You. Ok it doesn’t rhyme but I don’t think you really want yarn for dinner.

Thanks for all you thoughtful comments and ideas for upcoming classes. Finishing and Blocking seemed to be the overwhelming favorites so that’s where I’ll start. I have a few more details to work out but next week I’ll post all the specifics and start sign ups. Class will begin in March!!

Exciting as that is for me, you want to know who won the yarn.

The random number goddess picked Maria from the comments and Lesley D from Fiberside Lounge!

Check your email for Serendipmitty ladies and be sure to reply. I’ll need your address to send the yarn.

Now that you know who the winners are you’re probably wondering what the photos have to do with the contest or classes. Nothing. Not a single thing except that they needed to be posted, and this is a post, and I don’t have time to do two. So there you go.

The photos are of my latest design Icing. It will be out in time for Madrona. I love it. More details soon.

No I’m not still knitting Christmas gifts (thank god!). Somehow I never got around to showing you the one’s I did knit.

I didn’t knit a lot of gifts this year but I did manage sweaters for my two sweeties.

I think they liked their sweaters but stopping the present opening to get a picture clearly wasn’t her favorite.

Much happier to pose now that Christmas is over.

Both sweaters are basic drop shoulder, funnel-neck construction that I calculated from their measurements. Hers is done in BFL sport colorway ST-2. His sweater is also BFL in Grawk.

I love the slouchy look and cozy feel of the sweaters so much I’ve been dreaming of my own with a bigger, more cowl like, neck. I’ve got enough BFL in Fall on Tap now I just need the time to knit it.

How cute is he?

Dad is the best ever knit gift receiver. No matter what I give him he’s thrilled to wear it and show it off. This year he took home Scowl made from Crown Mountain Fibers Sockhop.

Lastly, proof that I am the worlds best daughter. I made a fuzzy, bumpy, novelty yarn, plain garter scarf for my wool hating Mom.

It was just what she wanted and totally worth it to see her cozy up to something I knit.

My video camera problems have finally been resolved with the arrival of my Sony Bloggie and it’s time to start making videos for Fiberside Lounge. I already know my first project is the video pattern for Shawl That Jazz, but what next?

I’ve got idea lists and post it notes coming out my ears but I want to know what you’d be interested in. After all the classes aren’t for me and it won’t do me any good to spend hours working on videos no one is excited about. I know it can be a pain to leave comments so how about a little motivation?

 

I'm going to list some class ideas, with a brief description. You leave me a comment by next Monday (Feb 1st) telling me which classes you’d be interested in or suggesting something else you’d like to learn. Then on Feb. 2nd I’ll do a random pick from the comments and send the winner a copy of my new pattern Serendipmitty and some great yarn to knit it with.

Not enough? Sign up to be a member of Fiberside Lounge (that way I can tell you about the classes when they’re ready) and you’ll be entered in a second drawing. If you’re already signed up you’ll be entered automatically.

Two patterns, two great skeins of yarn, all yours just for commenting.

Full Classes (Multiple week in depth coverage of the topic with weekly chats and classroom forums)

Think Don’t Tink – Tips for preventing common mistakes, reading your knitting and how to recover from screw ups without ripping the whole thing. If you have a project in time-out we’ll try to fix it.

Design Your Own Mitts – You pick the stitch and yarn and we’ll go through the process of making it fit your hand. We’ll also cover 3 choices for thumb construction and discuss ribbing choice to match your stitch choice.

Sway – We’ll knit my pattern Sway together from start to finish with all the help you need. Each step will be covered in detail and you’ll see me knitting them.

If Only It Was – shorter, had sleeves, was a V-neck instead I’d be knitting it right now. Sound familiar? I’ll give you tips and tricks for common modifications to existing patterns and show you how to make the the modifications of your choice to your pattern (notice how I’m not doing them for you though).

Kniteo Quickies (one topic only classes that require less time and money)

Judy’s Magic Cast On – I’ll show you how to do it for socks and hats, as well as go over a few other less common ways it can be useful.

Blocking – I show you how to block lace, hats, sweaters and socks.

Reading Charts (including Japanese) – We’ll go over how to read them and tips for knitting from them. I’ll also give you a list of some popular stitch dictionaries and links to software and tutorials for making your own charts.

Yarn Substitution – How to read and understand the ball band and the yarn requirements in your pattern,tips for substituting yarn with a different fiber content, how your kitchen scale can help and basic math for using yarn with a different gauge.

Let me know what you think. I promise it won’t hurt.

Dog pictures are for your entertainment only. No dogs will be included in any prize package.

One evening, with my family yelling at me to hurry up, I dashed into my studio, grabbed the nearest ball of wound yarn and a set of needles. Rushed, but satisfied my hands would be busy, I sat down to play a game of Carcassonne and started knitting. No plan. No goal. Just knit.

A few days and a bad case of obsession later I had Serendipmitty.

