New Socks for my Chairs

From THIS



My wooden chairs scratch my hardwood floor. Over the years I tried every "chair tip" product out there. About two years ago I found a free online pattern for crochet chair leg socks and made them from some acrylic I had lying around. Worked fine but they are wearing out, as the top photo shows.

To THIS


As I explored sock knitting I had the idea to knit socks for the chair legs using one of the elastic yarns. I got some Cascade Fixation from the LYS in pale yellow. The first eight I knitted, I did so flat in a K1P1 ribbing and seamed the piece into a tube then gathered one end tight. To say it is boring to knit one of these is the understatement of the year. I am knitting on sz 3 needles and it takes two hours to knit one of these. And I need 16!

Today I switched to knitting the sock in the round on two circulars. Probably a bit slower but I did hate doing the seam and since the sock had to stretch a lot over the fat part of the leg, it looked pretty bad.

If anybody wants to copy the idea, I knitted these using 20 stitches. To help them wear longer, I covered the tip of the chair leg with quilt batting. The constant scraping of wood against wood eventually wears through the yarn and I don't want to knit 16 of these pesty things again.

I Love a Bargain

What is almost as good as a 80% off sale on yarn? A 80% off sale on purses! I had a sudden urge to go by DSW Shoe Warehouse for their Summer Sale today. Found a pair of black sneakers 80% off and a pair of Liz Claiborne low heeled pumps 50% off. Then I checked out a big table at the entrance full of purses. My big weakness. And score! I found a Deborah Gallo (Italian) soft leather satchel type purse...DSW price $100, 80% off. (It is not quite that orange color in real life, more caramel color)Tell me I could not let that purse not go home with me!


I also found two other $20 purses at 50% off. When I got home I realized that one of the purses exactly matches my summer shoes.



What a deal!

Beed Size Woes

I am in the MS3 KAL along with every other knitter in the world! Anyway, according to the posts on the group website, Michael's had a good selection of beads. Ha. Double Ha. Yes, they had gorgeous seed beads. Yes, they had the exact color I wanted for my shawl. But, what is this? NO size indicator ANYWHERE on the label (Blue Moon Beads). So I went to the register and together we opened the tube and I tested my size 16 steel crochet hook....they were size 11 beads. And all the other MARKED seed beads were also size 11.

I went to a bead boutique next and all they have is size 11 beads. Teeny, teeny, teeny. Anyway, I ended up ordering beads from The Beadwrangler. Since I could not hold these beads up against my swatch, I ordered both lt. gray pearl and silver lined crystal. Since postage was flat rate, I also ordered some lt. beige pearl for the pearly tencel I also have to knit a lace shawl or scarf with, someday.

What is with size 11 beads? I don't make jewelry, so I don't know how they are used, but that seems to be the popular size. Thank goodness for the internet!

Finally Socks Begin

I finally cast-on for a pair of socks. I have knit my "class sock" and just seem to keep putting off a "real" sock. Since I bought some Tofutsie yarn in Texas for socks, and have some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, I needed to make a move. This is the beginning of the first sock using some sock yarn I bought about a year ago when I first began thinking socks......

Swatch

Here is my swatch for the MS3. It is Zephyr wool/silk in pewter. The first repeat is size 4 needle; the second repeat is size 5. I will go with the size 4. Need to order my beads now.

I'm Back

I'm back from Texas, but seem to have brought a virus with me...sore muscles and headache and lethargy. Guess I'll just be quietly knitting for a few days. I did not take my Fantasy Shawl yarn with me and missed it. I ended up knitting several dishcloths and two hand drying towels. I started a feather and fan shawl with my beige linen and ripped it out over and over; I was reading the pattern wrong and decreasing too many stitches. When I (finally) knitted a swatch, I realized my problem. That is some tough yarn, though. I will have to buy more yarn at some point, but the dye lot should not be much of a problem for this natural color, plus I can blend it in with alternate rows if need be.

I am swatching my yarn for MS3. The first yarn to arrive was a cone of Tencel and it feel wonderfully silky to knit, but would need size 1 or 2 needles or else need to be doubled. The pewter wool/silk Zephyr also arrived and is gorgeous. Will probably do the MS3 in that one, since I already have the cotton one done and the Tencel is similar in the way it knits up. Save that for later.

The pink cotton shawl was wonderful on the trip...great on the plane and also at my son's house. He keeps HIS house at a normal temperature, unlike his Dad who would turn the air completely off if he could get away with it; he hates utility bills!

Will post photos of the linen hand drying towel later.

Going to Texas

I am going to Texas for a week with my grandkids. Two boys, 5 and 2. It will be a busy week! Am taking simple knitting since there will be many distractions and little hands. I plan to knit two dishtowels from the linen yarn I have been messing with. I know I said I was going to knit a shawl with that yarn. However, I have finished a shawl, have one on the needles, and have joined the Mystery Shawl 3 group, so enough already. Also, I only have two skeins of the linen and that is not enough for a shawl. Originally I bought the skeins to make the towels and so now I WILL do that!

My DIL has an interest in knitting. She enjoys the process. Yah! She has knitted three scarves, but living in Texas, she does not need any more of those. She mentioned that she would like to practice some more with me, so am taking some bright red cotton and teach her how to make dishcloths. Her kitchen is red and cream. Should be pretty!

So watch this space. I'll be back.

Purse Compliments

I have been very surprised at all the positive comments I have been receiving on my sampler purse. Hopefully lots of you out there have knitted one and are also getting positive comments. People are literally stopping me in stores and touching it!

I confess to being very surprised because I frankly thought it was ugly and way over the top as I was finishing it up. The colors, although all my favorites, were way out of my comfort zone in the way they were put together. I confess to usually knitting either solid color purses or horizontal stripes.


(The other side is lavander and purple.)

Of course it is possibly that I have a leather handle on the purse, or that it is a fashionable shape (12" long and 6" deep and I usually make my purses narrower and deeper. Whatever the reason, these people stopping me to see my purse are generally NOT knitters (although the knitting shops I have been in, people also comment favorably). Maybe it catches people's eye because I have not seen anything remotely like this purse in shops or in "free" purse knitting patterns online. The last person to comment on it said it was very unique.

So all of you KAL members out there, finish your purses and send me a photo! I'll make a Flickr gallery if you do!!!

New Link

I just added a link to my list of Blogs. It is called TechKnitting and is a blog every knitter should have at the top of their bookmarks. Somebody on Monthly Dishcloth KAL mentioned it. Click on it and take a look!

