Visiting Jenni+Bringing a Pattern on a Greyhound

Off to MN...

I am going to MN to visit my best friend for New Years!  This means that I have to take something to knit on the way up...I am working on some socks.  After all they are the easiest to knit on a trip, especially when all you do is just simple rounds for hours and hours in a car.  That way you don't have to struggle with reading patterns or following a chart...gr.  Last time I took the DJ bag up with MN and worked on it for an extensive time, it wasn't too hard to work on because there was plenty of room, but since I am going in a car I wanted to have something smaller and less difficult and more familiar to work on...but don't fret...I am working on a chart for the ride home, when I am on the greyhound for 8 hours...gr.

Happy New Years!

E

Making Things Look Like Becky's Work [aka AWESOME!]

Finishing...

It is so hard to finish any of my work! I get really frustrated that I take a lot of time purchasing, planning and knitting beautiful patterns but when it comes to finishing anything, geeze do I stink! A few months ago I made a beautiful bolero to wear at my cousin's wedding. However, the DAY of the wedding...IT FELL APART!:( I wish I had a few tips from experts on creating clean edges to give hand-made garments a nice finished look.

The image abore are fingerless mittens that I am making for my friend Julie. According to her boyfriend, she loves red b/c it is the "colar of passion," It took me some time to make these beautiful mittens, but finishing them is a nightmare. Little pieces of yarn stick out of the edges of the top of the mitens and the top of the thumbs. I also get a big bump at these locations too.

Last but not least, to the right is a baby hat I made for a co-worker. I still can't get

that finished look, but to be honest, it looks cleaner than the mittens that are photographed above. This time around I used a crochet hook instead of a needle. I used longer strand of yarn at the end and weaved it in quite detailed into several parts of the hat. I also used a crocheted edge around the brim of the hat.

I once met a lady who owned Bella Lana Yarns that when you sew up edges you need a loose edge, such as a slipped stitch edge. When I make my next sweater I am going to slip a stitch before I knit (or purl) the row...and slip one at the end of the row before I turn around and start over again. I am hoping that this new technique will make my edges look smoother. :)

Happy Knitting!:)

Sweaters Take Forever to Make!

My latest knitting sprees have consisted of 1/2 sweaters and 1/2 a pair of socks or mittens. They are quite exciting. I have neglected the knitter blog and I apolgize!!! It has been...wow...a year??? The current sweater I am working on is from the Freedom Spirit Wool Catolge. I am quite impressed with the book. It is one of my favorites, the only downside is it takes FOREVER to make anything!! Although I have been getting a lot better and sitting and working at something. My knitting has gotten a lot better, and more even. My first sweater took some literties, after all it was my first sweater. I broke some needles and cried a lot...but now it looks wondeful!! I can't wait to wear it again! (I need a new blouse because is wayyyyyy to short...I don't want people to see my fat crawling out of me;))

I still go to Loops and Links quite often. After all, they have THE BEST yarn, but tomorrow I am going to adventure to Patti's Yarn Shop. I never went there and I always wanted to try it out. Just to see what the place is like. Hopefully she has Freedom Spirit Yarn:)

That is all for now.

E

Nina+Mark's Gifts [and Sharons too!]

to my right: Nina's Glove...pattern from Stich'n'Bitch Nation! I didn't use the cabeling pattern due to shortage of time. Galway Wool from Loops and Links was used to make this glove.





Above: Mark's glove for Xmas, from Broccos', wonderful pattern! The easiest pattern for gloves I have come across, no I-cord and no I-glove...both which are very evil and hard to do if you are just starting out on dpns and venturing into gloves. Yarn presented is Benard's Cami yarn.

The one to the right: my very own glove pattern, made for one of my co-workers at Resurrection


Mittens!!!!

Fun stuff to do!!

Many people shy away from mittens/gloves because of the big scarey thumb! I say the hell with that!! it's so soo col see a thumb just pop out of nowhere!! But don't get me wrong, they can be tricky animals at times though becuase every hand is different. I recemmend tracing the owner of the mitten's hand on a piece of paper. This way you always have their measurments without a bunch of random numbers floating around. I made a few mittens. I have been making them for xmas gifts.

Knitting on straight needles may cause one to have a seam, but they aren't as bad as one may think. A little tip I learned, knit 3, add marker, k1 m1, k1, add marker and knit the rest of the row. on the other side, knit all the stiches except for the last five, add marker, k1, m1, k1 and knit the last three. The seam ends up on the side by the thumb...and it's easier to sew up because all of your sewing is in one area. Most of my mittens take only about an hour to make. And they look cool on both straight and double pointed needles.

Double pointed needles are fun to use too. I would recemmend using bamboo or wooden dpns, becuase they hold the yarn better!! No seams at all. If you have the knowledage/skill to use them I would! I hate sewing seams up. If you don't sew them up right you get a big buldge and it sucks majorally! I always get my friend Jean-Maire to sew them up becuase she is the whiz at sewing seams.

My new pattern! Pattern number two!!

Emmy's Mittens:


100% wool Galamore Yarn 210 yards
1 skien, unless doubled

co 25 stiches
k in garter stich for three inches
next row: k 3 add marker k1, m1, k1, add marker
k in st st m1 after knitting first stich after marker, increase on right side only
contuine for two inches.
Place stiches on a holder, k for 2-3 inches, depending on the lengh of your pinky
k2, k2tog, k rest of row
p every other side
k next side
next row: k2tog
contuine in this pattern from * to * under mitten is as long as your hand.
cut at 12 inch tail
k stiches on to a 'dead' piece of yarn, pull stiches tight and tie off, sew up

Thumb:
k 3 rows in st st
k2tog k rest
p wrong side
repeat until length desired,
cut 6" of yarn k stiches in them and pull tight
sew up

for the other side: k 20, pm, k1, m1, k1, pm, k3 and contuine as written

Celebrate you are done!!!

