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September 29, 2006
Eye Candy Friday
Birthday flowers from Travis - all the more special because he doesn't really send flowers.
Have a great weekend. I'll have lots of knitting stuff to tell you about next week.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:32 AM | Comments (19)September 27, 2006
Did You Know?
I tend to be pretty open about things on this here blog. I obviously share all my knitting triumphs and defeats (and we all know there are a lot of both around here), but I also tend to share a lot about my life. Maybe I'm too trusting, but whatever. That's just the way I am. So, when it came time to identify 10 knitting things you might not know about me, I struggled. I saw this meme over at Grumperina's and I thought I'd give it a whirl. The only rule is that the 10 things must relate to knitting.
1. I learned to knit when I was a kid. I can't remember exactly how old I was, but my mom puts my age somewhere around 10. My mom and grandma didn't know how to knit, so one of the neighbor ranch ladies taught me. I learned to knit and my sister learned to crochet. I remember knitting some red acrylic slippers and a mauve and gray sweater that I entered in the county fair. I actually think I still have the pattern book in my old knitting stuff. I'll have to find it and share a picture. I have no idea what happened to the sweater, but I remember it didn't fit very well and wasn't very much fun to knit. Needless to say, there were no blue ribbons for that particular piece. Ah, the good ol' days.
2. About the time high school rolled around I quit knitting and didn't pick it back up until sometime around law school. I saw an article in Martha Stewart and thought about my knitting for the first time in years. The article recommended Knitting In Plain English as a good book to teach yourself to knit. I bought the book, dug out my old needles and bought some yarn at Walmart and I was off and running. I read the book and realized there were 2 "ways" to knit - English or American and Continental or European (I think those are the terms used in the book). I had absolutely no recollection of how I'd learned to knit, so I tried them both and decided the Continental method was a lot easier, and that's what I went with. I still don't know if it was easier because that's the way I'd originally learned or if that's just what clicked at the time. I bought a book of dishcloth patterns and some cotton yarn and practiced my stitches making dishcloths. I still have all of those first attempts. I knit off and on through law school, but it really wasn't a passion until October of 2003. That's when I found the internet knitting community.
3. Everything I know about knitting I've learned (or relearned - I can't remember those early knitting lessons) from a book or from you guys and the internet. I don't really like knitting classes. I prefer to read how to do something and work through it step-by-step until I figure it out. I don't think there's anything wrong with a class, but that just isn't the way I learn.
4. I don't consider myself a fabulous knitter, but I do think I can knit just about anything I want to knit given enough time and unlimited access to my knitting pals (um, that would be you guys). Don't get me wrong, I get nervous and have some nail biting moments, but there's nothing as satisfying as tackling a tough or scary project and figuring it out.
5. I like to think that I don't have a yarn stash because I am so organized and practical. But, the reality is that I do have a stash. It isn't huge, but I have enough yarn for 2 sweaters (and I know what those sweaters are) and enough sock yarn for ... well, let's just say a lot of socks. In fact, I have sock yarn in my stash I'd forgotten about. I was looking at my sock yarn last night and was surprised at what was there. I'd forgotten about the Brook's Farm sock yarn I bought at Estes Park and the Mountain Colors Bearfoot. This is not good people. Those are yummy yarns - too yummy to be forgotten about. This problem must be remedied this winter. It's time to knit more socks.
6. The online knitting community and knit bloggers in particular have made me a better knitter. I honestly believe I would still be knitting with acrylic yarn and making eyelash scarves if it wasn't for you guys. Seriously, my knitting growth is something I'm very proud of, but I have you to thank. There are so many wonderful ideas and resources to be found on the internet - sometimes it's overwhelming, but it's always wonderful.
7. I taught my mom and mother-in-law to knit. I think they both knit because I love to knit, not because they love it too. I know they aren't obsessed with it like I am. They are both good knitters, but I'm not sure they'd stick with it if I quit knitting (luckily, that will never happen). I actually really enjoy teaching people to knit - isn't that interesting considering I don't like to be taught anything (see #3). I wonder what that says about my personality.
8. I have no problem knitting in public. It's a great way to pass the time and since I don't wait well, it keeps me busy.
9. I used to commute to work with 2 friends and I had lots of knitting time. Almost an hour each way and I loved the weeks when I didn't have to drive - I got so much knitting accomplished and the time to and from work flew by. Now, my friends have abandoned me and I drive by myself every day. The loss of those 2 hours a day is playing serious hell on my knitting progress. I really need to find a new carpool.
