Back on the Block - Stitch #20

The large bobble stitch was the last stitch and block I made for the wedding afghan. I wanted to end with something fun and I think this block really does that.
I cannot tell you how much fun the afghan is - now that it's done. I am looking for the proper 'container' for it. I would love to put it in one of those zippered plastic things sheet sets come in but I would need it to be slightly bigger and I have The Container store site coming up on another window so I can see what they have there. I want to make it easy for them to ship back home or carry with them. However they are getting all their loot home after the big day this Saturday.
Anyway, the bobble stitch was fun to do and that little block takes up a lot of yarn because of all the stitches that go into the making of a single bobble. Let's see: kf,b,f in one stitch (that's 3) turn knit 3 (6) turn purl 3 (9) turn knit 3 (12) turn sk2tog psso (13). Thirteen stitches in one bobble and there's a sml army of bobbles on that little square.
Here's a hint, crocheting blocks and strips together is sooooo much easier than getting out the needle. It makes a stronger edge, can be a decorative feature and just goes faster. I highly recommend it.

So, what's next? There's a wedding in October, but I am going to give myself a few days before I start getting into that so I am now halfway through with making a pillow. It uses wooden beads and it's going to be tres cute. I bought the pillow form today (yes, a pillow form. I am not doing my usual fiberfill.) I also purchased Vogue's Shawls, Too. It was on my Christmas List, but I don't think Mr. Honey got it for me. I can't find it on the shelves anyway, but I have a sneaky feeling that I do own it. (I mean, I now own two of them) I'll have to go back and check the post about the books I got for my birthday and Christmas. I hope I don't have it - except for the one I bought today - of course. I used my 40% coupon for it so I hope it's the only copy I have cuz then that would be quite a good deal!!

Well, Merry Christmas

Whew! The Christmas Eve service is over and it was very nice. I didn't get to the sound engineer quickly enough to grab the CD last night, so I will try and get it Sunday. Music is always an important part of the services, but even more so at Christmas. We sang a lot. 'O Holy Night' went well. Even my choir director said it was quite lovely! I'm somewhere in the back row. This was from last year's service and I don't think it was Christmas Eve, but it was around that time.

Dinner and the family was fun. This was the HB's year to play Santa and he did a very nice job of it.
And the Christmas gifts were cool: a new necklace and a shawl, gift certificates for dinners, a jar of marmalade (reminded me of my mother-in-law), theatre tickets (from Marilyn), Irish Creme - which I told the HB we should add to coffee because that's the only way I will drink coffee
a John Legend (cute!) CD and five books from the HB:
Cables - Mittens, Hats and Scarves
How to Select Color Palettes for knitting
Knit to be Square
Picture Perfect Knits
Knitted Afghans and Pillows

The habit is enabled for at least another year! We're off to church to help serve lunch. I hope your Christmas Day is blessed and restful and will begin your renewal for the New Year!

It's Christmas Week

Ok, so there won't be hats for everyone this Christmas. I forgot just what a hectic schedule I have this week. But that doesn't mean there weren't hats made.
I did manage to get a few knit up, but since they aren't going to anyone in particular, I actually started playing with the idea of doing an Esty shop.
I went onto the site and looked it up, and by cracky, I think I will do it. I've set up another blog to load up some product (of which these two hats will be part) and I've registered my shop on the site. I talked to God about it and other than reminding me of how I get these ideas and then lose my attention, He seemed to think this was something I could do if I managed to deal with the aforementioned attention problem. And I think I can do that since I'm always knitting and I head up the sales we do and since it requires writing, it pulls all my stuff into one place. But hats aren't the only things that will be in store. There will be afghans, blankets, pillows, etc. like this feather an fan afghan I just finished.

Other than that, getting ready for Christmas meant singing rehearsals. I've done a solo on Christmas Eve every year for the past six years. This year I will be returning to my mother's favorite, 'O Holy Night' I'm a first soprano and that means hitting the B flat. It's a really beautiful song and our music director, Michael, plays it wonderfully. It's very majestic. If I can remember to grab the recording, I'll try and put it up - cuz, of course, you'll all want to hear it!!

I'll be spending Christmas morning in bed while the HB goes to his church for his service, then he'll come back home and we will open presents (He bought me five knitting related books and 1 CD. I bought him some baguette pans and a stand mixer - well, it's what he wanted!) and then we are heading off to my church to help serve lunch to some of the homeless.

