Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  We hope you had a joyous holiday and are looking forward to a New Year filled with peace & love!

A little Christmas gift I thought I’d share with you…..

Tin Can Knits (Ravelry Designer link here) is gifting people with one free pattern from their collection until January 1st 2013.  Check out the details here!  I’ve been admiring their patterns for a little while now, so here’s the chance to tell all of you about it and get to try something new at the same time :)  The pattern I chose to download is Snowflake, so hopefully that will appear in 2013′s FO’s somewhere.  Thanks so very much Tin Can Knits, for sharing your lovely patterns with all of us!  And be sure to pass this on to your friends too for a little holiday/New Year goodness :)

Happy Knitting, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, & much love,

Knittymuggins

 

There’s Something About Minis

Uh oh.  I have a new addiction.  Thank you Beekeeper’s Quilt!  As if knitting eleventy-quadzillion sweet and smushy little hexi-puffs wasn’t enough, I now feel the insane desire to collect eleventy-quadzillion cute little mini-skeins to knit them from.
 
There’s something about Minis.  But what is it, exactly?  I can’t explain it, but I’ve got it.  In the time I spend each day trolling Blankiemania, MiniMall, and Oh Scrap!: LSG Scrap Blankets on Ravelry for new swaps to join, I could probably have learned Mandarin and taught it Knittymunchkin.  Or cured cancer.  Or maybe just had a clean house.  It is a sickness I tell you!  And yet, I am just a rookie.  A baby, with my measly four swaps I’ve joined since December.  When people are talking about how many totes full of minis they have, and how the lid won’t shut, then I know that I am small-time.
 

Puffs in Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in "Beachglass"

 
There are days I don’t love the minis so much.  Those are the days when I spend two hours (sometimes more) weighing, skeining, and labeling minis to send out, only to find that every mini is going to twist and tangle on me no matter what I do.  I wonder why I do it.  And then I remember….
 
Sometimes the highlight of my day is just walking to the mailbox with Knittymunchkin.  The budget has been stretched a bit thin lately, and knowing that a puffy little mailer filled with sparkly new sock yarn will be arriving in the near future gives me a little something to look forward to.  So far I have only allowed myself to join in swaps for which I already have yarn in my stash to use, in order to keep costs down.  You know me, I have enough for a lifetime of socks and then some to spare!  So it’s good it’s getting used.  Pretty much a win-win.
 
For now it’s all innocent fun.  But please, if you hear me start talking about my “tub full of minis” and how the lid won’t shut, stage an intervention quick!  I’m probably in trouble…..

 

Love….

Love, thy name is Hexipuff.

 

Hexipuffs!

 
Ever since my lovely friend Jess bought me the The Beekeeper’s Quilt pattern and we agreed to knit it together for “however long”, I have been undeniably enamored with this charming little project.  Hexipuffs are smooshy, and squooshy, sweet and cute.  And each one is a little mini FO that you can pat and poke and imagine occupying its future spot in your darling little quilt.
 
At first I thought I wouldn’t dare touch my enormous sock yarn stash.  I mean, that’s for socks, right?  So being short on sock yarn scraps, I scoured etsy, and found someone selling minis.  Then I scoured Ravelry and found another.  A few bucks later and I was in business!  Then I joined a swap at the Sanguine Gryphon Group on Ravelry.  Lucky for me, there was one for newbies that didn’t fill up about 2 seconds after it was posted.  I swear those SG people are fanatics (me included, mwah-ha-ha!).  It’s hard to get in on a destash or a swap because things disappear before you can say “flapjack”.  Sadly, The Sanguine Gryphon is no more in a few short days.  But that’s a big boo hoo for another day :(  I’d say my bank account would breathe a ginormous sigh of relief if it weren’t for the fact that they are dissolving into two new dye studios and I’m afraid that means twice the amount of temptation!
 
I also discovered that the very talented Didi (creator of Little Red Bicycle; whom I got to meet at Sock Summit 2011 for the first time after “knowing” her for a few years online) had a mini-skein club going.  What better way to support a friend, and a mini-skein habit, than by signing up?  I’ve already received October and November, am waiting on December, and have signed up for another 3 months of January – March 2012.  Everything I’ve received so far has been gorgeous!  I can’t wait to make puffs out of them, and I am just stunned by her beautiful sense of color.
 

