tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94268922012-02-09T22:08:45.342-05:00The ramblings of someone who cannot live without at least fifteen knitting projects in progress at any given time.Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399447301356626262noreply@blogger.comBlogger5351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-85966622608738654802012-02-09T22:08:00.000-05:002012-02-09T22:08:45.354-05:00

So yesterday was Knit Night at my LYS, and the bargain bin was chock-full of this:That's "Polo", a 60% cotton/40% acrylic blend that Ravelry says is worsted, but feels too thin for that; and the label gives a sportweight range of needle sizes. So I'm figuring it's sportweight.It was on sale for $1 a ball. So I bought 40.Yeah, you read that right.It's a fabulous grey - very neutral, dark enough to

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-24291538435122200552012-02-04T21:34:00.000-05:002012-02-04T21:36:04.514-05:00

I should never have opened my big mouth and said that I was going okay on the right front of my Ljod cardigan. Because very shortly after I did that, I discovered that I had to rip back about forty rows and do a lot of the bust shaping again because the pattern hadn't been clear about when to start the neck shaping. (Including the words "at the same time" in the pattern MIGHT HAVE BEEN HELPFUL.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-69567105916772716212012-01-31T11:41:00.001-05:002012-01-31T11:41:53.160-05:00

To the best of my knowledge, I am now humming along correctly on the right front of my Ljod cardigan. I haven't had a chance to take a picture of it yet, but I'm either done or almost done the bust shaping, which means the piece is pretty close to being finished. Pictures forthcoming.Despite this good progress, I'm still panicking a bit - 17 days left and I still need to complete the right front,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-37233665514805696082012-01-25T23:45:00.001-05:002012-01-25T23:46:14.078-05:00

So today was my first real chance to start working on my Ljod cardigan (since deciding to finish it as my husband's anniversary present): I now know where the pattern book is, and my husband had a shift at work all day. I was so looking forward to making real progress on it. I figured I would make especially good progress since DD3 is recovering from a cold which hit its apex last night and made

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-73836458009048888212012-01-24T23:01:00.000-05:002012-01-24T23:01:25.857-05:00

DH spent a lot of time with the baby on Monday so that I could forge ahead with my swatching for my design proposal. And I did...but...in the process discovered that I needed to make a lot of changes to the charts. Changes that would take a lot more figuring and charting and swatching. I estimated that I could neglect my husband and kids and chores a lot over the next week or so in order to pull

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-87442775424540997402012-01-20T10:26:00.000-05:002012-01-20T14:01:35.969-05:00

My 12-in-12 challenge is going fairly well so far. I've got my first submission all ready to go. I haven't sent it off yet, though, because my second submission is going to be to the same publication, so I'm going to wait until both are finished and then send them off in a single package. The second submission is proving a little trickier because it takes way more swatching and planning and

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-90240594194701392902012-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:002012-01-11T11:11:29.894-05:00

There seems to be a fair bit of talk around the online and offline knitting worlds about "12 in 12". That is, knitting twelve of something during the 2012 calendar year. As I understand it, you're supposed to set your own challenge for yourself, based on what would be challenging for you personally. For example, some might knit twelve pairs of socks in 2012. Some might knit twelve hats. Some

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-3156353027639559392012-01-06T17:33:00.003-05:002012-01-06T17:33:53.950-05:00

Startitis continues to hold me in its thrall.My girls gave me this yarn for Christmas:It's fuzzy and unbelievably soft. I think the girls (the older ones, at least, who chose it while shopping for me at the LYS) had the idea that I could use it as a bib for DD3, but I didn't think the polyester content would make it absorbent enough for such a purpose. So I did a search on Ravelry and realised

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-47790049798579998992011-12-31T17:07:00.000-05:002011-12-31T17:07:21.065-05:00

The new projects are still seeing a lot of action. I completed the tea cosy:I finished the heel of the Skew sock:I've made more progress on my slippers:And I started my Sweetness pattern for DD3: (I love those colours, I think they're going to look fabulous on her.)I had to stop there because I ran out of the cream yarn. I'm not worried, though - I knew I was going to run out because I only had

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-9345716036247174442011-12-28T11:01:00.000-05:002011-12-28T11:02:26.714-05:00

Startitis has hit me hard, and what's more, it feels like it's only just getting started.I'm continuing along on the bib I talked about last time, but I've gotten a bit hung up on the neckline edge. I want to do applied i-cord, but I'm having some challenges getting a good ratio of picked-up stitches along the edge. My first attempt gave me way too much i-cord for the size of the opening, so it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-35625420492618997142011-12-23T17:29:00.000-05:002011-12-23T17:29:48.438-05:00

I'm actually thinking about next year's Christmas knitting.For my dad: a grey Morgan. DD2's teacher's one turned out so nice this year, and my mom loved it when I showed it to her - she said my dad would love one, and she suggested grey, to match his winter coat.I have to agree with her that it's totally my dad's style. For my BILs: sweaters: same pattern, but different colours. DD2: I might

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-62205731783320877322011-12-22T10:46:00.002-05:002011-12-22T10:46:40.585-05:00

It.Is.DONE!!!front: back: (You obviously can't tell from the shots since there's nothing else in it for scale, but it's friggin' HUGE.)Ahhhhh.Time to break out the Kauni!No, wait, scratch that...time to clean the house. Le sigh.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-55992083653816808552011-12-21T13:25:00.001-05:002011-12-21T13:26:14.548-05:00

