Baby Yoda

Leave it to pregnant friends to reignite one's knitting bug. "Makers" can't seem to help themselves when it comes to babies. Itty-bitty hats, sweaters, quilts, and more, all scream to be created for the new person entering the world. Perhaps it's because a hand-made gift is truly made with the recipient in mind and is, usually, tailored just to them.

Take, for example, my current knitting project - the one that brought me back from a looong knitting dry spell. A friend is due any day now and we know it's a boy. As Christmas was ramping up, I discovered that her husband is a bit of a Star Wars fiend, as was evidenced by his home-made Star Wars nativity scene. One which his wife was concerned would cause consternation among the neighbors (in fact, it didn't).

Day time (awesome)

Night time (MORE awesome!)

Being a pretty loud-and-proud geek myself, I was thrilled by this turn of events. I provided many suggestions of ways to improve on the nativity scene and was happy to learn that her husband liked some of them. And, of course, my plans for a baby gift were impacted as well.

Off the needles came my original gift idea (a baby balaclava which is slightly weird but super-practical)

Baby balaclava pattern is a free download at Ravelry.com

And... on went the new. 

Seriously. How cute is this??

I love, love, love this pattern. The hat knit up in one night and, while I chose to make a kimono rather than the bunting provided here, the bunting is very original and adorable. The pattern for the set is $3.99 on Ravelry.com. 

The kimono I'm making is the Miss Sadie Baby Kimono on Ravelry.com. It's knit in one piece and then seamed.

This is a finished one... my almost-done one is below.

Here's where I'm at with mine:

Note the appropriate linen color

Ears still need to be attached

Welcome to the world, Baby Yoda!

- Alex

Throwback MD: FREE STUFF!

It's been a long and difficult week for we Mighty Distractible gals.

Cassandra has pneumonia and the rest of her family is alternately sick with fever, snotty noses, and puking. And I, of course, managed to catch a devil of a cold - the result of working in a corporate petri dish and having a slightly compromised immune system - which caused me to be foggy-headed and miss work.

So, it's a "Throwback Thursday"... The only way a post was going to make it up this week. But I think it's a good one - especially as we're in the throes of holiday crash-and-burn crafting. 

Send good vibes for speedy recoveries on all fronts and, hopefully, we'll have something new for you next week. 

- Alex  *cough, sneeze, blow*

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ORIGINALLY POSTED: Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Everybody Loves Free Stuff

Ah, the holidays! It's a time of...well...stress, frankly. And the source of that stress? (besides family of course) Gift giving.

What started as a simple gesture of generosity, love, and friendship has turned into a billion dollar industry with layers of guilt and inadequacy piled on top. Just makes you all tingly for the season, doesn't it?

Between having to find the "perfect" gift for every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the phone book and the cost associated with that quest, the holidays are more of a nightmare than a hot chocolate-filled dream.

On top of it all, we crafters get to experience our very own extra-special gift stress. Here's how it works:

1. Crafter says: "I'm going to put 75 hours of my time, plus the cost of materials, into this handmade item. I am going to meticulously choose a pattern and colors that will be perfect for the receiver. I'm going to craft every bit of this with love and care for this special person."
2. Receiver opens gift and says: "Oh, isn't that pretty. Thanks!" and moves on to the next gift.
3. Crafter is crushed.

Ralphie's aunt worked hard on this

Do you see what's happening here? There's a huge disconnect between the crafter's and non-crafter's perceived value of the gift. I have family members that would be appalled if I gave them something handcrafted - regardless of how expensive and lovely the materials and finished product. I mean...only poor people and hippies "do" crafts, right? On top of that, it's hard to convince a non-crafter of an item's value when a machine-made, off-the-rack version is cheaper and looks as good. The industrial revolution really took it's toll on handcrafting, in a lot of ways.

