Summer is officially over and Fall is here!

Well now that Fall is officially here, I'm looking forward to seeing all the new fall color selections from at my LYS and getting into some serious knitting.  This summer I did knit, but mostly I was keeping up with my sales that I was getting from my Etsy shop and trying out new patterns to sell at the Kent Farmers Market.

I really enjoyed the Farmers Market and will most likely participate again next year. I only signed up for 3 Saturdays this summer because I just wanted to see how I would do and what kind of response I would get with my knitted products.  I did better than I anticipated and learned a few things about what people are looking for and pricing my products.

Here are pictures of my booth on the three Saturdays I particpated.

Here is my booth on a beautiful sunny day on August 11, 2012

 

Here is my booth on a not so sunny day on August 18, 2012.. That's me, sitting behind all the signs in the photo on the right.



Here is my booth, on another beautiful sunny day on September 1, 2012.

I actually enjoyed working the Farmers Market, but I only had two issues: working the booth alone, doesn't really allow for you to have bathroom breaks and setting up and breaking down can be a hassle and takes twice as long compared to those booths who have more than one person. But overall the experience was good and I like that I was getting exposure for my products and getting my name and brand out there!

I've signed up to have an outdoor booth in October at the Renton Harvest Festival in downtown Renton, WA at the Piazza, so if you live locally, I hope I will see you there. I'm looking forward to showing off some of my new fall-wear and you can get a jump on your shopping - hey it's never to early to start putting away those stocking stuffers for friends and family who live far away.

Some patterns I'm looking forward to trying out for fall include:

Lion Brand's - Brimmed Cap

Red Heart's - Brimming with Fun Cap (crochet pattern)

Leisure Arts' - Rainbow Stripes (crochet bag)

Vickie Howell's - Urban Revival and Urban Jungle (crochet slouchy hats)

Some new colorwork patterns I have designed for my team spirit hats include:

Dallas Cowboys

Oakland Raiders



 And a new team hat I completed earlier this month, for a local woman to give to her brother is the University of Oklahoma beanie:

I certainly hope all of you are getting started on your fall knitting and if you get a chance share some of your projects with me, I'd love to hear from you and Happy Knitting to you all!

School is back in session!

I'm so happy that school has started back up again. My son, Aiden is a senior this year and I'm overjoyed at the thought of him graduating, but at the same time anxious and nervous over him moving even more toward his independence and adulthood.  Where did my little guy go? He's almost all grown up and it feels like yesterday that he was going off to Kindergarten.

All his school pictures from kindergarten to now

I keep thinking that I have all this time to spend with him, but more and more lately he's off doing his thing with his friends or at work. Yep, you heard right, he got a job this summer and now is earning his own money to buy what he wants. Again, another milestone toward his independence, all he needs now is his driver's license and I don't think I will ever see him! Well we will cross that bridge when we get there I guess.  This year is going to be a fun year with all the preparation that goes into getting ready for graduation, senior prom, and all the senior activities. I'm so happy for him, it brings back many happy memories of when I was a senior - but we won't talk about what year that was.

Now that school is back in session and the kids are wearing their new duds, some knitting projects that you could make to add to their school wardrobe this year, like team spirit hats, beanies, and scarves.  Some I found on Ravelry: School Colors Hat that is a free download on Lion Brand, for purchase on Ravelry there is the School Spirit Headband by Angela J. Baker, School Cardigan by Georgie Hallam. A free download on Ravelry is the crochet School Spirit Afghan for your college bound student designed by Bobbi Anderson. For those that aren't into wearing scarves there is the School Time Cowl by Isabeau Knits, knit it in your students school colors and they can show their school spirit during all the winter sports without ever having to worry about losing their scarf. Or if your student prefers a scarf, crochet this quick and easy scarf a free download from Lion Brand, School Colors Scarf.

Gently remind your college student to keep their studies in the forefront with these Back to School washcloths that have STUDY duplicate stitched on the front that they would use for the five days and PARTY can be saved for the weekends!

You get the idea, there are hundreds of patterns to choose from for your returning student or your college bound student. Ravelry is a great place to start.  Have fun getting those school projects going and happy knitting!

Team Spirit Hats

I've been having so much fun with colorwork these days! I've been inspired to create team spirit hats. You saw from my previous post the Pittsburgh Steelers team color inspired hat - my son was crazy about it, so I had a thought - what if I made more of these kinds of hats?  My son gives me the ideas and I try to create a hat from the color scheme of the team.

