Hee Haw we are Nashville bound

Mom and I are headed to Nashville, Tn to visit my sister and her family… 

What a coincidence that Stitches South is in town too!

I just learned they will be having a stitch marker swap so I whipped up a few tonight from my random leftover beads. 



Cable Lesson Headband

Super Easy and Quick!

This was a true knitting SCORE!!!!

I think anyone who has ever tried to knit for a teenager will agree with me.

This knitting success was defined when DD curled her hair before a very early morning Christmas Tree expedition and then to my surprise she dons the cable knit headband I made her and ASKS if I will take her photo!

This is a super easy project and a fun way to start learning the basics of cable knitting.

Materials: Bulky Weight Yarn, Size 11 or 13 needles, and a cable needle.

Cast on 17sts   (If you want to get real fancy use the provisional cast-on and then at the end you can join the two ends with a 3 needle bind-off)

Here is the chart

Repeat these 8 rows until headband is snug around your head about ~20 inches.

Bind off and sew ends together (or use 3 needle bind-off if you used a provisional Cast-On)

Chart Translation

• Row 1: P1, K15, P1
• Row 2: K1, P15, K1
• Row 3: P1, K3 *Cable 3 forward. Repeat from * once more, P1
• Row 4: K1, P15, K1
• Row 5: P1, K15, P1
• Row 6: K1, P15, K1
• Row 7: P1, *Cable 3 back. Repeat from * once more, K3, P1
• Row 8: K1, P15, K1
• Cable 3 forward = slip 3 sts onto cable needle and hold to front, knit 3, then knit3 from cable needle
• Cable 3 back = slip 3 sts onto cable needle and hold to back, knit 3, then knit3 from cable needle

Think Spring

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for Spring! Actually at this point I’d take any day above 30 deg F.
As I dream of warmer weather I’m watching the Winter Olympics and listening to the wind howl and rattle this old house.

So to break my cabin fever I’ve been getting ready for our Spring Knitting Retreat by knitting flowers of course. I’m not sure why any one would NEED a knitted flower but that won’t stop me. I’m Spring Baby born on the 1st day of Spring and daffodils are my favorite flowers.

So what better way to melt away the Winter than to knit a Spring Bouquet?

The pattern was from Noni Flowers and the daffodil instructions were so amazingly detailed I was thrilled with my 1st attempt. I don’t think I’ve evet made anything quite like this crazy 3D construction.

SO I SURVIVED MAKING ONE. HOW MANY DO YOU SUPPOSE ARE IN A BOUQUET?

We interrupt this blog….

I’ve been knitting lots just not updating the blog. Bad very bad girl.

I find it WAY to easy to just share my latest creations and inspirations on Instagram.

You can follow me – @yarn leftovers

I do not knit much for myself but when I finished this hat I decided this one was a keeper. I’m so glad I’ve had it the past few weeks to keep my ears warm. Brrrrrrrrrr

It’s a pattern from Green Mountain Spinnery called stained glass hat. I used a solid purple berroco vintage yarn and a long variegated Poems.

Stitches East 2013 Fashion Show

Well 2 weeks ago I went to Stitches East in Hartford, CT and I still have not recovered.

And I am just not sure where to begin, my mind is still in such inspiration overload.

There are just so many new yarns I want to try, patterns to seek out, and techniques to try that I am just spinning out of control but alas I must finish some Christmas presents. I took 3 workshops that were FAB-U-LOUS!

–

Sneak peak – Textured Treats with Edie Eckman, Lace Basics with JC Briar, and Twisted Color with Jill Bigelow Suttell

Of course my Mom and I did some serious shopping. We did a lot of mutual present buying and picked up a few Christmas gift ideas along the way. I also purchased MANY completed ROWAN sweater samples.  So many in fact I think I need a new dresser and again I think they warrant their very own post. Stay tuned to learn just WHY I would purchase sweaters that I could knit?

Sneak peak, My new sweaters are the items that line the back of the couch in our ‘haul’ image.

There are so many things I love about Stitches: the people watching, the shopping, the workshops, Rick Mondragon’s From the pages of Knitter’s Magazine…. but if the number of photos per event is any indication, then the Fashion Show wins. Hands down! I took over 900 images just at the Fashion Show alone. So I guess that is why it has taken me 2 weeks to sift through all those images. I’ve narrowed it down to just a few pics of each creation – so there are only ~300 images! I have numbered the items so that they should match up with the program details so that I (or you) can seek out the pattern, designer, or yarn.

Here is a Link to my Fashion Show Album

So here is a perfect example why the XRX Stitches Fashion Shows are NOT to be missed.

Here is a Lions Brand Poncho direct from their catalog. She’s cute, don’t get me wrong but I did not look twice at this pattern when browsing their catalog pages.

Then this hit the runway!

I rushed down the next morning to see this item in person and buy the yarn.

The pattern is FREE.  I’m not even sure who I am making this for but will that stop me?

Teenie Tiny Hats are Popping Up EVERYWHERE!

Did you know that today, November 17th , is World Prematurity Day?

I think every day must be preemie day for my Aunt, who for the past 5+ years has challenged herself to make 50 teenie-tiny hats per month.

Here is just a few that she has donated this year to the Rochester Knitting Guild. I’ve already sent the October Pumpkin Hats and December Santa Hats to Strong’s Neonatal Unit.

