Pro Tips

Good natural light can be hard to catch at Chez Strategos. So, I usually chasing it down in the yard with my camera and a handy sheet of foam board in tow. Sometimes I’m on the front porch. Sometimes the driveway. Never in the grass though since all the bugs have to have their 15 minutes of fame. These are all my fallback options though since the best light is usually on the far corner of the back porch. The foam board goes catty-corner on the railing and I get to shooting.  This generally goes off without a hitch. Until today.    

Today, I was plying some yarn and documenting the process. I had my ball of singles, a bowl to hold said ball, my spindle, a sheet of foam board, and the camera. Everything is going well. My spindle is filling up with luscious, freshly plied yarn and I was getting photos of the entire process. I took a photo and put down the camera on some freed singles. Then I start plying again. Ever so briefly I wondered what the singles were caught on before I looked down to see them helping the camera over the edge. 

I dropped the spindle to grab the camera.

Saved the camera but bumped into the board. 

The board and everything starts going over the side.

Grabbed the bowl.

Grabbed the board.

Grabbed the camera again. 

Lost the singles over the 10’ side.

Learn from my mistakes people. Wear the blasted camera from a strap around your neck. Also, photograph on the edge only as a last resort. These are your Pro Tips for the day.

Howlcat

The versatility of a knitted tube and the creativity of the people designing them never fails to amaze me. Add heels and a toe and it’s a sock. Add in a few crown decreases and it’s a hat. Join one tube to two other tubes and it’s a sweater. Or just a tube. It can be a mug cosy, a pair of fingerless gloves, leg warmers, a pencil grip, or a pillow. I could go on but then I’d have to break out the bullet points. In this case, the humble tube of knitting is a Howlcat which is both a hat and a cowl by Alex Tinsley.

Pattern: Howlcat by Alex Tinsley of Dull Roar

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish (Dark Navy) and Knit Picks Stroll (Pumpkin)

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm)

Dates: February 6 - 20, 2012

@Ravelry

This bit of knitting is for the Bearded One who, when I asked if he wanted a scarf or a cowl, said both.  I fiddled around with designing a cowl pattern to match his favorite hat but no luck. I am having better luck with the scarf though. Anyway, at one fateful knit night, someone reminded me of this pattern and the cowl dilemma was solved. The knitting was simple, good for running about town, and great for when I wanted to knit without thinking. 

It’s been a big hit too. Warm, cosy, and infinitely wearable. The following are Bearded One approved ways to wear the Howlcat.

As a hat with a twist and the bottom layer folded over.

As a cowl with one color folded over scrunched up.

A hungry, hungry stocking cap.

Like a sir.

When he annoys me.

20 Minutes

People, I have been spinning. At least 20 minutes everyday since the Monday before last and today is Day 11. I haven’t spun with a project in mind or even a plan but I do have a purpose. 

Practice. Learn. Just make yarn.

I’m not worrying about what to make with it or about the yardage I’m adding to my stash on a daily basis. Seriously, I haven’t even decided if I’m going to ply any of it or keep it as singles. I’m just spinning to spin. Building up a little muscle memory doesn’t hurt either.

Can I just say how powerful it is to do something everyday? It hasn’t even been two weeks and my spinning is more consistent and more comfortable. I can set the spindle turning and start drafting fiber. I don’t have to “park and draft” anymore. It was an amazing moment when that switch flipped over in my brain and it still is. I have more rhythm drafting and I’m not always fighting the twist. Less than two weeks and I’ve leveled up. It’s awesome. Makes me want to throw a daily 20 minutes at a few other things I’ve been meaning to get back to. Sketchbook and kettle bells, I’m looking at you. 

So, pick 20 minutes a day to spin, to draw, to knit, to write, to practice, to meditate, to workout even. Do something you’ve always wanted to try or something you want to get back to. Pretty soon, you’ll level up too and you won’t regret it. 

Speedline

The first knit of 2012 has long been finished but never blogged. Let’s just say that it went through an extensive and rigorous testing period. Passed with flying colors too.

Pattern: Speedline by Alexandra Tinsley

Yarn: Madelinetosh Vintage: Silver Fox (~2 skeins) and Candlewick (~1 skein) 

Needles: US 6 (4 mm) circulars

Final Size: 66” x 23”

January 2 - 16, 2012

@Ravelry

Testing approved modes of wear include: wrapped up like a cowl under a jacket/hoodie, pulled up over your nose when the wind is biting, and worn like a giant bandana with the tips tucked under. That last one is my personal favorite since it keeps me cosy and shows off my handiwork at the same time.