For instance I came up with my own colored chart to create a hat for the UW Huskies:

Go Huskies!!!

Reminiscent of the early football helmets of the 1900's
Earflaps are knitted double-stranded for warmth

Made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Oxford Grey,
Violet, and Gold 

Learning colorwork has been challenging yet fun and its opening up more design ideas. Also, now when I come across colored charts I'm not so intimidated. In the past I have steered away from patterns that require me to read a chart and especially any that had colorwork designs!  Now that I've designed a few of my own colorwork patterns, I say, "bring on the colored charts - I'm not afraid of you!!!"

I am currently working on of course UW's rival team - Washington State University Cougars, for which I have also designed a colorwork pattern for and of course I can't leave out the Seattle Seahawks - I designed a really cool pattern for the team color scheme for them. I will post pictures of the hats when I'm done, but in the meantime here is a sneak peek at the design I created for the Seahawks team spirit hat: 

Have you started your holiday knitting?  Have you decided on patterns and designs for the colder weather yet?  Would love to hear from you, come on and drop me a comment.  Happy knitting!!

Update: Finished September 28, 2011

As promised here is the women's WSU beanie with pom pom that I designed and below is the colorwork pattern for it:

Model: Vanessa, a friend at work

Update: Finished September 30, 2011

Seahawks, Sounders FC, or Thunderbirds Team Spirit Beanie

Close-up of colorwork design



Labor Day Weekend...what did I do? What else, knit of course!

As the summer comes to a close, I have been diligently working on projects for the upcoming holidays, as well as for my Etsy shop.

But before I can do that, I had to finish a charity knitting quota I volunteered to finish.  I read an article about Willow's Place, an organization that helps feed the homeless in my local city of Kent, Washington and contacted one of the sponsors to ask how, as a knitter, could I help. I was asked to see if my Wednesday night knit group would be willing to knit 100 hats and scarves by October 1st.  My group has gladly accepted the challenge and are all knitting away.

Here are my finished contributions:

Earflap Hat from Lion Brand, 2x2 Ribbed Hat from Fiber Trends,
and Skull Hat for Service Members from Knitting on the Net
My designs: Single crochet scarf and 2x2 ribbed scarf

Reverie Beret from Knitty and Garter stitch scarf

Design adapted from The Question Bag pattern:

Row 15: P2, S1, K2, PSSO, P2, S1, K2, PSSO, P2, (K1,P1) 7 times,

P2, S1,K2, PSSO, P2,S1, K2, PSSO, P2, SM, K to end.

Row 16: P2, K1, YO, K1, P2, K1, YO, K1, P2, (K1, P1) 7 times,
P2, K1, YO, K1, P2, K1, YO,K1,P2, SM, K to end.
Row 17: P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, (P1, K1) 7 times,
P2, K3, P2, K3, P2, SM, K to end.
Row 18: Repeat Row 17.

Two-color Earflap Hat with pom pom made for my son

The blue hat with the red and white band above and the red and black hat are my first attempts at knitting two or more colors at once. Now that I've tried it I found that it isn't as hard as I first thought it would be.

Knitting and enjoying the sunny weather was how I spent my holiday weekend. Love to hear from all of you how you spent this glorious weekend, drop in and leave me a comment, tell me what's on your needles!

It's that time again...back to school!!!

Summer is coming to a close and school will be back in session in just a few days!  I'm so glad school is starting back up - I won't have to hear about how bored my son is anymore.  He'll have plenty to keep him busy once those assignments start coming due. I can't believe my son is already a junior in high school - one more year and then its college time.  There is so much for him to do before then, PSAT's, SAT's, college applications, Senior project, and the list goes on and on. I think I need to make him some fun back-to-school items, maybe a hat in his school colors.  I need some ideas so I'm hitting the web to see what I can find.

Have you noticed probably about a month ago, that the summer supplies were being replaced with school supplies? Where did summer go? It seems that summer was here for only a couple of days, here in the Puget Sound - we barely had any real summer days to speak of and we are already getting ready for school. I am a little behind on my back-to-school shopping this year, but luckily Aiden can wear quite a bit of his clothes from last year and we will go shopping in a couple of weeks. What I've found over the last few years is that when I shop for school supplies before school, I always have to do it again after school starts, because of course, the teachers want their students to have very specific items and what I already bought won't do. 

