Tag Archive | knitting

Knitted Boot Cuffs: Part II

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!

Bring on the Hats (and Headbands)

Dec28

Okay, so if you’ve been following along at all (and Thank You to those who have!!) you know I love to make hats. There are so many variations: color, yarn weight, style, size, decorations. They’re fast to make. They keep people warm and make them look cute. They’re just so darn fun to make. But I don’t wear many hats, so I have to find other homes for them, and my kids can only wear so many.

To go along with that, for the coming year I’ve challenged myself to build my bonny knits business. I want to do more craft shows throughout the year and have inquired about a big one in March. I want to grow the audience on my bonny knits Facebook page. I want to add to my Etsy shop. I’m encouraged on that front because I got my very first Etsy sale this week, and it felt GREAT. I sold my Wonder Woman knitted headband, so now I want/need to get some more unusual headbands up for sale. My head is spinning with ideas: superheroes, minions, TMNT, Doctor Who…all those cool pop culture fandoms. What would you want to see?

I want to improve my photography and show off my pieces with better photos. I’m better than I was a year ago, but I’ve got so far to go. I want to start using models (i.e. my family) and take them outside. If I take it seriously and be professional about every aspect of it, I believe the customers will be more likely to see it as worth the money.

Whoops, got distracted there. My point is, I want to focus mainly on hats. I like them and they sell well. I’ve got a lot of yarn and three books devoted to hats. I think what I’d like to do is pick a book and just work my way through it, making each hat in there. Not only would I end up with a large, varied inventory of hats, but I think I’d end up learning a lot of new techniques too. So watch for that; I think it’ll be a fun new regular feature on my blog starting next year.

Until then, you can look at my two newest hats, one from yesterday and one from the day before. The first is another Super Soft Merino Hat. It was supposed to be for me, but I really think I want one with lavender instead of royal purple, so this will go into my inventory. This is my third from this pattern but the first I’ve made with the size 11 needles (which I got for Christmas) and it came out a bit bigger than expected.Yesterday I pulled out my one and only skein of Noro yarn, a pretty rainbow blend of Kureyon. It’s a hugely popular brand and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I decided to do a spiral hat, choosing this one by Brittany Tyler. It was a fast, easy pattern and I loved watching the different colors emerge as I knit. But I was surprised by the yarn: it’s not really soft at all. It knit wonderfully; the slight stiffness made it easy to work with, and will help it hold its shape for ages. I just don’t think I could wear it, because I have a very low prickle tolerance. For those who like the warmth and look of wool, this is the hat for you! My good-natured son, who has a bigger head than I, was kind enough to model for me. But I think I need to stop posing things in front of the bookshelves. Surely I’m not the only one who gets distracted by looking at the titles in the background?

Today I’ve got a slouchy beanie on my hook. Yes, that’s right, I’m switching it up and making a crochet hat. Don’t worry, I’ll still be making other things, so it won’t be all hats all the time. Just most of the time!

Christmas Presents Unveiled

Dec27

I don’t know about all of you, but I was very tired yesterday. Christmas can wear a person out, what with all the shopping & wrapping & cooking & eating & cleaning & unwrapping & cleaning. But we had a wonderful two days of family time, so it was all worth it. And now that gifts have been given, I can share a few things I couldn’t share before.

The first is the Bumble Hat. He’s the Abominable Snowman from the Rudolph TV special and I found the link on Facebook. I was tempted to make one for myself but ended up making it for my aunt, who commented how much she liked it. I used some fuzzy white yarn from Joann (lost the ball band so I don’t know what it was, but not fun fur) and random acrylic from the stash for the face. He was so fun to make.I made a Jayne hat (from Firefly, I think. Or something like that.) for my sister and I think she liked it. I used Knit Picks Bulky, and the orange wasn’t quite as orange as it should be, but she assured me it was still acceptable. Our mother couldn’t figure out why she would want something like this, or how she could wear it out in public. Some things just can’t be explained.I made the hubby some fingerless gloves. He doesn’t wear gloves often but I figured maybe his hands get cold sometimes, and this way his fingers would be free. By some miracle, they actually fit! The pattern for these is called Maize, by Tin Can Knits, and there’s also a variation for a full mitten. I made them with Plymouth Baby Alpaca.Isn’t he cute? 🙂 You know who else is cute? My girl. I’d knit up another Super Soft Merino Hat for her in pink and gray but I knit it in front of her and told her it was for me. She was quite happy when she opened it Christmas morning. The experience of the boy’s hat did not go so well. I needed a box to wrap it in and in our box of boxes found one a good size. Without thinking, I reused it. The boy pulled off the paper and saw a box for a Doctor Who mug and got all excited, and I had to tell him it was a reused box. There were tears and I felt horrible. But after a few minutes, he recovered and didn’t seem to hold a grudge against the hat. Hmm, anything else? I think that might be all the gifty knitty things that I couldn’t share before. It was lovely because all the things I made were well-received and fit well. And I even managed to finish something new for myself just in time for the holidays: I bound off maybe five minutes before we left the house.That’s the Cupido Cowl knit in Knit Picks Reverie in Wine. I did not enjoy the knitting of it; too much knitting into purls which is not my favorite thing. But I do enjoy the finished project so much. It’s so soft and cozy, and not itchy at all. I have two more balls of the Reverie and I’ll make something else with it, but it’s going to be a very simple pattern next time!

