical way, but that’s just what I did. Then I went ahead and made a butt load of potholders. Not only that, but I crocheted them!  Crazy talk.

The swap, officially know as hot pads! and potholders – the swap, is coming to a close and I expect to receive my shipment in the next few weeks and I can’t wait. It was super fun to spend time crocheting (and I went a little over the top and now have a bunch of granny squares) and if nothing else, I learned that I am a fantastic granny-squarer. As of right now I could spend the rest of my crochet life making granny squares and be perfectly content.

Here are my hot pads:

The yarn is all worsted weight wool of varying brands, and the most fun part of all was putting together the crazy colors. I used the free pattern called Sunburst Granny Square by Priscilla Hewitt, on Ravelry here. They were super-curly until I blocked them.

In other news, the chickens have moved to the coop down the hill. They love it down there and we love going down to watch and talk to them. Here’s the coop.

See the cat? She hasn’t bothered the chicks yet, but we have our fingers crossed. The chicken run is well fortified, and we leave the chicks in there all the time.

Here they are after I opened the door:

I think this picture is from Friday and they have grown so much even since then! They are gonna be some big chickens.

This is Bugsy:

She (I’m still using that term loosely, we’ll know hes from shes in a couple of weeks) is our favorite because she is the friendliest. She follows Maggie around and it’s very funny. Jerry named her Bugsy because when the kids were trying to feed them bugs, she was the only one who would come right up to them.

There are two others with names (Veronica, as in Veronica Mars and Angela, as in Angela Chase) but I’ll have to get better pictures of them.

Until next time!

not about knitting

I have got to tell you about a few things that are non-knitting related today. If you can’t tell from that picture, we got chicks!  My husband and I have talked about this for years and finally this winter he got serious about it.

When we bought our house there were all these dilapidated buildings out back, in an area we call “down the hill” because it is. The main shed was full of piles of junk and it was too dangerous to go in.  Gerald tore it down (by hand, it took a while) but realized that a smaller shed next door had once been a chicken coop.  It had feeders and nesting boxes and little doors for chickens to go in and out. The coop is in good shape, and just needed a good cleaning out. It will also need new screens on the windows and new latches on the doors, to keep these little critters safe from big critters.

Gerald also built a run, or an enclosed but movable place for the chickens to be outside.  We’re nearly ready. And that’s good because the chicks will soon be ready for the coop!

They are about a week old now, and growing quickly.  The chicks are living in the back porch, and I’m pretending that my whole house doesn’t smell like a farm.

We got straight-run chicks, which means that they haven’t been sexed (we don’t know if they’re girls or boys). If we have roosters we may eat them, or find a farm for them to live on.  But our main goal is to have layers, who will provide us with eggs. We thought six chicks would be enough, but I came home from the farm store with many more than six.

We got 11 chicks:

• (3) Barred Rock
• (3) Buff Orpington
• (2) Ameraucana
• (3) Rhode Island Red

We’re learning as we go, and so far everything is going well.  I’m feeling more like a farmer every day.  I’m desperately resisting going to the store to get overalls and wellies.

The other non-knitting thing happened on Saturday when I was mowing the lawn.  I saw a huge snake. I was home by myself while Gerald had the kids at the grocery store.

Eeeew. Sorry to any animal lovers out there, but I didn’t want this thing around my house and my kids and my chicks. I don’t know why I got my camera first (bloggable?), but I ended up getting a shovel, chopping it in two, and burying it.  Seriously, it was the most empowering thing I’ve done in a long time.  My mother-in-law and I even celebrated my bravery with champagne on Mother’s Day.

I grew up knowing that women can do anything men can do (thanks, Mom!), but I don’t ever mind when my husband does some of the dirty work (building chicken runs, taking out the trash, going grocery shopping, etc). I’m feeling pretty damn proud of myself today, having taken care of business all by myself.

I think I should reward myself.  Maybe pink wellies?

I Heart You, Available Now!

If you’re here for the hearts, then I am happy to announce that the pattern is ready! I must heartily (heh) thank CrossroadKnits Liz for being a wonderful test-knitter.

The pattern is a three-page download, available for $6 by clicking on the button below.

Or visit the I Heart You pattern page on Ravelry for all the deets, including yarn, needle size and gauge.

