Web Finds Wednesday

This To That - Glue Advice

Pineapple Whip Ice Cream - further proof (to my husband) that we need an ice cream maker


Marshmallow Fluff Icing - my new favorite icing! pipes beautifully and is easy to make!


Slouched Beanie Knit Pattern

Coconut Cake with a Twist

Strawberry Cake

Web Finds Wednesday

Basic Pie Dough - Tips and Tricks


Raspberry Sweet Tea

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Bicycle Bucket Tutorial

Deep-Dish Sour Cream–Apple Pie with Cardamom Streusel 

How to Install A Zipper

Simple Knitted Sheep

Yes , I Did Make It And No, You Can't Return It.

I need a few of these around Christmas time and for birthdays!

$3.95 for sets of 6 from Knitterella


(accepts paypal - woot!)

What's On the Needles: January 2010

Well, long time no post - sorry about that everyone! 2010 is proving to be quite busy - good, but busy!

Anyway, I thought I'd share what crafty thing I am working on here lately - a lovely cowl from French Press Knits. Something different than the scarf after scarf I've been chugging out over the last two years but easy enough for beginner knitters so I don't have to put too much thought into counting stitches or increasing or decreasing - just nice soothing thoughtless knitting! :)

(image from French Press Knits - isn't it lovely?!)

Web Finds Wednesday!

4 cute animal knitted toy patterns

Don the Dillo Knit Pattern

Watermelon Lemonade Recipe

Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie

What's On The Needles: April 2009

Had a pretty non-existent weekend. Worked a conference until 10:30 Friday night and Noon until 9:30 PM Saturday. Thankfully, I had Sunday off, but was so wiped that I've done next to nothing.

Did made it up bt 10:30 to get in a little gardening before tuckering out. Though I was only able to plant my dahlias and maywood lily tree. Still have a LOT more to go!

I did use my time wisely on Saturday and knit this whole half a scarf in moss stitch while our attendees were in session. That's a lot of knitting - at least a good 3-4 hours worth!! Even found a few fellow knitters while I was at it. :)

Sneak Peek

My giveaway poll has been neck & neck this whole time!

I haven't decided, but at any rate here's a sneak peek of the baby hat I plan on having up for grabs. It's very Valentine's Daysey with its pinks, whites and browns.

My only fear, dear readers, is that I don't have a wee one at home to try it on for size - so I rely on what the pattern says fits a normal tot.

What do you think? Do you like it? Should I give it away?! Or go and knit another?

Knit One Purl Two

I've been a rather pitiful blogger I know - but I've been busy - I've got good excuses! See the pic above of my wonderful husband sporting a knit hat - I've been chugging out knit items like a small factory! This is my first attempt at a hat - am pretty happy with it! I also made one with a roll brim. Two down - 3 more to go - not to mention the things I wanted to sew! Arg! How many days left to Christmas?!

I think I knit the scarf he's wearing too - it was the first one I ever knit! Been a busy little bee!

Trying To Get Into the Holiday Spirit

Picture from Craft Magazine

Trying to get in the holiday spirit by knitting up some great presents for a few unsuspecting folks for Christmas. I started off with a bang finishing a lovely scarf in a week...I have another scarf on the needles and I'm trying to chug out a few of these adorable sweater beer cozies, pattern by Melissa Martensen, while I'm at it.

Sadly, I'm already slowing down. Getting a tad frustrated with the beer cozy - my yarn is a little larger weight and I don't have the right sized needles so my cozy came out fitting a wine bottle and not a beer bottle - which works, but I want beer cozies (Christmas ideas)...I am on my second one and it is still fitting lose and I spaced the arms funny as I tried to lower the number of stitches to reduce the size - I ended up messing up the pattern - sigh. THAT and I don't quite get one part of the pattern - the Raglan Dec....here it is...

Raglan Dec:

Rnd 1: *k2tog, k to two sts before marker, ssk, slip marker, k1, k2tog, k to three sts before marker, ssk, k1, slip marker* rep from * to end of round.

Rnd 2: work in st st.

Repeat these two rounds three more times for a total of 32 sts decreased. You should now have 36 sts on your needles.

I think I've read it like 50 times, I still end up scratching my head by the time it comes to actually knitting this section. I don't get where Rnd 1 starts...maybe it is the in the section before that gets me confused...you are suppose to join the arms first... and I do, but then I finish the rnd...maybe I am supposed to back knit...I dunno. I don't get it...sigh. Does Rnd 1 start at where I joined the first sleeve?

Either way I did manage to finish one cozy - looks fine despite my confusion so I made it work somehow - but it just has me confuzzled.

I also want to figure out a way to hand embroider on some initials....hmmm?

(my picture of the proj. to come....not sure where the cord to the camera is)

What's On The Needles

A sneak peek at one of my current projects. It's a stitch I've never knit before - but I love it! The seed stitch goes so fast! :)

Found out it's a little hard to knit on the bus - especially with long needles. They tend to cross a little over out of my personal space and into the person's next to me. That or they clang against the side of the wall...either way I end up looking hunchy and tense trying to keep from bothering anyone - so may just stick to reading on the bus ride and knit during lunch. Helps me destress at work anyways - and goodness knows I need that!

I Need to Knit!

