A great trick with wool yarn!

As I was completing boot #2 for kid #4 I ran out of yarn and had to switch to a new skein. The cool part is that I can do this without a bump or a hiccup in my work! I learned this from Maura at the Yarnery in St. Paul.

First the problem... I am working a double strand of wool yarn for the boot and have come to the end!

 Second, to connect the strands, start by fraying the ends of the yarn.

Third, place the ends in the palm of your hand and spit on them. You are welcome! for not giving you a close up of the actual spit!

 Next, roll the ends together with the spit. Just like when you rolled play dough between your hands and rolled it to make worms or snakes.

And now, to continue knitting the boot!

P.S. This trick only works with wool yarn.

More felted boots!

Kid #4 is anxiously awaiting her felted boots! Here is what I have so far...

Boot one only needs to have the seams sewn up! Boot two is just emerging through the sole stage. This boot pattern has you create the first sole, knit up the instep, and then up the leg. Then a second sole is created and added to the main boot to make it more durable. 

Once my girls try these out I'll update you all to let you know about the durability of the soles!

A knitted boot

I started to work on this adorable knitted boot/slipper for my kid #5. Once completed I am going to make another pair for her American Girl doll.

Once I stitch up the bottom and sew in the loose ends it's time to felt!

Hello washing machine:)

Answers about the corn and a stitch change!

I have been using my corn yarn dish cloths and loving them, except the fabric created by my double crochet is a bit too loose. So, now I am working in a single crochet.

Also, I emailed Kollage Yarns because I was curious about why the tag said, "imported fibers" when the only content is corn! Well, Susan from Kollage, got back to me the next day and told me this... The corn used in the yarn is grown in the US. Because of a shortage of mills in the US for spinning and dying, they must send the corn  out of the country to a mill. Once the yarn is spun and dyed then it is back to the US for sale. So, I love it that they are using US  corn  for this! Anyone want to open a mill? Susan said they would love to produce the entire product in the US if they could.

Thanks to Susan at Kollage Yarns for answering my question. Kollageyarns.com is a great website with free patterns and a shopping cart for all their unique products, including square knitting needles! It is a fun site to visit.

More corn dish cloths!

I have decided to give up on the cotton dish cloth and expand my horizons because:

• they don't last very long at our house.
• they get stinky.
• they fade and get out of shape.

So, my new quest is with corn yarn because:

• it is naturally antibacterial.
• it comes in vibrant colors.
• it has a gentle abrasive quality that is great for getting food off of dishes
• and I get bored easily and corn seems a bit more exotic than cotton:)

Here is the yarn I found at 3 Kittens Needle Arts. It is 100% corn and they have many beautiful colors. Here is what I chose.

On the label it says "Made in the USA from imported fibers". So, we don't have enough corn in our country? Is this special corn? I'm going to have to investigate.

Halloween Sale at the Yarnery

Yes, today and tomorrow (October 30 and 31st) the Yarnery is have a 20% everything in the store sale!

I wanted to show you a picture of the great Cascade yarn I bought for making daughter #2 a scarf...but due to cleaning efforts for some out of town guests....I don't know where the camera is!!

My house is clean, I have yarn for knitting and will post my new treasure once I find my camera!!

Scarf for Daughter Number 1...Complete!

Yes, I did...I crocheted the scarf...and it went very quickly!! The things I like about the scarf are:

1. the two different colors are also two different weights of yarn. 
2. I incorporated a V stitch in the middle of the double crocheting rows to add some interest. This was something I learned from Theresa at my Crocheting for Knitters class. Use lots of colors and several different stitches.
3. The chenille is very soft and the length is great for my daughter.

HHHHMMMM what's next??

Crochet for Knitters

Last week I took a great class at The Yarnery in St. Paul. The class was called "Crochet for Knitters". Our pre class work was to bring a 7"x7" knitted square. The class was taught by Theresa Gaffey, who teaches many classes at The Yarnery. I had not met her before the one time class. She was great! She is a very accomplished knitter and crocheter.

As you can see from the square above we practiced single crochet, double crochet, the V stitch and the shell stitch. We all admired scarves that Theresa had crocheted and had on display in the store. I bought yarn and one of the patterns done primarily in single crochet...but that is for another day.

