Friday, April 30, 2010

Fiber Friday ~ Handknit Wallet / Card Holder

TGIF~ 
And here is my FF (Fiber Friday) item of the week

This handknit wallet / card holder is knit with 100% wool.  I think it is perfect if you are giving a gift card - just put the card inside, attach a ribbon and bow and you are all set for gift-giving. It can also be used to keep your ATM, credit cards or business cards handy.






Enjoy your Friday! 

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Bright and Colorful~


One of my favorites for summer, this felted wool bowl is bright and fun.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday Quote of the Week

"The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn."

-- David Russell



Today's quote is hosted by etsy shop:  VickieWadeFineArt
 
The painting is a 18 x 18 inch oil painting original titled: Summer Stroll

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Slipped Double Chain

Good Morning~  Today's stitch is Slipped Double Chain and I found that this stitch makes a very interesting and unique design and best of all  - it is very easy!

It is made up of 7 stitches with 8 repeating rows and fits in with cables and textures beautifully. 


Just follow these rows:

Row 1: (right side) Sl 1 purlwise, K5, Sl 1 purlwise
Row 2: Sl 1 purlwise, P5, Sl 1 purlwise
Row 3: C3L, K1, C3R
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K2, Sl 1 purlwise, K1, Sl 1 purlwise, K2
Row 6: P2, Sl 1 purlwise, P1, Sl 1 purlwise
Row 7: C2R, K1, C3L
Row 8: Purl

Repeat these 8 rows

Hold the yarn in front of your work when slipping the stitches to create the little horizontal loop at each point. 
 
 I used this stitch in a baby blanket that I made for one of my daughter's friends that is having her first baby this summer.  I had so much fun making this blanket for a couple reasons:  1) It was the 4th baby blanket I've made this year and yet it was the first girl (I was getting tired of blue!) and 2) Although the pattern looks difficult, it is very repetitive and after the first few repeats, it is easy to tell where you are so it can be put down and picked up again easily.
 
The center of the blanket is honeycomb cables with this slipped double chain on either side and has double seed stitch with braided cabled edges
 
The pattern for the  baby blanket is for sale in my etsy shop.
 
I had left over yarn and I made a honeycomb hat and a slipped stitch bib to match.
 
 
 
The entire set:




 
 
This was a super fun project and I can't wait to see and hold the baby!  I guess I need to wait until she's ready to show herself to the world, but it sure is hard to wait.
 
Next week I will be in Vermont visiting my grandson and celebrating his 4th birthday, so the next stitch of the week will be May 9th - Mother's Day.  I have a beautiful, yet simple double cable pattern in store for you then!
Until then, keep your knitting needles clicking!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Home Renovation ~

Another room complete!  Well, almost complete.  But check out this before and after ~ 

Before - a barely useable kitchen
After - half entry room, half pantry (right next to the soon-to-be kitchen)

Before:


After:

I'm not only proud of Daryl's work (floor, walls, windows, trim and stairs)  but pretty proud of my 'design on a dime' furnishings as well.



The cupboard is an old, very old cabinet that was rescued and upgraded by a local woman.  It's perfect for canned goods, etc.  ($375). The rocking chair ($10),  the red chair ($1), the hall tree ($3) and the little table by the door ($2) were all garage sale finds.   The 2 plants were a gift from my Mom  - one planted in crock-bowl over a  hundred years old and one in an old basket (free).  The antique desk was purchased a couple years ago at  a friend's vintage shop ($100).   The straight back chair is one of 2 that I bought and refinished a few years ago and was my very first wicker project. Not bad for my first time.  I think the chairs were $2 each.  The little wood stand that one of the plants is on was a project that my Dad and I worked on together.  It still has 1980 carved in the bottom.


Daryl still is working on another cupboard - The bottom is a 3 draw dresser that was by the side of the road (free) and an old wall cupboard  bought at auction for $5.  That will be put in the empty spot. 

The curtains were made by Beckyathome on etsy.   And the knit throw was of course by yours truely (many years ago)

So, I just have another cupboard to get in there and then I can shop around for some wall art.  I'll probably scour the garage sales this summer and find the perfect addition to this room!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Monday Quote of the Week


"An inventor fails 999 times, and if he succeeds once, he's in. He treats his failures simply as practice shots."

-- Charles F. Kettering

Flying Machine Pendant Charms can be found at TheThinVeil on etsy ~ Supplies to INSPIRE - charms, steampunk, vintage

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Sunday Monring Knit Wit ~ Slight Diversion from Schedule

I'm a bit off schedule this week so the featured stitch will be available next week.  The story behind the delay is one of Murphy's Law (you know it - what can go wrong, will go wrong) but I must say that even with all the hurdles, goodness did come out of it!

