Category Archives: Knitting

All my knitting adventures

Sweater 911

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I got a call a few weeks ago from my Aunt Barb. She was packing up her summer clothes and found a summer knit/crochet shell that needed a little TLC. So she packed it off to me via USPS.

When I got the garment I could see that the sleeves were pulling away from the arm holes. I stared and looked and studied and turned the piece over and over again. For one, I couldn’t decide if it was knit or crochet! For two the pattern was complicated and there was definitely no way to frog it, re work it, and piece it back together without a pattern. And there was no pattern because this was a store bought garment.

So I surrendered and took it to the Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Ks. Even though I live in the Capitol city of Kansas…there are NO quality yarn/wool shops!! I have to drive to Manhattan or Lawrence good yarn or good advice! But that’s a rant for another time. The kind ladies at the shop studied my sweater and suggested some creative sewing to tie up the unraveling strings. What would you know? It worked!

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No more gaps or holes! I was so pleased with the shop and customer service that I even bought some wool wash for my sweater project.

Here is a close up shot of the arm. There are still a few places that are stretched and a little holey but much better than when I started! (Sorry, forgot a before pic!)

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The whole process took less than fifteen minutes and saved a sweater! Pretty darn proud of myself 🙂

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: My First Sweater

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I finished my Stockinette Shrug. I used Berroco Vintage DK and the Lion Brand Glitter Shrug pattern.

This sweater took me over a month, but I was running three to four shows a week at the local community theater. So my knitting time was limited to say the least, ha! I loved loved loved the yarn! It is wonderfully soft for a wool blend and I didn’t have any problems with it splitting. While I was hoping to make this project with larger yarn and bigger needles to make it faster, I was glad I chose this yarn. I will definitely use it again!!

I did have one major hiccup, see that blog here. I survived that disaster and my skills (and sweater) are better for it! I even managed to make pretty seams for the first time ever 🙂 !

My only regret is that when I washed and blocked it….I blocked it a bigger than I intended. I made the sweater a bit wider across the shoulders than I intended. I wore it to work this week and ended up having to safety pin it to my tank to keep it from slipping off my shoulders. No worries my friends, I can remedy this the next time I wash it.

Finishing this project has really stirred the sweater itch in this knitters’ soul. But alas, I promised myself I would learn socks first. And on top of that, I have TWO craft fairs to prepare for this fall. A knitters work is never done!

For now just enjoy some FO photos! Happy Friday!!

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Rainy Saturday Indulgences

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It’s rainy day here in Kansas, a much needed rain I might add!

To me this means couch time with my knitting and puppies, listening to thunder, and delicious rainy day food. I picked up a new crock pot recipe on Pinterest the other day, Beef and Broccoli.

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I made a few changes to recipe:

– I doubled all the liquids and the broccoli but not the beef.
– I used stew beef because that is what I have in the freezer.
– I thickened my liquid but not to the point of sauce or glaze.
– I used low sodium soy sauce to cut down on the salt.

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So in my version it’s more of beef and broccoli soup but it’s still delish! Soup just felt right today. Husband thought it was a little sweet but he still loved it!

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We poured the beef and broccoli over steamed brown rice and paired it with a mixed green salad and cottage cheese for a heavenly warm, filling, and nutritious lunch. This is another Pinterest find that’s going to stay in our permanent kitchen files!

In knitting news, I finally cast off my Stockinette Shrug! I gave it a nice bath in Soak and blocked it out to dry on our guest bed. Should be able to seam it up tomorrow after its dry tomorrow! For now I’m going to cast on some matching boot cuffs for my sweater.

Happy Knitting and Eating!!

FO Friday: Boot Toppers/cuffs

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Because its FO Friday I want to talk about my boot toppers I started awhile back.

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Those simple cuffs seem to be all the rage this year! I am starting to see them pop up in other blog posts and Ravelry queues. See my project link on Ravelry.

I knit these in bulky weight extremely soft and silly yarn. Because of this they worked up very quickly! However I failed to take into account my own body.

I am a lifelong and avid volleyball player. In volleyball you spend (or should spend) most of your time on the court up on your toes and the ball if your foot in what is mostly a perpetual calf raise. Long years of this have given me very muscular and round calves, thus making it hard to fit into tall boots. Last year I happened on an pair with elastic vents on the sides that fit me! Though even with the elastic they are a snug fit…

Therein lies the rub….my toppers are bulky. They fit into my boots with some coaxing but are not comfortable to wear for long. I love how the simple rib turned out and the color is amazing for fall.

I am not defeated however! I am in the final stages of finishing my Stockinette Shrug made with Berroco Vintage DK and I have yarn leftover! I want to adjust my topper/cuff pattern for DK weight and try making them again. I think a thinner knit “fabric” will suit my body needs better and they would match my sweater!! Who know I may throw in a hat to match, ha!

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I choose to look at this project not as a failure but as a learning moment. I am not going to frog my bulky originals. Who knows I may find a friend with skinny legs who wants super cool cuffs for their boots! I still need to finish the matching scarf but its at the bottom if my priority list.

I hope to finish, wash/block, and seam my sweater this weekend, stay tuned!!!

Happy Knitting and TGIF!

Free Dishcloth Pattern

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Hello, my name is Rachelle and I am a knitter who needs instant gratification.

