Leafy Cardigan

I finished my Wallaby sweater! A picture will come later since I need someone else to operate the camera if I'm wearing the sweater. I can post a picture of this baby sweater that I made for a friend's new baby. I like the leaves on the bottom.

The Perfect Toddler Sweater

Okay, so it isn't perfect, but I combined 2 patterns to make the right sweater for my coworker's little boy. She was sweet enough to post about it. CLICK HERE to take a look at her darling boy in his holiday sweater.

A Silly Hat

I made this silly hat with scraps of yarn. The gauge wasn't right, but I'm making adjustments and hope to perfect this fun hat. Maybe I'll make one for me. Is that too weird? My nieces said they won't wear one of these hats because people will make fun of them. Maybe if I start wearing one they will come around.

Looking for Plastic

ing
Do you know those zippered, clear, plastic bags that bed sheets come in? If anyone has some lying around, I would love to get my hands on them! They work great to keep my knitting projects all packaged up like a kit so I can just grab one and knit. They really feed my need to be organized. If you have some you can part with, let me know and I'll see how I might be able to get them from you. THANKS.

Another Reason to Knit

Ooooooh, I'm so excited! I just learned how to set up an online store for myself so I can sell my knitting!!!! Now, I don't really have much inventory yet but I do have a store now so I'd better keep knitting. I have plenty of projects on my list for the people I love, but now and then I'm sure I'll have things to post for sale. Check it out and bookmark it for those gift-giving occasions in your life. :) You can find me at:

knitb4sleep.etsy.com

Yesterday was such gorgeous weather that I kept the windows open all day and didn't turn on the A/C. Today, however, it warmed up again and I've been inside most of the day. I did venture out to water some plants.

The "babies" that I was given when I came back from Illinois are also feeling the heat. They do have fur, after all, so they have spent the day on the t.v. because it is the closest spot to the air conditioner.



While we've all been keeping cool, I also whipped up a Nano Sock. I needed something to keep my Ipod in while traveling next week and this is just the thing! You can find the pattern here: http://annypurls.blogspot.com/2005/12/nano-warmer.html



I'm also making some homemade peach ice cream with some juicy peaches I picked up at the market. YUM!

What have I done?

inMany of you probably know that I am not one to do things very spontaneously. I am compelled to consider all of the worst case scenarios and warn others against them. Well, today I realized that those parts of my personality, which probably drive other people crazy, actually work quite well for me. Unfortunately, I threw caution to the wind today and, well, you'll see...
Okay, so I've been knitting a cardigan for myself since last summer. I've finished many other knitting projects in the meantime, but the sweater has taken way to long. I finally decided to knit nothing else until I finished it. I had decided to make one size large than initially planned. Well, after running out of yarn and buying 2 more balls, I barely had enough to bind off and sew it up. Really, I have only scraps of yarn left. I put it on and, it is WAY too big for me. I was so disappointed, and frustrated, that I threw it in the washer (on hot) and let it go. Keep in mind, it was knit with yarn made of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. I thought it would be fine. Afterall, it was much, much too big. Besides, I'd felted a bag recently that took nearly 6 washings to felt. Well, when I took the sweater out of the washer IT HAD FELTED. Now, if someone else had told me they were planning to do this, I would have warned them to check it every 5 minutes so it doesn't felt too much. I wish I had followed my own advice.


I'm still hoping it will make a nice, and very warm, little jacket in the fall.

Bag Lady

iMy knitter friends here think I am a bag lady. It seems all they see me knitting is felted bags. They think I'll just keep making bigger and bigger bags and that perhaps the next project will be a sleeping bag. Not a bad idea...

Here is the latest one. It is the same patter I made earlier this year, only bigger so perhaps I can use it for my job. The pattern is the Sheep Tote from Fiber Trends.

