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Showing posts from October, 2008

To the Ghosts of Knitters Past: RIP

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Be careful if you knit on Halloween. The ghosts of knitters past like to visit and play tricks with your knitting. Looks who I found in the knitter graveyard:May they R.I.P no more Wanda B. Knitting Pearl Downunder Shirley U. Spin May B. Rippit Will U. Putdown ("those needles") If only we could trick or treat for yarn! Im holding off for my BabyRuth until just before bed........maybe. What are you going to indulge in? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

From mistakes I've learned:

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1. You don't fairisle a slip stitch pattern. No wonder I thought it was a hard pattern. I was slipping and fair isling. I kept thinking "those people at KNitty are crazy......this wasn't listed as a difficult pattern. " I only made it one! 2. I knit looser when I don't wrap stitiches. Is this true for all of us? 3. You can salvage knitting when you somehow pick the stitches up wrong and you are going backwards. Turning it inside out didn't work. So, I cut the yarn. Wove the tail to the right needle side and tied the yarn onto that side. So, it isn't State Fair knitting, I dare you to find the part. 4. MY knit blog friends are the best. I was really discouraged about having to frog back the pattern for the second time after my son didn't like the maze placement. Reading your comments made me feel like it wasn't going to be a big deal. YOU were right. Honestly, I got my second wind after reading your encouraging words. 5. You are the

Observations on the knit maze and the lab rat

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The wise professor has decided it is time for me to stop being the lab rat. These are his observations while I have tried to knit a MAZE snowboarder hat for my son's 18th birthday. Time/Date: The day the boy who used to be little and now is big (and really good and smelly after a tennis match), goes to school with a smile. This is also the day before he sleeps until after the mail comes. The big boy says: "are you knitting my hat today? Because I am not sure I will like how the colors are together. Why don't you knit a swatch first." Mommy watched the Boy?Man go into that school place with all those kids and no dogs.........and I feel her heart hurting a little . She gets like this now that the Boy/Man is using a word called College. We go home and mommy knits a swatch. i am able to get two cookies from her during this swatch period. Time/Date: The day when the boy sleeps until after the mail comes. When the boy/man wakes up he nods his head that he likes

Guest Blogger Chimney Sweep Jim

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Fireman's wife here wanting to remind all you knitters by the fire, get your chimney cleaned now before the sweeps are all booked . Guess who is knitting by the fire tonight?????????? Are you? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Does this help?

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Some have asked for a little more information. I think this may help. The three socks on the right were knitted. The leftover socks on the left, came about from knitting those three socks' leftovers together. WHy aren't there ever any leftover cookies around here? or potato chips? or leftover apple cobbler from the other night? What do you wish you had leftover? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Leftover Sock Yarn Socks Pattern

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Once there was a frugal Hungarian knitter. She was plagued by disturbing thoughts of precious little balls of leftover sock yarns taking up stash space. So, because no koigu should be left unknitted, no STR, or handspun left as decoration for a package, and because Fireman thinks all yarn is created equal, leftover or not, the Leftover Sock Yarn Sock Pattern came to be. Here is how she did it: (She assumes one with leftover sock yarns already knows how to knit a sock.......and she writes the pattern in a prosey kind of non-knitting pattern way) Step 1: Stop looking longingly at the tiny rolls of sock yarns and pick one you have the most of as your base. Step 2: If you are a all color matchy person, look for other little stragglers that match your base leftover. If you are feeling a little wild, choose a family of shades that might not look too bad together! Step 3: Now, take some bigger needles, (she did this because she was also driven mad by many years of sock knitting on teeny t

This will give you an idea

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of my finsihed Cosmoplutoknits cardigan. Here are the stats that real knit bloggers give: Cosmoplutoknits Raglan Version 2.0 Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash in Indigo Heather Gauge: 4.5 sts / inch (on 9s for me, but I knit loose) Options taken: Optional shaping! For a more fitted look. Choose seedstitch collar, cuffs and hem. Buttons: FOUND at Mosaic in Desplaines Buttons Placed by : Sonny my sweet buddy at the cleaners. (10 buttons.....3 dollars) Note: I opted for skit in front and back of stitch for increases . The Make 1 increases left a hole when I tried them. I may have to post another shot of this not buttoned up. I don't have a shirt to wear under it yet, for that look. Please ignore the brown pants. Al wasn't supposed to get them in the shot. Imagine black okay? Oh and Imagine me 10 lbs thinner too! Ah what the heck.. I yams what I yams I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Puppy Hat. Three Kittens Designs St. Paul MN

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The ladies at 3 Kittens, in their new location a few minutes from the Sibley HWY location, were as nice as Diane the lurker promised. My veterinarian sister who LOVES when I knit for her, took me to this knit shop during my visit last weekend. This is their own design. Pawfect for the coming weather! I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Minnesota Magic

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Short story. Visited Vet Sister in St. Paul. Invigorated by fall colors at peak. Manipulated agenda. Dropped in at Saturday morning knit group at Como Park. Refreshed by welcome of knit strangers. Opened up my world to Lace. Taught by 3rd woman in line. Overjoyed. Had no idea lace was knit on BIG needles. Enchanted by thunderstorm approaching. Couldn't wait to share it with you. I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Cat and Hats

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Just Radar who should NOT be in the knitting basket. The real post is about hats. I have been looking at some really nice hats that blog friends are creating. WOW. I'm inspired. Check out KnittingNonni.blogspot.com for her gansey hat. So cute. Maybe I can get a taste of gansey by trying this one. Do you know of others?? Then Check our Katherine's incredible Christmas gift hats....she's a woman on track. She's been busy with them and dutifully cranking out these beauties at a calculated rate that assures her friends/family will all be very happy this Holiday season. Most of the hats are from HATS ON book. Finally, check out the WONDERFUL WItches Hat that Grace designed at Lovincomfortknits.blogspot.com. It's a tea cozy! I LOVE IT . Grace promises the pattern soon on her blog. I wore a hat at my wedding. I love hats.

What do get when you mix old leftover sock yarns?

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You get Left-Over socks of course. I'll post my pattern soon! (thanks for all the shared leftovers!!!! I think another reason we like them, is of course, there is more time to knit when you only have to reheat or recreate leftovers) What a quick way to stash bust. Did anyone notice that for a few posts in a row, there, I used titles that all began with C...U...B...S. It was my sublimineal message to all. Oh it is okay. We are so accostomed to not getting into the World Series we know how to handle it. In a way it is easier just because we have done this soooooo many times, we know life goes on. Okay, on to gift knits. Is grey or charcoal the ultimate safe color to give ANYone? Or is it another color??? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)

Sock progress

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Neither of these socks are my doing! Al has found another goat for her socks. Isn't he cute? He's a big old goat from a generous sock pattern that includes many animals. (Blackberry RIdge Woolen Mill, Inc pattern, Mt Horeb Wi) We don't believe in goat curses around here. Go Cubbies! Lynn's baby socks for our little patient came out great, and the baby loves to wear them. My socks are just begun. I'm doubling sock yarns to give me 6sts/inch and casting on 48 stitches. I'm using 3's to get gauge. They are going to be leftover socks. All the yarns are leftover socks yarns from previous pairs. We will see how they evolve .....I'm hoping that at least one same color will be in each of the leftover balls. I've started with orange. I love leftovers ........ turkey/stuffing sandwich second day lasagna second day chili second day brisket..... What leftovers do you love? I'll talk to you in the comments. :)