A Summer with Mochi Ice Cream and Men's Handwarmers

I was strolling through Whole Foods grocery store the other day and found this: Bubbies Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream! Well, I'd never had mochi ice cream before, but always wanted to try it, so into the basket it went.

The verdict: this stuff is awesome! Chewy, sweet and refreshing. Perfect thing to eat out on the patio during those long, warm summer evenings. The green tea flavor was nice and light, but I think I'll go with chocolate next time :)

While chewing my mochi ice cream I've been playing with some new yarn. I really want to make a bunch of men's handwarmers for the holidays and I love Rowan yarn .... so..... I bought 2 skeins of  "cashsoft" (who doesn't love the softness of cashmere?) and two of "felted tweed", which the store clerk assured me could stand up to whatever outdoorsy, rugged things the recipients might do. Both are DK weight so I should have enough to make 4 pairs of gloves. Now I just need to find a nice pattern for men with large hands! Any suggestions?

A Little Knitted Bunny with His Little Crocheted Carrot

 

I was going through my camera card and found a few things I made this year that I hadn't posted yet. Like this little guy! I made this for my son for when he went to the hospital this Spring. Love how it stands up by leaning on it's tail!

 

Here's my Ravelry page with all the knitty details
 

 

The carrot is part of a whole set of crocheted vegetables I made as play food for my kids when they were little. All 100%  wool and they have lasted beautifully! The carrot was too perfect an accessory to not include in this photo shoot.

Tiny Twist - Coffee Cozy

Alrighty! I finally got the free coffee cozy pattern I was raving about uploaded!

Tiny Twist -- Coffee Cozy

I wanted to design a coffee cozy that men would use, but one that still showed a touch of handmade goodness and wasn’t just utilitarian plain.

Quick and easy to make, this makes a great gift for the guys in your life, especially paired with a coffee gift certificate. Make it in hot pink or another bright, feminine color and it’s fabulous for women too!

• worked in the round on double pointed needles
• quick knit suitable for beginners/advanced beginners
• approx. 3” tall; will fit a medium take-out coffee cup
• easy to modify for smaller or larger take-out coffee cup

This is available as a free PDF download at my Ravelry Store. You shouldn't need a Ravelry account to access and download it, but I am still pretty new to the mechanics of the Ravelry Store so if you are having trouble let me know and I'll try to sort it out.

Enjoy!!

Super Easy Knitted Bunny & Secrets to An Awesome Pom-Pom

I have a few yarns in my yarn cupboard that I only have 1 lonely ball of. You know, the stuff that is too expensive to buy enough to actually make something out of, but way too pretty or just plain cool to pass up owing a tiny bit of it. This Lana Gatto Class was one of those balls. Italian yarn, 20% angora, sooooo soft and fluffy. In one of those happy accidents, I was looking for stuffie patterns on Ravelry and saw this simple knitted bunny pattern. A bunny stuffed animal out of angora yarn? And it only needed about 1/2 a skein? Sold! Cast on that night and in 3 afternoons I had this little bunny! Isn't he cute!!

This is such a great project for beginning knitters. You basically are knitting a square out of any yarn and any needle size, as long as it produces a tight enough fabric for stuffing not to show through, and then sewing the square in a specific pattern to magically make the rabbit shape appear. I spent more time sewing this than knitting, took my time sewing, and a cute little bunny emerged!

I had plenty of yarn left over to make a matching pom-pom tail. I don't have a store bought pom-pom maker, I just used these simple pom-pom instructions. What's not stated in most pom-pom instruction tutorials:

1) Use a ton of yarn when wrapping. More than you think you need. The more you wrap the fluffier your pom-pom will be. I used *80* wraps for this small bunny tail.

2) When tying that piece of yarn around around the center of your wraps and knotting it, pull super, SUPER tight. Get someone to put their finger on the knot when you are tying it to make sure it stays tight. If it is too loose, little bits of yarn can be pulled out of the finished pom-pom. If in doubt ...... a dab or two or clear-drying glue on the knotted section can work wonders.

My usual black safety eyes didn't seem quite right for this white fellow, so I found some vintage pearl buttons for eyes. But ... my son came home, took one look at the bunny and proclaimed it perfect just the way it was and started snuggling it tight, so no eyes for this little guy. I'd love to make more of these. I think they would look cute with a knitted or felted heart embroidered on the side, or a bow around the neck .. oh, the possibilities!

