Knit Sisters

Girls' Knitting Club Winter Break Gathering

2010-12-15T17:21:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from our pre-winter break meeting with the Girls' Knitting Club. Presents were handed out to them from the Knit Sisters and presents were received from them by those of us who have spent the last several Wednesday afternoons teaching them to knit.

Goodie bags loaded into the sleigh.

The next several photos are of hands casting on and knitting. We weren't allowed to photograph the girls' faces.

We got presents too! A lovely mug, some spicy tea, a ginger cookie and candy canes!

I know I can speak for all of the Knit Sisters when I say this was a fun and rewarding project. Patty B. found some fun gloves to put in the girls' goodie bags. They were a tremendous hit. Also a big hit was the hot chocolate provided by Gail M., the notepads provided by Terry F., the Christmas socks provided by Penni S., and the yarn and needles provided by all of us.

One of the little girls was trying to knit wearing her new gloves. I don't know how successful she was, but she did not want to take off the gloves. Another girl spent a fair amount of time trying to figure the best future opportunity for her to have her hot chocolate. Would it be this weekend or would she save it for Christmas morning? Maybe we'll find out when we go back after the first of the year.

Mrs. Hudgins, the teacher in charge of the class, also learned to knit and worked side by side with the girls. When you are in a circle of knitters, everyone is equal. Patty pointed out to the girls that they were doing what thousands of women have done before them when they sit together and knit: knit and talk, knit and talk, knit and talk.

It was lovely!

Santa Clause is Knitting in Town

2010-12-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

The Knit Sisters have been working diligently with the girls at Greenfield Middle School. Many of them are knitting up a storm now. Only a few are still having a tough time of it, but remain determined to conquer the skill of knitting. Karen shared that one of the girls told her that when she told her mom she was learning to knit, her mom said, "You're becoming a young woman now."

We are in the process of putting together gift bags to hand out to them next Wednesday that will include enough yarn for them to make a long scarf in the garter stitch. Here are about half of them ~

Santa Hats, or reasonable facsimile thereof. Mason grew out of his original Santa Hat. Tai says it now looks like an Elf's hat, so I'm building a new one for him and a hat for Michael. Tai, Aubrey, and Savanah all have hats from years gone by ~

Community Service? More Like Self-Service.

2010-11-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Knitting Dharma
The more expensive the yarn, the more likely the dog to eat it, pee on it, or unravel it in the yard. ~Linda Kay

Some of the Knit Sisters are involved in helping to teach some middle school girls how to knit. It is a challenge, but really a lot of fun. A big shout out to Karen, Gail, Yolanda, Patty, and Hillary, for helping with the hands on stuff, and for the several of you who donated money for needles.

I thought (a dangerous thing for me to do) that after the first lesson, there would be some attrition in the numbers -- that rather than the 15 girls we started out with, we'd end up with around 10. Why did I think this? Well, I thought that many of the young women would find it boring. We live in a fast paced world where everything is done in an abbreviated manner. We don't even write out entire words any more!

At the second session there were 17 girls. No worries, I'm thinking, because this session will really test their metal since we are actually going to be teaching them to cast on.

All I can say is that my projections were wrong. The next session had 20 girls wanting to take up needles and meet the challenge AND the teacher wanted to learn too! (She caught on very quickly, I might add.)

Anyway, some people who have found out what we are doing say, "What great community service, Linda!" Oh, yes, no end to my giving. This is more like self-service because any opportunity I can get to knit with others, I'll take it!

Karen called yesterday evening to say she had a 30% off coupon for an entire purchase at Michael's and that Michael's had Impeccable yarn (268 yards) on sale for $2.49 a skein. She wanted to know if I wanted to go with her to purchase yarn for the Girls Club. Oh, hell no. Not on the eve of Black Friday, not with my full belly, not with me having just unleashed the girls from the bra. I'll buy, if you fly.

Here's what Karen brought back ~

Sweet! When the girls get proficient at casting on and doing the knit stitch, they will choose (by lottery) their color of yarn, get a set of needles and start working on their first actual knitting project, a simple garter stitch scarf.

