Back in the (Knitted) Saddle

This past weekend it was 55 degrees outside. And I'm not talking about the middle of the night. It was 55 degrees at noon on Saturday (and Sunday). When the temperature drops 30 degrees - during what is meant to be the hottest week of summer - it's a bit of a shock to the system. I spent the majority of the day on Saturday wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, alternating between knitting, reading, and napping.

I need to make one of these

To be frank, I find it difficult to knit in the heat of summer. I do a little but it's mostly just so I can say I'm still a knitter. However, as soon as the temperature drops, I'm compelled to get some wool and pointy sticks in my hands.

On Sunday, two friends of mine and I had lunch at a local yarn shop and spent a couple of hours with like-minded folks catching up on our projects. One of these lovely ladies had never knit before taking the "beginning knitting" class that I taught a few months ago. She is my success story, having mastered knit and purl with ease and being brave enough to alter patterns to suit her fancy. Putting me to shame, she's a fast knitter as well, having cranked out two dog sweaters in the last couple of weeks - one with a hood that she "figured out" herself. I couldn't be prouder. Seriously.

And, you know she's serious because she's already building stash. LOL

My other friend was wearing a cowl that she'd knit last year. I immediately recognized it as a stitch pattern that I'd fallen in love with a few years ago. The cowl itself is fine but nothing earth-shattering so, when I learned the stitch pattern, I applied it to other things - like a hat and a scarf.

For those of you on Ravelry, you can see the project here: Democracy Gator & Hat

For those of you who aren't, the stitch pattern is super-easy. It's just:

Row 1: knit across the row
Row 2: knit one, slip one - across the row
Row 3: knit across the row
Row 4: slip one, knit one - across the row

This combination is for straight needles, knitting back and forth. If you want to do it on a circular, simply substitute a purl stitch for the knit stitch on rows 2 and 4.

I'm feeling the itch to make something new with this pattern. Could it be my first-ever sweater???

Finally, the Universe has put this pattern in front of me three times in the last few days. It's the Color Affection Shawl, available on Ravelry for about $5 US.

My friend Deidre had the pattern and some GORGEOUS yarn she's going to use for it out on her counter on Saturday morning. I immediately thought that I should make it. Then, on Saturday afternoon, while poking around on Ravelry, I stumbled on it (not remembering the name of the pattern). And, finally, on Sunday, when I went knitting with friends, the local yarn shop had a sample knitted up because they're doing a class on this pattern. So I decided not to fight the messages from beyond and I bought this lovely Italian Filatura Di Crosa super-wash wool to make it. :)

I hope the colors I picked (autumn-y red/orange/yellow/tan) do the pattern justice.

So, unless the temps go back up to 90, I think I'm back in the knitting groove. None too soon, either. It's time to start thinking about Christmas presents!

- Alex

Pattern Review: "Smuggler" Sweater

Now that we are well into January, it's high time to review the pattern I used for the boys' holiday sweaters...

This year I ended up knitting a free pattern from Ravelry called "Smuggler" by Sublime Yarns. In my hours of searching, this one really stood out in the crowd. I love the stripes, the boat neck, the drape of the DK weight cotton. It all works together beautifully. And, the pattern has the added bonus of being free...although I would have gladly paid for it.

On a scale of 1-5 stars I give this pattern a 5, seriously. I can't really say anything bad about it. Directions were clear, pattern was uncomplicated, and the finished product is gorgeous. It might have been nice to have been able to knit the body in the round instead of two pieces like it is written, but that is splitting hairs. And frankly, if I were more ambitious, I'm sure I could have figured out how to make that happen on my own.

Luckily I had most of the yarn (Rowan Milk Cotton DK) for these sweaters in my stash..."yea me!" for being sensible! Since I only needed to order a few more colors to make these sweaters happen, I headed out online to WEBS to see if I liked any of the other available colors of Rowan Milk Cotton DK to complement what I already had on hand. And then a shocking discovery... I don't know what's going on, but it seems like the folks over at Rowan might be discontinuing this magical yarn. Everything is on closeout.

I am a pretty calm chick but this ruffled my feathers a bit. I love this yarn and have used it for many projects. Then I discovered Viking of Norway Milk & Honey. Same sh*t, different label. Awesome. Ordered what I needed at only $5.29/skein and got on my way. If you've never knit with milk yarn, I suggest you give it a try. It is so soft and the drape is stunning. It can be a tad bit splitty and I suggest knotting your ends because they will not stay woven in, but that is the price you pay for it's softness. If Viking of Norway stops producing this line I will wear a black armband for a year.

I finished the second sweater Christmas Eve, on the way to our family gathering. Yeah, I am a master procrastinator. But all was well in the end so I can justify it!

