Simple knitjutsu

I'm still alive

2010-01-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

All is well in Casa Fixler, the husbeast and I have just been ridiculously busy this month! I have lots to write about though, so I'll be posting soon. :)

Where did the time go?

2009-12-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

Wow. In less than a week, I'll be opening presents at my in-laws house, wondering why they give me raspberry smelling bath soaps (raspberry being an allergy of mine) every year, and contemplating where the month of December went...I mean, I've hardly knit anything...which to me is mind boggling. I'm somewhat glad that I decided to take a break from hand knit gifts this year, because I'm pretty sure no one would be getting a present on time. It's amazing how when you enter the adult world, December flies by in the blink of an eye, as opposed to when you're seven, and it seems like the longest month of the year second only to your birthday. So, today is the 20th, and a stack of unfinished Christmas cards are collecting dust on the coffee table...mmm...coffee. But the true winter horror is my office. It shows just how guilty I am of not knitting....It's pretty scary.

Yep, proof that not much has been going on for me outside of work, Christmas hecticness, and Blake's new video games. I hope to have something more promising soon.

A Few Finished Things and Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

"Finished Owls with creepy red eyes"

"A sad attempt at the Yarn Harlot's One Row Handspun Scarf"

"And my husband's late wedding gift from me."

Somehow, despite all the Thanksgiving craziness, I've managed to finish a few things...phew. The scarf and mittens were of course supposed to be finished last Saturday, but they took longer than expected. Mostly because I've been at my parent's house helping them decorate for Christmas, yes, you heard me right. They're already decorating for Christmas. I guess I should have known better when my mom called and invited me over. She didn't want to sit for a cup of coffee and chat...she wanted help getting the house in order so that they could pull the 12+ boxes out of the garage for decorating. But I digress...There's a different family holiday tomorrow that I'm preparing for.

I'm on sweet potato/yam duty. I'm lucky for this, as it's my favorite side, and at the same time, the least popular at my parent's house (more for me...). I'm also looking forward to my first "married" Thanksgiving, as it's also our second monthiversary.

Now, a little on the finished projects: The "Give a Hoot Mittens" were mentioned in my last post, and were a huge success as far as I'm concerned. My now 17 year old sister was happily flaunting them around the house. What I was not prepared for though was her request for a scarf. It went something like: "Yeah, these are cool and all, but I really need a new scarf. How soon can you be done with one?" ...I didn't know how to answer her at first...but she is the baby of the family...maybe that could account for something. It just so happen that I was almost done with a failed version of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "One Row Handspun Scarf" in an array of colors that complimented her mittens. I wasn't planning on keeping it, so I decided to pass it along. Besides, I'm going to take her forwardness as a marked interest in my hand knits...I hope.

The final project that I'm sharing is an aran style sweater that I made for my husband, but I think I'll save the details for another post. This project was really special to me for a lot of reasons. So, now I have a few more things to finish up, and that will leave me open to devote my time on making "Nora's Sweater" from Interweave Knits Winter 09. This is the most difficult thing I've attempted, so I'm going to do some prepping.

Anyways, I hope everyone, whether celebrating or not, has a great Thanksgiving, and great family time!

B - B - B - Buttons?

2009-11-19T02:34:00.000-08:00

Mitten #1

"Button ideas"

Well folks, when we last met I was taking you through the painstaking task of knitting beautiful yarn. However, I am now sorry to report that the subject of my last post now lays in a frogged heap on my desk...the crazy perfectionist in me apparently escaped long enough to rip the mitten apart.

Nonetheless, my mitten rampage is still going strong. Which brings us up to date with this post. This Saturday, my sister (the youngest of us four) is having her seventeenth birthday! So I decided to make her the super cute "Give a Hoot" mittens from Kelbourne Woolens. I felt like this pattern was the perfect way to make something unique for a high school student. But at the same time, it gave me a twinge of whimsy...as I would have to sew buttons onto the eyes of the owls. So far, I have one mitten knit up, but it's a relatively quick knit, so the other will be done before I know it. I love this pattern though, it takes you through the mitten row by row, and also has a very unique thumb gusset. So now as the Beldam of these poor owls, I only really need to decide what color buttons to use for their eyes, and then I'll have more pics up Saturday.