The following finished object was achieved after weaving in about a hundred ends:And I am not exaggerating - I counted them.Then there was the extensive amount of strapping I sewed in so that the hem wouldn't roll up:It's now wrapped and under the tree, to my great relief.However, there's still my brother's gargantuan cardigan to finish. I didn't realise it was gargantuan until I sewed all the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-21198827793170465292011-12-18T19:56:00.001-05:002011-12-18T19:57:05.058-05:00

All cardigan.All extra-large sizing.All. The. Time.Consequently, the fronts are done.I can't tell you how many design ideas and balls of stash yarn are calling out to me at this point. ("Kathleeeeeeeeen! Knit us nooooooooowwww!") But with Christmas morning less than a week away, and Monday knitting time allocated to finishing off DD1's poncho/skirt, and still needing to finish off some of the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-82993928482596440012011-12-15T12:43:00.000-05:002011-12-15T12:43:42.827-05:00

The three-quarters of a skein of Silky Tweed that I needed to finish off DD1's ballet teacher's gift was FOUND. So I was able to complete it. Here it is blocking, upside-down as I always do so I can sew in the ends:Here it is all finished, lying flat, with the front showing: Lying flat with the back showing (I love mattress stitch; I would have knit it in the round, but the only 4.5mm circular I

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-779656211742338812011-12-07T11:45:00.001-05:002011-12-07T11:47:47.624-05:00

DD2's teacher's gift is finished! Here it is modelled on DD1, on whom it is obviously too big, but will still give you the idea of how it looks on a human head: side view top view front view I think I'm going to steam it first, though, before tagging it and wrapping it up, just to smooth out the top some. DD1's afternoon teacher's gift is finished! It used up all of my two skeins

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-91700331164805487352011-11-30T11:45:00.001-05:002011-11-30T11:45:39.347-05:00

So DD2 and I hit the LYS last week to get yarn for her teacher's gift. If you'll recall, his favourite colour is yellow, and I was hoping to find a golden brown in order to bridge the divide between that favourite colour and something he would actually wear on a hat. Deborah at the shop was extremely helpful and we found a bunch of great choices. DD2's favourite was this:I'm worried that it's a

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-27741518936041334532011-11-28T15:25:00.000-05:002011-11-28T15:25:59.753-05:00

The double-knitted bib pattern I've been writing about lately is now available for purchase! All profits go to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, which is one of the world's leading pediatric health care institutions. It has helped children all over the world with its groundbreaking research and care, and I've landed in it a fair few times, as has my brother and one of my BILs.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-59126972328907494272011-11-22T10:58:00.000-05:002011-11-22T11:12:53.017-05:00

So I'm working on a sample piece for a design right now. I can't give any details about it yet, but I don't think it's giving away the farm to say that I had ordered yarn online for it and was making wonderful progress. I was confident about the yarn order, because I had conscientiously written up the pattern, then conscientiously done up a spreadsheet to calculate exactly how many stitches were

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-14679924625230867322011-11-12T08:45:00.000-05:002011-11-12T08:45:38.914-05:00

Last time I blogged, I forgot to thank the people who'd complimented the Starfleet uniform I made for DD3. So...thanks! :) I was quite pleased with it. And Lizzie liked the ribbing in double knitting tutorial (yay!), but had some questions which I would love to answer. Unfortunately Lizzie, I don't quite understand all your questions (unsurprising given the complexity of double knitting sometimes

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-27526323611865819882011-11-11T13:03:00.000-05:002011-11-11T13:04:00.983-05:00

I've been just zooming through the knitting, to the point where I now have the delusion that I might actually finish all the Christmas and other deadline knitting (including the twin size blanket) in time. This is probably not true, but I'm starting to believe it could be. Firstly, the sleeeves on my brother's hooded cardigan are, I'm guessing, about half done: And I've burned through 4 of the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-20129032853099669362011-11-06T11:11:00.000-05:002011-11-06T11:11:18.420-05:00

The Starfleet insignia badge was constructed and affixed to DD3's Hallowe'en costume. And here she is, all dooded up on The Big Night: And here are her sisters, which is actually relevant to knitting because DD1 is simply covered in knitted items: (and my mom crocheted the scarf, too) I also got more Christmas knitting done. The back of my brother's cardigan is all done: Next up on the project

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-1416746787423531282011-10-29T16:10:00.002-04:002011-10-29T16:22:21.627-04:00

With renewed determination, I hunted for DD3's Hallowe'en costume project. To my relief, I found it. Then I gritted my teeth and finished the sewing-up and weaving-in-of-ends. (It wasn't fun, but I was driven by that looming October 31st deadline.) Unfortunately, it proved difficult to find a long enough black zipper at a shop near my house. So I settled on a 22cm one from the local dollar store.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-18445431341044909962011-10-25T17:33:00.001-04:002011-10-25T17:33:45.914-04:00

So the owner of my LYS struck up a conversation on the shop's Ravelry group asking what people were going to knit for the holidays. I posted my list, and then realised something: I'm freakin' nuts. Hat for BIL#1 Hat for BIL#2 Socks for my dad Cowl for DD1's teacher Something for DD2's teacher Poncho/skirt for DD1 Sweater for my brother Bib for DD3 Blanket for DD2 Cardigan for my niece Cardigan

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-40971393183467460492011-10-23T09:50:00.002-04:002011-10-23T09:53:44.611-04:00

