Owl Coozies

Last year I figured out double-pointed needles.  They are best for knitting things in the round that don't have as many stitches as projects such as hats where you would use a circular needle.  Here's what a project starts off looking like:

When working on double-pointed needles it is extremely important to pull the first stitch on a new needle very tightly otherwise there will be a seam.  It's also key to find a system that works for you once you have that fourth needle in your hand.  Additionally, this project requires cabling so at times I was using FIVE NEEDLES!  Making sure the stitches don't slide off the needles is another challenge.  Why would anyone think to knit with double-pointed needles with so many challenges?! 

I found this super cute coffee coozie pattern on ravelry.com.  Apparently owls are very "in" right now.  Plus, the picture looked super cute!  You already saw the start of the project on the double-pointed needles.  Here's how the project progressed:

After I did the coozie I added in little orange "beaks".  The project had to sit for a while after this because I had to special order googly eyes that could be sewn on.  I didn't want to chance hot glue on the yarn incase it didn't work.

I can not get over how cute this turned out.  There are five owls surrounding the coozie.  It's a little larger that I'd like for future coozies.  I think I'd use a different, thinner yarn so that it wouldn't be quite as tall.

If you're interested in the pattern you can find it here.  I can't wait to make more of these as well as other coffee coozies!

Supplies...

It's taken me a while, but I've learned quite a few things about knitting supplies.  I used to buy the cheapest yarn and just get a wide variety of colors.  In time I've been able to use a variety of yarns and now know what type to look for depending on how I want my end result to come out. 

Something else I struggled with early on was deciding what size needle to use.  A lot of patterns will be specific to a type of yarn and will tell you to "check your gauge".  I've never checked gauge in my knitting career.  I've also come to realize that you can use the pattern with any yarn you want, not just what is suggested.  In addition to that, I should be using the right size needle to go with the yarn selected.  So how do I know what that is?

On the labeling of the yarn there is some information telling you the thickness of the yarn (in this case "medium") and the size needle or crochet hook to use (in this case US8).  For the best results, I use the needle suggested or one bigger (in this example, 9).  The yarn will be the easiest to manuver and won't be too stretchy if you follow this suggestion.  I used to follow the pattern but that resulted in using needles that were either too big or too small for the yarn I had selected.

Another awesome thing I have is a case for all my needles.  I can't remember if I mentioned but when my grandma gave me all her supplies she had all her needles in an old Pringles can!  Super cool container, but it was hard to find what I was looking for without dumping everything out each time.  Last year for Christmas I got one of these, a great way to organize my needles, hooks and has a small zipper for my needle gauge and tape measure:

I got some new knitting supplies for Christmas that I'm pretty excited about.  I'm in the middle of knitting a scarf on a rectangular loom, I got interchangable needles with cables, a ball winder and a couple books.  At our house we have a spare room which we call "the office" which is really more of a giant closet.  I just got done cleaning up and organzing my yarn.  I have two huge totes of yarn, a basket full of scrap balls and a bag of generic colors.  I also have three bags of yarn that I've purchased for specific projects that aren't to be mixed with the rest.  Yesterday I purchased a 10-drawer organizer for the yarn cave as well.  I have my circular needles, printed patterns, buttons, tags, sewing kits and a project I am working on organized in there as well.

One of our resolutions for the New Year is to keep the house as clutter-free as possible.  I'm hoping that my organization of the yarn cave is a good start.  That way I have a place to keep all my supplies and projects when I'm not working on them.  While I don't have any knitted projects to share today, I am working on a blanket for the front room and a scarf for a friend.  Hopefully I'll have some to share soon!

Double-sided Knitting

Last year I did a search on Etsy looking for a pattern to do a shamrock scarf for St. Patrick's Day.  I was successful in finding one that I purchased for a few dollars.  At the time I had no clue what double-sided knitting was so I did some research, watched a couple YouTubes and was good to go.  The concept is that you cast on with two colors, knit with one and purl with the other and get a reversible scarf with a sweet pattern. 

As I've said before, getting started on projects is tough for me.  The original shamrock pattern I purchased ended up being far too wide of a project.  I was able to copy it into excel and alter the pattern for something more my style.  By playing with the size of the cells, I was able to create a template for future ideas that will transfer easily to the knit stitches rather than looking distorted.

The original scarf took me quite a while because it was my first one and I didn't have great technique.  However, since then I have had great successes....

I made this for my sister and she wore it for St. Patrick's Day 2011.  The number of compliments she received was overwhelming in addition to people wanting to purchase one!  One alteration I would make is the type of yarn I used.  It was a little thicker and not as "floppy" as some of the others but LOVED the colors together.