Let me start at the beginning.....

I was approached to make 12 matching felted vase covers in yellow and grey for a cocktail party to be held at Lincoln Center.  I was THRILLED!  This was one of my most exciting orders and to know my work would be at the Rubenstein Atrium in the Linclon Center (even for just a few hours) is so incredibly exciting.  Check out the room in which the party will be ... that wall is a real garden!


And this wall is felted wool!
I went to my usual yarn shop on a Tuesday (knowing that when I order yarn it usually takes 2 weeks and she gets much quicker delivery time as she is a distributor) , bought the few skeins she had and placed an order which she assured me would arrive on Friday.  That would work... I could pick up the yarn on my way home from work Friday evening and spend the weekend making them and then an entire week to dry and get ready to ship. I went home and started the project singing happy songs.

Friday came and no yarn delivery with a new expected day of the following Tuesday. Plan B: Pick up the yarn on Tuesday and take Wednesday off from work and pump them out in one day.  Meanwhile, I spent the day Saturday calling all around Central NY to yarn shops I didn't even know existed!

Who knew?!  A yarn shop 20 miles from my home!  Even though she indicated on the phone she didn't have the color I was looking for, she did carry that brand.  Well, after no one in a 50 mile radius had the color I needed, I decided to stop into her shop, just to check it out. 

Chris from Woolhaven Yarn Shop in Remsen NY is a kindred spirit. We chatted for over an hour and her shop is gorgeous.  She invited me to join their knitting group on Thursday evenings (which I went and boy, was that fun!) and the best and most exciting thing - she will teach me to spin.  Something I've been wanting to do for over a year. 

Anyway, back to my story...

You guessed it.  The yarn did not come in on Tuesday.  I was heartbroken. She promised it would be in on Wednesday and provided me with a tracking # of the delivery for UPS.  I had already contacted my customer to let her know there may be some challege getting the yellow yarn and she was so incredibly understanding, letting me know we could go with mostly grey.  And that just made me more determined to get her what she wanted.  Plan C: Pick up the yarn early Wednesday morning and spend the afternoon and into the night working on them.  I was even entertaining the idea of driving down to the City to deliver them myself if it came to that extreme.

Wednesday morning I checked the tracking number and they were still in Syracuse.  So close at this point but not yet in my hands.  When I called the shop, still not there.  Well, I decided I would make them in grey with bits of yellow circles on them to add the color.  I really wanted to make them exactly how my customer ordered them, but I was getting defeated and would resort to that.  So I headed out to her shop to get more grey.

By the time I got to the yarn shop, the yarn had been delivered!  There it was.. sitting in the box waiting for me.  I was singing happy songs again!  I rushed home, spent the day crocheting and watching TCM and totally enjoying myself.  The vases were shipped on Friday and all is well.



I guess that goes to show that things work out in the end and I found a great new yarn shop and hopefully many new knitting friends!

So, next week - back to the stitch of the week.  I'm 3/4 done with the baby blanket that includes the featured stitch and I think you'll like this one.  It's different, fun and EASY! 

Till next week.. keep your knitting needles clicking ♥

Monday, April 12, 2010

Monday Quote of the Week



"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always
beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may
alight upon you."

-- Nathaniel Hawthorne


The beautiful blue butterfly painting is from naturalartist.  You can view more of her work by visiting her etsy shop.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Claw Cable

Welcome back and I hope you had a great Easter weekend.  

This week's stitch is what I call "Claw Cable" and it is fun to work and has a beautiful result.  It is worked over 9 stitches with 4 repeating rows. 

It uses slightly different cable work that is described below  and depending if the cable is worked in front or in back will determine if the claw goes upward or downward.  It is a great stitch to work into any pattern that needs some intresting texture.



The basic pattern:
Upwards Claw:
Row 1: (right side) Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: C4R, K1 C4L
Row 4: Purl

Downwards Claw:
Row 1: (right side) Knit
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: C4L, K1 C4R
Row 4: Purl
Repeat these 4 rows

C4R = Slip 3 stitches on to cable needle and leave in BACK of work, Knit next stitch
from left-hand needle, then knit stitches from cable needle

C4L = Slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and leave in FRONT of work, Knit next 3 stitches
from left-hand needle, then knit stitch from cable needle


I used it in this to-go coffee cup cozy and I love the results. 

Next week ~  Slipped Double Chain Stitch.  This one is brand new to me and I love working it! 

Until then, keep your needles clicking

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Molly

My daughter Katie recently brought home a puppy.  Molly is 10 weeks old and is half pit bull and half border collie.  She is a frisky little puppy, but so far, she's been a good little puppy.

Katie took her to visit Warren last weekend and the two hit it off right away.  I'm sure Warren and Molly will be friends for a long time.