The other thing I've noticed in my LYS are the lovely fall colors that are gracing the shelves. Yep, back to school also means fall knitting and after hitting the web, I found some cool ideas for some back-to-school projects, like from this article on Knitting Daily by Kathleen Cubley on Back-to-School Knitting where she talks about a couple of great patterns for the kids going back to school and I really liked the Isobel Skirt (Rav link) by Cia Abbott Bullemer (Rav link).


Photo courtesy of Knitting Daily - Back-to-School Knitting

Wouldn't your daugher look fabulous in this adorable skirt?  Its such a great looking pattern, I might just give it a try for one of my nieces.

Some more back-to-school ideas I found are from Sarah E. White at About.com Guide. Her Knit Pencil Bag is easy to knit accessory for kids of all ages, and on Lion Brand's website there are some cute ideas for your favorite teacher at 4 Back to School Teacher Gifts to Craft, Knit, and Crochet. These four gifts are a great way to say thank you to your favorite teacher or a nice welcome back to your new teacher in the coming year. Or how about the giant pencil pencil-case shown here, which the pattern can be bought on Ravelry or as part of an e-book purchase with 13 other great knitting projects at Duo Fiberworks:

Photo courtesy of Ravelry
Pencil case (Rav link) by Katie Startzman

Or how about a new machine washable Yummy Lunch (Rav link) bag, designed by Nora J. Bellows (Rav link) ...designed with the environment in mind and are the perfect solution to unworkable lunch bags that are hard to clean and way too small for a complete lunch with a full-sized drink.

Its still a little warm for sweaters, but its not too warm for a nice short-sleeved sweater for him and her in their school colors. Maybe a v-neck vest for him and a pull-over for her.  There are plenty of patterns out there to choose from, so go out there and get knitting.

Here are some links to some more Back-to-School knitting project ideas:
The Schoolkid Jacket by Amy Polcyn
Robot Backpacks by Brenda Anderson
Adjustable Strap Backpack by Yvonne Boucher
Crochet Laptop Cover by Sarah Blalock
Back-to-School Pouch by Barbara Venishnick
School Colors Hat from Lion Brand
School Colors Felted Laptop Sleeve from Lion Brand
Back to School Pullover by Melissa Leapman

All of the above are really great back-to-school knitting projects, so why not make a run to your favorite LYS and check out all the wonderful fall colors that have come in already and get started on those fall projects you've been thinking about or maybe a back-to-school project for your returning to school student.

P.S. Some projects I finished this weekend:

Knitted Baby Onesie (Rav link) with lion applique along with Stay-on booties (Rav link)
Made with Frog Tree Pima Cotton/Silk

Little Sister's Dress with red apple buttons
Made with Cascade Pima Cotton

Close-up of apple buttons

Close-up of Stay-on Booties

Only 157 more days until Christmas!

Are you counting down the days?  I don't like to but as a knitter who likes to give handmade items to family and friends during the holidays, I have to, I gotta set deadlines so I get all my handmade gifts done! Because, of course I'm thinking in my head I have plenty of time to get all done, but when October starts creeping closer, I realize I haven't started any of my holiday knitting and I'm in a state of panic, thinking "oh no, I'm so behind!"

So this year, like Santa, I'm making my list, checking it twice, trying to figure out which projects to start and which to put off til later! My goal this year is to try to finish at least one gift item between after every summer item I complete.  And this goal actually kills two birds with one stone, because I can dig into my WIP bag and finish gift items I didn't get done last year and give them as gifts this year.

This year's list includes: 

For my brother, I'd like to make him this really cool hat that I found on Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation website of free patterns called New York State of Mind, its so appropriate for him, since he lives in upstate New York.  He is one of the only members of my family who has not been a recipient of my handmade items and I think I need to remedy that this year.  

Photo courtesy of Debbie Stoller's
Stitch Nation Free Patterns

For my nieces, the slouchy hats seem to be very popular. So I've chosen two different patterns and they include, another free pattern from Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation website, the All-Day Beret and from the Knitty, Spring 2009 edition, the Reverie beret by Amy Swenson. For which I have already completed two, see my previous post Thinking about my holiday knitting already or my hats page for pictures of my finished objects.

For my five nephews I'm leaning toward hat and scarf sets, but haven't found any that have caught my eye yet.  I really should finish the Basketcase Jacket by Tara Jon Manning I started last November for the NaKniSweMo [National Knit a Sweater in a Month]  that was supposed to go to one of them last year for Christmas. But it is still in WIP bag. I think it may be time to pull it back out and finally finish it.



