I’m a Multilingual Crafter: I Speak Bead

Jan15

I can’t talk about my yarn projects right now. I have a few going but they’re secrets. And it’s killing me because the first one came out SO COOL and I’m tickled with it but…not yet. Instead, I’ll show you what I’m doing when I take a break from yarn.

Several years ago, my aunt got me started beading. I went crazy with it and spent the next few years obsessively building my bead stash and making tons of jewelry. I made so much I tried to sell some of it. (Wait, this is sounding familiar.) Unfortunately, I managed to burn myself out and eventually had to pack it all away. I kept the tools and my favorite beads, and after I’d been knitting a while, I was glad I had. My knitting SIL (she pops up a lot, doesn’t she? Handy gal to have around.) saw a sample of beaded stitch markers at Joann and decided to try them. (She was also into the beading craze with us. And the scrapbooking craze that followed. Hmm. There seems to be a pattern here.)

Well! Jewelry for my knitting? Absolutely! So now I buy beads every once in a while, when I need to scratch a different creative itch, and make some stitch markers. These are this week’s product. There’s kind of a funny story with these wire-wrapped ones. I had all my stuff out on the dining room table, and the other night after I finished eating, I idly picked up the wire and pliers and made this automatically, not thinking about it since I was talking with Alex and the kids. It wasn’t until I was done that I realized the loop was supposed to fit around a knitting needle. Oops. So that one on the left might not be used too much, but hey, it’s there if I need it.I really enjoy having different ways to explore my creativity. I just hope I don’t get tired of knitting like I did with beading and scrapbooking Ack, blasphemy! *runs off to wash mouth out with soap*

Books & Cowls

Jan13

Apparently I was feeling adventurous yesterday. I started out the morning by learning a new bind off (Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy). Then I decided to try something else new, so I downloaded an audiobook from the library to listen to while I knitted. I used to be an avid reader. It wasn’t unusual for me to have two books going at the same time, and I’d go through several books a month. Then I learned to crochet and knit. First I couldn’t even fathom trying to focus on what my fingers were doing as well as words in a book. Then, even when I could, I couldn’t figure out the logistics. After all, my hands were busy. How could I hold a book? I did manage to read an e-book once while I was knitting a super-simple Gap-tastic cowl that was just seed stitch all the way through. But it was awkward to pause and “turn” the page; it disrupted my rhythm.

So I kind of gave up books. I know, it’s sad, right? I’m sad to type it and even sadder to admit it. Now, don’t freak out, I didn’t give them up completely. I still read at times, but a lot of it was knitting-related. I don’t sit and read in the evenings like I used to. I don’t devour books while devouring lunch; instead I browse patterns on Ravelry. But I miss books. I miss being a reader. But I don’t want to give up knitting.

Ergo, audiobooks. I found a book I hadn’t read before and off I went. It was strange at first, but easier then I expected. I’ve tried audiobooks before and didn’t care for them; I process things better by reading them than hearing them. But this wasn’t any heavy reading, just light fiction, and it was fine. It’s definitely not the same as the heft of an actual book in my hands, feeling the scratch of the paper and getting a whiff of used-book mustiness. The biggest problem was that I can’t skim. I realized that I must skim over a lot of description in books to get to the action, because there were several times I found myself thinking, “Oh, get on with it already. I know how you feel, so what are you going to DO?” But it’s fine. It’s better than no book at all. And I’m actually kind of excited. I don’t have to choose between books and yarn now. I can browse the library and get all kinds of books on my Overdrive app!

So what did I do while I was “reading”? I finally finished that Malabrigo cowl! I’m in between projects and wanted to finish something fun. I love love love this yarn, and I think this pattern is a great way to show it off.The color isn’t perfect in these shots, despite my best efforts. It’s got a tiny bit more purple than the first picture indicates. This second shot is probably the closest to the true color.It might be just wee bit tall, but hey, the better to burrow your chin into, right? And I kind of like the look of it folded over a bit.For those who care: this is the Clairiere Cowl and Malabrigo Worsted yarn. This yarn is amazing. Obviously the colors are fantastic but the yarn itself is soft yet sturdy, no splitting. It’s one of my new favorites.

