Now that the holidays have past and we’ve entered the days of bleak midwinter, I have been knitting a lot. (not that I ever am not knitting alot, really!) But there’s something about these arctic cold days that make me want to do nothing other than drink coffee and knit, while snuggled on my couch and under a plush blanket. I’ve decided that 2010 will be the Year of Knitting Selfishly. It’s pathetic how few items I’ve made for myself. I knit for the boys, for the Hubster, for gifties, and (always) for the shop.  And it’s not that I’ll stop doing those knitting projects  (onthe contrary, I am all aflutter with knitting for the Spring Collection!) but I am being more conscious about taking time to work on projects for myself.  So, this week’s Ten on Tuesday list is of those projects I plan to knit selfishly.  Anyone want to join me?

1. February Lady Sweater – this is actually a re-knit, as the one I did last year is way too big on me now (yay for losing 15 pounds! Boo for too-stretchy knits)
2. Strawberry Lace Cardi – I’m a sucker for anything Veronik designs. Planning to use some Malabrigo for this.
3. Shifting Sands – To be done in a Merisoft Shimmer from Punta Yarns.  Love that stuff!
4. Juliet – not sure on yarn for this yet.
5. Dahliah – having to restrain myself from casting this onbefore I finish #6.
6. Touch of Grey – started already, check out my progress on my project page!
7. Prairie Boots – quick, cute slippers.  Enough said.
8. Squirrel Mittens – just enough whimsy to suit me.
9. as yet-undesigned tank top (I’ve got the picture in my head, just need to get it onto paper!)
10. Fill in the blank (I’m leaving this last one up to you, dear readers!  Leave me a comment with the project you think I should do)

A knitter on Ravelry posted asking for clarification on the pick up and purl technique on my Stripey Slippers.  I promised that I’d get a video of the technique, since it’s one that would take far too many words to describe (but can be shown in less than 30 seconds!)  Please excuse the insanely poor quality of this video – it’s what you get when your 8 year old is weilding the tiny camcorder.  You might want to turn down the volume before you hit play, he was way too close to my mouth!

Apparently, there are some people in my house who think I’m a stick-in-the-mud. Moi? That’s absurd. I can be exciting. Adventurous. Daring. I can live on near somehwere in the vicinity of the edge. Just the other day I cut the tag off my new pillow. I even started a pair of socks, two at a time, on two circs.

Aren’t they lovely? That’s absolutely scrumptious handspun BFL from my friend Meri at HandSpun by SweetKnits (Go ahead, I’ll wait here while you drool over the handspun) It’s dyed in the perfectly named Snowmen at Night, by Selah. (An aside – have you read the book Snowmen at Night? So. Cute.) I am in love with this yarn, it’s a treat to knit with. Watching the color develop, without any jarring changes because of how well the handspun is well, spun; it’s so much fun.

Only, I really hate working two socks on two circs. Really, really hate it. It’s a tangle of needles, balls, yarn flying everywhere. Sure, I suppose it’s great because I’ll have two socks finished at the same time (instead of struggling through Second Sock Syndrome) but – ugh I just can’t get into a groove like this. Fiddling with the circs, always switching and fussing with which needle I should be using.

So, I’m admitting defeat. I’m a traditionalist. Handknit socks are meant to be made on double pointed needles. The way they’ve been made for centuries. Maybe that makes me a fuddy-duddy an old-fashioned knitter. I’m okay with that.

The socks and I are much happier now.

A good friend of mine is thisclose to giving birth to her fourth child. I know a little bit about those fourth babies – how they pretty much have no choice but to adapt to the family routine, tag along to the market at a week old because everyone else needs to eat, and how virtually everything the touch has been touched/played with/worn by someone else who came before them.

I wanted to make sure that this precious babe had something handmade just for her. A sweet something that wouldn’t be outgrown quickly; no, rather, something that could be loved and used for many years. A reminder that even though her mama has been through it all before, that she is so very special and loved in a completely new way.

It’s a very simple blanket, basically a giant granny square. It’s worked in CottonEase, one of my very favorite baby yarns, in a riot of various colors.

Granny Blanket for Baby
Yarn: Lion Brand CottonEase, one ball each of the following colors: Lake, Terra Cotta, Plum, Maize, Lime and Hazelnut
Hook: I hook
Gauge: not critical, since it doesn’t need to fit

The Purl Bee has excellent info on the Basics of Crochet, so please refence that if you need some guidance.

I used Attic24’s excellent Granny Square Tutorial to get started, and then just kept going (and going, and going) until I had worked through almost 5 full repeats of my colors. The colors were worked in the following order, one round each: Hazelnut, TerraCotta, Lime, Plum, Maize, Lake. Work 4 full repeats of the color sequence, and then work the 5th repeat up to the Maize. With the Maize, I worked a single crochet in each stitch around, to give a nice base for the edge on the last round. The last round is worked as follows (with Lake):*[hcd, dc, hdc] in next stitch, skip 1 stitch, sc in next stitch, skip 1 stitch; repeat from * to end of round.