Things I learned from the class:

Crocheting takes a lot more yarn that knitting for a particular project,

Crocheting goes much faster than knitting,

Crocheting is a great way to make a border,

Crocheting is a great way to join squares,knitted or crocheted, together

Crocheting is fun and very forgiving:)

Once I got home I decided to practice, just like Theresa recommended, so I made some dishcloths. One is single crocheted...

One is double crocheted...

And that is all for now...

Teaching Someone to Knit

Earlier this fall we were visiting friends in Stevens Point again:) Of course when we are there, I always make time to visit Herschners to see what bargains they have on yarn. So, my friend, we'll call her Madge, who always accompanies me on these trips surprised me this time. She said, "I think I would like to learn how to knit."

How fun is that! Of all my friends Madge is one of the most creative ones:) I was sure that once she got going she would be creating fabulous color combinations and patterns of her own.

As much as I love to knit and so therefore think everyone should love to, I am very careful not to push my knitting values on others. Madge has always been happy to join me at Herschners and I just thought it was so we could get out and get caught up. So when she made her joyous announcement that she would like to learn, I had to hold back a "wooo hooo" from coming forth while we were in the store.

Now I felt some pressure come along with this request. If I did not guide her and teach her in a fun and light mode she may become impatient and drop her newly purchased purple needles and her fun yarn and let the kids do what they wish with it. But, if I helped her to stick with the knitting long enough to actually enjoy the process and have a basic understanding....I would have a new knitter sister!!

So, when we returned to her house with our treasures...me with my yarns for every ones scarves, and she with her new, purple, size 7 needles and some yarn...we turned on the Wii. As any mom knows if you want to get something done, distract the kids.

We sat next to each other on the couch and began to cast on. The trickiest part was the slip stitch, which is the first stitch that you make. Once she got that part she was off and casting. We decided to start with a dish cloth...as I have said before, everybody could use more, they are small, and if it is not perfect it doesn't matter. Our mantra was, "It's OK if you have to rip it out and try again." This worked well as we had to rip out her work several times and rework the stitches. Madge was great, she was not even upset about having to rip out a row because she knew, "It's OK if you have to rip it out and try again." Once this is understood the process just becomes part of the work, and not a reflection on your inabilities.

A few days ago Madge sent a picture of her first finished project.

What great progress she made in just one dishcloth!!  Great job Madge.

And I am feeling great that my pressure to "teach her without scaring her" went away. She is proud of her work and I am too!!

The Yarn Comparison...The results!

I started the yarn comparison on January 21, and then gave an update on February 16...see previous posts.

So, now that I am about to throw away this now yukky dishcloth, I thought I should share it with you first....

It actually looks nicer in the picture than it does in real life:) It is dry and almost crusty. I think both yarns, the $1.59 yarn from WalMart, and the $2.59 yarn from the local yarn shop fared equally unwell. While the more expensive yarn started off softer, they both came out stiff in the end. Also, both lost their vibrant color after the same amount of washing tables and being washed.

If you are going to knit cotton dishcloths, I say....go for the inexpensive yarn.

Another scarf completed!

I finished my husband's scarf...thanks to time spent watching the move UP with my kids. I had not seen the move and my kids said, "Mom, you have to see it! It is soooo sweet." It was cute, and I sat still long enough to finish the scarf. It went quickly as it is a bulky wool. And an easy pattern!! Knit 2, Purl 2, Knit 2, Purl 2. It is not the originally requested 7 feet, but 4'3" is working just fine.

What about ME!!

As I started to knit my girls scarves...one at a time...with the remaining yarn lined up ready for casting on...my husband said, "what about me? don't I get a scarf?". Well, of course he does. I moved him to the top of the lineup and this is what I have so far...

It is a nice manly charcoal color:)  He says he would like it to be about 7 feet long! OK, This is an easy one. Now I just need a good movie and I am ready to go.

Pictures of the Pom Pom Scarf

Here they are!!

The pictures of the yarn and the finished pom pom scarf.

Once I got the hang of the pattern, the scarf went very quickly.

The trick is to knit two stitches between each pom pom.