When it's all said and done, if you want to give a handcrafted gift, the key is to keep your costs and efforts down and make the actual value of the present a little closer to the perceived value (and save yourself some soul crushing.) Here are my tips:

Use free patterns.

I can't remember the last time I paid for a pattern because there are tons of resources on the web. Granted, you may only be saving $5-$10 but, if you're making more than a couple of handmade items, this can add up quickly. My favorite resources are:

1. Ravelry - Also known as "Facebook for knitters." There are, literally, thousands of amazing free patterns (as well as patterns for sale) on this site. The very best part is that, for most patterns, you can look at other people's attempts at making the piece. This gives you invaluable insight into the pattern's difficulty level and flaws. I can't recommend this site enough.
2. All Free Sewing - This site is incredibly comprehensive - with patterns for everything from accessories to quilts to holiday projects. The clean and easy interface makes searching for patterns a breeze. The site even has video tutorials. You are going to love this resource.
3. Craft Bits - Most of the free-craft project sites online are aggregators - they gather links to free projects on myriad other sites. Craft Bits, as best I can tell, has all "original" content so you're not popping off the site every time you click a project link. I also really like the site design and I find the projects appealing. One specific tip for this site: scroll down! There's tons of content below the fold on every page. It's easy to miss it if you don't think to scroll.

Keep materials cost in line.

Let's be honest, it's easy to want to buy that gorgeous yarn that's $20 a skein because the scarf is for your mom. But, honestly, she'll probably never be able to tell the difference between that and the $10-a-skein version. The key to this one is: know your audience. If the person you're crafting for has an eye for good materials and you KNOW they'll appreciate the color or hand of the piece at the end, go ahead and look for the material on sale somewhere. Otherwise, buy materials that are "good enough" to make the piece nice but not over-the-top. My favorite resources for reasonably-priced and sale goods are:

1. Knit Picks - Knit Picks is an all-around great site for yarn crafters. They have beautiful tools, like their interchangeable circular needles set (I seriously covet these), but they also have great basic yarns for ridiculously low prices.
2. Fabric.com - This clean and easy-to-navigate site is one of my favorite resources for fabric. Their selection can be light - especially in specialty fabrics, like decorator (upholstery) weights - but most of the time, the styles are really tasteful and the brands are higher-quality. The thing I love most about this site (besides the amazing prices) is that, under each fabric "swatch", they list the number of yards they have in stock. Saves me tons of time if I know how much yardage I need.
3. Joann.com - You may have a Joann Fabrics in your area so this may be redundant but... not for nothin' Joann is a great resource for craft supplies and their online store has damn-near anything you'd need. The quality tends towards the middle and the prices are reasonable (not super-cheap) - but you can be assured that they have what you need and that, if you need to return anything, their customer service will do you right.

The 5-minute Skirt: http://bit.ly/WaK1o

Finally, don't pick difficult projects. This one is easy, people. If it's a gift, make it something you can complete with plenty of time to spare and that it's easy enough that you won't be struggling. That way, you'll spend less total time on the project and your finished piece will be top-quality because its instructions will be well within your comfort zone.

So, there you go. My tips for making the 2010 holiday season a little less stressful. I think what it boils down to is this: if the person you're making a gift for won't appreciate the time, money, and effort that went in to your handmade creation then to heck with 'em. Go buy them something that they've seen on TV and save yourself some heartache. ;)

- Alex (bah-humbug)

Back on the Needle(s)

It's cold. 

I broke down and turned on the heat last week. Most Wisconsinites try to make it to November 1 - it's a source of pride if you can tough it out that long - but I gave in. I simply can't sit around my house in a hat and coat... I want to be barefoot. And, if I'm a little cold, a blanket on the sofa should be enough.

Of course, with the cold weather comes the desire to knit. Since I prefer to knit wool over all other yarns, summer is a low-knitting time for me. But, once the temperatures drop below 50 degrees for any extended period of time, I get the itch to get back on the needles.