I mention my sister a lot...and I make her a lot of things.  We are huge Detroit Tiger fans so late September she asked me to make her another scarf, this time with the Olde English D.  After some Googling, I found a pattern that someone used to embroider the D into a pair of mittens.  Again, I copied the sketch into my Excel spreadsheet and made some alterations.  I had to finish this scarf on our way to ALCS Game 5 with Verlander on the mound against the Rangers (they won that game, but lost the series). 

Unlike the shamrock, the D is not reversible.  The backside of this scarf is white with a blue D but the D is backwards.  Not something we thought of while designing.  We go to a lot of baseball games and they aren't always warm so I know my sister will get tons of use out of this accessory.  Also, I used a different yarn with this scarf and liked it a lot better.  The yarn was thinner and provided more flexibility when wearing it (not as stiff). 

After my mom saw the D scarf she suggested I make my father a University of Michigan "M" scarf.  The M is easy...back to my template to design my stitching.  However, this time I wanted to do a little something different with the rest of the scarf.  Both the shamrock and the D had plain necks.  Originally I thought of doing horizontal stripes but decided that would take counting rows.  I went for vertical stripes instead.  I wanted to use the same yarn I used for the D scarf.  No place in town had the yellow I was looking for so I had to order online.

I'm really happy with how this turned out.  There were a few spots on the top and bottom of the M that I could have added an extra stitch for effect so will make notes for that the next time.  Just to give you an idea, here's how double sided knitting works.

When you cast on, you will use both colors held together.  Your first row you will knit one color and purl the other.  As you can see in the photo, your colors will be every other.  Remember, one blue and one yellow = 1 stitch.  If you knit a blue, you must purl a yellow to complete the stitch.  The best way for  me to know which one I need to knit and which one I need to purl is this: knit the color you want to have FACING you.  If you are switching colors, like where the M is yellow on the blue backing, you knit all the yellow stitches so you can see the yellow M.

As you can see, holding the two yarns can be a bit of a challenge.  In the top picture I am purling the yellow and in the bottom I am knitting the blue.  Again, once you develop a technique that works for you, it goes smoothly.  Every few rows I have to stop to untwist the two colors as the back and forth of knitting and purling tangles them.  These scarves also take a long time to work on because there is the constant back and forth of knitting and purling as well as working twice as many stitches as you would for a normal scarf.

I'll let you know how dad likes his scarf...he goes to quite a few games each year so hopefully it will come in handy!  Also, if you are interested in any of my pattern designs let me know and I'd be happy to email them along.  I already have an idea for a red and green Christmas tree for next year and would love a Tiger D scarf for myself!  A few more projects for the holidays before starting on a blanket to go along with furniture on order for our front room!

Edit: here is the M pattern in excel:

Injury and Updated Shrug

I had my work Christmas Party on Saturday evening.  During this event I slipped on the dance floor where someone had spilled his/her drink and sustained a knitter's worst nightmare - an injury to my wrist!  I was holding my camera in my right hand (thank goodness) so I used my left to brace my fall.  After careful examination I determined it was just strained/sprained and not broken.  However, I was in quite a bit of pain.

I've been resting it and icing it and today it feels much better.  So much, in fact, that after I get dinner prepared I am going to work on some of my projects.  I can't just sit and do nothing!  I have a partially finished scarf that needs to be completed as a Christmas gift and I have a couple "orders" out there that I'd like to fill.

The worst day was Sunday - normally I sit around watching football and am extremely productive with my knitting.  Since it was the day after my accident I decided it best not to even test my abilities.  As this is a knitting blog, I must leave you with at least one piece of a project...

In a previous post I displayed this shrug that I made last year in anticipation of wearing to my work's Christmas Party:

I never did wear the shrug myself because I just wasn't comfortable with how it looked on me.  I passed it along to my sister.  After trying it on she suggested a button to tie the front together.  Concept was good, but with already having a finished piece, how would I create a button hole?  Here's what I came up with:



SO MUCH BETTER!  Both of us received compliments on the piece and just looking at it makes me feel so much better about spending time on it.  I do hope to finish my partial scarf as I have quite a bit to say about doublesided knitting in the blog once it is finished.  Hopefully finishing it will keep me out of the snacks and you'll hear from me again soon!

Keep Your Head Warm

Last week I made a male friend an earband.

Another friend saw the earband and asked for one of her own!  I searched for a more creative pattern since this one was for one of my female friends.  Here is what I came up with...

I really like the pattern though the edges did curl a bit.  To be fair, the pattern did indicate this would happen but when worn it would flatten out.  Rather than make a full, connected band, I added a button and buttonhole for easy on/off and to prevent excessive hair mess-up.  While the band does the job - keep ears covered from the cold - I'm not sure that I'm satisfied with the end result.  Fortunately I made this in just a couple hours while I was watching tv so nothing lost!

