Wrong Side

My nice little knitting blog has been moved. Still Blogger...it's now on the Beta.
I'm kind of weirdly excited..maybe just kind of weird.

So..there...there! ---> there you go---> my new knitting blog thingy

I made the mistake of mentioning the Zelda Tote bag to Bill.

Let me explain a bit about Bill.
He would not buy the new fridge he needed for years. He will not go buy himself a new belt.
He will not spend a dime more than he has to..

Unless it has to do with me.

"That's different" he says.
He wants me to have anything he can possibly provide, and he made very good business decisions over the years.
So when I mentioned the bag and that I liked it and that I didnt want it he gave me his standard comeback.
"Would you want it if it was free?"

I am not in the habit of lying to Bill...

looooong sigh "Yes..if it was free then I would want it."

Then he insists, as he is insisting with the Zelda bag, that I order it.
Maybe I can devise a way to make my own comeback as to how it isn't just his money anymore that he is spending..but that seems not nice.


Anyway..I love the way it looks..but do I need an 180 dollar bag?
Is that really ..ok..sigh..I dont know.
The stripes are so cute.

oh..hey..I just realized there is an out..and it's legit.
The thumbnail for "Sahara Stripes" shows the stripes diagnoly ( screw the spelling)
But the full photo shows them horizontal..

I honestly dont care for them going in that direction.

Whew..
No Zelda bag for me!

I know..I am picky.

Now to find a big bag that looks good..AND is a knitting bag.
There is one at knitpicks..but I dont love the look much.
It does look functional as heck.

Come to think of it..I think I told him about the Zelda and he said I should get it..THEN I mentioned the knitpicks bag and said it was more functional..and he said I should get THAT..even if it isn't all that pretty.
And then I was lost in painter's world..thinking of all the really cool ways I could paint the not as pretty bag to be prettier than the Zelda..and um..

I totally forgot how this all went until now.

And people wonder why I forget to answer emails. THIS is how my brain works..I dream fantasize, observe, wonder, read...then I forget it all.

From a pattern on Knitty

I rarely follow patterns but this was something new..once I figured out the basic technique ( which is simple if you can knit on double pointed needles.)..I did some changes as to how it was worked. It is easy to do the coiling and after that is figured out it's very doable as long as you can knit in the round on DPN's and increase, and pick up stitches.

For my daughters 5th birthday. It was the gift she liked the most, and I'm pretty proud of that.

Oh..technicalities for the knitters.

Pattern called for number 4 DPN's..I used a three. The tighter you can make your guage the less likely you will be to see stuffing. Also the stuffing is as you work..pretty cool.
I used a worsted weight acrylic..It's called "Camo" by Bernat. I dont recall the name of the colorway but they have several. I wanted a more or less nuetral colorway, and picked the one with traditional camouflage colors.
I ended up with a guage of about 24 stitches x 28 rows over 4 inches. And the little guy was about 7 inches long.

A bath scrunchie...yup.
Knit on way too big needles so that the soap can really have lots of nooks and crannies..for..um..my nooks and crannies.
It's just a ruffle that I kept picking up and stitches and decreasing on until I got it bunched the way I wanted it..then I crocheted around the inside and outside middle so it would look less funky, and added a crocheted chain to hold on to it and hang it.

I was fooling around with potholder loops..a la Mason-Dixon knitting and seeing what they would do.
My daughter has been all over me for a knitted snake this past week..and her 5th B-Day is next Friday.
I believe in celebrating my kid's birthdays with everything I can think of to make it special. I didnt think I would ever have children...too many health issues.
And Donna was born very premature..so her presence on this planet is a joyous, fortunate thing indeed.
I go a bit overboard..I know..but anyways..
I just took the few stitches I was playing with and kept going...and here is a snake for my truck-snake-monster-dino loving..little girl.
She is so cool..she likes making things herself..and adores handmade gifts from Mom and Grandma more than she likes store bought stuff. ( Not that she is above a model motorcycle all shiny and spiffy in the box...or even the occasional ..Barbie.)

In the book..which does not cover snake patterns..it is said that she used some outrageous sized needle for the loops..really, a size 15 does fine. I mean you wouldnt be making a sweater from the stuff anyway, and the smaller needle..and even smaller would be great because the stuff is stretchy.
I am going to get more loops for a rug...or..a something..I like the idea of a table runner or placemats.
This snake took about 45-55 loops..one loop made about 4 stitches on the number 15 needles. It's cool because there was no seaming even though he was knitted flat..the fabric is so dense and the stockinette rolls..I just let it roll onto itself and it had plenty of demension...and "cush"

I made a bracelet knitted from wire and beads! How is knitting with wire? Well..a bit painful..was I inspired by Alterknits? Well..kind of. I didnt like the one they had..and had always wanted to make one..soo..I did. I am not saying I made one better, I made one differently. I dont really believe so much in "better" when it comes to artistic pursuits. That kind of mentality is beyond crippling. It has stopped many a young artist dead cold in their artistic developemnt.
It took about an hour and a half..hardest part was casting off..it was a bit fiddly. Nice thing with wire..drop a stitch and it doesnt matter alot...also, dont care for your shape...just mold it a bit.
I like the beads that are nested in behind the stitches and am thinking of doing a double layered one.
Also, I really wanted to use sead beads..but my daughter's bright wooden beads were what was easily accesable.

Also pictured is my progress on my textured knitting ..it is this months project for Project Spectrum
Color theme is neutral.
I really hope she decides to continue it as I got in at the end of the project. :(

As I mentioned yesterday..the second stitch pattern shown is cacoon stitch..aint it purdy?
I really think it's too groovy...and a bag with that would be great.
Also..it's fairly simple to do..a slip stitch stitch more or less.
Yeah baby.

A cat will not be denied....at least not MY Arthur.
The right hand pic is the offending peice of knitting that was taking his Mother's attention..can't have that, he'll just lay right on the stitch pattern book and the knitting..."then she'll have to pay attention to me.", He figures
Poor cat gets no love....what with human children, Mama's husband, dog and KNITTING to compete with...
sigh...rough life.

By the way..the knitting is going to be...hmm...well, it's going to be something. I was thinking basically a stitch sampler..or an afghan..maybe a hat or sweater? I have started another stitch pattern, that has yet to look like anything much because I'm just a few rows into it..it's called cacoon stitch, and I found it in The Knitters Bible

The idea of modualr knitting is driving me insane...I see endless possibility here...

must start..must start now.

I bought Alterknits and Mason-Dixon knitting yesterday.
I was really, really wanting Alterknits...well..it more or less isn't for me. I'll try to be nice when I say that it reminds me of a grandma trying her best to be "with it"
It's like my Mom trying to rap.

Mason-Dixon knitting..I didnt want to buy it..but felt compelled to see what was the big to-do..well.I LOVE this book. It is absolutely fantastic..it is my Mother singing "Amazing Grace".
I cant say what I love most..but the log cabin blankets are great...as is the piano bench cushion.

Also here is the 270...formally named Bill's thing..about 1/3 of the way finished.

Also, some coasters..the red one is a few weeks old, and I made it just for my husband Bill. The other two were made while we were on our honeymoon last week.

Edit..Ack! I forgot to give my Mother credit for crocheting a couple of rounds of the red coaster..she hasn't been able to in awhile, her hands hurt too much. I think a bit of crocheting is actually good for her hands and encouraged her to work on it. You can see her different looking much toghter than my own crochet....if you really look. I think she also crochets through the front loop only while I crochet through both unless there is some specific reason not to.

Necklace I made to wear on my wedding day...which was wonderful by the way.