Thank you!!

on to the next

I’ve started another child’s seamless sweater, this time with yoke, but still for the same class at Gate City Yarns (Custom Pullover for your Kid).  Beginning with a sleeve is an attempt to trick myself into thinking that the knitting is going quickly, but I think it doesn’t work.

I’m working from another Spun Out pattern.  This time Spun Out 4 – Child’s Yoke Sweater, but this pattern has appeared many places, for adults or any size if you’re an EPSer. I’m going to use the original charts from EZ – it makes me feel connected to the past in a way that is very comforting.

I started the cuffs with a peak of each color that will appear in the yoke design. This is less of a “feature” and more of a way for me to see what the colors are like together. I like it.

The yarn – sigh – is Rowan Felted Tweed and it’s pure bliss. Rowan is usually out of my price range, but these large balls go a long way and the quality is worth the extra cost.  And the colors!

This morning, on my List of things to do, I wrote “cast on sleeve 2″ so I’m going to get to that right now.  I also wrote “pattern” on my list, which refers to putting the finishing touches on the I Heart You sweater pattern. If you’re waiting around for that, you will be able to get it this week.  And that’s a promise!

everything in its right place

I love this new sweater.

I’m calling it done even though it’s not quite. I have one underarm to graft and a few ends to weave in and then blocking.  I made it lickety-split. I swatched then cast on on Sunday afternoon.

Kid sweaters usually come together lickety-split; that’s probably why I knit so many of them.

This sweater doesn’t belong to me. I made it for a class I’m teaching at my LYS (”Custom-sized Pullover for your Kid” is the name of the class). The striped raglan will live at Gate City Yarns for a while, but maybe if I make them another sample, they’ll give this one back to me after a while.

The yarn is O-Wool Balance (organic, how fancy) and it was really, really nice to work with. I am in spazzy love with it. The blend is 50 Merino/ 50 Cotton and it has all this lovely tweediness that I think gives the sweater such charachter.

Can you guess the pattern? Of course, it’s EZ, but I used a Spun-Out design called A Family of Raglans (SO45/WG69 on Rav). I have Zimmermann raglan patterns in the books, but this – a single page leaflet available for $1 from Schoolhouse Press – is a pattern chock full of new-to-me information. Worth $1? Damn straight.

baby got back

There are short rows hidden in there to make the back longer than the front. I’m terrible at knitting short rows, and if I showed you a better picture you might see how unsightly they are on the yoke.  This bothers me only slightly, thank goodness, because what’s really important here is that it’s a highly serviceable sweater.

Cute, no?

Some basic notes on the design:

• I used a smaller needle on 100% of the stitches for the edges.  It really doesn’t get any easier than that.
• The decreases at the raglan lines were suggested in the pattern: Dec rnd: K2tog, p1, ssk. Plain rnd: knit. I’d never used it before and I like it a lot.
• Um, that’s it. It was a really easy sweater.

Now all that’s left is that other underarm, and blocking!  And then I say goodbye to this sweet striped raglan for a long, long time…

hello, i have news

The dreaded blog silence. The longer you wait to post, the harder it becomes. After two heart sweaters (i heart you, i heart you more), I lost my inclination to do any substantial knitting at all. And that is just crazy.

There has been lots of behind-the-scenes work going on. Getting ready to publish the I Heart You sweater…preparing for classes…other things I will tell you more about soon…

The end of the school year is busy, too, isn’t it?  And then there’s the garden! And Spring! And sunshine! And green grass! And pollen! And Noro Kureyon Sock!

We went to Atlanta a few weeks ago during Jerry’s spring break. It was very last minute (booked the room the night before) but at least I remembered to print out directions to get from the hotel to the yarn store. I went to Knitch and it was absolutely divine. I bought that Kureyon Sock pictured above (and needles in order to cast on right away) and some Socks That Rock midweight (my first STR).

I have many ways of analyzing yarn stores, and this one hit all the right notes. Fantastic selection of yarn. Good, basic wool in many colors. Friendly folks. Peaceful.

I can say without a doubt it is my favorite yarn store in the world. It is a must-see if you’re in or near Atlanta.  I also recommend going to a Braves game and heading to the World of Coca-Cola. Centennial Olympic Park was fun for the fountains, but seems oddly out of date.