If you've also noticed that there hasn't been a comment about how terrible the weather is lately...it's because the weather has been awesome! It's 24F right now....That's great!

Neutron Mittens

2009-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Some time back in June I was having a bit of a dilemma, four skeins of amazing yarn, and issues winding them into balls. For some reason it seems sacrilegious to unwind beautiful hanks of yarn and further taint them with knitting that I don't feel 100% about. The biggest thing holding me back from starting a project with my Terra was being unsure how to combine the colors. I had a pale pink that was almost white, a red-gold, a red-purple, and a dark lavender. My first thought was to pair the pink and red together, and the two purples together, but the results proved less than adequate. The pink and red reminded me of a melted candy cane, and the purples didn't match up well at all. I hated frogging the yarn too, not because it didn't frog well...but because I felt bad about it.

I ended up putting the yarn away for a few months, I mean, it's not like I don't have a million more patterns to knit up. So, after forgetting about the Terra completely, I asked my husband for yarn money, to which he wisely answered: "Shop your stash." Duh, I have way to much yarn to begin with. This is how the Terra was rediscovered. Now, at this point, I had picked up an issue of the Fall Knitscene, and in the back of my mind, I remembered a mitten pattern. I realized that it would allow me to use up two skeins of Terra, which is great!

I spent a few hours casting on and trying different color combinations until I finally saw something I liked. The red-gold and the red-purple looked amazing together, while being subtle at the same time. Which left me with the pink and lavender colors to pair together.

I'll have more pics of the finished project soon...when I find my camera again.

Why I'm Falling in Love all Over Again

2009-11-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

With knitting...that is. Now, I know my last post seemed like a rant on how awesome Berroco is, and don't get me wrong, I love them, but it seriously wasn't meant to be an advertisement.
Today, my rant is centered around Vogue Knitting's new approach to the knitting fashion world.
I've always been a bit of a sucker for knitting magazines. What's not to love about them? They're normally packed with info on unique yarns, needles, designers, and techniques. Not to mention the wealth of patterns that meet all skill levels.
Vogue Knitting has been going strong for years. I have an issue that my Godmother gave me from 1992. And even though Vogue Knitting has always been there, it hasn't always been practical.
In all honesty, I seldom was able to pick up an issue and find something wearable. The challenge was there, but not the sleek, "fit into my wardrobe" feel that other magazines sometimes achieved.
Vogue seemed to want to cater to a "high fashion" crowd, when realistically, most people weren't there. It seems as though a good portion of the patterns in past issues would not flatter any body type, and were not exactly wearable in public. I honestly have a philosophy on knitting: If you are going to invest the time and money, make something that you'll love to show off. And honestly, I never got that with Vogue...until now.
First of all...OMG!!!! THIS ISSUE ROCKS. I mentioned in my last post that I received Vogue's Holiday Issue recently. And to be perfectly honest, I was blown away. Everything about this recent magazine issue was incredible. And for the first time ever in my owning a knitting magazine history, I want to make just about everything out of it.
One of the best stories in the magazine is titled: "Through the Looking Glass", which is where I borrowed this picture from. The beret in the picture is one of Kate Gagnon Osborn's designs, and it is stunningly beautiful. This story appeals much better to the younger crowd in knitting, while still holding a timeless elegance that anyone could appreciate.
It seems like Vogue has turned an amazing new leaf, and I'm loving what I'm seeing. I'm currently working on Cathy Carron's "Cabled Cowl" as a birthday gift for my mom, and I'm almost positive that it will be a long time before I'm finished with this issue. It's kind of like what my husband refers to as "replay value".
And for my obligatory complaint about the weather...it's still too hot! 90F is not November weather, but...oh well.

Image copright: Vogue Knitting

The Most Manly Pattern Book...Ever!!!!

