Pladd Science

June Bug

2011-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

I am working hard to get through my stash of lace weight yarn. Recently, I selected a pretty light/medium blue, 100% merino wool. After trying several stitches, I decided on a seashell stitch. This is really simple and lovely. The scarf was knit wide enough to be a wrap, but it is light enough to wear around the neck. The pattern is available on Etsy at PlaidMommy or on Ravelry at Paula Ladd Designs.

Carrots!

2011-07-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

We planted carrots in one of our larger planters. Not that we could grow that many, but we decided it would be fun. The largest one attracted our eyes for weeks. I wanted to wait until the end of August to pick, but....well.....it was too tempting. And here is the beauty:

Once Buster Brown got a hold of it-----it was all over. He ate it in seconds! So, I wait for the others to grow!

LONG Break from Knitting!

2011-07-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Wow, I did not mean to take such a break from the blog. I had developed such a painful neck/shoulder/arm that I had to do some rehab. I actually have arthritis in my neck. What had happened was that there was pinching of the nerve between the C5-C6 vertebrae. What an interesting experience. I had not realized just how limited my shoulder and neck movements had become until I started rehab. It was a mixture of muscle tightness and muscle weakness that really limited my movement. After a few weeks of physical therapy, the pain lessened to a mild dullness and I could look behind my shoulder again. I am still working at it--as I do not want to return to that state of pain.

I do not knit as much as I used to, as knitting seems to aggravate my neck the most. Now I am focussing on putting together patterns that have been waiting for the light of day. I have added two patterns to my Etsy store, as well as Ravelry. Both are lace scarfs or wraps, depending on the width and lengths that the knitter decides to pursue.

The first is September Stole. I started knitting this after a day at the park with my son. We were finding some of the prettiest fall leaves, so I decided to preserve the day in a lovely stole.

The next one is Orange Moon Drops. I loved the little trellis stitch, but decided to make modifications to update the stitch. Namely, I wanted to make it a little more "knitter-friendly".

Soon, I will add links for the patterns on this blog. Otherwise, they are available on Etsy at Plaidmommy.

Hope that you have a good week!

Tendonitis!

2011-04-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting---A LOT! I am trying to reduce my stash of yarn that I accumulated, poorly. What I mean is that I started buying 1 skein here and there, just to create a stash of colors and yarn types. I planned to make toys for my son, which I have AND continue to do. Unfortunately, I have developed tendonitis in my left arm. Hopefully, I can use this time to write up some patterns that have been in my head for awhile.

One of my more recent toy that I have been knitting is a hand puppet. I had posted "Dudley Dragon" previously, and the above two are recent additions. I made two for Colty, and more for his preschool classmates who have had recent birthdays. Both are made with Cascade 220, a favorite yarn. After soaking the puppets, I put them into the dryer to lightly felt. The slight felting eliminated the looseness of a hand knit item. I do not want little fingers to poke through.

The following toys are made with Knit Picks Cedena. Colty wanted a plushy caterpillar from a book store, but I knew that I could knit one. I let him pick the colors. Then I found out that his preschool class is watching caterpillars create cocoons. In a week or two, there will be butterflies. This made me think......what if I combined the hand puppet and butterfly to create a cocoon that could become a butterfly! Colty loved it and I was able to use all of the yarn that I had in my stash.

OK, there was a little yarn remaining. I made two cup bands using the absolute ends of the Cedena yarn!

Gnomeo and Juliet

2011-02-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

We took Colten to his first movie in a theater. He loved the experience! The theater seats were great fun because he was not quite heavy enough to keep the seat in the down position. Instead, he would rock in the "UP and DOWN" seat. And the popcorn......we purchased a large, for all 3 of us. Colten insisted on holding it. He could not believe that his parents wanted some.

As far as the movie, he liked it or at least most of it. It was long for him, but I thought it was nice. There is fun, music and action. What else would a 4 year old need? There were plenty of jokes for the parents. Over all, very cute. I am glad that we went.

Of course, I took some knitting with me. I am making a large cowl in a fingerling weight yarn. I will take pictures soon and post them.

Yarn Sale!

2011-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

I woke up to two pieces of good news! Yarn sales at Juniper Moon Farm and Morehouse Farm. You will need to sign up for the newsletter from Morehouse Farm to receive a promo code for sale prices.

Both sales are so tempting.......I do want to knit a sweater for myself.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I like to knit. I like yarn. I like creating things. But this is SERIOUS knitting.

I wonder what my husband would say if I kept needles and yarn that sized at home?

And the work station? I do not have a big enough place.