Now for the news…

zigzag study hall: fingerless mitts (on Rav)

I’m teaching at SAFF!  I will be teaching a 3-hour Stranded Knitting for Beginners class – you can find a registration link on the workshop page here. We will be knitting the Zigzag Study Hall Mitts, and learning to knit colorwork with both hands – one strand of yarn in each hand – on DPNs.

SAFF this year is Friday, October 23rd to Sunday, October 25th in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina – during peak leaf season. My class is scheduled for Friday morning. I hope to see you there!!

inside out

I’m sorry that I keep posting about this damn hearts sweater.  To be honest, it’s all I’m knitting on and all I’m thinking about.  Haven’t tired of it yet.

I’m sewing the ends in this version, which is why the sweater is inside out, and that got me to thinking about something I always think about when sewing in ends.

Have you ever watched the DVD of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop (much scrolling required)? She spends a bit of time talking about finishing your sweater very neatly in order to be able to wear it inside out.

Are you kidding me?!?!?

No, she’s not kidding. I’ve never done it*, and I think I have a long way to go before my finishing would be so good to flip a finished sweater to the wrong side.  But seriously, if you get it out of your head that it’s the wrong side the other side is just as fascinating. Maybe even prettier than the right side.  That is, if you can get over it being the wrong side.

Marinate on that for a bit. I’ll be over here full of hearts for the foreseeable future.

*I knit a stripey hat that I wear inside out; reverse stockinette in stripes is just about the easiest way to make knitting look more complicated than it is. Not brave enough yet to wear a whole sweater inside out.

red white and blues

After much consideration (and math), I have decided to make the I Heart You sweater for child sizes only.  I apologize if I told you otherwise, but the design would have needed to be altered so much to be flattering for women. Thank you, Anne, for helping me see the light. I would have been writing two separate patterns.

The sizes will range from age 2 to 16.  Or, since kids vary so much, for a chest circumference of 20″ to 32″.

I’m working on an alternate version with some Lanaloft Sports Weight (sleeves first).  The red white & blue (tempered a bit with some Carolina Blue – Go Heels!) is so very patriotic and I so love it.  Lanaloft and Nature Spun are both awesome sport weight yarns from Brown Sheep.  Have you tried them yet?  I’m in the middle of deep infatuation with them both – even more so because they are made right here in the USA.  Lanaloft is a singles and the Nature Spun is plied.  Both knit up wonderfully.

You’d think I work for Brown Sheep.  But in fact, I do not.

hearts, finished

Hi there.  I finished the heart sweater for Maggie.

I feel like a knitting Superwoman, because it turned out just exactly how I envisioned it.  Perfect in (nearly) every way.

I hesitate to point out the imperfect things, but I will for posterity.  The sleeves could use about 8 more sts at the top.  They are very snug, and I need to manhandle them to get her arms through.

The other thing is that I don’t think she’s really keen on that turtleneck.  Unfortunately for her, it’s not about what she thinks.  It’s about what I think and I think it’s awesome.

On to the perfect things.

I had an intense level of patience with this knit.  I ripped it back in various spots four (five, maybe?) times; I’m proud of myself for sticking with it for all that knitting, ripping, reknitting, reripping.  I really wanted to see this little thing through to completion.

The colors!  I love the bright hearts, and I love how the color changes produce wide stripes.  I hadn’t expected that.  Funny thing about the colors – the yarn store only stocks these bright hues.  I bought one of each (and a bunch of heather brown) and went to town.

The fit is slim, but long enough that maybe she’ll wear it next year?  With the tight sleeves, maybe not.  Kids have big bellies and teeny tiny arms.  I’m hopeful.

Sometimes yoke sweaters pucker, and although I accept that (see October sweater – slight puckering) I was really pleased that the puckers are non-existent here.  I wish I had a better idea of why the yoke is so flat.  Perhaps because the first decrease is placed so soon after joining?  I will be experimenting with this idea.

I am writing the pattern; other folks are loving this sweater as much as I do.  The pattern will include sleeves that aren’t too snug, but I’m not doing anything about that turtleneck.  It is much too cool.  I’m considering including adult sizes.  Any interest in that?

Check it on Ravelry (my project).
Queue it on Ravelry (the pattern page, for when it’s ready).

(Just a thought on that pic of Maggie running.  I love it more than most any picture I have taken of her, ever.  It’s funny, because you can’t see her face.  But I think it’s because it really, really shows my true Maggie: running, exuberant, messy hair.  I heart you, baby.)