In case I don't get to the computer - let me say to you all how happy I am to know you. It is a blessing to share the love of our craft with you and I enjoy reading your blogs as well. I wish you all a safe, blessed and fulfilling Christmas season and a wonderful New Year.

Knitting Books - Or How The HB is an Enabler!

As much as the HB sighs over the yarn, needles and the time I spend knitting; he is not very good at pulling me away from my passion. In fact, he enables the addiction by purchasing knitting related items every time I ask.

So, sometime in October I was surfing the web when I came across Knit-Picks 40% book sale. Not being one to pass up the opportunity, I made a list of the books I wanted and put them on the HB's desk with a note saying: for my birthday and Christmas.

My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving and he handed a box.
A small box.

I didn't get all the books on the list obviously, but I did say birthday and Christmas so I imagine he split the list in two.(Well, there were about a dozen books on the list, so I'm expecting Christmas to be really big!) Here's what I got for my birthday:


The Prayer Shawl Companion is full of knit only prayer shawls and is a lovely book with some interesting patterns that go from beginner to intermediate. I didn't see anything in there that was scary.

Color Sense is a really good book for learning how to pull colors together. I am not very good at combining colors and this comes with a nice color wheel that explains it all nicely.

Natural Dyeing wasn't anything I expected. It talks about making dyes out of natural substances (well, that I expected) but some of those substances are: rhubarb, onions, cabbage and avocados. Who knew? It really got me thinking. I didn't have much luck dyeing with Kool-Aid; everything came out orange. But dyeing with fruits, veggies and herbs/spices may prove to be great fun. I am going to start experimenting.

The other books on the list are all pattern related so I am hoping has ordered them and has them stashed away for Christmas morning.

Happy Birthday to Me..Happy Birthday to Me..There are winners in the contest..Happy Birthday to me!

It's my birthday and I am celebrating by announcing the two winners of the yarn giveaway.

The HB bought me knitting books for my birthday but they are still in the box unopened. I asked him if I could have one of the two days ago and he refused. My sister suggested I open them at midnight, but I was busy knitting a legwarmer and the HB was pouting because he doesn't want me to ask about presents until the day I'm supposed to get them. So there they sit.
(Don't worry, I will open them in a minute) but let's get on with the important stuff!!

The winners of the great yarn giveaway were selected by the HB at about 4 this morning before he went off to Menard's for the Black Friday rush.
And the two winners are:

Chelsea and Sue!! YEA!!!!

Send me an address and your box of yarn will be on the way!

Thanks so much to everyone who commented and stopped by. This was great fun. I have no doubt I will have yarn to do it again because I did buy some more yarn last week!! ( I needed it; I really did)

Hope your Thanksgiving was plentiful!!

I Didn't Buy Any Yarn

I am in the middle of dejunking my office because it will become a combination office and yarn room. I cleared away all the rubble, then I put everything loose into boxes and next I will move those boxes plus whatever furniture I can out of the room so the floor will be cleared for the hubby-bubby to come in with our steam cleaner and clean the carpet. The we will move in yet another computer stand and figure out where the boxes of yarn will go. I started this yesterday and yesterday evening I announced I was going to Joann.

"Why?" The H-B asked rather suspiciously.
Now, he has never asked why. He's never said anything. He has accepted the fact that his existence is now yarn based in the same way a cat lover's spouse must accept hair balls.
"Not to buy yarn. I just bought yarn. I am going because I want to make my own stitch markers." (This is the truth) "I'm not even going to look at yarn." (If God were Zeus, I would be struck by a lightening bolt.)
"Un-huh."
So, off to Joann I went. Got the stuff to make the stitch markers, picked up The Prayer Shawl Ministry II and Knit With Debbie Macomber - Back On Blossom Street book of Prayer Shawls. But not one ball of yarn. Oh, I looked and Lion Brand was on sale for 25% off, but I wasn't at the Super Store; I was at the regular store and they were practically wiped out. I did see some Paton's Melody that was tempting, but I have nothing to knit with it. (Though I could have looked in the patterns books and found something.) I felt it more important to be a good wife than an impulsive buyer. In truth, our house is a wreck and it is the yarn that has tipped the balance so I must reign it in. So no yarn.