–Cassandra

PLEASE NOTE: The official ravelry link to this pattern doesn't seem to be working. We have posted a copy of it here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kx6GqScZqacsMNUCSEE_4qlUH9QNUvLPKZFV_b3aeL4/edit

FREE! Hat Pattern

It's winter. We all need hats. Thought you might like to whip one up from this pattern I designed. It came out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. (My arm just cracked from patting myself on the back.)

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I created a "Poodle Hat" to go with my niece's Christmas present, the infamous "Poodle Scarf."  It's only poodle-y because it's got pom-pons and is pink. Make it in some other fun colors and it could just be a super-cool snowboarding hat or "I'm a fun person and not boring" hat. Frankly, once I'm done with some obligatory gift knitting, I'm making one of these for myself.

The pattern can be found on our "Free Downloads!" page or by clicking here. I hope you all enjoy it. If you find any errata, please, please, please let me know so I can fix the pattern accordingly. It's pretty simple so hopefully there's nothing seriously wrong with it.

Enjoy!

- Alex

Coming Soon to a Blogpost Near You...

Recently, we've enjoyed an influx of new readers thanks to being mentioned on two really fun sites - Craft Gossip and Friend-Stitch. We're thrilled to have you all with us and hope to continue to offer relevant and fun content that keeps you coming back.

We love hearing your comments and encouragement. As a matter of fact, based on some feedback we received from one reader, we added more instruction and a color/stitch chart to our embroidery patterns. The only way we can improve is when you all tell us what works!

So, today, we'd like to let you know about some of the things we plan to cover in upcoming posts. This is not a comprehensive list by any means and, of course, we're sure to get distracted and write about whatever floats our boat in that moment (as usual.) Without further ado, here's some of what you can expect from Mighty Distractible....

Upcoming Distractions
As you all know, we can't seem to stay focused on a single thing. We have noticed, however, that most of our crafts include some manner of needle work or fiber - including the new skills that we want to try.

Cross-Stitch - Alex is fascinated with samplers, mostly when they're really edgy. The dichotomy of a sweet handicraft turned on its head is really appealing.




Quilting - Cassandra caught the bug when we made quilts for the earthquake victims in Japan. She's working on some ideas for kid-sized quilts for Thing 1 and Thing 2.



 Needlepoint - Years ago, Alex saw needlepoint squares used to upholster the seats of dining room chairs. Every since, she's been obsessed with the idea of covering her chairs similarly.  Specifically, she wants to use some ridiculously intricate William Morris-style patterns. This is why the project hasn't left the ground yet.

Only slightly complicated Wm Morris design

More crochet - Alex has already started down this path. Now it's Cassandra's turn. She's taken one of the library books home so expect to hear about her foray into hooking pretty soon.

Serging - Both Alex and Cassandra love the idea of using a serger and are dying to get their hands on one and see what can be done with it.

Upcoming Free Stuff
As promised, we will continue to offer free downloads and tutorials as often as possible. On our list of things to give you are a variety of patterns in different disciplines. We're in various stages of creation on these - writing them up, testing the patterns, etc. - but know that we'll have plenty for you to enjoy soon.

Love this wavy stitch

Knitting patterns - Alex is working on a set of three patterns - a scarf, a hat, and fingerless gloves (aka: wrist warmers). All of them use a unique stitch that she learned from a stranger at a protest knit-in at Madison's Capitol back in February. 

Sewing patterns - Cassandra recently spent some time learning to lay in zippers and, for practice, developed a pattern for a simple, but very pretty, zippered pouch. They make great notion bags and are so easy you can make a few in an afternoon. Additionally, Alex keeps threatening to make a pattern for a knock-off apron that she saw at a trendy store.

Embroidery and cross-stitch patterns - We like to thank everyone for the warm reception to the first two patterns in the Woodland Series. There will be two more to come - Bear and Fox. Also, Alex is excited to design some cross-stitch patterns so, yeah....we'll see how that goes.


Upcoming Giveaways
We've done one giveaway so far and would like to do more. Basically, we're interested in reviewing things - books, supplies, etc - and then giving the reviewed item away to you! We think the easiest way to do this is to have people comment within a certain time frame and then we'll do a random drawing from qualified names.

We'd love your feedback on this idea. What items would you like us to review? Does the "random drawing" process seem fair or can you suggest a better way to pick a winner? Any advice would be appreciated!

So...that's a little bit of what we have in store for you. We hope this sounds intriguing and that you'll stick with us on this journey. We're having a BLAST and hope you are too. Don't forget, we love hearing from you and can only improve from your input.

Happy crafting!

- Alex & Cassandra