I like projects like these.  A friend asked me to make something for her - awesome!  It was a simple project that I accomplished in one evening - awesome!  It broadens the scope of things I can do - awesome! 

Today at work I also had another request for one of the wine bottle outfits which I was also excited about.  Truly, I love to knit and because I don't need everything that I own to be knit by me, I love making things for other people.  Someone asking me to make them something and then using/wearing it gives me great satisfaction that my love of knitting is being shared with others.  Plus, the projects help me keep my hands out of the snacks!

Something for Myself

The Friday after Thanksgiving I purchased a new coat for myself.  It's purple and it's a North Face so I think I'm super cool when I wear it.  However, the scarf I knitted myself at the beginning of the winter is turquoise - not a match.  New coat = new scarf, no question!

I went up to the yarn cave to see what I had available.  Last winter my grandma gave me an old bag of yarn which contained a few full skeins, one of which was a poofy white.  Upon finding this in my cave I decided I would make a simple white scarf and spice it up with some large purple pom poms on the ends.  Project started...

It takes me a long time to start a project, especially a scarf.  I have to find a pattern I like, the pattern has to look good with the yarn selected, it can't be too skinny or too wide...Often times the first couple inches take me the longest to create because I unravel and start over so many times.  Over the weekend I was with my sister, as previously mentioned, and found a different yarn that would be just perfect with my new coat.  So, I put the white one on hold and started working on the new one.  What do you know - just wasn't feeling it.  Time again to unravel.

So I decided to combine the white and the colored yarns and make one super awesome scarf.  In this situation, the pattern wasn't the focus of the project, the color was.  For that reason I decided to use simple garter stitch - knitting every row - for a simple, yet fun project.  Knitting every stitch of every row is also a quick project.  Here's what I came up with...

I do hope it stretches out a little bit.  I used a size 10 needle and probably could have used 11 for it to be a little looser.  However, I think it goes with my purple coat quite nicely and it's for me!

I have quite the list of projects piling up so I wanted to get through this one as soon as I could.  This has been a crazy week and it's only half over.  Each day so far all I have wanted to do after work is sit quietly and work on my knitting but I haven't had much time to do that.  At least the busy schedule and list of projects will keep my hands out of the snacks!

There Are Other Knitters Out There

I buy a lot of my yarn at Michael's because it's close to where I live and they usually have good sales.  From time to time someone will ask me what I'm making with my treasures either because they are interested or because they are a knitter, too.  I often wear scarves I make for myself and will also be questioned on them every once in a while.  Our conversations are quick and simple as we part ways with a smile.

Today my sister and I volunteered at a 5K event.  There were two other women helping us out, one of whom was wearing a cute Michigan State knitted hat. 
Me: Oh, that is a nice hat, did you knit it?
Lady 1: No, she did.
Lady 2: I did.
Me: Cool, I knit, too...
Lady 2 and I went on to discuss knitting for quite some time and I feel like my jaw was dropped the entire time and my eyes were dry from being open so widely.  In the short amount of time I talked to this woman I came up with a list of four new knitting accessories that I HAD to have and walked away with a couple great references for hooking up with other knitters.

I haven't had a lot of time to check it out and figure it out yet, but if you knit or crochet and don't yet know about http://www.ravelry.com/, check it out!  It was described as "Facebook for Knitters" and from what I can see so far, I could spend hours looking around at other people's projects, finding out about new yarns and discovering new patterns.

This blog developed because I needed to find some way to share my projects and love for knitting.  Today I sat and talked to a complete stranger about knitting and found out there are many other people out there just like me - I just didn't know where to find them.

On the way home we stopped at Hobby Lobby since we are often not on that side of town.  I managed to find some wonderful yarn to match my new winter coat and plan to start working on a scarf for myself.  I was in the middle of another scarf, but this new yarn is going to be awesome.  There was such a different variety at Hobby Lobby and am happy I took the time to wander through and see what they have.  While it may be outside my normal radius of shops, taking a little drive is one other way to keep my hands out of the snacks!

Out With the Old...

It's cold and snowy where I live which puts me in a great mood to sit on the couch and knit.  I did make it out for a brisk walk after work and was thinking about what I could contribute to the blog before I have another project to publish.  While I want to share with you things I am working on or plan to work on, that would leave out all the cool stuff I've already made!  I do hope to build off many of these in the future, but here's a taste of where I've been so far in my knitting career...

A hat and scarf for one of my little friends!  The yarn was selected by the mother and I searched out a pattern for the scarf.  I made the hat with the leftover yarn.  It was a little too small on the crown, but the set is super cute!