Cast on 400 stitches using 2 different yarns and you’d want to show off your handiwork too. Plus, it does make a lovely edge detail. My main modification was to just keep knitting in pattern since I had a lot of yarn left when over when it came time to bind off. The widest grey stripe had 18 rows or 9 repeats. My detailed notes on the subject say I had 86 stitches on the last grey row. Then it was just repeating rows 2 and 3 until I had 4 stitches left. Bind off. 4 stitches are a lot more manageable than 400. 

There was other result of the testing which I should feel I should warn you about. People will want it. My very own mother said she would make off with it at her earliest opportunity. Gotta keep my guard up. 

The Creative Spark

On the second Saturday of most every month, I head over to the Greater Birmingham Fiber Guild for our regular meetings. I know I’ve said it before and I probably will again but I love getting together with people who share this passion for fiber and art and knitting and making. It sets off this happy little creative spark in my brain. Plus, it’s just fun.

At this month’s meeting, we had a visit from the lovely Gale Evans of Gale’s Art and her also lovely fiber. The topic was fiber and handspun yarn. What can you use it for? Anything. What’s the best fiber to learn to spin with? Blue Faced Leicester was a favorite. How many yards can you get from 4 oz. of fiber? It depends on the weight and the spinner.

Along with the usual knitting in public component of the meetings, people also brought their wheels and were happily spinning along. There goes that creative spark.  

Besides from a variety of different wools, alpaca, and blends, Gale also brought a colorful bunch of silk hankies. I’d heard of silk hankies before and the fact that can actually knit straight from them but I didn’t give it much thought at the time. Just filed it away in my brain for later. It wasn’t until Gale demonstrated how to pull them apart, stretch them out, and cast on that my eyes got all big and round. Creative spark number two. 

Of course, I couldn’t leave without picking up a few supplies. How could I resist the silk, the colors, and a name like ‘Velvet Elvis’?

Next month’s meeting is going to focus on spinning yarn with a spindle and I am so excited. I’ve been meaning to get back to my spinning for months and this is just the push I needed. I’ve already started practicing. Creative spark number three.

Hexipuff Complete

The Puff of Puffs @Ravelry

The Hexipuff is making all the other pillows on my couch feel inadequate. It’s 16” tall and 22” at the widest point. It used almost 6 balls of yarn or 190 yds, an entire bag of stuffing, and almost 3/4 a yard of black cotton for the form. It is the undisputed pillow king of the couch, at least, until I give it to my mom. Honestly, it’ll rule that couch too with an iron fist. 

Want to know the secret behind a giant and proportional hexipuff? The necessary evil known as swatching. You’ll need the yarn and needles you’ll be using as well as a scale. Also, the following numbers and modifications are in no way meant to be a replacement for the original Beekeeper’s Quilt by Stephanie Dosen of Tiny Owl Knits. Buy the pattern, use it, and you might even want to make a whole flock of tiny hexipuffs.

Cast on the same number of stitches and in the same way as a regular puff. Then, just knit a tube for a few inches to make the math easy. If your swatch is 20 stitches around, has a gauge of 5 rows to an inch, and is 3” long, your equation should look like this:

20 stitches x 5 rows x 3”= 300 stitches

Next measure how many grams of yarn are in the swatch with the scale. In this example, let’s say 5g. 

300 stitches / 5g = 60 stitches per gram

So, for every gram of yarn, you can knit 60 stitches. Let’s say you have 2 50g balls to make your puff. 

(2 x 50g) x 60 stitches = 6,000 stitches

This means that the total number of stitches in your puff is 6,000. Any more than that and you’ll run out of yarn. Now, you can figure out how many stitches to cast on and much to increase before decreasing. The original puff has twice the number of stitches at its widest point than at the cast on. 

Since the puff is symmetrical you only have to figure out how much to cast on and number of increases to use up half the number of stitches, 3,000 in this case. I wish I had a handy formula I could just plug numbers into for this next step, but it’s all trial and error. And on a spreadsheet.

