Yellowbird Yarn Room

January: The Month of Me

I read a discussion on Ravelry a few weeks ago that I have been thinking about a great deal.  It was among yarn store owners, and they were discussing what shoppers were looking for after Christmas.  It was virtually unanimous.  While different owners had different nicknames for the reference, the sentiment was the same. 

January is the Month of Me!

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays we all want to do a little something for ourselves, right?  And if being crafty is your thing, then you've been crafting like crazy for others, right?  And probably thinking to yourself "if I were doing this for me I'd do it this way, but I think so-and-so would like it much better this way..." 

Personally, my needles have been flying faster than ever these last few months in order to stock the shop with my own brand of artful goodies (of which very little remains...yay!).  And then, of course, came the handmade gift exchange with my ladies.  And an unexpected special order.  

And my one hand knit gift that I give each year. 

Yeah, I know, I hear all about people who knit scarves for everyone they know (and then some) every year.  Or coordinating mittens for every member of their nuclear family.  Or sweaters with the recipient's initial on the front.  Possibly in maroon.

But, goodness!  Maybe when the kids are grown and out of the house and we've won the lottery and I have a knitting machine to save myself from the inevitable carpal tunnel surgery... For now, though, I'm good harnessing all of my knitting power into just one gift each year.

 

This year's recipient was a sleek and stylish young mom, who juggles work and school and family, and who is thin and almost always wears black and still looks good in a ponytail.  It was one of those things where I drew her name for the Big Family Gift Exchange the Christmas before and said "oh, I can knit her something cool."  Somewhere over the course of the year I looked at the yarn and knew it was for her.  And I've been really drawn to seed stitchlately.  The arm warmers were the obvious part and someone else said something that made me think of the neck warmer. 

      

I tried on the arm warmers to make sure they would fit okay and they were soooo comfy!  I've knit four different pairs of arm warmers altogether now.  I've loved them all.  I really wish I had a pair for myself...

I didn't try on the neck warmer because it looked so cool and comfy that I was afraid I wouldn't want to give it up!  After all, I have knit at least five or six neck warmers altogether now.  I've loved them all.  Really wish I had one...

Did I mention that January is the Month of Me?

Ok, so it may still be December but I had the yarn and no more gifts to work on!  I was in withdrawal!  My needles were calling me!  I will be very Toasty very soon in a stunning variegated green...

But January is coming, what will I do then?  Oh.  I have a plan.  A plan I have been working on for a long time.  Years, really. 

Did you ever want something that doesn't exist?  Well, I want a hat.  That I can wear either with a ponytail or without.  With buttons for both ease and style.  I have searched for just such a pattern to no avail.  Close.  But not "it".  Come January I will be designing myself said hat and will give you updates along the way.  Comments and suggestions all welcome!

And if I don't write again beforehand...Happy January!

Headed to River City!

It's Open House weekend at River City Gift Shoppe, and I've been working hard all morning long to get things done so I could be there for a little while today!  There was just one more thing I wanted to do before I left...

It is now officially December and I have yet to post a single picture of my November craft-along ornaments!  So, allow me to at least give you a couple of parting shots:

 
The raw goods:  some knit, some crochet, all pre-felting.

 
So far, so good!

While the four lovelies you see above are already gracing a fine little tree at River City, the two ball ornaments have proven to be much trickier and are still WIP's.

For now, though, I'm off to spend a little quality time at the Open House before my quality time with my kids...  I'll be in and out of the shop all weekend and I hope to see you there! 

First signs of the season

It's one of those things where you know it's coming, but then it gets here and you wonder where it came from.

The holidays are upon us, there's no denying it any more.  The signs are everywhere.  There's the radio station that's been playing Christmas music for two weeks.  The friends who already have their tree decorated so that the house looks festive for Thanksgiving.  The neighbors who put their twinkle lights up because it's still above freezing outside.  Not to mention the kids shouting "I want that, Santa!" out into the universe during every commercial break.