If You Know a Knitter Like I Know a Knitter

My coworker, Sue, made this beautiful prayer shawl for me. It was very unexpected. She is the one retiring and I should be knitting something for her. If you know knitters like I do, you may have noticed that they are often looking for people to give their knitting to. It justifies all the time we knitters spend with yarn.

It came with a prayer that, among other things, says:

"When this shawl was made, many prayers were knit into every stitch:
That this shawl would keep you warm,
Make you feel strong,
Help you feel better.
May this shawl malm you when you are upset,
Remind you that we love you even when we are not here,
and help you remember that your guardian angel
is always watching over you."

Very sweet...and soft and cozy and warm! What a gift.

Something For Me

I just finished a new felted bag for myself. I love it because it has 4 pockets! The pattern is The Sheep Tote from Fiber Trends. Unfortunately I can't find the tag from the yarn and I can't remember what it is called. I bought the yarn in Alaska 2 years ago and finally knit it up. I think I might make a large one to use for work.

I Think They Fit

Here are my friend Carin and her beautiful baby, Mae, wearing the sweater and booties that I sent. Adorable!

Happy Feet

I love to send little surprise packages to people. They often include something knitty. Today I received a surprise package of my own. A pair of Knitting Girl socks. Thanks, Sher!









I am working on a secret knitting project right now, but I can show you something else I made. What used to be a wool sweater is now a felted handbag.

Wrapped Up in Love

The following is from an email I received from a LYS (local yarn shop). I just like how they describe why we knit, or at least why I knit.

…why do you knit? Do you ever wonder what makes you knit?

Today the sun is shining – or at least it is shining at the moment, and the minute I see it, my fingers itch towards my needles. Why? Because my heart is happy and I want to knit. But, isn’t it also true that when we are the most tired, the most stressed, the most…well, the most anything, we feel compelled to knit? Why is that?

We think that it is because knitting is good for the soul.

...knitting is so much more than just needles and yarn. It is so much more than the simple act of moving stitches from one needle to the next. It’s even more than the amazing and satisfying thrill that you get each time you take a long piece of yarn and loop it and bend it and twist it until a sweater leaps off your needles.

Something happens along the way. Along the way our skills and confidence grow. Along the way we meet new friends. Along the way we learn new things. Along the way our hearts grow together – in very much the same way that our stitches knit together. Even if we knit by ourselves in the quiet and solitude of our homes – we are part of all the knitters that have come before us and all of the knitters that knit today. It doesn’t matter if we knit in groups or by ourselves, we all belong to a community of knitters!

Knitters will never be strangers with each other. It’s not possible. Because we share the same heart. And we know that the most important thing in the heart of a knitter isn’t the knowledge – it isn’t the techniques – it isn’t the skill – it isn’t the biggest stash – it’s one simple thing. Love. And, perhaps that’s the answer to our question. We knit because we love. Period. We love to knit. We love others. We love yarn. We love learning new things. We love the bonds we form through knitting. We love the laughter. We can even love our mistakes. (Someday we may even learn to love gauge…although we can already hear some of you saying that that’s pushing it!)

So then, with so much of this love in our hearts – doesn’t it just make sense that our finished objects reflect that love? Which is probably one of the biggest reasons why we knit for other people, isn’t it?

We knit for our family and friends because it makes our hearts happy to know that they will be wrapped in the stitches that we created just for them. It makes us smile to know that their hands will be warmed with our knitted mittens. Why else in the world would we knit socks for someone with really, really large feet? Because of the little glow we get when they wear them – for the way their faces light up when they receive our knitted gifts. They know, don’t they? They know that they’re wearing more than just a pair of socks. They know that they are wearing a tangible expression of our love for them. (From Handweavers Inspriring Yarn Shop, Kalamazoo, MI)

If you are in the Kalamazoo area, Handweavers is offering some upcoming opportunities to knit for others. Check out their website for more info: http://www.handweavers.biz/.