But I love these foot stools! I would like to try to make one.

Things I like

2011-02-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

Pretty, Pink and Perfect for Spring

I do A LOT of mixing for Colty's treats. This one can handle bread and DOUBLE cupcake recipes!

It is probably too late to suggest these as Valentine's Day gifts. Perhaps Mother's Day?

Dudley Dragon

2011-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

We have a new friend in our house. His name is Dudley. He is a dragon who flies around the castle where Prince Colten and Princess Isabel live. The dragon is from a bedtime story that I made up for Colten when we lived in Seattle in a historic brick apartment building with our cat Isabel. We never gave him a name until now. I call him "Dudley". He is shy, and sweet. Loves Colten. He has been cloned already, twice. We decided to give him as a gift to a school friend for his birthday next week. Still working on the pattern, it should be available by the end of the month.

UPDATED Pictures

2011-02-06T12:54:00.000-08:00

After making the first ribbed hat with Quince and Co's Puffin yarn, I decided to make a second....and a third. Hopefully these pictures are a better representation of just how soft and squishy the yarn is. Perfect hat for very cold winters, so two of these hats are Valentine's Day presents for special people in my life. Not certain where the third hat will live, but I have an idea who will receive it. Unfortunately, I want to keep it!

I have also knit a second pattern from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, it is the hat on the front cover:

For this hat, I used another US yarn company, Morehouse Farms 3-ply Merino in Boysenberry.

I used every last inch of the yarn (almost). The hat was a little big after blocking, so I felted it slightly in the dryer. Just perfect! If only I had an actual model for the hat, it is really cute on a person as opposed to on the table.

My 4 yo just will not stand still long enough to snap a photo.

Quince and Co

2011-01-31T08:52:00.000-08:00

I have been on a quest to knit "green", "fair trade", "earth friendly". It has been a bit of a challenge, as there are so many components to generating yarn. I really like knitting with wool and have decided to focus on US companies as much as possible. Juniper Moon Farm is one of my favorites, as is Morehouse Farm. Today I will tell you about Quince and Co. Follow the link for more details, as well as the opportunity to purchase yarn. Basically, two knitwear designers and an owner of a spinning mill created a yarn product they loved! To make it a better story, they really cared about where the sheep were raised. For the most part, the wool is from the U.S. As a knitter in the U.S., I can say this is nice. Their current color story has great depth and their price point is great.

My first project, Family Ribbed Hat, is from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

Using a bulky yarn, Puffin, this was a super fast knit. I used 10.5 dpns and a 2 X 2 ribbing. I had purchased Puffin in Chanterelle, a great beige color. I also have this yarn in Delft, a very pretty blue. I am definitely repeating the pattern in delft! I think the second hat is going to my mother. She needs something to wear on her way to the mailbox.

I only have one picture of the hat, of course it is still drying........ A bit underwhelming, I know.

Once my stashbusting is finished (perhaps when I have fewer than 50 skeins of yarn remaining) I will purchase enough to knit a sweater. I really like this yarn. I like the color options. Definitely a must knit yarn!

Updating an old favorite

2011-01-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

I have been knitting from the stash of yarn this month and actually have knit almost 20 skeins! Mostly to make felted birthday crowns. I had a couple of orders to complete this month, but then I decided to update the pattern. I have taken out a little height. In the long run this modification makes the crown a faster knit.

The green and yellow crowns are made the original way.

The pink and blue crowns were made with the newer method. Pretty much the same, just a shorter crown.

Up-cycled Knitting

2011-01-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

I was so excited when a labmate gave me a giant skein of Hoooked Zpagetti. Keep in mind, she lugged this skein from the Netherlands! This is a super bulky cotton "yarn" that is actually textile scraps. Love the idea of using a yarn made from textile leftovers instead of having them go into a landfill. I already had a project in mind, as I was planning to use a free T-shirt for similar "yarn" to make potholders for the kitchen.

With the Zpagetti:

This is a simple garter stitch square with an I-cord loop. The fabric is dense and heavy. I made five, two for me, two for a gift, one for my labmate. I have used mine every time I cook. They perform very well, as I have used them a trivets and pot holders. Perfect, just perfect.

The up-cycled T-shirt was a little different. Here is a link to one of many tutorials available to show you how to make the yarn: T-shirt yarn tutorial I used an XL shirt in white and generated yarn from the body of the shirt, as well as the sleeves. One note: the T-shirt yarn sheds initially. I knit the coasters first, then washed them. No shedding afterwards!

I made simple garter stitch square coasters with this "yarn". The best thing about these coasters is that I do not care if they are ruined! And they are very low maintenance.

