Well, it appears as if I will have quite a bit of frogging to do. Our son came over for lunch Sunday and so I could measure him. It seems he has grown a bit since he was in 10th grade. Who would have thought such a thing could happen?
Here is what it looks like right now before frogging. I'm really sad about this too. I felt like I had such a good start. However, if it won't fit, it won't fit and better to frog and restart now than later. Also, these yarns are wool. When I questioned him, he wants something he can toss in the washer and dryer. He knows he doesn't have room to lay flat to dry clothes. He also doesn't want to be hand washing things.
Here is where I am in the knitting. I found a pattern after a long search for a top down raglan that is seamless. I am working the pattern stitch he had made for me to follow into this sweater and really the increases are easy since I'm "outlining" them in the black. I started the neck area in black as well and did probably 6 or 7 rows before picking up the Fair Isle patterning. Tonight as I counted rounds in the dark I have 50. I need 55 before dividing for the sleeves. Pics will be added soon.
For now, I will be knitting this in the light and awaiting the hurricane to come. We have battened down every hatch, stocked up the pantry and then hubby added more, gassed up, and checked on family that needed checking on. Now that the work is done, the extra storm work is done, I can concentrate on two projects, this sweater and making my display for Warm Up America. I need to keep on track because I have a second sweater to do for a present for Christmas and want to have that done on Thanksgiving weekend. Then all I have to do is a blue jean quilt for a third present by Christmas.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
More details for WUA
New details for Warm Up America Kick Off!!
With so many blocks donated and the weather taking a turn for the worse with Hurricane Sandy on her way, we are having a joining party November 11 from 1 - 4 pm. Yes this is a Sunday. Yes this is Veteran's Day. Please consider honoring a vet by helping with this endeavor.
Blocks can be in any color you like. Darker colors will tend to hide more of the wear and tear life can hand them as opposed to white or light colors. Please do use washable fibers like acrylic. Wool, while warmer, can be difficult for some to launder and not turn into a potholder. Please do not use cotton, linen or bamboo for blocks. Washable wool and acrylic don't hold the water like these plant fibers do. Wool especially can be very warm while wet. Acrylic less so. Wet plant fibers just make people feel cold. However, these fibers can be used to create facecloths for washing with. Choose smooth patterns for this.
Joining yarns and hooks or needles will be available for use in the store for these afghans. We will be using mainly the slip stitch method and single crochet method for joining. Sewing the blocks together can be done but will take longer.
Solid patterns for the blocks are encouraged since they are warmer than lacy patterns. The gauge suggested is 5 stitches to the inch, tight enough to be warm but not so tight as to be stiff and armor like. Garter stitch and stockinette stitch are quick to knit patterns. Half double crochet and double crochet are quick to crochet and simple enough for most people. Offset shells are also a nice pattern with enough variation to keep boredom at bay.
For more information, please check out www.warmupamerica.org
There are more patterns available as well as a history of this charity.
All donations will stay local. Our donation point will be www.lebanonrescuemission.org as this is the local homeless shelter for men. Women and children find shelter at Agape House. While their main function is to help those battling addictions, they do have beds available to those in need.
My manager has also suggested a canned good drive to benefit the local food pantry. Donations can be dropped off in the same red box in the classroom. Our donations for this will benefit www.lccm.us (Lebanon County Christian Ministries). LCCM hosts the daily noon meal which serves about 300 people a day, including those in the Meals on Wheels program. For some this is the only meal they get.
The donation box remains up year round. These blocks can be done in the heat of summer without the burden of a large article in your lap. Any foods that show up will be taken to LCCM. They see an increase in meals over the summer when kids are home from school.
With so many blocks donated and the weather taking a turn for the worse with Hurricane Sandy on her way, we are having a joining party November 11 from 1 - 4 pm. Yes this is a Sunday. Yes this is Veteran's Day. Please consider honoring a vet by helping with this endeavor.
Blocks can be in any color you like. Darker colors will tend to hide more of the wear and tear life can hand them as opposed to white or light colors. Please do use washable fibers like acrylic. Wool, while warmer, can be difficult for some to launder and not turn into a potholder. Please do not use cotton, linen or bamboo for blocks. Washable wool and acrylic don't hold the water like these plant fibers do. Wool especially can be very warm while wet. Acrylic less so. Wet plant fibers just make people feel cold. However, these fibers can be used to create facecloths for washing with. Choose smooth patterns for this.
Joining yarns and hooks or needles will be available for use in the store for these afghans. We will be using mainly the slip stitch method and single crochet method for joining. Sewing the blocks together can be done but will take longer.
