Hi! My name is Melissa and I think I'm addicted to knitting fingerless mitts! YIKES!!
Yes, it's happened again. I started last year with these and then got off the kick for a long time. Then a few weeks ago I was cleaning out my project basket and found some I hadn't seamed. I did a quick seaming and it felt good. I asked my Mom if she'd model them so I could put them on Etsy for sale and that's when everything went downhill...fast.
Mom liked them...a lot. She wants some for Christmas presents...four...six...eight pair. Any colors she said. Well that's like giving a kid a credit card in a candy store and unlimited time. I'm in over my head!!!
I've got most of the original batch done and am working on round two...for choices, of course. What if she didn't like what I picked for the first color choices? It didn't help that one of the variegated yarns put out two very non-matching mitts so I made four mitts to see if I could get two that might look better together. I got close but I still have two non-matches so I know I'll "have to" knit at least two from that skein.
Ok, well that's me for now. Pics to come sometime.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
WIP Wednesday
YIKES! I had good intentions...really, I did! I actually have two finished objects to post about. But...I do not have pictures yet. I do have a bag with three lovely skeins of yarn peeking out at me begging for me to finish another doll sweater and start the next. I have a circular needle sitting on the round glass table with nothing on it (looking sad, oh so sad). As for me, I'm sitting with my feet up for the first time in days and well, I'm going to play Words With Friends with my bf. Silly, I know, but I need a break and tonight that's what I need even more than knitting (can you believe it?). Cheers!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
WIP Wednesday
Hello, again!!
Here we are on another hump day and I've barely made any progress. Of course, I am trying not to mope or make excuses...but I do have a good one. You see, I take a medication and... I'm blessed. This year I found a medicine to take away my migraines. Unfortunately, when I started it and when I change doses it also takes away feeling in my extremities and my mental acuity and other things for about two weeks. It's a challenge, but worth it. Needless to say, I haven't knit much for the past week. I did, however, manage to pick up three things and considering it took me quite a while to get the tiny needles moving again I consider this quite an accomplishment. So, here goes:
I finished the back of the Valentine's Day doll sweater and seamed the top of the sleeves. This means all that remains is to seam the underneath of the sleeves, weave in any ends and add some of the Cha Cha trim at the neck and cuffs.
I cast off the blue sock last time and included it in the picture this time. I need to fold over and sew the cuff so it has a clean picot edge. I took some time on Monday night and cast on the mate. I actually cast on at least three times, truth be told. Got it right finally...or close enough.
Last, but not least, I made progress on the pink and yellow sock's mate. That is the one that sits in my keyboard tray as I work at home. I have a laptop so that tray isn't used for anything but a financial book and yarn (WIPs). You won't tell anyone, right? ;)
How was your week?
Here we are on another hump day and I've barely made any progress. Of course, I am trying not to mope or make excuses...but I do have a good one. You see, I take a medication and... I'm blessed. This year I found a medicine to take away my migraines. Unfortunately, when I started it and when I change doses it also takes away feeling in my extremities and my mental acuity and other things for about two weeks. It's a challenge, but worth it. Needless to say, I haven't knit much for the past week. I did, however, manage to pick up three things and considering it took me quite a while to get the tiny needles moving again I consider this quite an accomplishment. So, here goes:
I finished the back of the Valentine's Day doll sweater and seamed the top of the sleeves. This means all that remains is to seam the underneath of the sleeves, weave in any ends and add some of the Cha Cha trim at the neck and cuffs.
I cast off the blue sock last time and included it in the picture this time. I need to fold over and sew the cuff so it has a clean picot edge. I took some time on Monday night and cast on the mate. I actually cast on at least three times, truth be told. Got it right finally...or close enough.
Last, but not least, I made progress on the pink and yellow sock's mate. That is the one that sits in my keyboard tray as I work at home. I have a laptop so that tray isn't used for anything but a financial book and yarn (WIPs). You won't tell anyone, right? ;)
How was your week?
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
WIP Wednesday
Ok, I know it is cliche to do this but I really do think I need a recurring post theme or I'm not going to get my butt in gear to keep posting on a regular basis. I love to write I just need to do it.
Let's start at the top and go clockwise, shall we? This is a skein of Lion Brand Homespun sitting next to a pile of the simple fingerless mitts I mentioned in a previous post. I've waited to seam them as Alex is so curious about how on earth a rectangle becomes something that can be worn as a mitt. I tried explaining it, but as we all know, some things just need to be seen to be understood. Needless to say, I haven't taken the time to sit with her and show so I have at least three pair waiting to be sewn. The mitt that is on the needle in this picture was later torn out as I realized the cable I was trying wasn't coming out as planned because I'm a dingbat. Still learning about cabling afterall. *sigh* At least these are quick and I frogged and restarted and finished the mitt all on Friday night while my girls were at the bounce house for an hour. All is well and I've cast on for its mate. The color may or may not come through well on your screen but in person it is a rich coral and these are actually being made for a co-worker who is just a tiny young woman who is always shivering in the office. She was sick for at least two weeks recently and I though this might be a nice thing for her to come in to one day. Can't hurt, right?