Take a reasonable guess about how many stitches to cast on (62) and keep adding 4 until the number is twice the cast on (124). Multiply every number of stitches per row by 2 and sum the results. The answer, 2964 stitches, is almost 3000 stitches so you would cast on 62 and increase until you have 124.

Let the knitting begin! Don’t let the sheer number of stitches put you off of a puff or knitting in general. Just enjoy the process and the awesomeness that is a giant puff. Plus, you can use this method for more than just hexipuffs. Whenever you need to figure out how much yarn you’ll need for a project, you can follow the same basis steps.

When I first started this project, hand sewing a pillow form wasn’t even on the radar. Just knit and stuff and graft and gift it away. Easy peasy. As the pillow got bigger, however, a form seemed much more necessary. It added few more steps and time to the process but it’s totally worth it. I picked up 3/4 of a yard of black, cotton homespun and spent part of an afternoon cutting and sewing it up.

Over the past few days, The Bearded One, Shadow and I have put the puff through some rigorous testing. It’s still firm, has kept it’s shape, and isn’t leaking any stuffing. Pillow forms are officially win. Also, it’s so much easier to graft stitches together when you aren’t pushing stuffing out of the way every 5 seconds.

I know I said I was only going to make just one puff. Just one puff to rule them all. Now, I think I have to make two. They can duel for supremacy when I’m done.

Ah, still makes a nice hat.

Puff Phase 3

The Giant Hexipuff continues to hold power over me. Friday night, I stayed up late to finish the decreases. Saturday morning, the puff had a luxurious bath while I assembled my blocking tool kit: pins, blocking wires, a yard stick, and a sheet of pink insulation sheathing.

Saturday afternoon, the puff came out of the bath and moved to the sheathing which has more than made up for the aggravation it took to get home.* Blocking wires made the whole process really easy. I just poked a wire from one corner to the next and let it pull the edges straight from the inside. Adjusting angles and measurements was a piece of cake. Plus, none of those annoying points from using just pins.

Sunday, the puff dried.

Monday, I made a pillow form which I’d never done before. Flew by the seat of my pants for the whole thing too. After I unpinned the puff and removed the wires, I pinned it back down on top of 3/4 of a yard of black cotton. I completely eyeballed the cutting of a half inch seem allowance. Unpinned everything again and re-pinned the fabric together to roughly mark where the seams should go.

Wonky hand stitching go!

Stitching the entire form didn’t actually take as long as I thought it would. I was imaging the process taking place over a few days. Probably didn’t even take an hour. I even flipped it inside out, put it in the puff, and started stuffing it. If only I hadn’t run out of stuffing halfway through. Retrieving more stuffing will have to be Phase 3, I guess. 

If you decide to follow in my footsteps, this last step is entirely optional. When you’re ready to start sewing, move half your work to a table in another room. Return and find a cat requisitioning the rest of it. Like I said, entirely optional.

*Back when it was time to block my Hemlock blanket, I had to find something big enough to pin it out on. The sheer number of blocking boards required were a bit out of my budget. That’s when giant sheets of foam insulation came to mind. The next day I was hauling two 4” x 8” sheets of the stuff out to my car in a Home Depot parking lot. Not that they even remotely fit in my car. So, on a 90˚ day in the middle of summer, I’m slicing giant sheets of foam into quarters and trying not to stew in my own juices. Still, the heat wasn’t as bad as the high-pitched ‘nails on a chalkboard’ sound that came from dragging a knife through foam. Just thinking about that sound makes my head hurt. 

Hexipuff

I came across the The Beekeeper’s Quilt and the tiny little hexipuffs while searching for the perfect project to use up 20 yards of bulky weight yarn. Still looking for suggestions by the way. I don’t know how long I looked at mods people made to the puffs - fair isle patterns, Star Trek uniforms, Nintendo characters, flowers, animals, etc. What really intrigued me though were the puffs that people made into giant pillows and I just had to make one.

In the perilous depths of what I like to refer to as The Deep Stash, I had two balls of Lion Brand Fettucini. They were a gift and I had no idea what to do with them...until now. I would snag the two other balls that my mom had to a make a giant pillow. Plan in hand, I cast on and happily used up two balls of yarn. Turns out, Mom had, not two balls or even three, but four balls worth. Too much yarn* and too many increases for the puff to be proportional and shapely. I did the only thing I could do - ripped out and did some math. Also, there was swatching. With the help of a friendly spreadsheet, I figured out how many stitches I could get out of one ball and multiplied that by six. The next step was determining how many stitches were in an ordinary hexipuff and how many stitches would be in a hexipuff if I cast on 40 stitches, or 50, or even 60. 50 turned out to be the magic number and I cast on once again.