October 2011 Mini-skein Club from Little Red Bicycle

 

November 2011 Mini-Skein Club from Little Red Bicycle

 
Finally, after a little contemplation of my stash, I decided there were definitely some fingering weight sock yarns that I could (and should) part with.  I had a few smaller skeins that weren’t enough for a full pair of socks anyway and I didn’t have immediate plans for them.  Nor was I sure they’d look good on a larger scale.  That’s the nice thing about the Hexipuffs.  You can use some of your loudest or even – dare I say it – ugliest yarns, and they don’t look so bad on a small scale.
 
Flush with so many choices, I am working steadily on this project.  I know it will take me years to make enough to fill out a quilt, but each time I finish one I get a tiny spark of satisfaction.  They are the perfect little fillers for when Knittymunchkin is in his high chair eating a snack, or when he is playing independently (however briefly) and I have a spare moment without him clinging to my leg.  They are simple, elegant, and can be put down at a moment’s notice without losing your place.  In case you didn’t already guess…. I love Hexipuffs!
 
Because I’ll be working on this for the rest of my natural life (most likely) I think it would be fun to do a little gallery each month of the puffs that I’ve knit.  I’ve been keeping count and I knit anywhere from 10 – 25 of these in any given month.  So a little retrospective might be fun.  January is just days away (how did that happen?) so I think I’ll start after I’ve knit January’s puffs.
 
Until then, Happy Holidays!  May your days be merry & bright :)

 

Sock Summit 2011 Day 3: July 30, 2011 – Far Afield

Back to our regularly scheduled Sock Summit Update (warning – picture heavy)….
 
Saturday morning found us a little more leisurely than usual.  That’s not to say we slept in, but Jess didn’t have class at all that day and Troy and I didn’t have class until 1:30 PM so there was no rush to get out the door immediately.  We had decided this would be the perfect morning to do a little exploring and we thought the Farmer’s Market would be the perfect thing to do.  Jess was amazing and pretty much figured out exactly where we needed to go and which TriMet route we’d need to take to get there.  Luckily, we were in the free zone for where we wanted to go, so it was super easy.  All I can say is, kudos to Portland for their public transportation!  If only we had something this nice where I live.  Of course, it’s not hard to get around in my town, but there are times where I’d like to not have to worry about driving or parking.
 

Skidmore Fountain

 
We hopped the Trimet to the Skidmore Fountain stop which was a quick 5 minutes or less from the Convention Center block. At our stop, I was initially put off by the group of scruffy looking loiterers shouting obscenities at each other over their shopping cart, but we just walked the other way and I put it out of my mind.  What caught my eye first was the historic architecture surrounding us; buildings with flourishes, and the historic colonnade housing a portion of the market.  I never cease to be fascinated by old structures and their histories.  The stories are there, buried, waiting for me to discover them.  I wonder about the people who lived and worked here. What was life like for them?  Were they happy, sad, indifferent?  As I soaked it in I snapped a few photos for posterity.
 

Architectural Details of The Colonnade

 

The Saturday Market - Portland, OR

 
We wandered, we looked, we soaked it in.  I found a lot of inspiration at the market, seeing all kinds of items that had been re-created from vintage or cast off things; upcycling being the buzz word I presume.  This has always been an interest of mine and seeing examples of this in the marketplace gave me all sorts of ideas for future projects.  I bought a couple of leather cuffs made from old belts.  Because I needed to “toughen up my image” I told Troy.  Couldn’t hurt.  Before long we were getting hungry and we decided we’d all divide up and get the food that sounded best to each of us.  Troy and Jess convinced me I’d love pierogies, which I had never before tried, so I bought my lunch at a cute little cart just across the street from the Portland Saturday Market sign up above.  Mmmmm…. Potato and cheese filling with onions and bacon on top.  I have to say, my first experience with pierogies was a blissful one!  Troy, who was holding a table for us, had to have the same after I came back with mine.
 

My First Pierogies

 
The picture is a bit blurry you see, because I was salivating so hard I could barely hold the camera straight :)  I told Jess and Troy that I did believe my blog was starting to turn into a food blog as most of the pictures I took over the weekend seemed to be of food!  After eating and looking a bit more, we thought we spotted the mecca of doughnut shops – Voodoo doughnuts – on an adjacent corner, and had to have a look for ourselves.  As we got closer, we asked a few people what the situation was and they told us that the line was at least an hour long.  An hour long!  And it was mid-morning, not even breakfast hour anymore.  Of course, there is no bad time for a doughnut.  But none of us was down with waiting an hour just to say we’d been there.  We satisfied ourselves with snapping a picture of the sign and Jess even got a guy sitting outside at a table, about to bite into a doughnut the size of his head, to agree to having his photo taken.  I’m pretty sure one of his friends had one of those specialty maple doughnuts with bacon on top.  Oy.
 