Next up is what was supposed to be the Valentine's Day doll sweater. That's one ball of Paton's Cha Cha in a bright red and one of Lion Suede in a bright red. I wasn't sure I'd have enough of the suede to do the whole sweater so I added stripes of the Cha Cha and will add it to the collar and cuffs as well. So far so good, but it isn't making it to Cher in time for this Valentine's Day. Sorry! :(
Next up are what were to be Summer socks for my girls. We were at the local yarn store (Spin A Yarn) and I let the girls pick out what colors they'd like. I spent many a day knitting row after row on the tiny needles as the girls played in my parents' yard or rode bikes or scooters. Still, I did not finish. Carebear's are the pink and yellow and one is complete. The picture shows the beginning of the second one. LexiLoo's first is pictured and is now off the needles but its mate has yet to be cast on (I think...better check on that actually). I'm hoping to have these done for their March birthdays. Wish me luck!
I was stressed and well, as knitters I'm sure we can all relate to the call of a yarn shop within walking distance. One of my favorite bosses stopped by my desk in the morning, rubbing his hands together making comment that there was no heat in his office. Oh really? Well, he is one of my favorites and has even passed along knitting and sewing supplies from his deceased wife. I think he deserves some fingerless mitts to warm those hands, don't you? Of course they must be made of some great wool, and of course I had a lunch break to wander to the store. Hunter green and ivory and I've charted a pattern for our company name and...oy! I'm using this pattern from Mary Keenan at Hugs for Your Head so I can get the basic stitch count and the length. I've never done a twisted rib and find it so soothing.
So, here goes my Works-in-Progress post. I actually took this photo on Friday last week, but since then I've done very little so there's not much change.
I laid out all my works on the round glass table in my living room. You can barely see the cool sculptural base, but it's there.
Let's start at the top and go clockwise, shall we? This is a skein of Lion Brand Homespun sitting next to a pile of the simple fingerless mitts I mentioned in a previous post. I've waited to seam them as Alex is so curious about how on earth a rectangle becomes something that can be worn as a mitt. I tried explaining it, but as we all know, some things just need to be seen to be understood. Needless to say, I haven't taken the time to sit with her and show so I have at least three pair waiting to be sewn. The mitt that is on the needle in this picture was later torn out as I realized the cable I was trying wasn't coming out as planned because I'm a dingbat. Still learning about cabling afterall. *sigh* At least these are quick and I frogged and restarted and finished the mitt all on Friday night while my girls were at the bounce house for an hour. All is well and I've cast on for its mate. The color may or may not come through well on your screen but in person it is a rich coral and these are actually being made for a co-worker who is just a tiny young woman who is always shivering in the office. She was sick for at least two weeks recently and I though this might be a nice thing for her to come in to one day. Can't hurt, right?
Next up is what was supposed to be the Valentine's Day doll sweater. That's one ball of Paton's Cha Cha in a bright red and one of Lion Suede in a bright red. I wasn't sure I'd have enough of the suede to do the whole sweater so I added stripes of the Cha Cha and will add it to the collar and cuffs as well. So far so good, but it isn't making it to Cher in time for this Valentine's Day. Sorry! :(
This rainbow colored puff ball is yet another fantastic doll sweater made from Paton's Cha Cha. This stuff is the most incredibly soft yarn to work with. Its sad that it is discontinued. Cher was kind enough to buy out her source and send me a box full of different colors so this is just one of many that will be popping up as works-in-progress and finished items. Yummy yarn to work with and this color does the striping all by itself!
Next up is another doll sweater in one of my favorite yarns, Caron's Simply Soft Eco. You may remember that I adore Simply Soft in all its colors but the Eco brand is even more a favorite as I'm kind of a hippie chic and this speaks to that side of my personality. This cornflower blue sweater is one of my "signature" sweaters that I've got a little dress to match and will pack away for a Fall/Winter launch on my Etsy shop.
Next up are what were to be Summer socks for my girls. We were at the local yarn store (Spin A Yarn) and I let the girls pick out what colors they'd like. I spent many a day knitting row after row on the tiny needles as the girls played in my parents' yard or rode bikes or scooters. Still, I did not finish. Carebear's are the pink and yellow and one is complete. The picture shows the beginning of the second one. LexiLoo's first is pictured and is now off the needles but its mate has yet to be cast on (I think...better check on that actually). I'm hoping to have these done for their March birthdays. Wish me luck!