Pink Shawl Pics

Here is a closeup of the border. I love this pattern; shoulda done the whole shawl in this. And it was easy.



This is the border shown with the flower lace motif that gave me such fits. Looks deceptively simple, doesn't it? Ha.


This is the shawl draped over an antique rocker. This wicker rocker crossed the U.S. to Indiana in a covered wagon. I inherited it from my mother.



I tried the shawl on and it feels and looks wonderful. Worth every blasted stitch. Securing those dropped stitches with sewing thread was fiddly but seems to have worked. Nobody is going to be allowed to examine this shawl closely, except the border of course!

Shawl Saga Continues

OK, I finished the pink shawl. I put it into the washer on delicate handwash with fabric softner, then into the dryer on low. Nice and damp and soft, I spread it out to block it.

Ouch....a bunch of dropped stitches have appeared. This shawl is absolutely cursed. What to do?

Here is my solution. For anybody who ever has this happen and refused to unravel the project, read on.

1) with a small metal crochet hook, I picked up each dropped stitch and worked it up to try and close the hole, never mind the pattern.... Then I put one of those plastic "coiless safety pins" from the knit shop on each one (they look kind of like mini padlocks...I am indeed padlocking these stitches down).

2) I am going to thread a needle with pale pink sewing thread and fasten those loose stitches to the shawl using a sturdy square knot, then work thread ends into the surrounding stitches. I thought about going to the yarn shop and getting some pale pink mohair to use for the mending and let it "felt", but I have the pink thread on hand and it seams that it might even be better.

My advice to anybody out there who is even contemplating knitting a shawl out of crochet cotton, DON'T. The stuff is slippery and hard to manipulate. I knew I was making lots of mistakes in the pattern, but had absolutely no idea I had actually dropped stitches.

My advice to myself for future lace shawls (and I have one on the needles and have joined the Mystery Stole 3 group ..see sidebar..) is to make liberal use of stitch markers so that I can count after every row, AND not to watch tv while doing lace knitting. It just takes one glance at the screen for these pesky stitches to drop, I guess.

Casting-On Methods

My favorite casting-on method is the "backwards loop" method. It is the quickest on, but the hardest to knit into for that first row. I have also been told that it is not a "sturdy" cast-on method. It also is the most unattractive and uneven. That said, I read today in notes on the Fantasy Shawl that backwards loop method is best for this shawl because of it being loose and stretchy. So there. I'm redeemed!

Beginning Row

Went to the Fantasy Shawl Knitalong this morning; only one other knitter there today. This morning I had picked up the project, abandoned last week in favor of finishing the pink cotton shawl, and immediately messed it up. So I frogged it (only three rows done) and cast-on again, forgetting that the first time I cast-on with bigger needles. So it was sweat, blood, and tears to get that first row knitted off. Denise needles are not the sharpest in the world.

Question: Why don't we ALWAYS knit the first row after a cast-on and THEN start the pattern? It is absurd to try and K2tog when working off the cast-on row (which is what this pattern calls for, along with Kfb in a some of the stitches). The other knitter with me at the Knitalong said she thought that knitting the first row should be required!!! It is SO much easier and it certainly does not make a difference in a project: let's all say it, "cast-on, knit one row, begin pattern". Maybe embroider it onto a sampler and hang it on the wall!!!!!

Aaack!

Coasting along on the final border on the pink shawl and ...aack....no way I have enough for six repeats of the pattern, like I did on the other end. So am stopping at 3 repeats (perfectly adequate and actually better), then doing a few garter ridges.

Of course, this means frogging half of the repeats on the finished end. Oh well. I hope I enjoy this pink cotton shawl. It has been a pain in the neck to knit!!!

Norwegian Purl

I was skimming down Knitlist and spotted a message titled "loose continental knitting" and took a look. The writer was having the same problem I did when learning to do continental purl. Loose. Loose. Loose. I compromised for awhile by knitting continental (picking) and purling american (throwing). Whenever gauge did not matter I practiced purling. My gauge is now fine with both methods.

However, the person giving the answer for loose continental purling suggested Norwegian purling. Aha!

In the 1970's I lived in Iceland (DH in the Navy for four years way back then) and my friend and I started knitting "Icelandic sweaters", which are Fair Isle, but done in the natural shades that Lopi yarn comes in. We went to the Lopi factory and bought big bags of what I think now must have been roving. Absolutely no give (twist) in the yarn.

My first sweater was knit very tightly and a young Icelandic lady who worked in the office below my friend's apartment offered to teach us to do "Icelandic Knitting", which she said "built some stretch into the knitted fabric because you can't knit as tightly". She taught. I learned. It worked. But I did not knit again after leaving Iceland (hey, it was not popular for a very long time, remember?!)

Fast forward to a couple of years ago. I discovered everybody was knitting and that you were allowed to knit something besides sweaters. I also found out quickly that the reason I had avoided knitting for years was that it made my shoulders and arms ache. However, I had fallen in love with the hobby and thought there must be a way to knit that did not involve so much shoulder and arm movement. In the dim recesses of my mind I remembered learning "Icelandic Knitting" and decided that it MUST be what everybody was calling Continental.

Using the internet I figured out the knit stitch quickly and discovered that "picking" was easier on my shoulders and arms. But could not remember the purl stitch. I vaguely remembered the routine of the needles, but the stitch always proved to be a backward knit on the return row.

Always up for a challenge I decided to learn the Continental Purl. I knew it was not the Icelandic purl, but whatever. I am pretty proficient at it now.

Back to the subject at hand....NORWEGIAN PURL? Isn't NORWAY near ICELAND???? Hmmmm......I googled Norwegian Purl and got my yarn and it all came back. Also figured out what I had been doing wrong. I had remembered the needle movement, I just had missed one crucial yarn movement that caused the purl to be backward.

I am pretty slow on this new way to purl, of course. And my continental purl has got a lot of speed. So don't know if I will persevere, but it is so nice to finally remember that doggone stitch method!!

Vacation Knitting

For the week I am in Texas, I plan to finally commit to the two Louet Sales linen yarn skeins I bought early spring at a store closing sale. I really don't like knitting with that yarn; I have pulled out several "starter" projects. But I have spotted, at two different LYS, the yarn done in a feather and fan shawl. I have two different shades of brown, so I will alternate these colors. I doubt I have enough yardage, but by alternating colors I can buy some more and not fret over dye lots.

I originally bought the yarn to knit kitchen towels, but just can't get excited about that. I want something fairly mindless for the trip. I also figure if I have no other project to entice me, I might actually knit the shawl, or at least get enough done that I won't pull it out in a temper fit.