In other knitting news, I've had these photos of Yolie in the sweaters she recently completed for awhile now, but I have no details on the yarn used or the patterns. The first sweater is made with a yummy angora type yarn in a lovely cranberry color. The pattern is a simple cardigan (simple for some, not for me). It looks great with Yolie's coloring.

Yolie in Red Cardigan

The second sweater is made with some fancy-schmancy yarn and is a pattern Yolie got at Creative Pursuits. It might be one of the owner's original patterns. A nice wrap around, held together with a broach or pin.

Yolie in Blue Wrap Sweater

Karen sent this photo of her daughter's dog, Buttons, which she was dogs-sitting, helping her out with her knitting. Buttons is so helpful, she may become a permanent fixture at Karen's since her daughter does have six other dogs at home.

Buttons Helping Meaner

This is a little bear I made from a pattern in Knitted Toy Tales (Laura Long), using Lang Tosca Light yarn. The next time, I think I'll just use a worsted weight yarn and go up a needle size. It turned out sort of cute, though. I gave it to my daughter, whose nickname as a baby was Sherry Bear.

Sherry's Bear

And, finally, a photo from a recent trip to a show put on by Hand Weavers of the Valley. Wow, what a display of color and amazing products. I wish I had time now to learn weaving and spinning. Soon, though. Very soon. At least the spinning part. Not so interested in the weaving... yet.

Handweavers of the Valley

Hoodies

2010-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

Karen (aka Meaner) has been prolific the past several months making sweaters and hoodies for her great-grandchildren. Here's another hoodie she made from the Bar Harbor Hoodie pattern from the September 2010 issue of Creative Knitting pattern she used for Conner on the previous entry. Karen got creative by adding some leaves to the front panel to jazz this up her oldest great-grandgirl.

Here's the one she made for Conner.

The Reluctant Ripper

2010-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Knit Sister, Gail Munro, writes:

"I loved the colors of the pretty sweater for Aubrey - I really hate to redo a sweater, but sometimes we must. Only once though ;-). I made a gorgeous Debby Bliss sweater for summer. After checking gauge and still going down a needle size, I worked like mad to get it done. Yikes, it is at least 2 sizes too big. One that will have to be redone. No hurry now though, too many winter projects."

Mmmmm, no need to rip it, Gail. I know someone it might fit. :)

If at first you don't succeed, maybe you should try something else.

2010-09-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Karen has been a knitting fool for her great-grandbabies. If you will recall my last entry, she made a sweater set for each of her two youngest GGC's. She has since made another sweater and hat set in this lovely blue:

Then she went on to make an adorable hoodie sweater for Conner:

The pattern for the hoodie sweater is called Bar Harbor Hoodie and can be found in the September 2010 issue of Creative Knitting.

With all that knitting Karen was doing, I managed to finish up a set of basic wash clothes. Go me!

Oh, I also made a sweater for Mason the Destroyer that looks cuter on than off. He can wear it through the upcoming holidaze:

About a year ago, I went to one of my favorite yarn shops and saw an adorable toddler sweater made up in a really scrumptious yarn. The yarn was kind of pricey, but it really, really was scrumptious so I decided I had to make the sweater for Aubrey. The pattern ("Blue Mood," an odd name for a child's sweater. Maybe it's named after the exhausted mother) called for "Baby" made by Tahki Yarns, but was made up using "BigBaby," by Muench. I decided to go with the Muench yarn because the feel of the yarn was what I was drawn to. I figured it was probably about the same weight as called for in the pattern, cause the shop owner is smart like that. Not so. I vastly underestimated the amount of yarn I would need for this project. The six balls I thought I would need, turned into ten balls of yarn, with an end cost for the project of close to $100.

Now, I'm not saying that Aubrey isn't worth $100, but that's a lot of cha-ching for a garment that she will grow out of in a year or, worse, lose at school within two weeks of giving it to her. Le sigh. I had to let go of my angst over the cost of the sweater because I'd already knitted up all the yarn I had when I discovered my error. No turning back now.

Here's how the sweater looked using the "Blue Mood" pattern as written. Cute as a button, est-ce que n'est pas ainsi?

