Category: Knitting

Happy New Years Eve everyone!

It’s been a busy day with work and crafting, and now things are starting to slow down. Early this afternoon, I received my fiber package from Just Yarns… Say what? Wasn’t I just writing about this yarn on Friday? It’s that lovely Malabrigo yarn, that I’ll be using to make hats for cancer patients.

I must say I’m impressed with Just Yarns turnaround time. I selected the cheapest way to send the fiber since I wasn’t in any rush to receive my order. I have plenty of projects to keep me busy, you know. But, it was nice that my package arrived to me less than three days later. Thanks so much, Just Yarns!

My first impression of Malabrigo is…

Whoa, this is some seriously soft yarn! Can I make a big yarn nest and just roll around in it for a while.  This yarn is single ply it’s softness/texture resembles my hair. I wear my hair in dreadlocks aka locs.

 

What’s really awesome is that even though this yarn is 100% wool, if I hold it against my cheek or neck, it’s not making me itch! Most animal fibers make me itch like crazy. It’s a bit odd since I can crochet or knit with animal fibers as long as it stays in my hands.  My hands aren’t as sensitive as other areas of my body. This Malabrigo wool is made from made from 100% merino wool. I’ve done my share of research about the yarn, and have read that some users who have unpleasant reactions to animal fibers, seem to be fine with merino.

 

 

I’m thrilled that I’ll be able to use the Malabrigo lace yarn I ordered for myself.

 

 

In total, I ordered five skeins of yarn…

 

I’ve even got a chance to rewind one of the hanks into a cake. I was a bit concerned about winding it with my Boye yarn ball winder, but I took it slow and didn’t have any issues. Even better there were no knots! I’m looking forward to making these into hats for some well deserving cancer patients.

Loving Just Yarns

I’m really liking Just Yarns, and might use them as my main source of purchase for most things fiber related. Besides the speedy delivery, their yarn prices are reasonable, and I was impressed with their emails letting me know the status of my order. Additionally, the yarn was nicely packaged also. And that’s not the best part… I receive points by purchasing from their store! Which then I can use later to reduce the price of a purchase. They also have a referral program so if someone joins using my link, we both receive points which can be redeemed for a future purchase.

Offering such a service, is a great way to keep customers coming back, don’t you think? I’m thinking about using my points when I purchase the Hiya Hiya Steel Sharp (large) set. I can’t get it from them now since they’re sold out. Oh well… I can wait. 😉

Good news my crafty knitters…

There’s another free knitting pattern available, the catch is you have to take  advantage of this offer before the end of Jan 1, 2013.

Browse through Anadiomena’s designs, choose one pattern you like, and don’t forget to enter the following code at check out: once upon december

This works out perfectly since I’ve been hunting for a wrap for my nine year old daughter. She has a piano recital this February. She takes private lessons, and her piano teacher assigns three piano recitals yearly. The children are expected to dress semi-formal. I always choose outfits that my daughter can wear more than once, but this February I’m coming up empty. My little princess is growing so fast, that she’s already outgrown the outfit I’d set aside for this occasion! Checking the stores we haven’t found anything that either of us likes, and so she’s asked me to sew her outfit.  We’ve settled on the fabric, and I’m designing the dress myself. The only thing I thought was missing was a wrap.

Early this morning you could find me hunting for an appropriate (crocheted or knitted) wrap. I didn’t see any I liked until I stumbled upon this Ravelry post about Anadiomena’s generous pattern giveaway. I discovered (while browsing through her gorgeous designs) that she mainly creates items for girls! Sweet! There are enough adult designs in there too, so definitely check out what she’s offering. Anadiomena designs also has a blog.

For my free pattern, I chose the Jewel of the Sea and since there were other girly designs that I loved, I also purchased the Spice Girls collection.

 

 

I’m making the Silversage bolero to accompany the dress I design for my daughter.  She adores boleros and is thrilled that I’m knitting one for her. The pattern calls for DK weight yarn, but I might see if I can pull it off in laceweight. Before I stumbled upon the pattern post, I’d ordered Malabrigo baby merino lace weight yarn specifically for my daughter’s upcoming recital,  so I might use that…

 

 

I also ordered this for someone special…

Me!