For about two months, I've been staring at this gorgeous skein of yarn that was gifted to me when I was sick. It's a hand-dyed, rough-spun Cascade - which I didn't even know they made. It's also variegated, which is normally something I dislike but the colors are fantastic - black, grey, and white.

Ah... the joy of breaking out the needles!

So, about a week ago, I started looking through my patterns to find some one-skein thing to make with this beautiful yarn. I wanted something cozy, so I focused on scarves and cowls, and I landed on a madelinetosh cowl which you may recognize from the stitch pattern. Three years ago, I learned this stitch pattern from someone who was making this exact cowl and I used the stitch for a hat and "gator".

The Honey Cowl

The madelinetosh Honey Cowl is a stunner, at 42" long for the large size with an easy, but beautiful stitch pattern. On Ravelry, there are over 1,200 projects for this pattern and each one looks great - even the ones done in variegated yarn. ;)

Sadly, my one skein of Cascade wasn't enough for the large size so I decided to alternate rows with the variegated and a flat, black DK wool. Every other row of this pattern is knit - I think it give some space between the rows so that the slip-stitch pattern stands out more. It made sense to use the flat black for the knit rows and, honestly, I think this ends up making the pattern really pop.

The cowl so far.

I've made a couple of mistakes in the pattern (I think I may be a bit rusty - or just lazy), but you really can't tell with the variegated yarn so I'm not going to worry about it. I love the way it looks and can't wait for it to be done so I can wear it!

42" is a LONG cowl...

I'll be sure to post pics when it's finished. Also, the Honey Cowl is a free pattern on Ravelry. Hope all our knitting readers are making something cozy and winter-appropriate too. :)

- Alex

Follow Us

Doesn't this post title sound like we are some kind of cult? We should be so lucky!

Alex and I recently realized that over the past 3 years of blogging we have amassed quite a number of free patterns and tutorials. Some of them easily accessible by links in the tabs above, some (unfortunately) a little more hidden. We've come up with a few ideas to make your Mighty Distractible "user experience" a little friendlier...

First we are converting all patterns and tutorials into a pdf format. This way everyone can easily download and store the pdf on their desktop or print out the document on-demand. This is quite a process so keep checking back here as we add more pdfs a bit at a time.

Want to sew a denim maxi? This pdf is for you!

Second, we are making better use of our Mighty Distractible Craftsy and Ravelry accounts. We realize that a lot of our followers are active members on both of those wonderful sites. Follow us on either site to download our patterns and tutorials (more coming every day) and be the first to see new designs as they are released. We are also starting some accounts on other social media outlets for our readers that you will hear about shortly.

Lastly, we are moving things around on our site. Pardon our dust as we do some serious revamping and content shuffling. And we are being faced with the reality that Mighty Distractible is fast outgrowing its current digs. So a move will probably happen at some point soon too. Whew, who knew this blog experience was going to roll into something of a small business?

More patterns, more tutorials, more distractions to come this year. Thanks for being readers, you folks are the reason this whole Mighty Distractible thing is fun for us.

–Cassandra

The Snowball Is Rolling...

As Cassandra mentioned last week, we are thrilled that the release of What (else) Would Madam DeFarge Knit? is on the near horizon because, with this book, we become official, published (and paid!) knitwear designers. This prospect is both exciting and scary. We are going to be in the same book as some of our knitting heroes. Yikes!

That being said, we are exceedingly proud of the pattern we designed and are excited to see other people make it. I've nearly broken my fingers crossing them in hopes that there are no bad mistakes in the pattern. But I will accept all errata with grace and work hard to make sure we "clean up" the pattern as people work it.

The potential exposure that our pattern (and we) will be getting from the book has lit a fire under our collective butts. Cassandra and I have been talking, for a long time, about expanding our little online world and taking advantage of other crafting sites in order to reach more folks. To that end, we set up both Ravelry (DistractedMinds) and Craftsy (Mighty Distractible) pages. Starting immediately, we'll be loading all existing and new patterns to Craftsy (knitting/sewing/embroidery/etc) and all our existing and new knitting patterns to Ravelry. (It might takes us a bit so please be patient.) For those of you who have downloaded links to our Google Docs page for our existing patterns, those links will still be active.