First Time Lace Knitting: Easy Pattern, Gorgeous Result

Our local Borders closed some time ago and we have been left with no bookstore in the area....but.... a Barnes & Noble has just moved into the old Borders location. Joy! They had a  book by Joelle Hoverson's called  "Last-Minute Knitted Gifts". Just what I needed! A book for quick, last minute holiday gifts. And it was on clearance! Yes, the book went home with me.

Having a few skeins of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in my stash, I dove right into "Airy Scarf". Projected time to make according to the book? Two to four hours. My first knitted lace for a gorgeous scarflette and it could be whipped up in about 2-3 hours? Cast on that morning. Eight.... hours... later ..... I finished. I'm not sure what type of knitter they timed making these, but it must have been someone a lot faster than me. I'd plan on a day or two to make this. The Kidsilk Haze is the *perfect* yarn for this (and you can get 2 scarves from 1 skein!), but it doesn't lend itself to ripping back because it snarls on itself .. so taking a bit of extra time on the eyelet row is a good time investment.

I was disappointed this book's patterns weren't going to be the quick gift knits I had hoped for, but the result for this scarf was gorgeous. Simple pattern, VERY easy to knit, and an instant classic that is oh so wearable. Light as a summer's breeze and soft as the touch of a butterfly's wing. Gifting this one, but I will definitely be making more of these. For a first time lace project, couldn't ask for a nicer pattern.

Green Tea Knitted Washcloths

I finished my knitted leaves! I was able to get four leaves out of one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton. These are just so cool! Super soft and a perfect pairing with my boys' handmade soaps.

These are lovely washcloths, but it occurred to me that, if made a little smaller, they would make excellent coasters. We drink quite a bit of tea around here with out current fav being jasmine green tea. These knitted leaves would make awesome coasters for green tea served in delicate celadon cups.

Think I'll go put the kettle on and make a cup now :)

Knitted Leaf Pattern & Clover Stitch Markers

Every year my little guys make handmade soaps as holiday gifts. They choose all the scents and colors and additive combinations themselves in their "soap alchemy lab". I have a few go-to patterns for crocheted washcloths to pair with their beautiful soaps, but this year I ran across a fabulous knitted pattern and am using it instead. It is for these simple, but lovely, knitted leaves. These are SO satisfying to knit up. Fast, easy to memorize pattern, and the finished product looks great. I usually use a nice sturdy cotton, like Lily Sugar'n Cream, but this year I splurged a bit and got an oh-so-soft skein of Blue Sky Alpacas worsted organic cotton. The color is just fabulous, a fresh bright green. I will be able to get 4 leaves from this one skein, with a bit left over.

These leaves were perfect to try out my new toys. See that package of green and purple circles? Those are my new Clover stitch markers! These are *awesome*. They are highly visible in their bright colors, come in different sizes to match your needles, and best of all .... are squishy and non-bulky. You can twist your yarn and needles however you want and these don't interfere or catch in your work at all. Best stitch markers ever!!

Charcoal Insanely Easy Cable Scarf

You may remember I was working on new winter scarves for my boys. I finally finished the second scarf. It turned out just beautifully in the darker charcoal color!

And here is one of me modeling it. You can see how large the cables are and how warm and fluffy it is! (Please forgive the blurriness .. it's hard to hold the camera still at arm's length to take a picture of yourself!)

As usual, you can find all the knitty details at my Ravelry page.

Scarf Pattern for Boys

Like all avid new knitters, I started with scarves. Lots and lots and lots of scarves. Very satisfying to knit back and forth on large needles with fun yarn and watch them grow and grow and look awesome!

Of course, I made my darling little boys scarves. Kids are such a joy to knit for!! And I made them matching hats on a Knifty Knitter circular loom since I didn't know how to knit in the round. But my eldest is now heading to middle school (how fast they grow!) and wanted a more "grown up" scarf. I was thrilled to find this masculine, but still fun pattern at one of my favorite knitting stores, Knitting Bee.