All Hail Voodoo Doughnuts!

 
After that, we wandered around a little longer to see what we could see.  We thought maybe there’d be a fun little shopping district or some such somewhere near all this other goodness, but no such luck.  We did see this, which explained a lot:
 

Keep Portland Weird!

 
Coming up on Chinatown, we thought perhaps there would be something fun to explore here too, but it was all but dead.  I did find the entrance enchanting though, and thought a rather funny sign deserved preservation on film.  Do you think they realized what they were advertising?  Or did they think it was funny too?
 

Entrance To Chinatown

 

Hung Far Low

 
Perhaps this was old Chinatown and there is a new and bustling Chinatown somewhere else in Portland.  By then in our travels, it was getting close to time to head back.  So we boarded the TriMet and were on our way back to the Convention Center.  I’d had a raging headache all day and it wasn’t getting any better.  I think we got some coffee before our class and maybe poked around the Marketplace again and at 1:30 PM Troy and I headed to our Perfect Rib Class with Cookie A.  I have to admit, I wasn’t feeling 100% by the time we got to class, and there was a lot to cram into this one-hour wonder.  Despite Cookie A. being a friendly, knowledgeable, and all around excellent instructor, my brain was at maximum capacity and most definitely not firing on all cylinders.  So I didn’t get much out of it, unfortunately.  Through no one’s fault but my own, of course.  There were lengthy handouts that I brought home and I imagine I will study them later, the next time I get around to trying to design my own sock.  I loved the idea that you can incorporate ribbing into the pattern itself (the main idea of this class) and I think that is perhaps why Cookie A.’s designs are among the most beautiful of all sock patterns.  Her ribs never look just stuck on, in fact, everything flows seamlessly together into a harmonious design.  I know accomplishing this myself with my own pattern, will make much more sense when I can sit down and study it later with my brain in a more receptive state.
 

Cookie A.!

 
After class, we met up with Jess again and decided it was time for another field trip.  We piled into Troy’s car this time (I think yesterday’s trek had taught us that it would be much more relaxing to drive just in case we got lost again) and headed to the nearest LYS, Portland’s Twisted.  What a sweet little shop!  They had all sorts of yarns my LYS doesn’t carry and a lot of local indie dyed stuff that was really fun to see.  The Twisted booth at the Marketplace at Sock Summit had been handing out 10% off coupons for the brick and mortar shop, so of course we had to take advantage.  I bought some beautiful Madelinetosh Tosh Merino in “Grasshopper” for a slouchy hat.  I love slouch hats, but don’t know if they love me back. I’m thinking this is a bit like shawls.  They look funny on you only if you feel funny in them.  You have to work it and just know you are cool and then, in turn, you will be cool.  It’s my new experiment.
 

Twisted Yarn Shop - Portland, OR

 
Jess asked the gals in the shop for a restaurant recommendation and they gave us a few.  Jess and I were thinking sushi, but after driving back and forth a bunch, with no sushi place materializing, we settled for the one place they recommended that we could actually find: Cha! Cha! Cha! Taqueria.  It was cool inside and inviting.  Most of the clientele were seated outside, so it was nice to have the place to ourselves.  The food was billed to be authentic and locally sourced which is apparently a condition for every restaurant in Portland.  But you know, I do believe it makes a difference!  Our meal was delicious.  Troy and Jess got something called Molcajete that Jess says is served at one of her favorite restaurants back home.  All I know is it arrives in a ginormous sizzling bowl of goodness and smells heavenly!  I got poblano chile and cheese tamales and we all got the requisite frosty adult beverage necessary to complete a summer meal such as this.
 

Jess & Troy

 

Mmmm... Tamales & a Margarita!

 
After dinner was consumed, we headed back to the convention center for a “special kind of baby shower” in honor of Ravelry founders Casey and Jess’ new baby Eloise.  Each of us had knitted a hat to donate to the cause and it was astounding to arrive there and see the sheer number of sweet knitted things that people had made.  There were several gift bags on the tables and I was a little confused as to what that was all about until Tina Newton and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee started looking into one of them and exclaiming over the huge amounts of tiny socks nestled inside.  I guess that one knitter had gone sock wild and knit dozens upon dozens of socks for donation.  Kind of made me feel a little subpar with my one measly hat :(  But I guess every little bit helps!
 

