What New Years resolutions did I make last year?  Well….I don’t generally make resolutions, I make plans (sometimes they work, sometimes they get changed, sometimes they get postponed)

This year, after organizing my stash, I have made a decision…I’m going on a yarn fast.  I’m going to knit from my stash as much as possible for the new year.  We’ll see how long that lasts!

Note:  this plan involves me spinning up lots of fleece!

here's just some of my fleece

Wish me luck!

Happy 2010 everyone.

Disclaimer:  I am a Mac person, from a Mac household…who appreciates the simplicity of the product as well as the ads.

I rarely will search to find new ads for a product.  Usually I try to ignore the advertising that I see.  However, the ads that Apple has made for the Mac are so entertaining that I not only will sit and watch them, but sometimes I will even seek them out to see what the new ad is.

I like them because they are slick, simple, predictable, and funny.

Have a look for yourself!  My choice for best ads of the year.

click to see more...

The month of December is winding down, and so are the days of Gwen Bell’s Best of ’09 Challenge.

The topic of today is the biggest laugh of the year.

Thinking back, I’ve laughed a lot this year–A good sign!  The biggest laugh came in a hotel room in Mississauga, when a group of us were tired and hungry and really needed pizza.  We weren’t just regular tired, we were tired to the point of everything being hilarious, where once one person started to laugh, the rest of us caught the giggles and pretty soon had forgotten what we were laughing about.

It all started because we were in a new city, unsure of what number to call for pizza, and who was going to make the call.  Being in a hotel is a novelty for us, and using a hotel phone was a bit of a challenge.

What area code were we in?

Do we need to dial the area code?

Is there a phone book….no….that’s not a phone book in the drawer, that’s a Bible! (giggles started)

Finally found the phone book….looked up a number for pizza delivery

did rock paper scissors for who would call and order…..

Ended up ripping page out of the phone book by accident…. (giggles and more giggles)

We taped the page back in (still laughing)

Someone started to dial for pizza, and we noticed that the hotel phone had a button you could press for “Pizza”. (too much laughing)

We were in such a state already, that a “push button for pizza” was enough to send us over the edge.  If I recall correctly someone ended up laughing so much they fell off the bed (between the bed and the wall)…which only set us off even more.

I don’t think we ever did order pizza….nobody could get through the whole call without cracking up.

What a night!

This looks like a very cool stash-busting craft to make. Explanations are on the Sheepy Hollow Farm Journal website

Sheepy Note Cards. Image from Sheepy Hollow Farm Journal

I’ve got lots of fleece. I may try making some of these in the new year. They look SO cute.

Here’s another cute idea from the knitted blog. Knit a square, add buttons, make a card! So many possibilities!

card idea from the knitted blog

Ohhh…these are cute too! Mini sweater and stocking Christmas Cards. Pattern located on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Image from Better Homes and Gardens

These would be my top three choices for best stationery, if I had time to make them!

I do write letters, but usually I use coloured paper that I decorate with doodles as I write.

It’s certainly a good question!

Sometimes you’ll see or feel such a lovely yarn that you have to buy it.  It will sit in the stash begging for the perfect pattern to come along where it can be shown off in all its glory.  When you find that pattern, the yarn will leap from the shelf and the knitting will fly off the needles, just like it was meant to be.  Now, this is not always the case, but when it happens, it is magic!  Sometimes you need to make up the pattern yourself as I did in the hat I dreamed up.

Dig through your stash from time to time, and you might be surprised what yarn will speak to you.  Listen to it…..trust it….you’ll be amazed with what you can create.

Picture from ravelry.com

Sometimes it’s a good pattern that will speak to you from the pages of a magazine, or from the depths of Ravelry.  The February Lady Sweater was one such pattern that grabbed my attention.  It was all the rage 2 years ago.  I went on a search and found the wool to match the sweater.

Now, whether you are looking for the perfect pattern or the perfect yarn, things have certainly changed a lot in the last 10 years.  This fact was illustrated on boxing day in the midst of our “ball winding party”.  I had gotten my mom a great ball winder from knitpicks.com, and we were winding up different skeins into center pull balls.

My grandmother, my mom and I were discussing what to knit for a cousin who is soon to be a new dad.  My first instinct is to head to ravelry, or now that I’ve joined twitter and connected with so many awesome knitters, I’d ask them what’s good to make for a new baby.  My mom went to look in her pattern drawer for books and leaflets of patterns that she’s used through the years.  My grandmother wanted to knit the bonnet that her mother taught her to make.  She knew that she had the instructions on an index card somewhere.

It hit me, on Boxing day, sitting in a multi-generational knitting circle, that some things really have changed, but in some ways, they haven’t changed at all.