Solid patterns for the blocks are encouraged since they are warmer than lacy patterns. The gauge suggested is 5 stitches to the inch, tight enough to be warm but not so tight as to be stiff and armor like. Garter stitch and stockinette stitch are quick to knit patterns. Half double crochet and double crochet are quick to crochet and simple enough for most people. Offset shells are also a nice pattern with enough variation to keep boredom at bay.
For more information, please check out www.warmupamerica.org
There are more patterns available as well as a history of this charity.
All donations will stay local. Our donation point will be www.lebanonrescuemission.org as this is the local homeless shelter for men. Women and children find shelter at Agape House. While their main function is to help those battling addictions, they do have beds available to those in need.
My manager has also suggested a canned good drive to benefit the local food pantry. Donations can be dropped off in the same red box in the classroom. Our donations for this will benefit www.lccm.us (Lebanon County Christian Ministries). LCCM hosts the daily noon meal which serves about 300 people a day, including those in the Meals on Wheels program. For some this is the only meal they get.
The donation box remains up year round. These blocks can be done in the heat of summer without the burden of a large article in your lap. Any foods that show up will be taken to LCCM. They see an increase in meals over the summer when kids are home from school.
Friday, October 12, 2012
I Love Yarn Day ~ Weather ~ Warm Up America
Today is October 12. That part is obvious from the calendar. What is not so obvious is the weather. Tonight, frost is expected. This is early for our area. Even the gardeners will agree to this.
Today is I Love Yarn Day. Seems like a great time to spread the yarnie goodness. Tonight I was at Michaels where I teach to help spread the love of fiber, whether you love acrylics, wools, plant fibers or other animal fibers. Yarn is great for all sorts of things. Knitting and crocheting are only 2 things.
Because today was I love yarn day and because the weather is cold by recent standards, I spent time tonight spreading the Warm Up America message. I solicited squares, blocks, unloved and unwanted swatches for the cause.
For readers now and hopefully in the future, I would like to ask for 7 x 9 blocks. If you are not a local reader, donate to your local collection place. If you are local to me, please donate to Michaels. There is a red collection box waiting for blocks. I'm hosting a joining party the second weekend of November. There will be more details posted here, on my facebook status, and on Lebanon Valley Knit 2-Gether Guild's page on Ravelry. I will post more details in an email as well to everyone for whom I have an email address.
Patterns for the blocks can be found at www.warmupamerica.org Look on the left side for the free patterns link.
Today is I Love Yarn Day. Seems like a great time to spread the yarnie goodness. Tonight I was at Michaels where I teach to help spread the love of fiber, whether you love acrylics, wools, plant fibers or other animal fibers. Yarn is great for all sorts of things. Knitting and crocheting are only 2 things.
Because today was I love yarn day and because the weather is cold by recent standards, I spent time tonight spreading the Warm Up America message. I solicited squares, blocks, unloved and unwanted swatches for the cause.
For readers now and hopefully in the future, I would like to ask for 7 x 9 blocks. If you are not a local reader, donate to your local collection place. If you are local to me, please donate to Michaels. There is a red collection box waiting for blocks. I'm hosting a joining party the second weekend of November. There will be more details posted here, on my facebook status, and on Lebanon Valley Knit 2-Gether Guild's page on Ravelry. I will post more details in an email as well to everyone for whom I have an email address.
Patterns for the blocks can be found at www.warmupamerica.org Look on the left side for the free patterns link.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
My Class WIPs (Works In Progress)
For those of you new to knit and crochet, you might well wonder why anyone would have more than one work in progress and how anyone keeps them straight. I used to wonder that myself. Now I just try to keep the unfinished things to a "manageable" number. There is no set number, by the way. Manageable means to me what doesn't feel overwhelming.
When I was a kid and just starting with knit and crochet, my parents didn't invest in it because it could be a phase. Most parents didn't get their kids every last thing they wanted back then. I used the same skein or two of yarn I had to knit and re knit different things. I knit and crocheted that yarn until it was a mass of knots. Then I got new. With only one pair of needles and one hook, I couldn't start a whole lot. I also didn't care for the patterns in the one book I had. So scarves and I were "good friends".
So how did I get to this point of having more than one thing going? As I had kids and they got older, they wanted sweaters in something out of the ordinary, I would start something for son A. Son B would also want something for himself. Thus was born 2 or 3 projects on the go. I would also be working on Christmas gifts and afghans during this time as well. Also my interests in what was going on around me necessitated some quick start to finish items.
