Knitted Oaks™

Knit Flix: Illusion Knitting

2012-01-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

Saw this unique video on Tumblr and decided to share it here. Knitting is truly more than just yarn and needles. It's art.

Enjoy!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Knitting Resolutions 2012!

2012-01-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I pray you all will be overflowing with God's many blessings this year.

As for me, I have one simple life resolution and tons of knitting ones. LOL! Honestly, I have a list of visions that I'm expecting God to do for me this year. So listing them as resolutions wouldn't do them justice.

The results from our YouTube 1,000+ subscribers contest has provided me with tons of content ideas for our video tutorials this year. There are new techniques and stitches that I never even thought about that I'm now excited to dive into. The results have also inspired me to take care of some technical things behind the scenes for Knitted Oaks. (Details on this will be in a later post.) In a nutshell, I have my work cut out for me this year and I am truly looking forward to sharing the entire experience with you all. It's because of you all that I'm encouraged to continue to provide you with the best content that I possibly can.

I'm so grateful to God for the many blessings that has been overflowing for the company and I'm super excited that Knitted Oaks is approaching it's 5th year this fall.

My knitting resolutions are a snippet of what you all can look forward to and expect from Knitted Oaks in 2012!

Colorwork knitting (i.e. fair isle, intarsia, double knitting)
Garment knitting (i.e. sweaters, socks, mittens)
Home decor (e.g. pillows)
Lace work
More stitches and techniques (e.g. brioche and entrelac)
More original patterns (by yours truly)!
More series (both here on our blog and on YouTube)

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Merry CHRIST-mas and Happy New Year!

2011-12-19T22:38:00.002-05:00

Picture via Knitterella

Stay Blessed,
Dana

1,000 Subscribers Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

A special "thanks" to all who participated in this joyous milestone with Knitted Oaks. We are growing and learning together. We are expecting more greatness in 2012 and look forward to where God is going to lead us to next.

Congratulations to our winners!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

5 Last Minute Holiday Gift Knits!

2011-12-14T21:20:00.001-05:00

So, if you have not taken heed to my advice from a much earlier post (Click HERE to see that post) about starting your holiday knits before the leaves begin to fall, this blog post is for you.

Here is our list of suggestions for some last minute holiday knitting. Click on the purple words for patterns:
ONE Felted Lunch Bag. It's quick, unisex, and most importantly, it's durable!

Lion Brand

TWO Felted Bell Ornaments! This is a thoughtful gift that the entire family can enjoy every year.


Purl Bee

THREE Pouches! These beauties can be used to hold anything!

Martha Stewart

FOUR Toys! What better way to keep the kids entertained than with a hand knit Frosty the Snowman

Yarnigans

FIVE Chunkier = Quicker and Warmer! So get out those speed stixs and chunky weight yarn and knit to the final hour.

Hopefully, this list will be resourceful for someone.

Are you finished with your holiday knits yet?

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Giveaway on Knitted Oaks TV!

2011-12-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, we were blessed enough to reach 1,000 subscribers on YouTube!!! In appreciation, we are doing a giveaway.

Rules:
- Must be a subscriber to our YouTube channel
- Leave a comment in response to the video with a request of what you'd like to see me do on the channel.

That's it!!!

Prizes are described in the video.

Contest ends on December 11, 2011. I'll pick a winner and announce who it is within the following week in another YouTube video.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

November Adventures! (Part 2)

2011-12-02T23:07:00.000-05:00

My day at The Chew turned out to be really memorable because I was invited to be a taster and sit at the tasting table on the show. They served about ten of us Fettuccine Alfredo cooked by the renown chef, Mario Batali. Needless-to-say, it was delicious. Click HERE for his recipe.

As noted in my Cooking with CraftDKnits series, I also learned how to make these easy delicious Banana Oats breakfast muffins. Click HERE for that recipe. Also feel free to check out my mini cooking series under the Blog Series tab above for more details on how my rendition of these tasty breakfast treats turned out.

Now, on to the show. Here's how it all went down:

We also learned how to cook a simple tasty treat under 5 minutes using ingredients that all cost under $5. Michael Symon whipped up this turkey cutlet with apples dish and it looked and smelled delicious. This is certainly a great dinner for two recipe and is now on my list of recipes to try out. Click HERE for it.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

November Adventures! (Part 1)

2011-11-30T13:35:00.001-05:00

This month, my mom and I signed up and was granted the opportunity to sit in the audience of Martha Stewart's show and The Chew on ABC. We were also close to getting into Rachel Ray show, but that didn't work out.

