Major Knitter

The Sweat Shop

Yesterday my knitting group came over and we set up shop in my unfinished basement.  I set up the folding tables and chairs.  Everyone brought their sewing machines and/or sergers.  We all brought our old cashmere sweaters.  You know the ones that have lots of holes in them so you can't really wear them - but you somehow just can't let yourself throw away a cashmere sweater?  We washed the sweaters first to see if any new holes would appear.

This is what I mean by holes in the sweaters.  These two scraps were used to test the serger on the sweaters.

One friend even went to Goodwill and bought a few cashmere sweaters.  She discovered that the sweaters were the same price whether they were men's or women's sweaters - so she bought men's sweaters which were much larger and would provide more material.

We set out to cut the sweaters into sewable strips of fabric.  We somehow came up with the expression "filleting the sweaters."  Oddly enough, this term fit.  That's exactly what it felt like.

Here we are clipping away.  Why, yes, that is a full size tent set up in my basement!  Why do you ask?

Using rotary cutters and cutting boards, we made quick work of slicing the sweaters into approximately 6 inch wide strips.

We had looked online for different options of 'upcycled' sweater scarves and some were serged for a decorative edge.  Others were sewn and the seams were hidden inside the doubly thick scarf.  I opted for a serged decorative edge.

Lori made a wide cowl.

Michelle W. made an extra long stripey scarf.

I made a blue and green stripey scarf.  That darker color is really blue not periwinkle.

Michelle W.  Made a lovely stripey scarf.

Kathy made a lovely scarf showcasing this gorgeous argyle pattern.  She used the inside hidden seam for her scarf.  It's doubly thick - so doubly warm!

I also made a New York Mets scarf.  This is really a blue and orange scarf - but it looks purple in this picture.  All the guys in my house thought it was very warm and soft.  Not sure if any of them would actually wear a scarf like this... but it sure was nice.

More pictures to come at our next Sweat Shop day.  If you've got some old sweaters like this lying around, I highly recommend getting the courage to upcycle them.  I haven't worn my holey sweaters in years.  I'm thrilled to have them out and being proudly worn once again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wilma on Wednesday - Stair Step Rest

Wilma is always entertaining.  I'll say that much for her.  She never fails to amuse.

I just can't imagine that placing your chin on a stair step is very comfortable, but Girly Girl seems to think so.

And I caught her snuggling on the sofa with Secundogeniture this afternoon.  Awwww.  How cute is that?

So there you have your weekly dose of Wilma on Wednesday.  She wishes you all a very happy Wednesday!

Monster Mash

I'm really on a roll cleaning up all the Warm Up America! swatches that I started in 2005.  I have finished three blankets so far this year.  Woohoo!  I feel great.  It's going to be even better when I hand-deliver all these knit goods to their intended recipients at the Jackson Recovery Center's Women and Children's Center later this month. 

Last Thursday I asked you if 2013 was the Year of the Blanket.  I think it might be.  I used my pool table as my work station and laid out the 25 swatches for a child's blanket, arranged them, rearranged them, swapped out some swatches for others I liked better until I decided on the color scheme I liked best.  Then I photographed the layout, picked up my swatches in an orderly fashion and brought them upstairs to crochet while watching Netflix.  Three days later I had a neary finished blanket.

Now this blanket is perfectly adequate as is.  But I didn't want adequate.  I wanted something that a child will love and cuddle.  So I started thinking about whimsy.  I came up with the googly eyes.

This morning I started attaching the googly eyes to adequate blanket.

 One eye.

 

Two eyes.

Three eyes.

Crooked fangs.

Lots of fangs.

With a little bit of creativity and an extra day of knitting and stitching, I have five monster faces who have turned this adequate blanket into the Monster Mash.  I think some little boy will love hugging it and playing with it.  

 

Googly Eyes

I've been knitting googly eyes.  

No matter what you think, googly eyes are just funny.  

And since it's Sunday and episode 2 of the third season of Downton Abbey, I thought I'd share with you the link to Lady Edith With Googly Eyes.  See what I mean?  They're just funny.

a little square

This week I had the opportunity to meet Alex.  She is many things - positive, intelligent, creative, energetic, passionate, philanthropic, driven, and a recent breast-cancer survivor.  Combine all those things and you come up with 'a little square' which is her fabulous multi-purpose venue - part loft/ store/ haberdashery/ crafting area/ group knitting meet-up place at 1981 Post Road, Fairfield, CT (in the back of the building on the 2nd floor). It’s meant to be a place for community knitting and support of breast cancer patients. Alex has such wonderful, positive energy - that it’s infectious.  You'll want to visit and catch her bug!

I went and immediately fell in love with her space.  Her community knitting area - the focus of her store - has four distinct sitting areas for Stitch n' Bitch.  Each sitting area is distinct in color, energy, and design.  I was drawn to the furry bean bag chair from Pottery Barn Teen which I immediately dubbed the Polar Bear Chair.

In fact, I posed for a picture with Alex while sitting on the Polar Bear.

Check it out. Go meet her. See her loft. Take your knitting group.

Learn about her various ways to support breast cancer patients.  She has a Monday morning Stitch n' Bitch session dedicated solely to breast cancer patients, survivors, and caretakers.  It's a support group.  You can talk to people who have been there and are in the know.

Maybe you can participate in her ‘a little square’ project which is part of her growing The Pink Pom Pom Project to help create a V.O.T.Y. quilt (volunteer of the year).  Alex started this project when she lived in London.  But she moved to Connecticut last year and is in the process of growing her project here.  The site still references mostly the project's UK roots, but will have more about the US project soon.  It's just starting and she'd like everyone to help.

