Knittilated

Oh, the tangled web we weave!

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:12:00 +0000

For most yarnies, it's the cats we have to worry about playing with our yarn and tangling it up. But, oh no, not me! I have to have a dog with a yarn fetish, and to top it off, Sunny has expensive taste!

Sunny AKA The Yarn Freak

Last summer, she got into one of my baskets and had a skein of my beautiful, much loved sea silk strewn about the living room. DH caught her in the act (lucky for her it wasn't me), and took it away from her. Everything was salvageable, but thoroughly tangled, and it has been sitting in a basket, out of sight, since then. It was just too painful to look at, at the time.

So, yesterday, I decided it was time to untangle the mess and roll it back up in neat little balls. This is what I started out with.

I started at 8:30 AM, armed with a pot of coffee and a darning needle for those stubborn knots I was sure were in there. By 10:30 I thought I had made pretty good progress, until I took a second look.

It was taking forever to get that mess undone! I was on the phone with my sister, chatting while I worked on the tangles, and stepped away for a couple of minutes (literally 2 or 3) and when I walked back in, that *bleep* dog had drug the little ball I was working on across the floor already! I could have cheerfully strangled her, but I controlled myself! Before I knew it, it was past lunch time,and I had worked my way through about half of it, and found a break in the yarn, so I set that ball aside decided to get something to eat (and another pot of coffee) and work on the rest after lunch.

The last half went quicker than the first, maybe because there was not so much yarn to work with then. By 2:30 PM, I had two neat little balls of tangle-free yarn. YAY!

And I learned a valuable lesson: Keep all yarn out of the reach of children and pets (especially English Bulldogs).

Spinning Yarns

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Since I began knitting several years ago, I have always bought commercially spun yarns. These yarns are great because they are evenly spun and strong. They make wonderful items that will last for years. But in my search for more diversity of yarn than that offered by my LYS, I discovered hand spun. Since they are not made by a machine, they are truly unique, and that really appealed to me.

Lately, I have been trying to expand my knitting knowledge and skill by trying new techniques, and decided to try my hand at spinning. When you want to go handmade, you go to Etsy.com, a very large, and growing, community of crafters and artists. I searched the site for spindles and roving, and landed at the shop of Maine Woods Yarn & Fiber. I ordered one of their kits, which includes a drop spindle (top or bottom whirl), instructions, 3 rolls of hand painted roving, and one roll of undyed white for practice. My kit arrived yesterday!

While waiting, I had been searching the web for tutorials on spinning yarn with a drop spindle. There are many out there, but one of the best I've seen are a collection of videos on YouTube by Megan LaCore. It's one thing to read instructions, but, for me, it is so much clearer when you can see someone and follow their example.

So, with spindle and roving in hand, I tried to spin my first hank of yarn. It was fun watching the spindle twist the roving into yarn. However, my yarn turned out a little thick, more like super bulky, instead of the worsted/chunky I was aiming for. But, this is all part of the learning process, and with every spin and draft you learn a little more.

It's exciting to try something new, and even if my yarn does not turn out 'perfect', it's mine, and it's unique!

I love getting new books!

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:52:00 +0000

There are so many great projects out there that I want to tackle, and most of them are in books that I do not have...... yet.

I came home today to several packages sitting on my porch (does a happy dance)! Now I have in my possession; 3 Elizabeth Zimmermann books, 2 Vogue Stitchionaries, and an Interweave Knits magazine from Summer '08. YAY! Plus, I still have a few more that I ordered yet to arrive.

Right now they are spread about on the couch and table around me, just begging me to look inside and pick which project I want to knit first. I want to knit the Apres Surf Hoodie for me (not on Ravelry, click here), and DH wants a Tomten Jacket like the one by Jared Flood (not on Ravelry, click here). Oh, the possibilities!

I am excitedly waiting for my Fall 2008 issue of Knitscene magazine. I cannot wait knit Riding to Avalon (not on Ravelry, click here). I ordered the yarn I want to use already, and it should be coming any day!

Now, my books are calling!

