Major Knitter

Second Verse, Same as the First

Well, Wilma is hard at work again.  She had to pick the winner of the Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott's  The Sock Knitter's Handbook.

But she was much more interested in her nap than picking out winners.

So while she slept, I printed out all the comments/contestants, cut them, crumpled them, and put them in a bowl.

Wilma was familiar with the routine.

She quickly picked a winner.  (I think she figured out that the sooner she picks a piece of paper, the sooner she gets a dog biscuit.)

And the winner is Susie B.  I'll email you separately to coordinate mailing instructions.

Wilma waits patiently for her just reward!

Thanks to everyone who participated.  If you didn't win today, you can still buy the book.  You'll be glad you did!

Wilma Picks a Winner

Many of you asked if I could PLEASE have Wilma be my random number generator.  She was more than happy to oblige.  So I printed out all the comments to my Happy Blogiversary post/contest, cut them apart, crumpled them, and dumped them on the ground.  Wilma had great fun picking them out.

She pounced, pawed, ran away, came back, repeated the process until finally she picked up one name and took it inside...

... where she preceded to slobber all over it and tear it apart.

But I was able to piece it back together and am happy to announce that the winner of the lovely purple Lorna's Laces sock yarn is:  Kim L-S.  Congratulations Kim!  I'll email you separately to coordinate mailing instructions.

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments and for reading - whether for a few months of for all eight years.  I really appreciate it.

There's Still Time to Enter to Win!

There's still time to enter to win BOTH contests on my blog

Happy Blogiversary contest - win some great Lorna's Laces sport weight sock yarn

Sock Knitter's Handbook contest - win a copy of Charlene Schurch & Beth Parrot's newest book.

Leave a comment on the original posts linked above and you could win!

An Army of Little Snowman - I Surrender!

You know when I get hooked on a theme, I run with it.  Sometimes that's good.

It's good - because I came up with 13 adorable teensy tinsy little snowmen ornaments for my Christmas tree.  You could call them my own little army of snowmen.

Some of you mentioned you couldn't tell how big or small they are - so here they are on my laptop to give you an idea.  The snomen are 2 inches tall (without their hats).  So cute.  So small.  (Why, yes, I am watching an episode of ABC Family's Melissa and Joey.)

But the bad part is that they're so small, and I'm knitting on such small needles (US 1s and US 000s) that my shoulders are crying "I surrender!"

So I'm going to give them a rest for now - the snowmen and my shoulders - and pick up a book or something non-repetitive.  I plan on throwing in a little yoga and stretching while I'm at it.  How about you?  What are your tricks for taking it easy and giving your knitting muscles a break?

 

The Sock Knitter's Handbook

Four years ago (Wow!  Was it really four years ago?) Charlene Schurch came to my LYS - Knitting Central - and taught a two-day marathon sock class.  Of course, I signed up for both full day courses and my head nearly exploded.  If you've been reading my blog, you know I love to knit socks.  I thought I knew socks.  I've designed my own simple patterns, I've knit other people's amazing patterns, I've knit 'em big, and I've knit 'em small, I have knit more stockinette socks than I care to remember.  I thought I knew socks.  Charlene taught me how little I knew.

Here we are: Ann, me, Charlene, Jean and Betsy posing for a picture during our sock class at Knitting Central in the spring of 2008.

Ever since, I've been a huge Charlene fan.  I was fascinated with the way her mind worked.  When I asked her what she did in her former life, she mentioned that she was an engineer.  That made perfect sense to me.  If you've used any of Charlene's book - Sensational Socks and More Sensational Socks - you know that she engineers socks.  She gives you all the tools you need to build your own socks - design your own socks.  She does this better than anyone out there.  I think that's because she's an engineer at heart who loves to knit.

I have to confess, I have not met Beth Parrott.  But together, Charlene and Beth have a fabulous new book out called The Sock Knitter's Handbook.

Of course, you probably know I’m a huge Charlene fan… and I love the way she engineers socks. If you want to design your own socks - this is the book you need. It offers everything you need to know about building a sock - from top-down or toe-up - with so many techniques and choices - that you could create your own socks from now until… well… let’s just say, until your S.A.B.L.E. (stash acquired beyond life expectancy) runs out - and not repeat the same two techniques.