It’s certainly an easy project, reminding me once again that simple can be immensely satisfying.

nana

I learned to knit + crochet from my Grandma, one rainy day when I was a little girl. (Isn’t that how so many of us learned? A weary adult trying to find a way to entertain us and contain a bit of the boundless energy? I fully admit to teaching my boys just so I could get them to sit down for a few minutes) Now, she’s too arthritic to be able to do any stitching, though she asks me about my projects whenever I see her. I know she probably misses being able to work with yarn, although it wasn’t an all-consuming passion for her like it is for me. I think it was more just something all women her age knew how to do, as much a part of a young Brooklyn girl’s education as knowing how to make gravy and meatballs.

Her birthday is this coming Monday, and I though there was no more appropriate gift than a handmade blanket, born of the craft she passed on to me so long ago. I started this on Saturday night, but had to rip out all but the first row I did that night, because I was distracted watching a movie and did the stitch all wrong. The pattern is the 5 1/2 Hour Throw, modified to work on a slightly smaller hook, with doubled yarn. I’m using Homespun in a plum shade, and Red Heart in a medium pink.Only for her would I suffer through these yarns, because I know she’s neither got the space nor the inclination to handwash a wool blanket. I know she’ll love snuggling up in this, and then being able to toss it in her building’s massive washing machine without worry.

Happy Birthday, grandma!

That’s me and my two eldest boy-men. Ethan, the one on my right in the picture, decided that rather than read a book (like big brother AJ) in the car ride to Uncle Andy’s for our Thanksgiving celebration, he wanted to do some knitting on the hat I was working on. Since I was sitting next to him (a rarity – Mama hardly ever sits in the back-back of the van, but Grandma was sitting in my usual front seat) and I was, of course, knitting, I turned it over to him and gave him a refresher on how to work a knit stitch. This is the child that absolutely refused to learn a few years ago when I attempted to teach him on a few rainy days.

I couldn’t believe what happened next. He not only *got* my instructions right away, but he proceeded to work on my hat (him doing all the knits, me doing all the purls) for the remainder of our hour-long drive. And then he asked me a few a dozen times through the course of yesterday “when can I knit more?”

This morning, first thing, he again asked if he could knit. I pulled out a pair of short size 10 needles and cast on two dozen stitches for him, and my wild-child, normally bouncing off the walls (literally, he bumps him body into the walls and bounces around the room) boy – he sat on the couch and knit all afternoon. He shouted “gotta finish this row!” when I called him to dinner, and after he inhaled his food, he went right back to the couch and knit some more.

The big brother, not to be outdone, sidled up to the couch and asked for his own needles and some yarn. I gave him a brief rundown of the knit stitch, and he also spent several hours on the couch, knitting the afternoon away.

Snuggling with my boys, each of us engulfed in our crafting, passing the hours chatting and laughing, it did this mama’s heart good.

Now that the postal service has finally delivered all packages to their intended destinations, I think it’s safe to reveal June’s Club goodies without ruining anyone’s surprise. This month’s pattern is one I’m especially proud of, so I hope all the clubsters enjoy working on it.

Pemberley, as most of you probably know, is the English country estate of a certain Mr. Darcy. Didn’t we all have secret dreams of finding our own Mr. Darcy? My own dear hubby is quite a bit like ol’ Darcy – biting observation and quiet admiration and loyalty, minus the grand estate (darn it!)

These silk stockings are what I imagine Elizabeth Bennett might have worn as the Mistress of Pemberley. They are elegant, luxurious and out-of-the-ordinary without being over-the-top. A blend of merino with the silk lends a more practical warmth to these beauties, as well. Of course, if you’re a modern woman who isn’t living in a drafty estate house and don’t require the warmth of knee stockings, there’s the (quicker to knit!) crew length option.

June’s swag is further proof of my paper obsession lately. Adorable little notecards that I wholly encourage clubsters to use for some old fashioned letter-writing. There’s nothing like taking a moment, putting pen to paper, and writing a note of gratitude, love, sympathy or well-wishes to someone else. It’s like a little gift every time I get a handwritten note or card in the mail, and one that I love to give to others.

Can’t wait till all the July packages arrive so I can reveal this month’s rollickin’ pattern and yarn!

Now that all of May’s Sock Club goodies have arrived safely to their new homes, I can finally post about them! This was our first month with the new Sock Club, and I have to admit that I had way too much fun putting it all together – picking out the goodies, developing a new (exclusive) colorway, and finally getting the new (exclusive) sock pattern out in the world at large (where eyes other than my own or the tech editors can oogle it) It’s all such a labor of love, and so nice to get lovely comments back about the packages. Marion, a lovely customer-friend from near my hometown in NY, wrote me this week:

Gorgeous yarn, the colors are sensational. The pattern book is terrific, the stitch markers are beautiful and the journaling book sends the whole kit over the top for one fabulous sock knitting club. It is all so nice and I am so happy that I joined the club. You really outdid yourself! Thanks for recommending the May kit. I would be upset to have missed out on this sensational kit.

