New Project

Back in the spring when I was visiting Diane, we each picked up a denim jacket with the intention of cutting off the sleeves and knitting on new ones. Well, Diane got hers done a long time ago and I finally just started mine yesterday. I wasn't loving the whole process of getting the stitches started (by poking holes in the denim every 1/8" and pulling a loop up through the hole and putting it on a needle) It was very tedious and time consuming. But once I got it done, the fun began! Pick a color, knit for a while, knit the same amount of rows on the other sleeve, and switch colors. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

I have decreased quite a bit already, (30 stitches from the amount I started with) but you'd never know it by looking. The sleeves still look really huge to me. I guess because the opening was large to begin with....maybe I should have decreased more drastically right away. I don't know. I think it will be fine.

Up for a contest?

Pop on over to Kim's blog, check out her Knitting Matters site, comment on it, and be put in the drawing! Go on, you know you want to!

Busy Weekend

I worked Friday morning, then went home to finish getting ready to be one of the "local designers" featured at an Open House at Heritage Spinning and Weaving in Lake Orion. I had my beaded bookmarks, personalized beaded pens, a few other pieces of jewelry, some eyeglass chains, and my 2 patterns for sale. It was a fun evening, and I was supposed to be there for the Saturday session too, but was unable to make it.

Here are Pat and Miri when they stopped by to pick up a few pens, etc. These are a couple of my knitting buddies from the Thursday night knitting group at Borders. Tamara came too, but she wasn't here for the photo op. I guess I should have taken another one...sorry Tam!

The reason I couldn't be there on Saturday is because Kaitlyn was getting ready to go to her first Homecoming Dance. Oh boy, here we go. Why did they move 9th grade to the high school? I'm not ready for her to be in high school. And going to the homecoming dance. With a boy. With a boy who is a junior. Yikes..... Gotta keep a close eye on her....

They had a good time though, and that's a good thing. Memories in the making....

Today we did some stuff around the house that has been nagging at us yet remaining undone. Stuff like gathering clothes and other stuff for Goodwill. Gathered from many locations. Drawers, bedroom closets, coat closets, here there and everywhere. Threw away a lot of stuff too. Then....Laundry. TONS of laundry. Got the flannel sheets and comforter on Jake's bed because we've had some mighty chilly nights lately. Took a ride this afternoon to the cemetary to visit my MIL's grave. She passed away in April and her birthday was Thursday so it felt right to go. I love how we can see the big angel statue from her resting place. When we got home I baked an apple pie (we picked apples on Thursday). We ordered some broasted chicken for dinner because it was getting late and I didn't feel like doing another darned thing. I am going to go watch some TV in a few, and knit a bit. I am in love with Jo Sharp Silk Road. It is easing its way up to the top of my all-time favorite yarn list...right next to Noro Blossom.

Contest entry

Pitiful as it is, here is my entry.
(photo taken in the early morning sun...wow, can you believe the size of the shadows that socks can throw on the deck?)

Jane is having a contest over on her blog. Take picture of all the socks you have knit (that you still have in your possession or can get your hands on) and send her the link, and she'll put you in a drawing for one of several beautiful sock yarns.

I hesitate to even submit this paltry entry, considering Jane has a drawerful....I mean drawer FULL of beautiful handknit socks. The photo doesn't show all of the pairs she's given away. If you go to her sock gallery you'll see that she has knit 25 pairs of socks just so far this year. Yowsa!

And if you're wondering about those 2 balls of Wildefoote at the top of the photo...I included them because Jane asked for photos of all the socks you've knit. Well, she says "finished socks". Those 2 balls were once socks I knit. And finished. (but then frogged because they were too big) So I decided to include them. Maybe I should just find the post that shows them before frogging.... Ok, here they are. Look at the above photo...who knew that those 2 little balls of yarn could produce socks THIS HUGE??
I'm still working on getting just the right size....my beach socks are just a bit big too, but I can live with them. My next pair I am definitely going to make a bit smaller. And someday this pair will once again become a pair of socks ....that fit. Looking at this photo again reminds me of how much I loved this yarn. Maybe I will reknit these socks before tackling any of the other dozen or so sock yarns I have gathered recently...