Photo courtesy of my November 2010 post:
NaKniSweMo - Knit a Sweater in a Month! 

Or I could finish the crew neck pullover that I also started last November for my littlest nephew who was turning four at that time. I am already at the separation for the sleeves and working the back of the sweater back and forth and then do the same for the front. But I'm thinking this might be too small for my almost five year old nephew. I had already modified the design to make it smaller for a child size but now I'm not sure. And I would really hate to frog this and have to start all over.

Men's Crew Kneck Pullover (Rav Link) by Kris Percival
published in Speed Knitting: 24 Quick and Easy Projects (Rav link)

In my queue, on Ravelry, I have Buddy Bear by Lion Brand a softie toy that I want to make for my grandniece. It is a crochet pattern, sometimes its nice to change up in my fiber crafting, just so I don't get too bored.  And this guy looks like he will be fun to make.

Photo courtesy of Lion Brand
Buddy Bear crochet pattern

Isn't he just adorable? I think he will be cherished and loved for a very long time and hopefully saved to pass on to her little one some day.

For my four sisters, I think I may make them one of my market bags. I know they really liked them when I posted them on Facebook. Or I could make them spa sets, I know two of my sisters really enjoyed receiving these as birthday gifts last year.

Whew, so many projects and so little time to do them all! When do you start making your list for your handmade gift items?  Love to hear from all you fiber artists out there, come on over and leave me a comment.

The Reusable Market Bag

When the local grocery stores were announcing that they would charge for the use of the plastic bags, I started buying the reuseable bags that most grocery stores sell anywhere from $1.00 - $2.00.  I thought this was getting a little expensive and some of them weren't even that sturdy.  So I decided to make my own reusable market bag with the thought that I would make a bunch of them to use in place of plastic bags at the grocery store.  After seeing a pretty cool looking one at the Farmer's Market last year, I was inspired by the one I saw a woman using that looked like it was made out of some really stiff material, which I later I found out was hemp.  I'm not really into knitting with hemp, for one it's very stiff and I knit very tight and working with this material would be hard on my hands.

So I searched the web and came across a market bag - Green Living Tote, on Lion Brand's website, that used their cotton yarn, an aran weight that isn't as stiff but is just as sturdy. It's also an easy design that knits up fairly quickly.  I haven't made many, but the ones I have made have become widely popular with my friends and family.

My first attempt at this bag, I thought, 'wouldn't it be nice to add a little texture to it?' Something that would break up the mesh a little. And so, I searched my stitch books for a pattern that I could add to the market bag, and this was the result:

Bag #1: added Horsehoe pattern at
top of bag with two rows of
purl stitch and then start the
handles portion of original pattern 

Horshoe Lace Pattern working in the round:
Worked in multiples of 10
Row 1: *k1, yo, k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k3, yo, k1, repeat from *
Row 2: knit
Row 3: *k1, yo, k2, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k2, yo, p1, repeat from *
Row 4: *k9, p1, repeat from *
Row 5: *k2, yo, k1, sl 1, k2tog, psso, k1, yo, k2, p1, repeat from *
Row 6: *k9, p1, repeat from *
Row 7: *k3, yo, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yo, k3, p1, repeat from *
Row 8: knit

I brought the bag in to work with me to show to my friends and I got requests right away to make them bags too!  I was a little taken aback by the response.  But, I couldn't say "no", because they were so stinking easy to make.  So below are two more versions of the bag that I gave to two friends, but I got a little fancy with the detail and added a Honeycomb pattern to break up the mesh in the middle of the bag and to keep the bag from stretching too much.

Bag #2: Honeycomb and Vine Lace Zigzag pattern

Honeycomb with Dainty Chevron added to top

Honeycomb Pattern:

Honeycomb stitch chart

I used the chart to the right for the Honeycomb pattern, but I modified it for the round by reading the even rows from right to left and reversing the stitch (for example if it said to purl, I would knit) because you are working in the round instead of flat (back and forth).

