The Monster Ball

The lastest trend in my class is the Little Monster Bear from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, edited by Judith Durant. It started with one student who was looking through the book for something to knit. When she showed the picture to me, my first thought was, "Why would you want to knit THAT?!!" But then of course, it became clear when I remembered this is JUNIOR HIGH knitting. Of course! Brilliant idea!! Let's get started. This little project was so fun to watch. She used her increasing and decreasing skills and learned to make I-cords. She also got a heavy dose of finishing by sewing up seams and attaching the legs, arms, and ears. The little guy (gifted to her sister) caught on like wildfire and spawned a huge crop of more Little Monster Bears.



Don't you want one too?

The One Row Scarf

It baffles me what interests and captures the attention of the junior high knitter. I'm always bringing in ideas, easy patterns, showing websites, etc. Most of the time it's received with lukewarm attention. They're polite. They come over to the computer to look at it. Make a few comments. And then nothing. I thought the ballband dishcloth would be so fun for them to do, but not one took it up. Then I come in with the pattern for Stephanie Pearl-MchPhee's One Row Handspun Scarf. I hand it over to a student on a piece of scratch paper. I say, "Here, try this." She humors me. Next thing I know, she's taken off with this scarf and finishes it in a matter of days (which is warp speed in junior high knitting). Everyone declares it as having the look of "store bought," which in my class is a huge complement. And the NEXT thing I know, there are two more of the same project being started. Here is the first scarf (which has already been gifted) of this little trend.

Bernat's Softee Chunky.

And here are the others.

Bernat's Softee Chunky. With a hat of her own design. This set has also been gifted to a lucky recipient.


Lion Brand's Jiffy.

My envy rises as I continue to admire these scarves and I make the comment, "I want to make one of these," when a student promptly reminds me that I keep on saying that. (Smart alec.) So I go home and start one myself.


Paton's Divine.

A Little Bit of Mason-Dixon

I had heard so much about Mason Dixon Knitting, by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne and looked through some online pictures that I was quite tempted to purchase the book...but ultimately decided not to because knitting for my home just wasn't appealing to me. Then my neighbor borrowed the book from our local library and let me look at it for a few days. Wow, is it addicting! With three WIPs and two abandoned projects I had no business starting anything new, but what's a little dishcloth? The Ballband Dishcloth knit up so fast and was so fun to do that I am tempted to make more. I love pulling it out of my kitchen drawer to use. Then there are the Moderne Blankets, based on Log Cabin quilting. I pulled out every blue cotton yarn I own (some purchased 16 years ago--ouch!) to start my own garter stitch log cabin dishcloth. Thumbing through the book inspires me to play with yarn in new ways and to tap into whatever creativity I might have.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Let me tell you...some of my students are on fire!! There is one boy in my class who particulary cranks out hats like there's no tomorrow. He's fast. He's smooth. A perfectionist (almost). The whole class is amazed at how fast he can knit. Here are just some of his goods.





His current WIP.

This student was making what seemed like a fancy shower cap as it was knitting up. But now I'd say it's a dandy beret. Not a bad effort.


This student is my creative knitter. She just knits away and figures out what it will be later. This is one of her more conventional projects. Her colorwork experiment worked out very well.


Finally, this knitter has truly amazed me. The work she produces is so nice. She tries new projects and new methods. When she comes to a part in her pattern that she doesn't know how to work, and I'm busy across the circle with another student, I can literally describe with words what she needs to do...she looks into space as she visualizes what I'm describing...she knits it up. Very impressive.


Playing with the loom.

The Dishcloth

As boring as it may seem, I am still convinced that the dishcloth is a fantastic first project. I explain to the students that they will learn how to use knits and purls effectively to make a simple pattern. They must learn (in order to make a square) that keeping the same number of stitches on the needle in each row really does matter. They must learn in the stockinette pattern how to tell the difference between the knit side and the purl side as well as how to tell which side they are actually on. They learn to even up their tension and that though it may not look exactly even and perfect, a dishcloth can still be wonderfully used. I assure them that making the dishcloth is exactly what they need in order to move on to making something that someone would actually wear. Most of them accept this task, while others balk. But overall, they all seem to do a pretty good job.




Isn't that a pretty rainbow?