A friend got me a book with several mitten patterns.  I tried out a few as it was also my first time using double pointed needles.  These ones were knitted in the round.  With some more practice and the right yarn, I could probably make some sweet hand warmers.  Actually, I also have some patterns for hand/arm warmers I'd like to try out...

I made this shrug with intentions of wearing it over a spaghetti strapped dress.  Although it looks pretty good in the picture, I wasn't actually comfortable wearing it.  Part of the problem was the yarn I selected and part was that it was a bit small across my back.  I've since given it to my sister though we are considering adding a button so it closes in the front and potentially a flower on the side.  Stay tuned, we might not be done with this one yet!

Last year I discovered "blocking".  It was frustrating to continually have scarves that curled on the edges taking away from the beautiful patterns I had picked out.  After some research I found how to prevent this from happening, for the most part.  I purchased some pins, used some old cardboard, and pinned the scarf on some towels.  From there I used my iron to steam the scarf and slightly dampen it.  Once dry, remove the pins and bam - flat!

Last year a group of us took St. Patrick's Day off work to go out bar hopping.  I purchased a pattern online for the above scarf.  I made some alterations to narrow the scarf and have since worked on a few others with the same concept (I am working on one know and will post the details when completed).  Let's just say there were a few people jealous of this awesome scarf while we were out celebrating!

I made this vest for my sister and just finished it a couple weeks ago.  I used the smallest sizes on the pattern but it was still a little bulky for her.  Things like this are hard because I'm not able to see where improvements need to be made until it's complete and then it's too late.  Hopefully over time I will develop experience and be able to spot these alterations early on before it's too late.

The tail of this hat hangs just below my shoulder.  I made it a couple days before going to the Lions/Packers game on Thanksgiving Day.  So cute and really didn't take me very long to make!  Next time I'll take more time to make the tail longer so it can wrap around my neck more like a scarf.

Finally, a friend asked me to make an ear band for him.  I made this pattern/project literally from scratch.  I had a shape to go off of, but did stitches, increases, decreases, etc all on my own...and better yet, it was a perfect fit!

I regret not taking pictures of everything I've made over the years.  Like I said, I've been much more into my knitting over the past three years and only started taking pictures last year.  Looking back over these makes me even more excited about what I'm currently working on and what other projects I can find to keep my hands off the snacks!

Dress-up Your Wine Bottle

I started knitting about 10 years ago.  To be honest, I don't remember exactly why, but I asked my grandmother to show me.  She willingly gave me her supplies...needles in an old Pringles can, a handful of crochet hooks, a how-to book and some basic lessons about casting on, knitting and purling.  From there I use Google and YouTube to teach me anything I don't know or can't figure out on my own.

The past three years my creativity has grown and the scope of things I am able to create has developed.  Moving forward I hope to share with you my projects, techniques and ideas to hopefully inspire you and share my love of knitting.

Over the weekend I was out doing some shopping with my sister.  At one of the stores were wine bottles "dressed up" for winter in little knitted hats and scarves.  Immediately I was drawn to these cute accessories as they combined two things I absolutely love - wine and knitting!  While they were fairly small, I thought I would be able to recreate them on my own.

When I got home I hustled upstairs to my yarn cave to see what I had available and fortunately I found a bright red, snow white and forest green for my project.  I did a quick Google search to determine where to start.  Here's what I've come up with so far...

The one on the top right is the first one I created.  I prefer the hats on the left and bottom as they are a bit smaller and a cuter.  The scarves are each a little different - in all I cast on 8 stitches.  The one on the top left is garter stitch (knit every row) and the one on the right is knit 1, purl 1 for a ribbed look and the one on the bottom is a stockinette stitch (knit a row, purl a row).  With the hats I cast on 24 and evenly divided them across 3 double pointed needles.  The white one on the right has a couple rows of ribbing and is then knitted to the top.  The other two, the ones I prefer, are knit 2, purl 2 all the way to the top.  Once the hat is as big as you want, k2together, purl2together to reduce the stitches to 12 and then k2together for the final round to reduce to 6 stitches.  From there loop the reminding stitches together with a knitting needle to complete the hat.

For the fringes I simply wrapped thread around my fingers and then cut on one side (see images below).  From there I used a crochet hook to pull the fringe through the pieces where I wanted them and then trimmed them to the length desired.  With the hats I pulled the fringe through the top of the hat and tied it together on the inside.  On the scarves I simple pulled the two loose ends through the halved part and tightened.

I'm hoping to come up with some ideas on how to dress up the wine bottles with non-wintery looks as well because I can't get over how fun and simple this project is.  I don't know for sure how many scarves and hats can be made out of a single ball of yarn, but it has to be quite a few.  Together each set probably took me about an hour to put together.  Super fun for a day full of football watching and sure to keep my hands out of the snacks!