The following is the pattern I used for the Vine Lace Zigzag portion of bag #2, which I found in my copy of The Knitter's Bible by Claire Crompton:

Vine Lace Zigzag pattern:
Worked in multiples of 10

k = knit

ssk = slip, slip, knit (slip two stitches knitwise, insert left needle through front of two slipped stitches on right needle and knit).

yo = yarn over

k2tog = knit two together

Row 1: *k2tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1, repeat from *
Row 2 and all even rows: knit

Row3: *k2tog, k3, (yo, k1) twice, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 5: *k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 7: *k2tog, (k1, yo) twice, k3, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 9: *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k4, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 11: *k2tog, (k1, yo) twice, k3, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 13: *k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row 15: *k2tog, k3, (yo, k1) twice, ssk, k1, repeat from *

Row16: knit

Dainty Chevron Pattern: (Also from The Knitter's Bible)

worked in multiples of 8
Row 1: *ssk, (k1, yo) twice, k1, k2tog, k1, repeat from *
Row 2 and every even row: knit
Row 3: As Row 1
Row 5: *yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k1, repeat from *
Row 7: *k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k2, repeat from *
Row 9: *k2, yo, sl2tog-k1-psso, yo, k3, repeat from *
Row 10: knit

My fourth bag I made for a friend who needed items for her Relay for Life auction.  Her team is raising money for the American Cancer Society and of course, again, I couldn't say "no". My Dad, my son's grandmother on his father's side, and my favorite Aunt all died of cancer or cancer related complications, so I felt it was my duty to contribute to this worthy organization.

Bag #4: Large Openwork lace pattern and
added reverse single crochet around
the handles for reinforcement

Large Openwork Lace Pattern:
worked over multiples of 4 (you may have to reduce your number of total stiches by knitting two together in row 1 to get a multiples of 4 within your total number of stitches)
Row 1: knit
Row 2: *yo, k4, repeat from *
Row 3: *yo, drop next loop from left needle (yo increase from previous row), slip1 knitwise, k3, pass slipped st over all three sts, repeat from *
Row 4: knit

My fifth, and favorite bag so far, went to the winner of an auction we hold at work every year to raise money for our holiday adopt-a-family program.  Another worthy cause and I was more than happy to make a contribution to the auction. And the winner was very happy with her bag.

Bag #5: Wasp Nest pattern with reverse
single crochet to reinforce the handles in a
complimentary color.

Wasp Nest Pattern:
worked in multiples of 8
Color A:
Rows 1: knit
Row 2: purl
Row 9: knit
Row 10: purl
Row 17: knit
Row 18: purl
Rows 3, 5, and 7 (color B): *k3, sl 2 purlwise (yarn in back), k3, repeat from *
Rows 4, 6, and 8 (color B):  *k3, sl 2 knitwise (yarn in back), k3, repeat from *
Rows 11, 13, and 15 (color B): *sl 1 purlwise (yarn in back), k6, sl 1 purlwise (yarn in back), repeat from *
Rows 12, 14, and 16 (color B): *sl 1 knitwise (yarn in back), k6, sl 1 knitwise (yarn in back), repeat from *
Embellishment: Using Color B: I reverse single-crocheted around the borders of the handles for reinforcement.

Even though I only made one for myself, I really like that I've had the opportunity to make bags for worthy causes and for friends who are enjoying their bags.  I will be making more of them because they are very handy to have when you need to make a quick trip to the grocery store, or to the farmer's market, or even to the library, they stretch to accommodate a lot and yet are very durable.  I hope you will enjoy making these for friends and family or just for your own use.

A Story About A Shawl

I started knitting a beaded shawl early last spring for one of my sisters for her birthday (which is in August), because she mentioned to me in passing how much she loved some of the shawls she seen in the stores, but didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices for any of them.  So I searched for a nice pattern that I thought would be easy to follow, but I found reading the chart was not as easy I thought it would be. Somewhere in the very beginning stages I lost a stitch, so I set it aside thinking I would at some point get back to it and fix my mistake.  But I got so busy with other projects that I had deadlines and people waiting for them.  And I never got back around to fixing the lost stitch and well her birthday came and went and I was forced to buy a gift card instead of surprising her with a handmade shawl. Even worse, now a whole year has gone by and my sister's shawl hasn't progressed past what you see below:
 

Beaded Knit Shawl (Swallowtail Lace Shawl
by Evelyn Clark) that I  started last year

As part of my New Year's decision to try to work through my WIP's and as suggested by: stitch.tac.sew, who said on January 24th... "I would alternate for each new project you make finish an old one!" to my post of "Delving into my WIP's Goodie Bag".  I pulled it out of my WIP's bag and decided, instead of trying to fix the lost stitch and figure out how to read what I considered a complicated chart, I would frog it (pull it apart), and look for an easier pattern to follow. I don't want to give up on this design completely, because it is very beautiful and I really need to get over my anxiety of reading charts, maybe after some practice with easier chart designs, I will give it another go.

