Free Pattern

I was having fun playing with the Mini Mochi Yarn from Crystal Palace. The yarn was named for the owner's cat, Mochi. :-) So I thought it would be humorous to make a "people" collar instead of a cat collar, and asked my good friend, Karen, to model it. :-) Click here for the free pattern.

Making progress!

I made a mistake in my numbers and made the first Mochi Eyes socks (with CP's Mini Mochi yarn) WAY too big, so I frogged it and started again. It's taking shape!!

Christmas Ornament

At the FatQuarters (Grove City OH) Guild meeting on Tuesday evening, everyone was given an ornament to make! They are SO cute. They were designed to be embroidered, preferably the buttonhole stitch, but I was in a hurry, so I used some of the quilting sts on my machine. And then glued a star to the center.

Mini Mochi

I'm playing with the new Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace. I really like it! It's so soft and makes up so cool. It's a single ply, self-striping yarn that comes in some vibrant colors! I'm so excited. When I get the socks done, I want to make a "hugger" (half choker/half collar), I think. And I'm using new bamboo circs from Crystal Palace instead of Clover. I like the CP ones better!!!

I can't believe I did it upside down!

FO!

I finally finished the Toe-Up Panda Sup Twist sock!! The yarn is rom Crystal Palace and the color name is "Mint Print." Despite the broken size 1 bamboo circs. It's all blocked. Now I need to finish writing up the pattern! :)

Quilting

I've been playing with the "antique" quilting stitches on my Pfaff 2058. This is the wrong (non-public) side of a pocket on a tote bag I'm making. The stitches show up really well here since the backing is not pieced and is a dark color with light thread. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

WOW! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since JUNE! You know what they say - time flies when you're having fun, and I've been having a blast! LOVE being retired. Just too busy, though!

I've been playing with the new Panda Superwash from Crystal Palace. Love that, too! The yarn is soft and easy to work with. I'm so excited they came out with a superwash sock yarn!! I started this sock with a lacy rib leg, but it was way too loose, so I frogged the leg (it's a toe-up pattern) and am trying a small cable. Here's what I have so far! (It's too soon to tell if the cabling will be tight enough.)

Charm Party Tote

Well, I finally finished it! I cut out the pieces probably well over a month ago, but it's been just the last couple days I've been able to work on it, get it quilted, sew it up, etc. but now it's done!!! Yippee!!!!! (Considering I took the pic with my cell phone, it's not to bad!) :-)

Pay It Forward Knitting Style

I joined in this fun project from GrammieKnits. I can't wait to see what happens!

How it works:
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Please send your private information to me via email at: KyleAnn@columbus.rr.com with the following information:1) Color(s) you like2) Color(s) you do not like3) Your mailing address ~ international knitters are welcome to play4) Your blog urlThe first three people to comment here and then email me will receive a confirmation from me letting you know the "fun has begun"! Once you receive the confirmation you will need to post the Pay it Forward challenge on your blog so the fun can continue.

He ain't heavy - he's my brudder!

2 quilts

I have a good friend whose 4-yo son was diagnosed with autism
about a year ago. I wanted to do something special, so I googled for autism. I found out that the logo for autistic children is the puzzle piece. So I designed the little quilt on the right. Someone told me later that an autistic logo quilt has already been designed, but I haven't been able to find it on the internet.

However, you can't give one little boy a quilt and not give his little brother a quilt, so I designed the friendship star quilt on the left for his little brother. The fabric used is the same fabric as that on the right - it just doesn't show up as well, perhaps because it has no red in it.

8th Grade Dinner

My granddaughter's school hosts a dinner for the 8th graders as they "transition" to high school. The 7th graders help with set up and decorating and staff help prepard the food.

Here is Jennifer, about a week or so before her birthday!

Jennifer's First Quilted Bag

My dgd, Jennifer, now 15, has never sewn before. She came over one evening after a tragic event at her school and found my ddil and me sewing tote bags. Jenn decided she wanted to make something, too. I found a pattern for a cute Mini Charmer bag. I showed her how to cut out the squares and she did it all herself. Then, using my (brand new) sewing machine, I took her through the construction, step by step. She pressed open her own seams. The bag is on the left and the "inside" is pictured on the right. Over all, I think she did a very nice job!

