Can I knit???

After 20+ years of knitting most of the time I feel that I am intermediate/advanced knitter. There are times though that I wonder if I know what I am doing.

Take for example the last two days. I started the sundress for my large order and I have had to rip it out completely twice and rip back once. It is knitted from the bottom up. I got up to the waist the first time and noticed that the contrasting stripes that are one the bottom were backwards, and I had done the beginning couple of rows wrong so it was rolling really bad. Rip #1. The second time I got up past the stripes to the ruffle decrease and it was off 15 stitches. I have no idea that I counted that badly. Rip #2. Third time to the stripes and they were still backwards after following the pattern really close. I realized the pattern was wrong and they had an extra row in it. Rip #3. I am finally half way up to the waist again, and everything looks great.

This is the pattern that I am doing. Isn't it darling??

Olivia pattern by Leisure Arts "Mama's Girl" Designed by Larisa Scott

Large Knit for Hire order

Today, I received my first large knit for hire order. Two of the ladies at work, combined to do one order. It will be half trade and half money (their order is larger than mine:>) I will be knitting for their grandchildren. I am doing a 18mo bibbed sundress, a ruffled sweater and skirt in and three v-neck boys pullover sweaters.

The sundress is a 18mo and will be green with white trim. It is a Leisure Arts pattern. The sweater/skirt and the boys sweaters are all Sidar patters. The ruffled sweater will be white with a navy blue skirt. The boys sweaters are all the same except for color, light blue, darker blue and red.

I have never knit for someone else on the scale before. I was trying not to out price myself, but at the same time, it is my time to do it. I charged $50 each for the sundress and sweater/skirt, and $32 each for the boys sweaters. I know that sounds like a lot, but I'm not sure if I charged enough. When this is over, I will have a better idea of how to charge. I will posts pictures of them when they are done.

In our town, it used to be really hard to find sport weight yarn. In any color. Only Hurst Ben Franklin carried it consistantly. When I went to go buy the yarn for this order I realized how much that had changed. Now, it is really prevelant everywhere. Even skeins I picked up that said baby yarn, were in fact sport weight. Again the only one that had baby yarn was Ben Franklin. NOTE OF DISCLAIMER HERE: (We have a wonderful yarn shop in town where I know I could have found it. However, it is a little pricey and for a toddler I think you should just be able to throw it in the washing machine. I use her yarn more for special projects and adults.)

SMALL RANT: You would think with a town this size, and the popularity of knitting and crocheting that the stores that carry yarn would have a little more variety.

Handwork as Art

I have a great grandfather and great uncle that were artists on my mom's side. My father, didn't do much artwork as he grew older and had a family, but was always drawing as a child. The family always said that he was very good. My daughter is an amazing artist. Talen seems to ooze from her in fine art and in music. Even though I took art through high school, I never felt that I had the artistic talent. I draw stick firgures. LOL

I have been thinking a lot about it the last couple of months. I learned how to crochet at 11 and knit at 12 in our church group for girls. It seemed as if the moment I picked up a crochet hook, that I was also hooked. From that moment on, there have been very few periods in my life that I have not had some form of a handwork project going.

Through the years I have had capricious interludes with many forms of stitchery. There was bargello, needlepoint, tatting, embordiery and even Brazillian embordiery. I also had a good long love affair with counted cross stitch (I'm not quite sure I am over that one yet:>) I have always come back to my first love though.

I was mainly a crocheter for many years. I knew how to knit, but prefered crochet as a young woman. I made many doilies, Barbie clothes and baby booties and even a few afagans.

When I was pregnant with my daughter Ann, my husband was in the military. We were stationed in San Angelo, Texas. I lived far away from my church group, had no car, no phone and I was going stir crazy. I wanted to make baby clothes. Everything that I saw that I wanted to make was knitted. What better time to get my skills back with two needles? Not only did I make several items for my daughter, but I fell for knitting hard. All of a sudden it clicked, just as crocheting had many years before.

Do I like one over the other? That is really hard to answer. I love them both, but for different reasons. I like crocheting for afagans, accessories, doilies and other misc stuff. Knitting is for clothing, for the most part. Although they do overlap, on many things. It all depends on the look you want.

Knitting is my therapy tool. When I am stressed I can pick it up to relax. When I am working out a problem I can use that time to think things through and come up with a game plan.

Just as any artist I love looking at new colors and shades of yarn. I could spend hours in a yarn department thinking of the possibilities. As I have practiced, and my skill has increased so have my horizons. The yarn has become my pallette and my project my canvas. Just as an artist plays with light and shadows to create an effect in the picture, a knitter or crocheter plays with the stitches and pattern to create the effect that she wants.