2009-11-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

First of all, it's now November, and as much as I'd like to be saying: "Burrrr...it's cold!", I'm not. Today was about 85F, which is great...in July... For some reason, there was one week in October that wanted to fool us into thinking it was actually fall. But, seeing as how this isn't a blog centered around complaining about the weather...
The handsome man in the picture to the left is my husband, and he is modeling the manliest hat ever: The Wilson Hat, by Norah Gaughan, featured in her new book just for men, titled: Norah Gaughan: Men.
Knitting for Blake has been a struggle. He's never really been interested in anything more than a cozy pair of socks, or the occasional pair of fingerless gloves. I guess I understand, I mean, it's probably the same as him getting a video game for me.
For the last three years, Blake has pretty much resisted the idea of a knit something other than the aforementioned items. I finally decided to ask him about it. Part of me wondered if it had anything to do with the dread "sweater curse", or if he secretly thought my knitting was weird, I really wasn't sure.
The talk went really well. As it turned out, the main reason why he didn't want anything big was because his dad wore sweaters, and for some man mystery reason, it was taboo for him to wear sweaters too. He also seemed to think that sweaters made men look feminine. I couldn't quite argue that point, there were a lot of sweaters out there that didn't exactly make men look... well...manly. So the subject dropped.
So in August, with the weather being cold whenever it feels like it, I decided to make Blake a warm hat. I hopped on Ravelry, and started searching for an awesome pattern, which is how I stumbled across this amazing hat. Now, I'm a huge fan of Berroco, and an even bigger fan of their Peruvia yarn, which comes in a huge variety of heathered shades. But for some reason, while looking at the pattern, it didn't click. I overlooked the pattern, and kept searching. I didn't find a pattern I liked that time, but I still decided to order the pattern book, and then forgot about it.
Some time went by, September rolled around and we got married, (which, if I'm not mistaken nullifies the sweater curse), and the weather became more unpredictable. While on a walk, Blake commented on how he wished he had something to keep his head and ears warm.
When we got home and checked the mail, the new Holiday issue of Vogue Knitting had arrived, (and in my opinion, the best issue so far). In it was a small advertisement for the Norah's book and the Wilson Hat. I went ahead and pulled the book out and discovered that I had some extra Peruvia from a previous project. Things couldn't get better...right?
Blake decided to look through the book, and saw a picture that changed his view on men's knitted accesories forever. The model in the book had an axe, and was posed in pre-swing. Blake was amazed, and has requested that I knit almost everything out of the pattern book for him, with the Wilson hat being first.
So the point of this long winded blog? That this pattern book is amazing, especially if you knit for reluctant men, and all the patterns are guaranteed to look handsome beyong words on them.

Through Subtle Signs, Fall Fills the Air...

2009-10-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

At six thirty AM yesterday morning, I woke up, started my coffee maker, and hopped in the shower. By seven, I had dried off and found my way into some warm clothes. I poured a cup of coffee, and tried out a new flavor of creamer my husband brought home (caramel apple), and decided to sit on my front porch.

I could not believe how beautiful the morning was starting out. It was like autumn had decided to show up the night before, and start gracing my little town with its signs. I grabbed my camera, and snapped a quick photo from where I sat. Absolutely elated, I let the crisp air fill me.

I think that perhaps part of the reason why I love this season so much is because of my husband. Today, we've been married for a month, and it gives me butterflies just thinking about it. Fall has always been our special time of the year. And though cold weather comes late in Paso, I always look forward to it. So happy beginning of autumn in Paso.

Waiting for Fall

2009-08-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ha, I've sort of disappeared. Life has gotten a little hectic lately, as I'm sure it has for everyone. It seems like there are so many things to do, and I can't even begin to sort it all out. The upcoming wedding is definitely a large thing on my list, that and looking for a second job, getting a working car, and finishing school...and I'm sure I'm forgetting things. I've been trying to find other things to focus on (so I can fall asleep at night), like my dream house for instance (I'll have to save that for another time.)

One thing that I have found a lot of comfort in is that Fall will be here soon. I am a cold weather person. I love chilly days, gusts of icy wind, and brightly colored leaves taking flight. For me, there is great comfort in a day spent outside, walking through my little town, or heading to the coast. I love it when the sky is gray, and the ocean is a tempest of blues and greens. The next best thing about a day like that is coming home. I love to cozy up with a cup of tea, while baking some sort of comfort food. I love it when my home is quiet, and I can hear the wind rushing past it, or the whistle of my tea kettle, and the soft click of my needles as a sweater grows in my lap. In all actuality, I'll have to wait until early December for this weather to start where I live. Here, the Summers are long and hot, the Winter is short and often too dry. But I have some hope this year may be different. It's early August, and the average temperature has only been in the mid 80's to 90'sF. Normally we'd be breaking 100F, or staying at an average of 98F. So I want to believe that perhaps we'll have a real Fall, and not just a Summer to Winter type thing.