Today I’m going to tackle fingering-weight lace again, so send me some good vibes!

Thank you, Jeny: Knitted Boot Cuffs Part III

Jan12

You guys!! I have done the most amazing thing this morning!! I learned Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretch Bind Off and it is the coolest thing I have learned so far, I think. I’ve been making boot cuffs, right? And the bind off has a bit of give but only so far, and I just wasn’t happy about it. My knitting SIL told me she’d been using Jeny’s and that it worked really well, so I bit the bullet and decided to give it a whirl. And I’m so glad I did!! (I’m really excited, can you tell??)I used my handy Cast On, Bind Off book to get started. (This book is so useful, truly. You get so many options depending on what you need, and it has great color photos.) I got around five stitches done and I wasn’t sure it looked right, so I turned to You Tube. The video I watched wasn’t great so I won’t recommend that one, but it was good enough to show me that I was doing it right. But if you want to watch a video, watch this one. It’s much better. Seriously, if you haven’t learned this bind off yet, you need to. I’m not an adventurous knitter but I figured it out pretty quickly, so you can too. I wish I’d learned it ages ago because it’s going to vastly improve my boot cuffs and fingerless gloves. Can’t wait to make more!

And I have to call out that same knitting SIL because she saved me with the teal boot cuff. Remember, I ran out of yarn with an inch of ribbing left to knit, so I was going to have to buy a whole ‘nother skein just for that. Instead, she let me use a bit of the skein she had in her stash! (Actually, it was in her daughter’s stash so I’m grateful for her too.) I had the boot cuff done in a flash and they’re ready to be washed. Yay for generous knitters!

Ok, that’s all, folks. My empty day yesterday? The one that was supposed to be full of knitting? Yeah, that didn’t happen. My daughter went to a new friend’s house so I had to get cleaned up to make a good impression on the mom. Then I got a text from my sister asking if I was interested in selling her my Wii, since we’d been thinking of upgrading to the Wii U. Well, yes, of course we were. So we had to clean out the Wii cabinet and pack up the old Wii, dust all the things, and throw away dead batteries and useless accessories. Then of course my son needed his new Wii NOW so off to Target we went. It had to be set up immediately, and by then it was time for the sister & her kids to come over to pick up their “new” Wii. We had a lovely visit and my nephew was wearing his Yoda hat. He kept stroking it and saying “Hat” lovingly. (Maybe I’m exaggerating that last part, but maybe not.) Then they went home and finally, finally, I got to sit down with my yarn. I got maybe an hour and a half in before it was time for dinner. We went out for Mexican with my MIL and it was delicious and we had a lovely visit. And I had a lovely jumbo margarita and by the time I got home I was too sleepy to knit. SO. Today I am knitting!

I’m not a fan of frogs

Jan11

Oh sure, the animals are okay. Noisy at times and kind of moist, right, but they’re fine. No, my problem is when frogs are a part of my knitting. Several months ago, I got a request for a lovely spring infinity scarf. It’s lightweight and lacy, and I found the perfect yarn for it, and cast on. But since it’s a lace pattern (a bit complicated) with fingering weight yarn (that’s really thin for you non-knitters) on tiny needles (size 4. That’s small for me.) it was a slow start. I thought I got around 5 rows done before I had to set it aside to focus on Christmas knitting. My friend was fine waiting, so it hibernated for over four months. Yesterday I pulled it out, got comfy on the couch, and starting knitting at row six.Two rows later, I had a problem: an extra stitch. Eh, okay. I knit two together and moved on. By the end of the next row, my pattern was way off. I counted and somehow had lost SEVEN stitches. SEVEN. What the actual heck. I looked back at all the teeny tiny stitches and counted my rows and realized I hadn’t stopped at row five, like I’d thought. I might have been at seven, maybe eight. This project was not off to a good start, so I decided I’d do well to learn from my mistakes and start over.