Of course, they've been doing that for a while now.  Since their birthdays came and went.  In the Spring. 

I even saw my first "wandering husband" of the season while in the grocery store this morning, talking on the cell phone to his wife and trying to find what she was telling him to get.  The store had apparently hidden the cranberries from him.

I've been slowly inching my way into the holiday spirit for about two weeks now, since I started working on my ornament projects for this month.  So far, I have two crocheted circles, one Tunisian crocheted square, and one whole knit ball.  I have another half of a smaller knit ball and should still have enough of the yarn for a small knit square.  All of these ornaments will be felted and embroidered, and the balls will be stuffed. 

And I will be happy!

This really is a very fun, easy, inexpensive way to turn out a fair number of small handmade gifts.  I'll have to remember it for in the future.  You know, when I'm not writing about it and posting it for all the world to see. 

I was hoping to have pictures for you by now, but I decided to finish up the yarn first to give you a more comprehensive idea of what you can do with just one little ball of wool.  It shouldn't take too long to do that.  Theoretically. 

On a completely unrelated note, my parents are currently en route to stay at my house for the week so my routine will remain slightly unpredictable during this period.  For now, however, I must go clean. 

I will, of course, still be at Open Knit on Tuesday.  Hope to see you there!       

What makes you happy?

Me?  I have two great things that go great together to make me happy:  Tahki's Granite yarn (any color) and Laurel Hill tools (any kind).

Oh, I could sit here all day, expounding the virtues of each of these items (as I'm quite sure I have done many times in the past), but then I wouldn't have time to actually use them!  And it is a cold, wet, dreary day here in NE Ohio.  And I do have my hot chocolate mint tea.  And I actually have nowhere to be all afternoon and no clue who got eliminated on Dancing With the Stars this week.

So, um, you may be wondering why I brought it up.  Why am I sitting in this uncomfortable chair in front of the computer when I could be on the couch finishing up my improv mitts as promised?  Well, there's more than one answer to that...

New colors came in!

New crochet love for me!

New projects for November!

And a new Tasting to appreciate it all!

Come crocheters, one and all, it's your turn to play now that I have set up the Tasting with Granite in Garnet and a size M hook in Ebony.  Granite knits up beautifully, and felts beautifully.  These things I know.  But how does it behave with a hook?  This I was anxious to find out.

Now, I am no crochet expert but I have been practicing and improving my skills with hooks I acquired over the years and collected in my bag.  I decided that, now that I had some idea of what I was doing, it was time for me to try out Laurel Hill's hooks of which I had heard so much.  After all, their knitting needles are my absolute favorites!

After two rows on the tasting I have just one thing to say...I want to do more!!!  That hook actually felt so natural in my hand I was amazed!  I really never thought I would be that comfortable with crochet, that it would always elude me.  But the more I work at it, the more ways I find to make it work for me and I look forward to seeing what I can do with it in the future. 

Speaking of the future, the new colors of yarn fit perfectly into my plan for the Christmas ornaments I will work on over the next couple of weeks.  But I had planned to knit and felt them.  Now I might have to see what happens when you crochet and felt!  Oh, decisions...decisions...

Guess I'll think on it a while and finish my mitts.  Now, where did that remote go...   

Taking time to catch up

Well, here we are on the last day of October, the official end of my fingerless mitt challenge, and I seem to have fallen short of my goal of a pair a week (which would have resulted in a total of five pairs of mitts) by exactly half. 

If you came up with 2.5 there, you would be correct.

I have to say that I am only mildly disappointed in myself, however, because...well...hey!  That's still 2.5 more than I did have!

Parden me while I take a sip of my half-full cup o' tea.  Ahhh, yes.  That's better.

So I finished "improv mitt" #1 just the other day and I am really quite happy with it!  I had intended to take pictures of each step along the way, but I'm sorry to say that each step progressed so quickly that I didn't get the chance.  For instance, I took both of the following pictures on the same day:

 
Taken during Open Knit on Tuesday.  Note the waste yarn holding the stitches both at the thumb and around the fingers.