I was stressed and well, as knitters I'm sure we can all relate to the call of a yarn shop within walking distance. One of my favorite bosses stopped by my desk in the morning, rubbing his hands together making comment that there was no heat in his office. Oh really? Well, he is one of my favorites and has even passed along knitting and sewing supplies from his deceased wife. I think he deserves some fingerless mitts to warm those hands, don't you? Of course they must be made of some great wool, and of course I had a lunch break to wander to the store. Hunter green and ivory and I've charted a pattern for our company name and...oy! I'm using this pattern from Mary Keenan at Hugs for Your Head so I can get the basic stitch count and the length. I've never done a twisted rib and find it so soothing.
Last, but not least, is the hat I'm working on for me. This is the Rainbow Boucle Patterns yarn that was given to me by Alex and Spike as a Christmas gift. I've struggled a bit with it as cables don't appear, nor do some simple knit/purl patterns. So, I'm just knitting along in the round and thinking it may be a very long toboggan type hat when I'm done, which will be quite some time from now as I have an ever growing "to do" list that piles in ahead of this one. Still, it is there and waiting patiently with one of my favorite markers on it.
Friday, February 3, 2012
FO 2012: Lucky 7 Napkins
I was on a roll one afternoon and pulled out a pile of unfinished objects. In the Summer and Fall I set my girls to work cutting out napkins. I can't recall now what blog I read this on, but I remember thinking that this would be a perfect way to merge my "green" mindset and let my girls begin crafting. I grabbed two 12.5" squares and tons of fabric a friend had passed down to me and set them to work tracing and cutting. It didn't matter if the lines showed through or the cuts weren't straight. The girls cut then I folded, ironed, and sewed the four sides. Voila! We had napkins.
They loved it and so did I. However, those little ones can do their part a bunch quicker than Mom can. So, I have a pile left to be sewn and with our expanding blended family I've found we need more sewn or we can't use them. So, when I was working on doll clothes one weekend I pulled a few of these out and sewed seven more super quick.
These turn out smaller than most store-bought cloth napkins would be, but they work just fine for our family. We love to be able to pick random patterns. No need to match. I know this may not work for all families, but it seems to just "fit" us. :)
They loved it and so did I. However, those little ones can do their part a bunch quicker than Mom can. So, I have a pile left to be sewn and with our expanding blended family I've found we need more sewn or we can't use them. So, when I was working on doll clothes one weekend I pulled a few of these out and sewed seven more super quick.
These turn out smaller than most store-bought cloth napkins would be, but they work just fine for our family. We love to be able to pick random patterns. No need to match. I know this may not work for all families, but it seems to just "fit" us. :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
FO 2012: Fingerless Mitts
It was just a short time ago that I started winning my family over to the ways of hand knit items. My first few attempts were flops, such as a very large, too stretchy hat I made my Dad as a second off the needles project when I learned to knit. Now, however, over a decade later (oy!) I am much better at gauge and style and well, I can do it-I have faith, and confidence, and a stash to be busted!
My eldest sister's birthday rolled around in October 2011 and I gave her a set of Dextrous Mitts in a rich purple-Caron Simply Soft (modeled in the 2011 Finished Objects post). She was hooked. She works in a non-heated office and when the weather hit a cold snap this year, going from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 9, I knew I'd better kick it into high gear and get her another pair-STAT! She had picked red yarn for her next pair, but I didn't have time to start the next of that pattern. Instead I grabbed some Lion Brand Homespun in a bright red and cast on for some simple ones.
I'm hooked! I may need HELP!!! I knit the first pair and gave them to my sister. This was right after I'd frogged a bunch of this yarn. My sis mentioned, over and over again, how I should sell these. I thought, hey, I wonder how many pairs I could get out of one skein.
Trouble! Danger! Danger! DANGER AHEAD!! Turn back NOW!
Did I mention that not only did I stash a bunch of this brand yarn years ago when A.C. Moore was carrying it as mill ends, a pound for cheap, but right before Christmas I purchased two skeins to start a gift scarf and couldn't resist four more as they were on sale 2 skeins for $6. Help! Did I mention I need help??
Ok, so as it stands my sister has her red pair. I have another red pair knit but not sewn. I have a pair of red with a contrasting stripe that is being cast off as soon as I finish this post. Then...oh, yes...then there is still more to the skein of red (now in a ball after frogging mentioned above). I have yet to touch the four new skeins or the many others I have in drawers in the craft room. I look at them longingly though, knowing these projects are quick and addictive and can actually help others. How can I resist?
Is there a knitters anonymous group?