I absolutely love the feeling of finishing a project. I a list maker who enjoys crossing off completed tasks. Therefore I have always gravitated to short one or two skein projects. And I almost always have several items in the works. I am NOT a monogamous knitter, lol.

Currently in my needles I have:
1. Stockinette shrug
2. Bulky boot toppers and skinny scarf set
3. Berry Basket Dishcloth
4. One Row baby blanket
5. Hanging kitchen towel
6. Sashay ruffle scarf
I prefer to work on a project that speaks to me at that moment. Depending on my mood that may be any of the above! I know, I know I will never break any knitting speed records this way, but it makes me happy. And isn’t that what knitting all about?

So I would like to share a dishcloth pattern I wrote this year! It’s a simple garter stitch that’s worked corner to corner with an eyelet/lace border. You can find the free Ravelry download here! I love love love working this pattern with Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton. It yields a deliciously soft cloth that’s very durable. I think it’s perfect for new baby washcloths or a face wash cloth because it is so soft and smooth.

I can whip out two or three of these babies in an evening of TV watching! They make great gift for the upcoming holidays. Enjoy this pattern and I’d love to see your finished works on Ravelry if you get a chance! Here are a couple shots of my finished works 🙂

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Happy Knitting!!

Grumpapatimas

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I was a major grumpapatimas yesterday…(learned that term from Archie, Jo’s son in The Beach Street Knitting and Yarn Society)

The weather was gloomy and turned quite cold all of a sudden. My reports at work weren’t balancing and I had a stiff neck from hunching over them. My schedule has been brutal lately and I’m just overwhelmed and exhausted.

I decided i was tired of being grumpy, so I decided to do something about it! First, I called my Grandma Genevieve as soon as I got home from work. She is an amazing woman and such a big part of my life that a thousand blog posts couldn’t even begin to cover my feelings about her! She listens to my troubles, applauds my accomplishments, and loves me for who I am.

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(This was 10 years ago when I graduated and she is still just as gorgeous!)

After 45 minutes on the phone with her I could start to feel the grump fall off. Next, I wrapped myself in something hand knit! I splurged on some expensive alpaca yarn last year and knit myself a Honey Cowl by Madelintosh. Nothing soothes the soul like luxurious soft hand knits on a cold gloomy day. I mean that’s why we all knit right? This pattern was easy yet interesting and really fun to make.

After wrapping up to ward off the chill, I packed up the pooches and headed off to the park for some frisbee with my beloved!

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After a few good chucks of the disc both the hubby and I felt a lot better! And we wore out our energizer bunny of a lab.

I guess the morale of my story is that no bad day can withstand the power of family, good knitting, and puppy love. Seriously, how can you be grumpy around this face?

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TGIF and Happy Knitting!

P.S. FO alert
I finished the boot cuffs for my boots and started the scarf today. Here’s a sneak peek!

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WIP Wednesday

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Yes, yes I know it’s Thursday. I can’t for the life of me figure out where yesterday went!

Anyway, back to the knitting! I picked up a super adorable baby doll dress at a local thrift store last week. It’s a simple white scoop neck bodice with black baby doll skirt. I just had to have it to wear with my black boots the hubby got for me last year on my birthday! It was a steal at $7!

It just needs a little pizzaz! So after perusing Ravelry for some boot toppers/boot cuffs, I decided to use Ravelry as my inspiration and improvise my own! Mostly because I wanted to make them out of some Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky I had in my stash in a lovely shade of deep red.

So I pulled out my US size 11 circs (size recommended for this yarn) and cast on 44 sts using long tail cast on method and placed a marker. I prefer to knit in the round rather than with dpns because I am not careful enough to travel with work on dpns and not mess it up hopelessly!

I knit the first round then transitioned to K1, P1 ribbing so that the cuff with expand and contact with the contours if my leg and boot.

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I plan to work the cuff for 7-8 inches in rib and cast off with a stretchy cast off. Of course then I will move on to the second cuff and I should have enough yarn for a skinny ribbed scarf to accent my black and white dress.

Follow my project on Ravelry!

I like to use affordable, easy to find acrylic when I am inventing a pattern for a few reasons:
A) It’s cheap
B) Its easy to find in stores and with matching dye lots
C) It stands up well to frogging if I don’t like the pattern
D) It’s almost always washable

If I like pattern and the FO, then I will fork over the dough and get quality natural fibers to make the next set. I can conserve my funds and manage my stash at the same time!

I hope to have this finished this weekend and have the hubby help me take photos!

Happy Knitting!

Resourcefulness!

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I am finally getting back into the swing of knitting mostly because my busy schedule has slowed down.

I have made progress on my knit shrug, about another 3 inches. I have also knocked out a handful of kitchen scrubbies for my mom’s craft fair next Tuesday. Both of which I have packed for our weekend travels!

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(100% cotton worsted and tulle cut into strips knit together on US 8s with a seed stitch design)

We are headed to the husband’s 10 yr high school reunion, Go Bears!! I finished two scrubbies in the car when I realized I didn’t have a tapestry needle!! A search of my bag was fruitless, all I found was a bobby pin. So I improvised…

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A bobby pin makes a needle in a pinch if your price is “open” enough (which mine was). And tah Dah!

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I’ll be busy most of the weekend, so ill see everyone on the other side! I finished Needles and Pearls by Gil McNeil this week and hope to have a review up next week!

Happy Knitting!