Sidebar Activity

I know entirely too many people having babies right now - nothing wrong with babies but boy something is in water.  Funny but after Hurricane Irene and then again after the October snowstorm when people in our area lost power for a week each time, I told my husband "just wait - 9 months from now there will be a bunch of babies".

Babies are fun to knit for - fast easy, etc.  I also realized that when I look at patterns I too could design some.  So I did some research, found this cute butterfly stitch pattern and was inspired...so in the sidebar you can see I published a new pattern called Farfalle Cardigan.  Farfalle in Italian means Butterfly.

I also got a bit wild while swatching and designed a new ribbing pattern which I really love.

The detail of the ribbing I designed.  

Butterfly (aka Farfalle) detail.

Ravelry was a huge help - I recruited some test knitters who made the pattern and gave me input.  You can see their versions here and here.  I published it last week and already have 58 favorites!  Do take a look at it - any input you might have would be greatly appreciated.

This has been quite a learning curve - even just getting it on the sidebar and having the link work and having it linked properly on Ravelry.  This is a free pattern - next learning is how to charge for a pattern.  I already have one lined up - a baby blanket.  Did I mention I know a bunch of people having babies??

Wish Lists Work!

Big Box from Webs

Back in April, I sent my sisters a wish list from the Webs annual sale.  You see, my 50th birthday was coming up and I figured I'd like some fiber and why not have them find something on sale.  My birthday was last Sunday (mother's day which is ironic as I was born on mother's day) and on the Friday before the big day, the big box arrived.

Now when you make a wish list it is a wish not a shopping list...my sisters were amazing (I have 3 but only 1 is a knitting and understands what this gift really is for me) they ordered EVERYTHING on my list.

I'm set for a year a of knitting - now onto the pattern selections - how fun!

 

8 Skeins Cascade Eco +

8 Skeins of Cascade 220

Enough Silky Wool for a Sweater

8 more skeins of Cascade 220!

In My Ears Latest Edition

I know I've been quiet from a knitting standpoint.  I don't have a lot on the needles right now - just a baby blanket I've designed.  I also have a pattern being test knit by 4 people and hope to release it soon.  I'm substitute teaching full time til the end of the school year and the workload requirement is VERY different than day to day subbing.  I'm "on" during the class as I'm actually teaching and as a result, my knitting is suffering majorly.

I am, however, still keeping up with my podcasts and I've discovered a new one I want to share with you.

The Yarniacs Podcast...with Gayle and Sharlene.  They live in California and have a wonderful banter about their knitting.  Their segments are fun too - they always start with "what are you wearing" and they talk about whatever handknit they are sporting that day.  They discuss what they are knitting and what they are "stalking".  I love the "stalking" segment as they tell about  what patterns they are currently obsessed with and why and their thought processes as they work towards actually starting the stalked pattern.

Check them out - you'll feel like you've pulled up a chair at a knitting group with good friends.

Absolutely precious

'

Okay, not the best photo but this is a precious sweater - it's Camilla Babe by Carrie Bostick Hoge.  I made it in the 6th month size using Ella Rae Classic Superwash.  Now all I need to do is find a baby for it!  My husband's niece is due in September but we don't know what "flavor" yet.  For now, it will be waiting for the perfect, precious baby.

Yesterday I had a particularly rough afternoon dealing with a flippant student.  I was cranky and tired as I went to pick up our son from high school.  As he walked toward the car he was carrying a foil covered plate.  When I asked what it was he handed it to me and said "you'll see".  As he drove me home (learners permit practice so I'm a passenger more than a driver these days), I opened it up and this is what I found.

My birthday isn't until May but they were making cakes in his food and nutrition class this week and he said "I figured, why not make you an early birthday cake".  Melt my heart, make my day, tears in my eyes, bad mood gone - poof!

He said he showed it to his math teacher who was aghast that he put my age on the cake...he explained that he loves to rub in my age whenever he can so this is another way he can have a little fun with what he calls his "old mom".  Got to love his sense of humor.

It Pays To Be Prepared

So, as I posted, I was slated for Jury Duty on 4/19.  I really was bugged about the "no knitting needles" rule so I even called the 800 number and posed the question to some guy who may have thought I was off  my rocker.  I tried explaining that there are different kinds of needles and circulars are very hard to use as any sort of weapon.  No luck there.

So, I thought I'd pull out some old needlepoint to take with me then I had a lightbulb moment.  I went to the library and got out some books on learning to crochet.  I could take my few hooks, some yarn and learn and experiment.

Wednesday afternoon rolled around - 5:45 I went online to see my status and lo and behold, I didn't have to report.  A shout of joy went through the house, I was able to keep my week long sub job going and I've since returned the books to the library.  It pays to be prepared.

Speaking of being prepared, there is a teacher who I was going to cover for while she went on maternity leave at the end of May.  Her due date was May 28...her baby arrived April 18.  Guess he didn't get the memo on the due date.  Mom and baby are fine (he was a whopping 5 lbs, 15 oz at 34 weeks).  I am starting the long term sub job on Monday - yikes!  Not quite prepared for that!