I'll finish by saying that if you haven't checked out Queen Kahuna's Crazy Toes & Heels book, you really should do so. She has revolutionized the process of knitting socks.

And don't forget to check out Lynn's great sock patterns here.

A week or so ago I was emailing with Edna about my Bloom Shawl pattern, Blossom yarn (and how it is my favorite of all time) and a few other things. Edna has a store in CA and was going to be knitting a Bloom Shawl for her shop, and had been trying to order some Blossom when she was told it was discontinued. She told me this and I started freaking! NO MORE BLOSSOM? HUH? But then, I thought about it, and wondered why they would come out with several new colors just to discontinue the yarn. Maybe just the colors Edna wanted were discontinued?

YES! That was it...she emailed me back and said she had misunderstood, it was just some of the colors that were discontinued. WHEW!

Meanwhile, because I had voiced my extreme fondness of the lovely Blossom, Edna sent me a little package. It arrived a few days ago, so cutely wrapped in turquoise and orange. I was a little perplexed by the little pin on the ribbon that said "baby", until I opened the card....which says "that was almost us....2 cry babies...hope you like this color... very subtle" . Isn't that sweet of her? She said it was a little something from my "not so secret" secret pal. I am going to send her a little something in return. Now I have another skein to add to my growing stash of Blossom. I have over 20 now, in various colors, which will eventually become a throw. I'm searching for just the right pattern before I get started. Any ideas?

Foliage

Gone are the days of the thought that yarn must be 100% wool (or very close to it) to felt. The B-4 Bag pattern that I designed originally for Karaoke yarn (50 % wool, 50% soy silk) is shown here in another wool blend. This one is Berroco Foliage. Only 53% wool, and 47% acrylic, would you think it would felt this nicely? It's beautiful!

What I really love about the way this yarn felts is that the acrylic spun along with the wool is all one color, and the wool is what changes color. When felted, the wool shrinks around the acrylic, causing the acrylic to pop out in a beautiful pebbly texture. The wool colors intensify because the acrylic has basically been separated from it in the felting process. It doesn't show as well in this colorway as some of the other colors. We have swatches in the shop, before and after felting, that really shows off the felting properties of this yarn.

I'm not saying that all wool blends will felt this well, but don't be turned off by something you want to try. Swatch and see what happens! You could be pleasantly surprised, as I was, when I was told "Oh, that yarn won't felt....." WRONG!

Another Bloom Shawl

My first 2 "Bloom" shawls were done in Noro Blossom, both of them in color #5 (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE...but then...if you know me, you know that!)The first one I gave to my mom for her birthday because she fell in love with it, and I promptly knit up another one for me! But, Blossom #5 has very bright, spring-like colors, and I wanted to do something for fall.

I also wanted to play around with other yarns and see what kind of results I would get.

So here is another shawl, this one done in Noro Silk Garden (color #204 in case you 'need' to have it!)This shawl turned out to be just a bit smaller than the one done in Blossom, but not so much as to be too small. Just right. I decided to add fringe to this one instead of the crocheted edge...once again to show some options. I will hang this in the shop with my other one to show the different looks you can achieve by using different yarns or finishing touches. This one took 3 skeins for the shawl and almost another full one for the fringe...so 4 total if you want the fringe.

I would also like to try one in Trendsetter Dune for a little glitz.

Tagged!

Jane tagged me for a meme. I think this is interesting.

Rules:
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five some other people to do the same.


Here's mine:

Speaking of socks...last night I turned the heel on both socks, one at a time, but both of them still on the same needle.

That was the first pair of socks I did 2 at a time doing Magic Loop, but they were cuff down and I had quite a time with them. Obviously before I found Queen Kahuna and her better "magical" ways of knitting socks....
The next bit of that post says:

Then, believe me when I tell you I have NO IDEA what I did next to get the gussets going and the socks back on the needle the way they were supposed to be. My plan was to take notes on how I did it, but I got so screwed up (and frustrated!) that I just did whatever it took to get myself untangled. I ended up having to enlist the help of 3 double point needles to rearrange the stitches back in the right order, but finally I did it, and around and around I started going again.