This morning I frogged it all. Then I printed out the pattern so I could actually keep track of where I am. I’m more experienced with lace now, so I think it’ll go a little faster this time around. Not crazy fast, because it’s still lace with itty bitty yarn, but a little faster. Or at least smoother, and I’m okay with that. I might even look into that whole lifeline thing. Plus I’m going to knit with the pretty new needles I got at a late Christmas exchange yesterday!I love them. I also love the handmade buttons I got. They’re made from walnuts. Cool, huh? I think they’re going to look awesome on some hats…which I can make with my pretty new needles too!I got to give some gifts yesterday too, which was fun. My niece got a crochet Hello Kitty hat, which would have been a big hit…if she weren’t currently obsessed with all things Elsa. But I’m content knowing that it’ll fit her for a while and a time will come when she will wear it with pleasure. And my nephew got a Yoda hat, and it actually fit and it looked adorable on him. So I’m calling that a win.And last night I got to go on an actual date with my husband where we ate a meal neither of us had to cook and talked to each other, and then we went to a bookstore (or two) and ended up at Starbucks drinking hot drinks and talking some more. It was delightful. I think I’d like to do it again sometime. But for now I have an empty day ahead of me and yarn calling my name.

Knitted Boot Cuffs: Part II

Jan10

I’ve got boot cuffs on the brain right now. I haven’t made it to the store to buy the yarn for the unfinished teal pair yet, so yesterday I pulled out the HOT HOT pink yarn. They’re going to get a button accessory that I’ll show later, but they’re still pretty cute as is.I used Rebekah’s Boot Cuffs pattern but modified it for a much smaller size by using size 7 needles instead of 10. I also added an inch of ribbing at the top and bottom, and decreased three stitches in the last row before binding off. I’d seen someone else recommend it, and I like how it keeps both ends the same size. But the cast off is a bit tighter, so I need to make sure it’s the bottom of the cuff on the smaller portion of the calf.

The same pattern made this dark blue pair, but I followed the pattern. Since they were for a skinny minnie, I used size 9 needles, and they came out perfectly.Now I get to try something new. I’m going to make some long legwarmers, and I needed some mint green yarn, so of course a trip to my LYS was in order. I found three different shades of mint green but ended up with some Plymouth Encore in what they call Light Colonial Green. I think I only need one skein but bought two just in case. And then I remembered why I shouldn’t go to yarn stores. I find yarn. And I buy it. Not because I need it, but because I like it and it’s on sale. See? That Andes wool called my name because the colors went so well with the mint green I was already holding. And that pretty peach shade? Yum! Perfect Spring colors.Then I found this. It’s Classic Elite Inca Alpaca and it was 50% off. I *love* this yarn. I’ve already got several colors in my stash, including one skein of red. But I had to get the last two reds they had. They also had twenty skeins of black, but I restrained myself and only bought 5. These will make great hats and fingerless gloves for my craft show inventory.

We’ve got sunshine and the possibility of ever-so-slightly-above freezing temperatures today, so I’m going to walk the dog while the walking’s good. His walk yesterday was cut short by a paw that was bothering him. I washed it out and couldn’t find anything, and didn’t walk him last night to let it rest. So I’ll be on alert this morning, and hoping it was a temporary irritation. Hope the sun’s shining in your neck of the woods too!

Oops. Nothing Finished Here.