10. I love knitting socks. There's just something wondeful about the combination of the fine yarn and the dpns. Socks just make me happy. I love all kinds of socks - top down, toe up, short-rows, heel flaps, whatever. If it's a sock, I like it. And I like dpns and magic loop and 2 circulars. I really need to get some socks on the needles. Stay tuned.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:52 AM | Comments (12)September 26, 2006
Goodies
Look at the wonderful goodies I got for my birthday (and no, there will be no embarrassing baby pictures here today).
Dale Ara yarn from my friend Ashley. She brought it back from Norway for me. Isn't it great? She did good for a muggle! I think it would be perfect for a scarf and maybe a hat.
Margene sent me a lovely handmade card
I also received some hilarious e-cards - thanks guys! Travis, my mom, and the in-laws are taking me out to dinner on Friday, so today is going to be pretty low key. Knitting content will resume tomorrow. Have a great day.
September 25, 2006
Rescued
I was finally rescued from sleeve island late Saturday night. The Kimono Sweater saw some serious knitting action this weekend and I am happy to report that I am rapidly approaching the finish line.
I hope that I can finish the knitting tomorrow so then I can get it blocked and seamed before the weekend (because, as you all know, I'm behind on this project). As soon as this sweater is done, I'm on to some socks with a couple of wedding squares and some Butterfly thrown in to keep life interesting. Maybe some Jaywalkers (yes, I know I really am the last person on the planet to knit these lovely socks) or maybe some lovely cabled socks. I saw a great Nancy Bush pattern in the Fall Vogue Knitting. I was drooling - that woman is a genius. Then there are the knee socks sweeping blogland. I have plans for some of those too. So many socks, so much cold weather. I can't wait.
I had a nice weekend, even though "fall" showed herself with snow and freezing temperatures. I worked at the yarn store on Saturday and had a great day. I just love knitters who are excited about their next projects. Yesterday was some knitting and some flyball - Riley had a great time ... again. I can't believe it's already Monday. The weekends just go too fast. But, I think this will be a good week.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:27 AM | Comments (9)September 21, 2006
Storage Idea
I had a brilliant moment on the way home last night. I don't have those moments very often, so I try to pay attention when they happen. I had just used the last mint in my little Icebreakers Sours container and I was going to throw it away.
Then it dawned on me that it might have another use. Look at what needs a little organization
And look at how organized those little stitch markers are in their new case.
The great thing is that the lid snaps shut so you don't have to worry about the stitch markers spilling. The lid also flips open and it's easy to get your fingers in there and get a stitch marker. Plus, it's small and thin enough to fit nicely into my little notions bag.
Best of all, it was cheap.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:15 AM | Comments (25)September 20, 2006
Purpley Fiber Goodness
It has been so long since I've sat down at Lennie and spun anything. I've been watching lots of bloggers' spinning progress and I was feeling a little guilty about not making time to spin. So, Sunday it was cold and windy and I spent the entire day inside. And I spun a bit!
Both singles are spun from some BFL from Spunky Eclectic. The first one is her Azalea and the lighter one is the Salvia (maybe). I tried to spin both using the woolen method and I think it's working pretty well. Things seem to be holding together and the singles have a nice fuzzy look to them. I still have a bit of the Salvia to finish, but I'm going to try to do that this weekend. And then I'd like to ply them and see how they look together.
I've been trying to be good and not buy a bunch of new fiber, but man there's a lot of temptation out on the web. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to resist all that fibery goodness.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:26 AM | Comments (9)September 19, 2006
Freezer Paper Stencils
I know there's a lot out on the web about freezer paper stencils, but when I was looking for directions (and my anal nature likes really detailed directions) I found bits and pieces, but I still had some unanswered questions about the whole process. Grumperina did some really cute ones last week - just adorable. When I saw her's I decided I "needed" to make some to add to the baby shower gift I was already working on.
I decided to do a little tutorial on the freezer paper stencils because I am absolutley in love with how simple they are and how cute the end product is (plus you don't have to spend a lot of money to get really cute, personalized gifts).
Before you begin, it's probably a good idea to wash whatever you're going to stencil to remove the sizing and help the paint adhere a bit better. I know people have done it without washing and it's worked fine, but I washed the onesies first (no fabric softener). The first thing you need to do is to find some stencils. You can trace them out of books or pictures and there are a lot of free stencils available on the internet. Google images is a great place to look if you have an idea of what you want.
Once you have the stencils you like, you may have to enlarge or reduce them to get the correct size for the garmet you want to stencil. I stenciled onesies that were the 0-3 month size, so I needed pretty tiny stencils (I'm still amazed babies are really that small). After you have your stencils the size you want, trace them on to freezer paper (I know you can buy freezer paper at the grocery store around here, so check your local stores before you order it).