Knit on big needles it reminds me of those beginner scarf days. Easy pattern, grows quickly, and looks great with little effort. It does have cables, but they are insanely easy. Which is why I called this the "Insanely Easy Cable Scarf" on my Ravelry Page. I promise, even if have never done cables before, you can make this! You can find all the knitty details and a link to the pattern on my Ravelry page.

This is scarf #1, made in a lovely shale color, and I'll be making scarf#2 for my second son in charcoal. They both *love* the design .. more grown up but not boring. There is even a matching hat pattern available!


**Note: I have had an awful lot of queries about this scarf pattern. It is not my pattern. It is a pattern from Knitting Bee.

More World of Warcraft Knitting

My son's handwarmers turned out so fabulously, I made a pair for myself too.

I just adore the color shifting in this yarn. Every pair is unique. These are made in the "Violets" colorway of Lion Brand's "Amazing". Reminds me of Noro, but more affordable.

World of Warcraft Handwarmers

Yes, my son has joined the 10+ million people in the world who play World of Warcraft. If you don't know what that is, it's a massive multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. A huge shared world environment you adventure in with your avatar.

To keep my son's hands warm this winter while he plays online, I made him this cool pair of handwarmers. His fingers are free to keyboard, but his hands stay toasty! I love the color shifting in this yarn. The yarn is half wool and half acrylic so the finished handwarmers are both warm and washer friendly. My Ravely page for the handwarmers with all the knitty details is here.

Annotated Tips for Knitting the Noro Scarf - Part III

Hurrah! I've just finished my Noro Scarf!! It is gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it out and about tomorrow. Here's some pics of the finished scarf and my last notes on what I've learned:

The tails - So many, many ends to weave in from cutting out knots and the too thick/thin bits in addition to beginning/ending skeins. Wasn’t sure how to do this since there is no “back side” to hide the tails on. Found this great video on weaving in the ends on ribbing and that’s how I handled all the tails: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzMQ4tpFQoA

Final thoughts - My scarf ended up approx. 5 3/4" by 66". I am an extremely slow knitter and I do throw my yarn (entailing taking my hand off the needle completely to work a knit or purl) so this scarf took me an eternity. I clocked 82 hours from start to finish. This does include time spent researching how to do certain relevant knitty things and those first two endless weeks where I frogged and restarted the whole thing so many times I thought I'd wear out the yarn. But ...I have to say this project was excellent, through shear repetition, at teaching knits and purls and how to identify and fix any mistake involving basic knitting. I now feel very confident at knitting and am ready to try something more advanced. I am so very proud of knitting my Noro scarf!! Job well done, self :)

I've been chronicling my adventure in learning to knit with the Noro scarf on my blog. Want to make a Noro scarf or making one at this very moment? Follow my journey and read all my annotated (and I hope helpful) posts:

A Crochet Learns to Knit: Adventures with the Noro Scarf - Part I

Annotated Tips for Knitting the Noro Scarf - Part II

Annotated Tips for Knitting the Noro Scarf - Part III

Annotated Tips for Knitting the Noro Scarf - Part II

About 1/4 done with my Noro Scarf adventure. Here's what I've learned so far:

The instructions - Had to look up how to do slip stitch edging. There is a video out there on this scarf. It has slightly different instructions than in the original pattern. Don’t follow the video. Just slip the first and last stitch purlwise on the second row of each color. (slipping purlwise = put your right-hand needle through the stitch as if to purl, slip it off the left needle onto the right needle and continue with the pattern). Turns out very nicely.

The slip stitch edging - Worth learning to do for the very nice finished side edges. What I learned the hard way: when you reach the end of the second row of a color and are slipping the last stitch purlwise, make sure your yarn is pulled to the front so it’s in the right position to pick it up again in the next color shift!

The tension - With all the color changing and yarn flipping etc, especially at the beginning, you will be tempted to pull the yarn up tight at each color change. Don’t!! Relax on those edge stitches so they are not at all tense or tight or you will get a curve in your scarf edge. I pulled the yarn up completely, but didn’t cinch it tight. Some of those loose edge loops seemed huge but they usually stretched out tight as I continued.