My Cooking with CraftDKnits series, which you can check out now under our Blog Series tab, was sparked by what I learned on these two shows. My mom and I had a blast and decided to make this an annual thing we do together every November. November is the month of choice because that is when these shows start focusing on holiday cooking.

This year was actually my second time attending the Martha Stewart show. My mom and I also went last year, but this year was way more exciting. The guest list and take home gifts we received made the experience so much more exciting.

Outside and inside studio decor:

On Set:

Martha took some questions from the audience after the taping. It as a live show, which we didn't find out until we got there. I got to ask her a question about her new yarn line with Lion Brand and she lit up. It was tons of fun.

We were not allowed to take pictures during the taping. So unfortunately, no pics of the Hugh Jackman or the delicious treats Martha made live.

Martha's show airs on the Hallmark channel.

Here is what we got to take home from the show:

Be sure to check out part 2 for my day at The Chew.

Stay Blessed,

Dana

Food, Family, & Fun!

2011-11-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend, emphasis on "weekend," was amazing. I have a lot to work off at the gym for sure. :-)
I hope all who celebrated had a great time as well.

Thanksgiving is about more than just food. For me, it's a time to reflect on my blessings, spending time with family, and having a good time.

My family and I got invited to my uncles for Thanksgiving dinner at his new house. So a lot of the plans my mom and I made for a personal family dinner got altered. Since my siblings came home for the holiday weekend, my mom cooked breakfast thanksgiving morning.

Here's is the preparation of our breakfast:

Fried dumplings being rounded and deep fried

Sweet plantains being cut up to be fried

Fried Dumplings

Green Fried Plantains

Sweet Fried Plantains

Seasoning for the ackee and saltfish (Jamaica's national dish and my absolute favorite)

Onions and tomatoes for flavor

Saltfish after being boiled and broken apart

Ackee after being steamed mixed in with the saltfish

Ackee and saltfish with seasoning

Plantains!

Dumplings!

Ackee & Saltfish!

Fried Fish

Smoked Glazed Ham

Dinner at my uncles was potluck style. So each household represented brought a dish.

Here's our dishes journey for the night:

Mixture of the ricotta cheese for the lasagna

Cooking the Ground Turkey for the lasagna

Soaking the lasagna noodles in hot water

Stacking the lasagna layers

All cooked and ready to devour!

Turkey!

Absolutely full of joy and food!

I hope everyone enjoyed this mini cooking series as much I did. It was a lot of fun learning new dishes, trying them out with my mother, and sharing them with you all.

Click HERE for the recipe I used for the lasagna. It was actually my second time making it. It came out much better this time.

Stay Blessed,

Dana

Banana Oats Muffin Mania!

2011-11-23T14:14:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. There are so many things I have to be thankful to God for that a single day lacks enough hours for me to list it all.

I literally debated posting this today, but decided to in the spirit of being thankful for having cooking and baking as one more thing my mother and I enjoy doing together. My mom and I get excited every single time our experiments turn out properly and edible. :-)

Today we are gathering all our necessary materials and prepping them for the feast tomorrow. I'll post our process from start to finish here on Friday. That too, will be the final post of my cooking series for 2011. Maybe. We'll see how Christ-mas goes before I commit to that.

Another cooking show, my mom and I were fortunate enough to participate in this month is The Chew on ABC. (More on that experience in a later post.) On the show, they made breakfast muffins with Cheerios. Click HERE for the recipe. I knew instantly that I was going to go home and experiment. These are the perfect breakfast treats when you are running out in the morning to work or school. They go great with herbal teas.

Here is our Banana Oat muffin's journey:

They turned out great and went really fast. So fast, that we needed to whip up another batch that same night.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving everyone!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Buttermilk Fried Chicken!

2011-11-13T20:08:00.001-05:00

I promise you that I am indeed still knitting. LOL! This will all tie in when I post about my November adventures at the end of the month.

Another recipe that my mom and I learned while at the Martha Stewart show, was buttermilk fried chicken and waffles. We decided to "swatch it" prior to Thanksgiving since we would like to cook this for our family. Instead of waffles, we paired the chicken with baked macaroni and cheese.

Here is our buttermilk fried chicken dinner's journey:

We started with the baked mac & cheese first. We used an Emeril recipe for this with a few Jamaican additions and subtractions by my mom. :-)

Now for the star of the evening, the chicken!

Needless to say, this recipe has certainly earned a spot on our Thanksgiving dinner table. It turned out pretty good.

I hope you are all enjoying these cooking posts as much as I am. This may very well continue beyond November, but minimally after the holidays.