52 Books in 52 Weeks (Ravelry Group)

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:39:00 +0000

My 2 favorite hobbies are knitting and reading. How great is it that there is also a reading group on my fave knitting site? That's a rhetorical question, it's su-weet, of course!

Occasionally, I have to take a break from knitting. If I work at it too long, my hands and wrists will start to hurt and go numb. That's when I put the needles down and pick up a good book.

I have an extensive collection of paperback and hardback books, but I think I love my Sony E-book Reader best of all! It goes almost everywhere with me. It's perfect for waiting on kids, plus it's smaller than a regular hardback book and fits in my purse. It also has a lot of memory, it will hold over 100 regular books, and that is without the optional memory card.I still have a lot of paper/hardback books that I need to read, so I'm starting at the bookshelf.

Here is my reading list for 2009.

Currently Reading:
Anthology - Nora Roberts (Tonight and Always, A Matter of Choice, and Endings and Beginning)

Finished:
Jan. 09 -

Killer Dreams - Iris Johansen
Faithless - Karen Slaughter
Echo Park - Michael Connelly
Son of Stitch ‘n Bitch - Debbie Stoller

Feb. 09 -

Crisis - Robin Cook
The Innocent Man - John Grisham

Mar. 09 -

On Blue Falls Pond - Susan Crandall
A Kiss in Winter - Susan Crandall
The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen
The Apprentice - Tess Gerritsen
The Sinner - Tess Gerritsen
Body Double - Tess Gerritsen
Vanished - Tess Gerritsen

Apr. 09 -

The Beach House - James Patterson
The Lake House - James Patterson
Local Hero - Nora Roberts
High Noon - Nora Roberts
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
Midnight Sun Partial Draft - Stephenie Meyer (from stepheniemeyer.com)

May 09 -

The Face of Deception - Iris Johansen
The Killing Game - Iris Johansen
The Search - Iris Johansen
Body of Lies - Iris Johansen
Blind Alley - Iris Johansen
Countdown - Iris Johansen
Stalemate - Iris Johansen
Quicksand - Iris Johansen
Mary, Mary - James Patterson

June 09 -

No One to Trust - Iris Johansen

Yeah, I know I've been slacking on my reading. It's hard to find the time with 2 kids, a full-time job, and a part-time job on my plate. My knitting has been suffering, too. I still have a sweater on the needles, that's barely half way done, that I started in April. Hopefully, now that the kids birthdays are done, and the 4th of July has passed, I'll find a little more time to do the stuff I want to do.

Sleeping with the Fishies

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 04:25:00 +0000

I saw this pattern for a Dead Fish Hat (click here if not on Ravelry), and just had to make one for my son. It's so cute! My step-granddaughter loves it too, so I'll have to make one for her in pink. The tail didn't turn out quite like I wanted, but I'm still happy with the way it looks.

Conquering the Cables

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:35:00 +0000

The last time I tried cables, they looked horrible! So I've avoided patterns that included cables since then.

Recently I joined a Hat of the Month group on Ravelry, and the hat for January was Who? by Sara Amoroso, (if you're not on Ravelry, click here), which was cabled to form little owls around the hat.

I really wanted to do this for my son, it's so cute, so I pulled out my cable needles, and set to work. I had to frog a row or two, and tink back a couple of times, but I finished it.

It turned out good, and my son likes it. He even asked me to make him another. Maybe one in white? Snow owls are so pretty.

To my daughter it goes!

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:27:00 +0000

I finally finished the sweater, and I was very happy with the way it turned out, but it's too tight in the arms. The body fit great, but..... my daughter loves it, so it's all good.

I still want to make this pattern again, but next time I'll make the same size body, but the next size up for sleeves, and just adjust the pattern a little.

Sweater for me, or my daughter?

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:29:00 +0000

So, I finished the first sleeve of my sweater last night. It looks great!

But when I slid it up over my arm, it's definitely a snug fit. I'm a little on the muscular side, so maybe it's just me.

So, if, when I get done, and it is just too tight, I'm sure my daughter will love it. She's a skinny little thing, so it should fit her well. And I'll just have to make a larger size next time, or larger sleeves at least. I really love this pattern, so I will have to make another!

