Mother Bear Project- and update

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If you remember, I spent my holiday season knitting up a bunch of teddy bears for the Mother Bear Project (an amazing organization that sends hand-made teddy bears to children in emerging nations whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS).

I ended up with seven bears, made from super soft leftover yarn, that I sent of to Mother Bear Headquarters in Minnesota.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThen, a few weeks after the holidays, I received a beautiful hand-written thank-you note from the Mother Bear herself.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, included in the note was a stack of little tags to be tied onto more bears.

And you know I can’t say no to a challenge (especially when it’s for such a good cause).

So, in-between design work, sweater knitting, and breaking my keyboard, I’ve made a little time to start up my bear-making machine again.  They’re perfect “in-between projects.”  Small and simple enough to be a pretty quick knit, but interesting enough (with all their color changes), to hold your attention.

I’ve collected all the little half-skeins of yarn of the same type (in this case, I’ve found a bunch of KnitPick’s Wool of the Andes Worsted, leftover from a few sweater projects), and put it in a bag with the right size needles and the pattern.  That way, everything I need will be ready for me whenever I feel the urge to get a little bear-y.

I’ve already made one-and-a-half more bears!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI wonder how many bears I’ll be able to knit like this before the end of the year.

Is anyone else still working on Mother Bears? (If not, you should!  You can get a copy of the pattern here!)

Inspiration: All at Sea

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So! My soda saga keeps going.  I sat down to start prising off the keys from my keyboard (to get the dried soda out from underneath them.  (A task I’ve done on many other laptop keyboards without problems, I might add.  (And don’t give me that look.  Like you’ve never spilled anything on a keyboard.))

And do you know what was the first thing I did?  I broke one of my keys.  I bet you will be able to figure it out- it’s a letter that I haven’t typed in this entire post (other than the pattern names), and it’s a letter that is useful when talking about knitwear.

Hint 1: It’s the first letter of this lovely knit garment- a loose and lovely sweater split down the front (it’s not a pullover, it’s a ________).

caramel by Isabell KraemerP1060509_medium2[1]Hint 2:  This final outerwear layer isn’t a sweater, it’s a big, bulky __________.

Big Old Coat by Joji Locatelli5H2A9740_medium2[1]Hint 3:  And this bright and happy tube of knitting isn’t a shawl or a wrap, it’s a ________.

3 Color Cashmere Cowl by Joji Locatelli003_medium2[1]Did you figure out what letter is missing from my keyboard?  It’s the one that follows B in the alphabet.  It also turns out to be a very useful letter when talking about shades and hues of yarn (_olors) and various knitted garments (_ardigans, _oats, and _owls).  Sigh.

Unfortunately, without this letter, if I work up any of these patterns I won’t be able to write about them on my blog!  Oh no!

(Or, I suppose I might go visit the laptop store and see if they are able to fix my keyboard…  But that would make a lot of sense.  Ugh!)

 

(OK, real talk time.  I’m being a little dramatic. I actually can use the ‘c’ key, but only about half the time. But it is frustrating, because I know exactly what happened (I broke off a tiny little piece of plastic).  And, once I make it to the computer store, I bet they’ll be able to fix it.  Keep your fingers crossed!)

Technical Difficulties

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Bad news folks.  I spilled a soda on my laptop last night.  (I know, dumb.)

The computer’s mostly working again, thanks to my amazing husband, but the keys are crazy sticky (the mechanism underneath, not the part that my fingers touch).   It’s taken me a ridiculous amount of time just to type this.  So, no knitting today, just careful cleaning out laptop keys with q-tips and water.  Ugh.

So, as a consolation, here’s a picture of my dog from when he was little.  So cute!K%20&%20E%20Puppies%20&%20Cali-21-XL

Acrylic & Sweaters (or at least acrylic and my sweater)

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I’m making great headway on my husband’s sweater!  It’s very exciting.  I’ve got the body done, and one sleeve. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe shoulders/sleeve situation looks great, if I say so my self, and I really like the ribbing on the hem and cuff.  (I added a row of purls along the top of the ribbing to make a defined line between the body and the hem.  I think it turned out well!)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABut, I’m pretty sure I messed up.  I the body is maybe 2  inches too short.   And that’s really too much to let slide.   If this was a wool sweater, I’d at least try to block it out a little longer.  And if it was a cotton one, I’d hang it up for a while to see if it would sag down to a more reasonable length.

But, I’m knitting this bad boy in acrylic Brava Worsted, which means that neither of those tricks are really going to work.  (Unless there’s some other secret trick that I don’t know.  Tell me if there is!)

I think my only recourse is to rip out the hem and knit a couple extra inches to the body, then re-knit the ribbing.  Sigh.

