How to Graph Chicken Scratch

by Kelly

I found this great online resource that I thought I would share. Free gingham printables! And in multiple colors, so not only can you more easily visualize the lacy pattern you're trying to create, but you can play around with colors as well.

I found this at Activity Village. The printables are totally free, provided you only use them for personal use.

These patterns would be fantastic for anyone who's trying to graph out a chicken scratch pattern. And if you're tired of the subdued colours of ordinary gingham, check out their supercharged bright colour version.

Activity Village is a wonderful place to find free printables, ranging from scrapbook paper to colouring pages for kids. If you have a few moments, take a look around their site. Especially here, here, and here.

I can't wait to get started with this. The ideas are just bubbling away. Oh, but I should really finish the mitten I have on my knitting needles, shouldn't I? Sigh.

Mittens and Kittens

by Kelly

Crafting for The Mitten Tree, a local charity that supplies cold weather accessories to needy kids, has begun! I've been attempting mittens again, with mixed results.

The right hand glove (actually on the left of the photo) went really well, even if it did turn out just a wee bit too large. But what went wrong with the second mitten, which is obviously smaller than the first? Did I cast on too few stitches? Did I knit more tightly the second time around?

While I puzzle over the possible problems here, at least I can enjoy the antics of my cat, who has some new toys provided by Dawn at our last Stitch and Bitch session:

 

How cute is that little octopus? I wouldn't have thought to combine pink and green in one yarn, but some genius yarn maker did, and it works really well. And as you can see from the slightly tattered condition of the fish, these toys are very popular with our 'tiger in residence'. He was actually a little miffed with me that I picked them up to take pictures.

Patons Next Steps Seven

by Kelly

Time to push the envelope again...this time the challenge is mittens.

Sorry for the poor lighting in that picture - it's awfully early here, because kitty has to go to the vet today and I won't be home at my normal posting time.

At any rate. last time I made mittens, there was a hole near the thumb that I couldn't close up to my satisfaction. So when I was buying the Mary Maxim Kimono kit for my aunt, I also got the book above, Paton's Next Steps Seven, firstly because I needed to bump my total purchase over $35 to get free shipping, and secondly because I wanted to be able to knit mittens and gloves, darn it.

This book is really amazing - it walks the beginner knitter through many styles of mittens and gloves, on two needles, double pointed needles, and circular, and all in only 98 pages.

So I'm past the thumb and starting the main body of the mitten. Can't wait for the seaming ahead! So far, though, it's been quite fun.

And now I'm really interested in the other Paton's Next Step books. They have quite a variety. including a whole series of crochet books. My next step will probably be this one on cardigans. I have quite a selection of gray hoodies, but only one cardigan, which I never wear because the zipper doesn't work and replacing a zipper is way out of my comfort zone. But if I make my own cardigan, rest assured, no zippers will be involved. Of course, there may be buttons,and that means knitted button holes, which are also out of my comfort zone. (*Sigh*)

And by the way, that picture above reminds me of a television interview I saw with a magazine model, who related some of the strange instructions that were written into her scripts, which included 'laughing at fruit'. Google that phrase and you'll see what I mean. Modelling seems to be a very odd business.

Color of the Season

THE hot color this season is...Oxblood. What a truly horrible name for an albeit gorgeous color. Pantone puts out a color of the year, which is usually some wondrously flowery name like Honeysuckle or Tango Mango, but fashion designers everywhere are gaga for oxblood this fall.

http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread-how-to/how-to-dress-in-falls-sexiest-color-oxblood.html

I'm trying to think back to my little Dawn kindergarten days, reaching into my big box of Crayola 64s which I'd finally convinced my mother was a necessity, sorting through my colors of thistle, cornflower and violet only to pull out oxblood! Can you imagine the psychological damage? Oh sure there were questionable colors, salmon, raw sienna, and even burnt orange, but I don't recall any colors inspired by bodily fluids back in Mrs. Stiglitts class. It's interesting to look at the current list of Crayola colors - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Crayola_crayon_colors and note names like, macaroni and cheese and manatee. My how things have changed. They're up to 133 standard colors now and I'm sure if I were 5 years old again, I would NEED every one of them. And then it occurred to me, I haven't really changed at all, I've just traded crayons for yarn. I NEED every one of the colors I see and luckily now I only have to convince my husband and he's a much softer sell than my mother ever was :)

So, if you see some oxblood yarn out there, you better grab it before I do!

Works in Progress

by Kelly

A short post today, about three projects in the making. Remember candy dots? Well, I thought it would be cute to make a candy dot scarf and hat set. What kid wouldn't like to wear candy as clothing?

I've been plugging away at this project for awhile now. It's a strange mixture of boring knitting and frustrating knitting, but I refuse to put it aside.


Then, of course, Dawn took Donna and me to a truly enormous Joann Fabric store, and I came away with material for two other projects:

The materials above look fairly ordinary, but the projects are actually really interesting, or at least I think so. Stay tuned!

Braided Flag Scarves

by Kelly

Autumn is officially here, and the trees are beginning to put on their annual fall finery:

And of course, you know what that means for us? That's right...it's time to start churning out hats, scarves and mittens for The Mitten Tree, a local charity that provides for less fortunate kids.

I have sort of a head start, at least as far as the scarves go:

That's a French scarf, an Irish scarf, and an Italian scarf. I'd make an American scarf, except I'm struggling with a way to make stars on the blue. I considered making appliques, but on further thought I think there might be an easier way. I have to experiment a little, though.

I'm also going to give mittens and gloves another try this year. With a different pattern this time, one that explains how to avoid making a hole by the thumb.

I love all seasons equally, but fall and winter have added benefits now that I can crochet and knit. So many possibilities! And I'm going yarn shopping on Saturday with Dawn and Donna. I think we'll have a fantastic time hanging out together in a yarn store, especially since one of them once purchased a whole shopping cart of yarn, while the other one has a $50.00 gift certificate, so even if I don't buy a thing, I can live vicariously through the purchases of others.

My husband said that the idea sounded a little dangerous to him, but I just pointed out that it could be worse - I could be going shopping for books, after all. He thought about it for a minute, then agreed that yarn shopping didn't sound so bad after all.

Knitting Books

by Kelly


Books! One that I purchased at near cover price (gasp) and 2 others from a library sale.

Yes, I'm getting overconfident again. I'm dreaming of a lovely, warm, knit sweater that won't break the budget because I made it myself.

But I do know my limitations, and I can see at a glance that Viking Patterns for Knitting and The Celtic Collection are out of my league. Ah, but look at the eye candy inside:

The Celtic Collection

The Celtic Collection

Viking Patterns for Knitting

Viking Patterns for Knitting

Meanwhile, the Debbie Bliss book has patterns that are still beautiful, and might actually be attainable one day:

Celtic Knits

Celtic Knits

I love, love that dark blue sweater above. And once I get past the basics of sweater construction, that's the first one I'll tackle.

Meanwhile, it's time to go to the closet and break out the simple sweater project that has been reproachfully falling on my head lately, and calculate what I will have to do to make the gauge. (*sigh*) Where did I put that calculator?