So why not cast on a few stitches and knit up this quick act of kindness. Feedback from the Nurses: Hats with a rolled brim are best and an easy care acrylic yarn are preferred. Think tiny.

A hat to fit a lemon or small apple.

Here are a few links to knitting patterns:

The Preemie Project

Knitting Pattern Central

Bev’s Country Cottage

So when I first stumbled upon these other tiny hats from a UK juice company promotion, I thought it was probably connected to raising awareness and funds for premature babies.

 

The innocent big knit is actually a UK smoothie company campaign to raise funds to keep “older people warm and healthy through the chilly winter months” from proceeds from their special hat topped bottles.

 

Here is a promo video – that is a Riot!

They even have a few patterns posted HERE and I am sure if you search on the big knit patterns you will find even more like Jo’s Big Knit.

Yet another reason to keep saving my tiniest bits of yarnleftovers.

PHOTOTROPISM: Bending towards Enlightenment

Only Young girl who loves leggings YGWLL could pull this look off!
Her 5th grade Halloween assignment was to choose one of their Science vocabulary words and design a costume illustrating that term. What a GENIUS Teacher!

Well… YGWLL chose Phototropism! Now at first I panicked a little because I knew we had a VERY busy October full of fiber related travels but she drew me a sketch that was so beautiful my mind was quickly put at ease. Actually her sketch was so beautiful and Fashion Forward I could see her wearing it on a normal day if we could just figure out a way to paint or print the design. But alas I am not a painter so I naturally turned to what else, FIBER and YarnLeftovers.

She could have assistance on this school project but she had to do the majority of the work. Now I suppose she could have painted the flowers on but if she was going to get any help from me she was going to paint with Fiber.

The sunlight seeking Sunflowers are needle felted from a kit I bought at Rhinebeck probably at least 3 years ago. And yes she made them all by herself she’s much better at needle felting than me. She’s an old pro at ‘coloring with wool’ !

She embellished the sunflowers with goinggnome insects but insisted she make some herself too. She made an earthworm and a woolly bear caterpillar.

The long leaning stems are constructed from knitted I-cord using some of my green YarnLeftovers. Once she got going she made piles of Idiot-cord using Caron’s Embellish Knit I-cord Machine

She topped the whole look off with a sunny Styrofoam ball and pipe-cleaner headband.

Viola- Phototropism
A tropism is the growth of a plant as a response to a stimulus, and phototropism occurs when a plant responds to light by bending in the direction of the light.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of her classmates came up with.

She has always been my inspiration and designer, remember this is the same girl who asked me to knit her a spider web
.

I’ve been a very very bad girl…

Apparently this pin I picked up early Saturday morning foretold the rest of the Rhinebeck weekend.

When I finally got around to unpacking all the bags today and started laying out all my new found treasures….

I was truly ALARMED!

So here is the haul.

Going around clockwise:

• Front and center are future cupcake sprinkles that they were practically giving away at $1.50 per skein. Someday I might run out of sprinkles.
• Boku from the LittleBarn for fingerless gloves or diagonal scarves.
• Three bags full.  3 different style bags   by Jessalu
• Green and Orange future pumpkins from the LittleBarn
• Wool felting supplies and Wool Nepps.  from Delly’s Delights Farm
• Lots of Wool scraps for a surprise project
• Perfection sparkly yarn for daughter’s project
• Tiny knit stocking for daughter #2 American Girl Doll from We-Z Farm
• Last year’s 2012 T-shirt
• Goinggnome  insects, birds, and  gnome
• Recycled Kitty Litter Bag  – a Christmas present for a crazy-cat-lady, who hopefully does not read this blog?
• Oak leaf headband  from wool_lady
• Maple Creek Farm   Bargain $5  Monterey wool yarn, originally $35. How could I leave it there?
• Bitsy Knits Squee  Bulky yarn for daughter project
• More pumpkin colors
• Fiber Buttons for Spring Knitting Retreat prizes….

OOOOHH and I forgot all about all the cheese and wine.

I can try to make excuses like well my daughters knit now and they picked out some of the stash, some of these items are gifts, others are to fill custom orders…. but there is no denying that I was like a kid in a candy store except this was NO Penny Candy.

Here is a link to more photos from  Rhinebeck2013!

One year I’m really going to try to leave the credit card home and just bring my camera because half the fun of Rhinebeck is people watching.

The New York Sheep and Wool Festival has become my favorite weekend of the year.

RHINEBECK !

Happiness is a new sushi roll needle case from JessaLu and finding a bunch of Bryspun dpns to fill it up at Rhinebeck New York Sheep and Wool Festival.

MSWF

MSWF Married Single White Female

Well perhaps after this week away from home on a fiber stash enhancement I might be Single.
I’m Married, White, and Female and this week I was Single.

MSWF = Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

My new favorite vendor was Flying Goat Farm as evidence by my recent stash enhancement. I purchased so much that they gave me this awesome tote with their fun logo. LOVE IT! This farm is in Frederick, MD and they have dyeing classes that I must find time to come back for.

I also found gorgeous hand-dyed merino from Roz Houseknecht from Rockville, MD. I bought yarn from her 4 years ago the last time I attended MSWF and have carried her business card looking for more ever since.

Red sweater above is one I have loved for years and I decided perhaps if I took its picture one more time maybe I’d remember to actually cast-on!