Well, it looked like crap on Aubrey. It was way too wide on her slim little body and way too short. On a toddler, I'm sure it would have been adorable, but not on a tall, slim budding beauty, so I ripped it apart and started over, making major changes to the pattern. Here's the second try:

I made it smaller around, tapered in the shoulders, added length to the body of the sweater and the sleeves (to make up for the tapered shoulders). Also, because I don't like to do seams if I don't have to, I made the body of the sweater in one piece, picked up stitches around the arm holes and knit the sleeves in the round. I also ditched the crocheted border and simply knit in a garter stitch border into the body as I went.

Hopefully, it will look better on her than the first attempt because I'm not taking it apart again. It is what it is.

Christmas in July

2010-07-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Every self-respecting knitter knows that it's time to start those Christmas gifts you want to give, even though it is 100 plus degrees outside. Time to knit scarves, socks, sweaters, mittens, hats, and (if you're into that kind of thing) Christmas ornaments.

Meaner (aka, Karen) has been busy knitting for her great-grandbabies, Abigail and Stephen (aka, Canonball, Chunky Monkey, or Paddy). Here are two precious tam and sweater sets for these lucky kids.

The pattern is from Lion Brand's humongous free pattern catalog. Karen used a Red Heart Eco-Ways recycled blend yarn in a yummy melon color. This size is for 0-6 months and took just over one skein for the sweater.

I'm not sure of the name of the pattern used, but Karen calls it "Conner's Bad Word Prayer Pattern" for all the times she had to start the feather and fan pattern over again before she got it right. I don't know why Conner (her other great-grandboy) got his name in the mix, but knowing Conner and his precocious nature, I'm sure he tried to lend Karen a hand at some point, resulting in bad words and prayers.

This adorable cardigan and tam set is knit using Vanna's Choice yarn in the really handsome barley color. I love this yarn. I've used it myself on several projects. The cardigan is from a Debby Bliss book of baby patterns. The tam is the same pattern Meaner used for Abigail's tam, but without the feather and fan going through it. Karen is handy as a pocket on a shirt when it comes to adjusting patterns for her use.

In the next blog entry, I hope to post some photos of a couple of sweaters Yolie is finishing up. She sent me photos, but they haven't been blocked and need buttons, so I'm going to wait on the finished product. Trust me, they are beautiful!

More to be revealed! Keep on knitting.

Orphan Trudgers

2010-07-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Taking a concept I got from the ABC's of Creative Pursuits, I decided to use remnants of sock yarn to make my grandson, Mason (aka Mayhem) a pair of socks. They are not at all practical since Mason eshews footwear of any kind whenever possible to go barefoot through the world, but they are, as my son would say, hella cute.

The "orphan" part of the name comes from the use of sock yarn remnants; the "trudgers" part of the name comes from my other blog, Trudger, meaning to walk with purpose.

The pattern is your basic sock pattern. I knit both socks at the same time on two size three cable needles, using the short row method for the heel. It's the first time I've used that method, and it was a bit tricky doing both socks at the same time, but it is doable. I like the way the heels look using the short row method and will probably use it again and, hopefully, get better at it.

The Not a Knitter's Project

2010-06-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

When we last wrote, we reported on a project by Terry Foley. Remember? Here's the photo we posted ~

To fully appreciate this post, you have to know a little about Terry. Terry doesn't knit. At least, that's what she claims. She also doesn't cook, even though many of us have been the beneficiary of her famous butter cookies at Christmas, her wonderful roasted vegetables, and other culinary delights. She doesn't cook.

She also doesn't exercise, even though she has hauled my not insubstantial ass out of bed and to the Bakersfield College football stadium to climb stairs and walk the track.

Terry is a contrare. If she were an Iroquois she would walk backwards, like the character in "Little Big Man." Whatever she says she doesn't do, she might do, but she doesn't want anyone relying on her cooking, her knitting, or her exercise, so she claims she doesn't do those things. There are other things she doesn't do, except when she does them and does them so well that people are often left in awe (like speeches and writing and legal crap).

