Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fall Treasury

I am so excited to be featured in this lovely fall treasury.

Welcome Fall

In autumn when the trees are brown
The little leaves come tumbling down
They do not make the slightest sound
But lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
And blows them off towards the sky.

-Unknown Author



Generated using Treasure Trove by packagery.com



Sunday, August 22, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ The Next Generation

Our small town is hopping this weekend with the Annual Woodsmen's Field Days.  People come from all over the country to show off their lumberjack skills and it is a huge event - including fire works, competitions, bands and all-round fun! 


I am happy to be a vendor in Dodge Pratt Northrop Art Center's Craft Fair on the lawn and I am always excited to meet people and talk about my craft when people stop to chat.  I actually met one of the  professors wife at a college I went to 30 years ago!  What a small world this is! 


But my absolutley best conversation was with an eleven year old girl who stayed in my booth for quite some time. I could see in her eyes that she really appreciated everything in my booth as she bounced from one thing to another.  When I found out that she was a knitter we just connected right then and there! As it turns out her babysitter has been teaching her to knit, crochet and all sorts of craft work. 

I was happy to show her a new project that I was working on (a super cool design that can be found in Knitting New Scarves: 27 Distinctly Modern Designs). 




This is definately not your grandmother's knitting!  And I am so excited to see more and more young people learning how to knit and work with fibers. 

To my new found friend Jordan - you absolulely made my day yesterday.  I hope you will keep on knitting and one day you will be the knitting designer of the future. 

Until next time - keep your needles clicking! 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit

I don't have a stitch for you today and probably won't until October.

Sometimes life gets in the way of what you love to do and I do believe it is my turn for awhile.  Daryl is on the mends from a foot injury that required surgery and for the next 4 weeks he is totally non-weight bearing. Those of you know that he is a man who rarely sits still, so this is absolutely killing him, but we are looking forward to the future when it will be completely healed and life gets back to normal.

I have been able to squeeze in a few projects here and there and I've expanded my work to include hats.  I've knit hats before, but I was never all that much into them.  I typically don't wear one so hats were not on my top knit list.  But I've been playing around and I think I've found my newest craze!  The are super fun to knit and really don't take all that long to make and you don't need all that much yarn.

Here is a hat that I just listed on etsy this morning.  It is knit with lambswool and is super soft.  The rim is a braided cable and the top is pixie-like beanie.  I love how the cabled edge forms scallops to surround your face.  





Next weekend I will have a booth at the Boonville Woodsman's Field Days both on Saturday and Sunday.  If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!  Our little town will be hopping and there is plenty to do!



So until next time - keep your needles clicking!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Bobbles and UFO's

Do you ever have projects that you start and put aside?  They call them UFO's (Unfinished Objects) in the knitting circles and I have more than my share. 

The one that continues to haunt me is an afghan that I started for my daughter when she was in college that is unfinished 10 years later. That has got to be my oldest UFO, and I have many more.

But, recently I picked up and complete a pillow cover that began last winter.  I knit this with two strands of worsted weight wool and it was my very first project utilizing the bobble stitch.  I admit, that I was hesitant to try bobbles, but I was amazed at how easy they really are. Although they take some practice with tension, bobbles can be used in so many different patterns to add texture.

I thought that making flowers with them would be unique and fun.  I added a bit of creative cable work to make the stems to create a field of flowers.  I used 5 stitch bobble for the center and worked 3 stitch bobbles for the surrounding petals.


Making Bobbles: (5 stitch) worked on a background of reverse stockinette stitch

Make 5 stitches from one stitch ( Knit in front and back of same stitch 2X and in front once more)
Turn knitting work toward you (working on the back) Knit 5 stitches
Turn knitting work toward you (working on the front) Purl 5 stitches
Turn knitting work toward you (working on the back) Knit 5 stitches
Turn knitting work toward you (working on the front) Sl 1, K2 tog, Pass slip stich over, K2 tog, Pass slip stich over.

Work the same for 3 stitch bobble only make 3 stitches from one stitch and only Knit 2 tog and passover once at the end.

There is a great feeling of accomplishment when picking up a forgotten project and I am so glad that I completed this one. 

I took a break while writing this entry and went to find my daughter's afghan.  Her major in college was International Relations and I had a vision to incorporate flags from several nations into the afghan.  It looks like I only completed 3 nations and half of 3 more. Perhaps digging it out is one step closer to completion.....


Hopefully you will dig out some of your UFO's and get them completed this summer. 


Until next time, keep your needles clicking!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Monday Quote of the Week

"Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right road." -- Dag Hammarskjold



Today's quote is hosted by joystclaire  and features Clouds on the Horizon, a fine art photograph taken in Northern Michigan.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Small Zig Zag Cables

It has been a busy summer so far and it is only the beginning of July!  We are just coming out of a week of hot and humid weather and it seems rather odd that 80 degrees would feel cool.  I guess after a week of temperatures in the high 90's that 80's would be a relief. 

Even though it is hot now, it won't be long before we are turning on our furnaces and lighting our wood stoves.  Fall will be here soon enough, so I keep knitting warm wooly goodness even in the heat.

This weeks featured stitch is a small zig zag cable stitch.  I like how they look when worked in multiples as they really give a zing to the zig zag look.

I  used this stitch to make another ascot style neckwarmer (yet another one of my recent obsessions). This handknit neckwarmer is made with the softest of soft merino wool in one of my most favorite shades of yellow. 



This stitch is worked in multiples of 3 + 1

Row 1: (Wrong Side) K1,  * P2, K1 repeat from * to end
Row 2: P1, *C2F, P1 repeat from * to end
Row 3: Same as Row 1
Row 4: P1, *C2B, P1 repeat from * to end

Repeat these 4 rows


This is a great stitch to add into an area that you need some filler stitches such as borders for a larger cable design.  I already have another neckwarmer started using this as the edging. 

Knitting Tip: If your stitches look uneven, aim to make stitches close to the tips of your needles so you are less likely to stretch them.

Until next week - keep your needles clicking and keep cool!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Christmas in July Sale Starts Today

Are you an early holiday shopper?  Come on in and save on several select Christmas Gifts at Valerie's Gallery

And free US Shipping too!