Let me know if you try out the recipe or feel free to link me to any cooking post you have and/or recipes you'd like for me to try out in the comments.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Banana Bread Lovin'!

2011-11-07T09:32:00.003-05:00

Yesterday evening, my mother and I decided to try a quick bread recipe that we learned last week at the Martha Stewart show. (More to come about the show in a later post.)

I genuinely love all things banana, except pudding. So when Martha said she was going to teach Hugh Jackman how to make a banana bread, I almost jumped out of my seat. First, because I was going to see Hugh Jackman live in the flesh. Second, because I too was going to learn how to make banana bread from scratch. Now I've made banana breads before, but always with the help of good ole Betty Crocker. LOL!

Click here for the recipe and a clip from the show where Martha shows Hugh how to bake too!

Here's our banana bread's journey:

Our kitchen had the sweetest aroma while the bread was in the oven and yes, it's delicious.

My mom and I decided to take a few detours from the actual recipe because we either didn't have or didn't like the particular ingredient. We left out the walnuts and the sour cream. In the clip of Martha and Hugh, Martha slices the bread in half and adds in cream cheese for a filling. As you can see here, we didn't do that. I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese.

This bread is great with a cup of tea. My mom and I plan on baking some more of these for the holidays.

Let me know if you all try this out.

Stay blessed,
Dana

Herringbone Tube Cowl Pattern!

2011-11-06T01:20:00.002-04:00

Raveled on Ravelry

Materials:

1 1/2 skeins of Loops & Threads Cozy Wool in Fleece
Size 13 US, 24" circular needles
Stitch Marker
Tapestry Needle
Small pair of scissors
An iron or steamer

Pattern:

CO 100 stitches

Place your stitch marker

Join in the round

Row 1: (Knit through the back of your stitches)
Knit 2; K2tog, (but only slip the first stitch off of your left needle. Use the remaining stitch to knit together with the other stitch); continue until 1 stitch remains; slip that last stitch off of your left needle and hold it; quickly move your stitch marker from the left needle to the right needle; place the slipped stitch back onto your left needle.

Row 2: (Knit through the front of your stitches)
Using that slipped stitch left over from row 1, repeat the steps of row 1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until cowl measures 7 1/2 inches in height.

Bind off.

Weave in loose ends.

Block the curled edges with the iron or steamer.

Here's a video tutorial on how to knit the herringbone stitch in the round:

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Chunky Herringbone Infinity Cowl Pattern!

2011-11-06T01:03:00.005-04:00

Raveled on Ravelry

Materials:

2 skeins of Loops & Threads Cozy Wool in Golden Rod
Size 13, 32" circular needles
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Small pair of needles
An iron or steamer

Pattern:

CO 200 stitches

Place your stitch marker

Join in the round

Row 1: (Knit through the back of your stitches)
Knit 2; K2tog, (but only slip the first stitch off of your left needle. Use the remaining stitch to knit together with the other stitch); continue until 1 stitch remains; slip that last stitch off of your left needle and hold it; quickly move your stitch marker from the left needle to the right needle; place the slipped stitch back onto your left needle.

Row 2: (Knit through the front of your stitches)
Using that slipped stitch left over from row 1, repeat the steps of row 1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until cowl measures 7 inches in height. (Knit more inches for an even chunkier finish!)

Bind off.

Weave in loose ends.

Block the curled edges with the iron or steamer.

Here's a video tutorial on how to knit the herringbone stitch in the round:

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Herringbone Stitch Cowl Results (Round 2)

2011-11-06T00:28:00.001-04:00

I finally got the cowl exactly where I want it. Large and in charge! I designed two different styles. Each is basic, yet pronounced enough to have the brisk weather respect your warmth and chill another person instead of you. :-) I love how they turned out!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Knitting is Sexy...For Males Too!

2011-10-18T15:02:00.002-04:00

Actor Russell Crowe knitting! What more can a gal ask for?!

Men knit too! That's the bottom line. Often times, knitting gets categorized as only a female craft. Over the last few years, the phenomenon of knitting has expanded to not only men, but boys and teenagers as well.

I post articles all the time on our facebook page of various new groups that knit and it ranges from all types of people with causes. Some are for charity and others for personal enjoyment. Here's an article I posted this morning about boys who find knitting to be the cool thing to do and their teachers see the difference in the boys' behavior since learning.

Here is another article about a group of men that simply enjoy the craft and love the history behind men knitting. Click here to read it.