Terry is a natural giver. She likes to "make stuff" for other people. Her cookies, for instance. She doesn't eat them, but she loves to make them for others. I blame much of my own tonnage on her cookies.

Anyway, Terry's project was borne of her desire to do something nice for someone else, even though she doesn't knit. She came to my house many evenings to not knit with me. She worked and worked on her project, enlisting me occasionally to fix a problem or give advice.

She had a vision in mind. I didn't think it would work out. I thought the colors were all wrong, the concept loopy, but as she kept not knitting and acquiring the material to complete the project, I started to nod my head and think, "this just might be cool."

The project took a long time because not knitting is a laborious process with a lot of pissing and moaning along the way. And, it requires that you do other things you don't do, like not crocheting and not hand-sewing a lining onto a knitted item.

By this time, I'm really enthusiastic about the project and think to myself, "Self, Terry's friend will be getting a heirloom. I hope she appreciates that she is the beneficiary of a rare item made by a not knitter."

Here is the finished product: Terry's lovely baby blanket, knitted in a basket weave pattern, lined with a very soft valour pink material with monkey design, all in the colors the mother to be wanted.

Cropped Cardie

2010-06-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

I knitted this little cropped cardie for Erica. The pattern is in the spring 2010 issue of Knitter's Magazine. I had to adapt quite a bit for the gauge. If I do this pattern again -- and I probably will -- I will definitely do it in contrasting yarns so fun changes in stitches can be seen.

My daughter, Sherry, the non-knitting knitting observer, likes to take photos of her foot in various locations. Her foot even has its own fan page on facebook, called Footnotes. After I sent the link to this post to Sherry, she sent this photo back to me ~

And, more to be revealed with this project by Terry Foley. I love seeing a project evolve.

Magic at Mid-Morning

2010-06-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

These are the kinds of things that kids get to play on at parks today. Even at 62 and way too big for small entrances, they seem to call to me to be climbed on -- almost a magical draw. I don't know who I was lamenting to about the playground equipment of yesteryear, but In My Day (imagine air quotes around those words), we had rickety old merry-go-rounds, even ricketier teeter-totters (you don't see those anymore), swings and rings, and monkey bars. I think playgrounds in the '50s were a rite of passage. They were real character builders if you survived the equipment and the bullies. If you went to the park, you were going to come home injured, even if it was only blisters on your hands from the monkey bars.

Yolanda brought her grandson, Nick, to Knitting in the Park. I think he spent a fair amount of time in the magical tower before becoming bored with it. Nick was pretty low key today. Usually, he's a font of entertainment. As my mother would have said, "he's a caution!" I've always taken that to mean a combination of mischief and fun. Being a caution is a badge of honor. Boring people are never cautions.

Maybe he was just overwhelmed by the abundance of women with sharp instruments, because he was definitely off his game.

Here's Karen working on yet another cardigan from some lovely multi-colored, nubby, yarn. She said the yarn reminded her of the Bible story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.

Terry working on a soft and yummy baby blanket for a friend's little girl due in August. It's in a basket weave pattern and she's going to line it with a soft velour type material. A photo of the finished product will definitely be posted when she's done. I'm posting this here as proof that T does, despite her protestations, knit.

This photo tells it all as to Sherry's thoughts on knitting: It's all Greek to her! She just joins us for the joy of sitting outdoors on a perfectly beautiful day.

Savanah dropped by also, but I didn't get a photo of her. Next time!

Serenity of the River

2010-06-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

A few of us managed to drag our knitting, chairs and other accoutrements necessary to women and visiting, to the river side. Sue took a few more photos of hands at work, as well as a few that depicts the mood of the day. She has a great eye for the beauty of simplicity.

Mean's bag and hands.

Meaner's bag and hands.

The serenity of the river.

Savanah in Blue Cardigan

2010-05-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Savanah in her new blue cardigan ~

The pattern for this cardigan is found in Paton's Next Steps Three Create Your Own Cardigan booklet 500838DD. The photo of the cardigan and the instructions for the cardigan don't jibe, especially the collar. If you make the collar the way the instructions direct, it is much, much larger than what the photo shows. Also, while I love the finished product, the booklet is not easy to follow. You have to go to one page for the basic back, another page for the fronts, another for the sleeves, and then back to figure out the damn collar. I goofed up on the number of stitches to do for the front bands, but if it had turned out perfectly, I would have made the knitting gods mad at me.

