Monday, May 28, 2012

My favorite baby sweater

Those who know me are familiar with this design.  I started making this sweater back in the 70's when I was hanging out in my friend's yarn shop a lot, The Yarn Basket.  I was reminded of this sweater just this morning when I saw a young man walk into the diner where I was having breakfast whose mom asked me to make one of these sweaters for him when he was a baby.  I had also made one for the mom who asked me, because her  mom asked me to make one for her.  Mom's love this sweater, it isn't fancy or pretty but the design is ingenious.   I wish I could claim it as mine, but I have rewritten the directions in a different format and made a couple of small changes and offer it for free on my website


I have gotten some really nice comments about the pattern that I have gotten permission to reprint.


"Just wanted to let you know I started your "zip up the back" baby sweater.  My mother made this sweater for my daughter 32 years ago.  As an avid knitter, I have been searching for this pattern for years. How happy I was to find it on your site.  (Don't remember how I got there).  Now I am making it for my first Granddaughter (to be born this summer)  I have the original 32 year old sweater and it seems to be identical.
 By the way, the pattern is written very well." 


"Just wanted to thank you for your free zip up the back baby sweater pattern.  I was fortunate enough to run across it the other day in my search of knitting patterns for kids.  I am in the process of knitting it right now using Encore worsted tweed.  It looks awesome.  I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the pattern.  It is written very nicely and easy to understand.  The part that I really like is the ends of the rows as far as "k across to last 2 sts P1, K1 and vice-versa on the purl row.  It is leaving a very nice edge for my zipper!  Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the pattern, too many times I've tried to knit free patterns and they just don't turn out right!"



"I have been knitting for more years then I care to count (60!) and I have to tell you that I have never encountered such an explicit pattern and instructions as your Hooded Baby Sweater with Back Zipper.  The clarity is outstanding -- and why have I never heard of the "mattress stitch" -- why have I never seen the instructions you give to pick up and knit stitches?!   This sweater was the most relaxing work I have done in a long time.

I love to knit sweaters on round needles from the neck down.  When my 48 year old son was 2, I knitted him my first sweater from a Candide Classic Raglan pattern.  Because it is written for sizes from 6 - 46, he's still getting Mom-made sweaters from this pattern!  But now they'll be sewn (sleeves) and stitches picked up around the neck in a much more professional manner.

My knitting experiences would have been so much better - not to mention the quality of my work - if I had found you long before this.  Thank you so much.  I look forward to using many more of your patterns.  I found you on the internet."




Sunday, May 20, 2012

iMake

I want to tell you about a podcast/blog that I really like and has really influenced me.  It is iMake, by Martine from Guernsey.
 
She is not just about knitting, but about a variety of crafts.  She describes her blog as "Guernsey's Creative Lifestyle Blog".  My crafting friends and I made her hand salve recipe.  We had so much fun and it was so easy.

More than just crafts, she has helped me to keep current.  She introduced me to Pinterest and has kept a conversation going about the copyright issues.  The only reason I would want to get an iphone is to use Instagram for the photos.  Photography is another one of her hobbies.  She wrote in her blog about blogging and inspired me to start a blog.  She also had on her blog a button to follow by email which makes it easy for me to follow her and I figured out how to add that to my blog.

Martine also had some delicious looking recipes, for instance the Modern Potato Peel Pie Recipe, inspired by the book.

I have been on Etsy for years, but she inspired me to start making Treasuries, which is a lot of fun.  I was always thrilled when someone included me in one of their treasuries.  She even had a little tutorial on how to embed a Treasury into your blog.
I just followed her turorial now and was able to put my latest Treasury into my Blog!  Just this minute.  I find it very exciting when I learn something new.  It's not perfect, it could be a little smaller, maybe next time.

If for no other reason, I would recommend you listen to her podcast just to listen to her voice.  Who doesn't love a Guernsey accent in a soothing tone. 

'wrist cuffs' by Sarahmontie

Variety of handmade wrist cuffs.

Mother's day -Cuff ...
$30.00
Octopus Garden Crochete...
$49.00
Crochet CUFF BRACELET /...
$11.00
mustard yellow cotton c...
$23.00
Kundalini fabric wrist ...
$15.00
Wrist Cuff Wallet for r...
$7.00
Powder Blue Ruffled Sca...
$12.00
Brown Leather Wrist Cuf...
$22.00
Demin Blue Crochet Cuff...
$7.00
Fresh Spring Blue Denim...
$27.50
Felted Birch Bark Wool ...
$50.00
Brown blue crocheted wr...
$6.00
pdf Knitting Pattern - ...
$5.00
Vinyl Cuff Braclet made...
$8.99
Hand engraved German si...
$150.00
Blue Colored Vinyl Reco...
$14.95

Monday, May 14, 2012

Hilton Head 2012

I have been going to Hilton Head, South Carolina with a group of friends for the last few years to pursue my other passion, tennis.  We rent a condo and bikes and play tennis and lounge by the pool to our hearts' content.  Just us girls, we have no one to please but ourselves.  This year we had a slight twist; I invited my daughter to take the place of a friend who couldn't make it at the last minute.  I think some of my friends were a little skeptical, imagining what it might be like if one of their daughters came, but they accepted the switch.  She fit in great and even taught us some things like JFGI (if you don't know what that means, google it). 


Here we are with our pro who is from Spain but looks a little bit like Andre Agassi.

I got some knitting done, but not a lot.  I worked on a moebius cowl idea using a new sock yarn from Plymouth Yarn company.  It is a gorgeous blend of kid mohair, super merino and nylon.  I wouldn't normally like mohair for socks but this yarn is lucious and soft, you are going to love it.
I have been working on making my Adirondack shawl out of yarns of different weights and fibers.  I will report on that in another post.
I did visit a yarn shop in Beaufort, SC where I picked up some yarn that is locally dyed.  I am a sucker for yarn that I think is unique.  But I am sure that is not a new concept to any of you!  First of all the name of the yarn caught my eye (my daughter has a Welsh Corgi) and then the fact that it is dyed in Savannah clinched it.  Of course it is not unusual that I chose a green colorway, but you don't often see it mixed with grey (that is the rationalization working...). 
What is the most unusual yarn you have ever purchased?

Copper Corgi yarn, dyed in Savannah

 We returned home the day before Mother's Day.  I went out for a nice brunch with my mother and sisters, my twin (yes we are fraternal) is standing next to me.

 

Friday, May 4, 2012

It's official, I love Ravelry

On my Not a Secret Anymore post, April 22, I told about my latest pattern doing well on Ravelry.  I almost didn't put it up for sale because I was planning to submit the design to Knitty.com but missed the deadline.  As fate would have it, it landed on the "top five patterns Ravelers were looking at today" for the whole weekend.  A couple of KALs have started up and FOs are popping up on the pattern page.

I now have the pattern for sale on my blog.  Actually it goes through Ravelry but you don't have to be a Ravelry member to buy it.  They are very clever.  I am in the process of adding my patterns to my blog because I wanted a website as a home base where I could sell my patterns.  Some of you may say that I already have a website.  Well I do, but here is where the confession comes in.  My son who was updating my website moved away and I cannot update it (I sort of tried to learn).   My solution was to have a blog, so I am working on my goal of having my patterns available here. 

If you go to my patterns button, next to the home button, you will see the patterns I have added so far.  My new pattern, Adirondack is front and center.


This is a photo of the same boats I took at sunrise last week, now at sunset.