The important part of tracing the stencils on the freezer paper is to trace them onto the right side. One side of freezer paper is paper (almost like a thick parchment) and the other side has a waxy residue. Make sure you have the paper side up when you trace your stencils (waxy side down, obviously). After you've traced the stencils you need to cut them out with small scissors or an exacto knife. If you have simple stencils, scissors will work just fine, but if you have detailed stencils, use an exacto knife - in the end it will be much easier. If you use an exacto knife, using a cutting board (I have a rotary cutting mat) will make the cutting go a lot smoother. You want to cut out the portions of the stencils you want to have color. And don't forget to save the little floating pieces in the center of the design that you don't want to have color so you can add those back later (like eyes). You can only use each freezer paper stencil one time, but aside from the time it takes to cut them out, each stencil is so inexpensive that making new ones isn't too big of a deal.
Now it's time to iron the stencils on. Trust me. This really does work. You want the freezer paper stencil and then another piece of freezer paper roughly the same size as the stencil. Turn your iron on the proper setting for the fabric (I used cotton, so my iron was pretty hot). Put the stencil on the shirt/bag/whatever where you want it and the extra piece of freezer paper on the inside of the garmet opposite the stencil. The extra piece is to prevent your paint from leaking onto the back of your garmet. You should have the stencil wax side down and the blank piece wax side up (so the 2 waxy sides are facing each other). Then iron for awhile. It doesn't really take that long to get the stencils to stick to the fabric - maybe 30 seconds to a minute. Make sure you gently move your iron around so you don't scorch the fabric and test the pieces of the stencil to make sure everything is nice and stuck - do this gently so you don't pull the stuck stencil away from the fabric. On the stencil I used that had floating pieces, I ironed on the outside piece and then added the floating pieces while looking at the original stencil to ensure proper placement. So, you should have your freezer paper stencil stuck to the outside and your blank piece stuck to the inside. Now you're ready to paint.
I had kind of a hard time finding fabric paint that wasn't the puffy variety. I eventually found some screen printing paint at the art supply store. This particular paint is pretty thick, but it worked well with a small stiff paint brush (and you can thin it with a bit of water if you want, but I didn't). I just put a small amount of paint on the brush and brushed it on the fabric. I made sure to go up and down and side to side to really get the paint into the weave of the fabric. Then I spent a little extra time on the edges and the points and curves to make sure everything had a nice coat. Then I added another light coat of paint.
I set that one aside, washed out my brush, and repeated the process on the other onesies.
Once I had them all done I transferred them to the guest bedroom to dry. I waited until the paint felt dry to the touch, which probably took 6 hours or so (leaving them overnight is the simplest thing). Then I pealed the stencils off the front, but I left the blank piece on the inside while I heat set the designs. I turned my iron back on to the appropriate heat setting and used a tea towel over the design to heat set the paint. I probably spent a couple of minutes ironing each one. The directions on the paint weren't very helpful because obviously I don't have a commercial dryer, but I think the iron and the tea towel worked just fine. I let them cool from the heat setting and then pulled the blank piece of freezer paper off.
That's it. Freezer paper stencils and cute, custom-designed onesies. I don't do very many tutorials, so let me know if anything is unclear and I can add some more information.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:50 AM | Comments (33)September 18, 2006
Baby Raglan
Then Baby Raglan was seamed on Friday night and you were right - it looks like it might fit a baby.
Project Details:
Pattern: Debbie Bliss Raglan Sweater
Yarn: Louet Gems Topaz in Neptune - just over 1 skein
Needles: US #8 Addi Natura circular
Thoughts: This is a really simple, very cute little sweater. It is knit flat, but could easily be converted to knitting in the round. I was in too big a hurry to figure out what I'd need to do to knit it in the round, but seaming something that tiny is really quick. The Louet is very soft and easy care, which seems a necessity for a new mom. I am a bit worried about the size of the neck, but the stockinette stitch rolls nicely, so I think the neck could be rolled down to provide a little extra head room.
The baby shower was on Saturday and the mom-to-be loved the hat and sweater (and the onesies - more on those tomorrow). Baby showers are very foreign to me, but it was fun to look at all the tiny clothes (plus there was cake!). I worked at the yarn store again on Saturday. I'm having fun with it and I didn't buy anything (well, I bought a book, but it's one I special ordered last week).