My eldest sister's birthday rolled around in October 2011 and I gave her a set of Dextrous Mitts in a rich purple-Caron Simply Soft (modeled in the 2011 Finished Objects post). She was hooked. She works in a non-heated office and when the weather hit a cold snap this year, going from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 9, I knew I'd better kick it into high gear and get her another pair-STAT! She had picked red yarn for her next pair, but I didn't have time to start the next of that pattern. Instead I grabbed some Lion Brand Homespun in a bright red and cast on for some simple ones.
I'm hooked! I may need HELP!!! I knit the first pair and gave them to my sister. This was right after I'd frogged a bunch of this yarn. My sis mentioned, over and over again, how I should sell these. I thought, hey, I wonder how many pairs I could get out of one skein.
Trouble! Danger! Danger! DANGER AHEAD!! Turn back NOW!
Did I mention that not only did I stash a bunch of this brand yarn years ago when A.C. Moore was carrying it as mill ends, a pound for cheap, but right before Christmas I purchased two skeins to start a gift scarf and couldn't resist four more as they were on sale 2 skeins for $6. Help! Did I mention I need help??
Ok, so as it stands my sister has her red pair. I have another red pair knit but not sewn. I have a pair of red with a contrasting stripe that is being cast off as soon as I finish this post. Then...oh, yes...then there is still more to the skein of red (now in a ball after frogging mentioned above). I have yet to touch the four new skeins or the many others I have in drawers in the craft room. I look at them longingly though, knowing these projects are quick and addictive and can actually help others. How can I resist?
Is there a knitters anonymous group?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
FO 2012: Doll Outfit #1
I love Microsoft Excel. I use it at work all day, every day. I took a series of classes in it years ago. I can do charts, and formulas, conditional formatting, even basic macros. Still, it wasn't until reading another's blog entry that I suddenly had an "Ah Ha!" moment and realized I could create a craft "To Do" list with Excel.
I laugh as I guess in all reality I never had a need for a "To Do" list for that part of my life. I would pick up yarn when I wanted and knit what I wanted and call it good. When/if I got an order I'd take the time to do that, based on what deadline was provided. Then, back to whatever, whenever.
Now, I'm focusing a bit differently. I've been getting more consistent orders and I can see my skills improving. I want to make this work. I want to keep feeding my constant customer and also build my Etsy shop. On top of all that, over the last year and a half I finally figured out how to introduce my family to hand knit items and have them understand how great they are. That's thrilling, but adds a lot to my list of things to make. People do tend to get hooked, you know.
One of my goals, as I noted above, is to grow my Etsy shop. I'm going to do it slow, making items throughout the year for a holiday launch this year. I don't want to get caught again in December with no Winter outfits in the shop. How silly to have to make only custom orders that late in the year. I've set a goal of one outfit a month for at least the first ten months. More would be good and can probably be easily accomplished as I make outfits for the girls this year and add here and there.
How's it going, you may ask? So far, so good. My second finished object of 2012 is a doll outfit. I'm quite excited as this was finished by the due date on my spreadsheet. I also made three other dresses, so I'm ahead for the next outfits.
As if that weren't enough, top it off with my friend completing my very first label to go inside the sweaters. I am so excited, it is hard to contain. Somehow, seeing the label makes it all real...as if I'm really a crafter of value, really a designer, really going to do this.
We'll see how it goes, but in the meantime I'll sit back and smile at this new outfit.
I laugh as I guess in all reality I never had a need for a "To Do" list for that part of my life. I would pick up yarn when I wanted and knit what I wanted and call it good. When/if I got an order I'd take the time to do that, based on what deadline was provided. Then, back to whatever, whenever.
Now, I'm focusing a bit differently. I've been getting more consistent orders and I can see my skills improving. I want to make this work. I want to keep feeding my constant customer and also build my Etsy shop. On top of all that, over the last year and a half I finally figured out how to introduce my family to hand knit items and have them understand how great they are. That's thrilling, but adds a lot to my list of things to make. People do tend to get hooked, you know.
One of my goals, as I noted above, is to grow my Etsy shop. I'm going to do it slow, making items throughout the year for a holiday launch this year. I don't want to get caught again in December with no Winter outfits in the shop. How silly to have to make only custom orders that late in the year. I've set a goal of one outfit a month for at least the first ten months. More would be good and can probably be easily accomplished as I make outfits for the girls this year and add here and there.
How's it going, you may ask? So far, so good. My second finished object of 2012 is a doll outfit. I'm quite excited as this was finished by the due date on my spreadsheet. I also made three other dresses, so I'm ahead for the next outfits.
As if that weren't enough, top it off with my friend completing my very first label to go inside the sweaters. I am so excited, it is hard to contain. Somehow, seeing the label makes it all real...as if I'm really a crafter of value, really a designer, really going to do this.
We'll see how it goes, but in the meantime I'll sit back and smile at this new outfit.
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