Eden's Hooded Cape Update

I was pert near finished with Eden's cape and decided that I did not like the direction it was taking. So... Yep I ripped it our and started over.

Big Daddy downloaded "The Wire" and I worked on Tator Tot through a couple of episodes.

Tank Top for Eden

This has been a very dark, very could have been dreary weekend. I know technically, the weekend was over yesterday. Big Daddy was off from work and the kids off from school so I'm call'n it the weekend. Eden was looking at my yarn and picked out a variegated skein that I had purchased to make another tam. She needs another hat like... well... This is what we came up with for my 11-11 project for today.

The yoke an body are knitted separately and then kitchener stitched together. 

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!! It is simply too dark to get a good picture of the tank.

The second row has a few eyelets to give a soft scallop to the bottom.  Then I single crocheted a row along the edge followed by a row of crab-stitch.

The photo is too dark to see the detail... I just had to use it for the Cutie Pie in the pic.

The neckline has a row of single crochet and a row of crab-stitching. The sleeves have a single row of crab-stitching.

The back of the neckline is lower than the front.

The Idiot String

When I have multiple items to knit on my USM that require the same weight and approximately the same number of needles, I will piggy back the knitted pieces to save time and work more economically.

This works well when I have a set of dishtowels, dishrags, etc.

There are few ways to accomplish this task without having to rehang the hem or knit waste yarn over and over and over…

I usually start out by hanging my rag hem and then knitting about 8 to 10 rows of WY. If there is not much yarn I will knit it all to avoid cutting it into shorter un-reusable pieces.

Then I knit 1 row of yarn (or ravel cord) that I call idiot string, some call it pull-row, release-row, or slip-row. Why I call it idiot string? Because when I forget to knit it in, I smack myself in the head and say “Idiot! String?”

Mamma would really be upset with me if she knew about this little conversation that I have with myself because she never let us use the words: idiot, stupid, and fool. But, we won’t tell Mamma now will we?… grrrrrrrrrrrrr…

How many items that I plan to knit will determine the number of idiot strings I will add to my beginning WY. There are times that I only knit one idiot string and have faired well with it.

Let’s say I am going to knit four pieces so I would begin in this way

Rag hem – waste yarn, idiot string, idiot string, idiot string, and idiot string.

Then I would use a double e-wrap, crochet cast on, or any other cast on that my project required. Then knit my first piece. Cast off in the desired method.

Now, instead of ripping out the idiot string and the waste yarn to remove the knitted piece, then re-hanging the rag hem, knitting the waste yarn and another idiot string—I simply pull up the beginning of the knitted piece and re-hang the next row of idiot string (make sure the knitted piece is hanging to the back of the hem. Cast on for your next piece and knit!

The original knitted piece is laying behind the newly added piece.

Another method I use is to complete the first piece, then add some waste yarn or another idiot string and cast on the next piece. This works really well when knitting small items like dishrags assembly line style.

Crochet cast of using the latch tool. Leave the knitted piece on the USM

Knit 8 to 10 rows of contrasting waste yarn.

Cut the waste yarn

Afterthought Idiot String - Pull out the loop on the right end (or left end) opposite of the end of the waste yarn.

Cast on the second piece.

Push the cast on row against the waste yarn and USM bed, push the needles into forward working position and make sure that the latches are open.

Knit the desired number of rows

Cut the loop on the opposite side of where you cut the last row of waste yarn.

Pull each end of the Afterthought Idiot String at the same time

Then pull from one side or the other GENTLY DAMMIT!

The knitted piece will begin to separate from the waste yarn.

Now remove the waste yarn.

TA DA!!

Zade Hudson's Blankie Finished!!

Third time is the charm.... right? Sure it is! I finished Zade Hudson's blankie after 3 attempts at it. The first one looked great but I decided I wanted it BIGGER!! So I ventured off and tried another pattern that well... sucked nuggets and so like a good girl, I went back to Diana and followed her direction only expanding the  amount of cast on needles to 81.

I took these with my iPhone and no flash. The sun has decided to take a vacation far away from Temple, Texas

The blankie is lying on a queen-size bed.

The edging. 

Zade Hudson... little sweet man

Diana's USM Slipper

I took a break from writing... errrrr typing my team assignment and tried my hand at Diana's USM Slipper.

to be cont....

Now I have to work in some time to work on a new glove pattern that Cynthia sent to me this morning...

Hudson's Blankie: Day 2

I decided that I wanted Hudson's blanket to be a bit bigger and therefore I have started over casting on 141 needles, beginning with 3 needles in WP and adding 3 needles every-other-row.

Kat has visited my studio several times today to see if the sewing machine has miraculously produced a dress for her... SNORT! I have accomplished moving an old computer desk upstairs and pulling the machine out of the box. I have such a mess and I really need to finish Hudson's blanket and finish my team assignment too. I am too distracted by the mess that has invaded my workspace!

One more slice to knit then on to Kitchener stitching the completed circle and edging.

My mother did not knit, but she is with me when I do. She had a cuckoo clock that she loved and when we moved to Milford, Texas in 1972 the cuckoo clock was broken. I still have that clock, broken bits and all. I use the weights to anchor my knitting on the USM and every time I look at them I think of mom.

Prayer Scarf for Charlie

I have been promising to make a prayer scarf for Charlie. His favorite color is blue (and sometimes green) and since I had a skein of I LOVE THIS Yarn #80 Royal and was up at 6:30 AM so I decided to knock this one out.