Busy Little Bees

My husband has been on a bread making kick lately. We use the bread machine that was given to us over 13 years ago. It still makes great bread!! Most of the time we use it to make pizza dough and thus, homemade pizza. But lately...bagels and french bread! Yum!

Then, my daughter, after watching cooking shows, was inspired to make these marshmellow creme filled chocolate cupcakes. The recipe is found on the Martha Stewart website. Look in the Every Day Food section. They were delish!

Me???? Here's my first earflap hat. I bought the yarn as a throw in to make it up to a $25 minimum purchase from Little Knits I had never seen or touched the yarn before, but just liked the colors. My husband had been wanting an earflap hat and when I received the yarn, I knew it would be the hat. The yarn is Noro (I want to say "Transitions," but DRATS! right now I can't find the label). It felt a bit twiney and scratchy at times as I worked it up, but as a hat it is soft enough and my husband has a great head of hair to protect. The pattern is adapted from a baby earflap hat pattern in One Skein Wonders.








My daughter snagged it before my husband even had the chance.

Getting the Hang of This

Okay...so blogging regularly is harder than it seems. I have a new appreciation for those of you who entertain us weekly with your witty thoughts.


I just want to get up some of my projects that I've worked on this past fall/winter.




These matching hats were for baby Levi and his dad, Jake. Levi was born last fall. His dad is the perfect kind of new dad who would be game for a matching hat with a newborn. The pattern was adapted from a pattern from Knitty called "Flower Power." The yarn is made up of lots of unknowns from my stash.



This is my first argyle. I love it. It was for baby Kaleb. Knit in the round with Lion Brand Wool-Ease (and something white). My own pattern that was scratched out on paper and unlikely to be found or read again. I was very impressed with myself after finishing this one.









Here we go with my scarf and hat pattern that I made for my husband. Being half Greek, I really wanted to knit something with a Greek key design. After searching the web and my old Harmony Guide to Knit Stitches, I came up with this pattern. It's semi-Greek key. You have to look hard with an open mind. I also love this set and am very impressed with myself for designing and making them, but mostly I am so pleased that my husband also loves them very much and has worn them regularly all winter. That really is the best. Yarn is Sirdar Highlander Chunky...purchased soooo many years ago for a vest I made for myself and had a few balls leftover. Now I'm down to one ball left. Don't know what it will become.






















After purchasing the One Skein Wonders books for myself and my class, I fell in love with this baby sweater pattern and had to make it. I do not have a baby girl. I currently do not know any baby girls. This sweater was truly made for the love of the pattern and for the love of the yarn, which was Sensations (a Jo-Ann exclusive) Bellezza Collection Cosetta. Someday my princess will come. I'm sure I'll know her when I see her. And she'll get the sweater. Until then I will be trying to figure out Zimmerman's method of the afterthought buttonhole to get some buttons in this thing. The hat also came from one of the One Skein Wonders books.



I learned to make socks last year (about July/August 2007). I started with some baby socks and then did a hat to match. Socks are amazingly addicting and I've had a pair going ever since.



I purchased my first sock yarn at a nice little shop in Fort Bragg, CA. Navarro River Knits. The nice lady gave me much needed encouragement that I could do socks. The yarn is Plymouth's Sockotta. It was also my first self-striping yarn...you can imagine how much fun these were for me.







Don't let the dolly freak you out. I had to try these things on something...since I didn't have someone. Socks and hat were made for baby Sean.













Here are the socks I did for my husband and me. He seems concerned about wearing these out and so does not wear them but for special occasions and only when wearing Birkenstocks (unlike his constant use of the hat and scarf set). I wear mine whenever I'm wearing something that will match. His socks are from the Earl Gray pattern from the Yarn Harlot's website. I used Knit Picks Risata in Ash. For mine, I used Knit Picks Felici in Clay. I followed the Yarn Harlot's sock recipe from her book Knitting Rules! (which is perfect and memorizable) with a K3, P1 rib throughout the leg and instep. Wearing them makes me happy.



Finally, my most recent finished project is this felted bag. Oooooooh I love this bag! It's my first felt. Pattern is from Pursenalities, by Eva Wiechmann. Yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky and Noro Silk Garden. Very fast. Very easy.

Can't wait til it's all the way dry so I can show it off.