Hats for Caring

As soon as I set a minor goal for my bloggin' self, I fail. My apologies! I am going to shoot for weekly updates but it may happen that I won't meet that self imposed deadline. I will be back...eventually. Because I am always knitting.

Firstly, I finished my friends' hats:

 

Girlfriend's got a little Rasta on me but I think it will be ok. As a tip, this is how I store leftover yarn that actually came with a lable:

I reuse the baggies and store my yarn in tupperware bins organized by weight.

I knit love and goodness into them and I hope that in some way that oozes out onto their little heads when they don them and especially if they aren't feeling up to things someday. I am not a very spiritual person but I do believe there is a chi that is in motion between all things and people can choose to tap into it or not. So when I say I knit goodness into the hats, I just imagine the feeling I get when a loved one hugs me and think about that feeling while I'm knitting.

I am doing  somewhat the same thing with the Fat Squirrel's Gratitude KAL. I am making a Bone Yard Shawl for my mindful knitting and this is the first time I am doing anything like this. Knitting is a form of meditation for me, as my mind is relaxed but remains focused on what I'm doing. During my time in an ecological research laboratory, I tuned into the podcast Stuff to Blow Your Mind when I could, and they talk a lot about the latest studies on brain activity. They often left me wanting more in depth discussions and the hosts seem to have gotten somewhat out of sync recently, but they introduced me to the term Default Mode Network. My DMN is usually going, "Don't forget about the kitty litter...write more on that blog today...remember that time you messed up at work?...Mom said that thing, but could she actually be meaning this thing?...hey! feel bad about that thing that happened 10 years ago!...five donuts is nothing, I'm walking them off as I walk back to my desk...should probably switch kitty litters..." This is all silent whiling knitting. So when faced with the task of mindful knitting, it is a bit of effort to use my brain and knit like I didn't just start yesterday. At first, I was knitting with a rotation of thoughts directly related to who and what I feel lucky to have in my life much like a See n' Say. Once I got really going, it morphed into thoughts of particular moments in time that brought on that warm, now I know what a baking muffin feels like, feeling in regard to who I feel lucky to have in my life. That is knit into my Bonyard and here is my progress so far:

I have eight garter ridges so far and am shooting for eleven, with a good size 102g ball of yarn left. I have knitted thoughts of my Beau, my family, and friends, and of course my kitties into the shawl, as well as the fact that I have the ovaries, or missing synapses, to ramble about knitting in this blog for anyone and their iguana to see. I love knitting so much!

Knitting the final incarnation of my designed scarf took a back-burner as I knit the Antelopes for my pals. I also managed to completely delete my Word Doc of it (??o_O??) and so have started on that again from my written version. I can't wait to put it on Ravelry!

It was a nice week weather-wise so I gave a lot of attention to another passion, my plants. My laundry room has been functioning as a green-house this winter. It isn't insulated so I've spent only as much time as necessary to move laundry from one machine to the next and to water the plants from time to time. I finally went in there and dealt with the aftermath of winter.

I removed those that didn't make it and swept up fallen leaves and flowers. I fed the hungry ones and moved those previously deprived of sunlight into their own sunny sills. I really can't wait for the move to the porch though and I think they can't either.

I also got in some time in the outside beds weeding out periwinkle and English ivy so the cultivated thyme, fennel, basil and green onions have room to grow. I stumbled upon this gooey fungal friend amongst them.

The internet has informed me that these are Wood Ears. They are very jiggly and I had some fun chasing my boyfriend around with them. ^_^
I just love the weird things I'm finding in the yard. I'm sure each season will reveal something new.

My yard and my neighbor's yard appear to be a major stopping point for flocks of grackles. Large numbers have landed in the space between us and the amount of noise they make is awesome! (If you go to the website, check out the "Calls of Flock" soundbite.) A few have taken a dip in the bird bath I have setup and the color show is just great to witness. I always think to grab my camera but I never want to miss a second of the brief display. Here is one from the internet:

Lastly, I thought I'd share a picture of some stitch markers I made a while ago and a cute picture of Mr. Pickens with some crochet. I made a set of stitch markers as a birthday present for a knitting friend and made several of my own in the week afterwords. They are in various project bags and it's fun to rediscover them from time to time.

Next time, I will show off my shawl and designed scarf! See you then!