I started by casting on 10 stitches. Then I used the stockinette stitch.

And after a 3.5 hour car ride home, we have a scarf...

A nice soft fluffy scarf for girl number 3!!

Winter scarves for all the girls

At my latest trip to Herschners I bought yarn for each daughter (4) to have a new scarf. I was so intrigued with the pink polka dot yarn (daughter 3) that I finished knitting the scarf on our trip home.

I have begun the very soft purple for daughter 4. As I was knitting my husband (whom I did not get any yarn for ) asked when he was getting a scarf. So, the purple is on hold until dad's scarf is done.

Next is the chenille for daughter's 1 and 2. These should go very quickly and I will post the progress as I go. I have never knit with chenille, but it seems so inviting I will be excited to get going on these scarves.

I think I have mastered my new camera, so pictures will be a great addition to the next post:)

I'm Back!

Fall is here and the knitting season is officially opening!! I spent a bit of this evening knitting a new scarf for my husband as he painted our shutters. The leaves swirling about and the cool, not too cold, breeze blowing was awesome.

Recently I taught a friend to knit. I will share some of her adventures. She is quite the trailblazer and doesn't let a bit of imperfection stop her.

Also, I made a fall tote bag, and several scarves...pictures to come soon!

Happy Fall!!!

I'm Back thanks to the Shepherds Harvest Festival

OK, it has been a long few months! What is a person to do when they go back to work? Now that I am working 30 hours a week, I have lost touch with my knitting!!

Not a good idea. Knitting is like sitting in front of a fish tank for me. Definitely worthy of a few minutes of my time.

I have been regenerated by taking my 6 year old to the Shepherds Harvest Festival on Saturday. I don't have much of a desire to work with the raw fibers. I appreciate the process from afar and so enjoy working with the end product!

The angora rabbits were amazing. I have never seen one before this weekend. They are SO fluffy and huge.

It was a chilly day and all the fiber displays helped my six year old to keep her hands warm! She touched every pile of wool and angora, whether attached to an animal or not, and fed her tactile desires!

More on Finger Knitting

Someone saw the blog about my nephew M doing his finger knitting. They emailed me to say that they learned to finger knit through the link on the blog. Congratulations!!

Also, they were wondering if there was anything more than a scarf that they could make with the knitting they had done. Below is a link to making flowers with a finger knitted strand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukywxy19Gk8

I did some searching, but did not come up with much more than flowers. If anyone has any ideas for creations made with finger knitting please let me know so I can share them.


YES!! I did finish knitting my new knitting bag. Next step is to make the handles and then felt it!

Finger Knitting is great!

While I was knitting away on my new knitting bag during the USA vs. Canada hockey game my nephew M, who is 8 asked me a question. He said, "Hey, Auntie Jo can I have some of that yarn?". I was a bit puzzled by this sporty boy asking for yarn. However, he knew what he wanted, and saw that I had a lot of it!!

So, I said sure and tossed a partially used skein of blue from my pathetic plastic knitting bag. Once again reminding myself to keep going so I could get rid of the plastic! Then he produced a really, really long piece of finger knitting. I was very impressed. He told me, "I think it's fun and when I'm bored I do it. I was going to make a scarf, but then it got too long so I just kept going!". That works for me! Here is a picture of M and his work in progress.

I found a great YouTube video showing you how to finger knit. This is great for kids because it goes quickly and it's fun to make a chain that can reach throughout your house! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3LKAlDz9ig

My knitted knitting bag is close to the end!

Thanks to swimming lessons for kids #4 and #5(last ones for the winter session!), and a USA vs. Canada Gold metal hockey game:(, I have had some great blocks of solid knitting time! I have reached the part of the instructions that say...forming the base!
I am a bit concerned about the sizing I have created, if that is what you call it. Notice that the part of the bag with the diamonds seems to be knit tighter than the stripped parts of the bag. The directions do not say that it is supposed to look like a funnel! Hopefully this will all come out in the wash...literally! Perhaps the felting process will be forgiving of such mistakes!

Felted Knitting Bag Update

Here is the work of the week. I found the incorporating of the two colors to be a bit tedious, but it sure does look great! I started with the yellow which will be along to top (lean you left ear to your left shoulder to follow along with the picture)) of the white diamonds which are starting to appear. I have just switched to green which will be along to bottom border of the white diamonds.