Jan9

You get a quickie today. No finished objects again. My plans to finish the cowl were foiled by a need to knit some boot cuffs, so that’s what I worked on yesterday. And they would be a finished object if I hadn’t run out of yarn. Last night. When I have only an inch of ribbing left to knit. Sigh.I have nothing else to show partly because I got distracted by playing with my pen collection. There’s a lovely new pen I want to buy but I have too many pens, so I thought I might pick out a few I’m willing to sell. Then I just wanted to admire all my lovely pens. See? Aren’t they pretty?These are the ones I have to keep. And I better not hear anyone say “Another pen? Don’t you have enough already?” because I know you people. You don’t want people to say, “More yarn? Don’t you have enough already?”, right? Right.

No puppy photo today. He’s downstairs eager for his walk, and I’m eager to get him walked so I can get to the yarn store. To buy more yarn. It’s for a certain project, so I’m allowed this time!

What’s On My Needles Today?

Jan8

I don’t have any finished objects to show yet, but it’s close. I did indeed start a new project yesterday, as I said I would, and oh I am in love with it. And I have Ravelry to thank for it. I was browsing patterns the other day (I can’t remember if it was the Top 20 or my highlights or New Patterns) and I saw a photo of this lovely, simple cowl. I clicked on it, saw it was free (awesome!), and then noticed the yarn that Ravelry suggested I use: Malabrigo Worsted. The same Malabrigo I bought at the Yarn Barn recently and wound with plans to knit it soon. Well, that’s fate, isn’t it? I love cowls, I love simple patterns with a twist (literal or figurative), and I love this yarn. I cast on and after three episodes of Grey’s, I have a big chunk completed. Isn’t it beautiful?? I just love the colors in this. As soon as I’m done on this darn computer, I’m retreating to my couch and finishing it. Oh yeah, you might want the pattern, eh? It’s the Clairiere Cowl and it’s an easy 4-row repeat.

I also picked out some yarn for boot cuffs today. The response has been strong and positive, so I’m planning to make several pairs for the craft show season. Here’s what I’ve got to start. That one on top is a dark brown. I’m not sure about that color, since most boots are black or brown. Would you wear brown boot cuffs with brown boots?Finally, here’s my sad puppy from yesterday. Despite his best efforts, he did not get a walk in the sub-zero temperatures, so he was a lazy pup all day long. I promise he will get a walk today. Later. It’s supposed to warm up a bit by this afternoon. Here’s hoping. Really I should be making myself a Polar Vortex hat this morning!

Two Knitted Hats and a Cute Puppy

Jan7

Okay, shhhh, do you hear that? Yes, that! That, my friend, is silence. Something that has been hard to find in the last three weeks. The husband went back to to work on Monday and today the children went back to school. I have enjoyed having them all home with me (for the most part) but we had enough togetherness. Now it is time for the alone-ness. Okay, sure, the puppy is home and soon enough will be pestering me because I don’t want to take him for a walk in 5 degree weather with wind chills of 15 below. But right now he is sleeping and I am listening to just the wind blow outside and it’s delightful.

Right, so, knitting! Yesterday at this time I had two half-finished hats. This morning, I have two completed hats! Once we did our running around, I had nothing to do but knit. Of course, first I had to survive errands with two kids who were tired of each other and me. But we managed to get shoes at Target without ANY unplanned purchases. We went to Joann and left empty-handed because the yarn was all 25% off so I couldn’t use my coupons. I’m telling you, I was strong yesterday! It must have been because I was wearing my new “I Am Strong” necklace. I must wear that every time I go to Target.

Okay, seriously, hats. I am pleased as punch with them. First up, we have a Spring Beret knit in Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk. This yarn was heavenly to knit with: soft but strong. It didn’t slip around while I was doing the lace bits, which was nice. And it’s the prettiest baby blue color, my photos don’t do it justice. I think it will be perfect for those April days when we’re all tired of the brisk wind and eager for the return of warmer temperatures. I used this Spring Beret pattern and followed it exactly (except for when I made mistakes and had to maybe k2tog or m1 to get my stitch counts right) for the less slouchy version.

