Preemie hat pattern

I came up with a pattern for the Head to Toe contest the Knitmore Girls are hosting on thier website and on Ravelry. It uses up bits of leftover sock yarn and is inspired after the Ball Band dishcloth. So I give you, the:
Ball Band Baby Hat


Sizes: Preemie (Newborn)
Yarn: Any leftover sock yarn; 2 coordinating colors
Needles: US 1 (US 2)

CO 70 (90) st, join to work in the round.
Work 6 (8) rows of garter stitch (K one row, P one row)
Begin St St. Work 10 rounds even
Join color 2 (do not cut color 1)
Next round: K4, sl 1, *K5, sl 1* repeat around ending with K1
Next 3 rounds: P4, sl 1, *P5, sl 1* repeat around ending with P 1
With color 1: K 2 rounds even
Color 2: K1, sl 1. *K5, sl 1* repeat around, ending with K4
Next 3 rounds: P1, sl 1, *P5, sl 1* repeat around, ending with P4
With color 1: K 2 rounds even.
Color 2: K4, sl 1, *K5, sl 1* repeat around ending with K1
Next 3 rounds: P4, sl 1, *P5, sl 1* repeat around ending with P 1
Cut color 2 leaving tail long enough to weave in end.
With color one, K 6 (8) rounds even in st st.
Purl 2 rounds
Begin decreases as follows:
*K5(7), k2tog* around
K one round even
*K4(6), k2tog* around
K one round even
*K3(5), k2tog* around
K one round even
*K2(4), k2tog* around
K one round even
*K1(3), k2tog* around
K one round even
Preemie hat - k2tog around for 2 rounds ending with 5 st on needle. For flat top, cut yarn (leaving end long enough to weave) take tapestry needle and thread through remaining 5 stitches on needle and pull tight. Weave in all ends. For knotted top, knit 2 inches of I-cord with the remaining 5 stitches, cut yarn, weave tail through 5 st and pull tight, weave in all ends.
Newborn hat - continue with decreases as follows
*K2, k2tog* around
K one round even
*K1, k2tog* around
K one round even
*k2tog* around, for 2 rounds
For flat top, cut yarn (leaving end long enough to weave) take tapestry needle and thread through remaining 5 stitches on needle and pull tight. Weave in all ends. For knotted top, knit 2 inches of I-cord with the remaining 5 stitches, cut yarn, weave tail through 5 st and pull tight, weave in all ends.

We have a new addition at our house! A 40lb English Bulldog named Angus. We are in love!!!

Socks by ME!!

I took the challenge issued by the SKA group on Ravelry to design my own socks. I designed socks around a DIAMOND theme - and named them Cut, Color & Clarity. I am working on getting the pattern converted into a PDF and will offer it when I get that accomplished - this is also the first time doing that too!
OK I think I have the pdf thing figured out - try this link

pattern link

Older pics of me

These are some pics of me from when I was younger for The High Fiber Diet Podcast
The top L pic is my junior school pic - BIG hair, the one beside that is my Senior pic; then on the bottom row is a pic from when I was 6 (1979) when I had my orphan Annie hair thanks to my mother, and a side view of me - LOOK AT THOSE BANGS!! (my Mom and Aunt are in the pic too) WOW

Productive Knitting month

So March has been a productive knitting month for me. Not only have I finished 4 pairs of socks (3 of which were started in March), I have taught my BFF, Jaimie, how to knit socks too! I have brought her to the dark side and she will never go back, mwhahahahahaha! *insert evil grin to go with laugh*






I have also gotten some spinning finished. I finished spinning up the wool that I dyed, and made my first 3 ply (that wasnt navajo plied) sock yarn. I am currently knitting, what else but socks with it.


In other news, my back is hurting again - UGH. Kaitlyn went to the dermatologist and got diagnosed with psoriasis (at least now we know what it is). Jacob got his braces off! YAY! He has been chewing gum almost constantly since he got them off - except for school hours.

I CUT MY KNITTING - ON PURPOSE!!

It is called Steeking, and it is scary! Meghan from the Stitch It! Podcast is hosting a steeking contest, so I decided to try it. I had a swatch from my Green Susie sweater just laying around, and it is wool, so I decided to go for it! So I followed the crocheted steek instructions from Euny Jang here that Meghan shared with us, and did it!! I got Kaitlyn to help me take pictures of the actual cutting process. And it worked!! Here is the photo progression!

More spinning

I have been spinning and knitting like crazy! I have 10 holiday gifts COMPLETED!! The Holiday KAL-CAL, hosted by Sydney and Marley (see sidebar button), has really gotten me motivated! I have 3 more projects I want to make for holiday gifts for sure... But anyway, spinning! I have gotten my very own wheel - an Ashford Traditional. I have done quite a bit lately so here is some eye candy for you....