A Design

Stash Eliminator was made to also showcase some of my designs, and I'm hoping to share one with you soon!

I didn't really think of myself as a designer until my boyfriend's sister requested a pair of fingerless mitts. I picked through my knitting pattern books, then scoured Ravelry, then extended the search to all of the interweb and just didn't find anything that I thought was really "her". This one had too many cables, that one had a weird thumb gusset, and so on. This really surprised me! Modifying patterns is a great way to fit a design to one's desired result, and I was no stranger to doing this at the time, however, I really wanted something useful that a non-knitter could also appreciate. I thought about mitts and gloves I had made previously and what I best liked about them and didn't like. Then I picked up some DPNs and went for it, and for the first time I had made something not only without a pattern, but without an inspirational prototype as well. It was so much fun!

I think many knitters reach this point in their expertise, where they just pick up a forgotten skein from their stash and cast on. The trouble of carrying around a piece of paper and pen left behind, freeing the mind to just knit. I think it hits everyone after they discover how easy it is to make a raglan sweater at least!

I made all too unclear notes when making the mitts and so are useless now when I go back to read them. So I am taking a stab at designing and sharing a different pattern here. It is a scarf and is taking up more of my time that I thought it would! Here is a sneak peak:

 

The past 2 weeks:

Knitting on my lacy design scarf has been at the forefront. In the meantime I did get a little vacation too. I got the opportunity to go tent camping with part of my boyfriend's family. Previously, I had attempted to knit and hike at the same time after reading about Stefanie Japel's book dedication in Fitted Knits, and it just wasn't happening. During the holidays one year not too long ago, Christmas knitting got me walking around during an outing but involved a lot of standing and knitting. Now I can say that I have successfully hiked and knit thanks to pressure to wrap up my scarf design this past weekend! If you haven't tried to do this yet, give it a go! It's pretty fun.

I follow r/knitting from time to time. They have a Ravelry group and are very active at both places with yarn swaps, Secret Santa swaps, and weekly WIPs/FO threads. I stumbled across this article at r/knitting:
"Why Does a Vicuña Jacket Cost $21,000?" It is from the Wall Street Journal and so is written very well and describes one of the most coveted wools in the world and sums up the story about an animal, the vicuña, that was hunted to near extinction and how now it is being protected by the very people who were once the reason for the vicuña's seemingly inevitable demise.

This past weekend was full of sunshine after a week of clouds and rain. There is garden space surrounding most of the wee house that we're renting containing hostas, lilies, herbs, Camellia bushes, Black Eyed Susans and other perennial flowers, and I dove into them to pull out some intruders who were difficult to get out when the ground was somewhat frozen. While doing this I noticed some early bloomers that I would have not noticed otherwise had I not been so close to them!

 

White Fairy Lilies peaking through a very overgrown Periwinkle vine. I haven't lived in a house yet that lacks an overgrowing Periwinkle. No wonder it has reached the invasive species list. That link goes to a Periwinkle fact sheet which loads as a PDF that is from Indiana's state run website.

 

Some wild violets snuggled under the Camellia bush enjoying some afternoon sun.

The Camellia blooms with bonus kitten peeking.

And of course some spring Daffodils, growing behind a boxwood. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers because they are the first flower I learned to identify. Growing up, rows of them grew along the roadside in front of my grandma's house and were so fragrant. I also really like yellows, whites, and oranges as colors. If only they lasted longer!

WIPs:

So I ended up casting on a Bone Yard Shawl. My first Stephen West pattern and I know errrrrybody loves his stuff and has to say it, but I LOVE HIS STUFF and that he models it very brilliantly and with full on fashionista gusto. Ok, that's over with! ;) I'm making mine from handspun yarn I purchased at a yard sale. It's a coppery salmon color full of slub and silk goodness. I am unsure of the absolute content but it's shiny and has a lot of drape. Here is my progress so far:

My first shawl so this is the litmus test to see if I'm a shawl-wearer or not. Enjoying the pattern, simple, and continuing to love the Chiao Goo Red Lace needle. I am knitting it as part of the Fat Squirrel's Gratitude Knit-A-Long.

I have also cast on one of my favorite hat patterns, an Antelope Hat by Kelly McClure. A couple of friends of mine lost a pet recently and I thought some knitted goods might warm their hearts. I'm casting on another, but in black for the guy and aim to get them done before Sunday.