I would definitely make more of this yarn! It was fun and easy. This is a good fabric for grocery totes, beach bags, and rugs. I am sure the possibilities are endless.

January 2011

2011-01-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy with work and family that I have been neglecting this site. Christmas came on fast and strong. As a pet sitter, it is my husband's busy time of year. I think he will be home more now that we are in the middle of January.

I have several New Year's Resolutions that I would like to share.
1. I want to knit more items for myself.
2. Start a micro-grant charity for crafters, knitters, etc.
3. Find my voice in my field of Science.
4. Purchase more from Etsy and less from the Mall.

Two weeks into the year and how am I doing? I have started a sweater vest for myself, but I have completed:
Crowns for an Etsy order!

A hat (with "beard") for my BIL and a cowl for my sister!

The Cat in the Hat!

2010-12-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

There is a lovely statue of The Cat in the Hat and his creator "Dr. Seuss" Theodor Geisel outside of the Geisel Library on the UCSD campus. We have been there before, but my son was too shy to get very close. Here he is in the same frame, but of course he was very nervous. One quick shot and he was off. It was fun to let him play, then we were off to look for rabbits that are as common a s squirrels here in San Diego!

There was a lot of knitting this weekend, but it was for Christmas, so I cannot risk posting them! Soon, very soon.....

Christmas Mittens

2010-12-04T20:17:00.001-08:00

I have knit some mittens for Christmas. Not that we will actually need them here in SoCal.....but we might. Mostly, the Santa Mittens are for Colten's visit with Santa next weekend.

The mittens were knit with a basic mitten pattern, then I generated the "hat" by decreasing on the at both sides, much like a toe of a sock, except I continued until only 6 stitches remained. This created a point at the end of the mittens. Of course, I did five rows in white just before I began the decrease! This is what makes the edge of the hat. First row: knit. Rows 2, 3, and 4: purl. Row 5: knit. This gives a "puffy" look. I added pom-poms to the end. This reduces the functionality behind the mitten, but definitely increases the CUTE factor.

The green mittens with red hat might not be finished. I cannot decide whether or not to add a face. If I thought that I could make a Grinch-like face, I might do it.

Christmas Knits

2010-11-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone who is ALWAYS cold? Knit them a scarf!
Try this......

I know, I know. This is a shawl/lap blanket/snugli hybrid. Perfect for.......?

I am really not sure.

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

DH decorated the patio area, including the addition of a giant cobweb. Colty loved pretending that he was a spider. The pictures do not do his decorations any justice!!! Maybe he was able to get a better picture on his camera.

I finished my Juniper Moon Farm socks. LOVE them, very squishy. I hope to wear them soon, but I suspect it will be too warm for some time to come. Maybe I can sleep in them!

Holiday Knitting

2010-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the holidays, I have lowered the prices of my patterns. Also, I have added several of the knitting samples to my etsy shop: Plaid Mommy. Now, these hats are easy to knit and felt, but on occasion--there just is not time to knit everything you want to knit before Christmas!

Juniper Moon Farm

2010-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have been on a quest to determine the "greenest" yarn. Of course, I have realized that this is subjective. I have seen several options that include reusing yarn from sweaters, generating "yarn" from everyday items, such as plastic grocery bags or T-shirts, and using organic yarns. I am not sure that there will be an obvious answer. Along the way, I have decided that my ultimate goal is to use wool that is as local as possible, with the least harsh processing and dyeing that I can find. I do want to make sure that the business model benefits those who do the work, either fair trade or small farmer/owner.

I have presented a few options already, Malabrigo, which is a co-op in Uruguay. LOVE the yarn, but it comes from South America. This yarn will be a sometimes, but not always yarn. Another yarn is Morehouse Farm, which is here in the US. Super squishy and nice to knit. The yarn is less processed, and the colors that I tried are less bright. There is a different feel to the yarn, while soft, it feels like lotion. More lanolin in the yarn? I will likely buy it again, as there are SO MANY COLORS!!!! But it is not likely to be my everyday yarn. I also triend O-Wool Balance. This is a wool/cotton bend. It is more suitable for San Diego. The company is going through a transition of owners, and I hope that they have great success. They generate "organic" yarns, but much of the wool comes from Australia--tons of fossil fuels to get it here. I am not certain if the business is remotely fair trade, but their colors are very pretty. I would definitely purchase O-Wool again, but not likely very often.