I really love the tips and techniques section for Special Fit Issues - as not everyone has the perfectly shaped foot - and this is especially helpful for altering your sock to fit that special foot.

The color photos throughout the book are fabulous. They’re so clear and show us exactly what the authors mean when they talk about the different aspects of sock construction.

These are teaching sock photos - with each distinct section beautiflly color coded to demonstrate the specific technique.

Each section of the sock (for both toe-up and top-down) has various options for you to choose from.  Each technique is photographed in contrasting color to show off the detail.

There are so many options to choose from - you will not make your boring same ol' - same ol' socks again. (That last comment was actually directed at yours truly - the big fan of stockinette socks!)  I think I'll definitely be branching out into some new sock territory!

Congratulations on another fabulous book Charlene and Beth. Please keep ‘em coming!

Here I am with Charlene at the very first Sock Summit in Portland, OR August 2009.  Sock Knitters of the World - UNITE!

Charlene sent me a copy of her book - The Sock Knitter's Handbook - to review on my blog - one for me and one for one lucky reader.  So if you're a sock knitter and a Charlene fan like me, please leave me a comment to this post by midnight EST, Thursday, April 19th and I'll use the random number generator to select one lucky winner!

P.S. Some of you are having a hard time leaving comments.  Go ahead and email me - majorknitter at yahoo dot com - or comment (if you're able) for your chance to win! 

Wilma on Wednesday - Good to the Last Lick

Thanks for all your kind words and wishes for my 8th blogiversary.  I really appreciate it.  Many of you mentioned how much you enjoy seeing Wilma the Wonder Dog.  It's hard to believe that she's been a part of my life for nearly six years now.  So to thank you, I offer pictures of Wilma doing what she enjoys most (after a nap of course) - eating!

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

Are YOU lookin' at ME?

Maybe I left a bit over here.

Now mind you, these pictures were snapped about three minutes after she had completely finished every last morsel and then some in her dog dish.  She licks her bowl for nearly five minutes after each meal, just in case there's any essence of dog food to be had.  Mmmm.....  Good to the last lick!

P.S. BF noted that I forgot to add that Wilma licks her paws for 20 minutes after every meal... just in case some au jus splashed on her paws during the meal.  Every.last.drop.  Must.get.every.last.drop.

It's Raining Men - Snowmen, That Is!

My friend Estella knit up a cute little snowman ornament last Christmas.  Of course, I saw it on her blog and ravelry page and thought it was the cutest little ornament ever.

The pattern is Lisa Wilt's Let It Snowman - and it's a free Ravelry download.  I decided to microsize it - so I used fingering weight yarn and size US 1 needles to make my snowman.  I had to really microsize the nose, so I used fingering weight yarn and size US 000 needles for the nose.  Otherwise I followed the pattern.

Let's go through it step-by-step so you can start making your own adorable little snowmen for Christmas.  

I started with snowballs.  Using Knit Picks Palette in white and US Size 1 needles, I knit the body of the snowmen and overstuffed them.  Trust me, they look cuter when they're really plump.  

Then I knit four smaller snowballs for heads.  Once again, I overstuffed them to make them really round.

Then using US size 000 and Knit Picks Palette orange, I knit the smallest i-cord carrot noses you've ever seen.  I knit five rounds instead of the recommended four rounds because I thought it was the right porportion, given the microsizing I improvised.  When you're done knitting your mini-i-cord nose, thread a darning needle and pull the end of the yarn down through the carrot nose so it's on the same side as the starting tail.

Now is the perfect time to sew the carrot nose and seed eyes to the snowman's face.  You should plan on securing the thread and yarn from the eyes and nose to the very top of the head.  The orange yarn actually pulled back into the fiberfill heads.  This way, the threads will eventually be hidden under the snowman's hat.

Using the ends of yarn, attach the snowman's head to the body.  Weave in the loose ends.

See - you now have a naked snowman.  He's cute, but he definitely needs some clothes.