I got inspired to highlight this topic from the men that message me about how much they love knitting and by Gregory Patrick, the author of Mad Man Knitting. Check out his website for further details on the remarkable story of how knitting prevented him from homelessness. I got introduced to his story on twitter today.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Knit Flix: The Little Red Plane

2011-10-14T14:45:00.000-04:00

In honor of I Love Yarn Day, here is a precious little video that will have you fall in love with yarn all over again.

I couldn't help but smile and hit replay on this very creative and yarn detailed video. You can tell it took a lot of time, effort, and imagination. Plus, the characters are adorable. :-)

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Operation Knit My Stash

2011-10-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

Last night, while looking for a particular skein of yarn I needed for an upcoming project, I became overwhelmed by exactly how much yarn I have. I literally have no more space in my yarn's designated area to stash any more.

Exhibit A: One of my containers of yarn

Exhibit B: The overflow bags

This is insane and only a portion of how much I have right now. Though I was unable to find the skein I was looking for for my new project, I've decided I'M NOT BUYING ANYMORE YARN until I've exhausted my stash. Yup, Operation Knit My Stash is in full effect. I don't know how long this will take me to complete, but I have got to stop shopping and simply use what I have.

While going through my stash looking for that skein last night, I found other skeins that I forgot I even had. Shameful, I know, but true. So I'm challenging myself to see how long I can go without purchasing another skein of yarn. I made some hats for my sister the other day and I proudly did so by shopping in my own stash.

Recently, I've been looking for a particular baby weight yarn to knit my new baby cousin a blanket, but every where I looked the prices are outrageous. With my new operation in effect, I'll just buy him one, because there are NO exceptions to the rule.

I'm excited for this new challenge and will be chronicling everything that is made from my stash here on our blog.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

The Gentleman's Skull Cap

2011-10-12T14:53:00.004-04:00

Here's a quick and easy level pattern for that special gentleman in your life.

Raveled on Ravelry

Materials:

1 skein of Loops & Threads Ombre in Sage Butter

Size 8 U.S., 24 inch circular needles
Size 7 DPNs
Size 6 DPNs
A stitch marker
A tapestry needle

Scissors

Pattern:

CO 88 stitches (or any even amount for your gentleman's perfect fit)

Body:
K2, P2 for every row until hat measures 7 inches.

Begin with size 7 DPNs for decrease crown.

Decrease:
Row 1: *K2tog, P2tog, repeat from * until the end of row.

Row 2: *K1, P1, repeat from * until the end of row.

Row 3: *K2tog, P1, repeat from * until the end of row.

Row 4: repeat row 2 (switch to size 6 DPNs)

Row 5: K2tog across the entire row

Row 6: Knit

Row 7: K3tog across the entire row (leaving 5 stitches remaining)

Cut a considerable amount of yarn with the scissors.

Weave in yarn through the remaining stitches with tapestry needle and weave in all loose ends.

Here's our video tutorial showing how to decrease the crown of the cap. Enjoy!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Herringbone Scarflet

2011-10-05T15:25:00.004-04:00

This beautiful, elegant piece is a quick and easy treat for the holidays or any other special occasions.

Raveled on Ravelry!

Materials:

1 skein of Loops & Threads Charisma in Red
Size 9 US straight needles

A tapestry needle
Small scissors

Herringbone Stitch:

Click here for a tutorial of the herringbone stitch on Knitted Oaks TV.

Pattern:

CO on 30 stitches

Knit 4 rows

Row 1: Knit 2; K2tog, (but only slip the first stitch off of your left needle. Use the remaining stitch to knit together with the other stitch); continue until last 2 stitches; knit.

Row 2: Knit 2; P2 tog, (but only slipping the first stitch off of your left needle. Use the remaining stitch to purl together with the other stitch); continue until last 2 stitches; knit.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 27 1/2 inches.

Knit 4 rows.

Bind off.

Weave in loose ends.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

NYC Yarn Crawl 2011!

2011-10-01T20:00:00.002-04:00

Despite the gloomy weather and my hectic train journey, I had a blast today. Today is the only day that I was able to participate and I was not able to have someone accompany me (as planned) so that I could vlog the event for you all. No worries, I got pictures.

First Stop...Loopy Mango

I love these display sections throughout the shop too!

This shop is jammed packed with beautiful vintage and modern items that are mostly handmade, which I love!

Last stop...Purl Soho

These two pictures, does not really do justice to how beautiful and colorful this shop really is. I apologize because I thought I had more pictures in my camera. I'll be going back for sure and will have my camera in order for the experience.

I only purchased a few items this year. Last year, I went crazy, but I probably spent the around the same amount because this year, I focused more on higher priced items.