I have joined a yarn CSA, Juniper Moon Farm. My share is in 2011, so it will be awhile before I can tell you if the CSA is worth it. But I finally made a few direct purchases. I have several different colors of worsted, but I have not been able to get the projects high enough on my list to knit them yet. But I did start the socks that I wanted to make. OK--I wanted to make sock for my husband, but these socks are for me.......

I have the prettiest sock yarn called The Talented Mr. Ripley. It is blue, green, and a touch of white. The yarn has a great feel, knits wonderfully, and is so squishy. While knitting the first sock, I kept stopping -- just to squish!

The picture does not do the yarn justice. We have been sunless in San Diego since April, so this is what the yarn looks like with fog. Perhaps this explains why I am knitting wool socks in San Diego!

I love this yarn. The color selection is not as wide as you would find from a larger company. Perhaps that is why I like them. I cannot knit fast enough to buy every color on the planet anyway!!! I knew when I found this CSA that I had found a quality company. I am excited to be right. Definitely my go to yarn.

A Day with Colty

2010-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

I was able to spend ALL of Saturday with Colty. I have been so busy with work, that quality time with Colty has been slim. Unfortunately, he has been on the anxious side.

The blurry pic is of us waiting for our applesauce/banana cupcakes to bake. Yum!! We also went to lunch at Red Robin. In fact, we did several of Colty's favorite things. We rode the bus, twice. We played at two different parks. We went to Starbucks. And we had a complete "Colten/Mommy Day".

Cats, Yarn and loads of fun......

2010-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Whether you love yarn, cats or BOTH, here is a little video for you!

Pattern Sale Ends Soon!

2010-10-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have been running a sale on my Etsy site Plaid Mommy that includes the knitting patterns that are also listed on my blog. The sale ends Friday (OK, maybe Saturday morning) I will update the shop for the Holidays, starting this weekend! I love this time of year!

O-Wool #3

2010-10-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

In an effort to bust through my stash and try to find a "greener" yarn, I have a third O-Wool project. This time I made a small shaw/neck warmer in Teal. This is a straight forward top down shawl. It is very comfortable to wear and certainly will be mine. I think this last project convinced me that O-Wool is going to be one of my favorite yarns.

Here are very basic instructions. Please keep in mind that the instructions are BASIC, and may contain minor errors. But I would love to hear back from you if you try it.

Needles: size 8

Yarn: O-Wool-Balance

The basic construction is to increase one stitch at each end, and one stitch one either side of the center stitch, increasing four stitches per knit row. At row 10, place islets (repeating YO, K2tog). At row 20 begin garter stitch, for 10 rows. Now increase by eight stitches per knit row. At row 40, place islets again. At row 50, begin garter stitch, then bind off at row 60.

Cast On 5 stitches

Row 1: K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1 (9 stitches)

Row 2: K1, Purl 7, K1

Row 3: K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1 (13 stitches)

Row 4: K1, Purl 11, K1

Row 5: K1,YO, K5, YO, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1 (17 stitches)

Row 6: K1, Purl 15, K1

Row 7: K1,YO, K7, YO, K1, YO, K7, YO, K1 (21 stitches)

Row 8: K1, Purl 19, K1

Row 9: (Eyelet) K1, YO, K1, *YO, K2tog*, repeat until one stitch before the middle, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, *YO, K2tog* repeat until two stitches remain, K1, YO, K1.K1, YO, K9, YO, K1, YO, K9, YO, K1 (25 stitches)

Row 10: K1, Purl to last stitch before the end, K1.

Row 11-20: Essentially, repeat the first ten rows, alternating between a knit row that increases one stitch at each end, and two stitches in the middle. (increase by four stitches each Knit row). Purl on the alternate row.

At rows 21-30, begin garter stitch, increasing by four stitches every other row.

Row 31: K1, YO, K14, YO, K1,YO, K14, YO, K1.

Row 32: K1, Purl to last stitch before the end, K1.

Repeat in stockinette stitch for rows 31 to 40, increasing eight stitches every other row.

Alternate between increase rows and purl rows

Repeat eyelet pattern, increasing by eight stitches.

Return to stockinette stitch for 42-50, increasing by eight stitches every other row.

Repeat garter stitch for 9 rows, increasing by eight stitches every other row.

Bind off.

Lizzie, O-Wool Cowl #2

2010-10-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

I finished a second cowl using O-Wool Balance. This time I made it quite a bit narrower, casting on only 88 stitches. This cowl is very similar to the first, but I did the body of the cowl in Roman Stitch. I added a pale yellow button to the split section, which can be worn at the top or at the shoulder. In this color, the cowl takes on a reptile skin appearance. My son has a small handmade lizard of the same color, so I am calling the cowl Lizzie.