Please visit our new pages and let us know what you think. Since we're still fairly new at this, any feedback will be appreciated. :)

In celebration of our new pages, today we're going to add the actual, final, tested "Hipster Hat" pattern that I started designing a couple of weeks ago. You may have read the original post (where I jumped the gun and posted the pattern before I'd actually finished test knitting the piece) or the update (where I THOUGHT I had a solution but still hadn't finished the second test knit). Well, I finally finished the pattern and I'm really happy with the result. It achieved exactly what I wanted - a loose-fitting hat with a large crown that would accomodate all my hair and not leave hat-marks on my 'do.

Hat pattern #1 resulted in a hat that was too shallow. Even though it had the large crown I wanted, it wasn't long enough and didn't cover my ears. Also, the decrease I used was too severe and, as a result, left big holes in the crown that had to be sewn shut. (annoying). I gave the hat to the smallest-headed person I know - Sara from my knitting group. Here she is, sporting the first test knit:

So, to fix it, I made the "cuff" over 2" long instead of 1" and I changed the decrease to both add some depth and also to close the holes that were created by the earlier severe decrease.

Here's the final hat:

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! I've been wearing it a lot and have gotten quite a few compliments on it. I used a random, left-over skein of Cascade 220 but I think I'd like to make it again in a more exciting color. :)  Not that there's anything wrong with mushroom brown but...

So, please visit our Craftsy or Ravelry pages to download this new, free hat pattern! Thanks for continuing to read Mighty Distractible and for supporting us as we grow.

- Alex

Steek, Well Done.

steek

/stik, steɪk/ Spelled [steek, steyk] 

verb (used with object) Scot.

to shut, close, fasten or lock (a window, door, or the like).

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English  (north) steken  (v.), Old English stician  to prick, stab

There's nothing better than learning new words from a dictionary. However, the dictionary, often, provides only the narrowest of definitions for a word. And, interestingly, in the case of the word "steek", the dictionary definition is pretty much the opposite of how the word (as a verb) is commonly used today.

From Wikipedia:

In knitting, steeking is a shortcut used to knit garments such as sweaters in the round without interruption for openings or sleeves until the end. After completing a tube, a straight line is cut along the center of a column of stitches, in order to make room for an opening or place to attach another piece. The steek itself is a bridge of extra stitches, in which the cut is made, and is usually 6-10 stitches wide. This technique was developed by the knitters of the Shetland archipelago and is particularly associated with Fair Isle sweaters, although it can be used for solid colors as well.

Steeks can be used for front openings (such as on a cardigan), armholes, or necklines. It has several advantages: For many knitters faster at the knit stitch than the purl stitch, it goes faster, and allows one to work with the right side of the fabric facing the knitter all the time, and thus follow an intricate pattern more easily. It is also easier to maintain an even tension and, as the color changes can be hidden, there are fewer ends to weave in.

This is one of the the most paralizing things I've ever considered as a knitter. To knit something and then CUT IT (!) - Yikes.  In my mind, the word "steek" is right up there with the word "spider" (the scariest word in the English language).

So, what the heck was I thinking when I bought this?

The Viticetum Coat by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence

Which specifically says, "You will need US 3 (3.25mm) 32-60" circular needles, or size to obtain gauge, 32-60" circular needles one size smaller than those to obtain gauge, yarn needle, stitch markers, scrap yarn, crochet hook for provisional cast on, sewing needle and thread for steek, and 5-7 2" clasps."

I'll tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking, "That is a gorgeous sweater. And it's in my "signature color" (which is moss/sage green, btw. Cassandra's signature color is mustard yellow). And I haven't made anything for myself in a LOOOOOOOONG time. And the kit is 50% off!