 
 Taken while sitting in the carpool lane Tuesday afternoon.  Note the distinct lack of waste yarn around the fingers.

As a general rule with this mitt, it seemed that the taking of the pictures took longer than the work itself and the work was already slowed down by the trying on and the writing of notes.  And I found myself picking it up and working on it a little at a time, here and there, and you can see by the location of that second shot there.

A few interesting notes on my notes for you knitterly-types (you non-knitterly-types may wish to skip ahead)... 

First off, I wanted to use the long-tail cast on for added stretch-factor, but when you join it to work in the round you've got yourself a row of knit stitches.  Well, if I had to start off with a row of stitches, I didn't want knit stitches!  Not going into a seed stitch pattern, at the base of a cuff.  That's just plain silly!  I wanted a row of purl stitches.  So what's a girl to do?

Why, do the long-tail backwards, of course!  It took a fair amount of concentration, but when I reversed which strand I was grabbing and which strand I was wrapping it all worked out exactly as I planned.

Mwah-ha-haa!     

Also, I'm afraid I got a little ahead of myself and neglected to watch the video I recommended one more time, just before knitting the thumb gusset.  I really wish I had.  I forgot to knit the second increase through the back of the loop and found myself with some holes I didn't want.  (Siiiiip).  That's okay, though...we'll call it a design element!  

I will be taking this week to finish up the pair (theoretically, "improv mitt" #2 should go much faster since all I will have to do is follow my notes) before starting my November project theme:  Christmas ornaments!  I already have a plan to start myself off, which I will fill you in on when the time is right, but (as always) I welcome all suggestions!

Yoo-hoo! Toast is ready!

It does get difficult for me sometimes, selling or giving away something that I took the time to knit.  I luuurve these armwarmers!

 
A little Cappucino Crunch in a sugar cone, if you please.

They were so comfy and snuggly and warm that I sooo wanted to keep them on.  I think I'll just have to knit myself another pair all my own...maybe in that stunning green that catches my eye every time I go in...but brown does go with everything I own...a little embroidery's always nice...

Anyhoo...

Toast is a wonderful, simple, you-can-do-this-now-it's-in-writing kind of pattern.  Pick your yarn, find your guage, measure and multiply for stitch count.  Knit 'till you run out of yarn, and there you have it! 

I do have a confession, however.  I did not use every last knittable inch of yarn.  I could have gone another row on each.  That would have made about 75 rows, if I remember correctly.  Please don't hold that against me.

Interesting note:  I decided to use the bind-off I learned from Cat Bordhi's book Personal Footprints, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off, and I'm so glad I did!  It really is quite stretchy, so that combined with the long-tail cast-on means you just don't notice which end is which when you're throwing them on.

Perfect!

I believe I remember mentioning before that, if I were to start all over again, I would either use larger needles or else I would add another stitch or two.  I hereby retract this statement.  For myself, this size fits just perfect and I wouldn't want them any other way. 

But come on in and try them on for yourself, see what you think!

Forcing my hand

The Toast is about ready, and pictures will be served soon, but I wanted to offer up a word on the mitt project I will be working on during Open Knit for...well...the rest of October!

Yes, I know, I had hoped to get just a couple more pairs of mitts done in the month but it's looking like it's going to be just 3.  A few factors I never factored in:  having more knitting-related work to do during the day that doesn't involve actual knitting, parents visiting causing less time for knitting, and busy-ness during the day causing me to actually be too tired to knit.

I know!  Crazy! 

And now, I start pair #3 which is turning out to be a bit more complicated than simply "have pattern, have yarn, start knitting".  You see, I have yarn.

Goodness, yes, I have yarn.

And I have an idea. 

Fingerless mitts, maybe a bit more man-friendly.  Maybe not.  But gray.  Using Teva Durham's Granite which happens to be one of my all-time favorite yarns ever in the history of yarn.  It's a really nice and light roving that has a line of stitching right down the middle. 

