All in a Morning

Hi Knitters,

Oh, the hustle and bustle that goes on around here... I walked around my house and took photos this morning to share a brief glimpse into the goings on.

I received a big bundle of flowers this week as a kind thank you. I love having flowers around the house in the winter although it really doesn't happen all that often. This is why I love it all the more when it does happen.
That burst of color and the shades of green make me so happy.
I also enjoy arranging flowers and have no idea what I am doing but I pretend I do. I think this arrangement turned out pretty good. I like the leaves that are included.
TC's plugging away on this blanket she has been working on for a long, long while. You should hear her grumble about the final ball of yarn she needs to finish to make it the right size. It makes me laugh. Grumble, grumble. She is like an old, seasoned knitter.
My son's girlfriend brought over a huge bin of stamps last night and the kids old and young gathered around and stamped cards of all sorts. Seeing all of her stamps and ink pads makes me want to collect stamps. I love it when she gives me a hand-stamped card. I always save them or hang them up.
The imperfections are what make these cards so sweet.
TC's gearing up already for Valentine's Day. Seems too soon.
TC is determined to read all of the Babysitter's Club books and there are well over 100 of them. She is on the third one right now. She ordered a bunch more of used copies in the series at an incredibly low price. My son helped her search them out. I am not sure where they ordered but she is really excited about it.
TC also got a Crayola Crayon Maker for Christmas. She has been crayon making crazy ever since. This is a good and fun one from Crayola. My sister brought over a huge freezer bag filled with old broken crayons for her to make into new pointy crayons. She loves mixing up the colors. Mad scientist of color she is.

TC and Peachy are making banana chocolate chip pancakes for the crew this morning. They are a funny and sometimes bickering team. Bicker, bicker. This is what I say to them, "Quit your bickering." You can borrow that if you like.

Actually, this morning wasn't too bad. There isn't anyone else in the world you can bicker with like your sister. The next minute you are best friends again.

TC and I are reading this book together. We just sit and read a couple of chapters a day. We are almost done. There are a couple more books in this series and we will read those together, too. It is a super easy book and sometimes it is just nice to sit and read a simple book out loud together.

Oh, and in that old beat up bag of crayons TC unearthed a special glow in the dark crayon that truly works (we went in the bathroom and shut the door to try it out), an old harmonica that TC plays loudly and drives everyone nuts, and a mini-pack of cards. You just never know.
I've taken to putting a big bowl on the bench in the kitchen to store hats and mittens and gloves. It is so ridiculous but the kids come in and whip their knits down on this bench so there is no room to even sit down. I am often just trying to manage the mess it seems.
Peachy dropped her phone in the toilet last night. It ain't gonna work.
Oh, and here is that bin of stamping supplies. I love it. We are making more cards later today.
The sleeve I started on my Camp Hoodie is coming along slowly but nicely. I'll keep you posted on the progress.
This morning I was looking for a whole punch in a closet (don't ask) with TC by my side. She spotted a pack of brand new canvas bags in the closet that I had bought for a girl scout activity but never used. A short while later I walked in the living room and she had quietly created this piece of art. She's a maker. She told me this is her new knitting bag for her blanket.

Then she grumbled about how she is never going to finish.

What's going on in your house this morning?

best, susie

p.s. I got a new camera for Christmas that I am still trying to figure out. As I posted the photos for this entry I see that many of the more horizontal shots are cut off on the right side. I'll get it all figured out soon but if you want to see the whole photo just click on it and it will let you see the entire shot. Sorry about that.

All for Allegra

Hi Knitters,

Allegra Wermuth is becoming a force in the knitting world. She and Brandy Fortune (the photographer of these featured photos) are the co-founders of the always fabulous knitting for children and babies site, Petite Purls. The patterns and articles are all free! It's like Knitty for child and baby patterns. It's one of the best new sites to come on the internet in a long while.

Anyway, the reason for all of these accolades is that I am smitten with Allegra's new design, the Peek-a-Boo Hoodie. I asked Allegra if I could share it with you on here and she said sure.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Peek-a-Boo Hoodie! There are a lot more cute photos by Brandy to look at over on Ravelry.