This is the continuation of Ribbing in double knitting, part 1, which is itself sort of a sequel to About double knitting. In this blog entry, I'm going to cover the four ways to do ribbing in double knitting that I discussed last time, with pictures showing you what each type looks like. Before we begin, though, I need to define my terms. Obviously, because double knitting is reversible, there

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-86440037519047124432011-10-21T11:19:00.001-04:002011-10-21T11:20:07.777-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday! :) As a treat to myself, I indulged in some purchases. Firstly, my LYS just got in some Kauni last week. (JOY!!!) So I snarfled some. It was really hard to decide, but I settled on this: I also picked up this - it's not really a splurge, because its purpose is to be part of a sample piece I'll be submitting to a magazine, so technically it's a business purchase. But

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-79547404852599022011-10-19T15:40:00.001-04:002011-10-19T15:40:46.502-04:00

Part 2 of the double knitting rib tutorial is not ready yet, as I still have to do the sample knitting and photography for all the visuals. While you're waiting, though, I have lots of good knitting progress to report on. Double knitted hat for BIL1 Done! I ended up doing the other blue colour around the front. I don't think you can really tell. Or if you can, it looks more like shadow than "Hey

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-50737135780882103712011-10-17T13:15:00.001-04:002011-10-23T09:55:28.542-04:00

For some time now, my stats tracker has been telling me that a significant percentage of viewers coming to this blog via a search have been doing so because they're trying to find out how to do ribbing in double knitting (or at least it seems that way from their search keywords). The searches direct them to the entry where I talked about how double knitting works, which I think is a very helpful

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-88378901394173055432011-10-14T11:55:00.000-04:002011-10-14T11:55:34.098-04:00

Warning: if you are on my Christmas gift-giving list, what the heck are you doing reading my blog this close to Santa Day? For heaven's sake, get off now before your surprise is ruined. Ahem. Where was I? Oh, yes. Turns out that both my BILs are getting hats for Christmas this year. As I've mentioned before, the oldest one is getting my KWB/TSF Hat in blue and grey, but that I was having yarn

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-29325092991613932682011-10-04T20:47:00.001-04:002011-10-04T21:10:25.530-04:00

Astonishingly, I'm continuing to prioritize the priority stuff. Ruby for DD1 This came out of my closet yesterday for the first time in quite a while and saw some good progress. You can't tell, because I've never posted a picture of it before, but it is coming along nicely: Yarn measurement sample I've got a submission in somewhere that will probably need to be turned around super-fast if it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-62521416785654777422011-10-01T16:41:00.004-04:002011-10-01T16:43:38.678-04:00

So instead of a hat for DD1's Hermione costume (which would hide most of the trademark-Hermione frizzy hair), I decided to knit an earband, to keep her ears warm as she goes trick-or-treating. Calorimetry is my go-to pattern when I need an earband, so I just changed the gauge to size it down. Instead of worsted weight, I used some of the leftover self-striping sock yarn in Gryffindor colours from

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-89309163374566531092011-09-29T14:40:00.000-04:002011-09-29T14:40:08.537-04:00

Recently I discovered that Knit Picks is having a 40% off sale on books until the end of October, and there are also some good deals to be had on DVDs, too. I haven't bought fun stuff online in ages, and there were a number of crochet DVDs that looked like they'd make great gifts for my mom, so...I spent some money. My order arrived yesterday! I'm pretty delighted. I hope my mom likes her gifts,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-11704541257256406772011-09-27T08:10:00.001-04:002011-09-27T08:11:19.835-04:00

See this? Here it is stretched out: This is a Baby Surprise Jacket that I started, oh, probably a few years ago now, one night at Lettuce Knit. I cast it on at the beginning of the knit night, and I think that's as far as I got before going home and never working on it again. Today it got sent to the frog pond. I actually love the way it looks with the striping and the combination of yarn

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-65795908422212478872011-09-22T23:22:00.000-04:002011-09-22T23:22:14.627-04:00

I love it when I get to finally talk about a design I've been blogging vaguely about. And for a while now I've been talking about a "secret sample", and before that, a prototype swatch. Well, today, my shawl pattern Addis Abeba was published by Knit Picks, and I get to show pictures! Firstly, we have the swatch... And a closeup... It was inspired when I realised that it would be really nice to

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-67476134049185292282011-09-19T10:47:00.001-04:002011-09-19T10:49:21.131-04:00

D'you see this here hat now, d'you see it? And here it is from the blue side: Doesn't it look nice? Almost finished, just needing the second earflap to be finished off and then it's done? Right. Except for one small detail: I've run out of the blue yarn. Still have lots left of the grey, though...and both skeins apparently have exactly the same yardage in them...and I tried to be completely 50-

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-3645941106967799072011-09-16T10:11:00.001-04:002011-09-16T10:11:31.629-04:00

There are 100 days left until Christmas. This means I'm now officially starting to freak out about all the knitting. To that end, on Sunday I hit the LYS and picked up yarn for my older BIL's hat. I'm using my own KWB/TSF hat pattern (all profits from the sales of which, incidentally, go to Médecins Sans Frontières), which calls for a DK weight yarn, and because my BIL is bald (partly via nature,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-62388456647548365282011-09-11T15:11:00.000-04:002011-09-11T15:11:43.538-04:00