Knittilated on Ravelry

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:56:00 +0000

So I finally joined Ravelry after seeing it everywhere. What a wonderful site! It keeps track of my wip's, to do list, stash, needles and hooks, books, and other stuff.

At first I thought, "This will be just one more website to keep up with each day.", but this is one site I will be sure to keep up with.

Over the past few (more like 6 or 7) months, I have neglected designing and blogging to concentrate on other projects.

First, there was summer! I am a beach girl at heart. I grew up on a teeny island off the North Carolina coast, and being near water is a must for me.

Then, there was the Christmas knitting. I knit an afghan for my father-in-law last year, and everyone loved it, so this year, I had 3 to do. One for my mother-in-law, because the two of them could not seem to share one. Then one for my sis, who got me into knitting in the first place. And, last, one for my grandmother-in-law. She loved it, especially the fact that it was handmade.

Then there was my dream sweater...... or what would have been. My husband gave me 6 skeins of Great Big Sea by Handmaiden Fine Yarns. It is so beautiful! So I found the perfect sweater pattern, and started knitting. It turned out great! Even my seams were as close to perfect as I could get. The sweater had zippers in it, so before I put them in, I wanted to wash it first, just in case in shrank any. This is where my brain stopped functioning. My washer has never felted anything, not even the stuff I've tried to felt. So I put it on gentle cycle, cold water, and added a little Woolite. When I pulled the sweater out, the sleeves looked fine, but the body had shrunk down to a 3T! So I threw it back in the washer to finish felting it, and now it is waiting to be cut up and sewed into a purse. As soon as I can look at it without wanting to cry, but at least I have 2 balls left.

And now, I'm working on another sweater. This time I'm using machine wash and dry yarn! I am knitting 'Updated Old Classic' from the book Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard, if you're not on Ravelry, click here. I'm going for a more simple look, using grey for the main color, and a simple blue stripe instead of stranding. I tend to strand a little tight, and didn't want it too snug around my shoulders.

Next up, I already have a new design in mind. Hopefully I will have it ready to post before the end of January. It's a little more complicated than some of my other stuff, but I really like the idea, so we'll see where it goes!

Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:39:00 +0000

I'm working on tutorials for different things now. My only problem is the pictures! I can't very well take them myself, because I have to hold the yarn and needles. My husband doesn't take directions very well, so I'm going to have to get my sister to take them for me if we can get our schedules to work together.

I'm hoping to get cable cast on posted soon.

Then I'm going to work on knitted cast on, working in the round, fixing mistakes when they're rows down (YIKES!), an easy explanation of kitchener stitch, increases and decreases, and of course basic knit and purls for beginners.

I'm sorry I can't help anyone with cables. I know how to do them, they just don't look quite right when I do them though!

If there is anything anyone would like to see, or need help with, you can send me an e-mail at: tarasknits@yahoo.com or taras@tarasknits.com. I will do my best to see that they get posted asap!

Knitter's Block

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:15:00 +0000

I'm stuck!

I know what I want to make. I have the materials to do it.

I can't get the image right in my head to make it work.

It's just a vague, fuzzy image floating around. Every time I try to make it form a solid image, it fuzzes a little more. Needless to say, it's kinda aggravating.

My 3 year old is trying to help. He wants a toy, and it has to look a certain way. . . I'm not too sure I have the skill to pull off his idea, though.

Maybe I'll just knit a scarf! Now, what colors to use....

Backwards Cable Cast On

noreply@blogger.com (Tara's Knits) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:50:00 +0000

This cast on method is useful for placing thumb holes, button holes, and any other holes necessary while working in the round.

Step 1:

Insert needle from front to back between the last 2 stitches worked.

Step 2:

Wrap yarn around the needle going behind needle and around, ending with yarn behind needle again.

Step 3:
Pull loop through between stitches.

Step 4:
Place loop on the needle after last stitch worked.

Step 5:
Repeat as many times as needed. Begin working in the round as usual.

You can also cast on 2 extra stitches and at the stitch before the first cast on stitch, k2 tog with the cast on stitch, then again with the last cast on stitch and the stitch after the cast on stitch. This will tighten up any looseness you may have, although for tighter knitters this is minimal to unnoticeable.