Here is what Allegra says about this cute little jacket:

I wanted to design a sweet little swing coat with a hood that had an added element of surprise. I chose to add a surprise color to the inside front panel, sleeve cuffs and the hood, to give it a little pop! To me, the surprise color says “Peek-a-Boo”, just like the popular children’s game.

Tech Editing: Kristen TenDyke (click on her name to check out her amazing patterns and designs!)
Photography: Brandy Fortune (click on her name to visit Brandy's site, pixiepurls.com!)

The hood is worked in a double-knit technique which gives you a knit outside and inside at the same time. Pretty slick stuff!

Allegra has some other patterns of which I am a fan. The Boheme has been an incredibly popular baby cardigan pattern on Ravelry. The Boheme Mama is a garment I would like to knit for myself. I love this style. Both of these patterns have recently been updated which is always a good thing.

Anyhoo, Allegra is a good one to watch and follow. She has a lot up her knitting sleeve for the future. Be sure to check her out!
I want to invite you to participate in another knitalong I am hosting on my other blog, Spud says! We are knitting the Camp Hoodie together starting in a couple of weeks. The vest is knit in the wonderful Spud & Chloë Sweater, which has terrific color choices and potential combinations. The vest you see in these photos is an updated version without the hood and a different fair isle pattern on the body. I am now adding sleeves for another option I will share as well. You could do a one color vest without the fair isle section, too. It is a really fun and fast little knit.
Here is the link to Spud says! where I am previewing the knitalong!

Here is the link to the Ravelry project page for the Camp Hoodie!

The pattern for the Camp Hoodie is a printed pattern through Spud & Chloë that you can purchase at your local yarn shop that carries Spud & Chloë or an online shop like Loop, The Wool Cabin (calls only), Webs, Purl, Jimmy Beans Wool, Angelfire Studios, Jessica Knits... the list is endless. There is also a very helpful stockists page on our site. Click here for a list of stockists near you! Also, if your local yarn shop doesn't have this pattern on-hand they can easily order it for you, no problem at all. You will get it very quickly.

Merri, a designer/staff member at Spud & Chloë made a gorgeous Camp Hoodie for her 13 year-old daughter (she may be 12?) that has a zipper up the front. It is really cute and Merri has provided instructions for doing her version as well. There are lots of options and I can't wait to see what all of you will come up with, too.

I hope you will join in the fun. I will be posting pattern tips, instructional videos, photo updates, sleeve ideas and camaraderie along the way! We'll have a great time knitting together.

That's it for today. I've got to get back to my knitting.

best, susie

Come Skate Away

Hi Knitters,

The winner of Vogue Knitting Mittens and Gloves is JFibers and here is her comment:

JFibers said...

Love it!!! So many cool mitten patterns to chose from! Thanks for offering a fabulous giveaway!
greenlady on ravelry

December 30, 2010

I am waiting to hear from Jen to gather her mailing address. My email is on the sidebar. Thank you to everyone who entered! I'll have another giveaway very soon.

Winter break is over as the kids are back in school. It was all fast and furious. I feel like we used every moment of the last couple of weeks to the fullest. Loads of family, friends, eating, laughing and giving was had by all. I wouldn't wish it any other way.

One afternoon we headed out to a local outdoor skating rink complete with a warming house and bridges to skate under. The maintained rink is sort of a bay area connected to a small lake. The setting is very storybook-like. I used to skate here as a child so it brings back lots of memories. We had so much fun that afternoon. I wish I could skate on this natural rink everyday!
My sister knit this Go Team! hat for her son. It matches his winter jacket perfectly. She lined the inside of the hat with fleece. It fits great and he absolutely loves it.Now we are just hoping he can hang onto it. This one tends to misplace or forget his things on occasion (all over the city:).
Have a good, good Monday, Knitters.

best, susie

Knit Those Mitts!

Edited to add on Jan. 3, 2011: The giveaway is now closed. No further entries are being taken. Thanks for entering and there will be another giveaway very soon.

Hi Knitters,

Well, those clever knitters at Vogue Knitting have done it again. They have compiled their best mitten and glove patterns in one spot. Vogue Knitting Mittens & Gloves is a wonderful collection of beautiful, fun, glamorous, practical knits to warm your hands. I am a mitten and glove girl all the way so to have all of my favorite patterns in one lovely book is a treasure to me.