Pink Lace Shawl Progress

I am closing in on the finish on this shawl. Final border. Sixty rows. Happy Days! I am really, really tired of knitting on this, but I want to take it with me on my on my trip to Texas; going to spend a week with the grandkids.

I had "designed" a double border for the shawl out of my stitch dictionary and when one side was almost done, decided I did not like it. So I paged through the dictionary and found a pattern called Horseshoes that looked VERY simple. It mostly is. And I like it...it is different from the main body of the shawl but not so much as to be jarring.

I also want to get this thing off the needles so I can concentrate on the new laceweight wool shawl.

Stunning Photos

My daughter's boyfriend recently spent a week in Costa Rica, surfing. The vacation package included a professional photographer. Here are some stunning photos. Enjoy.

Weekend

I had a nice weekend. My daughter drove down from Raleigh, which is always a treat. This weekend was our 38th wedding anniversary. She came in bearing wine and chocolates. Good daughter! The wine has a story....when she was about 7 years old, we lived in Germany. Across the street from our townhouse was a small grocery store and everybody knew us. She wanted to buy us a gift for our anniversary and I stood outside while she shopped. After awhile, one of the clerks peered out the window at me and waved...Jenni emerged a few minutes later, beaming, with a bag. That night she presented us with a bottle of pink champagne. (It was NOT drinkable!!!) We all still laugh remembering that she got to buy wine in 2nd grade....which is why she brought wine this weekend...to carry on the memory and the joke!

I had previously committed to ushering for a matinee production of the Broadway show, 'Sweet Charity' at our PAC, so she had Saturday to herself to shop. She also offered to scrub out my refrigerator, which I took her up on! The last time it was this clean was when it was new. She is an energetic daughter. She and her Dad also went wine shopping, a hobby they share.

For dinner we went to a new restaurant and had a selection of tapas, then watched Food TV. We are all major fans of this channel, especially the one in HD. You can learn a lot watching those shows. My daughter likes to cook and is a good cook. She always makes us breakfast when she visits, and DH will tell you it is the ONLY time he gets a cooked breakfast!

Figure-Eight Fantasy Shawl

I have been eyeing laceweight shawls for some time now. The other day I was reading a LYS newsletter and they are having a knitalong this summer for a shawl knit with Merino Lace from Cherry Tree Hill. I went to the morning session and they had one colorway left that I liked, so I shut my eyes and handed over the credit card for the book. Special Little Knits from Just One Skein, and the hank of yarn.

The KAL meets once a week, Wednesday 10-12 or 6-8. I have cast-on and knitted two or three rows. Yes, I know that is pathetic, but I decided I needed the pink cotton shawl for my Texas trip week after next and so am on a push to finish it.

The store also has a wonderful marketing ploy. Near the end of the 2 hour session, a basket was passed with folded pieces of paper...on each piece was a discount for a skein of specified yarn. Mine was 25% off of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, so that pushed me over the edge...have also been eyeing luxury sock yarn. Note that I have not yet knit a sock! (I figure it could always become a shawl on big needles....)

Knit Guild Meeting

Tonight was The Charlotte Knitting Guild's monthly meeting and it was fun, as usual, to see what everybody was working on and to talk knitting. The program featured a review of "knitting" fiction and we talked about what books we had read.

Before the meeting starts, we chat and knit. During this time, two or three knitters dashed up to me and grabbed "the purse" and said, "here's the purse in person!!!" Everyone liked it, especially the colors. I was quite surprised and pleased to find that members of the guild were reading my blog. I am a new member and really don't know anyone by name yet. But knitters are never strangers to each other, we have a common language.

For show and tell there were socks, as usual. Also several washrags. One member had finished her gorgeous Clapotis shawl. Another was wearing a Feather and Fan stole with some glitz in it. Cristi, aka Turtlegirl, brought some of the lovely yarn she bought at the Fiber Fair (see her blog for details, link at left), plus the two skeins of yarn that she has spun on her gorgeous spinning wheel. There were also two beautiful capsleeved tops. Cristi wore the red sweater featured on her blog entry, go check it out!

I showed the progress on the pink cotton stole I am making. Also demonstrated the "nubbin" dishcloth and two knitters had me give them a demo at the end of the meeting. One was knitting baby bibs out of cotton and thought that would be a darling edging. Both agreed that washcloths needed to be teeny (4-5") so I felt vindicated! I thought I was the only person who liked little cloths. Plus they knit up quicker!

Charity Knitting

I often think about charity knitting but nothing has ever struck me enough to actually knit seriously for a project. When I was in a quilt guild I used to donate 4 quilts a year for our charity. I knitted a preemie hat for one of my local knitting groups to give to a local hospital. With another local group I contributed a teddy bear sweater for the local police, who take stuffed animals on their domestic violence calls to give to the displaced kids. All good causes. And I do plan to knit another bear sweater for our next donation!

This weekend I was an usher at the Performing Art Center uptown (the YMCA dance recital...an absolute hoot!) and talking knitting with another usher. I asked her what she knitted and she said she was now knitting children's sweaters for KnitforKids,sponsored by Guideposts. She commented that you could just knit so much for yourself or for gifts!

Last night I googled this charitable project and liked the looks of it. The pattern is very simple and it is a way to use up the bright colored acrylics in my stash that I bought to knit purses before I discovered the joy of using cotton instead.

They have three patterns, each a little bit more difficult. As well as written instructions, they also give you the finished dimensions of each size (2-10). Of course I did NOT do a gauge square and just jumped right into making a size 2 based on the written number of stitches to cast on. I am knitting a purple and lavendar stripe, since I don't have any one color with enough yardage for an entire sweater.

I kept looking at this sweater body as I knit and thought, "my goodness, I did not know 2 year olds were so big!". So I measured the width of the front and compared it to the pattern diagram, and I am knitting a size 10. Guess my yarn is bulkier than the model. The instructions say to adjust needle size as needed, but I don't want to go smaller than a size 7 needle, so will just have to adjust the stitch numbers. Simple math. Calculators help!

So if any of you out there are interested in doing some charity knitting without group deadline pressure and have some bright acrylics languishing in your stash, take a look at the web site.

I'll publish a photo of the sweater when I finish. I'm thinking of a goal of knitting one sweater a month and mailing a package when I get six. I am stating this on my blog so hopefully there won't be one half-finished striped sweater sitting on the floor of the closet at the end of the summer!!!

