Cold Nights, Warm Ears

Well, we haven't had any cold nights yet...unless you count the 80F we had the other night, down from 100F during the day.


Anyway, Knitters North of Town (KNOT) of the Knit at Night Gang (KANG) had a great program the other night to create a cute ear warmer headband with a little flower on it. Mabel agreed that it would be a great addition to her winter wardrobe so, after many false starts, here she is in her new ear warmer:

Pretty cute, yes?


This was created from a class pattern that the wonderful Marilee had and that many of us wanted to learn about.  The pattern is unpublished but if you ask nicely I'll see what I can do about getting you a copy.  UPDATE:  Here is a similar pattern I found...looks the same except that this pattern makes a wider headband of 33 stitches instead of the 19 I used.


This ear warmer is made out of chunky yarn on US size 11 needles.  I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca (won as a door prize that evening!) in a lovely heathered blue to make Mabel's ear warmer.  I worried about the increases and decreases being too prominent with such thick yarn but the stitch changes are all hidden within the 1x1 rib pattern.  I did have some trouble keeping straight which was the right side so ended up with some huge markers to remind me that the right side was not the wrong side.  The flower is a somewhat free form piece of crochet with a knitted bobble in the center.


I so enjoyed my adventure with this pattern that I have started another one.  I think my second one will go to the church that provides KNOT with space FOR FREE!  With the high temperatures that we have been dealing with here, their generosity is very much appreciated.


I also want to let the world know how generous the KNOT group is with their excess yarn and needles.  Thursday night I collected enough yarn and needles from this group to over fill a huge plastic bin.  Their donations were made for the middle school knitting program that  I hope will be restarting soon.  Some of it will be going to a group locally that knits hats for chemotherapy patients.  One little bit of it went onto my needles and became another ear warmer for Mabel.


The yarn was very chunky, almost like roving, and I wanted to see what it was like to work.  I kept knitting in garter stitch until there was none left, at which point I realized that it was just the right size to warm Mabel's ears.

Good thing Mabel is generous with her hats as I really do need ear warmers when I walk the dogs in the colder weather.  Of course, it feels like we won't ever have cold weather again but I have faith that the weather gods will screw with my expectations of a couple of months without air conditioning or heating bills.


Now back to watching Irene's progress up the coast.  Stay safe and dry!

Sick Day Crocheting

As noted before, I have discovered that I cannot do complex tasks when I am ill.  It just doesn't work.  I have discovered that simple knitting is possible... especially when the product is to be felted in the washing machine.

I have also discovered that I can do simple crochet if it is also going to be machine felted.  During a swap of excess materials with the Kingwood Yarn it, Darn it group I came home with all the rejects.

Most of it went to a local group that makes items for the local charity hospital however  I kept back almost two whole balls of Bernet felting wool.  It just didn't seem smart to make some lovely thing that could not be washed without changing its size.

As my cold deepened I decided to use this yarn in a project as my felted knitting projet worked out pretty well.

On the band for the yarn there was a pattern for a felted clutch and it is available on their website as well.  It called for three balls of yarn but thought I could get a result with all that I had.

Here's how it turned out:

I added a magnetic snap and a button to cover it up.  I like the slightly geometric texture, caused by the crochet stitches.

I have even tried it out and, although it doesn't hold a lot, I think it will be a great bit to have around for a quick run to the library or lunch with friends.  In the end it may go to the Kingwood Area Quilt Guild fish pond/garage sale next year if I don't use it more than once or twice between now and then.

I hope your week is going well.  Hurricane Alex will be causing trouble here as Houston is on the 'dirty' side of the storm.  Torrential rans, flooding and high winds are all expected between now and the end of the week if the storm doesn't shift more to the south.  On the other hand, Alex, the dog, will love the opportunity to dig into a wet garden and the Girls are looking forward to extra loving as I dry them off with big fluffy towels.

That's what I love about dogs, they always see the positive side of any situation.

Me...I'm adding some easily prepared food to the larder and cleaning out the ice chest.

Fiber Challenge

Up for a Challenge? This looks like it could be a real challenge for the knitters, weavers, felters and other fiber junkies out there. The prizes look wonderful and whatever you come up with would be a wonderful gift for yourself or that certain someone special this holiday season.

I am intrigued...or simply sleep deprived.

Crochet Joy

I found the neatest little gadget when I was in Toronto. It's a wooden darning egg with inter-changeable crochet hooks coming out of the narrow end. It is the most clever thingy I have seen in a long time and is really comfortable to use. If you crochet, this is a must have tool/toy. Here's the web site - http://bourbj.tripod.com/.

In the Mail

Today the mail included an eclectic package from my sending partner in the hobo bag swap that is part of the Bag Ladies Flickr group. The package included an un-lined crocheted market style bag, a crochet hook that lights up in the dark, a set of stitch markers, a couple of novellas for young readers, a great little book of sewing tips and a cute little stuffed bear. The sewing book is a little gem with a zillion full color picures of many sewing techniques. It even shows you how to sew on a button! The bear lasted about fifteen minutes with Alex before he had completely destroyed the face and removed the stuffing from the head... then he let me take a picture of the whole package. The bag will be going with me on my next trip up North as a great way to transport shopping that won't fit in my suitcase. Here it is:

Ravelry

A couple of months ago I read about a site called Ravelry that was starting up for knitters to post information on their projects, store ratings and other general knitting fun. I submitted my name and discovered that I was many thousands of people down on the waiting list to try out the site. A couple of days ago I got a notice that I was now able to login and I have been playing with the site.