Dipping My Toe in the Pond

 Those of you who have read my blog for a while know that I have basically designed several sweaters...I've never been afraid to change a pattern but our daughter pushed me into new realms with her ideas.  So, I created for her and for me and for others - these are a few of the things I've done but never written down.

Then one day I wrote down a pattern (Saphira Scarf) and put it on Ravelry as a free pattern and did nothing more.  This was simple but I loved it and wanted to share it.

The other day I tried to figure out how to add more patterns and had to fix my Ravelry Designer Name so it linked with my Ravelry ID.  Now they are linked and when you go on my info page you see I have a design page.  Watch this space...I just designed a baby sweater and after having it read through by a few savvy people, you'll find it on my new designer page.

I'm working on changing my one (soon to be 2 patterns) to a downloadable PDF.  Who knows what's next...I need to figure out if what I design is something salable.  Time will tell.  You can tell me too!

Time to Educate the Legal System

I've been called to jury duty next week...I know it sounds unpatriotic but I hope like hell that my number doesn't come up and I don't have to go in.  There are several reasons for this:

1. I had a horrific jury duty experience in NYC when I was in my 20's. 
2. I have a sub job that day and I need the sub pay more than I need the jury duty pay
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY...THEY DO NOT ALLOW KNITTING NEEDLES!!!

And I quote:

Are there any items I should not bring to court?
Jurors may not bring disruptive or potentially dangerous items into the courthouse.
A disruptive item includes, among other things, electronic items such as a portable radio, television, CD, MP3, tape player or camera not attached to a cell phone or computer.
Potentially dangerous items include, among other things, weapons of any kind, pocket knives and sharp objects such as tools or knitting needles.
If you have any questions about what to bring, contact Jury Administration at 1-800-842-8175.

Is it me or is it time for us to educate the legal system about knitting needles.  They're allowed on airplanes why can't they be allowed in the jury duty room.  What am I going to do without my knitting in a waiting room environment?  I know...you say "read a book"...tried that last time and it is just too noisy.  I am going to pump up my iPod with knitting podcasts.  I have some antique needlepoint I could bring in...so bulky though.  Oh, how about I get out a learn to crochet book and bring that with me.

This could be valuable knitting time WASTED by a bunch of bureaucrats who have no idea that knitting is HUGE and we NEED it in times like this.

Okay, end of rant...would love it if you all kept your fingers crossed that I don't have to report for jury duty otherwise I might try to educate them on the need for knitting...

Oh, The Places You'll Go

Lately I've been listening to the Subway Knits podcast - Marie has a wonderful segment called "Swatch and Learn".  Whenever I listen to a podcast, I often go to the blog and read the show notes and follow the links.

In her March 26th post, she talked about a website that has all these wonderful stitch patterns.  So I let my fingers do the walking and I found Knitting Fool and the wonderful resource of lace patterns.  There is so much there I could spend days.  Thanks Marie - you've taken me to a new place and I'm loving all the places podcasts have sent me.

The Soon To Be Favorite Blanket

I finished my Ten Stitch Spiral blanket today - the other day my daughter asked if she could have it while we were watching TV.  I told her that I was still working on it and when I'm done it will be MY blanket.  For the next few days I kept referring to it as MY blanket.

It's done, it's on the sofa and my bet is that the kids will be fighting over MY blanket.  I got a lot of little skeins out of my stash and created something warm and fun for the whole family - even though it is MY blanket.

Odds and Ends

Thank you for your kind wishes for my husband and his job search - we're muddling along and trying to be positive.

I finally finished the last capelet and realized I had lots of odds and ends of yarn.  Paula from The Knitting Pipeline podcast told us about a blanket she made using odds and ends and it inspired me to cast on one of my own.  The pattern is called Ten Stitch Twist.  It took one short rip out after the first circle was completed to get the desired effect as Paula had referred to her method of "joining" which creates a lovely slip stitch detail (carefully noted in her project page).  I also adopted her edge method which is fantastic and creates a great edge for picking up stitches.

Here's how it looks after a few days work - it kind of is like potato chip knitting - you want to see how the next color/section is going to look.  This yarn is heavy worsted so it is knitting up very quickly!

Doors and Windows

I'm still knitting my last capelet and I've cast on for a blanket which I'll tell you about in my next post.  I am using leftover yarn from all the capelets and other stuff in my stash.  I'm subbing today and am hoping to almost finish the last capelet.

On the job front, my husband flew to North Carolina for a series of interviews on Tuesday.  Two other people were up for the job.  Sadly, he was told one of the other guys was a "better fit".  While he and I are very frustrated and disappointed, our kids I think sighed a little sigh of relief.  Such a move would have been a doozy for them.

The saying goes that when a door is closed, God opens a window somewhere.  Can anyone tell me where that window is because we really need to find it.

Whoops!