Secret sample Photo shoot and pattern write-up are donedoneDONE! Still can't show you anything until it's published, though, and it has to be reviewed before it can be published, and I have to send in the sample piece and a signed contract before it can be reviewed. But I'm definitely moving along. Twin blanket for DD2 The long slog continues - I got hexagon #20 done and got #21 started.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-61953326607061471042011-09-04T18:28:00.001-04:002011-09-04T18:28:46.004-04:00

Secret sample Triumph - this is finished! Now I have to add in all my changes to my pattern write-up, do a photo shoot and send the sample piece off. I'm pretty excited, even though I'm not sure how fast I can get all of that done. Twin blanket for DD2 Slowly coming along. I've even started sewing the pieces together. Well, not so much sewing as three-needle-bind-offing. That gives me a seam

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-3922209118040225492011-08-28T13:02:00.002-04:002011-09-04T20:20:32.157-04:00

Now that the baby is here, I've been trawling through my gosh-that's-cute-I'd-love-to-make-it list of patterns a bit more seriously. Here's the short list: Avtopark Baby bootees that look like toy cars. And I mean really look like toy cars. I'm enchanted. The original pattern is in Russian, though (or some other language that uses a Cyrillic alphabet), so I'm going to have to spend some

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-53004150355128657132011-08-23T15:56:00.003-04:002011-08-23T15:59:33.904-04:00

...but the completed project is glorious, in my not-so-humble opinion. :) Meet Maryam Frances: She was a bit posterior, had the cord wrapped twice around her neck, and had a bit of shoulder dystocia. But it all worked out well in the end. She arrived yesterday evening, weighing in at 7lbs 6oz. We're both doing great. :) I suspect knitting will be on a bit of a hold for a little while. :)

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-20317337408863299422011-08-20T21:44:00.000-04:002011-08-20T21:44:36.594-04:00

This week, I was working exclusively on my sample piece, which I've been making really good headway on, having gone through three of the five balls of yarn that I think will be needed. But this weekend, I've also been working on something else, sort of baby-related, but not exactly. You see, for a few days now, DD2's room has been painted, and all the new furniture moved in. (Consequently, I've

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-37172632119299060042011-08-15T18:23:00.000-04:002011-08-15T18:23:00.831-04:00

It gets very frustrating when everything I'm currently working on is something I can't talk about. And since finishing up the last of the midwife gifts, that's exactly my situation. I've been swatching for a new design that I sent off the proposal for on Friday night. I've also been trying out a new design idea that I thought up on my vacation, which I am tremendously pleased with so far, but I

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-7940004996979248212011-08-12T00:02:00.000-04:002011-08-12T00:02:22.792-04:00

I got this accomplished today - it's the last of the midwife gifts. It had all been knitted and the ends woven in for a while, I just needed to block it. Blocking: Closeup: If only the rest of the stuff on my list was so easy to cross off. I'm soooo hoping the baby stays put for at least a week...

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-73564960458600951982011-08-06T22:45:00.001-04:002011-08-06T22:45:22.369-04:00

I'm trying to get a lot of stuff on the big to-do list checked off this weekend. On the knitting front, I'm pleased to say that I have finished two of the three midwife gifts. (And the third just has to be blocked.) For my backup midwife: For one of my primary midwives: Mind you, I'd rather have DD2's new room finished so I could start getting the nursery ready, but it's better than nothing. At

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-90004206883012770352011-07-31T14:07:00.000-04:002011-07-31T14:07:52.325-04:00

Well, first of all, I made a mistake in my last post. I said that our last vacation had been our honeymoon in Cozumel, which was not true. Somehow I had managed to forget about the trip to Australia that my husband and I took the year after we got married! (Probably because it was winter there when we went, which makes it seem less like a "vacation" in my head; also, my father's family is all

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-40282612372585525202011-07-27T18:49:00.000-04:002011-07-27T18:49:09.767-04:00

It's been a while since I posted. That's because I was here: The family and I went on our first real vacation in ten years. Yep, ten years. (The last time was my honeymoon in Cozumel.) We had an absolute blast. Naturally, knitting occurred while we were there. In fact, the night before leaving, I had all the projects I wanted to take all nicely laid out with all the yarn, needles and pattern

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-25987788568182873632011-07-13T07:21:00.000-04:002011-07-13T07:21:27.304-04:00

I haven't quite decided what to do about my Cascade/Brambles Beret dilemma, but I have consoled myself by casting on for a few more things. Frilly Scarf for Tama This is a gift for one of my primary midwives, and it's coming along quite well. I'm guessing I'm just a few repeats away from being to cast off the main section and start on the frilly edges: Secret Sample Yarn support for an

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-21647378666978598152011-07-07T07:22:00.001-04:002011-07-07T11:16:04.351-04:00

This is where the yarn pooped out on the Brambles beret: That's with 15 rows and 11 stitches left to go. I calculated it - I need enough yarn for 1,262 more stitches. Now, I could of course go out and get another skein to achieve this. But this is supposed to be a stashbuster, not a stash enhancer, and if I get a whole new skein, I'll end up with more yarn than I had to begin with. Another

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-58022236133312056662011-07-06T06:49:00.000-04:002011-07-06T06:49:17.487-04:00

The cardigan was indeed completed on time. Front: Back: The recipient loved it, and it received many compliments from other shower guests. Hooray! :) If you like it too, I've made the pattern available as a free download. You can get more information by following the link for it in the "My Designs" section on the left, or just go right ahead and... So now...what to do next? Well, before the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-47823372017197276222011-07-05T07:09:00.000-04:002011-07-05T07:09:37.377-04:00

It is 7:09am. This is an unsewn, buttonless cardigan with ends streaming out all over the inside. The shower is at 3pm. I have a commute and a lunch break to finish this off in. Stay tuned...