But in the meantime, I found this really great crochet pattern that I figured I could whip up in no time.

Frogged the first attempt - changed to a crochet design,
Sidewalk Shawl by Kimberly K. McAlindin

And as you can see above that it is coming along and has this really great pattern going that reminds me of a pineapple.  It's quick and easy to follow and I can't wait until I'm done and can send it off to my sister.  I'm really hoping she will like it. And this time around I will get it done before her birthday. 

I like it so much I might even make one for myself or maybe for my other sister who also, has a birthday in August.  If I'm industrious enough, I could probably pull it off, if I don't get sidetracked again.  We'll see...

On a side note:

I just finished another baby set and I had so much fun knitting it for a good friend.  I decided a sweater was too much since she needed it by May 1st and it will probably be too warm for a sweater by the time the baby is born, so I searched Lion Brand's website and came across this cutie:

The Bunny Blanket Buddy
from Lion Brand.

I paired her with another Feather and Fan Baby Bonnet, and Ballerina Booties. You can check my Sweaters page (very last picture at the bottom of page) for links to the patterns for both the bonnet and booties.

I Survived Turning 40!

Last week (January 13th to be exact) was my 40th birthday...I know, I know, just a babe in the woods to some and to others (my son particularly) I'm soooo old!  But I have to say that turning 40 wasn't as bad as I envisioned.  Actually, I think I was more upset when I turned 30, but now I'm going with the flow and I'm loving it!!!

To celebrate, I threw myself a wine tasting/birthday party.  It was lovely having my friends and sister sharing my big day.  I even got my friend Debra and her boyfriend to karaoke a duet and they were actually very good.

Reflecting on my life of where I've been and what I've done, I am thankful for: my fun-loving son (who keeps me young), a supportive and loving if not slightly dysfunctional family, and host of really good friends. And then there is what do I see myself doing down the road?  I've discovered that I really enjoy knitting, learning new knitting techniques, patterns and designs, scouring my LYS for new arrivals, and seeing what I can create with the different fibers I find. 

Seeing my creations being worn and appreciated gives me a sense of satisfaction and success, something I haven't felt in a long time at the "day job".  At the "day job" I'm a secretary and I've been in an administrative support role in one form or another for over 20 years and I feel I've done all I'm going to do in this field of work. Oh I'm sure there is more to learn out there, but at this point, I'm really not looking to advance up the corporate ladder.  I'm happy where I am in my life at the "day job", I tell my friends and family that I work to afford my yarn addiction. 

Now I'm at a point where I'm ready to discover more with my creative side.  And that would include, creating my own knit-wear designs.  Five years ago, I learned to knit, at the same time I taught myself (with lots of trial and error) how to read patterns.  Of course that was before I discovered there is a vast community of knitters, spinners, and hookers (those who crochet) out there!  I became a regular at my LYS and anything I didn't understand I asked the experts there or some of my knitting friends.

Lately though, I've been feeling the itch to design.  When I see a particular knit item in a store, I think, I can make that or something close to it.  I have tried my hand at it and feel I want to venture into it a lot more and the two scarf patterns below is what I've done so far, one is a combination seed stitch, with a garter stitch and basketweave stitch along the ends.  What I liked about this pattern is that there isn't a wrong side, both sides are the same.

Seed stitch & modified basketweave design
in Lion Brand Wool-Ease, Color: Wheat
(86% acrylic, 10% wool, 4% rayon)
Model: nephew

Close-up - a copy of this
pattern is available on the
sidebar under *Patterns
by Knitter Mama* 

This other scarf pattern is a men's horizontal ribbed scarf with 4 rows of the garter stitch along both edges:

Close-up of horizontal 2x2 ribbed scarf with garter stitch
edging made with Sirdar Denim Chunky
in Starling (off-white) and Vintage (charcoal)

Same design in Berocco Comfort Chunky
in burgundy and black with matching
2x2 ribbed hat

I used The Knitter's Bible, that has a stitch library section, to create the patterns for both scarves.  While I found these designs simple and easy to create, I would like to learn to make more elaborate design patterns.  So I'm making it one of my long term goals - to create my own designs, but for now, I'm learning new techniques, continuing to learn new stitches and how these stitches when combined create the end product, whether it be a hat, scarf, sweater, shrug, etc, so that I can soon learn to create my own style. And one of the wonderful ladies at The Knittery in Renton, suggested I get my hands on the stitch books by Barbara G. Walker, which I was able to find three of the suggested four Treasury of Knitting books she wrote at my local library and immediately placed a hold on them, so that I can continue to broaden my stitch knowledge and learn how to combine the different elements of knitting to create my own designs and knit-wear.