The yarn - Beautiful color shifts and it’s addicting to watch the changing color stripes…what cool color combo comes next? However, it varies quite a bit in thickness and thinness. Had to cut out a few sections where it was so thick it created big puffy sections in the knitting. Also .. the knots! Has knot in it that never seemed to occur on an edge so had to cut out those and rejoin yarn for those too. Also .. don't be afraid to cut out certain undesirable colors or re-roll a skein entirely in the opposite direction to avoid the effect in the third photo. Both skeins had a light grey/green color at the same time. The colors are different, but similar enough that the stripe effect is lost for a bit.

Here's the scarf on my Ravelry Page: Noro Striped Scarf

iTouch / iPod Cozy - It's a Cute Poptart!

I'm just about ready to start my "learning to knit" Noro scarf adventure, but thought I'd review the basics of knitting (what does a purl stitch look like again?) by working on a slightly smaller project first. I saw this darling knitted cellphone case pattern and knew it was just the perfect intro project. It's basically a stockinette rectangle that you sew up the sides. And besides .. it's a PopTart! How can you not want to make something so cute?

The pattern is for a cellphone, but I wanted to make it a bit larger to fit an iTouch / iPod. (I love making handmade birthday gifts). Feel free to check out my modifications to the pattern on my iTouch PopTart Cozy Ravelry page. I also included a few useful tips on things I learned while doing this project.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I know the recipient is just going to ADORE it!! I'm thinking of making a few more for next year as holiday gifts ... maybe some chocolate ones? Or white with rainbow sprinkles?

A Crocheter Learns to Knit: Adventures with the Noro Scarf Part I

This is THE Noro Scarf. Drool.

Photo & Noro Scarf pattern from Brooklyntweed.

And the object of my undivided attention for a while because, you see, this crocheter is finally halting her dabbling in knitting and has decided for 2011 to finally learn how to knit properly and confidently. Making this scarf is the route I have chosen to achieve this goal. It is done in 1x1 rib and after 5 1/2 feet of knitting and purling I should finally have those mastered. Plus I get to learn slip stitch edging, color changing, keeping even tension, and many more things.

I LOVE this scarf. It's unisex, goes with everything, and thanks to the magic of Noro yarn .. every single scarf has a mysterious, unfolding color arrangement. A true, unreproducible, one-of-a-kind scarf. The Noro Scarf, like Noro yarn, is apparently legendary in its desirability. There's even a Noro Scarf Flickr Group!

I bought my supplies today:

Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (45% silk|45% kid mohair|10% lamb's wool|100 meters); 2 balls each of #245 and #319

Can't wait to start!

Free Pattern: Drop Stitch Scarf

Scarfs are usually thought of as a winter accessory to warm and protect against inclement weather, but scarfs can actually be worn all year long... it just depends how you make them and what you make them out of. A drop stitch scarf is not only lovely to look at, but the huge slits in it created by the dropped stitches create an airy, lightweight fabric that lets cool breezes through. Wool is not a great choice for warmer weather, so you'd want to stick with cool cotton or .... ribbon yarn! Ribbon yarn is thin and thick at the same time, comes in a dazzling array of colors, many of them multi-colored. This is one I recently made in a vibrant, shimmery ribbon yarn.Drop stitch scarfs are VERY easy to make and work up very quickly with a minimum of yarn. I've never needed more than one normal-sized skein per scarf. You can find a free pattern for this scarf here. It is suitable for beginning knitters and the results, whatever yarn used, are always very satisfying. Fringe (not pictured) is optional, but highly, highly recommended to add.

How to Be Your Own Model Tutorial

Ideally to model your wearable items you'd find someone else to be your model. Or have a camera with a self-timer mode. But what if you don't have the luxury of either of those? I use the old "pose in the mirror and photograph your reflection" trick.1) Stand in front of mirror making sure ugly background things are not visible.
2) Assume a pose.
3) Hold camera away from your body and point it at the mirror. You will *NOT* be able to see through the viewfinder, so just guess.
4) Hold the camera as still as possible.
5) Click. Reposition. Click again. Take a bunch of photos.
6) Review pics. There will always be a few nice shots! Even though it might not seem like it at first, careful cropping will give you quite a few to choose from. Although the larger the item you are modeling, the more likely part of the camera will show.

Here's me using the technique to photograph myself in a lacy caplet. I made 2 of these for Christmas gifts and thought they were so cute, I made myself one too :) It gives a bit of warmth while still letting me have full mobility of my arms. Perfect for late night winter crafting in my cold studio!