Yesterday was cold and windy (cold as in about 40 degrees with a 20 mph wind - cold). So, I stayed inside and did some spinning and baking (banana muffins and test batch #1 of the chocolate chip cookies). I know. Shocking. Spinning. I spun a couple more of the sample colors I have (I'll take some pictures and show you this week). I want to ply those together and then I'm going to start on the coopworth I bought in Estes Park. I also knit some on the Kimono Sweater. I'm getting closer, but still not done. Purly's gonna kill me. This week will be dedicated to television and knitting (season premier week, ya know).
Posted by Stephanie at 9:39 AM | Comments (18)September 15, 2006
Looking Good
The baby sweater is on the blocking board. This was indeed a quick knit.
I'm a little concerned about the proportion of this thing. The sleeves seem way too big - they're wide! We know that I don't anything about babies, but it doesn't seem right to me. Look at the sleeves compared to the body of the sweater. What do you think?
So, now that the baby knits are done (I'll seam the sweater tonight), I'm back to knitting the Kimono Sweater. I really need to dedicate some time to that project because it needs to be done in a couple of days. Jeeze - time just flies.
And, for Eye Candy Friday I have another sunset picture. The fires in Montana are making the sky smokey and hazy, but it makes for good sunrises and sunsets.
Have a great weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:41 AM | Comments (21)September 13, 2006
A Baby Hat
I finally finished the baby hat before work this morning. I stayed up late last night and got everything but the little I-cord done. But after it was finished I had to bring it to work and show it to the ladies here who know a thing or two about babies because I'm pretty sure this sucker isn't fitting anything! It is tiny.
That box it's sitting on is 4 inches wide and 6 1/2 inches long. Tiny. The moms and grandmas and aunts around here all assure me that it will fit a baby because, in fact, they really are that small. I'm reserving judgment until I see it for myself.
Project Details:
Pattern: Purly's Baby Hat Pattern
Yarn: Dale Baby Ull in Ivory (0020)
Needles: US #2 Addi Natura dpns
Now I'm starting the raglan sweater. It might be pushing it to get it done in time, but you only cast on 50 stitches or so and then work for less than 5 inches before you start the raglan shaping. On size 7 needles. I should be able to do it. Right?
Thank you for all the great cookie recipes. Travis is going to be in heaven - and maybe people will quit telling him how skinny he is after he tastes them all. If you haven't submitted a recipe, you still have time - until the 25th. Oh, and if you have a great cookie recipe that isn't chocolate chip - send it along - it will count for the drawing. I may just have to enter cookies in all the categories. If I do, there will be prizes for all the "winning" recipes.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:14 AM | Comments (23)September 12, 2006
Calling All Bakers
My office always does a big United Way fundraising campaign and this year one of the items on the agenda is a cookie bake-off. The girls in charge of the thing this year wanted guaranteed participants, and of course I said I'd bake cookies (combine the fact that I'm weak and it's a good cause and bam, I'm baking cookies). There are 3 categories: chocolate chip, bars, and other. I bake a lot of cookies (and sometimes I even remember to take pictures of them) for the dear husband - he does love his cookies. But, I have yet to find the "ultimate" chocolate chip cookie recipe and this seemed like a good excuse to expand the search. Do you have one? Do you want to share or point me to the cookbook it's in? The bake-off is mid-October and I'd better start trying some recipes.
I think a contest might be in order. Here's the plan: if you submit a recipe, I'll put your name in the hat and draw a random winner for some yarn. Then, if I choose to bake the recipe you submit for the bake-off, you get an extra prize - we'll chat about what that might be because I do like to give prizes that the recipient is excited about. I think recipes should be submitted by the 25th (so I have time to try them all and sooner is always better than later) and since we're talking recipes here you can e-mail them to me at smarquiss AT wyoming DOT com rather than leave them in the comments, but the comments are fine if that works for you.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:07 AM | Comments (29)September 11, 2006
Not Just Another Monday
I woke up this morning sad and less excited about work than usual. I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way today. I can't believe 5 years have passed already. Time really does march on.
This weekend was busy, as all weekends are, and less was accomplished than I had hoped. Saturday, Travis and I went horse trailer shopping. Good times. Let me tell you. We were "just looking," but it still took all day. And my dear husband has yet to see the trailer he wants. So, looking will continue. I realized Saturday evening that the baby shower is next Saturday - 1 week. And I haven't started the baby knits. Crap. So, I put the Sundara sweater aside for a little bit and started the hat.
I couldn't find a great color (I wanted a dark blue - navy or indigo because the yarn I got for the sweater is a nice lightish blue (not exactly baby blue, but lighter than royal blue), but of couse I couldn't find anything like that, so I had to go with ivory. I hope it will be ok.