I am so needing this knitting bag! Our puppy sure does like to find every opportunity to get any yarn she can find and pull it all over the house! Here she is being peaceful on green grass!
Does anyone remember what that looks like?

Procrastinating on the Corn Wash Cloth!

OK, this is a problem. The longer I ignore the rolled up edges on the wash cloth I made from the corn yarn, the more rolled up they get!

My research for tonight is going to be reading up on what do people really do with items made out of corn? The texture is very soft and the look is similar to 100% cotton yarns.

I love the colors and the feel, I'm just not sure in the purpose of this one. Corn generally does not seem to be a high maintenance item! It is used in so many everyday items like food and fuel. Why not wear it? Because it rolls up to half its original size.

I'll keep you posted!

If anyone has some great ideas for me please share!!

Dishcloth yarns comparison

Here is the latest picture of my combination dishcloth. At this point I would say they are wearing about equally. They appear to be fading at about the same rate. The texture of the two is also equal. I'll keep using it and keep you posted on the progress.

A few notes to self. The judge at the Minnesota State Fair made a great and honest observation. My casting off is a bit tight. Can't hide from that one! Also, I need to do a better job of sewing in my yarn ends.

On another note, I am half way through the diamonds on my knitting bag!! Yeah!!

Felted Knitting Bag Update

Valentine's Day is pretty low key at our house. We started the day with pink pancakes and Valentine cards for all. Then in the afternoon kid #5 and I made and decorated valentine cakes for everyone for dinner. That left plenty of couch time for knitting by the fire.

I did it! I made it to the top of the diamonds. Now my progress is quite slow while I figure out how to wrap the two colors as I knit. I am getting the hang of it. Row 2 of the diamonds has gone faster than row 1. Once I finish the diamonds I am home free!! Remember I started knitting at the top of the bag and I am working toward the bottom. I keep reminding myself of this too.

Here is a picture of what the pattern shows for the finished product. I changed the stripping pattern a little bit. My confidence is growing as I feel like the bag is still going to look great and I did not have to be a literalist for this one!

Felted Knitting Bag Update

Here it is, as promised...here is my knitting bag after a week of knitting.
I was knitting every chance I got:

• while watching The Bachelor, and the View. Thank you God for the person who invented the DVR!
• (Yes, I secretly watch the Bachelor, well not anymore! I am so intrigued by the whole scenario.)
  
• when I got to school early to pick up kids.
• in the doctors office waiting room.
• while watching the View.
• during swimming lessons.

I really lost out on time last night. I forgot that today is the day to celebrate St. Valentine's Day at school. With some elementary schoolers in our house we had a lot of Valentine's to write out!!

This weekend appears to be rather empty of plans, let's see if I can get to the bottom border by Sunday night!

Knitting with Corn

I finished knitting a piece with my corn yarn. I started with the hank above and then started knitting...


I started knitting with my favorite size 9 bamboo needles. The knit is a bit too loose, so this was ripped out. I began again with size 7 needles...
Here it is on my ironing board. I will need to figure out how to block it. I know that blocking can be important...just not sure exactly how to approach this one. Laura, from 3 Kittens told me that one of her customers said that her project melted on the edges when she ironed it!! I didn't know corn could melt. Did it smell like popcorn?

Anyway, the feel of this piece seems more appropriate for a wash cloth than a dish cloth. The curly edges are bugging me, so I will need to look into this one!

Knitted Valentine Ideas

I receive newsletters from many different yarn shops and yarn sellers. There were some super cute Valentine ideas in the Lion Brand newsletter this week.

Some of the things you can make are socks, cute little envelopes, heart string mittens, a valentine pouch, love birds, etc. There is even a no knit or crochet pattern for kids (probably grown ups too) http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?search=Search&store=%2Fstores%2Feyarn&resultPageTemplate=ResultPage.html&resultItemTemplate=ResultItem.txt&noResultPageTemplate=NoResultPage.html&case=no&primaryServer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lionbrand.com&minPrice=0&noBoolean=1&searchText=valentine&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&sT=1 Yes, that's the biggest link I have ever seen!