That 50% off the kit pretty much clinched it for me.

So, I patiently wait the delivery of my kit from KnitPicks and steel myself for the steeking to come. Unfortunately, the kit is sold out now but the pattern is still available and there are 16 projects on Ravelry. Reading through people's challenges with the project (the pattern is complicated, primarily) make it even more scary but I'm determined to have this sweater for next winter. Fingers crossed everyone!

- Alex the Intrepid.

C'est Si Bon! The Quest

On March 14, 2011, I was searching knitting patterns on Ravelry.com and stumbled upon a scarf that I immediately fell in love with. Now, I'm not prone to "love at first sight" when it comes to knitting but, for some reason, the look of this particular piece was captivating.

Unfortunately, all the viewable projects (about 7 at the time) were in French.

It even LOOKS French, doesn't it?

So, with the help of Google Translate (and a few years of high-school French), I emailed one of the French knitters to see if she could help me secure a copy of the pattern. Fortunately, she responded in excellent English which she, like most Europeans, claimed was "not good." She sent me the email address for the shop that created and printed the pattern. Achievement unlocked: Find the Source.

I promptly emailed the shop, again with the help of Google Translate, and received no response.Ever. Fail.

At that point, I went back to the photos of people's work-in-progress and finished projects to see if I could suss out the pattern myself. I mean...it's a scarf. It's not like it's rocket science but I was stumped about how the stitch pattern was created. I'd never seen anything quite like it before. Fail.

In order to not drive myself completely insane, I let it rest for a long while. I didn't taunt myself by looking at the scarf or obsess about the fact that I couldn't have it - although I really, really wanted to. Achievement unlocked: Patience.

A number of months later, I was browsing my Ravelry Favorites, saw the scarf, and the old love was renewed. I decided to take up the quest again.

My English-speaking friend's scarf.

By this time, the number of completed projects had more than doubled and - lo and behold - there was one in English. I emailed the English-speaking knitter and explained my plight. I told her that, if she could just provide me with the stitch pattern, I could fake it from there. Again, it's just a scarf - a great, big triangle. Unfortunately, she had just moved and couldn't find her notes so she attempted to remember it as best she could. She provided a couple of very valuable pieces of information that helped explain the elusive stitch pattern. Unfortunately, once I started knitting, it was obviously not quite right. First Actual Attempt: Fail

Now I was obsessed. I wracked my brain trying to think of ways I could get my hands on an actual copy of the pattern. I could deal with translation after the fact. I thought of friend-of-the-blog, @pinkundine, a crafty-blogger who lives in the UK. Maybe, just maybe, closer proximity to France could facilitate securing the pattern. So, off went a long, convoluted email about my quest and, while she couldn't find a way to purchase the pattern for me, she did LOADS of internet research in an attempt help. Honestly, she went above and beyond. Achievement Unlocked: Secured Awesome Crafting Friendship.

Finally, Cassandra said to me, "Doesn't your friend Mary speak French? Why don't you have her call the shop and see if she can convince them to ship internationally?"  *face palm* How could I have forgotten that one of my best friends in the world is a proficient French speaker (although she claims her French is "bad"). So, one morning after brunch I asked. She looked at me and said, "Why don't we just ask Carrie to pick up a copy for you at the shop? She'll be here in a couple of weeks and she can bring it with her."

Seriously....my head nearly exploded. It's one thing to forget that you have a friend who speaks a foreign language. It's entirely another to forget that you actually KNOW a person who lives in the city that you need something from. And, she was traveling to us within two weeks. Could it be more perfect?

Mary emailed Carrie. Carrie agreed to secure the pattern for me and bring it with her. This past Saturday, at exactly 7pm, I completed my quest. The pattern is mine. QUEST COMPLETE!

Now, I just have to get it translated*.