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-83810872574004678322011-07-04T19:31:00.001-04:002011-07-04T19:32:47.894-04:00

It is now 7:32pm. The cardigan that I need to have wrapped and ready to go by tomorrow morning currently looks like this: Arg.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-31403106415230550472011-06-27T18:11:00.000-04:002011-06-27T18:11:00.281-04:00

Remember this? The cardigan I was designing/knitting for a co-worker due around the same time as me? Well, since there was just sooo much time left before her baby got here, and because I was really just using it as a test knit anyway, probably...I frogged it about two weeks ago to make my friend his tartan birthday socks: And that seemed like a pretty good decision. Until today. Today I found

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-66004451274134010442011-06-23T17:47:00.001-04:002011-06-23T17:47:00.481-04:00

Sunday evening, I finished my older daughter's shrug. Therefore, come Monday morning, I had to find something to put in my bag so I could knit on my commute and lunch. I was feeling a bit uninspired by everything else I had in progress (yeah, what else is new), so I decided to start the Parfait cardi for my friend's daughter that I talked about in my last entry. I printed off the instructions (it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-59594937702455200242011-06-21T21:04:00.001-04:002011-06-21T21:04:34.167-04:00

Lots of good knitting progress going on these days. Maria Sings for DD1 Finished! from the front: from the back: being worn, from the front: being worn, from the back: (the peace signs were totally her idea) endearing photoshoot outtake: Parfait for Shoshana Went to my LYS this weekend and picked up the yarn, and got started: Midwife gifts I think I have made some decisions. For the woman

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-63159456470374527532011-06-18T22:16:00.001-04:002011-06-18T22:27:11.825-04:00

So hey, lookee! I've got another free pattern! See, what happened was that, with a week left until the party today, I hadn't heard back from the designer of the plaid socks that I wanted to make for my friend's 50th birthday. So I designed my own instead. It even comes complete with a nice little Celtic-ish cable pattern on the heel flap for extra jazziness. Unfortunately, I was flying blind,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-53150251882862977222011-06-07T21:12:00.000-04:002011-06-07T21:12:55.656-04:00

Typically, when coming off a time-sensitive knitting project (or, as in my case recently, two time-sensitive knitting projects), I will feel rather at loose ends and start looking for something new and interesting to do. This despite the fact that I already have scads of WIPs lying around the house waiting for me to pick them back up again, some of them probably also time-sensitive. And yet,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-55149312054990282012011-06-04T22:01:00.001-04:002011-06-04T22:03:53.903-04:00

I don't want to tempt fate by getting all arrogant or anything, but I think I can cautiously say that so far, my deadline-driven knitting from my last entry is going well. Celtic Pennies for DH His birthday is tomorrow and I finished them on Friday. They're now drying from the blocking. I strongly suspect that they're much too huge, but nonetheless, I think they look great. We'll just have to

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-85212619341594834842011-06-02T19:03:00.000-04:002011-06-02T19:03:32.154-04:00

Sourpatch take two for DD2 How am I supposed to finish this before the end of the summer if I can't get out of the Black Hole Of Eternal Stocking Stitch? Seriously...I've been working on the bottom part of this thing forever and I'm still acres away from getting to do the seed stitch hem. Meeble. Celtic Pennies for DH Still loving this design. Also, still finding things wrong with the pattern

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-66241433503723137522011-05-23T21:43:00.001-04:002011-05-23T21:45:24.016-04:00

A month ago, I posted about two finished projects I'd done during charity nights at my LYS. Well, someone saw the projects on Ravelry, liked what they saw, and PMed me asking for the pattern. So, even though both the hat and the scarf were totally improvised, I used my memory and the photographs I'd taken of them to try and redact what I'd done. Having done that, I wrote up the patterns. I think

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-89222334609938173882011-05-22T13:14:00.002-04:002011-05-22T13:37:13.628-04:00

New pattern! New pattern! This is one I've had in the works for some time, and finally finished up everything I needed to do to write it up. It's a baby/toddler/child cardigan that's worked all in one piece, so you don't need to do any seaming up at the end - just weave in the ends and sew on a single button. I call it "Parfait", because it has layers (thank-you, Shrek) and because it looks quite

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-58099897647505699822011-05-17T20:32:00.000-04:002011-05-17T20:32:37.696-04:00

Sourpatch for DD2 DD1 This is now done, but it turned out weird. What happened was that, before starting, I looked at the needle, yarn and gauge requirements for the pattern, and, in my arrogance, decided that they wouldn't do. The pattern calls for 3.5mm needles and sport weight yarn, and says quite clearly that we are supposed to be getting 22 sts over 4 inches in stocking stitch with all of

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-79617895152018793122011-05-08T12:54:00.000-04:002011-05-08T12:54:06.305-04:00

Star Trek costume for baby #3 DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO SEW UP BLACK KNITTING?!? Coach cardi for baby Johnston Well, I got some people telling me that the texture pattern looked like what it was supposed to look like, and some people who just couldn't see it. So naturally, why not give myself extra work...I started all over again with a slightly modified chart. (I tried to fiddle with the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-8797574105493472602011-04-27T07:10:00.004-04:002011-04-27T07:13:37.673-04:00