My Little Hat for Eloise's Charity Baby Shower

 
We kind of thought that, since it was a baby shower and all, there should have been some cake or something.  But no cake.  We settled for milkshakes from Burgerville (yum!) and some knitting in Troy’s room instead.  I’d all but convinced Troy and Jess to take on the Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky with me so we purchased the pattern and discussed color choices while sipping our cool frosty treats.  After a while Jess and I bid Troy goodnight and headed back to our room for some shuteye.  A thoroughly wonderful, totally exhausting day.  And one of the best ever in recent memory! And tomorrow would mean goodbye :(

 

Sock Summit 2011 Preview

And much gluttony was had by all!
 
Or, at least by me!
 

Loot!!

 
Just a little preview of the mad yarnage purchased by my very own sweaty little paws at Sock Summit 2011.
 
From Top Left to Right:

1. Limited Edition Dancing Sheep project bag complete with pattern & 1 hank Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in “Jam Session”
2. Overweight hank of Sanguine Gryphon Codex in unnamed colorway (turquoise)

 
From Bottom Left to Right:

1. Project Bag purchased at Goth Socks Booth
2. MissPurl notions tin
3. 1 hank Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in “Jam Session”
4. 2 overweight hanks of Sanguine Gryphon Eidos in “Monadology” (The Gold Bug equivalent)
5. 1 hank Hazel Knits Divine; a  red “Rogue”
6. 3 hanks Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Lace in “Owlets”

 
So much more to show you and share with you, but that must wait for another day….
 
Last but not least, Troy, Jess & I jumped on the Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky bandwagon while at Sock Summit.  Yes, I have fallen down the slippery slope that is shawl knitting.  I blame Mr. West for that completely.  Sock Summit added fuel to the fire with a new and exciting shawl spotted covering shoulders everywhere you looked.  Oh dear.  What happens next?  Do I start wearing housedresses that zip up the front and putting out bowls of congealed hard candy?
 
It was a joy to, for once, pick out yarn specifically destined to become a certain pattern.  What better place to drop my wad ‘o cash than The Sanguine Gryphon booth?  Here she is, Clue #1 all finished and ready to be continued:
 

Clue #1 - Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky

 
Back soon for more Sock Summit 2011 fun!

 

I’m Gonna Knock You Out!

Mama said knock you out! 
 
This is my moth eradication anthem (maybe you remember 90′s L.L.?).  Unnnnh!  Take that you dirty mothy mofos!  We’ve been busy waging the moth wars in our bedroom.  Step one was to take every single item out of our closet, throw it on the bed or any other surface that was available (including the bath tub), and not allow it back into the closet until it had been washed, dry cleaned, frozen, thrown out, or sent to Goodwill.  I would have shared a photo, but it’s kind of creepy how much crap our closet vomited out onto our bed and frankly, I was afraid that if I did someone might call the people from Hoarders and turn me in.  I think I did at least 6 loads of laundry today and I have at least 8 more before it’s all done, not to mention the stuff that’s going to have to go to the dry cleaners and the freezer.  I called the pest people a couple days ago and they told me this was the first step we’d have to take before we called in the big guns.  Trouble is, we didn’t really find the source of the “infestation” as the bug guy kept calling it.  I know that’s just professional jargon, but I don’t like the idea that we might have an “infestation”.  Gross.  I noticed something especially alarming today as I was putting things into the clear plastic bins I got from The Container Store.  There were dead moths already in two of the containers that had been sandwiched together during shipping.  This makes me suspicious that our infestation may have come from the stupid stuff I just bought to get my life organized.  The time frame is pretty right on.  What the crap?  I guess that’s one way to get people to clean up their act.  Send ‘em some pests so they have to get their shit together and actually clean once in a while.
 
In knitting chit chat, I am currently re-obsessed with Stefanie Japel’s “Fitted Knits”.  I remember buying this book and loving pretty much everything in it.  And then, in true Knittymuggins pre-process style, I never completed a single project from it.  I got a little dejected after my Textured Tunic fiasco and just moved on, though I still have yarn for at least three of the sweaters in my stash.  I think the next thing I’m going to cast on after Little Momo is finished (I’m 99% there) will be the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug.  I need a little shoulder warmage with summer dresses and tanks.  I am also monomaniacally into the Crisp Rectangle Tunic Top, even though there is no way my squatty body can pull off a top like this.
 