Creativity

Evidently my "creativity button" has come unstuck. Suddenly I see possibilities in yarn and patterns everywhere. As readers of my blog know, I have been plodding along with my first lace, making a pink cotton lace shawl. The cotton is a very nice quality of crochet cotton that comes on cardboard spools. I was using a discontinued FiberTrends pattern that came with the yarn from Elann.com, no longer on web page.

I struggled with the center panel and finally finished it, learning finally to read a chart vs my stitches.

Started the first border and I could get it mostly right, but could not do nupps with this kind of yarn and without the nupps, the pattern was boring. Rippit, rippit.

Then I had a "creativity moment". WHY did I need to slavishly follow this designer? Yes, it is gorgeous, but so what?

I got out my stitch dictionary and started dreaming through the lace patterns. This took quite awhile but I not only came up with choices for the two borders, I am going to be actually telling a story with the shawl. Mystery moment...........stay tuned for what I came up with.

Finished Purse

This is the finished purse. I had it with me in a yarn shop yesterday and received a compliment on it. It is truly an original. I hope everybody knitting along creates a unique purse that they enjoy carrying during the hot summer months. If anybody sends a photo, I will put it on the blog!

Lining Your Purse

Have you ever seen a knitted purse pattern that ended with. “Line the Purse.” And that is the final sentence? Now I know why designers do that. It is very difficult to tell somebody how to line a purse. I googled the subject and the two web pages I found had directions that confused me and I have lined many purses!

Essentially when you make a purse lining, you are mimicking the shape of the purse with fabric. I used cotton print fabric for the lining and cotton batting for the interfacing layer.

Measuring:

The width of your entire purse, smooshed flat.



The depth of your purse.



The width of your purse bottom.



The length of the purse bottom.



Cutting:

Cut a rectangle the measurement of the bottom of your purse, plus 1/4" seam allowance on all four sides. Cut two rectangles from cotton print and one from interfacing (batting).

Cut a large rectangle double the width of your purse plus 1 1/2" long, and the depth of your purse wide. Cut two from cotton fabric and one from interfacing.

You are going to make three lining shapes. Do these steps three times!

Sew the big rectangle together at the short edges, 1/4" seams. If you do not have a sewing machine, use a running backstitch.

This makes a TUBE shape. Sew one open edge of this tube to the rectangle you cut for the purse bottom. Make it fit. You might have to make some pleats at the corners.



Now you have three shapes that look like your purse. Layer them inside your purse:

1. first cotton layer, right sides toward wrong side of purse.
2. batting layer
3. second cotton layer, wrong side toward batting layer.
4. Fold the raw edges at the top together in such a way that you have a smooth edge with no raw edges showing.

Now you put your lining “basket” into the purse and slipstitch it to the purse, about 1/2" from the top. I actually like, at this point, to turn my knitted purse fabric wrong side out and put the lining on it that way, it seems to be easier to get it onto the purse evenly.



I overcast stitch the lining to my purse using thread that is a compromise between the lining fabric color and the yarn color. If you are careful doing your slipstitch, the thread melds into the yarn stitches and does not show. If you machine stitch at this step, it is going to show. voice of experience.



My favorite closure is a zipper. I put it in by hand, using a strong backstitch. I match the yarn color and not the zipper color, because I put these stitches strongly into the yarn and they are going to show. You CAN use the machine on this, but it is trickier. For this purse I bought a 14" zipper from the fabric store. I also bought a decorative clip-on zipper pull to make it easier to grab.


Zipper installation:

With the zipper closed and your purse facing you, tuck it into the top of the purse and pin the zipper tape to each side of the purse the way you want it to look. This is an important step if you want your purse to be the proper shape when closed. Then open the zipper and sew each side of the zipper tape down tightly to the purse, using a backstitch.






(Note: if you want to wait on stitching in your lining until now, the lining can be handstitched to the edge of the zipper tape now. This eliminates the gap between the zipper and the lining and might appeal to you.

If you choose to make a fancy crochet edge at the top of your purse, or an attached icord, or some such, you would stitch your zipper below that. And icord cast-off looks amazing, but your zipper pull can "eat" it. Voice of experience.

To tame the ends of your purse, pinch up the purse into an accordion fold and thread the folds with yarn and tie a bow.




Handle:
For this purse I recycled a leather handle that I am able to tie on the purse with yarn. You can knit or crochet a handle and sew it onto your purse. You can get "d" rings or acrylic squares (buckles) and use them to fasten on a handle. Since you have installed a zipper, you can attach a single handle at each end of the purse and it won't gape open, but will fall into a graceful curve.



This purse turned out to be the new "baguette" shape because the shape of the dishcloths made it long and shallow. I thought I would not like that, but it is very user-friendly. The handle lets it sink into a nice "hobo" shape, but when it is opened, everything inside is easy to find.

Purse Ends and Bottom

Now you have the two sides for your purse. To give the purse dimension, we need to add ends and a bottom. Measure one of your purse side pieces around three of its sides. Knit a 3" strip this length.




Sew one side of the completed strip to one of your purse sides, right sides together, easing the strip around the corner so it fits nicely. Work with the two pieces to make them match, stretching one of the pieces if necessary. Use any seaming method you prefer.



Now attach the other side.



You now have a purse shape.

Cast-On Methods

I learned to cast-on using the backward loop method, which is the least sturdy and smooth cast-on method, but is the quickest for me. Cable cast-on takes forever. The second quickest for me is the Long-Tail Cast-On, but of course the problem is guessing how much yarn to pull out for the long tail. I never guess right. The other evening I tried about six times and finally did the backward loop method! Then I read this tip on 1870 Pearl blog. Click on this long-tail cast-on instruction and learn how to estimate the right amount of yarn for your long tail! And while you are on her blog, enjoy everything on this blog. It is one for your bookmarks!

Zipper Source

Thanks to Diane D. (see comments on last blog entry) I can give you a source to order zippers for your purse. It is an Ebay store called Zipperstop.
You can order individual 14" black ones for 95 cents apiece, or there are color assortments. Under "zippers" in the store there is a category for "handbag zippers" and you can look over the selection.

Note: if you just plan to make one or two purses with zippers, the YKK dressmaker zippers available at Walmart and various fabric shops are adequate to the task; just get a clip on zipper pull or tie some yarn on the pull to make it easier to grab. I carry my purses everyday and the zipper gets a lot of action and has so far been up to the task.