I do hope the holidays went well for the rest of you too. I’m looking ahead to the new year with a lot of hope and optimism, and I’ll be sharing my goals, big and small, with you soon. (hint: there is yarn involved.)

No Willpower = Swirly Knitted Cowl

Dec23

I failed. Those gorgeous skeins of yarn I wound yesterday? The ones that were supposed to be for after the holidays? I couldn’t wait to start playing with them. So I pulled out the Nerd Girl Yarns Foxy in #nofilter and cast on the Later, Gator! cowl. After maybe three hours’ knitting (super fast for me) I had a new cowl, and I love it. I made it with the girl in mind, and it looks lovely on her, but I was kind of sad to let it go. These aren’t colors I wear much, but I like how it turned out so much I kind of wanted to keep it. At least this way I’ll get to see it often, and even borrow it if I want. The blue reminds a bit of TARDIS blue, so I picked a pattern with a bit of wibbly-wobbly swirl to it. And the really cool thing is that this pattern only used around 95 yards, so I’ve still got around 180 yards left! So I’ve cast on a swirly hat, and the boy (also a Whovian) will get first crack at it. Merry Christmas Eve Eve, and happy knitting to all!

This is why I’m not a knitted glove specialist

Dec20

Six months. That’s how long it took me to make this one pair of fingerless gloves. That’s ridiculous. And it might also explain all the problems I had. See, I started these in early July and the first one went quickly and smoothly, like it always does. And then I got bored with the project and put it away, like I always do. A few days ago, I decided to finish them. I pulled out the bag and realized I had actually started the second glove (wonder of wonders); I had about two inches already knitted. No problem, I thought. I pulled the pattern up on my iPad and got to work.It wasn’t until I had all the thumb stitches on waste yarn that I thought to hold it up against the completed glove. I’m glad I did: the second glove was significantly bigger. What the heck had I done? Thank goodness for Ravelry. Because I was using slightly bigger yarn than the pattern called for, I’d modified row counts the first time around. The good news was that I’d made note of my modifications. The bad news was that I had to rip back all the way before the thumb gusset.

I got that done, saved all my tiny stitches, and knit the gusset again, and this time when I measured against the first glove, they matched. Whew! I sped through the next 12 rows, had maybe 4 left, and checked size again…only to discover I’d gone wrong again. I have no idea how I managed it, but again I had too many rows on the second glove. Again I had to rip back, but at least it was only around 6 rows. I finally got the second glove finished and I think they match top to bottom. But a couple of little things don’t match up, like the seed stitch panels on the sides. And I think one thumb might be one row longer than the other.But I’m still quite tickled with them. I like how they’re fraternal twins, not identical. I love the seed stitch portions and the snug fit. And I especially love the lovely little dark green buttons I found to sew onto the sides.I think this is why I continue to knit gloves. Despite all the problems (you have to make two things that match exactly!!) they’re so delightful when they’re done. It’s like childbirth in that way. The end result is so charming that it makes you forget all the pain you endured to get there.

Details, for those who care: The yarn is a mystery yarn that I believe is a DK weight. I used this Seeded Mitts pattern and I do like it. Any problems I had were due to my own inability to count. (Yes, I have a digital row counter. Yes, I used it.) I’ve Raveled them here if you’d like to see my modifications. I’d like to knit them again, but a bit shorter and with the seed stitch panel all the way up the side.

Now, with these silly things done, I’m down to only five WIPs! That’s exciting. I wonder how long it will last…