Many artists long for the day when the public gets what they are trying to say behind the art piece. For me, it is much the same way. I love seeing the expression of joy on someones face when they open a handmade gift, and know it was made just for them. It makes it all worthwhile. I love the challenge of learning a new technique to use.

Maybe I'm not so far from being an artist than I thought.

Childs Funky Hat

I finished that childs hat I was working on. I think it turned out really cute. I just can't decide if I want to do the scarf, mittens or both.

Knitting Group

I thought I would talk a little about knitting tonight. I love to knit. For some people it makes them tense. It is a relaxer for me. I also love the creative end to it. I love to design my own patterns in sweaters, and to see something I have made worn and loved. Lately, I have been into socks. I made a pair for my mom for Christmas. She said that her apartment was warm and she didn't need them. When I was there I asked her if she had worn them. She said every day and asked if she could have another pair. That is what I did during the flight time to and from Virginia. Made mom's second pair of socks. The yarn is called chocolate covered cherries. I think they turned out pretty.
A couple of weeks before we went to Virginia, Lauren Tanner mentioned that it was -20 in Maine. I made her and Dale a pair of wool socks. She said that they loved them. Their house is cold and drafty. I was glad that they liked them.

I can't remember if I ever put on the picture of Ann's shawl that I did her for Christmas. I wanted a knitting challenge, so I chose a lace pattern. There were several times I almost gave up. It kicked my proverbial rear end. I wish I had kept track of the hours, but I think it took me pretty close to 60 to do it. Here is a picture of her modeling it. Believe it or not, now that I have done the pattern once, I am thinking of doing one for me!
I have been part of a knitting group for about 5 years other than some time I took off because life was too hectic. I started going again because I love to knit, but I also really enjoy the other women. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, but we have a lot in common. There are about 6 or 7 core members, and then others come and go. We decided a couple of weeks ago that we were going to do a Christmas boutique. The main items will be knitted hats, scarfs and mittens. We are going to call it the Hat Box. We are all doing things that we like to do. So there will be a wide variety of things. We are doing them for men and children too. We will also have kitchen things, like pot holders, dishcloths and scrubbers, maybe some baby items and misc things.

I am really excited about it. I finished the first set for the boutique. I did a beret and mitten set. I am thinking about adding a scarf to it.
I finished one of the socks from the yarn I bought in VA. I love the way it made it's own pattern. That is all yarn. Way cool.

I started on a new hat set Monday night. It is for a child. It will be a hat and scarf. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow. It is almost done. I think it is going to be real fun. The band is bright yellow and the body of the hat is in varigated blues with a little yellow. The hat has two points that are sewn toghter.

That about catches everything up. With this boutique that we are doing you will be hearing a lot about knitting and my projects. Sorry!

Handwork Musings

I decided to make a handwork blog for several reasons. #1 was the fact that my other blog is supposed to be a family one, not just about me. #2 I know that most of my family really don't care about the details of my handwork, so I decided to spare them. With my knitting group doing a boutique this Christmas there will be a lot of handwork going on this year.


I am inserting my last two family blogs, so that you can see what I have been working on, and to catch you up on why I will be having a lot of pictures of product this year.


I learned something new last night. I can do what I call mindless knitting (stockingette or garter with no pattern rows, i.e. a scarf) and read at the same time! That is pretty amazing if you ask me. Great use of time. Ironically, the novel I was reading last night when I discovered this amazing ability was about a knitting group! I think that if you are not concentrating on mindless work if you are not faster at it. I finished a 36" scarf last night, and it seemed to take no time at all. This is the scarf that goes with the funky hat. I was going to make mittens, but I have changed my mind. I think I will do something else with the left over yarn.

The family and I were in and out most of the day yesterday, so I didn't have much time to work on projects. I feel pretty proud of what I have done. Friday night I did two pot holders, yesterday 3 pot scrubbers and the scarf. Today another pot holder, and some finishing work on a few things. I will also start one of the dishcloths. If I didn't mention it in one of the previous posts, I am doing kitchen sets for the boutique. 1 pot holder, 1 dishcloth and 1 pot scrubber, all color coordinated. The potholders will be in the varigated and the dishcloths in the solid. Here is a picture of the potholders and scrubbies.


The material for the scrubbies I haven't quite decided on. I found directions for one that is done with the nylon based plastic canvas yarn, which is quick and easy. That is what I did the ones up above with. I have seen patterns for the ones done with tulle though, and they are the ones that have been getting all the rave reviews. Maybe I will try one and see what I think.