More than 3 skeins later, here’s what I have: a Giant! There are still 2.5 balls to go and I’m a long way from 50 stitches but the decrease rounds give me hope. 

Here’s Shadow for scale. He only looks mostly put upon by the whole thing.

And here’s me wearing the hexipuff as a giant, oversized hat. 

Note to self: make a giant, oversized hat/hood for next winter.

*First world problem, I know. 

Potential

Yarn. It should come as no surprise that I have it. Lots of it in fact. I track its acquisition and usage on Ravelry and in a giant, handy spreadsheet. I photograph it. I pet it. Hell, I even sniff it. There’s nothing like yarn fumes to start off knit night. Of course, I knit with it too. 

When I look at yarn I see a pair of socks, or a blanket, or a hat, or a scarf that can change someone’s day. Sometimes, I just see yarn and that’s okay because I can still see its potential. Yarn will become anything you or I put our minds to making. This is why I can’t get rid of leftovers. I might have only have a yard or even 10 or 20 but I know it has potential. That it can still be used and made into something new. I can’t just throw it away. That’s why I snapped these balls up at Knit Night from a friend that was getting rid of them. They have potential even if I don’t quite know what it is.

I have a few ideas though.

• Winter Leaves by Leethal because leaves are awesome.
• Buttony Chevron Cuff also by Leethal because chevrons enthrall me.
• A random hexipuff from The Beekeeper’s Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits because they’re just cute.

Any suggestions? What would you make with 20 yards of bulky yarn?

In The Works

Today I was the strange neighbor. The one that you watch through a slit in the blinds and wonder just what the hell they’re doing on the back porch. The answer, my friends, if photographing knitting. Lots and lots of knitting. I’ve got stuff in the works after all. 

This bit of the work in progress is a Howlcat (@Ravelry) for the Bearded One. Yes, that is orange and navy blue.* It’s been my travel knitting of late and I’m rather enjoying the process. First, it was a bunch of ribbing and now it’s a bunch of stockinette. Just stitch, after stitch, after stitch. Nothing mind blowing or extravagant but amazing and happy all the same. Isn’t it great how one stitch builds on another to make something larger than itself?

*War Eagle!

Did you hear something?

Maybe it was the wind in the trees or a squirrel walking across the roof. Or, the most likely possibility, ninjas.

See? Ninjas. I knew it was ninjas. They’re everywhere. You just can’t see them most of the time. 

Pattern: Wasabi the Gregarious Pug by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: A mix of Patons Kroy Sock 4-Ply and Knit Picks Stroll

Full details @Ravelry

Silliness aside, I made these as gifts and, as far as I’m concerned, they are the pièce de résistance of 2011’s Christmas knitting. The idea to turn a dog and a llama (technically, the pattern is for an alpaca but close enough) into ninjas was really fun right off the bat. I only laughed maniacally most of the time. It wasn’t all roses though. They took a lot longer to knit then I thought they would. Plus, besides from the knitting, stuffing, sewing, and faces both of them have round braid kumihimo belts and katanas made from pipe cleaners covered with i-cord. For future reference, making braids out of sock yarn will take way longer than you think. 

Pattern: Zeke the Aloof Alpaca also by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: Also a mix of Patons Kroy Sock 4-Ply and Knit Picks Stroll

Full details also @Ravelry

Making a llama into a ninja was pretty cool but figuring out how to make a removable emo coif (after this first style) was even better. A few steps:

1. Once you have knit enough of said llama’s (or some other creature’s) head, insert a small, yet powerful magnet inside and hold it in place with another magnet on the outside. You might have to adjust them a bit before stuffing but they’ll stay in place once the llama has stuffing for brains.
2. Embroider the face with the magnets still holding on to each other.
3. Remove the outside magnet and knit a case for it. I cast on with Judy’s Magic Cast On, knit and increased in the round. When it was big enough I started decreasing and then pulled the yarn through the remaining stitches. If the magnets are strong enough they should hold through 2 layers of knitting. 
4. Cut lots of 6” strands of yarn for the hair. You’re going to need them.
5. Thread a needle with both ends of a stand and push it part way through a stitch on the case to make a loop. Pull the ends through the loop. Repeat until your llama has a nice, full coif. 
6. Give it a trim and appreciate the awesomeness. 