Soakers

Soakers are back! If you aren't from that era, soakers are knit or crocheted in wool and used over cloth diapers. A grandmother who teaches in one of the schools in the school district from which I retired has twin grandchildren, about 19-months-old. Momma wants to use soakers but doesn't knit or crochet. A mutual friend suggested grandmother call me. Here are the soakers I made for little Sebastian out of Lion Brand Wool Prints and the pattern is Curly Purly soakers, a free internet pattern. One of my teddies in my Bear Parade on my stairs graciously agreed to model.

Celebration! Socks

I have fallen in love with Crystal Palace’s Panda Silk, especially the variegated colorways. The Fern (#4005) reminds me of the lush, verdant greens of Spring and Summer and of the celebration of new life. What better way to celebrate my husband’s affirmation of life since the recurrence of his cancer than to create a sock that can be worn by either of us. This pattern/kit will be available in June for members of the Yahoo group, Sockathon.

Panda Silk DK!!

I love Panda Silk. I love DK. Ergo, I adore Panda Silk DK!!!! Here is a "hugger" I made - part collar, part choker. This DK is a dream to work with. Very luscious. I used Size 6 (US) needles and got a gauge of 6 sts / inch. :-)

More Puffin Slipper Socks

Remember the slipper socks I made for my friend about a month or so ago? Well, I've now made them in size medium and large! And I have a request for 3 more pairs!!! I'm going to teach them how to make these. LOL

Blizzard '08 - March 08, 2008

Well, we've been in blizzard conditions for about 18 hours now, with about another 8 projected before it switches to "winter storm" conditions. Snow depth in my community right now is about 10", but other parts of the county/state have more. There are over 300 closings around the central part of the state.

What a wonderful day to knit!!! We are fortunate that we still have power, meaning heat, TV/radio, etc., although I'm still in my "jammies." I'm being "bad" because I am working on my entrelac shawl design with the Crystal Palace Merino 5 rather than finishing up the kimono. I must, must, must make myself get it done! All I need to do is finish the band and sew it on! Why do I allow myself to get so side-tracked??? I am not going to allow myself to cut out my next "charity" quilt until I finish the kimono. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!

Card Trick - March 07, 2008

Talk about creating a monster! The friends who "turned me on" to quilting have done just that. I have some quilt software (EQ6) and have been playing with it. While scanning through a book on how to make quilts, I saw a picture of a block called "Card Trick." I fell in love with it! I could just picture it in primary colors, made out of flannel for a little boy. (One of the local quilt guilds makes charity quilts for children. Can't remember the name of the organization.)

But anyway, I played with the Card Trick block on the EQ6 software and made the design, cutting templates, etc. for the quilt top you see here. It was so much FUN! I still have to get the batting, back it, and do the machine quilting and then it will be done.

The picture on the right is the design drawing and the left is the actual quilt.

But first, off to work on some of knitting! I'm designing an entrelac shawl using Crystal Palace Yarns' Merino 5 (a superwash wool), and it is working up beautifully! And it's so soft!
I just love retirement!!!!! Especially today, when we're in the middle of a snowstorm, with a possible accumulation in the double-digits! It's nice and cozy and safe and warm in my house with my yarn and my quilt.

Once upon a time - February 27, 2008

this is a short "story" written in the summer of 2003.

Once upon a time, there lived a lady who was not too old and not too young – she was just the right age. She belonged to several knitting lists – not too many, not too few, just the right number. Since she wanted to make the May sock from one of the knitting groups, she searched her stash for just the right yarn, not too thick, not too thin, but just right. She chose a shade that was not too dark and not too light, but just the right shade. She cast on the right number of stitches, not too many, not too few, just enough, for two socks on two circs.