Using US Size 1 needles and bobs and bits of leftover mohair (I suggest Rowan Kidsilk Haze, Debbie Bliss Party Angel or Knit Picks Aloft) - knit some itty bitty scarves and weave in the loose ends.  The mohair hat and scarf is the part that makes these ornaments so adorable.  Don't scimp here by substituting with ordinary fingering weight yarn.  It's just not as cute.  

Now, knit up some matching mohair hats.  They are really small, but trust me, they work.

Using the end of yarn at the tip of the hat, attach an itty bitty bell (I found mine at Jo-Ann's Fabrics) or use a decorative bead.  Also, fold the hat over about 90 degrees and tack it in place.  Roll the brim of the hat up and sew it to the snowman's head, being careful not to let the stitches show.

 

Sew some gold 1/8 inch ribbon in a loop to the back of the hat and you're done.

Ta-da!  A finished snowman ornament all dressed up for your Christmas tree... and it's only April!  Just think how many you could finish by December!

I asked my guys how many I should make.  The answers I got ranged from 20, to 36, to 50.  Hmmm.  I take that to mean they like them!

OK - go ahead.  Make your own Let It Snowman.  How many will you make?

 

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

On this day in 2004, Major Knitter was born.  I didn't quite know where I was going with my blogging then - I thought I might publish patterns, write books, etc. but somewhere along the way, I just enjoyed blogging and sharing the passion of knitting (and family, scouting, travels, food, and other adventures) with all my readers.  Even as blogging has waned, and fewer of my original blogging buddies are still around, I enjoy blogging.  Even though I've changed the way I blog over the years (BF and the boys prefer NOT to appear on the blog), I still like sharing bits and pieces of my life with you.

• 1, 521,068 views (avg 518 views per day)
• 2, 693 posts (which is nearly daily posting since inception!)
• 9,465 comments (less than 4 comments per day)  

I've been blessed by blogging - and I've said it before - so let me tell you how many wonderful things have happened in my life because of blogging.  I've made some great friends.  Some of them have become real friends that I've had the opportunity to meet in person for knitting or when traveling and get to them them in real life via yarn crawls or lunch or just plain fun.

• Jane
• James
• Jean
• Lorette
• Marcia
• KathyB
• Karen
• Mariko
• Rebecca
• Shanti
• Estella
• Elizabeth
• Michelle
• Julie

I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  Some friends from the early days no longer blog.  Others - many of whom are blogless - I've met at the LYS and have become my closest knitting friends.  I've been in Westport for 9 years and most of my friends come through knitting or Scouting.  I'm not sure what I'd do without either group.

So, in honor of my blogiversary, I'll be giving away two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport yarn in Purple Club + some other surprise goodies.  Leave a comment to THIS post and I'll pick the winner next week.  Tell your friends.  Tell your readers.  Only one entry per person.  The contest will close at midnight EST on April 15th, so after you mail your taxes, be sure to comment and try your luck for a lovely prize.

Here's to many more years of blogging and friendship.  I hope you'll stay along for the ride. 

 

Happy Easter

The boys haven't spent Easter with me in so many years, I nearly forgot how to celebrate.  But never fear, I know that you're never too old for an Easter basket.  

Even my handknit chickens made their way into the Easter baskets.  

Here's hoping you had a very happy Easter!

 

Happy Easter - Holiday Knitting From the Past

This year I am reminded of all sorts of Easter celebrations from the past decade that involve some of my favorite things:  family recipes and knitting.  Here's a look:

We'll start with my Mom's favorite recipe - Uncooked Cookies - that got three mini jelly beans, er, eggs for Birds Nests for Easter.

I try not to make these anymore as I'm the only one who eats them and that's not a good thing!

The original chickens.  This was a fabulous craze.

I taught my friend's daughters to knit and they made their own chickens for Easter.

My friend Joanne opted for the Duck craze for Easter.

But Joanne's Dad wanted a chicken.  

And of course, there was the mini chicken phase.

And perhaps my favorite of all... My Knitting Peeps!

Here's wishing you a very Happy Easter - no matter how you celebrate.