I was able to pretend it was Fall yesterday. Two of my sisters, my fiance and my sister's boyfriend took a trip to Morro Bay. It never went above 70F, and by the time the sun set, we were all bedecked in sweaters and scarves. I even had the opportunity to wear a hat I'd recently made. My sisters' were sparked with excitement, as they share the same favorite season as I do. We had clam chowder at a beautiful restaurant over looking the harbor. My youngest sister (a culinary student at her high school) began planning Fall baking and cooking, and next thing we knew, we were ready for October.

Lychee Mittens

2009-06-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

So, now that it's Summer, and blazing hot outside, all I can think about is Fall/Winter... Maybe it's my love of an idea: rain pouring its heart out, pounding on the windows. Hot cocoa, warm knitted blankets, and lot's of snuggling. My favorite hobby is also partly to blame. I love mittens, hats, scarves, sweaters...if yarn and needles are involved, I'm there. I can't justify hiding in my air conditioned room until the weather changes..instead I'm going to find a way to remedy it. Recently, I fell in love with The Fibre Company's yarn collection. I've slowly been buying skeins of Terra and Canopy yarns. I now have four skeins of Terra (pictured above), two pinkish colored ones, and two shades of purple. As a mitten fanatic, I'm going to try out Kate Gagnon's Lychee Mittens. Now, my only issue, is figuring out whether I want to go conventional, as in putting the like colors together, or eclectic, and mixing it up.

UPDATE

2009-05-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

RECENTLY, OUR LAPTOP CRASHED. WE JUST NOW (ONE MONTH LATER) GOT IT RUNNING AGAIN, AND NOW WE NEED TO INSTALL MICROSOFT OFFICE AGAIN SO I CAN USE BLOGGER PROPERLY. I HAVE A FEW NEW TOPICS FULL OF KNITTING, BAKING AND BOOZE COMING UP. SEE YOU SOON.

Tako Maki

2009-02-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

I was having one of those days where you don't want to touch your wips, but you really want to knit. I also, like most knitters, have way too much random yarn lying around. It was like: either deal with it and finish something or make something small and quick. Which in part inspired me to make this TP cozy. I also loved the amigurumi octopus pattern in the Knit .1's winter extras, but personally, I can't crochet to save my life. So I cast on for a gauge swatch and measured a roll of Charmin, and next thing I knew, I had my very own Tako Maki.

Materials
- 1 ball of Caron simply soft quick (100% Acrylic/ 50 yd) in Blue Mint
- 1 set of size US9 (5.5mm) double pointed needles
- 2 buttons note: I used two different sizes
- darning needle, sewing needle and thread

Pattern

- Cast on 56 stitches and separate evenly onto 4 dpns (14 stitches on each needle)

- Work garter stitch for 4 rounds (knit one round, purl next round), ending on purl round

- Work stockinette until piece measures 5 inches from the beginning.

- Begin decrease round - Round 1 - on the first needle: knit 1, SK2P ( slip 1 stitch, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over). Knit to the last three stitches, K2tog, knit 1. Continue as for needle one on the next three needles.
-Round 2 - Knit

Repeat rounds 1&2 until there are 4 stitches left on each needle.

To finish, cut a 10 inch tail and pull through stitches, securing tightly. Weave in ends.

For the legs (make 8)

- Cast 3 stitches onto one dpn and knit back and forth without turning to make an I-cord. Knit until the cord reaches 5 inches (feel free to make the legs varying lengths). Bind off. Using the darning needle, weave the bottom tail through the cord. Do not weave in the bound off tail, instead, use it to secure leg to the bottom front of the cozy. I went ahead and attached the tails only in the front.

Finishing

- Sew buttons to the bottom half of the front of the cozy, just above the legs and enjoy!