While I was making these, I was a bit nervous about how they’d be received. Shouldn’t have worried though since they were a big hit. Does a knitter’s heart good. 

The Lacy One

Before 2012 gets any further along, here’s something else I knit as a Christmas present. It’s another Baktus but lacy. Not quite as addictive as the first but still great and a fun knit. We haven’t had much of a winter this year so I don’t know how useful it’s been. Seriously, plants are blooming and I keep hearing tree frogs at night. Someone needs to tell them it’s January.

Pattern: Lacy Baktus by Terhi Montonen

Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Fingering Silk 55 in Mardi Gras

Full details @Ravelry

Protest SOPA

I could write a few lines about how much I love the internet and much I think SOPA /PIPA will f**k everything up but I think this video does a better job of it than I.

americancensorship.org

Deux Hats

Not long ago, I would never have written this post. Never. It’s not offensive or a rant or even remotely political. It’s just not from the now. I’ve made so many things and never posted them because they just seemed old by the time I got around to writing about them. Like my Damson shawl which I wear all the time. Or my extra giant Daybreak that I worked on while sitting out on the swing with a fluffy, black cat for company. Is there any merit at all to this way of thinking? I don’t know anymore. So, before December 2011 recedes any further from our minds, here’s some hats I made.

Mairead by Tara-Marie Phillips of Shipwrecks & Bravery

Full details @ravelry

Don’t let my picture fool you, this is a pretty awesome hat. Pretty fun to knit too since the lace panel adds just enough spice to keep the stockinette interesting. I might even make it again too which is high praise since I rarely knit anything twice. Besides from socks that is. This hat was also the first bit of Christmas knitting which started way back in July.*

Torunn by Tron Anfinnsen from Hat Heads

Full mods @ravelry

Speaking of knitting things twice, this is the second time I’ve made this hat. Kind of. Technically, this is the second time I’ve used this chart but the first time I used it on a slouchy hat. The “pattern” is over in my ravelry notes if you want to make a slouchy, fair isle hat too. Anyway, the chart is great and, eventually, I’ll make myself something that uses it. Hat Heads, the source for said chart, in general is also a pretty cool and inspiring book. Makes me want to knit all sorts of fair isle hats. Check it out.

Have I beaten my proclivity towards hiding away the “old” stuff? Probably not but I’m trying. After all, I’ve still got a few more things to show you. 

*See what I mean about old? I made it and have been keeping it to myself for 5 months. My brain keeps telling me that if I didn’t do it within the last week, it isn’t interesting anymore. I keep telling it to shut up.

2012

It’s now 5 days into 2012 and I’ve managed to successfully write 2012 on everything requiring a date. Except for that last form but it did become a very exuberant ’12 afterward. I’m still easing into the whole idea of 2012 and trying to get myself running at full speed. Maybe it’s all this talk of resolutions or those to-do lists I write every day that are only half done but I feel like I should have already accomplished so much in the past 4.5 days. My goals should be reached. My to-do lists all done. Instead, I feel woefully unprepared. Feh.

Thankfully, my goal for this year doesn’t revolve around 24-hour productivity. It isn’t a manifesto and it isn’t even a list. It’s one sentence: 

Get out there. 

No more hiding. No more worrying. No more wussing out. Just get out there and do stuff. I think this is going to be a great year.

Besides from that whole ‘I should have 20 million things done by now’ feeling, 2012 was been pretty awesome. I spent New Year’s Day with the Bearded One and a few friends and had a good time doing as little as possible. January 2nd, I decided to kick off my knitting year with a bang and cast on for a brand new scarf/shawl thing: Speedline by Alexandra Tinsley of dull-roar.com.

That’s 2 rows of about 400 sts each in Tosh DK (Silver Fox and Candlewick for the curious among you). I love how dramatic the two color long tail cast on comes out. I’m also kicking myself for not thinking of it before. Anyway, 400 stitches. One row takes a long time and it hardly seems like I have anything to show for it; however, one row builds on another and I’m making steady, if slow, progress. In the end, I’ll have a great shawl (scarf?) that I’ll enjoy wearing all the more because of how effort I put in to it. This is a lesson I need to work into the rest of endeavors.

