There's No Place Like Home

Hi Knitters,
We're back safe and sound. Isn't is good to come home? We went to Disney World for the week. My husband thought our kids were at the perfect ages to take a fun-filled journey to the land of dreams. He was right. I am not a ride person but I got to see things like one of the original Dorothy dresses from the Wizard of Oz at Planet Hollywood. That's enough to hold me over for a long time.

When I was 8 years old I went to Disney for the first time. When I saw this castle I simply couldn't believe my eyes. It didn't seem true. I felt like magic was all around. I loved seeing my kids feel that same excitement I felt so long ago. Anyway we had fun in the hot, hot sun. It was in the upper 90's everyday and humid beyond belief. In Madison it didn't even reach 60 yesterday and it is pouring rain. Talk about contrast.

I knitted a lot for the first couple days of the trip. I made eight mini-cupcakes for my publicist, Jaime, to hand out to various people she is contacting. It was adorable to see them all stacked up together when they were done. I had three flight attendants stop to talk about the cupcakes on the flight down. They all thought they were cute. Then as I was getting off of the plane the attendants were gathered at the door and they were talking about the cupcakes as I walked by. It is a good sign that they were still thinking about them later. The pattern is in the new book. Hopefully the cupcakes will do the trick for Jaime. We had to find a Fedex/Kinkos last Monday and mail them off to New York. Good thing my kids are patient with this stuff.

After I finished the cupcakes I dove into a new project, embroidery on felt. I fell in love with this project. It is a Jennifer Pudney kit I bought quite awhile ago. I bought several of her kits online just to have on hand. They are stuffed with beautiful materials, high quality goods to say the least. There are brief instructions that were good enough for me but if you want more detail on embroidery I recommend this and this.

Isn't it fun? I kept calling it my stitching and the kids laughed about that. I kept telling them how I loved my stitching. They like to laugh at me but they are very interested too. They kept admiring it and both of my girls want to stitch now that we are home. I will have to get some simple projects going for them.

Now Jennifer Pudney's company is extra great because they offer finishing services for you. You can either get your finished piece framed or for the felt embroidery only you can get it made into a bound journal cover. I am getting this piece made into a 120-page bound journal. I am giving it to my dear friend who is going through chemo right now. What I loved most about this project is that every time I took a stitch I thought about her and the journey she is going through. Most of all I thought about how much I care for her and want her to get well. That is positive energy well spent.

Here is my other Jennifer Pudney creation. This is the Princess and the Pea, only they call it the Pea Story. I had this one framed and they do all of the blocking for you. I sent off my wrinkly, masking taped needlepoint canvas and this gorgeous artwork is what I got in return. What a great deal!

There was a prince next to the mattresses but I took him out. I liked the bed, the pea and princess alone. Who needs that old prince in there?

Here are the kits. They are tiny. The needlepoint kits are called postcards. Anyway, thought I would share with you what captured my mind on the trip. I was completely engrossed and thoroughly impressed with this kit.

When I was waiting for my family to exit the rides I pulled the second pureknits yarntini sock out and knitted away. I made some progress. I got a lot of second looks by passersby while I was knitting. I always wonder what they see. I only had one woman ask me if it was a sock but mainly kids are completely fascinated by the knitting. They are mesmerized, almost walking backwards as they are being pulled along. What do they think? I make a wish sometimes that one day someone will teach them to knit. I little wish never hurt.

One more quick thing, my friend Stacey, made a post about a pea pod topped hat she knitted. She learned this in an embellishing class I taught many years ago. I have this sweet pea hat pattern available in my online shop if anyone is interested. This pattern is the bestseller on my site by far. We keep getting it reprinted and reprinted. Stacey had so many comments about the pea hat that I thought maybe people would like to have the pattern. I haven't talked about my shop much in the blog but take a look if you like.

