Not Knitting!

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What a twist!

I bet you thought I spent 100% of my time knitting.  I know I sometimes feel like that.  After all, there is so much knitting to do.

But, sometimes even I need a little bit of a break.  Especially when the (super secret) project I’m working on involves a stupid number of cables worked at a slightly-smaller-than-usual gauge that makes my wrists a little sore if I work on it too long.

So, when your hands are getting sore, what do you do when you’re me?  Make a zillion teeny tiny paper cranes.  (That makes sense, right?)I’ve been working on these guys whenever I need a little break for the last year or so.  I picked up a big pack of 1000 little squares of origami paper at the grocery store (why it was at the grocery store- we’ll never know) on a whim, and since then, whenever I’ve had a little down time, I’ve made a handful of cranes.I just finished my 1000th crane (assuming that I didn’t lose any pieces of paper… I haven’t actually counted the finished cranes).   I suppose I should come up with something to do with them, but for now, I’m content with organizing them into rainbows and keeping them in big bowls to look at.Have you been working on anything non-yarn-related lately?

Finished: Sockhead Slouch Hat

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It’s done!  (OK, I actually finished it a little bit ago, but I got distracted and forgot to show you guys.)

And, I couldn’t be more pleased with my brand new Sockhead Slouch Hat.

I will admit, that while knitting it up, I got a little concerned.  A 4-inch brim, plus 9 inches of stockinette?  That’s almost enough knitting to make two regular caps.  I didn’t love how it looked as I worked it up.  I mean, look at it.  It’s so long and awkward.But I’m glad I followed the instructions and worked through to the end.  It goes to show that people who write patterns sometimes know what they’re talking about.

Ta-da!But you can’t really see the lovely floppiness from this angle.  Let me take a picture of the back of my head for you.(It turns out that it’s really hard to take a picture of the back of your own head.  I ended up with about two dozen pictures like this one.)  Here’s a real picture of the the side/back view of the hat:Totally cute, right!?  It’s the perfect level of slouchy.  The Tosh Merino Light is so stinking soft, I never want to take it off.  And, it’s a lovely mid-weight hat; it’s perfect for the damp 50’s weather that Seattle is so famous for.

This pattern definitely gets my seal of approval!  The Sockhead Slouch Hat is one of my new favorite patterns!

(And, if you thought I could get out the camera without taking a picture of Ollie, you were mistaken.)Do you have any new favorite projects?

‘Round and ‘Round

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I love getting a brand-new, squishy skein of yarn as much as the next knitter, but I also used to kind of dread it.  Un-raveling and balling-up a big (often tangled) skein is the absolute pits!  I used to have a whole system that involved two kitchen chairs, about an hour and a lot of swearing.

But then, for Christmas, my husband gave me one of my most favorite new tools!

My umbrella swift!  (I’m not sure which brand/model it is, but google “umbrella swift” and you’ll find a bunch.)

I always kind of wanted one, but never could justify buying one for myself.  After all, I didn’t need it.  I’d use it, if I had one, but not very often.  Also, they’re a little expensive- and I hate spending money.

So all that made this bad boy the perfect Christmas present.

And you know what?  I love it!  It’s the best!  It makes balling up yarn go so fast, and it’s super fun!

I undo the skein, taking off any scrap yarn that was used to keep the strands together, and put the big loop of yarn around the swift.  Then, I take the end of the yarn and attach it to the top of my ball winder, and away we go!  (Ignore the ugly avocado-green end table that I picked up from the side of the road.  It might not be pretty, but it’s very useful.)I get the ball winder spinning, and the swift twirls away, unraveling the skein without a single tangle!  It’s amazing.  This time, I balled 6 skeins of yarn in about 10 minutes.  That would have taken me hours without my umbrella swift!

Do you have a favorite not-technically-necessary-but-really-nice-to-have tool?

Ideas, ideas…

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Every once in a while, I start to run out of ideas.  It happens sometimes, after all, I’ve been writing posts three times a week for the last four years.

So, I’d love to hear your ideas!

Do you have questions about techniques?  Do you want more tutorials?Do you want to see what I’m working on?Are you interested in seeing more new patterns?  If so, what do you like to knit?Is there something else you’d like to see?