Zippers & other Lining Issues

I was thinking ahead to the lining on this purse KAL and did some zipper research for you. I have always just popped into the fabric store and bought an ordinary dressmaker zipper in the color suitable for my purse. However, many of the handmade purses you see in boutiques have heavier zippers. So I started googling and found a site where you can order these nice zippers. However, it is a 3 week delivery time and you have to order 12 of one color. Other sites I visited were also bulk orders.

So for those of us who just make a purse now and then for our own use, we will have to make do with dressmaker weight zippers. I did find a snap-on decorative pull on the "button wall" at Hancock's Fabrics, and it does make it much easier to grasp the teeny zipper pull provided on the zipper. I generally have just been tying some yarn onto the zipper pull. I made a beaded pull once, but it eventually fell off!

So, for those of you thinking ahead to your purse lining, you need at least a 14" zipper and 1/2 yard of fabric. I like to choose a cotton print that coordinates with my yarn. For the interfacing, I like to use quilt batting. I prefer to buy the batting that looks like a blanket. Two nice ones are Warm & Natural batting and Heirloom Cotton Blend. You can also buy some sturdy non-woven interfacing. Fabric stores and Walmart sell this by the yard. I have used both, and prefer the end result when using batting. If you are also a quilter, you will have batting lying around. If not, you might find it easier to buy some interfacing by the yard.

Starting to Seam

Once you have four knitted squares, decide on what blocks to sew together for each side. Use your favorite method of making a seam; this is a simple running stitch.





I decided to embellish my seamline to introduce another color. I took some green yarn and crocheted a chain.



I fastened the chain over the seamline using a running stitch with the same yarn.



This is the other side of my purse.



Our next step will be to knit a strip that will become the sides and bottom. Stay tuned.

Second Square

For anybody still searching for knit stitch patterns, here is the second square I knitted. My book calls it "Little Checkers" but it is kind of a giant moss stitch.

Multiple of four stitches.
Row 1: *K2, P2* repeat **
Row 2&4: work each pattern stitch at appears on this side of the work (k the knit and p the purl)
Row 3: *P2, K2* repeat **

This is mindless knitting, pretty much. You are stacking (on the right side) two purl stitches and two knit stitches, then reversing the order on the next two rows. I consider it a double moss stitch.
Here is a REAL closeup. If you look carefully you can see where the knit and purls are.

Chatting

Knitters always like to chat about their projects and share ideas. If anybody wants to email (my email is in my profile) me with your design decisions, etc, I can send group emails to everyone in the group. Low tech version of a yahoo group, I guess!

And I am going to want pictures of these finished bags!

And please remember, leaving a comment on the blog is great, but if you are asking to be on the list, I can't put you on my email list unless I have your email. I am not ignoring you, I just don't know how to reach you.

NanKnits Cooks, Too

I also like to cook. I have a blog called NanCooks but lost my password for now so will occasionally talk about food here instead. When I cook something especially good and easy will tell you about it. Will also give out some tips. I've started listening to some food podcasts and am learning interesting things.

Last night I cooked ground turkey breast (with only .5 grams of fat per serving, I am trying to learn to like this stuff) with a chopped onion and a handful of shredded carrots (I buy the stuff in the bag in the refrigerated case at the store). Added a jar of Ragu Organic Spaghetti Sauce, Traditional Flavor. This is the best flavor of any sauce in a jar that I have tried. Not too tart, not too sweet, an organic as a bonus.

I served this sauce over gemelli. It is a very nice pasta that holds some sauce and is easy to eat with a fork. I don't like rotini, spaghetti and fettucini is hard to eat, bow ties say 'pasta salad' to me, so I started looking for other shapes. Radiatori is also very good. This pasta web site shows you all the shapes. Finding them in the grocery store is another matter.

I also take sliced gourmet style bread and toast it, then drizzle with olive oil to serve. My store carries LaBrea Bread

You watermelon lovers out there: cube it and put it in your green salad with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum.

Getting on the List

I am NOT tech savvy. Not at all. I don't even know how to "Steal a Button". Gotta buy Blogging for Dummies I guess. Anyway, if you want to be included on my official list, I need your email address. Am putting everyone into a group in my address book. If you simply post a comment and your email is not in your profile, I am stuck getting in touch with you. Now, if you have a Blog, I can go onto it and reach you that way.

I checked, and my profile does include my email link. (It also listed my age as over 200 years old...I typed in the wrong year of birth evidently, so I took that off altogether)

Design Decisions

I have heard from quite a few knitters who are eager to join me in designing a purse. And if they are anything like me, they want to start NOW.

You have a couple of design decisions to make before you grab that yarn.

1) The most important decision is how big you want your purse to be. The size of your squares determines the finished size of your purse. Make your squares half the width of the finished purse and the height you want your purse to be. You should add an extra row at the top and bottom and and an extra stitch at each side for seams. We are adding sides and a bottom to this purse, so you don't have to allow for that, if your square is 7x7, your purse will be 7x14 more or less.

2) Next in importance is color. I am using purple, turquoise, hot pink, lavendar. The sides and bottom are unknown; I have to go yarn shopping. All one color would be fine; the texture is going to be awesome on your purse. I would not advise using variegated on the squares for one reason only: you lose all the impact of your tediously counted pattern with variegated. I have read this fact several places. I personally LOVE variegated yarn and this was a hard lesson for me to learn! If you are going to use variegated in any of the squares, use a very simple stitch pattern, such as plain garter stitch.

2) The stitch patterns you choose should not use holes as a design element unless you are very careful of the color of your purse lining; it will show through. Knit/purl combinations to make textural designs are best. I discuss this in a previous entry. I know you dishcloth knitters like to make recognizable designs using knit and purl and this is a good showcase for those. Maybe your initials on one side?

3) The smaller your needle, the denser your knitted fabric, obviously. Either a #6, #7, or #8 works for me. When I did my first square, my #6 and #7 Denise were busy, so I grabbed my #8. With a lined purse, it really does not matter if the stitches are bigger. Plus, you finish faster with bigger needles.

4) Make it easy on yourself and as you flip through your stitch library, look for patterns with similar stitch requirements; I have found quite a few that call for a multiple of 4 +3 (4x6=24+3=27) and my squares are 27. If all your squares are the same size, it will be simpler, although these squares can be stretched a bit or scrunched when you sew them to the base.

5) Dishcloth designs tend to have borders to make them more userfriendly. You won't need borders on this square, but you can make them; they would certainly add interest to your purse. And probably make sewing the seams easier. Hmmmmm........