Then the kids got older and started doing after school activities and sports, there was a need born for portability in my projects. I took things with me to sports practices, drama practices, music practices. I knit and crocheted through concerts, plays, sporting events. My prerequisite was that it could not have too many pieces or be complicated. Basic stockinette, garter and granny squares went everywhere with me. When something was too big, complicated or had too many pieces, it stayed home to be finished when I had the time. Thus was born the multiple projects. Many got finished. Some languished in drawers or cabinets for a while, a long while in some cases but none at this moment are more than 10 years old.
I have finally gotten a handle on my works in progress, or WIPs, as they are commonly referred to. To date, I only have a Fleur lace scarf/necklace to knit for class, a sweater for Son B (started when he was a sophomore in high school. He's 23 now), a dishcloth, a cabled cardigan for myself, a red and tan cardigan for myself that needs frogging (rip it, rip it, rip it), two pairs of socks for myself, a pair of socks for Son B and a broomstick lace shell for me. If there are more, I don't want to know about them.
During the past year, my projects spiraled out of control. It was almost overwhelming. I was working hard to get class samples finished for my students to see, feel and learn from in class and during Open Houses or demonstrations. I also had quite a few swatches and projects that needed to get done for my class. On top of that, I had gifts I wanted to make. You can see how things take priority at times. My home projects got pushed aside to get small things for class done. Larger projects for class were scaled down to something manageable but still had the techniques that needed to be seen.
At this time, I keep one small project in my purse. I have tote bags with one project in each ready to go with me at a moment's notice or sit beside me as I watch TV or scroll through stuff on the computer. Large projects live life beside the sofa and never see the outside world until finished.
When do I find the time to do all I do? This is something a lot of family and friends ask me. My purse projects are for just such occasions now. Am I sitting waiting for a train to go through the middle of town, waiting in line at the grocery store/post office/bank? Did husband and I go out to eat and wait for the waitress to take our order/bring our food after ordering/bring the check after eating? Am I waiting for an appointment, either in the waiting room or in an office? All these are prime knitting or crocheting opportunities. Just a couple of minutes here and there add up to hours of time during the week. Is there less time now that the kids don't have sporting events and plays and such? No. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. I just live mine a little differently than I used to.
So the next time you are in a restaurant or home improvement center or any other kind of store, and you see a woman knitting or crocheting, stop by and say Hi! It's probably me.
When I was a kid and just starting with knit and crochet, my parents didn't invest in it because it could be a phase. Most parents didn't get their kids every last thing they wanted back then. I used the same skein or two of yarn I had to knit and re knit different things. I knit and crocheted that yarn until it was a mass of knots. Then I got new. With only one pair of needles and one hook, I couldn't start a whole lot. I also didn't care for the patterns in the one book I had. So scarves and I were "good friends".
So how did I get to this point of having more than one thing going? As I had kids and they got older, they wanted sweaters in something out of the ordinary, I would start something for son A. Son B would also want something for himself. Thus was born 2 or 3 projects on the go. I would also be working on Christmas gifts and afghans during this time as well. Also my interests in what was going on around me necessitated some quick start to finish items.
Then the kids got older and started doing after school activities and sports, there was a need born for portability in my projects. I took things with me to sports practices, drama practices, music practices. I knit and crocheted through concerts, plays, sporting events. My prerequisite was that it could not have too many pieces or be complicated. Basic stockinette, garter and granny squares went everywhere with me. When something was too big, complicated or had too many pieces, it stayed home to be finished when I had the time. Thus was born the multiple projects. Many got finished. Some languished in drawers or cabinets for a while, a long while in some cases but none at this moment are more than 10 years old.
I have finally gotten a handle on my works in progress, or WIPs, as they are commonly referred to. To date, I only have a Fleur lace scarf/necklace to knit for class, a sweater for Son B (started when he was a sophomore in high school. He's 23 now), a dishcloth, a cabled cardigan for myself, a red and tan cardigan for myself that needs frogging (rip it, rip it, rip it), two pairs of socks for myself, a pair of socks for Son B and a broomstick lace shell for me. If there are more, I don't want to know about them.
During the past year, my projects spiraled out of control. It was almost overwhelming. I was working hard to get class samples finished for my students to see, feel and learn from in class and during Open Houses or demonstrations. I also had quite a few swatches and projects that needed to get done for my class. On top of that, I had gifts I wanted to make. You can see how things take priority at times. My home projects got pushed aside to get small things for class done. Larger projects for class were scaled down to something manageable but still had the techniques that needed to be seen.