SPINNING WHEEL!

My MILs friend let me borrow her spinning wheel for a couple of weeks, and some fiber to practice with. I have had so much fun with this wheel. I made a 280yd skein of yarn, 2-ply worsted weight

spinning

I just wanted to post a picture of some spindles that I have made. These have all be made with suppies from the craft store / hardware store, and they work PERFECTLY well. No more than $5.00 in any of them and probably more like 2 or 3. I *heart* spinning!

The one on the left is made from a wooden decoration that you could add to molding to make it more decorative that Kevin helped me drill a hole through and then insert the dowel rod with cup hook in it. I stained it with some honey stain that I found in the garage, and Voila! The middle one is a craft wooden circle found at Michaels for 25 cents painted green and a wooden daisy, also from Michaels for 25 cents, painted by me. Both were drilled with a hole in the "center" (by me) and a dowel with cup hook inserted. The one on the right, is another craft circle, but this one is by itself and I painted one of my favorite things on it - a dragonfly.
All were easy to make and are EASY to spin with!

Finished Ravelympics

When Ravelympics came up, I decided that I would sign up and that it would be a good chance to get the kids' school sweaters done for this year. I also thought, "I can do some socks too," so I signed up for 2 pairs of socks knit from hand-dyed sock blanks. THEN I thought, "I should spin too." And so the overcommited 17 days began... BUT I FINISHED IT ALL!!!! WOO HOO. YEAH ME! Not only did I knit 2 sweaters and 4 socks (aka 2 pairs), but I spun, on a drop spindle, 345 yards of yarn (that's a 2-ply yarn - so I reall spun almost 700 yards of fiber that I plyed together to make the 345 yards of yarn) It is a lovely merino wool and bamboo blend that I got from Butterfly Girl Designs Etsy shop, called Blueberry-Lime Surprise. YUM! So, I am quite pleased with my accomplishments during the Olympics/Ravelympics.

Also, I technically could have signed up for one more event, because I finished another project before closing ceremonies. Kaitlyn's rainbow socks didn't use up all of the sock blank, and with the yellow polka-dotted end, she wanted fingerless gloves. So once I finished the last stiches on the last pair of socks, I immediately cast on for her gloves. And I finished them the next day - which was the last day of the olympics (Sunday).

All in all it has been a VERY productive knitting 2 weeks. Not much else has gotten done, but I can't do too much else because of my injured back. So who needs a better excuse to knit than that? NOT ME!! :-)

Finished Kaitlyn's sweater!!

YES! I did it! I finished Kaitlyn's sweater. I started it on Aug 17th, after finishing Jacob's, and finished weaving in the ends this morning! Acutally finished knitting last night!! It is soft and nice! She loves it. Here are some pics - I am off to try to finish spinning my batt -- almost done!! WOO HOO!



Here's a pic of Jacob in his sweater!

Sweater DONE!!

I signed up for the Sweater Sprint in Ravelympics for 2 sweaters. One for Jacob and one for Kaitlyn - school sweaters. I finished Jacob's yesterday around 12:30pm, and shortly after, cast-on for Kaitlyn's. I got almost 2 balls knit up for hers; which worked out to almost 10 inches -- IN ONE AFTERNOON!! I might finish hers after all!!

Here are some pics:

Ravelympics!

Ravelympics is an event on Ravelry where you knit items in "sporting" events that correlate with the Olympics. The catch is that you have to cast on during the opening ceremony or after and finish BEFORE the closing ceremonies. For Ravelympics, I have signed up in several events. One item is already finished. Kaitlyn and I dyed sock blanks and I made her socks from this dyed blank. The first pic is the blank that we dyed, and the next pics are the socks. The yellow dotted end is not knit up yet - she wants fingerless gloves from that part, but that will have to wait until after Ravelympics



I started these on Friday 8/8/08 (opening ceremony day) and finished them on Monday morning (8/11/08). On Sunday night, as I was getting towards the end of Kaitlyn's socks, I went ahead and cast on for my second project - a school sweater for Jacob. So I cast on 8/10/08, and as I am typing, I am on the last 3 rows - so I will finish TODAY; 8/17/08 - one week for a sweater - Not too bad! HOWEVER, I have also signed up to do a sweater for Kaitlyn too -- not sure if that will get done or not. Also, another pair of socks (for me) are signed up for - these probably will NOT get done.

I am spinning too for Ravelympics. I am spinning a merino wool/bamboo/angelina blend batt and it is GORGEOUS. Here is a picture of this WIP.

The batt was titled Blueberry-Lime surprise. And it is divine. The angelina are little sparkly fibers thrown in for some SHINE!!

When I get a pic of the sweater I have done for Jacob, I will post it. And I will let you know how the other projects come out!