First of all I discovered that I am not the only person in the world who doesn't have a decent digital picture of themselves to post. I'd say at least half of the people on Ravelry have pictures of their pets rather than themselves. I use Alex's head shot from a while ago. The problem with not using your real photo is that others cannot recognize you when they meet you at events. I'll have to ask Paul to help me get a decent shot when we next get together.

I also discovered that this site has a huge database of patterns, books, fibers and tools for the knitter or crocheter. I have a skein that I love the look of but have no idea what to do with it. the site gave me information on a couple of books with patterns just for one skein and a bunch of projects that others had done with the same yarn. All reviewed by real live knitters so I have a clue about how hard it would be to use the patterns suggested.

I dd post a couple of patterns that I had completed and I have gotten a couple of hits already. I don't know if I will continue to use the site but for now it is a great resource. If you are a knitter or crocheter you might enjoy getting in on the action at http://www.ravelry.com/

Craft Leftovers Fun

A couple of months ago I ran across the Craft Leftovers blog ( http://craftleftovers.blogspot.com/) by Kristen Roach. Since then I have received a couple of things from her in the samplers I ordered from Home of the Sampler. One was a sample of her beautifully dyed merino sock yarn and the other was a kit to make a a dish cloth. The yarn is lovely and is on my list for purchasing when I make my next pair of socks. The dish cloth really is the best I have ever had due to the use of soft cotton with a really scratchy wool. The two crocheted together in a brick stitch make a great dish cloth that holds the soap and really scarpes off the yuck on your dishes.

I like Kristen's enthusiasim for all things crafty and her innate generosity of spirit in sharing what she knows with everyone without any ego. In August she wrote a pretty sad entry about her sewing machine dying and how she would need donations in order to get another or to get it fixed. I have quite a number of sewing machines... from a 50+ year old Singer Featherweight to my latest acquisition, the Brother 4000 embroidery machine. It so happens that an older Babylock machine of mine has been waiting for a new home. I had been scouting possible placements when I read Kristen's note. She was offered a cheapy from a discount chain store that I know would have been inadequate so I offered her my Babylock. It was in great shape and offered a zillion options not on a standard machine like an automated threader and cutter.

I was happy to pass it on to someone with an entreprenurial spirit and I hope she has much success in her business and crafty desires. Besides many gracious comments from Kristen (blush, blush) she has added me to her monthly subscription list as well as some extras. In September I received:

Two Tissue holder kits

One pencil case kit

One crocheted headband kit

One dishcloth kit

One little magazine,

Ten+ buttons

Two pieces of Vintage fabric

One vintage iron-on applique

One reusable loose tea holder

Several Craft Leftovers buttons and patches WOW!

I had a lot of fun putting the kits together and then adapting my own materials to the instructions.

Here is a picture of the kits I made up using Kristen's materials including a close-up of the cute car fabric on the interior of the pencil case. The crocheted headband (bright blue) is the first one I have owned that actually has stayed on my fat head for hours at a time. The tissue holders are completely reversible. The ribbon on the pencil case was supposed to be applied straight but went a little wonky on me. Its the perfect size for my Nintendo Game Boy Advanced and DS games.

And here is a picture of my own materials with Kristen's instructions. The Headband and wash cloth are made out of varigated kitchen cotton yarn. The headband fits very well and the cloth will probably go into my shower rather than be used in the kitchen. The fabric for the tissue holders and pencil cases is a cotton lawn from Japan printed with Martini glasses that I just love and have in two color ways!And, here is a photo of all the other bits and pieces that came in the package.

The little magazine includes instructions for a fold-over style sandwich bag, a soothing tea recipe, a soothing eye pillow idea and a bunch of ideas for keeping our creativity from becoming a burden. And check out that great fabric.... what will I do with all of this?

The subscriptions go on sale on Monday and they seemed to have sold out quickly last month. If what I have described seems like something you would like to try, please keep Kristen's enterprise in mind and shop her Etsy shop for little fun kits and other stuff.

Saturday Sharing

Today was the monthly meeting of the Downtown neighborhood group of the Houston ASG chapter. We made hats based on a buckram halo hat form. I managed to complete the basic halo and am now working out the beading and netting part of the hat. When I have it completed I will definitely post it here. Even though I may not wear hats all that frequently (due to my fat head), this project was fun and we all became little girls playing dress-up as we put them together.

I shared some of my adventures in felting. From the Hancock fabric store that is closing near my home, I purchased two balls of Lion Brand Fettuccini yarn. It was like strips of felted wool made into a heavy ribbon. I crocheted it up into a wonky clutch purse and then felted it twice in the washing machine. This is how it came out:

One of the group suggested running yarn or cord through the holes in the felt left after the felting process. Definitily something to try.