Let me know!  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

*Yawn*

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Good morning, everyone.  Did you sleep well?

No?  Me neither.  I don’t now if it’s the springtime pollen in the air, or something I’ve eaten, or that I have something on my mind, but I’ve been having a tough time sleeping the last few days.  Or, I should be more precise, I’m having a tough time getting out of bed in the morning.

All I want to do right now is close all the shades, snuggle back under the covers, and sleep for about three more hours.  Somehow, I don’t think I’m going to be able to do that, what with work, housework, and one small dog that’s really looking forward to going on a walk.

Instead of going back to sleep, let’s look at adorable knit sleep aids, and dream of dreaming.

I always have cold feet, and my current slippers are getting a bit disreputable, so maybe I should knit up a pair of these thrummed slippers to wear before bed, while sipping my Sleepytime Tea.

Cadeautje by Ysolda TeagueThen I could prop myself up with this adorable sheep pillow while I read a chapter or two of my current novel before bed.

Bobble Sheep Pillow in Super Soft Merino by Purl SohoAnd then I’d snuggle under my pile of blankets, and go to sleep.  I can always use one more blanket, and this one looks so soft and pretty, I know I’d get really good sleep under it.

Garter Squish by Stephen WestAll this sleep-talk is making me, well, sleepy.  I’d better go make some coffee *yawn*, or I’ll just end up back… zzzzz…..

“Last Night Allison” Strikes Again

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You all remember the last time Last Night Allison struck.  It wasn’t pretty. I mean, I managed to fix it, but it was touch and go for a while, and way more difficult than I expected it to be.

Unfortunately, Last Night Allison struck again.  But here’s the worst part.  I have no excuse for my bad decisions.  It wasn’t late (actually it was about 3:00 in the afternoon).  I hadn’t been drinking (except a cup of decaffeinated tea).  And, I really should have been paying attention.

I was starting the prototype of a sweater I’m working on.  The pattern begins with (spoiler!) a 1×1 rib for about 2 inches.

This is what I knit:Allison, that’s not a 1×1 rib!  That’s a 2×2 rib!  That’s a 2×2 rib that you worked on for about three hours before realizing your mistake!  (There was swearing.)

So, then, I had to decide, do I rip out the whole thing?  Start over?  Or, do I painstakingly go through with a crochet hook and change half the knits to purls, and half the purls to knits?

I bet you can’t guess what Last Night Allison chose.  (That’s right!  She picked the most fiddly and difficult choice possible.)I ripped each column of stitches out, one by one, carefully picking them back up in the proper orientation.  Which is totally not a super annoying process.  Ha!Amazingly, the fixed ribbing actually looks pretty good- I was afraid it would be a little wonky, but it looks OK.The only problem is I’ve still got well over halfway to go.  I think my “quick fix” is going to end up taking longer than re-knitting the whole thing would have.  Of course, at this point I’ve sunk too much effort into it, so I’m here for the long haul.What would you have done?  Would you have ripped the whole thing and re-knit, or do you have agreed with Last Night Allison?  Or, do you have a magical solution that would have been better than either?

Chuck is Finished!

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Woo Hoo!  I’ve got another finished sweater!

The knitting on this one went like the wind- a combo of a big (ish) gauge, short sleeves, cropped waistline, and my time off work for spring break. I essentially finished this bad boy in a week!

It’s just as cute as I was hoping for (though it is a little itchy.  But, I’m a knitter- I can survive itchy wool).  And, it fits like a glove!

Get ready for some awkward-as-friends pictures!  (I was home alone, and had about 5 minutes to try taking pictures between pouring rain and hail!)  I need some lessons on taking nice pictures of myself wearing sweaters- everyone else on Ravelry seems to get it, but I always end up making myself look like a big goober.  Of course, I am a big goober, so maybe that’s the problem.

Anyway!  Ta-da!The modified collar turned out perfectly, and I love the additional cable down the spine. And, this sweater is surprisingly warm!  That means I can wear my summer dresses in the spring (at least while it isn’t raining).

Have you finished up any projects lately?