You can see a bit of the camera in the second shot, but these are just for me so I'm OK with that. I think the top photo turned out pretty well!

Now... off to finish wrapping and get my caplets in the post!

Who Can Never Remember to Photograph Their Swaps? Me!

What is it about swaps??? I simply cannot remember to photograph them before wrapping everything up. Take this for example, my Secret Santa gift for a fellow creative soul:Sooooo prettily wrapped, ready to go to it's new happy home....but wait! I forgot to take a picture again. Gak! So, several minutes later I'm unwrapping it, taking pictures and then .... you guessed it, breaking out the roll of Christmas wrapping paper and rewrapping everything just as prettily as the first time. Actually, I think the wrapping turned out much better the second time :)

This is what was inside: A little knitted and crocheted purse!With a flower embellishment sporting a vintage button at the center and handstitched leaves.Bamboo handles.
And what else was in her package? A cute little matching brooch! [I also included a book on jewelry making since her profile said she crafted jewelry - but I didn't make that :)] It takes about 8 hours to design and plan each of these one-of-a-kind purses, so I'm *really* hoping she likes this.
After all that work [times 2 since I had to do the wrapping twice!] I thought I'd take a nap in the warm autumn afternoon sun. Oh rats! Looks like I didn't get to that sunbeam fast enough .. somebody is already there :) And looking very comfortable indeed! Looks like she even pawed that blanket into a little bed before snuggling in.
You may have noticed the new banner on my right sidebar. I've always been a great advocate of handcrafted gifts. After all, what has more meaning: A mass produced product, probably made with unsafe Chinese parts, that 10,000 other people have? OR .. something carefully selected and crafted with love, care and diligence that fits the recipient perfectly and shows that you really care? Handcrafted gifts, whether they be yummy baked goodies, a knitted sweater, or even just a beautifully crafted card epitomize the true holiday spirit of giving and sharing more than any obligatory random store purchase ever could. By buying handmade, you are also choosing to support independent artists who work very hard to turn beautiful visions into reality while still earning enough to support their families. So.... I invite you all to take the handmade pledge with me and buy handmade this holiday season!
And finally...thank you everybody so very, VERY, VERY much for all your congratulations on my holiday press! Makes my heart all warm and fuzzy to read the sweet things you say! Truly it does!

When Your Son Wants to be a Slytherin

Autumn weather is here at last! The rains have returned to Oregon and the relatively sudden transition from 90 to 50 degrees has made the trees just snap into the most glorious show of fall I think I've ever seen here.

Isn't this "Autumn" sign cool? You can make your own custom sign at Spell With Flickr. I saw this over at Pear Street Studios and had to share. Flipping the letters to see all the styles available is so addictive! :)

And fall means baking! Here are some super yummy pumpkin muffins (recipe courtesy of Natalea) the kids and I baked. They vanished quickly, but I managed to shoot this just before they were all devoured. We did a cream cheese frosting and it was delicious with the pumpkin spice cake.

If you are a Harry Potter fan you know there are four houses you can belong to at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Harry Potter and his friends belong to Gryffindor. So, if you like Harry Potter, shopping for related Gryffindor gear is no problem. He is after all the hero of the story. But what if your son loves Malfoy, a member of Slytherin? What if your son wants to be a Slytherin??? Well, your shopping options, at least around here, just got a lot more limited. So.... with the colder weather and my little guy needing a scarf, I whipped up a Hogwarts style scarf in the Slytherin colors of green and silver. Now my son is super happy wearing his Slytherin gear, and so is Mom knowing her little Slytherin will be warm and toasty this fall! (Personally, I'm a Hermione girl :) but everyone has their own favorite)

For those that knit, it's a really simple pattern, its knits up super fast (mine took 2 days), and you can make it in any of the house color combinations. For a Slytherin scarf: Lion Brand Chenille yarn in Forest Green & Antique White (2 skeins each) knitted in garter stitch on size 17 needles. Use yarn doubled throughout. Cast on 12 stitches. Continue for 11 rows then switch to the other color. Repeat until you have 4 stripes of each color. Fringe with alternating colors (see pic).

There are more swap paper dresses to come! They still needed a little more time in the studio primping for their "fashion shoot" :)