Cute hand knit Christmas socks:
http://yarnloopie.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-socks.html
I follow a lot of hand knitting blogs and see lots of beautiful projects. I like to hand knit, but obviously am short on time. Whenever I get whiny about not having enough knitting time, I think about some of the hand knitting bloggers who get SO much done!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Adorable Free Pattern at Marzipanknits!
Mar's got a terrific site and I always keep an eye on it.
Now she has a baby Santa hat for you to knit, complete with instructions, at her site:
http://marzipanknits.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-machine-knit-pattern-for-baby.html
Now she has a baby Santa hat for you to knit, complete with instructions, at her site:
http://marzipanknits.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-machine-knit-pattern-for-baby.html
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Decorating the Christmas Tree
We finally decorated our Christmas tree this afternoon. This lovely cut tree had been sitting there, carefully set up in its stand since last weekend, but we didn't find time or energy to do the job.
But it's up now, and sparkling. We always do an old-fashioned, mixed-up tree, and I always enjoy pulling out the old ornaments; for instance, Steven's picture on a juice can lid with lace around it, the "Baby's First Christmas" ornament my mom needlepointed for John, the plastic doves from our wedding cake, the tiny stuffed teddy bears we bought when we were first married, and some of the wonderful knitted, tatted, and porcelain ornaments my knit club girlfriends have made for me.
As I sit here, contemplating a weekend where I didn't do a lick of knitting and feeling a little guilt because I've got some lovely projects lined up, I read my mail and a friend sent a link to this fun video of dogs decorating a Christmas tree:
http://www.wimp.com/christmastree/
Enjoy. And I'll enjoy my finished tree!
But it's up now, and sparkling. We always do an old-fashioned, mixed-up tree, and I always enjoy pulling out the old ornaments; for instance, Steven's picture on a juice can lid with lace around it, the "Baby's First Christmas" ornament my mom needlepointed for John, the plastic doves from our wedding cake, the tiny stuffed teddy bears we bought when we were first married, and some of the wonderful knitted, tatted, and porcelain ornaments my knit club girlfriends have made for me.
As I sit here, contemplating a weekend where I didn't do a lick of knitting and feeling a little guilt because I've got some lovely projects lined up, I read my mail and a friend sent a link to this fun video of dogs decorating a Christmas tree:
http://www.wimp.com/christmastree/
Enjoy. And I'll enjoy my finished tree!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Best Gifts for a Machine Knitter
I was thinking today that maybe there's a Santa-baby out there who is looking for excellent gift ideas for a beloved machine knitter.
Here are some of the accessories that machine knitters absolutely love - and I've included links:
1. Replacement ribber comb wires - these are so vastly better than the ones that come with the Brother ribbers that I think absolutely everyone who uses their ribber more than once a year needs a set! Purchase from Helen Griffiths. Be a hero for less than ten bucks! Bulky wires, long $2.50; standard wires long $2.25; and medium for bulky and standard same size $2.00.
2. Terrific garter bars from Kris Krafter. A little expensive, but quality U.S. construction and one of the most useful accessories to ever hit machine knitting! Contact Kris if you aren't sure about the sizes. And buy a stopper, for heaven's sake! I'll throw in a plug for my own garter bar course, if you know a knitter who has one and doesn't use it much.
3. For the beginner in your life, the Beginner's Course from my own products. The fact is, most of the machine knitters I know haven't had the opportunity to get a lot of personal lessons, and here is a big, fat assortment of video lessons in meticulous detail, enough to take anyone who practices them a little bit well out of the beginner stage.
4. A Jumbo Yarn Winder is a great thing for almost any knitter to have. I used to be a big fan of the regular small winders, but the Jumbo winder holds so much more yarn and winds so quickly that now I'm hooked on that one. Here's one from Amazon.
5. A new sponge bar. These things wear out, and once they're flat and yucky, the machine won't knit properly. I put in a link to the Knit Knack Shop, which has quite a lot of different sizes and is a great, fun place to browze for MK gifts.
6. Your knitter needs triangle weight hangers! This is an accessory that I use constantly. I carry them from machine to machine. These weight hangers work well in many different situations! This link is to Custom Knits and Manufacturing. She has a lot of fun things at her site, too.
7. A subscription to Country Knitting of Maine or Machine Knitting Monthly! Either of these magazines will give your knitter hours of enjoyment and inspiration.
I can easily think of two dozen other great gift ideas, and maybe some of my readers will chime in with great gift suggestions. Here are a few more: a yarn tree for storing lots of cones of yarn; The Prolific Knitting Machine, a wonderful book; Make Your Knitting Machine Sing, a book on tuning up your machine; or how about some luxurious cashmere yarn?
Here are some of the accessories that machine knitters absolutely love - and I've included links:
1. Replacement ribber comb wires - these are so vastly better than the ones that come with the Brother ribbers that I think absolutely everyone who uses their ribber more than once a year needs a set! Purchase from Helen Griffiths. Be a hero for less than ten bucks! Bulky wires, long $2.50; standard wires long $2.25; and medium for bulky and standard same size $2.00.
2. Terrific garter bars from Kris Krafter. A little expensive, but quality U.S. construction and one of the most useful accessories to ever hit machine knitting! Contact Kris if you aren't sure about the sizes. And buy a stopper, for heaven's sake! I'll throw in a plug for my own garter bar course, if you know a knitter who has one and doesn't use it much.
3. For the beginner in your life, the Beginner's Course from my own products. The fact is, most of the machine knitters I know haven't had the opportunity to get a lot of personal lessons, and here is a big, fat assortment of video lessons in meticulous detail, enough to take anyone who practices them a little bit well out of the beginner stage.