It's good to be home! Hope you all had a good week.

best, susie

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Don't know when I'll be back again.
Hi Knitters,
Just kidding. I am heading off on a short holiday with my family tomorrow. We are heading out for some end of summer fun.
Have a good knitting week and I'll be back before you know it.
best,
susie
p.s. Does anyone even remember that song?

Fruit Style

Hi Knitters,
Check out this featured item from the Style section of the New York Times. Don't you love it? I have to have one or two of these just to look at. They make me smile.
best, susie

Flip Flop Fun

Hi Knitters,
Here is a quick and easy project to spruce up those summer flip flops for your girls.

You just need a pair of plain flip flops. I have used lots of different types of flip flops from the $1.99 types to the more expensive $20.00 type. So use whatever you have handy. I think I recently picked up 2 pair for a buck.

Next you will need loops. Let me tell you I do have a strong recommendation here. Klutz puts out the best loops ever! Take it from someone who has taught countless numbers of kids how to make potholders, these are the best. They are stretchy and colorful. One of my kids first got these loops in a potholder kit from Klutz. This little book that comes with the kit is fantastic. It teaches all about the weaving of potholders and then it gives patterns for designs and projects to make with completed potholders.

My kids whipped these out today including my 15 year old son making the tic tac toe potholder. I love that. He even crocheted the edges. Klutz also makes fantastic craft kits for all kinds of crafts and they are all good. These make great birthday gifts and they are fun, fun, fun.

I order up bags of loops straight off of the Klutz site.

The loops come like this. My girls were so excited when this package arrived. They raced off to start making their potholders.

Here's what you do to make these frilly flip flops. I have made these for both of my girls for many years. I start at one end of the flip flop and pull a loop through the underside.

Then I simply tie a half knot and I pull it really tight. They don't come off at all with the half knot but be sure to pull extra tight.

Next take another color and tie it the same way.

The important part is to push them down as tight as they will go. I cram as many loops on as possible. This makes the flip flop full and extra loopy. Just keep repeating this all the way around the top being sure to push the loops together as you work.

My daughter couldn't be more excited about these. They are so cute! I have seen other flip flop embellishing in this same style with balloons, fabric scraps and hair ties. It only takes a matter of minutes and little girls love them.

Guess what? I received my first copy of Itty-Bitty Nursery today. Artisan sent it out to me yesterday. It is pretty fun to see it in true book form. It looks wonderful. Everything is falling into place for the fall release. It is an exciting time. My tour is getting set up and it is looking great. I get to return to places I went last fall and then I get to visit a bunch of new cities on top of that! I can't wait to see all of those knitters again, old friends and new. I'll fill you in on all of that stuff once it is all set.

If you make some flip flops let me know!

best, susie

Coffee Chalk

Hi Knitters,
This morning my daughter and I did some sidewalk chalk art along with my cup of coffee. What a beautiful morning, a summer dream.

I drew my obligatory polka dot flower. My kids always ask me to draw the same things. Isn't that silly? Kids like to do the same things over and over again. I always find that interesting. It must bring comfort.

Here is a crazy artist at work. Look at that extension and the passion. She loves to make things this girl.This is her masterpiece. A duck and an apple tree together at last. I am loving the proportions.

A satisfied brow smudged with chalk remnants is a good sign.

She requested this shot of her pulling an apple from the tree. What would I do without her?

Okay, here is a new project I started this morning. Note my extremely organized pattern writing technique complete with arrows and frog post-its. Oy. Why do I do this to myself?

This is a freshly felted (or is it fulled?) sweater from my washer. I see so many possibilities.

A pillow, maybe? I'll keep you posted.

The second monster hat is underway. Look what mama got yesterday! I'm pretty excited about my new ipod nano. I had an ipod mini that was not working well at all. It had been dropped one too many times. I am checking out audiobooks to load up right now. Any suggestions?

Have a super Tuesday.

best, susie

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Hi Knitters,
Meet the newest addition to our little family. I finished this Alan Dart Yuletide Gnome early this morning after receiving the beard yarn yesterday afternoon. The pattern is from the Simply Knitting's Big Book of Family Knits.