<to be His hat

                                        Antelope for Her>








 I get to see the ole knitting group tomorrow-yippie! Thanks for stopping by and I'll chat with you soon!

First Book Review: "Knitting to Share" by Gerard Allt

     I have set-up shop in the Upstate of South Carolina recently and the small town that I am in has a one room library that has an amazing selection of knitting books. Your local library is a great way to try books out if you're thinking about purchasing a particular pattern filled book or one on techniques. If you're retiring good books, donating them to thrift stores is noble but don't forget about your neighborhood library too!
     I wanted to start out my knitting book reviews this week and I will review them as I pick them up and pull ones from my personal library from time to time. I may throw in ones that aren't necessarily about knitting too. If you're often caught with a book in your hands, you'd probably enjoy one of the best online blogs I've stumbled across for literature: Brain Pickings.

     This one is from my personal library:

     Knitting to Share was a gift from my boyfriend's mom one Christmas. This book comes from the foundation of gratitude and community that knitting has come to be known for. Right off the bat, on the cover, one sees this little sticker.

     caretoknit.org

     The book is authored by Gerard Allt who is from London and has 25 patterns in total. The introduction is short, but insightful, and includes overviews of a range of very active organizations which involve knitting to heal a community through charity or knitting for access to clean water and so on.

     Each pattern is sweetly named after an angle and are of attractive, contemporary styles. It is a well rounded selection containing knits for little ones, men, and women. The go-to knits are all there: there's a tam, a beanie, fingerless mitts, baby booties, a softie, socks, sweaters, and even a tea cozy. Allt encourages that the patterns be knitted by individuals and groups for donations, as well as loved ones. Overall, the book contains inspiring designs and leaves one with a warm feeling after purusing its context. I highly recommend this book to beginners as the patterns are simple and is a gateway into what the knitting community is to a lot of people. If anyone else has checked out the Knitting to Share, I'd love to hear what you thought about it!

     This week I also participated in Emily's, of the Fibre Town podcast, ASCPA fundraiser. She's hosting it on her Ravelry group page for a couple of friends who are biking around NYC to raise money for animal shelters. It is for a great cause and involves the opportunity to win great prizes ^_^ , so for any other yarn maidens (and gents!) out there, I recommend checking it out.

I also finished my Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket! Here's a pic:

     All done! This is the blanket unblocked and off the needles.

     I was a little worried because it looked a little lopsided; but then, the power of blocking came to my rescue...

And here it is blocked.


I really had a good time making this. Very fast at the beginning, a relaxing, though lengthy middle, with a quick wrap up at the end. It's obvious to see why it's such a popular pattern.

It is wrapped up and ready to go to its future owner.








WIPs:

My head is going in so many different directions about what to start now! Definitely a rare problem, and as my Rav queue is over 100 patterns, I really shouldn't be experiencing such a lack of direction. So I have nothing on the needles! I may hunt down and just wrap up forgotten projects that have ended up in the far reaches of yarn cubbies. Some of those include:

Seamless Salomas Slippers
Evenstar Gloves
and a Granny Basket

With a knitting group meet-up coming up this weekend, I will probably op for one of these three. Thank you for coming by this week and I will be back again next Thursday!

What It's All About

I will be posting to this blog once a week on Thursdays, so be sure to check back by then for my latest knitting insights and other adventures.

My knitting and crochet have been all over the place recently! My hat addiction really flares ups and I had a flare this past week. I finished another Little Sister Hat made from a sport weight yarn at a 50% off sale at Hobby Lobby. Here it is!

 

 I popped in to pick up a size H crochet hook, because for as many G's as I find at thrift stores, I've never been able to find one H. I came upon a nice surprise: a brand called Yarnology has began making hooks that favor fancier online or LYS ones! So I got a couple size H hooks; one in wood, one in plastic, and an aluminum one with a wooden grip. I realize you get what you pay for and so I'm sure the nicer brands might serve a hooker better and last longer, but I've been curious of wooden crochet hooks since I first saw Lantern Moon's Rosewood hooks. So I jumped on the opportunity to try out a knock off for a quarter of the price. This is what it looks like:

It's is finished but some spots along the wood are rough, like they were missed, and the wood is clearly not rosewood or all the same wood but probably bits of different processed trees. All the same, it is really attractive and the aesthetic of the prettiness in my hand as I crocheted the latest Little Sister hat is the only reason I finished that thing so fast!