In 2 months, over 2000 unique visitors have come from 60 countries to visit my little corner of the internet.  We had some cake to celebrate!

Here comes my A-Ha moment–I’m a blogger now!  2 months ago I never would have imagined it.  It’s been a good challenge to blog daily.  I’ve been more productive, and more creative recently, and that feels great!  Thanks to everyone who is following along….

Now, it’s your turn…audience participation required

Thanks to the wonders of analytics….here are some of the more “unique” search phrases that have brought you here.

• “how to dye roving outside when it is cold outside”
• “how to make a hat out of copper scrubbies”
• “how to start spinning milkweed fluff”
• “how to tie a sinai bedouin scarf”
• “how to make two person mitten”
• “how to wash thrummed mittens”
• “how to make intricate friendship bracelet with string”

Now….for the fun….which of these topics would you like me to explain to you (some may require more research on my part than others)

Vote in the comments.  (Voting closes on Jan 1 2010)

Last year at this time I was madly knitting. This was the WORST case of second sock syndrome that I had ever experienced. The pattern is Rhiannon Socks [Ravelink] by Cookie A. They are wonderfully intricate knee high cabled socks with fold over cuffs. As soon as I saw them I thought they’d be perfect for kilt socks! Who would want to cover up these beauties?!

This entire project was also my first real experience in stealth knitting. Although I saw the recipient weekly, I didn’t know them well enough to know their shoe size. It’s also a little awkward to casually work in calf circumference in day to day conversation. I tried to give the measurement mission to their family, but that was unsuccessful. I tried several times to line up my feet with theirs during a quick conversation to gauge how my foot would compare. In the end, without proper measurements, I was left to
pass the sock in progress around to all my male relatives for them to try on guess.

thanks mysterious sock model #1

The first sock was completed in the summer. I thought that I’d have plenty of time to finish the other one in the fall, but….somehow miles and miles of knitting cables on tiny needles just didn’t seem all that appealing. November came and went (why does October always disappear so fast?). Suddenly it was December, I had only one sock and a cuff of another. I was determined to finish that second sock to present to the recipient on Christmas day. This may have involved an all-nighter or three, and I may still have been finishing knitting them while opening my stocking on Christmas morning, but these socks were ready to be presented that afternoon!

I didn’t let them out of my sight without a full photo shoot, of the front….

thanks mysterious sock model #2

and the back…

thanks mysterious sock model #2

And this is the first time that the recipient wore them with the kilt. These must be the hottest ankles in town. The wool itself [Knit Picks Bare Fingering Yarn] is not thick, but the cables do add bulk which does tend to trap heat. I really appreciate that the socks were worn on such an important occasion. It means so much when a knitter’s hard work gets displayed!

super stealth sock photo

This was one of the biggest, craziest gifts I’ve ever made. I’m sticking to smaller projects this year!

Every day is a learning opportunity.  I know that I learn so much in the day-to-day interactions with people.  I make it my goal to keep learning new things even though it’s been a while since I was last taking a formal class.

Today, the learning opportunity comes in the form of an experiment. As a good science student, here’s my “pre-lab” writeup.

Experiment:  Felted Elf Slippers

Question:  Is it possible to make a pair of felted Elf Slippers before Christmas?

Hypothesis:  If sleep is ignored and other tasks abandoned it will probably be possible to finish knitting the slippers.  Time until Christmas in this case is the independent variable, and caffeine consumption is another independent variable that will work to decrease the amount of sleepiness.  Large gauge needles will decrease the time taken to complete the socks, but the immensity of the pre-felted slipper will counteract any advantage given by the needle size.  Felting has many variables (washing machine, water temperature, time) and since it is the first experience with felting, results will be unpredicted.

Materials:

• Cascade 220 1 skein dark green
• Cascade 220 1 skein bright green
• 6.5mm DPN

Procedure:

Refer to Flint Knits Felted Elf Slipper pattern

Data:

Image courtesy of Through The Loops

Dec.22.2009  11:00 PM  Inspiration hits. Wool run planned for 23rd

Dec.23.2009  4:00 PM  Wool run  to Wool-Tyme.  Cascade 220 and needles acquired.

Dec.23.2009  7:00PM  Cast-on first slipper

Dec.23.2009  10:00PM  Astounded by size of slipper in progress, caffeine consumed

Dec.24.2009  12:30AM  Overcome by sleep.  Slipper 1 complete

Dec.24.2009  8:30AM  Caffeine consumed, slipper 2 cast on

Dec.24.2009  10:30AM  Second Slipper Syndrome Already?  Break for nourishment/present wrapping/delivery.