Cool.

And it is sooo soft!  It makes such a squishy stockinette, and felts amazingly well.  Actually, when it's felted it's still pretty stretchy, which I looove.  I carry it in Mahogany and Slate right now.  I figured since my Toast was nicely browned I'd go with Slate.

The thing I do not have?  A pattern.  I whipped out a little mini guage swatch and eye-balling it looks like about 3 sts to the inch.  There's not too many patterns I like for a fingerless mitt for that kind of guage, and the ones I do like are not really appropriate for my purposes.

So what's a girl to do?

Well, kiddos, looks like I'm wingin' it! 

I know there are many of you out there who are none too thrilled at the prospect of knitting something without a pattern, but if you follow along with me through this process I promise to make it as painless as possible!

Now, I know I want a seed stitch cuff because I'm going for something decorative but unisex.  This yarn has enough stretch on it's own that I don't think ribbing is really necessary, either.  And I found a great tutorial here on how to do a thumb gusset.  Then maybe a couple of decreases on each side of the fingers so that the mitt stays a bit snug, maybe a bit more seed stitch for a finished look, and there you have it!

I have needles, yarn, a measuring tape, and a plan.  What could go wrong?

Check back in a few days, and we'll see if I have an answer for that!

Toast

It has been a whirlwind of a week!  But here is the picture I took of my Toast on Monday morning:

Lovely mindless knitty goodness!  After all...have knitting, will travel!  After a few extra minutes here and there throughout the day (in the car, at the playground, in the scout meeting...) this picture was outdated by the time I went to sleep Monday night.  

The only problem was, I couldn't decide when to stop!  I want to use just one skein, and I want to use every last possible knittable inch of it.  Waste not, want not! 

So, can you guess what I did?

When I got to about 5 or 6 inches of warmer #1, I transfered the stitches onto some waste yarn and started warmer #2 from the other end.  After some quality Open Knit time and an inability to get to sleep, warmer #2 is now almost as long.  Now it's on to switching back and forth until they are as evenly long as I can possibly make them!

The great thing about putting warmer #1 on the waste yarn yesterday, too, was that I got to try it on!  I have to say that for me, it's already at a very nice length if I were looking for a short mitt.  But I just did short.  Now I want something longer!  As it is, I believe I am probably going to run out of yarn before I would like. 

Hence using every last inch. 

I also think that they are going to be great for a smaller arm, but with this particular yarn and needles (which make a very nice toasty fabric) I might think of adding on another stitch or two for a bit more room.  Or maybe just bumping up a size on the needles for a bit more slouchiness.

Speaking of the yarn, did I speak of the yarn?  Me thinks not!

I decided to go with the Sedona Hand Dyed, a great tweedy wool which I just happen to have marked down on clearance.  (There are a few others, too, at 30% off...come check 'em out!)  I used size 7 double points, but I do wonder how it would have done on size 8's.  I have to admit I was a very bad girl and skipped the guage swatch all together, but I was just so eager to get going!  

All in all, I can say that while I'm really diggin' my Toast (they do fit me nice...), if I knew last week what I know now...I'd be looking at the 8's and two skeins.  But, hey, I'm not done yet!  Check back with me in a few days.  We'll just have to wait and see how long they end up!   

A story, a pattern, and a reminder

I'm sorry to say that while I am sooo close to finishing my Mrs. Beetons, they are still on the needles.  I'm thinking about one more hour and I'll be done, then I'll bring them into the shop as soon as I can.  But it was a wonderful surprise of a morning at Open Knit today!

Two very nice ladies came into the shop, one of whom was celebrating a birthday and had never been inside River City before.  We all talked a bit about knitting, crochet....and...tatting.  So, I asked the lady with the birthday (we'll call her Wanda, you know, since that's her name) if she ever taught anyone how to tat.

"Oh, yes, I've taught many people.  Well, I used to teach at _____ (insert store name here)."