Here is a close up of the detailing at the tip. It's also nice to have the size printed on the hook.

I have only ever used aluminum hooks and my review of a wooden crochet hook is two thumbs up! Of course the yarn makes all the difference and making that lacy hat with sport weight yarn was a really good way to try it out.






I started another Little Sister hat which I have since frogged because I really needed a size H crochet hook for the yarn I was using, thus the Hobby Lobby trip. I plan on trying out the plastic size H hook when I start that up again.

I am so close to the end of my Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket! The hats were quite a distraction but thankfully I was able to work on it significantly at the latest meeting of my local knitting group. The long, garter stitch rows make it easy to knit and catch up with people at the same time. This past week, someone announced the idea to do a knitting trip to an alpaca farm in the area which sells its processed alpaca yarns in house along with several of the LYS favorites. It's called Northwood Farms and I am totally stoked about going to check it out! I have the friendliest knitting group ever, by the way, and I feel so lucky to have them in my life. :-) They were one of the first groups of people I met after moving to the Upstate of South Carolina from the Piedmont in North Carolina six months ago and it was a great first impression of the area. One can never be lonely when they share such a passion.

One sad moment occurred this week, on the day of my knitting group meet up. In the evening, but well before bedtime, with plenty of knitting time still left in the day, my hands and wrists really began to burn. I contracted carpal tunnel syndrome a couple of years ago from over exerting my hands and wrists during an intensive session of weeding at the greenhouse I used to work at. I had no idea the opening and closing of my hands for hours on end along with the tiny sharp motions required to pull out unwanted plants could lead to so much pain!
Ever since, it has crept up when I do monotonous projects...or play video games.^_^ It often occurs when I am doing both so I can't tell which one it is to blame exactly. I am a sucker for RPGs as a worshiper of all things Zelda and have been seduced by the interactiveness of Skyrim. The load screen times are a pain but leave enough time to get several stitches done on a project.
My wrists were hurting yet again and so I took a pain reliever and made up a hot water bottle and placed it over my wrists while I caught a comedy show on Netflix. That really did the trick! However, the recovery and relaxation level was cranked up a notch when Mr. Pickens came over and curled up on top of the hot water bottle. It was so cute and very conveniently pressed the warmness further into my hands and I wondered if he remembered moments like this from when he was a kitten:

This is him and his sister (whom we were able to find a really good home for!) not long after I found them. I placed a hot water bottle with them (later replaced with a heating pad) as they were too young to maintain their own body heat. The heating pad is wrapped in the towel in this picture.

That's all for this week and I hope to catch you next time!

The Discovery

Hello again! I want to share my knitting history and the love of my life right now.

When I was 16, my grandmother taught me and several of my cousins to knit one weekend. I wish it was more of a romantic memory, but truth be told, it only gets romantic as I get older. As it is in my mind, I remember holding 14" straight size 8 needles (still in my possession) and making row after row of knit stitches and it just clicked, I was a natural. But it was sort of boring. What kept me going was one of my cousins' proposal that we have a knitting contest along with my healthy dose of competitiveness. Brilliantly, I bought some beautiful yellow yarn (later known to be fingering weight, ahh knitting naivete how I don't miss you) and made a 16" garter stitch... thing. My cousin won the knitting battle and I lost interest. My one set of knitting needles were kept safe in a tupperware drawer set along with fabric scraps and a potholder-loop loom with hundreds of fabric loops.

Jump forward to age 21. I am in collage and living with friends and we are enjoying this rise in popularity of the knit stocking hat. I am rocking one of my mom's old hats (who was quite a fashionista in her day!) and the hat is cool enough that my boyfriend at the time donned it from time to time as well and it is not holding up too well with the constant use. DING! I remember that I have this skill to make more of these!

I pay Mom a visit, brushed the loops away from my knitting needles, bought up some worsted weight, light blue yarn and found a free knitting pattern on the internet. This was in the days pre-Ravelry and try as I might, I can not find that website to this day. The hat was knit flat and then seamed, and the website was pro, but my comprehending of its advice was poor. Buying the right gauge yarn for size 8 US needles was really luck, because I still had no clue about gauge. So probably needless to say, I did not knit a gauge swatch.