Wow, so the first two weeks of 2008 are proving to be quite crazy - especially at work.We have a new client with hundreds of files that need created or recreated to fit our needs, they have events coming up that the marketing should be been put out on back in the fall - but they were not our client until Dec.1 so that is crazy, then we got a new printer that sounds marvelous - but so far hasn't been [for one I have to now walk all the way to the back of the office to print instead of walk two feet when the printer was in my office, we opted for one big printer instead of two smaller ones so often times there is a line to print, we have had problems with the sensors and it won't let us print because it THINKS it sees paper in some invisible finishing tray when there isn't any, I now have to manually duplex anything on cardstock with a weight more than 65lb, AND it hasn't been letting me select the bypass tray - arg! And my stress is back - I keep waking up at night or the wee hours of the morning freaking out about something I forgot to do at work and I feel, in general, on edge even when I am at home - there is this constant feeling of anxiousness.

Needless to say I think I need to start my knitting again.

It helps ground me and gives me some of my sanity back somehow. And in addition to having more stress inducers in 2008 I haven't knit since I went back to work on Jan. 3rd!

And I am not crazy there is research behind knitting being a stress reliever!
Studies have shown that knitting slows the heart rate and brain waves - having a similar affect as meditation.

Here are some interesting articles I found about knitting and stress relief:
(now I just need to get my family, people at work, and my friends to read them so they stop looking at me to oddly when I knit! :) )
Knitting Reduces Stress, Article from the Rochester Knitting Guild in New York
Knitting for Stress Relief, About.com
Knitting the Stress Away, Article from the University of Kansas
Knitting their way to relaxation, Article from the BBC News

Knitting In the Round

I learned how to finally knit with double pointed needles! I was getting a little bored with scarf making so I went out bought a few sizes of double pointed needles, sat down with my borrowed copy of Stitch N Bitch and started learning how to knit the Umbilical Cord Baby Hat pattern. So adorable and quick to do! I have done two hats in two days!

My New Knitting Basket

A tisket a tasket I got a new knitting basket! And all my yarn and new needles fit so lovely inside. Much better than the tupperware tub I have been storing it all in - this basket looks much more coordinated with our livingroom decor - it is made of woven banana leaves and is a great large open bowl of a basket. It was 50% off at Hobby Lobby and came to a whopping $5! The hubby and I have been all around town the last couple of days perusing the after Christmas sales - but nothing has really caught our eye (besides some baskets, yarn, knitting needles, and a grill tool set) - usually we stock up on Christmas cards and decor but this year we just aren't in the mood. I think we are both fending off the beginnings of a cold and we are still recovering from the physical exhaustion of the holidays - 6 Christmases in 3 days!! Whew! I will have to start posting about all the marvelous gifts we have received.

More Yarn!

Bought more yarn today - as if I don't already have enough projects I want to do before Christmas. Still have a scarf and a fourth and six dish clothes to finish - not to mention three other scarfs that I promised people after Christmas and now I just bought yarn in cute blue and green baby colors for a hat or something for little Landen. I got these two great balls of the softest yarn at Clementine's Dry Goods in downtown Franklin - they were buy one get one free. This new yarn and fabric store looks like it could be found off the streets of some happening city let alone be found in the quiet suburbs of Franklin, Indiana. The bolts of marvelous fabric in this stores makes me want to learn how to sew. This is not your grandma's yarn and fabric store!

Men Who Knit - And Boast About It

Since taking up knitting around Thanksgiving - my husband has been very supportive of my new hobby. He has even picked up one of my projects while it was sitting around the house - of course he turns down every offer I give about showing him how. Knitting has a stigma about it - you hear the work knit and you see little old lady knitting socks or something - which is not true at all - lots of people of all ages knit - INCLUDING MEN. I happened to stumble upon the subject of men and knitting in Lion Brand's YarnCraft Blog Post - Men Who Knit & Crochet - I will have to show this to my husband now - maybe he will take a second look at my knitting - hey, it is great stress relief! I even found an online community devoted to men who knit!


YouTube Video to See!
Real Men Knit Trailer on YouTube


Links to Men Who Knit & Blog About it
It's a Purl, Man
The Crochet Dude

Scarf #2 Finished!

I am at least catching up a little on my scarf "orders." Never EVER mention that you can knit in public - people will all of a sudden start mentioning how they need a scarf or something and you say yes to one and then you are sucked in! No, but really, I enjoy doing it so of course I am not going to say no. Here is a scarf I knitted up for a coworker. I love how thick it is and how the white yarn looks with the stitch I used - knit two purl two!

I Am The Office Grandma - Apparently

I started thinking about it after a coworker called me "grandma" for the 90th time in the two years I have worked there and it got me thinking....why? Ok, ok - I do knit during lunch, and I do enjoy a good game of Scrabble if I can get anyone to play during our lunch our, I wear sweaters all the time and insist the office temperature is too cold, I wear a blanket over my lap if I get the chills and if it is really bad I switch on my office space heater. I drink hot tea, I always wear a heavy coat, scarf, hat AND gloves if it is even a smidgen cold outside. But come on! In truth I am literally the youngest in the office. And yet they call ME grandma. Sigh.

Knitting

So I recently taught myself to knit! Wohoo! I was browsing through the library one day and this book caught me eye - it was called Stitch N Bitch and it sounded humorous and it is was an instruction manual to teach someone how to stitch - anyways I thought I would try it and now I am hooked!

Not only is it a stress reliever - it also gets me off the of the computer - on average I spend over 8 hours a day typing and designing away at work and then come home and spend more time surfing the web - not so good on the eyes. And it feels good to make something tactile for once besides paper based stuff (invites, posters, etc etc - visit my online portfolio to see samples) - AND I can make nifty christmas presents now!

I finished one scarf already and am working on my second!(see image to the right of husband modeling Scarf #1)