It was a fun knit and pretty quick but it is all of that seaming that gets you in the end. I think I will make another gnome or two but I will be making these in the round from now on. It just seems like there is so much work to do after the knitting when you knit flat like that.

I made the gnome in Cascade 220. I used a very light shade of pink for the face and nose.

The beard is made from Foxy by Sirdar. The gnome is knit on US size 3 needles and the beard is knit on US size 10 needles. Boy, is that fur stuff not fun to knit with. Yucky but worth it

The hat is the best. To make it take the squiggly shape at the top you pin it into the form you like and then you spray it with hairspray. I put a towel over a pillow and pinned down the point and then I let loose with the Aquanet. That was pretty fun and a new experience. I waited until it was completely dry before taking out the pins.

See, you always learn something new with every project, even when you have been knitting forever. I never would have thought of the hairspray trick but now I am thinking about how I am going to use that Aquanet in future projects.

Alan Dart has many toy designs, not just gnomes. It is worth checking out his patterns if you get the chance. I googled him to see if he has a website of his own but I couldn't find anything. If you know of one please let me know.

He's as cute from back as from the front. I hate it when my beard gets stuck on bark like that.

The beard and hat I attached with needle and thread.

I love that there are no eyes. Perfect. The beard is really too good. I had to spend some time picking out the strands for the beard to look right. That yarn is tough I tell you. I put the purl side facing out. I thought the strands showed better on the purl side.

Lovin' the gnome!

This morning I read the article about the Old Guard in the 25th anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting. I loved this article so much I can't even tell you. Trisha Malcolm interviewed Kaffe Fassett, Alice Starmore, Meg Swansen and Mari Lynn Patrick and it was wonderful. I admire these knitters/authors/designers/artists. They have such rich knitting history and experience to draw from. Can you imagine the completed projects between this group? Mind blowing. Their take on knitting issues old and new is so interesting to read. If you get a chance take a look at this article. We don't get to hear from these people enough. There is also an article on the New Guard, Vickie Howell, Shannon Oakey, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and Deb Stoller. That's fun to read too. What a great edition of VK!

best,

susie

Monster Love

Hi Knitters,
The Monster Hat is a success. I ordered the kit here. The designer is Insubordiknit. She needle felted the monster and the yarn is her original hand spun. It is beautiful yarn. (Sorry about that weird cord sticking out on my neck. What's a 42 year old to do? Just keep your eyes on the hat.)

I used her pattern but changed it here and there. Her needle suggestions are a little vague, to get the gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch she suggests needles anywhere between US size 10-15. I grabbed my size eleven 16-inch circulars and started in. I started with the medium size hat and I first used a seed stitch border. I quickly noticed that it was waaay too big. I was knitting at about 3 1/4 stitches per inch. I pulled it out and dropped down to the smallest size. This size required 10 less stitches than the medium size. This is a much better result. I switched to a 2x2 rib for the brim so it would be a little tighter as well.

I have to warn you that if you get this kit pay close attention to the amount of yarn you have left while you are knitting. I actually ran out of yarn before I finished my decrease rounds. The kit says it has enough yarn to complete a large size hat and I made the small size. I am not sure about this and when I make the other hat I will let you know if I end up with enough yarn. I switched to dpns for the top section. After I discovered that I didn't have enough yarn to finish the hat I ripped back and did a quicker decrease (every row instead of every other) to get down to 8 remaining stitches. I ended up with about 2 inches of yarn left.

One thing you can't see in the photos is that every once in awhile there is some coppery tinsel thrown into the yarn. I love this surprise so much. Insubordiknit yarns often have crazy stuff thrown in and I think that is so great. I sewed on the monster patch with red thread and it's ready to go. The hat is actually for my daughter and she is thrilled about it. She wore it all morning even though it is 87 degrees today. I love the finished result just as much as my daughter.

Cheers!

best,

susie

p.s. I still haven't received my beard yarn.