Hands

2010-05-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Mean, Meaner, Suzan, and Lauri all met today for Knitting in the Park today. The weather was perfect. We got to see some wild parrots, escapees from a long ago wind storm that loosed hundreds of rare birds out of their cages. The brilliant green flitting around was a fun sight.

I decided to just take a few photos of hands at work ~

These are Meaner's hands working on a beautiful claret cardigan.

These hands are Lauri's, crocheting an intricate doily pattern. It was discovered that Lauri is great at crocheting, but bad at math. (Me too.)

Suzan working on a baby blanket for a newcomer to the world.

Notice Suzan's hands reflected off her glasses. I really love this photo.

It was great to see Suzan before she leaves for Europe on Saturday. One of her biggest packing concerns has been which knitting project(s) to take. I understand that dilemma.

Sophie

2010-05-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

After just getting out of doggie hospital for eating something that pert near killed her, Suzan's little girl, Sophie, decided to get more fiber in her diet.

Sophie is the darling of our Monday meditation group. She has a unique way of getting ready for meditation that includes a bit of whirling dervish activity before actually settling down. Meditators and knitters alike were devastated when she was hospitalized. We are all grateful she made it through, apparently not too much worse for the wear and still eating things she shouldn't.

Suzan, Yolie, and Mean met for a nice stitch 'n bitch session in the park this week. The weather was perfect. We enjoyed ourselves a great deal, so naturally we are going to do it again next week.

Knitting for Babies

2010-05-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if there is anything more immediately satisfying as knitting for babies. You can create clothing in a fraction of the time that it takes to knit a similar item for yourself. Add in that the baby you're knitting for is a grandchild and you have knitting nirvana.

This adorable little item is a sweater Meaner made for her newest grandchild, yet to be born.

The details can only be fully appreciated by seeing the sweater in person, but trust me, it's all soft loveliness.

Suzan is working on a baby blanket for a friend. Maybe she'll send a photo when she's done. Baby blankets are a whole 'nuther thing. They do take a good while to complete, but they are well worth the effort. Mason, my youngest grandson, still drags around a hand-crocheted blankie he got when he was first born.

Just because she's beautiful

2010-02-10T11:01:00.001-08:00

Meaner's Grandkids Get the Best of Her

2010-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

I've been nagging Karen to bring over some of the finished projects she's made her great-grandbabies in the past. Here are some photos of a few things she made for great-grandson, Conner (who is a chip off the old block and could legitimately be dubbed "Meanerest" or "Lil' Mean").

This first one is just a-fricking-dorable. A little sherpa hat and jacket Karen crocheted for Lil' Mean before we knew how onery he was going to turn out to be (not that it would have made any difference -- Karen would have made them anyway).

The second one is a cool little baby blanket, stitched with a lot of love for the little begger.

And, finally, a flannel cowboy throw that Karen says he still drags around. I love the finishing touch of his name and the date embroidered on the blankie.

Look Ma, No Fingers!

2009-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

I adapted "Moya's Orpah-Annie Fingerless Gloves" pattern for my granddaughter, Aubrey. The gloves are made using a variety of sock yarns, giving them an eclectic, colorful look.

The work on the needles is pair of adult sized gloves, almost half-way completed, to give you an idea of size.

I seem to accumulate more yarn, patterns, needles and other accoutrements of knitting than I actually end up with in product, but reading this from the Yarn Harlot's 2009 calendar gave me comfort ~

I no longer make resolutions about my knitting. I don't say, "This year I'm going to get the stash in order" or "This year I'm going to alphabetize my patterns," and it's been many years since I swore that I would have fewer projects going a once." It's not that I've given up, since I'm not the sort, but rather that a kind of acceptance has come over me. I am a knitter. This is what it looks like. Anyone who thinks it's too much, or too messy, or too unfinished ... Well, they should just be happy that my passion is for lovely soft yarn and beautiful sweaters. After all, it could be much worse. I could have these same feelings about cabbage.