Juniper Moon Farm's Findley in Bittersweet & Colonial Needle rosewood circular needles (size 13, 32 inch)

I wasn't joking when I said few. LOL! There are tons of exotic and high end brands from all over the world at Loopy Mango. Every skein felt so soft and gentle. After some browsing, I got to chat with two of the owners, Anna and Waejong. They both gave me their undivided attention despite the crowd and helped me make the choices you see here. I look forward to casting on with these babies really soon. I plan on making a nice large scarf for myself.

Have a great weekend!

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Oatmeal Cookie Monster!

2011-09-30T22:34:00.004-04:00

My favorite cookie is oatmeal raisin. I LOVE them! So imagine my excitement when my mother decided to bake some the other night. I rarely share personal content with you all (also a change I'll be making in 2012), but I decided to let you all know that I am truly weak in the knees when it comes to certain foods and treats.

Oatmeal cookies with raisins are one of those treats I cannot live without. LOL! Here are some pictures of how our baking turned out.

We used the Betty Crocker brand oatmeal mix and a Walgreens brand box of raisins. Any raisins will do really. We added raisins separately because we live by the motto that "an oatmeal cookie is not truly an oatmeal cookie without some raisins." Tell everybody that you can. LOL!

The cookies are delicious!

Let me know what treats and foods you love and cannot live without.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

A Fresh and A New!

2011-09-30T22:20:00.000-04:00

Last night, my hubby and I discussed the direction of Knitted Oaks (KO). Right now KO consists of God, my hubby, and I. I'll be 29 next month and I really want to see KO take a leap from where we are today by the time I'm 30.

We are doing wonderful, but I'm ready for more. I've been praying and asking God for guidance because all decisions and movement goes through Him first. The conclusion is to make some changes for a fresh and new Knitted Oaks for 2012! Change is good when handled correctly. I don't want to reveal to much, but I'm really excited to see where God leads Knitted Oaks by the time I'm 30. I'll also continue to give progress reports throughout our development into the fresh and new KO.

Another decision we made last night is to hold off on opening our online boutique. I've been knitting to meet an October deadline this year, but the site we had planned to launch is no longer the route we want to take.

I felt it was important to share this with you all because it's because of your love and support that we are motivated to press forward. There will certainly be more supporters' appreciation in 2012, such as give-a-ways, meet ups, and online chats (via Blog TV). Thank you all for sticking with us thus far.

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Electronic Knitting!

2011-09-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

Personally, there is nothing more personal than a handmade knitted project. But knitting machines are almost just as popular these days. I would love to use one for the more difficult projects that would normally take me centuries to knit up on my own.

Hacking is apparently a good thing in the art of knitting machines too. A couple of days ago I watched the latest from Craftzine on Youtube and my jaw was on the floor in how this man, Andrew Salomone, hacked a knitting machines to knit images into knitwear.

I won't ruin it for you, but let you tune in and see for yourself what I'm going on about.

It would be cool to make sweaters like this with images of loved ones or of famous painting or nature images. Who knows what the future holds for knitting with wonders like this. Well, if knitting machines become cuter, less intimidating, more compact and user friendly I'll get one too! :-)

Stay Blessed,
Dana

Inspirational Sunday!

2011-09-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

Today was a pretty laid back Sunday. I went to church, received an awesome on-time word from God. Taught my second class of Sunday school (to highschoolers), and had a heartfelt breakfast with my parents and hubby, and spent the remainder of the afternoon with my hubby watching the Jets game!

Another thing I absolutely love to do on my down time is read crafting blogs. I get so much inspiration, that at times it overwhelming. I feel like my head is going to explode with the overflow of ideas. :-)

For example, check out this amazing 50s inspired dress by Sew Retro

The Maria Dress

Seriously, how cute is this dress! This reminds me of the ladies on Mad Men. It inspires me to a lot to learn how to use a sewing machine. I'm determined that by this time next year. I'll have it in the bag. :-)

Another blogger that has me over the moon with every post is One Sheepish Girl

Meredith

This young lady is a student in Dallas, TX and has a shop on Etsy. I can go on and on about the various ways she keeps me on my toes whenever I feel like stopping. She's also a part of the reason why I'm spending more time here on our website, thinking of new ways to grab daily readers' attention. Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are great avenues too, but this site is where Knitted Oaks' audience originally came from. I'm always brainstorming for new material on our youtube channel, but I tend to let the blog slide down on my priority list. But Meredith changed that for me in a major way.

Check out these ladies and let me know what other crafts or blogs have been inspiring you lately.

Stay Blessed,
Dana