Apple green is one of my favorite colors, and I have just the outfit I’ll wear this with (After it’s turned into a beaded shawl– or perhaps a cowl.) The above yarns are Malabrigo baby merino lace weight yarn. I thought I received a fairly good price, since they were $8.80 (apiece) for 50 grams/470 yards. I paid even lower with the discount. I purchased the yarn from Fabulous Yarn. You’d think I’d have a lot of crocheted/knitted items, with the amount of items I make, but I don’t. I don’t hold onto many things, so most of the items I make are given to others or donated to the various volunteer organizations I’m involved with. I guess you could say that I’m ‘selfish’ in that I crochet/knit when I want and for whomever I want. 🙂

Knitting: To cast on or not…

I’m thinking of casting on Jewel of the Sea sometime today, then again I might not. I haven’t crocheted or knitted anything since the hat I knitted on Christmas Eve. I haven’t lost my fiber mojo, I’ve just been occupied with other things… but my hooks and needles keep tempting me. Last evening, I did take out my Hiya Hiya Sharp needles, and admired them. I love knitting with them, and I can’t wait to see how they do with Malabrigo lace weight yarn.  One of these days, I’ll get around to sharing my finished objects and works in progresses. I have many of them, impatiently waiting in draft mood, just waiting to be published here at Celebrate Life.

Don’t forget…

To take  advantage of the free knitted pattern, browse through Anadiomena’s designs, choose one pattern you like, and remember to enter the following code at check out: once upon december

 

Nudging the following knitters who might be interested in the pattern; Curls and Q, Dnali, Monkeys are My Friend, and Sarah’s Crochet.

A few places where I volunteer, I use my crafting skills (crochet and knitting) to make hats for NICU babies and cancer patients.

It’s a wonderful situation, they receive a hand knit item from a stranger who wants to help in some way, and as a process crafter, I get to do what I love… create items without hoarding the crocheted and knitted items. I must say lots of prayer are spoken while I create these special hats.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
Matthew 6:19-20
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

A lot of the passages I read in the Bible serve as ‘gentle reminders’ for myself. I dislike waste, and hoarding finished objects I’ll never use seems a bit wasteful (at least for me.)

 

Yesterday, I saw these yarns on the Just Yarn website. Aren’t they gorgeous? And while I thought about holding onto them for myself, I realized that I really didn’t have a project.

 

When I placed the order (a few moments ago) I did so because I realized that I could use the yarn to make lovely hats for cancer patients! I chose the above colors because I like to see bursts of color in whatever I wear, and I know there are cancer patients who share my passion for color too. I was fortunate enough to snag the last three skeins of Amor Intesio!

I’m still undecided on the type of hats I’ll make with the yarn. I’ll wait for the yarn to arrive, and then make a decision. Often once I have touched the yarn, I know exactly what it’ll become. I’ll either create my own design (which I do quite often) or I’ll choose one of the numerous hat patterns I have on file.

 

There’s a few ‘firsts’ going on here…

I’ve never ordered from Just Yarns and I’ve never used Malabrigo yarn.  I’ve heard great things about both. Many fiber artists rave about the softness of Malabrigo yarn, so naturally I’m looking forward to working with the fiber. The Malabrigo yarns I ordered is worsted weight, and it’s single ply. It’s also 100% wool, and comes from shearing merino sheep.

The name, Malabrigo, was a bit curious to me, since I remember it sort of meant ‘bad shelter’. Say what? That’s kind of a strange name to give to a yarn company, wouldn’t you say? After some quick research this is the reasoning the company gave for choosing that name.

From the Malabrigo site…

The name comes in part from the village of Mal Abrigo in Uruguay. There are several towns of that name in South America (in other countries) but that was the one we had in mind. It is called that because it is extremely windy and back when people rode horses and needed to take shelter for the night, it was known for being a terrible place to stop.

The founders also said that they were inspired by a place so cold that everyone camped out in their homes knitting warm, wooly sweaters together. I like that image! Creating with our hands, is something my daughter and I do when the weather is too cold to venture outside. 