I knew she looked familiar!  So, I asked her if she taught at this particular store during a particular time and, well, whadda 'ya know!

"Hey!  You taught me how to knit!"

We talked a bit more, and after a while she took her friend home and came back with a box full of tatting supplies.  She was kind enough to give me a crash course in tatting, and I have to say that while the shuttle takes some thinking it was really much easier than I thought it would be!  As soon as I get the chance, I fully intend to sit and play with these newfound fiber-rific joys!

Needless to say I sort of lost track of time and had to abandon my goal of finishing my last half inch of ribbing.  I left River City around 2:00, a bit light headed (no fit state to complete a bind off with bobbles) and eager for some lunch.

That was my story, now here's the pattern:  Toast.  I felt the need for a little simplicity with the next set of mitts/warmers so I think I'm going thumbless.  Plus they look so cute and slouchy and comfy!  More info on my yarn choice to come, but there you have it!

Finally, the reminder:  I will not be at Open Knit on Thursday in order to be at a PTA meeting.  If you have any questions that just can't wait, though, drop me a line and we'll see what we can work out!

Stubborn or Inventive...you be the judge

You may remember that the first pattern for my October Mitt-A-Thon Challenge was decided to be Mrs. Beeton, a feminine Victorian-style wrist warmer intended as fine little beaded ruffles that would look lovely just peeking out of jacket sleeves.  Ok.  Now that I had the pattern all I needed was the yarn.  Easy peasy.

I started thinking about what I had in the shop and at home in my stash.  The black alpaca from Wolf Creek would be perfect, expecially mixed with the metallics of the Ritratto, but I'm not ready to take that ball of alpaca from the tasting just yet.  There's the Baby Kid I've been itching to use for something, but I couldn't come up with the right yarn in the right color to coordinate with it.  For days I would rack my brain, dig through my stash, and stand there staring at different combinations in the hopes finding just the right yarns to fit the pattern.

And then, by chance, my digging caused two yarns to enter into close proximity with each other on my dining table.  Their colors and textures just looked so good together that I thought to myself "Yes!  Perfect!  At last, I have found my Mrs. Beetons!".

 
Ever tried taking a straight picture of your own wrist?  Very complicated. 

One of these was Tivoli, a wonderful silk and mohair blend that I had just used in the tasting.  The wool gives it nice definition and warmth, while the silk gives a smooth feel.  I had been planning on using it for this pattern but had been struggling to find a good compliment for it.   

The other yarn, I'm sorry to say, is of unknown name as it was from my stash and had long since lost it's tag.  I can tell you that it is a soft, fluffy little cloud of roving that makes me happy happy to play with, though!  I had bought the same yarn in three different colors and have doled it out judiciously over time.

Both yarns were green (yes, I know...big shocker...green...from my stash...) and looked as if they had been dyed to match.  And I really liked the matte fluff next to the drapey sheen.

The problem?  While these yarns looked lovely together, they carried just a wee bit more weight about them than the yarn called for in the pattern. 

But...but...oooh, hey!  If I don't have the yarn to fit the pattern, maybe I can make the pattern fit the yarn!  I mean, let's just see what would happen if I eliminated a couple of the ruffles to accomodate the heftier yarn and then we can go from there, right?

So, I cast on 84 stitches of the roving yarn for the inside ruffle.  It came out great - nice and stretchy to fit around a hand and stay snug on a wrist.  Then, I used the Tivoli for the outside ruffle.  Not so nice and stretchy.  So, I snuck a yarn over in at either side of the double decreases and knit those yarn overs by themselves when I joined the two ruffles.  This threw the ribbing of the cuff off, so it became a 3 x 3 rib.  And the bind off seemed to call for more of a bobble than a picot edge.

 
Fuzzy wuzzy was a wrist...

And there you have it!  One down, one to go!  That second has been started, and since the kinks have all been worked out I believe I can finish it up during Open Knit tomorrow to make them available in the shop by the afternoon.  Then, it's on to the next pattern, whatever it may be!