Great stitch library
section for beginners

Hopefully, some time in the future, I will be seeing my designs featured on Knitty or even in one of the Stitch 'n Bitch knitting book series.

My designing goal: to be published!

So, in closing, I'm looking forward to what the future holds.  40 can't be all that bad, I have lots of friends who have survived it and so will I!  A toast to being 40 and fabulous - it only gets better from here!  And to all you young'ins out there, you will be here one day, so don't knock it until you've tried it!!!

What's on my needles, you ask?

What's on my needles - geez I have so many WIP's that I don't even know where to begin.  Honestly I guess it would depend on which needles you were looking at because there's a little of this and a little of that and a whole lot of yarn! And this weekend was another knit-a-thon weekend!  My goal though was to get as many of my unfinished projects done as possible.  There are so many, even I was a little intimidated by how many projects I started and didn't finish.  When I started pulling them from my knitting bag I almost decided to pretend they didn't exist and just start something new.  But alas, I'm a bit anal when it comes to having something unfinished laying around - so I got to work on getting some needles cleared off.

It began on Thursday evening - sorting through all the projects and checking the stage of development for each one, and figuring out how long each one would take to complete.  Luckily I work a flexible schedule at my regular 9-5 job, where I work eight 9 hour days, one 8 hour day and get every other Friday off.  And this Friday (November 5th) was one of my off days so I of course what did I do? I knitted until my hands cramped and then I knitted some more. I fell asleep watching the SciFi channel with knitting needles still in my hands on Thursday night which is scarier than anything you would ever see on the SciFi channel - me sleeping upright in front of the t.v. with my hair sticking up all over - not a pretty picture!  I'm very glad my son didn't have a camera on hand when he found me the next morning.

Aiden, my son who also had the day off from school, came downstairs at 8:30 Friday morning to find me asleep on the loveseat buried in needles, patterns and yarn - lots and lots of yarn.  He says I turned our living room into a knitting/yarn shop with all the yarn, patterns, needles, and did I say yarn? Piled all over the place. When I have a chance I will post a picture of my loveseat and coffee table where I'm surrounded by my work.  I love it, but it is very messy and I've tried to organize it many times, but I always end up pulling out yarn, or searching for a paticular pattern and/or needle and it all ends up all over the place again - so now I've given up and leave it strewn all over the floor next to my seat, on the loveseat, on the back of the loveseat and of course all over the cofee table.

As Aiden put it I was a "knitting fool" this weekend. He couldn't believe that I had finished so many projects in only a couple of days.  He was very impressed with the end product and he decided to try on several of the items and I got a real kick out of seeing him model them - unfortunately he wouldn't let me take any pictures - he didn't want to see them posted on Facebook (he knows me so well!).

So some of the WIP's I completed this weekend included a pair of socks - one at a time pair that were on dpns that I started 3 months ago (man I'm so glad I now know how to do two socks at the same time - no more one-at-a-time socks on dpns for me!), a drawstring backpack that I started last week, and I worked a little on my NaKniSweMo project that I began last week - I've gotten as far as the armholes on the backside.  And after putting in a good effort (good effort being the key words here folks!) on finishing up some unfinished projects (I didn't dare look in the closet upstairs where there is another bag full of unfinished WIP's) I started and finished a few new projects that include a pair of fingerless gloves and a bath set that has a face towel, washcloth, and soap pocket. I like to pair my bathsets with this really great handmade soap and bathsalt that I get from the Pink Sugar Shop, which I discovered at my local Farmer's Market.  I've given these as gifts to family and they absolutely love them.

And below you can see some of the finished projects, enjoy!





Personal Bath Set - made with 100%
mercerized cotton by Saucy paired with handmade apricot
scented soap &  mango madness scented bathsalt

  


Front view of drawstring backpack
made with Lion Cotton in Seaspray. You can find the pattern at:
Super Summer Backpack pattern #80401AD

Side view

Back view

Fingerless gloves made from Lion Brand
Jiffy in Fisherman & Fun Fur in Ivory