If you have a few moments for some creativity this week give them a try! I will be continuing to work on my knitting bag to see how far I can get by Friday!

It's time for a Knitting Bag

When I knit I have gotten into the habit of using the bag the yarn came in to hold it. Usually, not the best choice! A. It is so full there is no wiggle room to grab a color from the bottom. B. The scissors and stitch markers get lost in the shuffle. C. The needle points poke through the bag. Can you see the rip in the really thin plastic? I'm not sure that this bag will make it through the project. I am posting a challenge to myself to see how far I can get by Friday...I'll share with you on Friday. What I didn't realize when I started this project is that I am knitting the bag from the top down. Here is what I have so far...

This looks like a huge bag. The last step is to felt it. Ok, I must start knitting to see how far I can get my Friday!

Handknit Dishcloths

I went to visit my mom Sunday afternoon for a movie (The Changeling) and knitting time. I made a lot of progress on my knitting bag, more on that later.





When I arrived, my mom showed me what she had been working on...

Dishcloths are so versatile. You can use any color you want and you can make any pattern you want. They are a great way to practice a new stitch before moving on to a larger project! And who doesn't appreciate a new dishcloth?

Yarn Made from corn? Yup, I have some!

Today I went to one of my favorite local yarn shops, www.3kittensneedlearts.com to follow up on Laura's recommendation of the linen yarn for dish cloths. I looked through the colors and decided on a cantaloupe colored hank. The linen feels very stiff. Apparently after it is washed it becomes very soft.

While I was browsing I found a pretty apple green colored yarn. When I touched it the softness was surprising after handling the linen yarn. The most surprising thing to me was the fiber content. It is 100% corn! I can't even begin to imagine how some kernels of corn get transformed into this...



We will be getting more dish cloths soon!!

Knitted Dish Cloths are the greatest!

We are back into knitted dish cloth mode at our house! I knitted several over the weekend. One (the blue one) during the very fun but disappointing in the end, Viking Game. The top one I started while getting the oil changed and finished in the carpool line. No I do not knit and drive! The carpool line is full of great pauses. It sure does take the kids a long time to get into a car with all their snow gear! The fall and spring line do not pause enough for me to knit. So, hey, take advantage of the time given!

My experimental dish cloth, the blue and mango stripped one has been through one use and wash. I will keep you all posted as the wear develops. If you are new, I am watching the wear progress of two different yarns knitted into one dish cloth.

My latest accomplishment is that I have loosened up on my casting off! Remember, the Minnesota State Fair judging sheet said that my casting off was a bit tight. This is true of the blue/mango dish cloth above. Note the blue edge on the right. So, being very aware of this I think I am improving as you can see in the variegated dish cloth above.

The Yarn Arrived and I am knitting again!

The yarn came from www.knitpicks.com in just a few days and it was so fun to open. The colors jumped out at me, they were just what I was expecting!! These colors are so fresh and alive! The website color swatches were a very close match to the actual colors I saw in my box when it arrived.

I also started to knit my knitting bag. It had to cast on 192 stitches to start. I think this is my biggest project to date. I used my stitch markers after every set of 20 stitches while casting on. Then it was easier to count as I added more and more stitches. Now I just need one at the beginning of the loop.

Now for a bit of time in front of the fireplace knitting before everyone comes home!!

Yarn Comparisons with a Knitted Dish Cloth

I have been very busy making dish cloths. Making dish cloths goes quickly and we really needed some! I started to think about the quality of my dishcloths.

As I shopped for yarn the thrifty side of me bought Sugar and Cream yarn at Wal-Mart for 1.59 for 50g ball of cotton yarn. Then I went to The Three Kittens yarn shop in Mendota Heights, MN www.3kittensneedlearts.com. They are my favorite goto yarn shop for knitting help in the afternoons, and for a beautiful selection of yarns. I asked Laura about dish cloth yarns and did they have something a step up from the Sugar and Cream. She showed me a great color selection from CoolSpun Cotton. It cost 2.75 for a 50g ball of yarn. I selected a pretty sky blue and a great spring colored variegated ball.

Next I came home and knit this dish cloth.