With all this to mull over, I'll see you on Monday. You can start making those four squares any time! Here is my first square:

The pattern is from The Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns and it is called "Furrows".

If you like this pattern and want it for one of your squares:
Multiple of 6 stitches plus 3
Cast on 27 (on #8 needles I got 6 1/2" wide square)
Rows 1 and 3: P3, *k1, slip 1, k1, p3*, repeat * *
All even rows: work each stitch as it appears on this side of the work (k the k sts and p the p sts)
Rows 5 and 7: K4, * slip 1, k5* repeat **, ending last repeat with k4.
Rows 1-8 make a pattern repeat.

Knit a Long

Wow! I posted my idea on Knitlist and Monthly Dishcloth KAL and already have some interested people. This is going to be such fun. A learning experience for me, for sure. Everyone asked if they needed to sign up and I said no. Then I realized I needed to be somewhat organized about this (not a normal thing for me) so as I get inquiries from you, I will put your email into a "group" in my address book and send out notices when I post a step. The first four steps will simply be the patterns I choose for my squares.

Musings about Fancy Stitch Patterns

In preparation for the knit-a-long I am designing, I spent yesterday with a ball of cotton yarn, a Denise needle #8, and my stitch dictionary. That is some strong Sugar 'n Cream yarn! I have used the same yardage about ten times. Rippit, Rippit. I am a notorious multi-tasker and it is hard to count stitches when your attention is divided; I am usually either watching tv or listening to a recorded book while I knit. Probably why there are so many mistakes in my pink lace shawl!

I started with really dazzling stitch pattern choices. I discovered after about six separate attempts at fancy patterns that you can't multitask and get the stitch count right! Also, cotton yarn and plastic needles don't comfortably do more than knit, purl, and yarn-overs. Dipping down to do a "long stitch" or hauling that slipped stitch over the next couple of stitches is not easy with sturdy yarn. I also noticed, even when I got the pattern right, that those fancy techniques tend to leave openings in the knitted fabric that I don't want for my purse fabric.

So for this purse project, I will stick to knit and purl combinations and am trying for easy repeats. I DO want one of the squares to be have bobbles, though, so will give a simple pattern a try on that. You'll find out later if it was successful.

Purse Knit-A-Long Supplies

Let's make a purse! First choose your colors and your yarn. This is designed for leftovers; those of you who knit dishcloths, I know you have lots of partial balls of cotton. Ideally, you will have five or six coordinating colors. Each side will be two squares, each end will be a rectangle, and the bottom will be a rectangle. All the pieces can be different colors or any combination. Your purse could also be all one color or shades of one color; up to you. I want contrast on mine, so my four squares will be pink, purple, turquoise, and lavendar.

You also want to chase down a stitch dictionary or go to your files and get some patterns you are saving. If you are a member of a dishcloth knit-a-long, you probably have a whole stash of cool patterns. Pick four. You want to avoid lace patterns and lots of yarn overs or any kind of holes in the pattern choice.

Use whatever needle, size 6, 7, or 8, that you like for washcloths. I'm using an 8. If you don't plan to line your purse, choose a smaller needle so the fabric will be tighter.

I'll post to the list each time I put up a step.

Purse Knit-A-Long Introduction

I want to design a new summer purse. I have a Stitch Dictionary. I have some partial balls of Sugar 'n Cream leftover from washcloths. Put these all together and I came up with an idea for the purse. Other knitters always ask me how I make my knitted purses, so I thought I would share the creation of this purse with as many knitters as possible via my Blog. So here is a knit-a-long. You can watch the purse emerge and make one later, or you can knit one along with me.

This is a chance for you to design your own purse. Although I will be telling you the colors and the stitch patterns I choose, you will be choosing your own colors and stitch patterns. I am simply giving you a blueprint or technique for making a purse.

And for those of you who crochet, you can make this purse, too. Just use your crochet stitch dictionary.

Charleston

I am going to be in Charleston week after next and Googled yarn shops there and there is one walking distance from my hotel. It has a very succinct name: Knit. Their May newsletter was all about socks so I can expand my knowledge, maybe. I had already planned to take my knitting to the park down by the water. Now I can also sit and knit surrounded by yarn for awhile. DH has a conference there on Monday and Tuesday, so am on my own except for an afternoon cooking school (my other interest). The shop is closed on Sunday and Monday and I am with hubby on Saturday, but I will certainly be knocking on their door Tuesday morning!

I don't have a good track record of finding yarn shops on trips; I will relate that tale at another time. But this one looks like it is REALLY there. And walking distance, to boot.

Sock Knitting Adventures

I finally decided my next challenge would be to knit socks. I want to see what all the fuss is about. I tried the 4 dpns and that is just not my favorite way to knit, although I do know how to use them (the arms of those Icelandic Lopi yarn sweaters I made while living in Iceland had to be knitted on them).

I do know how to knit using two circulars, so decided to try that method. But my instructions were for dpns and could not translate. Then I went online and found some instructions but could not figure it out, either. Decided on the Socks Soar on Two Circulars book. When I got to the shop I decided on the book Sensational Knitted Socks instead. This book has amazingly useful charts and allows you to actually design your socks and size them, etc. I have a very small foot and all the patterns I find are for a medium sized ladies' foot. This way I can gauge my yarn, measure my foot, and knit custom socks for myself.

This book also has a "class sock" and I am actually knitting it! I absolutely hate to knit something I can't "use" so this is tough for me. The LYS told me that they had taught lots of sock classes, some using the teeny "class sock" and others where you made your "real" sock right away and that the "class sock" is better. Primarily because you use bigger needles and knitted worsted.

I am currently doing the gusset. This is a steep learning curve. I have to say the book is exceptionally well written. There are not really pictures of the process, which is okay, since I absolutely cannot learn from pictures. Everything is in words, and so far I can follow.

When my teeny "class sock" is finished, will post a photo. Curiously, though, the cuff of the sock is big enough in circumference that I can pull it over my foot. This is not a miniature sock at all. I think the only thing small about it is the foot length.

The grafting has me scared, though!!! The "words" say to put the needle into the stitch purlwise in one place and knitwise in another, but the "diagram" looks exactly the same. Oh well, should NOT be jumping ahead..........my biggest fault (along with not finishing items).

String Bag Maybe, Maybe Not

Just read the post from pinkerbell and since I don't know how to answer her directly, will post on the blog.