But, maybe I’ll just wait for a while before ripping anything out, I don’t know if I have the heart to go to town on this sweater quite yet.

Remember, kids, always measure twice before binding off.   Sigh.

Do you have any tips on blocking acrylic?

Dishcloth Winner!

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It’s drawing day!  I always get so excited for drawing day!  (And I hope you do too!) (And I hope you forgive all the exclamation points!)

So, without further ado, let’s see who wins a beautiful copy of KnitPick’s 52 More Weeks of Dishcloths!32978[1]Drumroll please!

(Here’s where I’d put a picture of the bowl with everyone’s entry slips if I hadn’t forgotten to charge my camera this morning… whoops!)

And the winner is:  Sue!  Congratulations!

Sue, I’ve sent you an email so that you can send me your address and I can get this book in the mail real soon!

Until next time.

(And remember, if you’re not Sue, you can still find all the patterns available for free on the KnitPicks website!)

 

Inspiration: Leap Day

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Happy Leap Day, everyone!

Has Leap Day William visited you yet?  Once every 4 years, he comes from deep in the Mariana’s Trench and brings candy and rhubarb in exchange for children’s tears! (What? That’s just a weird thing that I think about because I watch too much 30 Rock?)db34caa16f10394fd0836c17844e5951Maybe Leap Day is a silly made-up TV holiday, but I’m going to celebrate it.  It’s the one day, every four years when you get magical extra time to do all the things you don’t usually get to do!  After all, “Real life is for March.”

So, in honor of Leap Day and Leap Day William, let’s talk about the blue and yellow projects that I would never normally make!

First off, a dog sweater.  I know some dogs need sweaters, but mine is not one of them (in fact, he has so much fluff that he needs haircuts every two months… it’s ridiculous).   That being said, dogs in sweaters are the cutest/dumbest things in the world.  And, I’m trying really hard not to be that kind of dog owner.  So, Ollie will never get one of these (unless I make an exception).

Dachshund or Small Dog Sweater 2 by Copper Llama Studiodog_sweater_020_medium[1]I also firmly believe that ponchos are dumb (I suppose some people can pull them off, but I am not one of them).  But I will run around the house trailing three blankets from around my shoulders, because that makes more sense, right?  Although, I have to admit that this poncho is actually kind of attractive.  But, no!  I refuse!  No ponchos!

Golden bough/Gyllene grenverk by Ann Linderhjelmponcho2_medium[1]And, of course, I think socks should be comfy, cozy, and above all, practical.  (After all, they’re the things you wear on your feet and stuff into shoes.)  You definitely should never spend weeks and weeks making beautiful cabled brioche socks.  (Uh, oh… I can feel my convictions starting to slip- they’re so pretty and squishy…)

Cushy Cables Brioche Socks by Kirsten HallIMG_3400_medium2[1]And, you know what else?  Vests.  Vests are really stupid.  Why make a whole sweater, and not make the arms?  Don’t your arms get cold?  Mine do.  But, this one looks nice and comfortable, I suppose.  With all those cables?  And those super cute toggles…  Sigh…

Estes Vest by Hana Jason3108957975_2cce62321b_z[1]

Apparently my Strongly Held Beliefs about what I should and should not knit are not so strongly held, after all.  Maybe I’m being moved the spirit of Leap Day?

What’s on your list of “Never-Knits?”  Would you ever make an exception?

(Ooh!  And don’t forget the 52 More Weeks of Dishcloths Giveaway!  You’ve got until Wednesday to enter!)

Husband Sweater Update!

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I’ve been cranking away at the sweater I’m making for my husband, and I’m making good progress!

The shoulders are done and I love the seed stitch and reverse stockinette, though they look a little narrow, but they should stretch out with wear/blocking.  I have to trust the pattern- Ann Budd hasn’t let me down before.  And, I’m almost to the bottom of the hem!  Just an inch or two more, and it’s on to the sleeves.

I’m really pleased with how the yoke and neckline have turned out.  I really wanted to make a Henley sweater for my husband.  I think Henley are very flattering, and fall nicely in-between a fancy-pants cardigan and comfy-casual pullover.  Also, we all know how much I like buttons.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo, I started the sweater following Ann Budd’s instructions for a cardigan leaving off 2 stitches from the mid-line on each side to accommodate the extra width of the button band.  I joined up the underarms and worked back and forth for a few inches.  Then, I began to work the sweater in the round, casting on 4 stitches at the center to get the full stitch count.