Any New Year’s goals on your side? I’d love to hear about them. Manifestos and lists welcome.

The Other Side

I’ve spent the last few days trying to finish up just a few more projects so I can start 2012 with a clean slate. This has only really worked with the last of the cookie dough.

Normally, this would be the time to show off some artfully arranged photo with cookies stacked on top of each other or neatly arranged near a hot, tasty beverage; however, I just didn’t feel like it. Also, they were too tasty to sit around that long. We were woofing these things down as soon as they were cool enough to not burn away our palettes. 

The recipe: Gingersnaps from the Smitten Kitchen. I first saw this recipe in November and immediately put it on the list for Christmas making. The dough eventually becomes four dozen cookies so I just baked half to take to various holiday gatherings. The second batch I made yesterday didn’t last the afternoon. Somehow, I can see these cookies becoming a regular occurrence around here which is the greatest recommendation I can give. The Bearded One concurs.

Christmas has been good to us this year. Lots of food, friends, family, and happy times. There was one last bit of knitting on Christmas Eve but making a tiny stocking hat before bed was just fun instead of frenetic. 

Shadow got a ball of catnip and a new bed (which he has since ignored) for Christmas. Also, all the boxes he could stand to sleep in. Hilarity ensued. Didn’t take him long to get back to his normal self though.

Thanks for reading and sticking around through 2011! I’ll see you in 2012.

Le Pom-Pom

A few nights ago I was feeling a bit like a grump but the feeling has mostly passed and I’ve returned to the whole Christmas thing. The latest Adventures of Superhero Girl sums up my feelings on the matter pretty well. Anyway, presents have been wrapped. Plans have been made to bake cookies. Christmas music, though, still isn’t going to happen. I can only listen to Bing Crosby sing “Frosty the Snowman” so many times before my right eyebrow starts twitching.

The whole Christmas Grump unfortunately didn’t just start two night. It’s been around at least since the start of December and is probably the reason my gift knitting is done. Just didn’t feel like burning that last drop of midnight oil to knit something for everyone on my list. Blasphemy, I know. My love of yarn is still eternal though. It just made a brief layover for pom-pom’s.

Pom-pom’s may be questionable additions to clothing but make excellent ornaments 100% of the time. Way back in November I saw the Clover pom-pom maker at work and was quite intrigued. After buying a set, I dug out all of my leftovers to have a bit of fun. Makes me glad I  don’t get rid scraps and odd grams of yarn even if I don’t particularly like it or know what to do with it at the time.

It took me a while to wind a few dozen grams of sock yarn onto the arms but the end result is worth it. Plus, who knew purposely cutting yarn could be so much fun. It’s almost as fun as fluffing the giant ball of wool that comes out of that thing.

Another fun thing about pom-poms, they’re pretty easy to play with. I turned this one into an apple without any trouble at all. I just slipped the loop through an eyelet and pulled it into place. FYI, the leaf is from the ever so handy Winter Leaves pattern by Lee Meredith. 

Before I go, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Skip the stress and the have a some fun instead. I’ll see you on the other side.

Pattern: Chevron Bookmark

I’ve made an executive decision: all that pesky, Christmas knitting is done, done, DONE. The week before last was filled with late nights, little sleep, a lot of last minute knitting, and a few triumphs. On Thursday night, I cast for a balaclava, finished knitting it in the car on Friday, wove in the ends in the parking lot, and dropped it in a bag seconds before the party started. I call that a win. After the party, the knitting continued since I had another party to go to the next day. This gift I managed to finish and wrap before I left the house. 

Anyway, in January of this year, I joined the local fiber guild. We meet up once a month and talk knitting/spinning/weaving/crochet and whatever else we feel like gabbing about. There are workshops, demos, and field trips. It’s definitely worth the membership fee. I haven’t been able to go the last few months and I’ve really missed it so I leapt at the chance to go to the Holiday potluck last weekend. Said potluck involves a little gift exchange and this year’s theme was bookmarks. Just because I can’t do anything the easy way, I had to come up with my own pattern and, of course, wait until the day before to cast on between balaclava rows. 

The pattern itself is only two rows, easy to remember, takes only a few scraps of fingering weight yarn, and almost seems to knit itself. Perfect for those last minute deadlines that make your eyebrows twitch. I know mine were.