Hey Monkey!

 
Knittymunchkin continues to charm me every single day.  Friday morning we were playing in his room letting R.Darling sleep in, and we were laying on the floor next to each other just giggling and giggling and I thought, “This is it.  This is what motherhood is all about!”  His newest most awesome trick is to jam his finger as far up his nose as possible, sometimes with excessive snorting, and wait for a reaction.  Of course I try to be stern and tell him to stop, but then he only snorts harder and starts to giggle.  I am powerless against him!  I do believe he has inherited the ham gene from his Mama ;)

 

Danger! Danger!

Alarm bells go off in my head on row 18 and that Electric Six song “Danger! High Voltage” cranks up in the background.  I am trying to make my yarn bend to my will, but it’s not working.  No matter how I try, Blueberry Wine just does not want to become Emily Shmemily.

No! Don't make me into Emily Shmemily!

It’s funny how that works.  You would expect that any yarn in the given gauge would work for any particular pattern.  Why wouldn’t it?  But sometimes it’s just a disaster in incubation, waiting to burst free and stomp with big ol’ combat boots on your hopes and dreams.  The color isn’t right, the pattern doesn’t work, the needles size is just all wrong.  I can sense it, I really can.  I cast on with all the best intentions.  I knit a few rounds, and suddenly I find myself stretching out my half inch of knitting progress with a critical eye and second guessing all my decisions.  Do I keep knitting and push that creeping suspicion down, or do I frog before I have too much invested and search again for that perfect marriage of pattern, color and fiber?  Me, I keep searching for that harmony.  All good fiber deserves the perfect match.

I gave myself permission to start a flood of new projects now that my Cherry Fizz, Jaywalkers & BSJ are all finished.  But I feel jinxed.  Emily Shmemily was a bust and so was the scarf I started with some Frog Tree Alpaca sport I have in my stash.  That one, I’m still trying to decide if I like or not, so it’s waiting to be worked on or alternatively frogged.  Then I started Little Momo for Knittymunchkin and had to restart it about 6 times due to gauge issues, and a few small errors I seem to have found in the pattern.  With Momo, I managed to have found the perfect yarn, but technical issues (rather than design ones) were the things holding me up.  So I feel kinda all over with my knits right now.  I’m longing for that sense of calm and purpose I find when I am in the natural rhythm of a project and I can just pick it up and work here and there, knowing that the mixture of yarn and pattern are comfortably settled.  When I know right where I stand with my knit and we understand each other.  It’s at that moment that I feel the peace knitting brings me, the peace I crave so much.  But I think I finally found it with my newest pattern choice for Blueberry Wine: Multnomah.

Life has been super crazy here.  Knittymunchkin is walking (WALKING!!) and I am busier than ever.  But I did manage to meet my friend Troy on February 12th for a book signing at our LYS.  We got to meet the super sweet, fabulously talented Rebecca Danger and have her sign our books.  I love her patterns and she just published The Big Book Of Knitted Monsters in January.  Of course, I had to buy a copy.  What’s even super cooler is, she’s local!   I don’t know why, but knowing someone that talented lives in my community makes me kinda happy :)  I can’t wait to make a bunch of these for Knittymunchkin when he’s big enough not to chew their arms off!

The lovely & talented Ms. Danger

R. Darling is being a true sweetheart and skipping his run this weekend to give me a chance to take a wee bit of a break.  So, I believe I am now off to have a cup of tea and a little bit of work on Multnomah!  Hope your weekend is fantasterrific !

 

Brought To You By The Number Four

Yarnbombing Garland Outside My Favorite LYS

 
Dang.  As of today, I have been blogging for four entire years!  That’s a long ass time.  Granted, there have been some bursts of radio silence (most especially this year) but I am more than a little shocked that I have kept it up for this long.  I really never would have guessed that there would be that much I’d have to say and so much that I’d want to share with all of you.  There have been so many times when I’ve  been tempted to quit, but it’s because of all of you that I am still here and still blogging.  And I can never thank each and every one of you enough for all the wonderful comments, and generous kindness and support you have all shown me during these last four years. You’re fantastic!!  I most definitely would not be celebrating four years of blogging if it wasn’t for all of you amazing peeps that keep me in your thoughts and stop by to see how I’m doing!  I really and truly am so grateful for all of you :)
 
