Mixed Creation

I've been tinkering around awhile with the idea of something made with both knit and crochet.  I was finally able to come to an agreement that I just needed to start it and then make up my mind while doing it as usuall. I started a regular glove ( I lost my last fall gloves and wanted some with the same brown/orange and green color scheme) with brownKnit & Crochet Combined: Best of Both Worlds 2/2 rib knit with some larger needles ( my smaller ones were still engaged in the end of my last project!) , size 9, and made it the regular 13 rows of 32 sts and bound it off in rib.  I then sewed the seams together and started to crochet the row I casted on with orange yarn.  Of course by the time I finished the glove, I had definitely done my share of ripping rows and changing patterns and colors but was satisfied with the resulting project!  Now to finish the other one!

If you are interested in this kind of art, you can find a book like this one on Amazon.

New Shopping Conquests!!

I love wandering around the Mission here and finding treasures.  Today was definitely a day for treasures!  I found 4 Boyds circular needles still in the package for only 99 cents!  I have been needing some too!  I also found a bag of yarn for  59 cents and about a yard of charcoal fleece that I have some plans for making ...wait for it...fingerless gloves...noticing a trend?  Ok...so I am just a little addicted to these things but who doesn't need a set of gloves Huh?  At any rate, I have had this idea on my mind for a little bit and also on my to-buy list so I was very glad to see some also for just 59 cents.  Next week, after I come out of the school is starting for my 5 kids, coma , I will have lots of fun creating!  Yay!  Can't wait till next week!  What is your next project?  Are you excited to start anything new?

Alpaca wool mix fingerless glove

I really love this new charcoal alpaca wool blend!  This is the first time though that I have experimented with cables and it was surprisingly simple.  I made these flat as I didn't feel like messing around with 4 needles yesterday : P   I realized halfway through that they would probably be a little tighter with the cable and being made from a wool blend.  However, they didn't turn out too tight.  My 12 year old is wearing the one in this photo and still has circulation..lol...   I came up with the idea for the stripes after seeing some leftover scraps from other projects I have worked on recently lying in a pile on the floor by the yarn basket.  I really like the stripes best on the back without the cabling, though.  The top by the fingers is just rolled but was a little tighter around the thumb and stayed put.  Whatever happens, someone's hands will be Very warm this fall and winter!   If you are thinking of trying out cables for the first time,  Amazon has a few books on the subject---

New gloves knitted a few weeks ago

This is one of the new fingerless gloves I have designed and knitted recently.  Made from royal blue acrylic, brown cotton and citron acrylic, they have a rolled top over fingers and the thumb.  I experimented with ridges made with either 2 knitted rows or two purled rows according to the look.  I also made a little v in both sides as a thumb hole and used an invisible verticle seam to put the thumb together with the glove.  I will be selling this pattern soon on etsy so let me know if you would like a pdf copy.

Learning to knit (or improving your knitting skills)

For years I tried to learn to knit from a book with no luck.  I finally wised up and used the internet tool YouTube.  What a great tool to have for anyone wanting to learn practically anything!  I was soon casting on and knitting and purling all day!  Although YouTube was great for the minor things, I soon realized that searching all the listings for specific knowledge was not so fast.  I started looking out for instructional manuals and recently hit on an outstanding book called "Teach Yourself Visually Knitting" !  From this book, I have added the following skills: knitting in the round, cabling, how to pick up dropped stitches, how to increase and decrease stitches in almost any situation,how to unravel,etc..  In addition to being the best how-to book I have seen (and now happily own : ) ), it was the best $25.00 I have spent so far on crafting!  Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!  You can find it online at Amazon with the link to the left.

A New Project!

I decided to take a side jaunt into JoAnns today to see if my change would stretch into a few needles, some yarn and a couple of other needed items for knitting as well as a sheet of foam for a new mouse pad(which works great and was only 69 cents!). Not too many sales going on for the yarn that I wanted...I can never find enough charcoal color...but at least the hooks and needles were on sale for 25 % off. Getting to the counter however, I noticed a girl behind the counter ( I say girl but she has been an adult for at least 2 years...vanity, thy name is woman...) that I previously taught in church when she was about 13! She waves me over and says that she will give me a discount! Yay!! Got 40% off on almost everything and was Indeed able to stretch my change! I have to admit, God is always in the middle of everything! Now to get busy knitting in the round this time with my new double pointed needles...I am thinking to start my learning off with just gloves, then move on to hats and maybe...much later...socks. : )