The dictionary defines serendipity as “making desirable discoveries by accident.” Serendipmitty must mean making desirable mitts by accident.

If you’d like to discover your own pair, Serendipmitty is now ready for your knitting pleasure.

 

Yarn: 210 yards sport weight yarn. Shown in Zen String Serendipity (color: Twisted, 100% superwash merino, 4oz / 113g, 241 yards/220m per skein). Other good yarn choices: Socks that Rock Mediumweight, Plucky Knitter Sport Wt., Indigo Moon Sport Wt.

Needles: US size 1.5 (2.5mm) double point or circular needles with at least 32” cable, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 36 sts and 36 rows to 4 inches in pattern laid flat without stretching

Size: M (L) 6”- 9” or 7” – 10” in circumference. Both sizes are 9 ½” in length.

Geeky Technique Stuff:  Instructions are given for cabling with or without a cable needle and in plain English. I hope you give cabling without a cable needle a try if you haven’t done it before. The technique I describe in the pattern allows you to twist your stitches and change their order in one move. Pretty slick if I do say so myself.

The thumb is worked as if it were a sleeve for a top down sweater. I chose to construct the mitt this way to keep the stitch pattern intact for as long as possible. To provide a properly angled thumb with no holes from picking up stitches. It also means a few less stitches around your fingers so the mitt stays nice an snug. I wear fingerless gloves while typing and a floppy top makes typing awkward and slow.

To knit the mitt you need to know (or learn) how to knit in the round, twist stitches, cable, cable cast on and mattress stitch.

 

If you are wondering about a video pattern for Serendipmitty, I’m trying to have it ready in a few weeks.  I’ll get to work on it right after I finish the one for Shawl that Jazz. If you decide to buy the pdf now you’ll be able to get the video version, when it’s ready, minus the cost of the pattern. Join Fiberside Lounge to get all the details as soon as they are ready.

Just like all my other patterns 50% of the sales of Serendipmitty will go to Doctors Without Borders to help Haiti.

Thanks to all my test knitters and friends who helped me put this one together!

PS – I named the pattern Serendipmitty before I realized the yarn I’d chosen was named Serendipity. Obviously meant to be.

I think every other blog post this last week was about Haiti and what we can all do to help. But if you’re still trying to decide or looking for one more way you can help, consider buying patterns. Mine or another designer’s on Raverly.

I’ll be donating 50% of sales on all my patterns for January to Doctors without Borders for help in Haiti.

If you are interested in finding other patterns use the special tag, Help for Haiti, to search for them. Last I checked there were 58 pages to choose from!

A while back I asked people interested in test knitting for me to send me their emails for a distribution list. I promised to send out notices whenever I had a project ready. Well Serendipmitty is ready for testing and the first ever SRD Test Knitters email just went out.

If you think you should be on the list and you didn’t get an email from me, check your junk mail folder and if you still don’t have it let me know. Also a few of you asked to be put on the list but didn’t include your email with your comment. Kinda hard to email you without an address so send it along if you still want to be added to the list. I tried to err on the side of not including people unless I was 100% sure that’s what they wanted so if I missed you don’t think I don’t love you!

If you haven’t requested to be added already but would like to be on the list leave a comment (with your email!) and poof you’ll start getting test request emails from me. I’ll only be doing one or two (can you say pipe dream) projects a month so no worries about me swamping your inbox. I promise not to give your email to anyone else or use it for anything but test knitter requests. I also promise to remove you from the list anytime you ask.

Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in knitting my patterns. Thanks!

PS – that’s a very poor sketch of Jubilee in her dog bed cuz I know someone will ask. I’m trying to improve my drawing skills this year.

A few days, major technical difficulties and two returned cameras later than I hoped I’ve posted a video review of Signature’s new circular needles. You can see it on Fiberside Lounge.

In other news.. Since I can’t knit any of my top secret projects in public I’m busting out a second pair of Serendipmitty from the STR I dyed in Port Ludlow.

I’m calling the color Seattle Sky and wishing Tina would do a color like it but you know better. Make the really light grey not so light and fix the awful pooling and just be Tina with it but keep it all grey. In BFL please. I’ll love you forever.

Ok I’ll love you forever anyway but if you feel the urge to do grey the BMFA way I’d be thrilled. Just saying.

Resistance is indeed futile. Just like spinning I swore I wouldn’t join Facebook. I so do not need another time suck!

Then Nathania started the UFO Smackdown group and I couldn’t hold out any longer. I managed to convince myself that all the motivation and support for finishing my UFOs would make up for any extra time. I’m desperate enough to get myself focused on my UFOs and especially my design UFOs that it was worth a try.

Anyway……UFOs (unfinished objects if you’re like Todd and very confused). Do you have some? I sure do. I’ve found 15 so far, 2 projects finished but in need of a fix and 3 things in need of frogging.  Yikes! That’s a lot of wool and guilt hanging around.