I just realized I haven't blogged in weeks and now it is March already.  Yes, I'm knitting - I promised I'd never knit another Corrugated Lace Capelet again and here I am knitting 4 more for my dentist's staff (being paid of course).  I've finished 2 and am almost done with one more.  No photos as they are the same colors as the last batch.

I've been working a lot - I did a week teaching 7th grade math which almost broke me.  What happens to kids from 6th to 7th grade that makes them SO obnoxious?  I know...hormones.  If my kids acted this way, I'll throttle them.  The funny story of the week was our son was driving me home (learners permit has hit the house) and I was telling him about these monsters.  He turned to me and calmly said "you know mom, it's 5 o'clock somewhere" - I loved it but reminded him that 2:30 in the afternoon was pushing it.

My husband has a big interview on Tuesday - please send all good thoughts.  The job market has been deathly quiet and we have so much hope hanging on this. I find myself praying a lot for this one...I can't say more about it but it would be life changing for us all.

Sorry for the lapse in updates, photos, knitting content...I'll work on it.

Lucky Me!

That pesky Random Number Generator finally took a shine upon me - I love to enter contests on blogs, podcasts, etc.  In fact, years ago I won some wonderful knitting needles from Major Knitter who is now a good knitting buddy.

Well, imagine my surpise when I found out I won a contest on the 2 Knit Lit Chicks podcast!  They were giving away several 3month gift subscriptions to Audible.  Now, if you haven't listened to this podcast, you should check it out.  Not only do they talk about knitting, they also talk about books.  Got to love that combination!

The format is a mother and daughter duo - Barb (mom) and Tracie (daughter).  They live in California and both are knitters - Barb more experienced of the two.  The banter back and forth is delightful, they have fun segments including a "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" section.  They podcast one time around Thanksgiving and my favorite line came from that - while drinking some alcoholic holiday beverage, Barb pointed out that that particular episode (if they weren't careful) could be called 2 LIT Knit Lit Chicks.  Cracked me up.

They have a strong Ravelry group too.  Go join the group as they have had contests for every 100 member signups.  Check them out and THANK YOU Barb and Tracie - now, what book should be my first download???

Also, one more lucky bit of news...my husband's niece just announced she is pregnant and due in September.  More baby knits for me!

Must Be Something in the Water

There definitely must be something in the water in our town as there are lots of teachers expecting babies.  This fall there were 3 elementary school teachers ready to pop and then late fall/early winter revealed 3 teachers in 6th grade, 1 in 5th grade, and 2 in 7th grade are expecting.  I already knit the hat and booties for one teacher who taught our daughter and was my secret Santa.

Then when I found out a teacher who has become a good friend was expecting her second child I whipped up this baby blanket.  Once I know what "flavor" she's having, I'll make a gender specific item.  The pattern is Garter Rib Baby Blanket and I used Stylecraft Luxury Merino which I got on sale at Webs - one of Steve's Deal of the day.  It's superwash and it really softened up so nicely when I blocked it. 

Another teacher I often sub for is having her second child and she knows it is a girl.  Knowing she wasn't a mom who likes pinks for baby girls (and she confirmed it when I said I'd make something and she said "please not pink"), I got this lovely teal.  I couldn't find a free pattern that rocked my world so I designed my own sweater for her.  I used a bunch of resources and knit this in one piece bottom up.  I forgot to give extra room for the button bands but I planned that it would only have two buttons at the top.

I got the cutest buttons at The Tender Button in NYC - little bunnies.  Too great!



Here's a  detail of the lace pattern on the bottom.  I repeated the yarnover section for the collar and the wristbands.   Overall, I'm happy with it.  Originally, I thought I'd write it up but I don't think anyone would really want it.  I kind of like giving a one-of-a-kind sweater to my teacher friend.



I Think Only A Knitter Would Understand

Yesterday morning I was at our church coffee hour with the kids and I was wearing my "Tube of Warmth" which I'm finding with the other capelets I've made is the perfect layer to indeed keep me warm.  The coffee hour was like a job fair for all the ministries of our church and I was helping out at the youth group table making mini-milkshake samples (our daughter called them Frosty Shots).

A woman who I have met before told me how much she liked my capelet and asked if I made it.  We then started discussing knitting and she could get back into knitting with my help.  She then told me her niece is a designer and has an online knitting magazine and she asked me if I had ever heard of Twist Collective.

Have I ever heard of Twist Collective????   Have I been living in a cave - no so I obviously HAVE heard of Twist Collective and I told her how much I lived it.  Well, her niece is Kate Gilbert.  At that point I had to hold on to the edge of the table as it was a less than six degrees of separation moment with a knitting goddess.  I think this lady knows her niece is creative but I don't think she realizes just how well known she is to the kniterrati.

Of course, when I told my kids about it they were totally non-plussed.  Maybe I need to show my fashion savvy daughter some of Kate's amazing designs, such as:  Wisteria, Cinnabar, A Cardigan for Arwen and the adorable Roo. Maybe then she'd understand why I was so excited!