That post was from the week before Halloween last year. When I was going through my archives I realized that it was one year ago this week that I taught my first knitting class. Wow...what a whirlwind year it's been!

I tag
Miri
Kim
Lynn
Jen
Karrie

LynnH

I met Lynn several months ago when I was on a road trip to Threadbear with my Thursday night knitting group. I had been reading her blog for quite a while, always in awe of her creativity, and how many things she has going on at all times in her life. And she doesn't just 'dabble' in all these areas, she masters them! When I met Lynn she was sitting at a table at Threadbear, knitting a pair of socks, if I recall. Even if I'm wrong, it would be a good guess, because this is one of Lynn's many areas of expertise. She knits socks. Lots of socks. Take her "sock tour" and see just some of the socks she has knit over the past several years. Lynn also designs sock patterns. She teaches sock classes.....I think she loves socks! (Lynn teaches LOTS of classes, not just socks, and not just at Threadbear. She teaches at 5 yarn stores in the Lansing area, as well as doing workshops in other far-reaching areas)

Ok, so we've covered socks....read on!

Lynn dyes yarn and roving.

She creates beautiful palettes to knit and spin and felt with....check them out! But wait, there's more...there's so much more!

Lynn loves fiber, but her creativity isn't limited to just this medium. Lynn is a very talented polymer clay artist as well. She makes some incredible, one-of-a-kind buttons which were just recently featured in a trunk show (along with her beautiful ArtYarns) at Threadbear. She can take a kazoo and turn them into a museum piece! I mean really, who would have thought to cover a kazoo in beautiful polymer clay? Check them out. You'll love them!

Besides flying high from her recent trunk show, Lynn is also basking in the glow of being the current featured 'interviewee' on Knitcast.

You'll want to listen to Lynn and get to know her better.

Then there's Lynn's music career, which she shares with her husband. Her talents just go on and on, don't they? Lynn has just about a gazillion careers all at once.

What a way to live a COLORJOYful life!

New Knitty is up!

The Fall Issue of Knitty is up now.... Lots of great designs!
and my Bloom shawl pattern is there. WOO HOO!
Thanks to everyone at Knitty!

Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments, K?

ps..I am humbled beyond words by all the wonderful support I have gotten from family, fellow knitters, and especially knit-bloggers, who have featured me and my patterns in their posts today. Thank you all....I appreciate your friendship (and advertising!) more than I can say! You're all the best!

Hugs,
Trish

New Bag Pattern for Sale

But first, let's take care of some important business.

Susan and Margene have got a great idea. Visit their blogs to see what they are up to. Donate to the Red Cross (you can use the button at the top of my sidebar) then email them to let them know how much you donated and they'll add it to the total donated by knitters. Then you'll be entered in a drawing to win one of many great items that generous knitters have donated. So maybe you can donate a prize too? I'm deciding what I can give to the prize pile.

Drumroll......................

It's ready! The B-4 Bag pattern is now for sale! I will be donating a portion of each sale to the Red Cross on top of what Mike and I have donated.

This bag is knit in the lovely self-striping Karaoke yarn* by South West Trading Company (or any other felting yarn of your choice), this bag features:

Bobbles!
Bumps!
Beads!
Buttons!
(thus the name B-4)

Click on the button on the sidebar to see other versions of this bag (knit in different yarns) and the paypal button to order.

Thanks!

*PS...I just went to SWTC's website and saw there was a link on the left sidebar that says "Free Knitting Needles". If you click on that it will lead you to a coupon that you can use to get a free set of size 7 bamboo needles when you send in the UPCs or ball bands from 6 skeins of Karaoke. They are promoting the new Karaoke yarn. Cool beans!

I'm sure I don't have my ball bands anymore from making my 2 test purses from Karaoke, but thought I'd send the info along...you just need to knit 2 of these bags (one for you, and one for someone you love... Christmas IS coming, you know......) to get a free set of needles.

is good!

Back from the Beach

Good Golly it was hard for the beach sox and I to tear ourselves away from the beach this morning and get on that plane home! We had such a wonderful time. Though the forecast before we left was for rain every day, not a drop fell upon us the whole time...it was awesome.