Yesterday Riley and I went to our first FlyBall practice. Riley had a great time and they thought he was a natural. I think we'll be doing that on Sunday afternoons - good exercise for Riley and something to keep him entertained. When we got home from practice Travis was there with a load of hay. So, I helped him unload a lot of really heavy hay bales (We're talking somewhere around 135 bales that each weighed about 80 pounds). Luckily I got to play with the hay hooks.
I just threw the bales off the end of the trailer for Travis (which involved way to much packing bales for my arms to be pleased this morning). He had to carry them into the barn and stack them, but he's good at that kind of stuff. Look at this hay stack.
If you look really carefully at the top right of the picture, you can see Isabelle hanging out in her new cat condo. She's quite pleased with it and decided we didn't mess up the barn too much (she rules that place with an iron fist).
I hope to finish the baby hat today and start the sweater tomorrow. I'd better get crackin' because I'm sure even a baby sweater takes a few days to knit. I really hope the knitting gods are feeling generous this week.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:22 AM | Comments (13)September 7, 2006
Questions
I'm still knitting away on my latest sweater. I now have an amazing 11 inches of the 20.5 I need for the sleeves. So, that's only about 4 inches of progress in as many days. I do believe I'd better get my butt in gear if this puppy's gonna be finished on time. I think I'm going to squealing in to the finish at the very last second. Procrastination strikes again.
The backordered handles I wanted for the Noni bag are finally on their way to me. Trust me, they're gonna be worth the wait. I might try to get that project finished this weekend. Or at least get started on finishing it. We'll see how it goes because I'm going to have to dedicate some serious time to the sleeve knitting!
Now for the questions. I'm looking for the "perfect" knitting bag and I want your opinions. If you have found the bag, do tell. If you're still looking, what are the necessary ingredients and what is missing from the bags on the market. I'm just doing an informal little poll of all you gurus out there. Personally, I ideally need a knitting bag that I can put inside my large work tote because by the time I have the work tote, lunch bag, and purse I really am out of hands and patience to carry something else. But, then there's the problem of the weekends when I'm going to knit with a friend or going to the doctor's office and I don't have the ginormous work tote. So, I want a bag that I can carry on its own too. I'm a big fan of a well-organized bag - pockets are a good thing, but not too many pockets because then they just take up space and annoy me. Oh, and just to make life really interesting, I want a bag that can fit a sock or some lace or a piece of a sweater. I don't ask for much, do I. Let's see... I have a Zelda Grande, a Namaste Jetsetter (scroll down a bit), a Lantern Moon Palm Leaf Tote, and a couple of random bags that I've pressed into service (like the one I made a week or so ago). All of them are lovely bags, but none of them are it. Although, I do use the Lantern Moon the most - when I'm taking my knitting and a book and camera - so it is useful for that kind of thing. So, tell me what you think makes a perfect knitting bag. I can't wait to hear from you.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:35 AM | Comments (16)September 5, 2006
Monday on Tuesday
I just love a nice long weekend, but I hate coming to work on Tuesday. It's just a real downer. But, the weekend, well, the weekend was marvelous. Saturday I took Riley and Isabelle to the vet. Isabelle was so scared because she only gets away from the house once a year and it's when she goes to the vet, so it really isn't the best time. I felt like a big bully for making her go. Riley on the other hand, loves the vet. He gets to flirt with all the girls and get lots of treats. It's a big party to him. Anyway, now that I'm a couple hundred dollars poorer, my animals shouldn't get any weird diseases in the next year or so. After the vet, I took the kids home and went to work at the yarn store. It was nice. It was quiet and I got a lot of knitting done. I also sold some stuff. I think I even managed to get everything closed up properly. And, you'll all be so proud that I didn't buy a single thing. I fondled a lot of stuff and thought about it, but I didn't but a thing. Woo Hoo.
The rest of the weekend I putzed around the house. I knit some, but I had the new Nora Roberts book and I just had to read it. At first I was a bit unsure about it, but it turned out to be one of those that you just can't put down. I read the whole thing on Sunday. Which meant I didn't knit much, but I was busy with some witches and vampires. So there. But yesterday I knit. I knit quite a bit, although I don't know that you can tell from the progress I made (or didn't make).
I'm still on the sleeves, but I've split the back for the neck and the front. I have quite a bit of sleeve knitting still to go, but who knows, maybe this week will be fruitful. We'll see.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:57 AM | Comments (14)September 1, 2006
Eye Candy Friday
I didn't take many good pictures this week, but I do have one to share.
A rainbow yesterday just behind my house. I love how the sky is dark, but it's sunny where I'm standing. Anyway, that's my eye candy for today. Have a great holiday weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:10 AM | Comments (28)