I was talking to Meaner the other day, though, and we both acknowledged that if we want to give socks as gifts for Christmas, we really need to start knitting them in January, given our lack of ability to stick with a task for long and the fact that we both have several people wanting socks. My other problem in making items for Christmas is that when I'm done with a project, I want to give it right away. I've never been known for delaying gratification, either my own or yours.

Mean finishes a project

2009-12-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again. ~Dorothy Day

I made this sweater for my grandson, Mason. I just finished it. I told my son, Mike, that when Mason grows out of it, I have too much time invested in it to simply throw it in the Goodwill bag. It may be a simple little project for experienced knitters, but anytime I finish anything I'm amazed and have to have the proof around for awhile.

It's been like forever

2009-12-03T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm sure we are all busy working on knitting projects. Me? I'm regretting not starting on those ten pair of Christmas socks back in July. Even if I had, I probably could not have held on until Christmas to hand them out, so, oh well.

Meaner's been knitting madly for her new great-grandson to be and finished up the sweater and hat to go with the lovely blanket in the last post. Here they are ~

Here's a shot of the beanie standing up. Obviously, it will be much cuter with a little noggin inside it !

Mean is working on yet another crocheted afghan (among a half-dozen other projects) ~

I just ate three oatmeal-raisin cookies for breakfast. That's not a bad thing, is it?

Together Again

2009-11-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a blog entry, but we've been busy, busy, busy with Dia de los Muertos. Time to put the dead to rest and get back to the unique creativity that winter and knitting provides.

Karen made this lovely mint green baby blanket for her great grandchild, who is not here yet, but will be soon. She's making a sweater to match. I'll post a photo of that when it is finished ~

I'm still working on my son's afghan from the Babette's blanket pattern.

Yolanda has a scheme to get us together this coming Thursday to all start a "Design your own sweater" in the round, based on a video she watched at at Easy Knitting Design.

I look forward getting together with the sisters again.

Nonknitters can think what they will about the value of knitting on earth, but know this: No knitter will ever depart the earth without leaving evidence behind.
~The Yarn Whore

I can only imagine ...

2009-09-09T08:10:00.001-07:00

how huge I'd be if I didn't knit. Apparently, the Hippest, Old-Fashioned way to keep from overeating is to knit. Maybe if I could knit my jaw shut, it would prove to be true for me. Personally, I don't think you are an accomplished knitter until you've learned to purl and eat Cheetos at the same time. Yes, I am that good. And, yes, I am fond of orange yarn.

In other knitting news, Karen (aka "Meaner") and I (Linda, aka "Mean") finished making shawls from the free Lion Brand pattern, Spendid Triangle.

The pattern called for using Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which neither of us have had great experience knitting with. Karen used an alternative bulky weight yarn from Lion Brand (Jiffy), but wasn't pleased with the results. The pattern pops out with this yarn, but it isn't as soft and flexible as Homespun.

Meaner went with Homespun on her second attempt at this shawl. It is really lovely. If you use sharp pointed needles such as Denise or some other brand, it is much easier to knit Homespun. Forget about crocheting with that yarn, though. It's a biatch.

Here's Karen's second shawl in a beautiful green and then mine in variegated fall colors.

When Karen was trying to add some line to her Denise needles, she accidently pulled a large portion of the shawl off the line. This is her cussing and trying to fix her mess (hee hee) ~

Oh, and to leave you with a smile, here's a photo of my grandson, Mason, shaving with his "da dee." (When you maintain the blog, you get the privilege of occasional lapses into cuteness.)

Meaner's Entrelac Scarf

2009-09-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Karen finished the scarf she's been working on. It turned out beautifully.

What's next, Karen? Where's that afghan you've been working on?

This is ... something ... something very strange that creeped out of one of Yolie's many bags of yarn when last we were at her home. I'm not sure what it is, but if you see it, poke it with a stick to see if it moves.

Since you last joined us ...