I feel like there is so much more I should say, on such a momentous day, but I’m so tired today I can hardly think straight.  So let’s just keep it short and sweet.  In honor of my 4th bloggyversary I am going to have a little contest!  Leave me a comment telling me what the best thing you have ever done for yourself (and only yourself) has been (or will be), your favorite weight of yarn to use, and your favorite color (just because I’d like to know!) by Midnight October 17th, 2010.  On the 18th I’ll pick two winners: one at random, and one whose answer I like best.  The winners will receive one pattern of their choice (up to $9) through Ravelry’s gifting feature.  Please keep in mind that, unfortunately, Twist patterns and certain others cannot be included in this feature at this time.  The pattern must be available to gift through Ravelry.  I can’t wait to hear all your answers!!
 
And since I’m holding the contest, I think I should play along :)  The best thing I have ever done for myself (and only myself) is a little boring, but has got to be refusing to have a roommate throughout grad school and my early working career.  Yes, I could have saved money, but having that time to be in my own space with my own thoughts and no need to consider anyone else’s, is a gift that I am so incredibly grateful for.  If you want a can of corn for dinner, or no dinner at all, you can do that.  If you want to come home and go to bed immediately, or if you want to wake up early and blast the music and dance in your underwear, you can do that.  No one will look at you funny and the chance to be so uninhibited in just living your life is so truly priceless.  I think everyone needs the gift of that freedom at some point in their life.  And my favorite yarn weight?  Probably worsted.  Not too hard on the hands, but works up quickly and satisfyingly into a lovely item.  Though fingering yarns far outweigh the worsteds in my stash.  Probably because I’m a sucker for sock yarn!  My favorite color?  Used to be pink, but changed to green over the last year/year and a half.  Yet lately, I find myself drawn to purples for the first time in my life.  How strange!
 
Thanks for all the joy, the laughs, shouldering my burdens with me when I needed it most, and most of all, for just being there and listening to all my nonsense.  You are all the best and I am so thankful for you each and every day.  Look forward to hearing all your answers and maybe (fingers crossed) spending another couple years with all of you fabulous bloggy peeps!

 

Needles For Hire

Ah how I adore autumn.  The way the sunlight looks like warm honey spilling over my afternoon, the crisp chill in the morning air that makes me hug my coffee cup just a little tighter, and the sumptuous shades of saffron, pumpkin, and red velvet drifting like a mutable mosaic over sidewalks and fields.  There is something about this time of year that makes me feel industrious.  Like a squirrel ferreting away nuts for winter, I want to fill my nest with baked goods, soups and stews, and feather it with warm knitted things.
 

Autumn Afternoon

 
I think I mentioned last post that I’ve been knitting.  A bunch.  But you haven’t seen any of that here for a while.  Are you curious?  I’ve had my needles out for hire and now that I’ve got some things finished up, it’s time to share.
 
Oh, who have I been hired out to, you ask?  Mainly I’ve been test knitting in the Free Pattern Testers and The Testing Pool groups on Ravelry.  As you know, I’ve test knit a lot before, but this is a little more casual than what I’m used to.  Meaning there’s no contracts or anything.  It’s all on the honor system, which seems kinda dicey for the designers in my mind.  But it’s all good though.  The main thing is that I’m helping some fellow knitters get their patterns out into the world and I’m using up some of my stash in the process.  Plus, the deadline pretty much guarantees I’ll actually finish something since I take the deadlines pretty seriously.  I don’t know…. there’ something about it that gives me a warmish feeling in my tummy.  Like maybe I’m banking up some good karma, which I could really use!
 

Caterpillar Pacifier Clip

 

• Pattern:  Corrente com Lagarta (Pacifier Clip with a Caterpillar)by Mamã Martinho  (Ravelry link here; My Ravelry project link here)
• Yarn:  I used yarn repurposed from an Abercrombie & Fitch sweater I bought at Goodwill and unraveled maybe 3 -4 years ago? So I don’t know exactly how much I used.  It felt so good to use repurposed yarn though!
• Needles:  Size 3 bamboo dpns
• Mods:  Used sewn on velcro for fastening instead of a snap; sewed caterpillar and links to diaper pin instead of gluing; used pompoms for eyes and glued these on.