Gnome Fever

Hi Knitters,
I gotta fever and the only cure is more gnomes. Remember SNL with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken and the cowbell? My husband and I laugh so hard just thinking about it. Gnome fever it is over here! I have seen other Alan Dart patterns in the English knitting magazine, Simply Knitting but this pattern compelled me to knit immediately. This is one of my favorite knitting publications. If you haven't seen this mag you should give it a shot. I always pick my copy up at Barnes and Noble.

A couple of weeks ago I was out running and the knitting podcast I was listening to was either the Continental or SSK or something else. I can't remember but the women were talking about Simply Knitting and how great it is and also about Alan Dart. He is a knitted toy designer and wow is he a talent. This last issue has a pirate he designed and the detail work is fantastic. I admire that because anyone can knit a basic toy. It's that added detail that makes it unique and he has that. The podcasters were going on and on about the Alan Dart gnomes and now I can see why.

Are these not the cutest things you have ever seen? I think so! The other thing the podcasters were talking about was the Bumper Book from Simply Knitting where the magazine editors took the best patterns from the magazine and created a book compiling the best of the best. I looked for this several times and tried to order it online to no avail.

There I am in Barnes and Noble with my son getting the new Harry Potter book and lo and behold this compilation book is in the magazine section right behind a new issue of Simply Knitting. They changed the name to The Big Book of Family Knitting. There were only a few copies (you better hurry, Renee!) so I was glad to get my hands on one.

Right away I found the gnomes in the book, skipping everything else. I was enchanted. I ran home and starting knitting away on my first gnome. The only thing I don't have is the furry yarn for the beards. This is a Sirdar Foxy yarn which I finally found here. I ordered that up and I just got an email that it has been shipped. Yippee! I never envisioned myself ordering fur yarn of any sort but for this beard I'd order anything.

This is the cover if you are looking for this book/magazine. The other patterns are all beautiful, sweaters, hats, bags, booties, toys, pillows, etc. There are many things I am going make from this collection. There is even a Fiona McTague monkey pattern in here that is wonderful.

Here is my progress so far. He's cute already. The pattern calls for a dk weight but I am using a worsted weight Cascade 220 instead. I am using US size 3 needles, not my beloved dpns, straights only. Once again, just like Mousie, Mousie, this toy is knitted flat and then seamed together. This time I am knitting it flat just like it says and then seaming. I am regretting that choice now but will follow through until the end. Knitting in the round is so much easier and it looks better but oh well.

I stuffed it so it looks like he has big bottom. I love knitted fabric because you can make it take shape however you'd like. I used plastic pellets for stuffing the bottom and the boots then I filled in the rest with poly-fill. Alan suggests creating a muslin bean bag and then inserting that into the toy but I don't think that is necessary at all. The knitted fabric is so dense it can hold those pellets in no problem. Why create more work? I'll keep you posted on my progress here as soon as I get that beard yarn. That sounds so wrong.

Okay, one more fun order I just received today is from another favorite of mine, kpixie. Ugh, I love this online shop too much! I happened to be sitting at my computer this weekend when I got an email from kpixie about updates. I ordered the new Interweave Felting mag, which is excellent. If you are interested in the whole felting movement grab this issue. There is more information packed in these pages than you will know what to do with. The ads are just as good, too. I am loving that bag on the front. The rings are knit around brass rings then felted. I get so into stuff like this when weird things are knit right in a project. You will see some of this kind of thing in a few designs in itty-bitty nursery. But then when I was clicking around I found what I had been wanting for months and months.

Yes, I scored two monster hat kits from Insubordiknit! I have wanted one of these forever and a day and they are always sold out. I feel so lucky and now I get to try some of her hand spun yarns. I cannot wait. I am starting later today. You knit the hat and then you sew the needle-felted monster face onto the hat. Oh yeah, I am going to have some fun! I haven't even looked at the pattern yet but I'll let you know how it goes.

Oooh la la, just look at that yummy yarn. My fingers are itching, gotta go!

best, susie