I know I promised last month to post final pictures of DD1 all dooded out in her complete Harry Potter birthday party gear. So here she is... ...Emma Watson, eat your heart out. :)

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-11418127836036918522011-04-23T18:54:00.000-04:002011-04-23T18:54:00.205-04:00

The last two times I was pregnant, I came into contact with people with all manner of colds and flus. Each time, I thought I was sunk - I was going to get sick, and have to be miserable without the benefit of being able to take any medication to make me feel better. But no! I never, ever got sick when I was pregnant. Until now. This time around, my immunity pregnancy mojo is gone. Toast.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-14734849622734474692011-03-29T17:03:00.002-04:002011-03-29T17:03:00.149-04:00

Remember this from my last post? (I mean the owl. Not the tie...nor the book...nor the kitchen table. :) This is the "Errol" pattern by Andi Smith, from Alison Hansel's book "Charmed Knits: projects for fans of Harry Potter". And I want to talk about this pattern extensively in this post, in the hopes that I might save even one person from the hell I went through trying to sew that damn owl up.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-28612319680379411792011-03-27T11:04:00.000-04:002011-03-27T11:04:49.551-04:00

Yeah, it's been a while since my last post. The reason, or so my husband believes, is that the "nesting urge" has hit me in full, terrifying force, even though I'm only at the beginning of my second trimester. But there is so much to do before this baby gets here that I absolutely had to start now. The thing that's driving all this is that we eventually need our younger daughter to move out of

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-51274058396895423962011-03-15T21:06:00.001-04:002011-03-15T21:06:04.967-04:00

Yep, I'm just that insane. When planning this kind of thing, I like to start with a fantasy list, and then winnow it down to realism. So here we go. DH: Durrow, in dark purple Cascade 220 DD1: Ruby, in blues, greens and whites with pink accents Mom: Spanish Knight, in purple Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Bro: Ragna, in navy Patons Canadiana (it is apparently wise not to give him anything

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-11167437538879323502011-03-12T17:46:00.003-05:002011-03-12T17:48:12.604-05:00

I am in love. I love the pattern (Chrysanthemums), I love the yarn (Patons Kroy Socks FX and Knitting Fever Angora Extra). It still desperately needs blocking and finishing, but so far I am totally jazzed: (Yeah, we have tent pegs sitting on our deck. No clue why - ask my husband.) I even managed to have the self-discipline enough to resist Second Mitten Syndrome:

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-58794617199870759052011-03-06T20:03:00.000-05:002011-03-06T20:03:36.761-05:00

Thanks very much for the congratulations in the comments! Our two daughters are extremely excited. The oldest was completely surprised at the news and squee'ed like crazy. The little one was also very happy when we told her, but not actually surprised. You see, for some time now, she has had it in her head that becoming a "big girl" is not truly possible until she becomes a big sister. (Much as

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-2583677426379392942011-02-27T17:22:00.000-05:002011-02-27T17:22:14.651-05:00

Well...really, my husband helped me cast on for this one. :) In celebration, I'm having a sale! From now until my due date (August 24), if you buy three or more of my baby patterns (Around The Block, Celtic Knotwork Baby Blanket, Leafy Baby Poncho, Merry-Go-Round and Sweetness) at my Ravelry store, you get them at 25% off!

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-83506100945826586782011-02-26T08:05:00.008-05:002011-02-26T08:12:13.815-05:00

Out of the five projects I profiled in my last blog entry, I've worked on only one of them since...and then temporarily shelved it. (It was the semi-secret project. The gauge turned out to be completely off. I'm going to have to rip it alllll back and redo my calculations from square one, which makes me quail, not because of the recharting - although that's going to be annoying - but because it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-34731556293852332062011-02-13T11:49:00.001-05:002011-02-13T12:00:30.935-05:00

I don't talk about my day job very much here, partly because it has nothing to do with my knitting (aside from when co-workers are expecting and need knitted baby things), and partly because it's just good sense not to give tons of details about what's going on in the office. However, recently my job did start affecting this blog because my workload - thanks to the poor planning of others -

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-65883413859185379462011-01-22T14:56:00.000-05:002011-01-22T14:56:14.550-05:00

As pathetic as it is that I'm getting distracted by new and pretty patterns, I've been doing pretty darn well getting through my list of "should"s lately. For one thing, I am making some progress on my balaclava. Not a lot, but I am fairly close to dividing for the face hole. For another thing, I took only two days to check another item off my list. Last year, I made my Mom a Snapdragon Tam for

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-22026877598827452672011-01-18T17:37:00.000-05:002011-01-18T17:37:00.204-05:00

I have a number of things on the knitting to-do list at the moment - you know, the "should"s. I "should" finish my balaclava so that my nose can stop being cold when I go outside. I "should" do the winter hat that one of my most wonderfullest friends asked me very nicely if I could make for her. I "should" keep going on a number of design projects. And so-on. Yeah, I'm sure you can guess at the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-14902987605893505422011-01-15T11:04:00.001-05:002011-01-15T11:13:34.891-05:00

A week or two ago, DD1 came home from school with the very exciting news that a boy in her class would be having a Harry Potter party for his birthday in March, and he was planning to invite her. I had started reading her the series about a month or two ago, and she is really into it (as are her parents) so everybody in the house is really jazzed about this. Naturally, attendees will be expected