Sockhead

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I’m sure you were all waiting with baited breath to find out what I decided to do with my skein of Tosh Merino.

Well, I sat down on Monday night to start knitting, and I thought I was going to make the Annis shawl.  But, then my husband put on an episode of the new MST3K, and I couldn’t focus on casting on all that lace.  So instead I started on a Sockhead Slouch Hat.  I love it so far- It’s a super simple pattern, so it’ll really show off the pretty color of the yarn.  I love how soft the fabric is turning out.  And, I think I’m going to get a lot of use out of it.  It’s not crazy thick and wintery- I’ve got plenty of thick winter hats.  I needed something a little lighter, for breezy spring days.I won’t lie, though, at this small gauge, it’s going to take me a hot minute to finish this hat.  But it’s so simple, it’ll be good TV-watching/coffee-shop-sitting/waiting-for-class-to-start knitting.  In fact, I knit about an inch yesterday morning waiting for my dog to get done with his haircut.

(Do you want to see pictures of him?  Of course you do.)

Before:  Shaggy old wizard dog

After: Teddy bear puppy

Anyway, dog aside, I’m enjoying this hat pattern.  Especially with some of the more *ahem* elaborate patterns I’ve been working on lately, it’s nice to make a super-simple project like this.

Have you been working on anything exciting lately?

A Quickie

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I’ve got a dilemma. OK, it’s not really a dilemma, just a decision I need to make. OK, it’s barely a decision, but I’d like your input.

I’ve finished my Chuck sweater (which went really fast, since I had the week off work).  It’s blocking out right now, and I’ll let you know how it turns out later this week.

My needles are empty (at least for the moment- I have some design work coming up).  I’ve got a little more time to knit for myself, and I’ve got a lovely skein of Tosh Merino Light that’s been looking at me for months.  It’s a gorgeous, dark navy(ish) blue, but it still manages to glow in the sun.  It’s so pretty, I couldn’t manage to get a good picture of it myself, so I’ll use the one from Madeline Tosh’s website.Ooh!  Aah!
So, here’s the question- What can I make with about 400 yards of fingering weight yarn and abut 1 week of time?

My first thought is, of course, socks.  After all, I always think about socks.  I love these socks in particular.  I made a pair of them last fall, but my husband claimed them out from under me.  I would love to make a pair for myself.  But, I think this yarn might be a little too fancy for socks- I don’t think I can get behind hand-wash-only socks.  (I’ll do a lot of things for knitwear, but I won’t do that.)

Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica LuederMy second thought is a shawl/scarf.  It’s been a minute since I knit up lace- I’ve been on a cables kick for the last year or so.  I could knit up a shawl like this one.  I worry about trying to adapt such a lovely shawl to a fingering weight, though.

Annis by Susanna IC

Oh, but you know what I need?  I need a lovely, comfy hat.  (Here I go being a project knitter again.)  Of course, I’ve got plenty of hats, but I could always use another one.  I’ve had short hair for years, but I started buzzing it off a few months ago-  my head is cold and I need a soft, casual, non-super-cold-weather hat.

I think this one might be the one.

Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClureWhat would you make with a skein of special yarn?  What should I make?

Happy Easter!

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Did you just see the Easter Bunny hop by?  Because, I think I did!

And what’s that over there?  Is that a special Easter present just for you?

I think it might be!

(Full disclosure: I don’t really celebrate Easter, but any holiday that involves candy, baby animals, and deviled eggs is all right with me!)

It’s my patterns, the Little Knit Doll, and her Easter Set! These are some of my favorite patterns I’ve made- I mean, look at her!  She’s totally cute! The doll is fully knit, and about 8 inches tall.  In the basic pattern, the Little Knit Doll comes with a simple sun dress and a lot of hair.  And the Easter set includes a cute puffed-sleeve dress, bunny ears, and an adorable little Easter basket.

Usually these patterns are $5 each, but this weekend only, head over to Ravelry and use the coupon code “BUNNY” to get both patterns for free!

Happy Easter!

(Also, this is the first time I’ve tried using coupon codes on Ravelry, so let me know if you’re having trouble!)