I did make my stitch markers which will fit needles up to size 13. I will buy more goods to make them for size 13 and up. I don't often knit with 13 and up needles, but just in case.

I don't know when this became an obsession. But it could be worse - mebbe - I suppose it could be drugs or booze or young boys. Yeah, better that it's knitting.

Knitter's Restaurant - Drawstring Bag

Information for the Sit & Knit is here.

Ok, so here's this cute drawstring bag from Vicki Square's Folk Bags

I used Bernat Chunky yarn (discontinued - I got four huge skeins for $3 each) and size ten needles. The handles are a bit long, but I still think the bag will have great use. I don't know yet if I will ask Lois to line it. I don't think it would hurt to have it lined, but it is a thick basket stitch so it might not need it. I don't think it will stretch out much.

You'll enjoy learning the stitch (knitting in the second stitch on the needle and before removing it, knitting in the first stitch and then removing the first and second at the same time. You do the same thing on the purl side - except you purl, of course.)

You will get the stockinette curl, but since it creates such a thick, stiff fabric, the curl is on the cast on edge and is very easy to deal with.

I must say I am glad the project is over and though it only took about four days. It wasn't the easiest project to work on. First, the stitch pattern itself makes a stiff fabric. I cast on and started out using my bamboo needles (I don't have size 10 rosewoods) and the yarn was so stiff on the needles, I had to move to metal and even then it took some time for the fabric to loosen.
Second, I have, as I know I have stated before, man hands, and it wasn't the most comfortable stitch for my hands.

However, there were some fun parts of the project. I am glad to make a bag - which I don't often do. Second, the I-cords were fun and very quickly made and I like weaving them through the bag. It was fun to do something like that which was new.

The bag will be placed in the completed project bag until November at the next Bazaar. (Did I tell you how well we did at the sale last week? We sold almost $500 worth of items - a very good day!)

Triple Wave Afghan

Information and registration for the Sit & Knit is here.


The Triple Wave Afghan

I think it was size 13 needles. I know it was made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. I was afraid to drop it on a child - it's so heavy! It will certainly keep someone warm and it's large enough to go on a bed and will certainly keep someone cozy while watching the t and v.

The "recipe" came from The Little Box of Knitted Throws.

It requires about 11 skeins of yarn, though you will need to buy 12 to make it. They don't give you a warning of how cumbersome and heavy the afghan will become so let me warn you: it's gonna get cumbersome and heavy. It is worth every minute of the nine days it took to make it - maybe I should call this one the nine day afghan.

This particular afghan will be on sale at the May 3rd Pancake Breakfast, Bake Sale and Bazaar at First United Methodist of Oak Park.

The Soho Scarf - Exquisite Little Knits

So I've made another scarf. That's ok. Scarves are good for the craft sale and they are good for donations. Scarves serve many purposes.

This scarf was done in my favorite yarn, Caron By The Pound, knit on size eight circular needles. I think it took two days to knit. What makes this scarf so much fun is that it is made of three panels; two are vertical and the one in middle is horizontal and it is knit all in one piece. The technique involves adding on stitches, binding off, and picking up stitches. The reason it's on circular needles is because it requires two hundred stitches. It is a reversible scarf though one side has a little more texture than the other.

You can find the complete pattern in Exquisite Little Knits by Iris Schreier & Laurie J. Kimmelstiel.

I would love to see this yarn done with self striping yarn, as opposed to variegated yarn. I would love to see what the yarn does when it moves the horizontal to the vertical strip and back again.

The Doggie Sweater

This sweater is way too small for Duke, but fits Sashi just perfectly. This dog sweater was done before I even knew it. Talk about your quick knits and that's exactly where I got the pattern from a book called Quick Knits ~ Cool Patterns
from the House of White Birches.

I used size 17 needles (the largest size I will use, by the way, because I have small man hands) and Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn. It's in a simple rib stitch and rates as a beginning project. There is some shaping, button holes and yarn-overs, but nothing difficult to master. There's also a matching human hat and scarf pattern, but I think if I make them at all, they will be a stand alone project.
I'm pretty sure I didn't use a full skein because I used it from an afghan I started but for some reason don't want to complete. I wish I could show you the buttons in greater detail because they have this cool looking hologram image. The entire project didn't take three hours. Alas, it will not stay on Sashi but will be sold at the next pancake breakfast and craft sale in May. But perhaps Sashi will attend and buy it for himself.