The next day she had to go to the doctor’s office and took her knitting with her. Her wait in the office was not just right or too short – it was too long. But she did manage to knit the entire foot of her sock, not too long, not too short, but just the right length – 6.5” Then, OH NO, she hadn’t planned for a visit that was too long, and didn’t have her instructions with her! What to do?
Well, the doctor finally came and the visit was not too long and not too short, but just right to cover the situation. So she went on her merry way to have lunch with her son. Driving down the freeway, not too fast, not too slow, but just the right speed, she heard a POP! and then the van swerved. She pulled off to the side and discovered a flat tire. No one stopped to help – not too many, not the right number, but too few! No one. So she called her son for help and started changing the tire herself. As she was nearly finished, someone finally stopped and finished for her.

When her son arrived, she followed him to the local tire shop, which she discovered was the actual shop where her DH had bought the tire two weeks before. The shop said it would be about an hour before the tire could be replaced, which gave her enough time for lunch – not too long, not too short. However, when she got back, the van was not finished, it was not even inside the shop. And no instructions to work on her knitting. What to do? What to do?

She called her “bestest” friend!!! The friend signed onto the internet and pulled up the sock pattern. The friend read just enough instructions for her to do the heel – not too much, not too little, just the right amount of instructions. She happily knit one heel and then the van was finished! So she packed up her knitting and went quickly home.

She remembered she had a library book in the van that needed to be returned, so she stopped at the library. It didn’t take too long or too short a time to return the book, but just enough. When she went back to the van, she discovered she had locked her keys inside! Oh dear! What next? Then she remembered that the rear hatch didn’t lock properly. She lifted the hatch and all the alarms when off! She crawled through the van, got her keys, and unlocked the van and drove off. When she finally returned home, she wondered, “What next??”

First Quilt in Progress - February 20, 2008

It's a Mystery Quilt from the Fat Quarters Quilt Guild, started by my friend Karen Lane and her sister, Kristina Gutierrez and meets at Always in Stitches in Grove City OH the first Tuesday of each month. Patty Estadt designed this one and my new daughter-in-law, Mary, selected the color families. I had a lot of fun piecing the Mystery Quilt Top and am now learning a LOT the HARD WAY about machine quilting it!! I'll post another pic when it is completed.

Pink is for February! - February 13, 2008

A very dear friend from church just had her 5th child. She mentioned the other day that her hormones are so out of whack that she hasn't been warm since Andrew was born (and that's been at least 6 weeks ago now!) She specifically mentioned that her feet are always freezing! So when I saw the CP "colour" contest (see http://socksandmorewithcpy.blogspot.com/), and that February's color is pink, I remembered the pink Puffin yarn from CPY that I have and thought instantly of making Debbie some slippers.

Debbie is a very petite, feminine woman. So I thought that instead of plain ol' slipper socks, I'd make a pair with a cable around the cuff. And since I didn't want to fool with ribbing, I decided to do seed st on either side of the cable so that the fabric wouldn't roll. Liked the look of the seed st so much that I decided to to the rest of the sock that way. I used the EOP (eye of partridge) heel flap so that the ridges of the traditional heel flap wouldn't conflict with the seed st. The EOP, however, didn't show up the way I'd hoped!

This slipper sock was a surprisingly quick knit - especially in view of the fact that I started the day with a severe migraine (so bad that I was not capable of driving home after Bible Study!) Fortunately, I'd already "pictured" what I wanted to make and the actual knitting was of the "no brainer" variety. Just set to automatic pilot and GO! And after taking enough meds and the peace and CALM of knitting, I'm feeling much better now.

The scans are kinda washed out - picture a nice, soft, baby pink.

A Quilting First - February 08, 2008

I am learning to quilt. I found a box of quilt pieces/blocks that my grandmother made and these are anywhere from 60 to 100 years old. Gotta talk to someone who knows about these things!