Sometimes I read a review where someone will complain about patterns being republished from a magazine into a collection book like this one. Not me! I LOVE to have these collection books because all of my favorites are now in one simple place. I can't tell you how many times I earmark a pattern in a magazine and then I can't find the magazine with the pattern when I am actually ready to cast on. It is funny because a lot of the mittens gathered in this book are the exact mittens I have loved and wanted to knit from past issues of the Vogue Knitting.

For example, those cover mittens I have loved since they came out in the mitten issue of VK. I even have 3 skeins of Manos in a blush-y pink waiting for me to make these exact mittens. Now that I have this book in front of me I am going to whip these up!

Anyway, you will love this book to no end. Mittens and gloves are one of my favorite projects. They are little and practical and just plain fun!

Here are some of my favorites from the collection:

Rainy Day Finger Gloves are so sweet and fun.
Here are some really simple hand warmers. The book offers a huge range of projects from extremely simple to very complex which is a big bonus. There is something for everyone.
I love these gloves with just enough stitch detail to add a little interest but keeping the project fast and still simple.
There are charts, written line instructions, embroidery directions, clear patterns and schematics. These embroidered mitts are from one of my favorites, Kristin Nicholas. I still hope she is writing a mitten book! Please!
These are so gorgeous. Everything about them is perfect, the design, the colors, the picot edging. This pair is called Hugs and Kisses, designed by the extraordinary Tanis Gray, another of my favorites.
I remember this color block set from awhile ago. This is so fun and the mittens are glorious! I really want to make these, too. Yes to those.
And who can forget the cover shot from the VK mitten issue? Not me. Jared Floods' fantastic stitch work mittens are the best! I remember getting this magazine in the mail and just going crazy over these mittens. I am so happy to have this pattern in a book now. Thank you Vogue Knitting!
There are mittens that could be worn by kids and adults and everyone in between.

If you would like a copy of Vogue Knitting Mittens & Gloves please leave a comment on this blog post. Leave only one comment, please, and leave your email address or your Ravelry name so I can get in touch if you win. I will randomly select a winner in a few short days!

Good luck and I'll see you soon with a winner at hand!

best, susie

Ahhhh

Hi Knitters,

Whew. That was fun and loads of work. My dishwasher has never run so many times in one day. Here's to a marvelous weekend and to the start of a fresh new week.

Last fall I ordered a couple of balls of Zauberball from my friends. I think it is about the most fun striping sock yarn around. I love this colorway so much. I don't know the color number but my friends will. Give them a call and they can send you some, too:

801-466-1811

I am making the Baktus Scarf (pattern link) using one ball and my scale to measure when I get to the halfway point. Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Strikkelise Baktus Scarf. I am at about 60 grams right now and at 50 grams I will start decreasing. This was the perfect project to have by my side over the holiday. There is no thinking or even much looking needed. Knit, knit, knit with an occasional yarn over for the increase.
I also purchased the new Shetland Trader book by Gudrun Johnston. I immediately cast on my Springree Road handspun to make the Norie hat. It is a beautiful pattern. I knew that the handspun was a little heavier weight than the dk weight used in the pattern and that I didn't have enough yardage so I modified the pattern to accommodate the yarn. I took out one of the increases and one of the repeats and modified the decreases for the top. I ended up using every last inch of the 160 yard skein, literally. I love the outcome and I feel pretty good having whipped up a new hat for myself amidst the chaos of the weekend. By the way, this is the perfect first time lace project. There are bands of a simple lace pattern intermingled with stockinette and a purl round here and there. Great fun.

The book, Shetland Trader (click here to see all of the patterns on Ravelry), has 10 fantastic patterns and I love them all. I have a feeling you might love them, too. You can order an e-book or a printed copy. I plan on making a few more items. Good job, Gudrun!

I am thinking about a giveaway for later in the week. Be sure to check back if you are interested.

best, susie

Merry Wishes to You

Hi Knitters,

I have been baking pies all morning. I just popped the last one in the fridge to keep until tomorrow. I have much more cooking to go today but I wanted to stop briefly and wish you all a happy and home-y holiday weekend.

With great appreciation for you, dear knitters, thank you for adding such depth and fun to my days.

best, susie

Happy Holidays!