Here’s the UFO breakdown oldest to newest:

1. Manos Del Urguray Garter Afghan - started 4 years ago. It’s gorgeous, dead simple to knit and I’d love to have it since I’m always freezing but extremely boring and uncomfortable to knit (big needles & super heavy).  Note to self: suck it up wuss.

2. Vivian Hoxbro Large Wing Shawl – started 3 years ago. So fabulous when it’s done but so huge and such tiny needles (size 2)! I’m a lot further than the pic shows (almost half way) but not far enough.

3. Autumn colors scarf – started November 2007. Just needs to be seamed. No idea why I haven’t finished it.

4. Sampler Blanket – started January 2008 for Lime and Violet column. Once the deadline for the column went away I got sidetracked and just never came back to it. I love the idea, am super pleased with the finished squares and I’m a least half way there. Wondering if I wrote it up as a pattern if anyone else would be interested. Hmm….

5. Baby Fern Socks – started March 2008. Got all the way to an inch before the toe on the second sock and started wondering if the 1st sock was too small. Need to make a decision and rip, fix or finish.

6. Kauni Wrap – started sometime in the beginning of 2009. Knitting is done but I’d planed to stitch on some free form swirls before felting. Taking forever. Got bored.

7. Camp Cat Bordhi Sock – stated at camp last spring. One sock done and second half way there.

8. Zippy – . the zippered vest from hell started spring 2009. I’ve redone the shoulder pieces at least 5 times. Still hate them. Need to rip down to chest level and re-engineer the shape of the shoulder pieces. Had to put it on a time out before someone got hurt.

9. LadyBug Sock – Mad dash to finish the first one for Sock Summit but somehow never got around to making a second.

10. Crop Circles – started last summer on our RV trip. Traveling, kids & dogs do not make for intelligent knitting. Made it all the way to the neck before realizing the shaping wasn’t the same on both sides. Rip, rip, rip and start over.

11. No name V-neck Cardi Vest – this one is actually finished (remember it) but since I have to knit a second version before the design is done I’m calling it a UFO.

12. Textbook – the shawl that thinks it’s a coat. Started fall 2009. More than half way there. But still over a 1000 yards to knit and a pattern to write up.

13. Handspun cowl – started November 2009. Just need a bit of i-cord and blocking. I hate i-cord.

14. Leaver knitting cowl –  started November 2009. Half way there, got sidetracked by Christmas knitting.

15. No name mitts – these are finished knitting but I still need to write up the pattern and I cast on a second pair in the grey STR that I dyed at Port Ludlow. I also need to pick a name.

To Fix – Imogen (one sleeve is two rows two short) & Gilly’s new rollneck needs a looser neck.

To Rip (so we don’t need to talk about them) - Fair Isle bag,  Mystery Cardigan (I’ve got a back done but I can’t find my notes or remember what my plan was) and Silk Tank (I never wear stuff like this. What was I thinking!).

I’ve got three super secret design commitments that need to be finished over the next 3 months and my new teaching site but I’m hoping I can squeeze in one UFO a month. At the very least it should get me to finish the really easy ones.

Wish me luck and if you have some UFOs come join the Facebook group.

(I wrote this on Dec. 29th but somehow it didn’t get posted)

Whew! 2 parties, house guests, last minute gift knitting and enough cookies to start my own bakery makes for crazy week.

I made two batches of fudge, magic bars, chocolate peppermint roadsters, chocolate snowballs and 3 9x12 dishes of mac & cheese. We also busted out the cookies cutters (and the mop) and made Santa’s favorite treat. Sugar cookies!

  

Making these cookies is an entire afternoon project but totally worth it. I use the Cook’s Illustrated Butter Cookie recipe and they are without a doubt the best tasting sugar cookie ever. The kids adore making (and eating) them and I think my mom might disown me if she didn’t get some for Christmas.

We had a house full for Christmas Eve.

 

I was so wrapped up in being a hostess I didn’t take a lot of photos but lucky for me the fabulous Kathy was there and she did. Check out her flicker group if you want to see more of the fun and a lot better pictures.

We finished the night by reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, checking santa’s progress on the Norad Santa Tracker and leaving Santa a note. Glitter Queen did that all on her own and was thrilled to see the note from Santa when she woke up.

We’re off to Vancouver BC for a mini vacation in the morning so the rest of the Christmas reporting will have to wait.

Happy New Year!

Nine years ago at almost exactly this time I became a mom. I always feel like his birthday is as much a milestone for me as for him. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone and how happy I am he is part of my life.

You are an awesome little man and I’m such a lucky mom to have you for my son. Happy Birthday Bug!

To celebrate we made cars…

lots of cars.

Then we headed downstairs to race central and tested out our cars. Will they make it over the lave pit of death? Will they survive the landing?

After solving the many mysteries of the lego car we enjoyed a big pile of birthday brownies.

And of course we opened some presents. Later we’ll have some birthday pizza and play a game or two.