2009-08-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

The sisters got together at Ms. Yolie's house for another knitting session. Well ... actually we really got together to see this little one ~

Meet, Daveena Honey, future Knit Sister

We did a little knitting, Laurie a lot of untangling, Ms. Yolie some organizing, and Meaner gave crochet instructions to Sue.

Doesn't Sarah look like the Knitting Madonna? Don't let that calm, cool demeanor fool you. She's as feisty as the rest of us.

But, mostly, it was all about Daveena, who, as you can see, got a little tired of the attention.

Since our last gathering as Knit Sisters, Maureen, the official Non-Knitter sister, and I joined Ms. Yolie at Pismo Coast Village where Yolie did some knitting around the campfire. A serious knitter will have one of these ~

Meaner's Been Busy; Sisters Pushing Tattoos

2009-07-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Karen decided to give the Fan Bookmark by crochetroo a try. She did a great job on them, using some beautiful variagated yarns.

Then she turned her attention to a fun crocheted bookmark pattern called The Golden Bookmark. Karen crocheted the bookmark up in red, rather than gold. It makes a dramatic statement against the written page.

All in all, she had a busy bookmark day.

Ms. Yolie sent out an image of a tattoo she suggested the sisters get. I'm pretty sure there are only a few of us who'd be game for a tattoo, but I think this one is pretty groovy.

Laurie found this one and all I can say is that this is a very dedicated knitter ~

Mean and Meaner and the Two Beautiful Step Sisters

2009-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Some of the Knit Sisters got together at Yolie's house last night to work on our projects and visit. We got a whole lot more visiting and laughing done than knitting, which is what makes it such great fun.

Karen working on her latest crocheted afgan. "Colorful Squares Afghan" published in Donna Koolers Crocheted Afghans.

Karen and I took one of the finished Babette's Blankets for Yolie to see. She loved it and immediately envisioned getting rid of all of her scrap yarn to make one for herself. The only problem: She doesn't crochet.

Yolie working on a poncho for one of her grandgirls.
Yolie asked me to show her how to make the squares, but I suggested Karen help her instead since she is a far more experienced crocheter than I. As Karen was instructing, Yolie got frazzled and Karen got more direct in her directions. Finally Yolie turned to me and said, "You didn't say she was mean." I replied, "I didn't say she wasn't mean. She's meaner than me, but she's a better crocheter."

Sue was working on a simple lacy shawl pattern in greens.
Then Sue arrives, sees the afghan and wants to learn to crochet too. Yolie turns to her and says, "Who do you want to teach you, Mean or Meaner." We howled. So, I'm afraid the Sistie Uglers have forever been dubbed Mean and Meaner. The truth is Karen is one of the kindest persons I know. She's all bark and no bite. Me? I'm a barker and a biter. ;)

Karen showing off the entrelac scarf that's a work in progress.

Mark this spot

2009-07-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Little Sister, moi, made this cute, old-fashioned fan bookmark yesterday evening from a free pattern by crochetroo. You can find the pattern by clicking on her name.

It didn't take very long at all to make up, but I confess that I am crochet pattern illiterate. I usually have to work at something and tear it apart several times before I get it right. The fan bookmark was no exception. The next one won't be nearly as difficult now that I've got the idea down.

I'm giving the bookmark to a friend who is celebrating a birthday. I think she'll appreciate a little home made giftie. At least, I hope she does.

Big Sister's Fingerless Mittens

2009-06-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

The original pattern on these fingerless mittens called for doing up the pattern in a variety of sock yarns. Karen made these in one variagated sock yarn.

You can find the recipe in PDF version here: Fingerling Fingerless Mittens.

The idea for Karen's gloves was derived from a great little project packaging idea we purchased at ABC's of Creative Pursuits. You pick out six different yarn cards for the eclectic look and get them and the pattern in a fun tin box for only $18.00, yo!

The photo is borrowed from the Creative Pursuits website.

The Sisters Finish Their Blankies

2009-06-29T08:01:00.001-07:00

When I think about when we started this project, I'm a little amazed that we tore through the building blocks and piecing together so fast. Maybe it's because Karen and I were doing this together. Maybe we spurred each other on. At any rate, we are done with "mostly" the same blanket. Here's Karen's Babette Blanket ~

Both Karen and I redid one or two blocks to better fit the project. Karen's blanket has a more colorful border. First she single crocheted with black and then two rows of double crochet with lime green and pink. Her border really pops!