Dec.24.2009  1:00PM  Successful Santa mission, and delivered an awesome hat to a cute little boy

Dec.24.2009  2:33PM  Second slipper is growing.  Decision made:  gift could be pre-felted slippers….if time runs out.  Then they could be felted-to-fit….that sounds like a good plan, right?

Dec.24.2009 5:12PM Second slipper is 8 inches from completion.  Must rest fingers and wrap more gifts.

Dec.24.2009 7:30PM Digested dinner and knit 8 inches by the fire.

Dec.24.2009 10:30PM Church break.

Dec.25.2009 1:00AM DONE….ends sewn in and everything.

I had only this much yarn left over!  About 2 meters…..Cutting it close!!!

Since late night early morning felting sounds like an all around disaster a BAD idea, the HUMONGOUS slippers are under the tree, and will be felted to fit tomorrow afternoon between turkey basting sessions.

Dec.25.2009 11:30AM  Slippers unwrapped, and tried on.  Dad confused by size.  They fit like a hat!

Dec.25.2009 12:30PM  Slippers put in a zip up pillow case and washed (no soap) in washing machine.  Settings: low water level, hot temperature.

Dec.25.2009 1:00PM  Felting accomplished!  Slippers stuffed with plastic bags drying on heating register, and in front of the fire.

Dec.26.2009 1:00PM Slippers still slightly damp.  Gave up and put them in dryer for 15 minutes.

Dec.26.2009 1:20PM  Slippers are done and being worn.

Conclusions:  Felting works.  Pre-felted items are HUGE, but shrink down to a very nice size.  It is possible to knit a pair of elf slippers and felt them in a day and a half.  The drying is the unexpected variable.  It took a very long time to dry!

before felting

After Felting

I’d recommend the CRAFT VIDEO App for Knitting to beginner knitters. This app compiles Youtube videos explaining basic stitches, and some simple projects. There is a particularly nice 4 part video lesson in making socks cuff down, which teaches how to cast on and knit in the round, turn a heel, and how to graft a toe.

Although these videos are all on Youtube, the $0.99 is worth it to have good videos collected for you, and made available in the palm of your hand. I look forward to seeing more patterns available, or more complicated stitches like lace knitting or cables, or how to knit socks two at a time with the magic loop method.

There is a chat feature as well, which could be useful if lots of knitters were online using the app. You could always find someone in some timezone that is awake and knitting! I could see this being a great help for late night knitting emergencies.

Published by Interave Media LLC, it was released October 9th 2009, and was last updated November 24th 2009.

What did I learn? Not much actually. But then again I’m not a beginner.
What would I use? The toe grafting video would be a help. That is a skill that I often forget (but I knit socks toe-up which doesn’t use grafting). The chat might be fun once it gets more popular.

Beginners out there, try it and let me know what you think.
Best iPhone apps at AppStoreHQ

Ravelry is not new to me this year, but I seem to be regularly informing new knitters about what a great website it is.

If you are a knitter/crocheter/weaver/spinner and have not signed up for a free membership do so now!  Add me as a friend.  My name is knitaddict.

Ravelry is like facebook for knitters.  It is an online community where you keep track of your projects in your online notebook where you share pictures of your work.  You can also search an online database of patterns (many are free).  You can look up different yarns, or find projects recommended for a certain yarn that you already have.  You can find friends by geographical region, or by common taste in knitting patterns. There are groups and forums to ask for help, or discuss just about any topic imaginable!

knitaddict's Ravelry notebook

There is a messaging function, where you can send questions and comments to people about their projects, or to designers about their patterns.  I’ve found this part very useful.  How many times have you wanted to ask “What did you mean by this line in your pattern”, but of course, without this forum for communication you were left to give up make something up….

There’s a store (no membership required) with so many things you could get for your favourite knitter. T-shirts, tote bags, buttons, pins, pint glasses….I bought a shirt from them last year and was very pleased with the service.  Many of the items are designed by fellow “ravelers”

Image Courtesy of Ravelry.com "A Daily Dose of Fiber"

In 2008 many of us gathered together to participate in the Ravelympics, and many have already joined up for the 2010 competitions.  Events are still being finalized, but stay tuned to the forums for more information.  It is a lot of fun to challenge yourself to finish a certain number of projects during the span of the games

my patterns on Ravelry.com

Recently I became a “designer” on Ravelry, which lets me post my patterns, and sell them.  I’ve got several free patterns available, and my Red Olympic Mittens pattern is for sale (raising money for the Penguins Can Fly swim club for disabled children).  I’m enjoying the chance to share my creativity with others.  So often knitters feel isolated, fighting against many stereotypes….but now we have a place where we can all find each other!

Although a great source of inspiration, it is possible to spend TOO MANY hours gazing at beautiful projects and yarns….

Consider yourself warned!