Hi Knitters,

I am wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season that includes staying warm, eating well, loving your friends and family, and hopefully, knitting your hearts out.

best, susie

p.s. Jump over here and enter a great giveaway from my friend, Dianne, of Sheep Dreams!

A Hat for Little Man

Hi Knitters,

My nephew received a really cool hand-me-down jacket from my other nephew not too long ago. This jacket is perfect for him. It has a spider on the logo and many hidden pockets inside and on the sleeve. He is in heaven. He definitely needed a new hat to match.
I had some black Cascade 220 sitting around. I pulled the perfect matching orange and bright white from my Blue Sky Worsted Cotton stash for a couple small stripes. I whipped his hat up in a day.

On a sidenote, it is so funny but I had this idea for a pattern called, Man Hat, because I have been making so many simple hats for men lately. Then I was on the Ravelry main pattern page the other day and in the most popular projects is a hat called? You guessed it. Man Hat. I thought that was funny. Someone definitely beat me to it. That is a good hat if you are interested. I think it is ribbed. I need to get the pattern written up in proper form for my man hat and then come up with a different name. I have made four hats for big and little men so far this winter and I'm sure I'll do a few more. They are so fast and fun and appreciated.

Another sidenote, I am planning on whipping up a few more placemats this afternoon (fingers crossed once again) so I will take photos as I go. I am sorry for the delay on this tutorial as various knitting deadlines have gotten in the way. I've had a few requests.
He is a fun little guy. I lined the inside with a store-bought headband that I purchased at Jo-Ann's for a buck. I found a bunch of these in the bins by the check out aisle. I am going to use these again to line hats. This headband is gray and looks so smart. It is brutally cold around here and a little extra warmth is always welcome.
He loved his hat so much and I loved giving it to him. The excitement was high. He's a cute one with a lot of energy and personality! This little man provides loads of entertainment at our family gatherings. See that twinkle in his eye?

Have a super Wednesday everyone.

best, susie

Dough!

Hi Knitters,

My Peachy is a true lover of the winter holiday season. She always has been the one to do the advent calendar and to conduct a running countdown to Christmas in various places in the house. Peachy isn't always a crafty one but when she saw a show where bread dough ornaments were made she latched onto the idea of making her own personalized ornaments.

The best part of this project, besides the fact that they are super-cute, is that Peachy did the entire project from start to finish on her own. Other than buying her some acrylic paints, cookie cutters, ribbon and glossy Mod Podge for finishing, I didn't do one single thing on this project. She even cleaned up the mess. She was on an ornament making mission and is very proud of her finished product.
Peachy made a list of recipients including friends, teachers and family. She kept a checklist of names as she worked. The photos I have are not all of the ornaments as she has already given some away. I think she made around 50 ornaments and it took her many, many hours. She would turn on some Christmas music to help set the scene while she worked. I love to see her so involved in gift making by hand. She was really swept away.

She wrote every person's name with a black Sharpie on each ornament which is a sweet touch. After the ornaments had completely dried Peachy brushed on a coat of glossy Mod Podge which gave them the perfect finish. She left the back of the ornaments plain but also gave the backs a coat of Mod Podge. This gives the ornaments a shiny protective coat.

Even the youngest of children could do much of this fun project on their own. Older kids can just take it and run on their own. It is so easy.

Click here for the free recipe for Dough Ornaments that Peachy used!

I posted a new free pattern on Spud says! this morning. If you are in need of a super quick and cute pattern for the holidays this is the ticket.

Click here for the information and downloadable pattern for the Scrunch Scarf!

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Scrunch Scarf!

Have a great week, Knitters. We are covered in a big blanket of beautiful white snow and the sun is shining so bright. I especially love the snow-coated trees. It is a magical time.

best, susie

Hot Cocoa Days

Hi Knitters,

I have started the ritual of hot chocolate and cookies with my girls again after school. I fire up the tea kettle before they get home and I try my best to have homemade cookies of some sort ready. Some days it might be a muffin or banana bread but most usually cookies. We've decided we like the mini-marshmallows the best. I don't know what it is about hot cocoa but as we sip we get to chatting. It is so hot that it takes time to drink and it makes for this nice little break time in the day that we can spend together. I love this time so much. The stories about school are the best.