I kind of improvised the button band (do you know how lovely and relaxing this sweater has been?  I haven’t had to take one note the whole time!  And I only have to knit it in a single size!  Delightful!).  I picked up and knit stitches on either side for the button bands, working a 2×2 rib, and making “k2tog, yo, yo, k2tog” button holes on the left side (I had to check with my husband’s shirts- I can never remember which side buttons go on!).  After binding off each side, I picked up and knit the neckband, which went from the edge of one button band to the other.  I worked the neck in a 2×2 rib, too (except the ends, where I knit 3.  That’s a trick I picked up from an old knitting book to compensate for the curling that inevitably happens at the edge of your knitting) and worked a final button hole in line with the others I worked on the left side.

Then, I  sewed the bottom ends of the button bands into place, overlapping them and trying to make them as flush with the body of the sweater as possible.

I’m very pleased with how it’s turning out!  Now I just have to make the rest of the body, the sleeves, and pick out the buttons.  Almost done… right?

Oh!  And don’t forget to sign up for the 52 More Weeks of Dishcloths giveaway!

Dishcloth Mania!

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I got a lovely surprise in the mail the other day!  Apparently KnitPicks made a beautiful book of all the 52 Weeks of Dishcloths patterns that they published for free all last year.  32978[1]The book is filled to the brim with literally dozens of patterns for beautiful dishcloths.  Some are simple and classy (Checks and Eyelets Facecloth):55829220[1]Some are silly and fun (Pumpking Dishcloth):55834220[2]And everything in-between.

I’ve even got three patterns included in the book, the Maritime Dishcloth:55807220[1]The Pinwheel Dishcloth:55826220[2]And, the Snowbank Spa Cloth (It’s a “spa cloth” because I like alliteration.  You could totally use it as a dishcloth):55831220[1]I’ve got an extra copy of the book , so let’s do a giveaway (I love doing giveaways!  They’re the best!).  To enter, respond below with your favorite dishcloth from the collection!  I’ll pick a winner some time next week.

And, if you don’t win, or if you’re too impatient to wait until your copy of the book arrives, all the dishcloth patterns are available here for free!

Emergency!

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I’ve had a streak of bad luck lately, or at least a streak of poor planning.  It seems that every time I leave the house to go somewhere I end up with a ridiculous amount of  downtime (meeting up with a friend who’s late for coffee, sitting in a waiting room, or just getting to work early).  And even worse, I haven’t been able to use that time for knitting.

I know!  The horror!

Either I forget my knitting bag altogether, or I run out of yarn, or I left by pattern book on the coffee table at home. It’s very frustrating, because as a knitter, time not spent working on a project is wasted time.  And I hate wasting time.

So, I’ve decided to make myself an Emergency Knitting Kit to put in the glove-box of the car.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOK, it’s just a little project bag and the half-finished socks I started a couple months ago, but it’ll still work.  Socks are perfect for this- simple, easy to do a row or two and put down, and small enough to be stashed in my car.

I know it’s silly, but I’ll definitely feel better knowing that I always have knitting ready and waiting.

Do you have Emergency Knitting?

A New Sweater On My Needles

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It’s time for a new sweater!  This one’s for my husband, and I’m not going to make it into a pattern or anything (which feels oddly luxurious- I guess I’ve been writing a too many patterns).

I actually ordered the yarn back in the fall, when the plan was to knit this sweater as a Christmas present.  Of course, things happened, and I ran out of time.  Isn’t that the way it goes?

Anyway, I ordered a bunch of skeins of KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Cobblestone Heather in their last big sale.

25697[1] Now, this is a 100% acrylic yarn, which is not something that I would normally use to make a sweater.  But my husband picked it out.  He tends to run warm, and Seattle basically never gets below 40 degrees, so he refuses to wear anything with wool.   (OK, maybe I’m being dramatic. But the point still stands, he won’t wear wool.)

Brava seems like a decent alternative to wool.  It’s nice and soft and squishy, and actually has a bit of wool-like spring.  Unfortunately, it has a bit of that “acrylic sheen” to it, so I think it looks a little cheap- but that’s probably something that only a knitter would notice.

I’m thinking of doing either a crew-neck or a heneley sweater, top down (because I love me a good top-down sweater.  Seriously, if you’re even thinking of improvising your own sweater, try Ann Budd’s book Top-Down Sweaters.  It’s the best!).

I want to keep the sweater fairly plain (because that’s what my husband likes), stockinette, but featuring some subtle texture across the shoulders and chest.  Something like this:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe top portion is a simple moss stitch, which I think would look good across the top part of a men’s sweater.  The bottom is just stockinette (so I can measure gauge).  In between, I tried a couple things to figure out the transition.  On the right, I just went straight from moss stitch to stockinette, and on the left, I added a couple rows of reverse stockinette.  I think I like the reverse stockinette stripe, I think it would add structure and a bit more visual interest to the sweater.

But I have a little time to figure it out before I get down to the transition point.

What do you think?