I went to a wonderful LYS on Monday to buy a book on sock knitting and of course poked about and chatted with the staff. I asked about the Louet Sales linen yarn; I have been unhappy with knitting with it for a towel, which is why I thought of the string bag. They said that was a wonderful idea. THEN they showed me a black shawl knitted with the yarn. It had been washed and dried and felt absolutely amazing to the touch. So I decided to come home and start a shawl with the Feather and Fan pattern.

But.......that string bag WOULD be so useful. And I already have a lot of shawls which I rarely wear.........hmmmmm...........plus I would have to buy more of the linen yarn, since I only have 2 skeins, and one of those is partial since it got VERY knotted up when I tried to wind it into a ball and I had to have a go at it with my scissors. So one of the small balls is Knot very user friendly.

So stay tuned to see what my decision will be!

String Bag

At Knitting Guild a member brought stuff in a knitted string bag. I fell in love. I've got two hanks of Louet Sales Linen yarn and started a dishtowel and am not impressed. So I had an Aha! moment and Googled a pattern and this string bag pattern popped up. So another WIP coming up!

Thanks to all the generous knitters who blog and put patterns up for free. I hope to someday actually design a pattern to post on my blog. (I would put up the 'pattern' for my purses, but I kind of make them up as I go along and for patterns you need stitch counts and types of yarn and ounces needed, etc, and I am just not that organized; I'm glad other knitters ARE)

New Needles

My KnitPicks needles arrived! I did not order the set, but ordered #4 and #5 tips and two cords and a #3 special for my socks. I changed the cotton lace shawl onto the KnitPicks needle and they are amazing. I have always heard that lace called for sharp metal needles and that is correct. The needles also have a hole in them, so I can put my lifelines in easily. The hole is tiny, so I threaded the floss into a sewing needle to be able to push it through the hole.

Flower Power Placemat

Here is a completed Flower Power Placemat. This is the first time I have had a placemat that my china from Germany actually looks good on!

It took a full skein of cotton yarn. This yarn was Fantasy Naturale by Plymouth and is just this side of "bulky". I chose it because of the color, but liked the way it felt in my hands. It knitted up soft and cushy.

After knitting, I dampened it and blocked it so it would lie flat and smooth.

I showed this placemat to my Knitting Guild and one member was so excited about the pattern that I gave her my pattern copy. Becka, you have started something!

Life Lines

Well, I finally realized that I was going to contiue to make mistakes on my pink cotton lace shawl; if nothing else, I drop those yarnovers when I do my pearl row. My knitting friend Sandra told me about using dental floss for the life lines. She also told me that my Denise Needles had a nice hole that I could thread the floss through, snap on the cable and knit the row, dragging the floss along for the ride and voila(!) an instant lifeline. I have a Knitpicks needle on order and that has a hole, too, I think. I need a metal needle for this cotton thread!

I also listened to a podcast that recommended inserting a lifeline for every repeat. So I am doing that, too. Hopefully my mistakes will decrease; at least I will be willing to frog back, now!

A New Friend

This past weekend I was in Greensboro, NC for my brother-in-law's birthday party. The host and hostess, Brooks and Elizabeth, graciously invited us to spend the night so we would not have to make the two hour drive home that night. It was a lovely party with delicious food. After the other guests left, I mentioned knitting to her. And she is a KNITTER. Not only that, she is a British knitter! We had such fun.

She loves to knit baby sweaters and showed me a completed one and one in progress. They are gorgeous. She uses Sirdar patterns. These are British and are adorable. We discussed that it was a shame that most American new moms prefer Baby Gap to handknit sweaters. Or maybe it is just that most new moms aren't lucky enough to have a grandmother like Elizabeth to knit these lovely confections for the babies?

She also assured me that knitting socks was easy. She has been knitting socks since she was a child.

Her next project is to knit heirloom dolls. The pattern was sent to her from England and is very hard to find. I hope when she completes it she will share a photo with me for my blog!

One Tough Yarn

This is the first sweater I have knitted in years. It has a story. .

At my knitting group meeting, one of the members was giving away a bag of lovely yarn he had knitted and then frogged and rewound into several balls. He tossed the bag onto the table and everybody paused and I shrugged and grabbed it! My favorite word is FREE. It was variegated cotton blend, very nice yarn and enough for a cardigan for me.

I began to knit a pattern in a magazine and for some reason that I don't remember, thought it was hideous and took it apart. So now the yarn had been knit into a second project and frogged.

Then I found a pattern for a cropped cardigan that I adored. I started knitting it, did one front, held it up to myself and knew that I would NEVER wear it. So another frogging. I still loved the sweater pattern, however, and had an AHA moment just before I reached the lovely bottom band: just make the thing longer. So I started again. It turned out very pretty. It is one tough yarn, that is for sure!!!

M1 Two Ways

I am knitting the Flower Power placemats. Thank you for the idea, Becka, of Whimsical Knitting Designs. The pattern calls for M1 (Make one). Somewhere I had read to M1 you take the horizontal bar between stitches and put it onto the left needle, twisting it to avoid a hole. I found that twisting it was hard, so just started knitting in the back loop and that twisted the stitch. Just now looking online I discovered instructions that say to knit in the back loop.

But there is another way that I think is easier. In the Knitting Answer Book it also tells you to make a cast-on a stitch onto your right needle using the half hitch. When you reach that made stitch on the return row, if the back "leg" is the most forward, just knit into the back. I find this a big quicker than fiddling with lifting that horizontal bar. This second method was credited to Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Lace is challenging

I am always looking for a new challenge in knitting. Garter stitch is quick and easy but ultimately boring. I've been wanting to try lace stitching and recently spotted a shawl on elann.com that caught my fancy and so I ordered the pattern and the yarn.

The first part of the shawl is the simple repeat floral pattern. So at least I am getting my feet wet before I have to tackle the more difficult ends. However, there are LOTS of mistakes in that simple pattern...I get "off" and then fudge and get back on track. When I get to the really difficult design I plan to use "life lines".

One thing I have learned from this shawl; it is easier to use the chart than the "words". I have never understood charts and always wrote out the stitches for each row on index cards. I knitted a sleeveless top in a simple lace pattern and used the words. I am also knitting a heavy cotton shawl with a lace pattern and using words. For some reason it just was not working on this pattern. So am learning to use the chart. With mixed results. I think I have it going along great and suddenly my flowers are "out of line".

Shawl

This is shawl I knit to wear to my niece's wedding. I first knit a lacy pattern sleeveless top and had lots of yarn leftover. The yarn is a silk/cotton blend and it is wonderful to work with. I used the basic shoulder shawl pattern: Cast on 10, Increase in every stitch in the first row, increase in every stitch in the second row, then increase at the beginning and end of each row until it is the size you want. I added some yarn-overs for interest. I also decided to do a fancy cast-off edge. That edge took me longer than the entire shawl. But it is what everyone notices first.