Chevron Bookmark

Supplies:

• 2.75 mm needles
• 6 g total of Fingering weight yarn in 2 colors
• Shown in Knit Picks Palette - Mochi (A) and Clover (B) 

With the long tail cast on, make 21 stitches using color A

1. knit 1, k2tog, knit 7, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 7, ssk, k1
2. Switch to color B and knit across
3. knit 1, k2tog, knit 7, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit 7, ssk, k1

Switching colors every 2 rows, repeat rows 2 and 3 until the bookmark is 7” or desired length. Knit 1 more row with same color and bind off.

*

With the exception of knit night and knitting socks while standing in line, knitting is a rather solitary affair for me. I am alone with my yarn, my needles, and my own thoughts. So, enjoying the potluck, and realizing that I was surrounded by dozens of people who share a passion for yarn, and textiles, and making was an amazing experience. Just makes this bookmark all the more special.

Minty Fresh

I was going to start this off with a nice, little anecdote about feeling comfortable and on schedule with all the Christmas knitting before coming to realize that this was impossible. Instead, I’ll give you the knitty gritty. I think about this space a lot and about writing for this space a lot. I think up cool stuff, knit awesome things, and go on interesting adventures. I write out outlines in my head about this cool stuff/awesome knitting/interesting adventures with the intent of fleshing it out on the computer screen. Then, for whatever reason, I say I’ll do it tomorrow. Then the day after that. And so on. Eventually, a whole month goes by between posts. It’s embarrassing. 

When even my dear Bearded One says I should write a post, I know it’s been a long time.  Just for the record he said that last week. It wasn’t until last night when I felt suddenly and completely motivated to do something right NOW that I finally got off my butt and got moving. The house is clean, the dishes are done, the podcasts are all caught up, and the gift knitting is a little closer to completion(but not really). With all these things ticked off my to-do list, writing a post tonight and not tomorrow sounded like a great idea.

Way, way back in January at the year’s first fiber guild meeting, I volunteered to knit a few hats  for the guild’s Chemo Cap Project. I bought some yarn, looked at potential patterns, and put it all aside to knit later when the yarn wasn’t sticking to my hands. Later, turned out to be November when I remembered I only had one month to finish 6 chemo hats, 11 preemie hats, and all that gift knitting I had planned. Why do I do this to myself every year?

Enter Minty, a free pattern by Erica Jackofsky in the First Fall 2010 issue of Knitty. This hat caught my eye way back then and I added it to my queue to let it simmer for later. One year later on a night before I headed off for a weekend in Atlanta, it was ready. The pattern was simple enough to knit during the last episodes of Star Trek: TNG but interesting enough to keep me occupied through Atlanta traffic. With a striped and solid version, two different crown options, and the ability to squish everything up, there was room for variation and play. Plus, stripes are just fun and so was the little bit of color work at the top.

I ended up knitting all the hats as written...mostly. For the peppermint version, I just cast on with color B and kept going. Also, six combined feet of i-cord just wasn’t going to happen but a round kumihimo braid would. Hat #3 was an exercise in trying to use up as much yarn as possible so I followed the Minty Blue version and just switched colors when I ran out of yarn. I wasn’t entirely sure how it would work out but I’m rather fond of it now.

I’d probably still be knitting these hats if I hadn’t run out of yarn. Might even have six of them but I’m done stressing over it. I’ve done all I can do. Just need to start earlier next time. Oh, and buy more yarn.

St. Nicholas Food Festival

Today’s cold, grey, and rainy and I’m going just a tiny bit stir crazy being coped up inside. So, I’m remembering Saturday’s adventure up to the Russian food festival at St. Nickolas Church in Brookside, AL. There was sausage, sauerkraut, stuffed grape leaves, meat pastries, and much more that I can’t remember the names of. It was all amazing food and worth the 45 minute drive. Just the baked goods alone would have been worth the trip.  

I was going to say that it’s a good thing I can only get Pecan Kolach once a year but that’s not exactly true. You see, I got the church’s cookbook which just happens to have a recipe for Pecan Kolach and lots of other tasty stuff. It does not, however, have a recipe for anise cookies which were another favorite. Anyone have a tried and true recipe?

Another souvenir, these small hand painted owl ornaments. Can’t wait to hang them up.