Though.... HOT! & HUMID! (both of which I hate when I'm home in Michigan but will gladly tolerate when I am within earshot of the crashing waves.

When we got to Myrtle Beach and went to the Alamo counter for our "midsized" car, we were told they were out of midsize and would we mind a brand new mini-van with leather seats, DVD player, etc. Heck no! Bring it on....

That was our first upgrade of the day. We called the hotel to see if we could check in early, since it was still more than 4 hours until the normal check-in time of 3 pm. After some checking, the guy came back on the phone and said, yes, they had a room available, and we could come now. We got there and were told they were upgrading us to a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom CONDO! For goodness sake, we were only paying just over $100 a night and that included a huge breakfast buffet every morning! We were geeked!

This place was awesome...a HUGE kitchen complete with dishwasher (and laundry!) tons of counterspace and cupboard space and every small appliance you could possibly need (along with the obvious large appliances too!) The dining/living room was extremely spacious with a huge glass wall to the balcony. We had an awesome view of the ocean which was just yards away over a small dune. The master suite was huge with a king bed, the other bedroom had 2 double beds and was very nice for the kids not to have to sleep together in one bed. We had 3 tvs and all the comforts of home. Wow....

I was knitting away on my socks at the pool(s) and was getting some very strange looks....never saw another person knitting the whole time I was gone, but was glad to bring home a 2/3 completed pair of socks that will always remind me of this trip.

While there I took a trip down to Pawley's Island to find a couple of yarn shops down there. Of course I went on Monday and one shop was closed Mondays. Drats...remind me to let my fingers do the walking next time....The other "shop"(Elegant Stitches) was actually in a home. Rosemarie Smith is the lady's name and she was very sweet. Gave me great directions to get there though I was afraid to try it, I did find her ok. She actually teaches classes and has an area of her upstairs set up as a shop. Not a huge selection, obviously, but some very nice yarns.

The next day I drove north to Knitting Up a Storm and had a nice long chat with Terri who was working there that day. Only one other customer came in while I was there so we had a lot of time (well over an hour) to talk yarn, and about the classes I am teaching, tales of working in a yarn store, etc. They had all their Jo Sharp yarns at 50% off. She said Jo Sharp is being bought out by another company, and while the yarn will stay the same, it will have a new label so they are clearning out what they had. I bought a full bag of Silk Road DK Tweed (Wool/Silk/Cashmere blend) for a mere $4.25 each! YOWSA! I bought a really cute shrug pattern to use this yummy yarn. I wish I knew what else I would make, or who would want me to buy some at this price, but I just didn't know if I should buy more of this yarn, or any of the many other Jo Sharp yarns they had in stock.

Anyway, we had a wonderful time...it went by WAY too fast, but it's good to be back home.

I just feel so awful for the people who were affected in such horrific ways by the hurricane and its aftermath. I pray that someone will take care of those people SOON. I understand that the magnitude of the situation is unimaginable, but it sure seems like things are happening in slow motion. If I feel that way I can only imagine what those poor people are feeling and thinking. I am praying for them and thankful that no one that I know was affected by this tragedy. If you have friends or family members who have suffered, I hold them in my prayers. It makes you feel guilty to have a wonderful vacation and come home to a house intact, all the while knowing that so many are suffering so horribly. I feel the same way I did after 9/11. For so many days I felt paralyzed. Like I had no right to go about my daily "normal" life. It wasn't fair to have normalcy when so many had died or had their normal lives ripped away from them forever. I guess to overcome this feeling we have to do whatever we can to help those less fortunate. If you can send money, do so. If your situation doesn't allow it, send prayer. Reach out in random acts of kindness so we can remember that there is good in this world, and focus on that rather than the idiots who are shooting at people who are trying to help them, looting hospitals, and acting like animals.

On a happier note....the new issue of Knitty should be up soon....Look for my pattern "Bloom"....let me know what you think! And hopefully by tonight I will have a preview posted here of my new felted bag pattern too.

Safe travels to everyone this holiday weekend.