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-70595987308028253232011-01-13T14:46:00.002-05:002011-01-13T14:53:44.894-05:00

I think this is going to be the last post for a while chronicling what I worked on this fall, because I'm really itching to talk about my latest projects! The project being profiled today is what I made for the third co-worker who was expecting around Christmastime. As previously mentioned, I decided to go with my own Merry-Go-Round hat pattern in warm tones, because he is a redhead, and I think

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-66452737794962864162011-01-10T22:22:00.001-05:002011-01-10T22:23:35.129-05:00

Back in September, I mentioned that I had set aside all my current deadline-driven projects to work on a new pattern idea that I'd had. I wasn't saying too much about it at the time because I wasn't sure whether I was going to submit it anywhere. And...I still can't say too much about it, because I have decided to submit it somewhere, so I have to be quite vague. (And not provide pictures either,

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-90204890285214315412011-01-03T11:59:00.001-05:002011-01-03T11:59:50.250-05:00

As a nod to the New Year, I am going to pause in my catch-up of the stuff I've been doing in the past few months, and show you the stuff I've been working on lately. Firstly, I started making myself a balaclava. I need one because, although my winter coat this year has a hood that does up very snugly to block most of the wind from reaching my (terribly sensitive and wussy) ears, an extra lining

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-6545117034256730362010-12-31T11:11:00.000-05:002010-12-31T11:11:57.173-05:00

Every year, I take the profits from the sales of my KWB/TSF Hat pattern and donate them to Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. I then email the Yarn Harlot with the amount I donated, as part of her Knitters Without Borders/Tricoteuses Sans Frontières project. Some time ago, I offered the pattern to the Harlot for the "karmic balancing gifts pool". (Every so often, she randomly

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-64037374277381610502010-12-28T12:05:00.001-05:002010-12-28T12:06:03.220-05:00

So in the last blog entry I made before I buggered off for two months, I mentioned that one of my co-workers was expecting, after many years of trying, and that I was going to celebrate that in a big way by making another Spiderman blanket. And indeed I did. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to start the project... ...I had only about three weeks left to do it, and it's a project that takes

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-42825898303278281562010-12-27T13:46:00.000-05:002010-12-27T13:46:39.653-05:00

Way back in September, I mentioned that I'd finished some Christmas socks for my brother, but I didn't have a picture to show you. Now I do: And then this was the really big Christmas gift for him, which I finished about half an hour before we left for my family's gift exchange at my parents' place yesterday. It matches his living room bee-yew-tifully and he seemed to really like it: I have it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-16903969212843098312010-12-21T21:03:00.000-05:002010-12-21T21:04:15.915-05:00

So, obviously...it's, uh, been a while. :::sheepish look::: Nothing in particular has been happening to prevent the blogging - no family crises, no vacations, no anything of that sort...just other regular life stuff getting in the way. So the next several posts are probably going to be filled with me going back over the knitting I've been doing in the past few months. We start with the most

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-54559771881461396672010-09-24T12:37:00.003-04:002010-12-28T12:07:46.706-05:00

Socks? Hat? Blanket? Sweater? Christmas knitting of any kind? Pah! What I really needed to do this past week, apparently, was think up, and become obsessed with, a new design. I knitted a sample out of scrap yarn, figured out some changes I need to make so that it works better, and am now doing up a real version in a 3-month size for a co-worker who is expecting in December. (The colourway is

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-31962292123024478232010-09-14T13:11:00.000-04:002010-09-14T13:11:19.960-04:00

It continues to be productive around here at Insanity Headquarters! Socks for my brother Done! Unfortunately, I don't seem to have taken a picture of them yet, which is odd. Thought I took one. Oh, well...next time. Yacht Club Skirt test knitting Done! DD1 adores it. Like, seriously, genuinely, passionately adores it. I finished it on Friday and picked her up from after-school care, bringing

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-51726766859348249182010-09-10T15:29:00.002-04:002010-09-10T15:31:32.197-04:00

And I will post about what I've been doing lately, honest, but first... That's my little one. Like her older sister before her, she truly believes she knows how to knit and is doing so to the best of her ability. No real knitting is actually getting done, but I love the enthusiasm and had to share. :)

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-52891991148772715682010-08-03T20:31:00.000-04:002010-08-03T20:31:49.793-04:00

Sent off a pattern proposal My fingers are crossed really hard. Worked on socks for my brother They're hat-heels, only this time, I think I have finally perfected the way to do the gussets so that a) they're stretchy; b) there are almost no stitches to pick up for foot and leg; c) the whole starting-the-foot-and-leg process is way less fiddly; and d) the gusset edges look tidy when the sock is

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-77549812826445177732010-08-02T13:55:00.000-04:002010-08-02T13:56:23.472-04:00

So in response to my tale of needle woe, I got some really great ideas in the comments about fixing broken needles and making your own needles. tumblina said: Back when I was restarting knitting, I made many needles from dowels and chopsticks - we had an old school crank pencil sharpener I'd use to get the basic tip shape, then sand down with progressively finer sandpaper. Wax paper rubbed in

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-33098983101193069102010-07-25T21:18:00.000-04:002010-07-25T21:18:07.255-04:00

Sometimes I can be pretty stupid with the knitting. First of all, I'm trying to finish up samples for a design proposal. The proposal has to be done in a few weeks, but the samples are going to be a gift for a very pregnant co-worker whose group goodbye-and-present-giving is probably going to be in just a few days, so I really have to hustle. (As I'm submitting it to a magazine, I can't show it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-16060251003881059712010-07-21T21:37:00.000-04:002010-07-21T21:37:50.719-04:00