Most of the places where I donate crochet or knitted items require that you use synthetic or non-animal fibers, but there are a few places where items made with animal fiber is appreciated.

Photo Source:

Just Yarn

The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

 

Over the past year, I’ve made numerous items for my father. He’s extremely fiber worthy, and will wear whatever I make for him. I don’t just crochet or knit items and hope he likes them, Since I know his preferences, I make what he likes.

Because he’s genuinely appreciative of what I make for him, I have a real hard time waiting to give him his items.

Many of the items I’ve given to him were supposed to be some of his Christmas gifts, like the simple garter stitch scarf, knitted Balaclava hat, or the knitted wristlets I made in July. He received all those items much before Christmas. My mom is different, I can hold onto her knitted items for months. The knitted Elizabeth cowl I made in August was gifted to her for Christmas, along with a few bought items. She seemed to like everything.

 

But back to my father…I almost wound up having no gift for him on Christmas day. You see… the order I’d placed from Amazon (collection of old western movies and history documentaries which he adores just like me) didn’t arrive in time for Christmas. And while I knew he could care less about receiving anything (I’m the same way) on Christmas day, I still wanted to give him something.

The evening of Christmas Eve, you could find me furiously knitting him a simple ribbed beanie hat. Shortly after midnight I completed the knitted hat, and off to bed I went… The good news is that he seems to love his new hat, and he’s on the look out for his much adored westerns and historical documentaries.

My new Hiya Hiya steel Sharp interchangeable needles have been receiving a serious workout, I’ve  finished another project! At the rate I’m going (knitting the variety of yarn weights I’ve used for various projects) I’ll be able to give a educated review of the needles soon!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It’s been a wonderful day for my daughter and myself. We’re spending our Christmas at home. About an hour ago, we did make a quick trip to our favorite Chinese restaurant. We don’t eat there often, but now and again we stop in for a treat.

A few moments ago, I logged onto Ravelry… and was thrilled to learn that Tin Can Knits is giving away a free pattern.  Naturally when I was looking through their lovely patterns, I’ve chosen additional ones that I want to knit. I’ve added tincanknits to my favorites since I’ll be back to purchase a pattern from them. I love their designs, and was pleased to learn that they have their own blog too! I’ve purchased quite a few patterns via the Ravelry website, and am always happy to discover new designers.

For my free pattern, I chose the Pop Blanket. I’m knitting a few blankets (long-term projects) but it doesn’t hurt to add another to my blanket pile, right? In order to take advantage of the freebie you must enter the code, Share the Love. This offer is good until January 1, 2013.

I’ll need to decide on the yarn I want for the background color. For myself, I’ll use dark color most likely a grey or perhaps a chocolate brown? Then, I’ll need to choose some colorful variegated yarns for the circles.

 

I was thrilled when I looked through the projects and stumbled upon another user who had a similar idea; darker background and variegated yarn for the circles. I really love what Ravelry user, woolmountains did with her blanket… excellent work!

Nudging Curls & Q, D’Nali, and Sarah’s Crochet since I know they all knit.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

Photo Source: Ravelry

I’m finally getting around to taking photos of some of my WIPS (works in progress)…

 

The yarn featured in these photos are the almost free yarn I received from Knit Picks. It’s fingering weight, and 75% wool, 25% nylon. The stretchiness of nylon and the yarn weight would have made this yarn a perfect candidate for some lightweight knitted socks,  but I chose to use the yarn for the above scarf. The pattern can be found in  the book, Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

To be honest, it took me a while to finally decide on the two yarns I wanted for this project. I had the colors in my head, but finding those colors… well that took a while. The search was over when I landed on Knit Picks site and discovered the yarns featured above.  Knit Picks Stroll Hand Painted Yarn; Juice Box and Knits Stroll Multi Sock Yarn; Sunset Multi. I thought these two colors would would look great together, and I’m happy to see that I was correct.

 

I love working with lace weight and fingering weight yarn, true I’m knitting more stitches than using worsted weight yarn, but it doesn’t matter, I like the looks more.