My latest purse

This is the latest knit purse. The design continues to evolve and this one has turned out to be the most 'professional' one yet.

I chose three "fancy" yarns in my favorite shade of green. Then I let the yarn talk to me. My basic design is to knit or crochet a base. This one was about 12x3. Then I pick up stitches all around and knit in the round, changing colors and stitch patterns whenever the muse strikes. I ended this one with a linen stitch and that caused the looser stitches to pull in together and make a very nice shape to the purse.

I cast off using the iCord cast-off, which let me hide my zipper nicely. I interlined with cotton/poly batting, lined with some shiny green fabric, installed a zipper, all by hand this time. Much easier to control the stitches than with the sewing machine, although it takes longer. The handle was from a straw handbag purchased at a thrift shop.

To help shape the purse, I took some of the green ribbon yarn and tied off pleats at each side. I also used the ribbon yarn to actually tie the handle to the purse.

I really like my purses to have a zipper. I also like the purse to have some body. I find many of the knitted purse patterns online to be pretty in the pictures, stuffed with tissue paper, but unattractive when they are put into use. So I have continually worked out what I want in a purse and how to achieve it. I work backwards: I know what I want the result to be and I figure out a way to get it.

I'm Back

I guess it must have been a LOOOONG winter, huh? I kept knitting but just lost interest in the blogging thing. I knitted a washable wool blend baby sweater and hat for a friend's new grandson. I made a lacy pattern sleeveless top and matching shawl to wear to my niece's wedding. I made some washrags. I started a lacy pattern shawl out of cotton blend yarn that is NOT my colorway, so it will become a gift. I have begun a cotton lace shawl made from crochet weight cotton. I am finishing up a silver ribbon shawl for my daughter. I finished the green CottonEase sweater I started last fall and have worn it a couple of times. So you see, my needles have been busy, I have just not recorded anything.

Anyway, inspiration is starting to strike again, and as soon as my camera battery recharges, will be posting some photos of finished items and works in progress on these pages.

Wooly Mitts

Encouraged by being able to wear the felted booties, I went to one of the LYS here in Charlotte and got some fuschia (see a trend in my color choices?) wool (the Berocco alpaca/wool blend) and am knitting a pair of fingerless gloves. I have teeny hands, so only cast on 28 stitches. I did the first 1" in k1p1 ribbing, did the main part of the mitt in stockinette, and ended with 1" of ribbing. I also knitted the mitt in the round, using two circulars. So I really did not follow the pattern; it was just a 'guide'.

Anyway, I finished one and wore it the cold day we had this past week and THEY DID NOT ITCH! And so warm. So I am knitting the second one now. Might even knit my daughter a pair if she whines a little!

Felted Booties

I attempted a pair of felted booties in bright fuscia for my daughter for Christmas. I made some mistakes in the pattern with the first shoe, doing stockinette rather than garter; the second bootie I followed the pattern exactly. I felted them in my fancy washing machine that does not felt well...no central post agitator, very low water levels, and a refusal to believe I mean HOT water when I punch the HOT button. One is significantly bigger than the other (the one that I followed the pattern exactly is the biggie). My daughter politely declined the booties. Yes, they do look funny. I was going to toss them when I decided to try them on. These things keep the feet and ankles so toasty. And my feet don't itch when wearing them. Evidently it is just scarves and sweaters that can't be wool for me. Anyway, I highly recommend these for cold winter floors! Maybe next winter I will try again and make some that don't fit me like clown boots.

Difficult Pattern

I fell in love with the Brea bag in the Berocco free patterns; an elaborate cable design. I made the one side of this bag very successfully when I was sick with vertigo. It is beautiful. Last night I sat down, very healthy mind you, and absolutely cannot duplicate the first row of the pattern. It is full of weird repeats. I guess when I was sick I was able to focus better to take my mind off how bad I felt. Plus, I was watching a movie while trying to do the pattern this time, and I came out with extra stitches at the end of row 2, THREE times. Maybe it is my mood....but I've decided that the purse is probably too small, plus am using an inexpensive acrylic from my stash that is not touch-friendly! I won't throw away my one piece...maybe the muse will strike again!

Spit Splicing

Thanks to a friendly Knitlist member, I have solved the problem of the knots in the wool/angora yarn I am recycling from the old sweater. Spit splicing. It works like a charm....now I have the tedium of unwinding the first ball of yarn I created, from the sleeve, and cutting the knots and splicing the yarn pieces and rerolling.

FYI, if the yarn is cotton or acrylic, you can use a Russian Join to splice lengths of yarn, although I confess to having forgotten this method. Instructions for Spit Splicing AND Russian Join both are easy to Google.

Knotty Problems

I started unravelling the angora/wool sweater from Goodwill and it seems that the seamline has felted a bit and so ended up with a good many short lengths that I tied together with square knots. I really like the feel of the yarn;wool has always made me itch and I am reluctant to spend good money on nice wool just to give it away, but I WANT a soft wool lacy shaw and plan to knit the shawl in Complete Knitting by Creative Homeowner Home Arts that my daughter gave me for Christmas...it is knit in squares and sewn together on the diagonal....I figure that little squiggles of yarn (knots) hanging off from the shawl can be a design feature. Hey, those purses knitted of knotted fabric lengths are popular, right? And you leave all those ends hanging.

You will notice a lack of photos in the new year. You will also notice a lack of entries in the old year. Taking photos, downloading and uploading is a pain and I figure I might actually keep this knitting diary everyday if I skip the photos. Up to now I waited until I felt like doing a photo upload to write an entry. I know it is more boring.........

Recycling Yarn

I visited Goodwill today and everybody is donating sweaters! I picked up a wool/angora/nylon turtleneck in pale aqua to 'unknit' and turn into a shawl. Maybe. I also picked up three other cotton and cotton blend sweaters that I loved the colors. I want to try to unravel these and knit something else. I keep reading about doing this online and I always am ready to try a new skill, especially when it is CHEAP. I also found a cardigan in a celery green linen that matches my kitchen and I can see it as a towel...unless I decide to keep the sweater. In December I visited the same Goodwill Store and bought several sweaters to take apart and instead am wearing them. The one that I was willing to pull apart, my daughter claimed!

I also picked up three purses that had handles suitable for knitting projects. We'll see if they ever attach themselves to a knitted purse!