The feel of the two yarns the mango(Sugar and Cream) vs. the blue (CoolSpun Cotton) was very similar. I was curious about how each yarn would hold up after cleaning a kitchen used by 7 people and lots of washing. Today I will weave in the loose ends and then put it to use with our chicken with oriental vegetables dinner.

One other yarn that Laura showed me was a beautiful 100% Linen hank of yarn. Wow! It looked beautiful! Once I complete this project I may just splurge on the $24.00 yarn and see how the linen looks (I'm sure it will be beautiful) and holds up in the laundry.

I found the yarn for the knitting bag!

Once I found the pattern for my knitting bag it did not take too long for me to find the yarn I wanted.

The pattern called for Patons Classic Wool 100g. Of course it did! The pattern was created by Patons. However, being the thrifty woman that I am I looked around the Internet to find a good deal. When I looked on Patons the classic wool was not on sale. So, I browsed around several on line yarn stores. I found what I was looking for on www.knitpicks.com. I enjoyed the easy browsing feature and the sale on 100% Peruvian Highland Wool.

I redesigned the colors of the bag. I went with my personal favorite combination of navy blue, yellow, green, and white.

When the yarn arrives I will share the colors I selected. I am curious to see how close the color swatches on my monitor compare with the actual colors.

I need a new Knitting Bag!

As you can see from the photo, I am in need of a new knitting bag.!

I'm not even sure where this cute paper bag with ribbon handles came from. I love the rectangle shape. It can hold a few small projects at the same time, yet is shallow enough that there is not too much hiding on the bottom of the bag. However, the paper is not holding up well, and I have lost a few items out of the bottom corner...

So, my search began. Of course the thrifty side of me started by looking for a free pattern. BINGO! I found one. It is unbelievable how many free patterns are out there! The trick of course is can you follow the instructions??? That is a post for another day.

I started by googling felted knitting bags. You could spend a whole day, maybe even a whole weekend looking through all the patterns. I finally found one that I liked through the ravelry.com web site.

This was found at www.patonsyarns.com, via the Ravelry web site. The things I like about this bag are the big opening at the top, the attached handles, and the ability I have to make it a bit shorter so it is more of a rectangle. Also, this will help me to achieve another of my goals for 2010, felting something.

Next, finding the yarn for the project...

Weavers Guild of Minnesota Open House

Here is a great opportunity to see the Weavers Guild of Minnesota in action. They are having an open house this Sunday, January 16th from 11:00 - 2:00.

They have a great gift shop with knitted, felted, crocheted, and woven items. Also, this is a great place to buy gifts. They have jewelry, scarves, handbags, and my personal favorite...the bargain room.

That is where I bought some interesting yarns.

I have not had a chance to use the glow in the dark purple yet!

I'm Rolling My Eyes Now!!

OK I can cross of goal #11 off my list. I now know how to make a knitted ruffled edge.

I found out through some very basic research one way to make the ruffle on the edge of your knitting. Also, my mom let me know of another way.

Option 1 Thanks MOM!!
If you will be knitting with size 8 needles for the main part of your item, then start with size 11 and knit for a row, then switch to size 10 for a row, then switch to size 9 for a row, then switch to size 8 for the remainder of your work.

Option 2 Thanks Google!!
Cast on four times as many stitches as you need. In the first row knit 2 stitches together across the row. In the second row knit or purl 2 stitches together across the row.

HELLO!!!

So cool, now I'll have to try it.

One more Goal for 2010

Learning to knit a ruffled edge is my #11 for 2010.

I have always wondered how this is done. It is probably super easy and I'll roll my eyes once the mystery is revealed to me.

Baby blankets for Africa

While I am in my lull waiting to be inspired for the next great project, or starting in on my 2010 resolutions...I have been working on a baby blanket. In Africa many newborn babies die because of the cold. A lot of Africa is desert, so even though it is very hot in the day time, it is also cold in the night.

The blankets need to be about 30 x 30 inches. They can be made from cotton or acrylic yarn, NO wool is recommended! They also like light colored yarn. I'm not sure why this is??

If you feel inspired to help, or just need to knit something for someone else, you will find all the information you need at the Global Health Ministries. http://www.ghm.org.