Steeking yes you can do it!

Steeking Yes you can do it and not pass out in fear. If you are not familiar with this technique its where you knit a sweater totally in the round then you cut up the center to make a cardigan. Yes cut it up! This little sweater is a class sample that I finished today. During the month of February I will be teaching a class on this technique. SO if you are in the Boise area during the month of Feb. Give Knit Wits a call and sign up. This little project has a two fold purpose. Not only will the students learn to steek, but we will then put our mini sweaters on teddy bears and then donate them to the local police department. Then they will be given out to children that are in crisis. Now for a little bit more information on the sweater. I used some lopi lite that I had. Then once the sweater was all knit, using a sewing machine I sewed four seams. Then I cut down the middle of the four seams. The next thing I did was fold over the edge and sew it down, then I picked up in the purple and knit the edging. After my class does this two week class we will then start in on a full sized sweater, but this time we will add color work as well.

Another Top down Sweater only smaller

Boy do I love the to down sweater patterns. Can you tell. I'm not sure how many I have made over the years but I never get tired of them. This is the latest. This time I made the bulky weight one. Which is so fast to knit on. I think it took me a little less then a week to make. But of course I was using a size 11 needle. The yarn was one of my favorites Cascade Eco Wool. This is just a great yarn to work with. The price is very good. Around 16 dollars for 478 yards. I used a cream, medium grey and then a dark grey. The really neat thing about this sweater is when I finished it I thought oh great its to small, I will have to wait to wear it, until I loose a little bit more weight. But no.... Its fits just great. Which of course makes it even better.

The Last of Christmas knitting

Yipeee! I'm all done with my Christmas knitting. This was the last of my planned projects. This coat is for my youngest daughter who is quite the fashion diva. She of course loves the color pink. I was unable to find the right pattern for what I was looking for, so what I did was modify the child's top down sweater from Knitting pure and simple. Instead of joining the sweater I turned it into a cardigan. Then I made it a bit longer to make it more of a coat. I added two little buttons for a closure and then black eyelash yarn at the collar and then both the cuffs. She has knee high boots that are black and I think will pick up a pair of black leggings and then a white turtleneck to complete the outfit.

Picture Perfect

Well, this whole process has been quite fun and I'm thrilled with the final results. My youngest daughter said it not only looks like the yarn in the picture but it is the yarn. It come in at 20 WPI and 325 in yards. The picture shows it to be a bit brighter then it really is. I really like the tweed effect instead of Navaho plying so that the colors stay with each other. I like the subtle changes in colors, but that is my preference it doesn't have to be yours. The big lesson I learn here was that if you can't find what you want make it happen. I know I have come across some really nice hand dyed rovings on eBay that were only an ounce or two, not really enough to make something with. So now I think I will try to copy them myself.

And the wheel is just a spinning

Well, as you can see my pursuit of a picture project is just spinning along. I'm spinning this rather small. I'm thinking of making a triangular scarf with the yarn. As I look at the progress I think there may be too much pinks and oranges. I would like a bit more green but we will see how it turns out. I'm planning on plying this as usual. I want the colors to mix. So be on the look out for the final results in a day or so.

Pearl harbor remembered

December 7, 1941 .... On this day every year our family remembers my uncle Charles Anderson, a survivor of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. As a young navy diver stationed there at the time he saw it all. The Navy a few months later gave my uncle a medical discharge for ear damage. A few months after the Navy discharge he was drafted into the Army and became an officer. If this sounds like I'm proud of my uncle Charles ........... You bet I am!!P.S. Uncle Charles is still holding his own at home in San Diego, California.

My pursuit continues

My pursuit of a picture continues. Well the roving is dry and ready for me to spin. I have really happy with how it turned out. I think it will spin up to look just about the same as the one in the picture. I plan to spin it long draw or at least my version of the long draw. I can't decided what I want to make with it. I was thinking a lacy scarf. I plan to make a 2 ply as usual. I really like the tweed effect, where the colors are all mix up rather then keeping the pinks with the pinks and the greens with the greens. I will update you on the spinning process in a day or so.

In pursuit of a picture

I love to read the magazine Spin Off. When it comes in mail the first thing I do it look through it then usually at bed time I start to read each article. Well I came across an ad that just caught my eye and have been thinking about it for a day or so. The ad is from www.stick-and-stone.com( a great site to get some great spindles and other goodies). I went to the site and didn't find the roving that is in the ad,(by the way its on page 102 in the Winter 06 issue). So again I got to thinking. I just really like how that yarn looks. So this afternoon I got my dye stuff out and made my attempt to copy the picture. I had about 6 or 7 ounces of corridale that was purchased at my last visit to Fuzz a new fiber store here in Boise. I was given some Dylon dyes a few years ago and I have used them in the past and really like the way wool takes the dye. So I picked out Olive green, mandarin orange, and Tahiti pink. I then soaked the fiber in warm water and about 1/2 white vinegar, for about 30 minutes or so. Then I layed out plastic wrap on my counter. Lightly squeezed out the extra water, then lay out the roving in an according fashion on top of the plastic wrap. Then I mixed up my dyes in paper cups. Using foam brushes I patted in the pink on the right end of the roving, the orange in the middle and the green on the left end. I then carefully covered the roving with more plastic wrap making sure that the colors would not be able to run onto each other. Then I placed the packet into the microwave and cooked it for 10 minutes then I place the packet on my dryer and opened it up to cool. That so far is what I have. The picture show it cooling. Later, once its cool I will then rinse it out and hang to dry. I think I will be able to get the result I want although the picture doesn't really show there is a difference in colors between the pink and orange. I will update you on the progress of this project. So keep coming back to see what happens

My whisky hat

I fell in love with this pattern back in May or June, the first time I saw it in a magazine ad. I had such fun knitting this hat. The neat thing about it is even though I was on a size 3 needle and the yarn is what I would call smaller then sport or Dk, its totally lined. The process is you start with a provisional cast on that knit the brim, then purl one round and then repeat the brim pattern again. The reason for this is at the end there will be 4 layers around the ears. After both brims are knit then you begin the hat, you can't see but there is pattern work all over the hat. Once the hat is done I added the tassel, and then went back to the provisional cast on and pick up the live stitches and knit the lining in the teal. I can't wait to wear it when we as a church group go Christmas carroling later this month. I'm sure I will be toasty warm.

My shelpy sweater is done and just in time

Well I have finished my shelpy sweater is finished and just in time. We had about an inch of snow last night, that the weather guy said wouldn't be, So after I got home from the gym, and I showered it was so nice to put it on and stay warm for the evening. To recap the pattern is the wonderful Wallaby and the yarn is Ella rae. I made the XL and it took only 6 balls. So if you are going to knit this plan on not using all the yarn that the pattern calls for. I also made mine longer in the sleeves and body. I like my sleeves to be long so that if needed I have hand cover if it gets cold.

Another great Fiber of the month

Well Amy of Spuckyfibers.com has once again out done herself. This month's fiber is called Pie in the Sky and its 4 ounces of Finn. Now I have never worked with this breed before, I find it very similar to Wensledale. The staple length it about 4 - 5 inches long and it has a bit of a stiffer feel to it. As you can see the spingles that I'm working on is coming out quite nicely.