I have a funny story to share. Yesterday, my son appeared home at lunch. He ate his lunch while we casually chatted. Then after he ate he said, "Oh yeah, I need a treat for my 5th hour class," which was in about an hour. I wonder why he ate his lunch before telling me. It makes me laugh that he truly thinks nothing of this. He thinks I can come up with something really great and homemade and instantly. I told him I wish he would give me a little more time. He said he was sorry and that he totally forgot. What am I going to do?

I started scrounging through my cupboards looking for anything that said "treat." There was nothing. I did have a caramel brownie mix, two boxes. I had only two eggs in the fridge. Fortunately, each box called for only one egg. What are the odds? I beat that batter up so fast it would make your eyes spin. I whipped the brownie-filled pan in the oven. He went back to school for 4th hour and as he left he said, "Oh, you have to be at the doors right on time to meet me because I only have a couple of minutes to switch classes." Of course, he said thank you with a big hug and an I love you which always works for me. The pressure was on.

The brownies needed to bake for about 40 minutes and could have used a couple more minutes in the oven but I pulled them out anyway. I had cleared a space in my freezer, no small feat, and threw the pan in to cool it down as much as possible. About five minutes later I pulled the pan out and cut the brownies into squares, he needed treats for 30 so I did a 6 by 5 cut.

Did you know if you cut brownies with a plastic knife that it will cut so smoothly? If you use your silverware knife the brownies clump and stick to the knife making it difficult to cut. My sister taught me this trick and it really works. I may have mentioned this before but I love this trick. We always have some plastic utensils around from potlucks and gatherings. Give it a try next time.

On with the saga...

I frantically covered the still warm pan with foil and tossed a big batch of napkins in a baggie and added two plastic knives for serving. I threw the whole thing in my car and burned up to school. Time was ticking. As I pulled up my son was just walking out the door.

He came over to the car, opened the door, leaned in, smiled the best smile ever and said, "Thanks, Ma." I said, "No problem." I wiped the sweat from my brow and drove back home.

I love that boy.

best, susie

The One

Hi Knitters,

Well, each year I adore gathering everyone up in their warmest knits and coats and driving to a nearby Christmas tree farm to cut our family tree. This year was particularly wonderful because the first snowfall had just happened so there was a fresh coat of white sparkly and crunchy snow at the farm.
What a crew. We looked for what seemed like an extra-long time this year to find the perfect tree. In the end we picked a tree that seemed to somehow balloon in width when unleashed in our tiny living room. It is a laughably fat tree for the space but we love it anyway.

It was a gorgeous day at the farm.

My husband is always the saw-man. See that hat? It is knit in the brand new Spud & Chloë Sweater colorway called, Barn (it will be available very soon). It is the perfect bright red and my husband, being the Badger that he is, picked it for his new hat.There was much debate and discussion about the tree selection. The problem is that once you leave a tree you are never able to find it again. We found that out in a hurry.
The trees were covered in such a heavy wet snow which made every branch bend with the weight.
It could not have been better out there.
My sons wore their Surefire Hats. I know I say it every year but these are their all-time favorite hats. They have worn only this hat since I have made them which is now years ago. I made a third hat because one time my son couldn't find his Surefire hat only to find it again later. It is good to have a spare anyway.

It makes me happy to see my teenage boys loving something handknit.

Click here for the Surefire Hat pattern information.

Peachy is wearing the Bella's (Twilight) Eclipse Hat I made for her. Click here for the pattern information.

TC is wearing the Stripey Stocking Hat from Itty-Bitty Hats. It is the largest size in the book and it fits her just fine. Here is the Ravelry Project page link. Here is the book link. This is her favorite hat and just like the boys it has been her favorite for many, many years.

On another note, my oldest son had a birthday recently. He is nineteen which is hard to believe. We had a great family celebration for him that included Thanksgiving leftovers. Perfect! He is our buddy and we are so lucky and thankful to have him close to home. Our time together is even more precious now that he is at college. He pops in and out and we love the time he is in. We are looking forward to a long winter break with him under our roof again.

TC has made two more hats for charity. Here is a Christmas themed hat with a little glitz. She uses yarn she picks out from the church charity group. She really loves this one.
This is her second hat to donate. She made the poms to look like little ears. It is tiny and sweet. TC and that charity knitting.... she is on fire.

That's it for now. Have a good end to the week everyone.

best, susie