Purses as Gifts!

Purses as Gifts!

The girls! From left to right, Angie, Myself, Niki and Michelle. Angie and I visited Niki and Michelle. Up here I got to see the purse complety done (I was unable to sew up the seams so I gave it to her to do)

Purses as gifts is one of the greatest ideas around. Today pureses are so...well...they change quicker than the colors of a camalion. We all have our own perferences for purses, and we don't always have that option to purchase that perfect purse...so in my mind...make one. That way you can have excatly what you want for a purse.

A good friend of mine is in LOVE with Fall Out Boy, just adores the music, especially Pete Wenzel, the bassist. So, my best friend Jennifer and I decided to make a purse with Pete on it for her for her b-day. Using inspiration from Debbie Stollers' Pattern "Poster Boy" we were able to complete a very beautiful purse. In order to avoid sevearl problems that were comming up in our orgional purse we recemmend the following for any purse making experience that includes using pics on front!

The Pete Purse!

How to make a great purse! TIPS!

1/wrap your yarn every few stiches if you use intarisa! Otherwise it will be too tight!
2/use singlar needles instead of double pointed...at first that seems crazy but then u are only dealing with one side.
3/FELT this! Sew it all together and then put it in the washing machine. Becuase u are using felting, use a size biggar needle to get a bigger purse...:)
4/make the straps thicker than you would origionaly think. These straps were only 13 stiches long...make them like 20. That way they are extra strong.
5/use the photoshop recemendations, but if you can't get a hold of them, use graph paper to do the dirty work

I am looking for photos of William Beckett to put on my purse:) I am hoping to make it large enough so I can felt it and create a beautiful creation...again! In the meantime I am working on several other projects, including a cami for myself! I wish everybody the best of luck on their projects! Please let me know if you come up with anymore purse suggestions.

Emmy

Charity & Group Knitting [Both Very Fun Yet Can Make You Sleepy]

Charity & Group Knitting


From Left to Right: Vanessa, Julia and I in December. We are missing four members Alyssa, Jean-Marie Tanya and Jennifer Together the seven of us make up the Stich'n'Bitch Green Bay Chapter


My prayer shawl! I was told that I
made it too small when I showed the group my final piece. I told them that my shawel was intended for a young person who has a form of cancer.

Groups are fun! We have a local chapter of our Stich'n'bitch. We hold it at Barnes and Noble every Tuesday. Here we not only learn about each other's lives but we also learn about new techniques and we are there to help each other out...even if one of us decides to go crochet on us! We welcome them with open arms!

I think the kindest thing to do is to do some charity. Everybody needs charity in their life...otherwise the world would indeed be very greedy. All across our Nation there are Paryer Shawel Miniseteries. These types of groups work for those who are sick. There are also Chemo Caps for those who have Cancer and etc. I think that these are great programs!

Well being the advicate knitter I am, I went to our chruch's prayer shawel ministery (I also work here as an organist) I was inspired to try a knack at knitting...I was pretty excited to do it! Well...I got there and there were two crocheters--they were not found that I, Emmy, queen of knitting (they knew I adore knitting) was crocheting! God forbid! They had the nerve to tell me that a knitter should not corchet and therefore my prayer shawel would never be helpful for anybody!

I laugh at these people!

Then there was this lady at the LYS (local yarn store) who's granddaughter was only 1 years old and had cancer! How horrible!!! Here was this girl who was only a year old living with cancer while two ladies over at my church told me that my prayer shawel isn't "holy"!

So, when you are at those knitting groups here are some tips to keep in mind:

1/If anybody be littles you for your expertise (or lack of b/c u are just a beginner) gently remind them that they were once new themselves.
2/If anybody says "knitters can't corchet and crocheters can't knit" ask them how do they know!?! (and if they ever met Debbie Stroller, who has done both?)
3/If you are ridiculed for having cheap aryclic yarn, tell them that it isn't the dollar amount it is the time and effort put into the piece.
4/If somebody who has more expertise points out a mistake tell them this: "It's not a mistkate it,s the character of the shawel! My Shawel/chemocap (etc) has attitude just like you!"
5/You can always change groups...there are a lot of groups out there!
6/Start your own! Get your friends into knitting! College Campus have knitting clubs everywhere! Look at the LYS, even if it s a Hobby Lobby
7/If anybody calls you "unholy" or "unworthy" for talking back/defending yourself at one of these Shawl Places, tell them that only God can make that call.
8/Even if it isnt your best work, the Church will not make fun of the shawl, they will appreciate your help. The sick person will appreciate the shawl (and if you are really self-consious you can either frog it or give 2 a blind person)
9/Only help when you are asked at these places...unless you see somebody heading down the path to hell! (this is true in your LYS, chances are if you look like a knitter they will ask you for help anyways. And then u feel good!:))

NOBODY deserves to live with the snobbery of the knitting world. I can't tell you how many times I have been to Hobby Lobby (not to pick on Hobby Lobby, it's a great place) and somebody will smerk and go "oh look college kid trying knitting" when I have been knitting for three years (and probably am just as good as them!) I have had a lady apprach me telling me I shouldn't be purchasing a bunch of needles and random balls of yarn...that's just wasting money...esp since I was a beginner and I was a college student. Truth was, I was actually teaching a knitting class that night (and I got reinversted too so I wasn't wasting my money HA!)

Truth is, it doesn't matter what level you are at...the most important part of knitting is the spirit of it! Keep it alive! Don't let others bring you down, those haters are everywhere, from the asiles of Hobby Lobby to the local Prayer Shawel Group.

Emmy