Wow! I don’t know that I deserve all that flattery, but it sure is nice for the ego She also sent along a yummy yarn-in-action shot of some of my 3 ply farm yarn that was a custom-dye. Check out this yarn goodness:

Don’t they look all squishy and comfy? I’m wishing I had made some of that yarn for myself and squirrelled it away – I’d totally be pulling it out right now and casting on. (That is, after I finish June’s sock sample, of course!)

But, wait! You’re just dying to see May’s sock, aren’t you? There was a bit of a theme this month - the yarn at the top of this post was May’s yarn – yummy, squishy sportweight superwash merino in “Japanese Garden.” It’s a harmonious blend of navy, grass green, lilac, lavender and winter white. Worked up in socks, it is lovely. Worked up in May’s sock club pattern “Everyday Zen” it is super, duper fantastic!

It’s a short row heel and toe sock, with the ribbing extending down the toe and heel for a truly excellent fit. The sort rows incorporate the ribbing, so that the transitions are pretty and flowing. Multiple sizes from infant to (big, big) man’s make it one that’s get used over and over. But, It’s exclusive to the club until Jan ‘09 – so if you aren’t in the Sock Club you’ll have to wait. Of course…if you do join the club, you can back-buy the pattern if you really have to have it. Just one more reason to join now…June’s club is an excellent luxury yarn, in a Jane Austen inspired pattern and more handmade club goodies! Last month’s extra bonus was a handmade, perfect-bound journal. This month’s….well, you’ll have to wait and see!

I’m not sure what this week was like for the rest of you, but here at Casa de Locos Ninos (that’s House of Crazy Boys for you non-Spanish-speakers) it was, well, crazy. The boys were crazy, I was crazy, but most of all, the weather was crazy. It was down into the lower 50’s at night. Poor hubby went running Thursday morning and said he could see his breath. There was a crisp breeze blowing, and those hints of autumn were all I needed to push me to finish these socks (started the last time I felt 50 degree weather, on our vacation in June to Nova Scotia)

It’s a pattern based on my own sock recipe with Barbara Walker’s “Little Waves” incorporated on the ankle and instep. On our vacation, we stayed in a lovely farmhouse in Tatamagouche, NS. (whoo-wee, the drive up there from here was i-n-s-a-n-e!) Several of the days we were there, we visited Rushton Beach, which was a gorgeous little provincial beach on the Northumberland Strait (warmest water north of the Carolinas!) Watching the tide come in and out was incredible. The waves themselves were tiny, undulating – but the tide changed so fast and it was a huge change. We started the first day a good 10 feet back from the edge of the waves and by the time the tide came in (just a few hours later), I was scrambling to keep the edge of the blanket dry!

The pattern for these Tatamagouche Socks will be available sometime this coming week, along with a pattern for The Bruiser. The Bruiser is a boo-boo buddy – you keep him in the freezer and when the kids come in screaming with an injury, the Bruiser will help make it better (and hopefully make the injured one laugh a little.) Nothing heals pain better than laughter. And maybe some cookies!

And now, you’ll all have to indulge me in a bit of shameless mama show off. Several of you readers have asked for recent pics of my guys, so I’m happy to oblige.

Here’s AJ, just turned 8 and sporting his new Harry Potter glasses:

And Ethan, 6 and a half (can’t forget the half!), participating in what has to be one of his very favorite summer sports: Watermelon Seed Spitting.

(Yes, that’s C wolfing down the watermelon behind him. Love ya, honey!)

Gregory (aka: macGregor, Trouble #1)showing his decided non-Trouble side, gently feeding a sheepie at the 4H Farm

And finally, the Caboose: Rusty. Recently re-named Trouble #2, after a most horrifying fall down the basement stairs.

Yes, they look all sweet and innocent. Yes, I adore them. And yes, I am counting down the days till they start school!

My husband thinks of this time of year as “Football Season”

My kids think of it as “Cookie Season”

My mom thinks of it as “Shopping Season”

But me, I like to think of it as the “Giving Season”

I know that you knitters, you’re good, kind, caring and generous folks. Stephanie over at Yarn Harlot has confidence that y’all are VERY generous people, and I think that together we can even exceed her ambitious expectations. So, I’m doing my part by offering a wee bit of an incentive, if you will. What could be better than a little pixie to help you make your donation?

(no, not the baby. you don’t get to keep him, he’s mine and I’m not giving him up!) But, you do get the hat. Well, the pattern for the hat, that is.

Now through January, I’m going to be donating all of the sales of the new Winter Pixie hat to Steph’s Doctors Without Borders campaign. So, buy a pattern, knit a cute hat, and feel good that you’re participating in the best season of all – the Giving Season.