Anyway, I want to work on her quilt pieces, but I don't know what I'm doing. So I joined a local guild - Fat Quarters Guild - here in Grove City and they are nurturing me through the process. Tracie needs a new cover for the pad on top of her grandmother's cedar chest and I thought I'd get brave and make one in the same color scheme as her Amish-made quilt. With the help of the guild and another friend, here is my first finished quilt piece. It's so far from perfect (yes, I cut off the points deliberately, a MAJOR no-no in quilting) and the actual quilting was a quick-and-dirty process, but it's done. I love it, I'm proud of it, and I think Tracie will love it, too. 'Course, she can't have it till after the March Show-n-Tell at Fat Quarters! lol

Fun afternoon - December 28, 2007

My granddaughter is on the left and Sarah is on the right, learning to purl.

A New Shawl Pattern! - December 28, 2007

I found another fun, easy shawl pattern! It's from Knitted Shawls, Stoles, & Scarves by Nancie M. Wiseman. I'm making the "Lavender Linen Lace Shawl" in pale yellow Egyptian cotton. The pattern calls for a size 4 needle, with the cotton works better with a size 5.
Today is my wedding anniversary! My hubby is helping a friend out, and when he gets home, we're going out to celebrate. Right now, for 14-yo granddaughter, Jennifer, and her friend, Sarah, are over her knitting. It's a lot of fun and very relaxing! I'll post a picture shortly.

Peggy Shawl - December 27, 2007

What a wonderful way to wrap up a year. Crystal Palace has posted pictures of the Peggy Shawl that I made with their Kid Merino (really luscious, luxurious yarn!!) You can see all 4 pics on the same page at http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns/scarves/kidm-lace-peggy-shawl.html. Thanks, CP, for this opportunity!!!!

This is the shawl that I have made MANY times, designed by Jackie E-S of HeartStrings Fiber Arts. I have used various weights and types yarn, but the Kid Merino is the most spectacular! The Peggy Shawl is my first *real* experience with lace shawls. I was totally intimated until I found this pattern. Now it's like creating a monster. I have made other lace shawl patterns, but this remains my favorite. It is now like an old friend and when I need a "comfort knit", I pull out this pattern, whatever yarn "speaks" to me, and appropriate needles. then, VOILA! I'm one happy camper.

Bummed - December 16, 2007

I got in 3 straight hours of knitting tonight on the Kimono. There was a play at church and we got there an hour early to get decent seats. The play itself was 2 hours long. I got 11" done on the kimono. Got home, and discovered a dropped stitch from earlier on and had to frog 12". I'm now done frogging and tearing out my hair; will take a DEEP breath, and knit on!! The good news is that this will be beautiful when it is done.

Ready to Wrap! - December 15, 2007

I was able to finish Tom's shirt!!! He thought I was working on the fleece jacket I made for his younger son. I purchased 3 ties that will go great with this shirt, and as you can see, placed one on the shirt for wrapping. The other two will each be wrapped in separate boxes. I'm pretty sure he has no clue. He knew I was having trouble finding decent apparel fabric (I want to make me some blouses, too). He was running errands when I got it cut out and when I did the majority of the sewing. He's hard to buy for and very hard to surprise, but I think maybe I just might have succeeded this year.

Another Peggy's Shawl finished! - December 15, 2007

I'm so glad I changed from Nora's shawl (Wrapped in Comfort) to Peggy's Shawl. It really seems to show off the colors better with this particular yarn. Cheri (modeling the shawl) was thrilled to get the finished shawl in time for her to present it to a dear friend for Christmas.
I have some Panda Silk from Crystal Palace in Nutmeg (#4002), one of the new colors for 2008. It is BEAUTIFUL! (check out the yarns at http://www.Straw.com) I can't wait to make a shawl with it, but can't decide on yet another Peggy's Shawl, the Nora shawl, Scotch Thistle Lace Stole (by Jackie ES of HeartStrings Fiber Arts), or Ivy Trellis Lace Stole (also by Jackie). Oh, decisions, decisions, decisions!!!!!

But first, I must finish the Merino Frappe Kimono, which Crystal Palace is featuring as one of the Ample Knits. It's beautiful, too!!!