Here's my version of the blanket. A bit more subdued, with one row of double crochet in tan.

Karen wasn't as impressed as I was with our accomplishment. I guess that's because she's a far better crocheter than I, but personally I think we deserve medals. (I guess it should be pointed out that I think we deserve medals for any finished project, but that's just me.)

Chevron Scarf

2009-06-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

I finished knitting a small version of the Chevron Scarf (recipe below). It became tedious knitting for me, but thankfully I attend to even more tedious things that require me to sit and listen, so out comes the knitting needles ~

I plan on knitting a pair of fingerless mittens out of the same yarns. They won't take nearly as long as the scarf.

As promised, here's the recipe:

Chevron Scarf
This scarf can be done in two widths, the small scarf is 4 ¼ inches wide and the large is 5 1/2 inches. Both are 78 inches long.
Yarn: Two 300 yd. skeins of contrasting fingering weight yarn. Do NOT try to match the yarns – make sure that there is a LOT of contrast. If the yarns “match” you won’t be able to see the chevron pattern.

Needles: US 5 straights or circular

CO 36 (48).

With Color A do 4 rows of Reverse Stockinette. (Purl one row, knit one row, purl one row, knit one row.)

With Color B:

Row 1 – K2tog 3x (4x), K f&b 6x (8x), K2tog 6x (8x), K f&b 6x (8x), K2tog 3x (4x).
Row 2 – Purl

With Color A:

Row 3 – Knit
Row 4 – Purl

Repeat Rows 1 through 4 until scarf is 77 inches long or until you are sick of knitting, whichever comes first.

End with Color A – 4 rows of Reverse Stockinette.

Charm Over Perfection

2009-06-16T11:09:00.001-07:00

Making this blanket, adapted from Interweave Crochet's Babette Blanket, has been one of more fun projects I've done, probably because Sis and I are making it at the same time. While we do noodle out the details together, I generally rely on Karen for making final decisions. She is a far better crochet hook wielder than I am.

Karen and I crochet at different tensions. I've adjusted crochet hook sizes a few times, but we are just going to end up with an irregular look when all is said and done. I think it will add to the charm of the blanket. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Releasing ain't easy

2009-06-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

For the inexperienced knitter, letting go of a finished product isn't easy. The hours and hours that you spend with the project seems to instill in you the right to keep everything you make, even if it is something you have absolutely no use for in your own life. This baby blanket, for example ~

I decided not to go with the leopard print lining as I had planned in my previous entry, opting instead for a traditional "girl baby" color.

I had to hand sew the lining on to the blanket. First, my sewing machine is on the blink, and second, I thought it might look a little better. Hopefully, the stitches will hold up to actual use. It's actually quite small. By the time the weather is cool enough for a blankie of this heft, it may be good for nothing more than changing a diaper on.

Other than the smallness, I was pleased with the final result. And, since "Mommy" showed proper pleasure with the gift, releasing wasn't as hard as it could have been.

Yarn is like crack for old ladies

2009-06-11T13:24:00.001-07:00

In keeping with Savanah's remark to my sister, Karen, and I about our addiction to all things yarn, here are a few projects that we've worked on and am working on ~

1. The first one is a baby's blanket in a simple basket weave pattern. I'm going to line one side of the blanket with a soft material. I'm finished except for the lining.

2. The second project is called Babette's Blanket, from a crochet pattern printed in Interweave Crochet. The photo of the finished product is from Interweave. We are just starting. The basket contains some of what we've done so far. Karen and I are doing this blanket together. She's a much faster crocheter than I am, but I'm a better weave-in-the-ends person. :)

3. This is an Entrelac Scarf I finished about six weeks ago. It was a bit of a challenge for me, so I was proud that I was able to come up with a finished project.

4. And, finally, a beanie I knitted for the little round-headed boy, Mason. Odds are that it won't fit by this winter, but it's his anyway.