Baby Pants

We've had about 6 snow days so far this season. It is snowing hard today and school is in session but I'm not scheduled to work today. I've had lots of uninterrupted knitting time, during which I knit some baby pants.
I put them in the mail for a friend's new baby boy. I hope Griffin will get a chance to wear them before it warms up outside. The pattern is "Baby's Denim Drawstring Pants" from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

Now I'm working on a soft, angora baby sweater. I'm not sure who I will give it to yet. Unfortunately it is not machine washable, but the yarn was so soft and it really wanted to be a baby sweater. I got the yarn from my pastor who found it at a thrift store. Great find! It's a yummy shade of green.

The Secret Life of Yarn

I wonder if yarn has a mind of its own. Yarn, when it becomes part of a “stash,” goes on to give birth to more yarn that you don’t remember purchasing. Yarn seems to tell you what it wants to be. On the weekend I purchased a handknit sweater at the thrift store. It was gigantic and a beautiful shade of orange, and it didn’t want to be a sweater.

I thought it wanted to be felted into a rug and the sleeves wanted to unraveled and transformed into something new. It turns out that it tricked me into thinking it was 100% wool, and therefore feltable. Unfortunately it didn’t react that way when washed in hot water so I believe it's hiding another fiber besides wool. The former sleeves are now balls of yarn waiting to become something new...maybe socks?

An Advance

Last weekend we had a glorious weekend of knitting and feasting together. 3 friends from Minnesota, 1 from Wisconsin and 1 from Chicago all came for a visit. We actually met at my parents' condo since they are in Florida. We called it a retreat but I just remembered that I used to work with someone who preferred to call it "an advance." We had so much fun with sticks and string (and food, of course!)

A Snowy Gift

Yesterday the temp was in the 40's and rainy, but they called a snow day. I'm guessing it was because of the mushy rural roads. It was weird to have a "warm" day and not have to work. I worked on a new pair of wool socks.



Overnight the temps dropped 30 - 35 degrees, the wet roads froze over, and a blanket of snow fell to cover it all.

My folks are supposed to be arriving today and hope to leave for Florida on Friday, although a blizzard is forecast for Thursday night to Friday, so who knows. I guess I'll need to get out and see if the snow blower will start on this cold, windy day.

Warm Toesies

I decided to try a new pattern for felted baby booties. I personally think they are adorable. I'm calling them "baby boots." You can find the pattern for Old World Booties by clicking here.



I also served lunch to my Aunt and Uncle and their 2 friends who were traveling through here on their way home from a curling tournament in Madison, WI. I served Chicken Noodle Soup and Apple Cake with Almonds. This cake is sooooo yummy!


Apple Cake with Almonds

5 TBSP butter, divided
3 1/2 Cups apple, peeled and chopped -- Braeburn or Granny Smith
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup (4 oz) fat-free cream cheese (block style)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, divided
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 Cup skim milk
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking Spray
2 TBSP sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 Cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 350. Melt 1 TBSP butter in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup butter, granulated sugar, cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended. In a small bowl, combine milk, egg and egg white. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in apple. Pour into 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cook in pan 10 minutes on wire rack; removed from pan. Combine 1/4 tsp vanilla, powdered sugar and water in a small bowl. Drizzle over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature. 12 servings

Mitten Exchange

I just spotted a posting on the blog of a woman in The Netherlands. Her name is Irma and I made mittens for her as part of a mitten exchange on Ravelry. I guess they were a hit! I also received some mittens in that exchange and, as soon as I find my camera, I'll post some pics.

Handspun and DNA

Oh, man! In my mailbox today I found an unexpected gift of yarn. A friend from Pennsylvania sent two marvelous skeins of handspun wool made by a friend of hers. I had no idea she was sending me yarn, and handspun wool at that! I don't know what I'll make with it but I know it will be something that I'll keep for myself.

In other knitting news, I just finished a Baby's First DNA rattle for a scientist friend who is having a baby. I wish I could be there to see her face when she opens it, but unfortunately I had to send it with someone else who is actually able to go to the baby shower in Kansas.