At this time, I keep one small project in my purse. I have tote bags with one project in each ready to go with me at a moment's notice or sit beside me as I watch TV or scroll through stuff on the computer. Large projects live life beside the sofa and never see the outside world until finished.
When do I find the time to do all I do? This is something a lot of family and friends ask me. My purse projects are for just such occasions now. Am I sitting waiting for a train to go through the middle of town, waiting in line at the grocery store/post office/bank? Did husband and I go out to eat and wait for the waitress to take our order/bring our food after ordering/bring the check after eating? Am I waiting for an appointment, either in the waiting room or in an office? All these are prime knitting or crocheting opportunities. Just a couple of minutes here and there add up to hours of time during the week. Is there less time now that the kids don't have sporting events and plays and such? No. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. I just live mine a little differently than I used to.
So the next time you are in a restaurant or home improvement center or any other kind of store, and you see a woman knitting or crocheting, stop by and say Hi! It's probably me.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Saturday's Yarn Tasting Class
Saturday, there will be a yarn tasting class. I will be featuring five novelty yarns, what can be done with them, and how to use them. These are the yarns and projects I plan to feature.
Patterns and how-to's for each project will be in class. Come check out the newest yarns and how to use them.
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| Premier Starbella yarn |
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| Red Heart Boutique Chic yarn |
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| Loops & Threads Pompom yarn |
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| Loops & Threads Poodle Yarn |
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| Red Heart Boutique Sashay yarn |
Friday, September 7, 2012
NEW CLASS!!! Learn to Fair Isle!
Just got word, there is a new class out.
Learn to Fair Isle
This is a class to learn the basics of knitting in Fair Isle and the project is a nice warm headband instead of a hat. Even though today, temps are going to hit near 90*, fall and winter are coming.
I have added this class to my schedule to coincide with the Discover Knit Gifts - Fair Isle Cowl. You can choose to do one or both during those classes.
These look wonderfully easy and will help keep you warm on those cold days that are coming.
This class can be signed up for during Michaels Open House, September 8. All Discover Knit and Crochet classes are 50% off.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Must Share the Good News
Being part of a fairly large family on my husband's side, we have many nieces and nephews. I have good news that one niece had a son a couple months ago. Congratulations to Raquel and her son. Tonight I was given the good news of another niece presenting the family with a son as well. Mother and son are doing well, but baby is premature. I will make a few things for this little fellow until he can grow into newborn sizes.
All the patterns I will be using come from Bev's Country Cottage Bev very generously shares patterns she created when her own child was born prematurely. Some are for knitting, Some are for crocheting. Some are for sewing. A few are taking advantage of the knitting looms available. Others have contributed their own patterns and variations of patterns. I will be using easy care, hypo-allergenic acrylic yarns for the patterns I choose. A lot of babies that size have sensitivities to animal fibers or harsh plant fibers.
And now back to the hooks and needles. There's a little boy who's a touch under dressed. Hopefully I can get pictures and get them uploaded.
In progress, I have a granny square afghan made from lion brand's homespun in the colorway ocean. I will be putting a border of pale blue bunny tail around the outside edge. I also have a cardigan/diaper shirt started with pound of love in light blue. I'm doing the preemie size with a G hook. I also printed the going home outfit and will be doing that one once others are done.
Newborn sized hat and sweater The pattern is the 5 hour baby sweater with optional bonnet done in the boy version.
All the patterns I will be using come from Bev's Country Cottage Bev very generously shares patterns she created when her own child was born prematurely. Some are for knitting, Some are for crocheting. Some are for sewing. A few are taking advantage of the knitting looms available. Others have contributed their own patterns and variations of patterns. I will be using easy care, hypo-allergenic acrylic yarns for the patterns I choose. A lot of babies that size have sensitivities to animal fibers or harsh plant fibers.
And now back to the hooks and needles. There's a little boy who's a touch under dressed. Hopefully I can get pictures and get them uploaded.
In progress, I have a granny square afghan made from lion brand's homespun in the colorway ocean. I will be putting a border of pale blue bunny tail around the outside edge. I also have a cardigan/diaper shirt started with pound of love in light blue. I'm doing the preemie size with a G hook. I also printed the going home outfit and will be doing that one once others are done.
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| This is the preemie set |
Two views of the granny blanket
Newborn sized hat and sweater The pattern is the 5 hour baby sweater with optional bonnet done in the boy version.
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| Baby Jae |
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