 
This is a super cute, very easy pattern and uses very little yarn.  I think it turned out sweet.  Me being the paranoid Mom that I am though, I’m not convinced my version is entirely baby-safe, so I am waiting until he’s a lot bigger to use this on him.  I had already bought a skull & crossbones Bink Link a couple weeks before I finished this anyway, so the need wasn’t as great for it as I had expected it to be.  But the designer was super nice, easy to work with, and I think the design is really cute.  She’s also got a darling version for girls with a little flower on it.
 
Next up…..
 

Two Way Mittens - Unconverted

 

Two Way Mittens - Converted To Fingerless Gloves

 

• Pattern:  Two-Way Mittens by Keltic Banshee  (Ravelry link here; My Ravelry project link here)
• Yarn:  Classic Elite Alpaca Sox – Color #1810; 0.47 hanks (211.5 yds)
• Needles:  Size 2 (2.75mm) Harmony 40 inch circ for Magic Loop
• Mods:  Worked 26 rounds for cuff to make it a wee bit longer

 
This pattern was super fun to work because of its unique construction.  The mitts are knit from the fingers down and then the flap is created, knit together with the fingers and before you know it it’s smooth sailing to the cuff!  I was just fascinated the whole time I knit this and couldn’t wait to see what would happen in each successive step.  They were pretty quick to knit, considering how slow I am with fingering weight yarns.  If you can knit  a sock, I’d say these would be just as easy.  And the designer was a super nice gal, very understanding if I had a slow knitting week, and even extended the deadline so we could all rest a little easier and not have to knit so frantically.  I would definitely test for her again!
 
And another!
 

Monstah Baby!

 

• Pattern:  Little Monster Hat by Odessa Reichel  (Ravelry link here; My Ravelry project link here)
• Yarn:  Lamb’s Pride Bulky – Color “Blue Heirloom Seconds”; 0.75 skeins
• Needles:  Size 10 bamboo 16 inch circ
• Mods:  Worked 2 repeats less of garter stitch for the height of the hat before starting short rows

 
I just love how this hat turned out!  It was quite the ingenious pattern (I think) and I really enjoyed seeing how this hat came together when I seamed it all up at the end.  Knittymunchkin was not about to keep it on his head for longer than 2 seconds though (it’s more fun to chew on, Mom!) so it took me a good 30 snaps to get this one shot.  Oh well.  I hope he’ll like it better when he’s a little bigger!  I made the toddler size and it’s a wee bit big on him right now, but I think it should be good for a while.  This designer was super nice as well and I would be happy to test for her again :)  A quick, easy, Christmas gifty too if you have little ones on your knitting list!
 
Whew!  Maybe the “busy-ness” of my little guy is rubbing off on me. I swear that kid cannot sit still for longer than a second or two at a time!  It’s cute, but it’s tiring!  Anyway, if you can believe it, I have other knits to show you.  I know – I think I just heard the flapping wings of some pigs overhead.  But we’ll leave those for another post, so when my inevitable dry spell comes back around (and it will), I’ll have something to show you.  Until then, enjoy your autumn!  I know I am.  I had pumpkin pie for breakfast :)

 

Fess Up

Gah.  I caved.  I bought yarn.  Twice.  I should have known I couldn’t make it longer than 5 months.
 
But listen.  It’s not all bad.  I can defend myself a bitty bit here.  This is how it is:  I have 2 hanks of SWTC Vicki Howell Collection Love in “Jack & Sally” in my stash that has been there for over a year.  More silvery than grey, it has a gorgeous sheen and lovely hand.  The second it arrived I fell in love with it and I promised myself I’d buy more so that I could make myself something other than just a scarf with it.  Flash forward a year or more and I still haven’t kept that promise to myself.  So when I saw that DBNY had only 8 hanks left and it has supposedly been discontinued, I treated myself.  Besides, it was way on sale.  Like way on sale.  Originally $13/hank, I got it for $4/hank, so I was only out around $40 after shipping.  Not too bad in terms of falling off the wagon.
 

SWTC Vicki Howell Collection Love Yarn in "Jack & Sally"

 
And then there’s one more purchase that is waiting in my WEBS cart for my itchy little finger to push “Confirm”.  This one is a whopping $23.67.  A long time ago, when there was cash aplenty in my checking account, long before Little Mister, I purchased 5 balls of Noro Silk Garden in color #292.  I was drawn to the colorway, despite the colors not being my normal thang.  I think I thought I’d make a Clapotis or something, but it’s still in my stash untouched.  Then I saw the Equinox Raglan in the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of Knitscene and I knew what I wanted to make with it.  Sadly, I needed 2-3 more balls of yarn to make it and being the good girl that I am, I checked on Ravelry first for destashers.  Nuttin.  And the color is discontinued.  Luckily, WEBS has it and it’s even on sale, so I made sure it was o.k. with hubby and put three of those bad boys into my shopping cart.
 