How can you help?

She asks people to knit a little square (5x5 inches) in the certain colors selected for the quilt out of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK. I took one skein of rose pink (color 42) and was able to knit up 4 little squares.

I used Jan Eaton's 200 Knitted Blocks book and settled in on the Reversed Heart pattern #17.  

The book's squares are 6x6, so I downsized mine to be 5x5.  I cast on 29 sts and away I went.

I soaked the squares for 20 minutes with a mild detergent and lukewarm water.

After rinsing the squares, I blocked them to the appropriate 5x5 measurements.  I was able to knit four squares on US Size 5 needles with one skein of Debbie Bliss Rialto DK.  The green square was the sample from the store - to check size.  I'm pretty certain I'll be knitting more of these.  How could I not?  Personally, I like to have repeat patterns in a swatch blanket.  I feel it adds continuity to the theme.  So at least four of the same squares will be my theme.

In the end, Alex has someone who will professionally join these squares into a quilt which will be given to the Volunteer of the Year who supports breast cancer with his/her efforts.  If you know someone who a) wants to help; b) needs the support of 'a little square'; c) wants to knit, donate, shop (proceeds go to her Pink Pom Pom efforts, too); bring groups for crafting classes like Girls Night Out or Girl Scouts, etc.  There are so many ways to get involved.  Check it out.  You'll be so glad you did!

Best of luck Alex!  You've got a great vision and mission.  Here's hoping the knitting community will love your twist on this idea and really rally around.  Happy knitting!

P.S.  You can join Alex's The Pink Pom Pom Project group page on Ravelry! 

 

Is 2013 the Year of the Blanket?

It seems to be so, at least in my world.

I picked out the next 25 swatches to make another child's blanket.  This blanket might need a little more pizzazz to endear it to a little boy, so I've got some ideas rattling around in my head.  Stay tuned to see what comes of it.

Wilma on Wednesday - Cuddly Cuddly

It's Wednesday and it's been awhile since I've posted a Wilma on Wednesday photo.  She's doing something incredible - so you'll never guess what it is.

 

Oh - that's right.  She's doing what she always does - cuddles with her stuffed animal while sleeping on her pillow.  I guess it's the same ol' same ol' for Girly Girl.

 

Looks like it's time to get Wilma a new toy.  Santa forgot to bring her any this year so it looks like it's up to me to supply some new cuddly toys for her.  My favorites have been her little piggy and her penguin.  They lasted a very long time.  This duck has been around awhile, too.  Some last for-EVER and some don't even make it a day.  I still can't figure that one out.

The Beginning of Another Beautiful Thing

Immediately after finishing the last two Sampler Blankets, I cast on for a new one.  I like having this project on the needles.  It's like an old friend who tells the same stories over and over but never gets boring.  About the time you're ready to be done with it, there's another story to tell.  Thirty stories to be exact.  That's what I like about this blanket.

None of the thirty swatches are too hard or too boring.  They're just the right mix of interesting and challenging to keep me focused - yet just enough variety to ensure I don't get bored and put the whole thing away.  Also, I've gotten pretty good at finishing this puppy - so I'm confident I can actually create a FO in a relatively short amount of time.

I've calculated that each strip of six swatches takes me nine hours to knit.  9x5=45 hours of knitting.  Plus the soaking, blocking, drying, joining, weaving in of loose ends, and crocheting of the border puts the entire blanket at about 50-55 hours.

Ingredients for success:

• 4 skeins of Cascade Eco+ yarns
• US Size 10.5 needles (I like my Lantern Moons for this project)
• A favorite Netflix series to watch while knitting

How about you?  What's your favorite go to knitting?

 

Our Downton Abbey Tea Party

Michelle and I got together from 9-11 p.m. last night to watch the season premiere of Downton Abbey complete with a proper British tea.  Since it was so late, we decided to make it a pajama party.  You only get one picture... and it's not of the pajama party.

I tried to knit my Downton Abbey KAL while watching the show, but this required paying far too much attention to the pattern and not nearly enough attention to the TV, so the TV won out in the end.

We had a great time with our scones, biscuits, clotted cream, jam and English tea (which Michelle just happened to have!).  We just needed Carson to serve us and a scullery made to clean up afterwards and all would have been perfect.  Except for the fact that our sartorial choices would have made the Dowager Countess roll her eyes at our American ways.  

Pinkies up everyone! 

Downton Abbey Mystery KAL

Well, in just 20 more hours, I'll be getting my knitting together and settling in to watch Season 3 of Downton Abbey with my Mystery KAL in hand.  

If you haven't joined, there's still time.  You'll just need your yarn and a swatch.  HERE's the link.

The KAL is free to join, and you can use any sport weight yarn you have on hand.  My friend Julie gifted me the Christmas at Downton colorway specific to this KAL in Lorna's Laces Sport.  I was so surprised and delighted with this gift that I have to confess I'm doing my very first mystery KAL as a result.

I wound my yarn into a nice ball and actually knit a swatch.  Imagine that!

I am a loose knitter, so instead of using a US Size 3, I went down a size to a Turbo Addi size 2, which is not a US Size 2... but a 2 1/2 or 3.0 mm).  This difference is very important.  It was the perfect needle needed to achieve guage.  I'm all set for the show to begin.

I invited some friends over to watch BBC from 9-11 p.m. tomorrow.  It's kinda late, so it may or may not be a pajama party, complete with a spot of tea.  

And for a bit of fun while waiting for the season to kick-off, you can TAKE THIS QUIZ and see which Downton Abbey character you are.  I am Robert, Earl of Grantham.  Who are you?