Icthus, Magen David, & Menorah

The eyelets are really not wonky, I just have not completed the blocking of the scarf. I had a bit of yarn left so I made a yarmulke based on the top portion of Diana's Tam.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It seems that everyone is either pregnant or just had a wee one and therefore gasp I am behind on knitting! I am coveting a new USM so that I can have the Queen Kong of Bond machines. Until then, I am knitting small baby blankets and adding a decorative crochet edging. I spent most of the weekend knitting up some new rag hems that will accomodate the larger sizes that I intend to knit with the monster machine I am dreaming of. I told Big Daddy that I needed longer weights and he came up with two 4-foot and two 2-foot lengths of rebar and even painted them for me.


They work great!
I do love a man who knows how to fulfill my wants and needs and does it while recycling too. I wanted something to hold the larger 1-pound skeins of yarn so that the yarn would roll off like paper-towel or... err toilet tissue... The result is what I call my "Holy Roller"

Big Daddy's creation made of left-over fence posts, a dowel and an old 2 X 4

A man that recycles makes me hot... oh wait... that could just be menopause!

The Holy Roller sure made knitting the diamond baby blanket flow so much easier than chasing the yarn around my studio. Not to mention having to pick out Siberian Husky hairs from the yarn.

Katherine Olivia's Diamond Blanket off of the machine

I will let the blanket rest for awhile before starting the crochet edge. Eden watched the process all the time remarking just how beautiful the blanket is (pink is her favorite color) and just who is this baby that Goodie is taking time away from making her things? Eden loves to talk and practices talking and talking and... She was looking at photos that are on my screensavor, one of which is a photo of Big Daddy when he graduated from medical school. She said, "Pop Pop is a docter, is that right Goodie?" I told her that she had it right. She was unusually quiet for a few minutes then she put her little hand on my shoulder and stated, "Pop Pop is a doctor Goodie, but you are the Queen and I am the Princess!" Now that girl certainly does have a firm grasp on the natural order in the universe. I can't wait until Big Daddy comes home...

Eden's Fiesta Skirt

USM
KP 2
MY= Caron - Black 4-Ply (You will not need all of this yarn for the skirt)

Trim Yarn= Red Heart CLASSIC Mexicali (You will not need all of this yarn)

CO 100 needles - closed CO

Knit to desired length (this skirt = 12 inches)

Waistband - change to the Mexicali yarn and knit 20 rows, fold to create a casing for elastic.

Mattress stitch the edges of the skirt and waistband.

Cut elastic 2 inches less than waist measurement. Insert elastic into knitted casing and bind edges of elastic.

Using a size H crochet needle, single crochet around the bottom of the skirt. Join. Slip-stitch in first sc space of first row, 2 double-crochet in next sc space, single-crochet in next sc space. Repeat all around the bottom of the skirt evenly. Bind off. Weave in ends.

NO MORE FEATHERS!!

Eden is a princess. Every princess has to have a feather boa... well... Meka (Siberian Husky) thinks she has to destroy every boa that comes into the house and it takes a toll on my carpets. I am knitting some hats from Haute Fur that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and slowly I am replacing all of the feathery, fuzzy, float in the air boas.

Kat wore one of my boa creations to work and now the older princesses are wanting one to wear as a skinny scarf.

Knitted on the USM

7 needles (every other needle) N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N 0 N (N=needle 0= no needle)
Loosely crochet cast on 7 stitches
KP 4
Knit until there is only enough of the fur yarn left to crochet BO

Carefully brush/lift the fur fibers on the knit side of the boa. Don't actually brush it, simply begin at one end of the boa and lift the fibers up with a brush without catching the stitches in the brush.

This boa passes the twirl-test with flying colors!

Scrap Dawg

He doesn't look like much of anything... yet.

My mother always used her fabric scraps to make patchwork dogs for all of the kids and she would donate them to local churches for bazaars and fundraisers. Her dogs were always a hit and I so wish I still had mine or at least one of the kid's. They were used as pillows and to hug while sleeping. Back in the day when mother's didn't know better than to prop a baby's bottle on a pillow, these dogs held many a bottle upright so mom could use her hands for other things like sewing, knitting, crocheting,...

I am finding that I have so many little balls of scrap yarn left over from projects that just are not big enough do do much with. I am using these scraps to make a patchwork puppy pillow.

Tam Set for Eden

One would think that since our family celebrates Chanukah that I could avoid the Christmas gift making/giving frenzy... think again! The children attend a public school that promotes Christmas themed activities and Big Daddy works at Fort Hood. Most of my friends celebrate Christmas and we exchange Chanukah/Christmas gifts. Ok, any excuse to play with yarn! and my Bond USM!!

Last Friday was hopefully the end of the parties and I still cannot tear myself away from my USM (code-named Knettie). Yes, I named her. Yes, I name my other appliances too... and my cars.

I love, love, love knitting and crochet'n for Eden. She is such an ego booster for this old bird. Any time I pick up yarn and needles she gets so excited and wants to know what Goodie is making for her. Usually, I am knitting something for her. She saw a sales advertisement in which a young girl was wearing a tam and asked me to make her one. I went looking for a pattern that I could use on the USM and I found one, a perfect one, while doing a Google search on Diana's blog "Diana natters on..."

It is a 81 degrees outside and she wants to wear her new  tam and scarf

Alternate the beginning row to create scallop

Spun Sugar Stripe