Friday afternoon my husband came home from his shift and called me up pretty much immediately, as far as I could tell. The conversation went something like this: Him: Um, honey? Me: Yeah? Him: Well...I came home from work just now, and there was this big blue bag...just sitting on the front porch...and it's full of yarn... Ah. Yes. You see, some weeks earlier, one of our neighbours who takes the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-84670838153434318862010-07-17T14:53:00.000-04:002010-07-17T14:53:55.394-04:00

So you see this here needle, do ya see it? Anything look a little "off" to you about that needle tip? No? What if I put it next to its twin and showed you again? (Keeping in mind that both needles were aligned at their bottom ends when this photograph was taken.) Yeah. I'm sure you see it now. That is the pair of 3.5mm Brittany needles I was using to make my younger daughter's "Mythos" cardigan

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-91472716518849601332010-07-16T16:51:00.000-04:002010-07-16T16:51:00.598-04:00

Thanks so much everyone, for your compliments and congratulations on my latest patterns! Unfortunately, it turns out that there is an error in the legend for the Celtic Triad sock pattern, which a knitter very kindly pointed out to me. When writing the pattern, I was extremely careful about my cable instruction descriptions, and double-checked them more times than I can remember...and I still

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-45030102268067552982010-07-13T16:23:00.003-04:002010-07-13T18:32:15.469-04:00

So I've had not one, but two patterns become blog-about-able in the past week-ish. I'm practically giddy from all this revelation! The latest pattern is Celtic Triad, which appears in the newest issue of Knitty. It's a sock pattern, which takes advantage of my Hat-Heel Sock construction to put cables in nifty spots on the feet. I must warn people that the pickup parts are quite fiddly, and it

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16399447301356626262noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-27568440847765320972010-07-05T16:51:00.001-04:002010-07-05T18:41:53.528-04:00

I love it when I can finally talk about something I've been working on for ages! And I'm really happy about this one... This is a cute little toque pattern that comes in baby, toddler and child sizes, but I've included suggestions in the pattern for how to size it up (to woman or man) or down (to newborn) if you want other sizes. It takes sock weight yarn and requires stranded knitting for the

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-42226814407923581222010-07-02T12:11:00.000-04:002010-07-02T12:11:00.662-04:00

This week, my elder daughter cast off on her first knitting project (or rather, the first project she's ever done entirely by herself) and is almost done - she wants to do tassels around the edge and she still has to weave in the ends (both of which I have to show her how to do), and that's it. It was going to be a scarf for her little sister (generous child), but by the time she got to this

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-14380236688809875262010-06-28T12:23:00.001-04:002010-06-28T12:23:00.239-04:00

Here's what I've been working on lately: Working with a magazine editor to proof and revise one of my patterns. Said pattern involves proofing charts. Getting another pattern ready for self-publication, so more detail-oriented final proofing. It also includes charts. Working on a new design, which is fiddly, multi-coloured, and requires the creation and testing of - you guessed it - lots of

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-14873333348662671582010-06-24T16:43:00.002-04:002010-06-24T17:47:27.993-04:00

I've recently discovered the online knitting magazine Petite Purls. Have you seen it? A quick description is that it's like Knitty, but with patterns exclusively for babies and children. And lemme tell you, there is some awesome stuff in there. Quality patterns everywhere, I want to make tons of them. But here are my absolute faves: Haltermelon by Alana Dakos (summer 2009) It's a halter top that

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-27640996395986148242010-06-23T12:31:00.000-04:002010-06-23T12:31:12.034-04:00

Here is the completed pair: I know the leg part looks ridiculously skinny because the ribbing "slucks" it in, but this photo shows off the cabling a lot better than the one in my last post (let's hear it for natural daylight), so I thought I'd put it up here. They were finished just in time. They would have been completed a lot sooner, but my time on Father's Day was seriously dominated by

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-80193025564869016422010-06-19T22:11:00.000-04:002010-06-19T22:11:57.865-04:00

So Moon very kindly served me up virtual coffee and candybars for energy, and wanted to know, with just hours to go before Father's Day begins, how I was coming along on the socks for my dad? Well, very fortunately, I won't actually be seeing my dad until tomorrow afternoon, so I have much more time than it might have first appeared. And also, they are coming along quite fine, thanks lots. The

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-88033817674071237442010-06-17T22:13:00.000-04:002010-06-17T22:13:47.749-04:00

The shawl I wrote about yesterday is now completely done! And further to the nice things I said about the yarn in that post, there was no colour bleeding. I'm serious...none. No blue-tinged water dripping from my hands as I squeezed the piece out after a full-on soak. No colour wash-off on the white blocking towel. Zippo. And look at the colour in these shots! This stuff is seriously colour-fast.

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9426892.post-15690702297781247002010-06-16T12:28:00.002-04:002010-06-16T12:34:17.112-04:00

This is what I've been working on lately: The pattern is "Estnisches Tüchlein/Estonian Shawlette", by Susanne Fritzsche. Fantastic little free pattern for a shawlette which uses Estonian stitch motifs. I believe there was only one error in the whole thing: on one row of one of the charts right near the centre stitch, a decrease was incorrectly written as a knit. But it's obvious as you work

Kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07130370980787749356noreply@blogger.com1