Noro Silk Garden #292

 
But if all this talk of spending has got you thinkin you need new yarn, I’ve got something for you that will make you feel good even if you do end up overfilling your cart.  Knit Picks has 12 free sock patterns on their site!  I was looking over my newest IK issue once again and noticed the fine print on the bottom of the Knit Picks ad.  Since I would have missed it completely if I wasn’t just spacing out and happened to see it, I thought I’d share it with all of you who either missed it too or just plain don’t get IK.  So go here and get your 12 free sockses patterns (just click on each small sock image and it will take you to a pdf  you can print or save).  Enjoy!!

 

Squiggle! A Test Knit Revealed

A long time ago, in a season far far away, I showed you this:

My first ever MMMmmmmalabrigo!  I promised you I’d show you what I made of it when the time was right.  Well, that time has finally come!

Behold the Squiggles!

Something a little artsy:

And a matching cowl:

Patterns: Squiggle Hat & Squiggle Cowl by Chris Church (on Ravelry: Hat here, Cowl here).  More info and details on purchasing on Chris’ blog and website Pursuit of Fiber.

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Molly (pink shade) & Saphire Green; Cowl:  approximately 0.4 hanks Molly; Hat:  approximately 0.4 hanks Molly for band and 0.5 hanks Saphire Green for crown.

Needles: Cowl: Size 8 bamboo straights; Hat: Size 8 bamboo straights for band, size 7  – 16″ addi turbos for crown, & size 7 bamboo dpn’s for closing.

Mods: None.  That’s a big no no on test knits!

New Techniques: Nope.

Time Lapse: Cowl: October 10, 2008 - October 13, 2008; Hat: October 19, 2008 - October 23, 2008

Comments: Love love love these patterns! I’m calling it my Jolly Rancher hat because the colors are so bright & juicy. My first time using Malabrigo and I can see now what the fuss is all about. The pattern was easy to follow and I adore how the hat fits. Don’t be discouraged if it looks smallish before you block it. It does stretch and it will fit great. As for the cowl, I love how it fits your neck just right with a dip below the chin. Be very careful to match your row gauge perfectly, or it might be a bit snug. I know my row gauge drifted a bit from my swatching to my actual project. Both winners! Go check them out & tell rchrispy I sent you ;)

And, as always, an outtake!

 

Addled, I Tell You!

Clockwise from left:
Sheepfeet in Lilac, RYC Silk Wool DK in Brownstone, ShibuiKnits Silk Cloud #229 

 

Oh Fiddleheads!  What have you done to me?  I’m addled and rattled!  Smitten and bitten!  I love you and I don’t even know you!

Dammit if these aren’t going to be the.most.expensive. mittens on planet earth.  Would you pay $82 for a pair of mittens?  I thought not.  Unlike me, you are sane.  You are wise with your money, frugal perhaps.  You don’t let the good sense leak out of your noggin faster than you can whip out that gift card burning its way through your wallet.  Oh no.  Because you are not me, you wouldn’t spend $82 on a pair of mittens.  You would shop wisely; pet, yet refrain from temptation.  All I can say is, if you’re going to freak out on yarn fumes it’s a good idea to do it when you have a get out of jail free card (gift card) handy!  Though these are worth $82, they only really cost me about $40 ;)

I surprised myself today.  These are NOT my colors, NOT my price range, NOT well-thought out purchases.  But what the hell.  It’s a bright shiny day, I was amped up on coffee and good company (Hey Troy!) and everyone deserves a little spoilage now and then.

So why the Fiddlehead Fandago?  My bloggy friend over at Knit One Blog Too and I have started a Ravelry KAL to make a pair of these lovelies.  We’ll be starting November 1st and knitting until December 31st.  Adrian at HelloYarn will be knitting with us too so it’s a great opportunity to have some input from an expert.  Come join us!!  We’d love to have some company :)

 

P.S.  Stay away from that RYC Silk Wool DK and Sheepfeet if you know what’s good for you!