I'm also taking time out to make a People Cozy by Lion Brand. It's a "wearable afghan." Made with size 50 needles and 4 strands of yarn - 2 different colors of Wool Ease Thick & Quick, 1 of Homespun, and 1 of Wool Ease. It's fun, and it's fast. I also need to get some socks designed. On top of all the Christmas holiday activities, taking a cake decorating class, working as a consultant with the schools, and volunteering with the schools once a week. Not to mention the heavy schedule of classes I am giving in January! My goodness, just typing all this makes me tired!
It's snowing right now, but it's supposed to turn to rain tonight, and then snow again tomorrow. I need to finish sewing the silk shirt I'm giving my Mr. Wonderful for Christmas. My son, Dean, and his fiance Mary, are going to Louisiana for Christmas with her folks, so we are celebrating tomorrow with them. The rest of the family will also gather on Christmas Eve, as usual. So now I need to get some gifts wrapped and finish decorating the tree!! It's up, with lights, but that's all!!!!!

Two More Projects! - December 01, 2007

Today's been a busy day! Went to the Mid-Ohio Knitting Guild's (MOKG) "retreat" at the Whetstone Library. I was working well on "Nina's Ann Arbor Shawl" from the book Wrapped In Comfort by Alison Jeppson Hyde. In fact, I had only two pattern repeats left and I would be done! AND THEN!!! My cable on my circular needle broke and the shawl feel off. And, of course, I didn't have a lifeline!! I couldn't get all those YO's picked up, stitches were running, and I ended up frogging the whole thing. Fortunately, I had taken another project along - the Merino Frappe Kimono from Crystal Palace - http://straw.com/cpy/patterns/merinof_kimono.html. I'm making it out of Merino Stripes with Merino Frappe for the front/collar band. As you can see, I got a lot down in just a few hours. It goes quickly!!!!!

However, the Nina shawl is for a friend at church. I called her and told her the bad news, but she was quite philosophical about it. I told her I was going to start again today, but that it would be a totally different shawl. That was fine with her. And, of course, you should be able to guess what I've started (2nd picture) - OF COURSE!! PEGGY'S SHAWL. I think this is number 5 off that pattern. Or is it number 6?????

FINISHED!!!! - November 30, 2007

As you can see, I am blocking the beautiful Peggy's Shawl (designed by Jackie E-S of HeartStrings Fiber Arts, made with Kid Merino from Crystal Palace Yarns). It is now 8:23 p.m. (EST) and the shawl is so lightweight, so gossamer, so beautiful, that I have no doubt it will be dry by morning. The picture is a little washed out - new camera, new computer, old knowledge. As I learn more, I'll be able to do better.

Progress Report! - November 25, 2007

This is a not-so-wonderful picture of a beautiful shawl. You may remember when I first started it. This is Peggy's Shawl by Jackie E-S of HeartStringsFiberArts made with Crystal Palace's Kid Merino in Strawberries and Limes. It is so light and airy, gossamer, if you will. It's nearly done and then I can block it. I'll post a pic of the finished shawl.

Tote (Diaper) Bag - November 24, 2007

My daughter, Tracie, and I belong to the yahoo group, KnitNPlay. It's a knitting exchange group that replaced the KnitExchange. Currently, it is a VERY small group, but ListMom is hoping it will grow. Our first swap is a bag swap. My partner likes relatively large bags, so when Tracie found a diaper bag pattern on the label of Caron Simply Soft, we both knew this was the pattern to make for our partners. It is roomy enough for a fairly large project, with pockets to hold accessories, needles, etc. For me, making it was rather slow, because it is made with double strands of yarn and the Twisted Stockinette Stitch, meaning that every knit stitch is worked in the back loop. I just couldn't get a rhythm going and it really aggravated my hand and wrist. But that twisted stitch gives it a body and sturdiness. I'm rather pleased with the completed project. But now I have to get it into the mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update on Silken Ease - November 24, 2007

Here is a beautiful picture of the Silken Ease, taken by Crystal Palace Yarns. It shows the purl side of the work, which only proves that it's beautiful as a reversible scarf! (total modesty here, of course! )