4. A Jumbo Yarn Winder is a great thing for almost any knitter to have. I used to be a big fan of the regular small winders, but the Jumbo winder holds so much more yarn and winds so quickly that now I'm hooked on that one. Here's one from Amazon.
5. A new sponge bar. These things wear out, and once they're flat and yucky, the machine won't knit properly. I put in a link to the Knit Knack Shop, which has quite a lot of different sizes and is a great, fun place to browze for MK gifts.
6. Your knitter needs triangle weight hangers! This is an accessory that I use constantly. I carry them from machine to machine. These weight hangers work well in many different situations! This link is to Custom Knits and Manufacturing. She has a lot of fun things at her site, too.
7. A subscription to Country Knitting of Maine or Machine Knitting Monthly! Either of these magazines will give your knitter hours of enjoyment and inspiration.
I can easily think of two dozen other great gift ideas, and maybe some of my readers will chime in with great gift suggestions. Here are a few more: a yarn tree for storing lots of cones of yarn; The Prolific Knitting Machine, a wonderful book; Make Your Knitting Machine Sing, a book on tuning up your machine; or how about some luxurious cashmere yarn?
Quick Gift - Mitten
How about knitting a mitten? These bulky mittens are really fun to make:
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-videos-bulky-mittens-ultimate.html
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-videos-bulky-mittens-ultimate.html
Quick Gift Idea - Easy Felted Slipper
I knit a lot of slippers and invent slipper patterns because I love to wear slippers. Some of them are nice for a bed slipper, some of okay for warmer times of the year, and then there are some that are intended to keep your feet warm in the coldest weather.
These felted slippers, are definitely in the cold weather category. Once they're felted and shrunk, they're amazingly thick and padded. Warm hairy things, a coordinating accessory to go with a bearskin rug or maybe to accessorize the hunky caveman who keeps you warm. Oops, I digress.
If you have never done a felted project, try these. These are rather entertaining to make. You have to watch them as they felt and shrink in the washing machine - because they change sizes pretty quickly. I actually was fishing them out of the Maytag and trying them on repeatedly (wet and nasty!) or getting lucky old John (what a good sport) to try on the mens' version, as they felted in the machine. They shrink and shrink until they fit someone or other!
These felted slippers, are definitely in the cold weather category. Once they're felted and shrunk, they're amazingly thick and padded. Warm hairy things, a coordinating accessory to go with a bearskin rug or maybe to accessorize the hunky caveman who keeps you warm. Oops, I digress.
If you have never done a felted project, try these. These are rather entertaining to make. You have to watch them as they felt and shrink in the washing machine - because they change sizes pretty quickly. I actually was fishing them out of the Maytag and trying them on repeatedly (wet and nasty!) or getting lucky old John (what a good sport) to try on the mens' version, as they felted in the machine. They shrink and shrink until they fit someone or other!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gift Idea - Flower Dishcloth to Handknit
I designed a whole assortment of hand knit round dishcloths, and haven't published it yet. This one is a great favorite, and I put the pattern on the blog.There are plenty of people who absolutely love good cotton dishclothes, and they make a nice small gift with handmade sentiment! Let's face it, a really beautiful round dishcloth is a 'way cooler gift than an ordinary square one.
If you're adept at hand knitting, this can be done in an evening while you watch (well, listen to) your favorite holiday movies:
We watched "Elf" last night. I laughed and laughed; from now on, when I see Bob Newhart, I'll be visualizing Papa Elf and when I see Ed Asner, I'll be seeing Santa.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Quick Gifts - Sew-As-You-Go Socks
Need a sock pattern that doesn't require a ribber or a genius at sewing seams? This is a readers' favorite pattern that I wrote for making low-rise gym socks.
For best results, use a good hand knitting sock yarn. In particular, I like 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. My sock recipients absolutely love the colorful self-striping sock yarns, which are available in all the local yarn shops as well as Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's.
This sock project is a little education in sew-as-you-go technique. Watch the video closely and then take your time on the first couple of these socks. Once you master the seaming technique, these are fairly fast to make.
For best results, use a good hand knitting sock yarn. In particular, I like 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. My sock recipients absolutely love the colorful self-striping sock yarns, which are available in all the local yarn shops as well as Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's.
This sock project is a little education in sew-as-you-go technique. Watch the video closely and then take your time on the first couple of these socks. Once you master the seaming technique, these are fairly fast to make.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Inspiration from Phil - Reindeer Sweater
A wonderful traditional fair isle sweater with a cut-and-sew neckline:
http://phil1987.blogspot.com/2011/12/well-reindeer-sweater-is-now-complete1.html
http://phil1987.blogspot.com/2011/12/well-reindeer-sweater-is-now-complete1.html
Quick Gift Idea - Warm Child's Hat
Here's another quick gift idea, the Warm Child's Hat. I worked out this pattern for a charity drive for warm clothing. It doesn't take much yarn, and hats are a very satisfying small project.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fast Gift Idea - Very Quick Afghan
Do you need a quick afghan? No seams? Wide enough without making panels? Here's an offering, the Luxury Throw, which I originally made in a thin chenille.
What you want to make this project, the Luxury Throw, go very, very fast is a big cone of smooth, easy yarn. You could make it on just about any machine with a ribber. The secret to the pattern, which is a sort of striped reversible English Rib, is I have the "front" side of the work on the ribber for a while, and then on the main bed.
What you want to make this project, the Luxury Throw, go very, very fast is a big cone of smooth, easy yarn. You could make it on just about any machine with a ribber. The secret to the pattern, which is a sort of striped reversible English Rib, is I have the "front" side of the work on the ribber for a while, and then on the main bed.
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