My simple stockinette hat came out two sizes too big and since it was a gift for the beau, I was nervous about handing it over. Thankfully, he was a stand-up guy and accepted this monstrosity lovingly, never showing signs of disdain. The XL Blue Hat made debuts at themed costumed parties where good vibes and good drinks made it seem like a good idea and the experience of my first actual knitted object was a good one. I did not think to take a picture of it and am unaware of its fate, but it certainly served its purpose in life.

Next came ugly scarves and more ugly hats until an alpaca farmer selling skeins at a farmers' market in Floyd, VA struck up a conversation when my knitting naivete gawked at her $15.00 skeins of alpaca (what a deal!). At one point she leaned in close and whispered, "Have you heard of Ravelry.com?" I leaned in as well and replied, "No. What's is all about?" She wrote it down on the back of a business card, nodded knowingly, and we parted ways.

Ravelry is brilliant!

I am 27 now and have been knitting incessantly for 6 years now. I have acquired much MUCH more yarn which I will post some photos of the stash soon. For now, here is one from a year ago after I couldn't resist buying a 16" x 42" tupperware container packed with yarn discovered at a Goodwill for $14.00. And when I say packed, I'm talking this thing was package taped shut to keep from bursting open.

Ball bands are missing, there's a significant amount of Red Heart, but the quality blends I got for a steal. There was a shawl's worth of baby alpaca (or small tank top's worth, I haven't decided which to do yet ^_^), a half used skein of alpaca lace weight yarn, 3 balls of lace weight linen yarn, and 4 super bulky wool blends which I've used to make a few hats from. The rest is mostly worsted and DK weight acrylics which I have made into Christmas ornaments and journal covers.


My knitting really took off after this purchase and the discovery of set of needles sizes 0-10 1/2 US in a Salvation Army near Knoxville, TN not long afterwards. The rest of my knitting history is forthcoming and I hope you enjoyed that little personal tale. :)

WIPs:

I am still working on the Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket.

I am still enjoying it so much that I have managed to remain monogamous. It has also helped that I have been fulfilling errands related to setting up things at work such as insurance, health appointments, and bank accounts.

FOs:

Recent FOs include some hats I've crocheted for coworkers' children.

The Little Sister hat.

A Scallop Hat.

And I added a crocheted flower to this Simple Knit Hat from a while back. The flower is the chrysanthemum pattern with wide crocheted leaves.

I mentioned the love of my life, and while I love knitting and my partner L, a new love has entered in the form of a kitten which I found in our garden shortly after moving in to our new house.

Meet Mr. Pickens and his tale is forthcoming as well! For now I am going to watch an episode of Fibre Town and pick up the needles until time to head off to work! Ciao!!

Hello

I am here to blog. I am going to blog primarily about knitting. I was perusing the ole net and found that there is just a million of these knitting blogs. So I am adding another.

I love, truly L-O-V-E, the knitting community and have received so much from it in the way of advice about fair-isle and advice about happiness, that I want to give something back. I will unfurl what there is to know about your's truly and this passion for knitting that I have and hope to learn about you, my friendly blog reader. Please do share when you are moved to do so. :)

I do hope to make an audio podcast soon but the technicalities of this is taking longer than I anticipated. For now I will share WIPs, FOs, and what's next and sprinkle in some non-knitting related thoughts and ideas I've had in the meantime.

On my needles:

Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket

I have just finished a daunting round of hats; some were holiday gift knitting and others were commissioned projects by coworkers at my brand spanking new place of employment. :D <yay for income!) More on that later.
This blanket has been a relief for my knitting brain nook after all those hats. My brain was in a place I wasn't even aware it was in until I started the blanket. It is very relieved to not have to worry about a complicated arrangement of decreases or increases and is enjoying the monotonous rows (remember those things!) of knit and occasional purl. I was very happy knitting hats but I am glad to have discovered this phenomenon within myself.

Nothing else is getting any attention from me at the moment but you can check out my Ravelry page to see some past projects if you're interested.

This post is really a HeLLO there! I'll see you again soon!

Hi

This is my first blog post. Should I blog about a famous cook and dream of the day I'll meet her...should I blog about fashion and dare take on a 12 year old...
So I begin my search for that which is in me that will enrich the world so long as I let it be known.