This scarf, isn’t a new work in progress, I started knitting the Chevron scarf weeks ago, but due to my schedule and other crochet and knitting WIPS, I haven’t made too much progress. I’m using my Hiya Hiya size 3/3.25mm needles for this project, and it’s coming along quite nicely.

 Chevron aka Zig-Zag stitch

This scarf is a four row repeat. The ripple effect is done by knitting two stitches together (k2tog) and in the next set of stitches you knit into the front and back (kfb) of the same stitches. Simple yes… but the effect is lovely, and the variegated yarn captures it beautifully. The above video isn’t the exact pattern, but it gives you an idea of how to create the chevron stitch aka zig-zag stitch.

 

I had my first unpleasant experience with Knit Picks yarn. The yarn seen in the top corner; Knit Picks: Stroll Hand Painted Yarn; Juice Box, arrived in a hank and there were two sections of tangles in it… after working with it for several minutes I just cut out those sections. Since the two sections of tangles were quite large I most likely will call Knit Picks customer service after the holidays. Their customer service is amazing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they send me another hank of the same yarn for free. we’ll see….

 

 

My Hiya Hiya Sharp (steel) needles do a great job knitting two (or more) together effortlessly… My Knit Picks did fine with k2tog, but my Hiya Hiya Sharps has the advantage here since its longer taper makes the process of picking up numerous stitches (I’ve knitted five at a time) much easier than what I experienced when attempting the same thing with my Knit Picks needles.

Survivor: The Search is Over

O, my daughter’s best friend, loves owls….

 

A few weeks ago she was wearing a knitted owl hat made by her grandmother. It was gorgeous, there was a lot of detail going on with that hat. It just screamed, I’m a handcrafted hat! I complemented her on the lovely hat. She smiled and said thanks. O appreciates, and loves, handcrafted items. I guess you can say that she’s been ‘trained well.’ her mom is an amazing seamstress,  and she does a variety of crafts (making sure she includes O.) Both of her grandmothers are crafty too.

I don’t mind making things for her since I know she’ll appreciate them. When it comes to giving something to someone else, I always try to get them something I know that they’ll like. Sometimes that takes a bit of thought, you know? I know O fairly well, she’s been to our house many times, and I chat with her & tease her a lot. Becuase of this, I have a fairly good idea about the colors she likes. So it was easy to choose some washable wool for this simple owl. Here in the USA, owls can be found on many items; stationery, clothing, gadgets, etc. July 2012, I’d knitted an owl hat and cowl for my daughter. She loved them, and was disappointed that she had to wait until it was a bit cooler. 😉

The owl was knit in the round using my size 5 Hiya Hiya needles. I’m a fast knitter so it took less than an hour to make. Next time, I’ll drop down to a size 3.

Knitting: Three needle bind off

I used the three needle bind off at it’s head. My daughter attached the eyes, and I embroidered the nose. My daughter also wrapped the gift, added a cute Beanie Baby dog, and an ornament that she’d made. She personalized it with one of the lovely Christmas gift tags that Q mentioned on her site. I printed the tags on green card stock. My daughter chose the angel, and added a bit of glitter glue to it’s halo and wings. I completely forgot to take pictures, but I’ll be sure to take some today, since we’ll be wrapping more gifts.

O received her gifts yesterday. Yesterday, my daughter’s Lutheran school let out early, and so my daughter went over to her house for a play date. My daughter said the owl was a big success, along with the other gifts. I have another gift for O, but that will take a bit longer. I’m knitting her the hopsalot slippers. Hopefully, I’ll be able to work on them during my vacation.

In a society where many look for name brands/designer labels… it’s so nice that my daughters friends appreciate all items, handcrafted items are met with the same enthusiasm as anything else. Which is how it should be…

 

In other news…

It’s been extremely busy, more busier than normal, since not only do I still work for myself… I also picked up some work outside of the home but on a part time basis. The past few weeks have gone by in a blur… it’s been that busy.  I’m still managing to squeeze in some craft time, even if it’s only a few minutes daily.