Secondly, I finished the swirly beanie for the boy. This was the easiest swirl pattern ever, and yet I made so many mistakes. I had to frog back several rows once, and then frog the whole thing and start over. But once I realized I had to work on it alone, it was fine. It’s called Odessa and written to include beads, but of course I left those off. My 11yo son might not appreciate beads. So he got some fantastic Nerd Girl Yarn in the Foxy line. The colorway is called #nofilter and the colors are so bright and vivid. I truly love this yarn and can’t wait to start knitting up more.

It felt good to get those done. I’m down to only 4 WIPs, which of course means I will be starting something new today. Our snow and cold, plus the peace and quiet, means I will be snuggling in with a blanket, yarn, tea, and some Grey’s Anatomy. I expect great progress today. For now, I will leave you with a photo of puppy, Captain Jack. He loves the cold and snow. He wants to smell all the smells and eat all the crunchy things.

Knitted Boot Cuffs

Jan6

How is it already the 6th and I haven’t blogged once yet this year? I don’t know. I just don’t know. All I can say is that the kids have kept me busy. I took the girl out yesterday to spend her gift cards and get some jeans long enough for her long legs, and made her happy by also buying her a black pair of Converse. It’s the little things, you know. While we were out, I spotted this little necklace, and it was well worth the $2 for those days when I need a reminder.Today it’s the boy’s turn for new shoes, so I get to go to Target. I do love Target. Here’s hoping I can restrain myself from buying all the things. Plus I’m going to Joann!

I have been knitting, too, but not nearly as much as I was before Christmas. I had a request for some boot cuffs from a sweet friend, so those went to the top of my list. She’s seen two of them, so I can share those, but the other she hasn’t seen yet so I’ll wait a bit longer.These, I’m proud to say, are my own design. I started with a honeycomb pattern and didn’t like how it was knitting up. I needed to use this gray yarn (Knit Picks Brava Bulky in Silver. Love it.) but didn’t find many good bulky boot cuff patterns. So I just kind of winged it to make this nifty spiral with just knits and purls. You can see the details on Ravelry here. These are a basic boot cuff done in basic cream acrylic. I’d love to link to the pattern but Ravelry’s having issues with it right now. So just search for “Basic Boot Cuff” and you’ll see it. It’s nothing splashy but still cute. Might be cuter with a little button or pin at the top…hmm…I might have to play with that idea in the future.

Now that those are done, I’ve got two hats on my needles that I’m eager to get back to. One’s for the boy and one’s for inventory. I really need to get my butt in gear and start listing more things on Etsy. I got a review for my first sale and it was a fantastic, 5-star review! So exciting! I just need to get the kids back to school so I can focus again. Fingers crossed it happens tomorrow, but with wind chills at 20 below zero, I’m not holding my breath. Maybe Thursday will be my day.

Last Yarn of 2014

Dec31

We spent yesterday out in Lawrence, Kansas, braving the wind to wander around Massachusetts Street. Of course we visited the Dusty Bookshelf and Brits (where the kids drooled over all the Doctor Who stuff for ages) but for me the highlight was the Yarn Barn. I found a few skeins to help me end the year on a high note.

I found a big selection of Malabrigo Worsted and fell in love. The colors are gorgeous, rich and deep, and they make such fabulous combinations. I restrained myself to just two skeins, Intenso and Wales Road. Aren’t they stunning? I also found the Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande. Now, I can get this yarn at my LYS, but I’ve never seen this lovely pink before. And I like it.In the sale section, I found some Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, which is one of my favorite yarns, and there were two shades of green. Alpaca on sale? Who can resist? When I got home, I put them together with these two skeins of purple and my oh my, I think this is beautiful. I have no idea what to make with them, though I’d like it to be something for me. Maybe a shawl? A loose, lacy scarf? Not sure yet, so they’re going on the shelf while I ponder.Tonight I will be knitting up some boot cuffs while I ring in the new year at home with my family. I’m looking ahead to 2015 with great optimism, and I wish you all the same. Happy New Year!

bonnyknits

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