- Alex

* If any of you know of any proficiently French-speaking knitters, PLEASE get them in touch with me. Thanks.

Craftsy

The other day Alex and I were turned on to something new. It's called Craftsy. Sort of like Ravelry but multi-disciplined. Along with knitting and crocheting there are projects for quilting, sewing, jewelry making, paper crafts, and more. I know, right! I've also been waiting a long time for this concept to show up on the interwebs.

{As a graphic designer, I will say I'm a fan of their brand. It's retro but not over-done.}

I have set up a free profile for myself but haven't had a chance to add recent projects or patterns in yet. It's going to be fun to have profiles for my quilts, embroidery, etc. There is more to my life than knitting :)

I couldn't find an actual launch date on the site, but some of it is still in Beta so I assume it hasn't been around that long. There are a few areas that I think are sort of weak, but I assume those things will be hammered out in due time. For instance, I want an easy way to search (by name) for my friends who also joined Craftsy and be able to see what projects they have going. You can "follow" crafters once you've found their page, but there is no people-finder search option. I have no idea how to find Alex who is also a member. Marco....

Craftsy project search bar.

The absolute coolest thing is the online class hosting they provide. Wow! If you want to learn how to knit socks, make wire wrapped jewelery, or machine quilt they have a class for that...and more. Each class is priced differently but $29.99 and $59.99 seem to be the norm. There is a preview of the class to give you a taste of what it is like and once you've registered for a class it will always be available for you to replay the lessons. You have access to the instructor and according to Craftsy, they will respond in 1-2 days. I am all over this class thing. As a mom who is often tethered to her house, the ability to sit down and take my class at midnight is really appealing.

Online classes splash page.

On a less-expensive note, their "Workshops" tab is a neat idea. Tutorials on any project under the sun for somewhere between $12-$15. And, like the projects section...users can submit their own tutes for purchase.

Let's face it, no one has a better online experience than Ravelry. User-friendly and seemingly unbreakable. They have us spoiled. But I think I like this Craftsy idea. And kudos to them for trying to find their own way of doing things and not just ripping off Ravelry's format. I'll give them a whirl.

–Cassandra

The Definition of Distraction

Yeah...I have a lot of stuff I need to be doing right now. Sewing projects are half-baked, pattern designs need completion, supplies must be sourced, yada, yada. So what am I actually doing? Starting a Beekeeper's Quilt.

Photo of a finished quilt courtesy of Tiny Owl Knits.

I spent some time browsing Ravelry last weekend and stumbled upon this curious pattern. In short, it is a knitting pattern that appeals to the quilter in me. Each little honeycomb hexagon is knit separately and then tossed in a basket until you have enough to assemble the quilt (384 yikes!). I love the idea of little portable bits of knitting to keep in my purse for down times. I have always envied sock knitters and their portable projects!

This is a baby sock I abandoned 5 years ago...when I decided it wasn't for me.
Yarn will be re-purposed for the quilt.

Speaking of not sock knitting, I occasionally have a moment of insanity when I purchase sock yarn. It's usually the siren song of the pretty colors and soft fibers. It's when I get into full justification mode where I tell myself I will double it and use it for a scarf, or maybe some lace knitting. And then it sits in my yarn box. Forever. So, another reason for loving the pattern is that I can use all of the sock yarn I have on hand for this and it still won't be enough. Great stash-buster!

Sparkly pink sock yarn I bought ages ago...because it was pink and sparkly.

 This project is so darn cute! I am not the only one who thinks so. As of today, Ravelry has 1522 active projects for The Beekeeper's Quilt. Pretty awesome considering that the pattern was published in July of 2011. Way to go Tiny Owl Knits!

I am looking forward to seeing how I customize this project as I go along. The pattern really lends itself to embroidered bits, interesting color choices, shape, etc. I plan on taking my time with this...just picking it up here and there...letting it evolve. Love.

Tiny Owl designs some of the most fanciful and charming knitting patterns I've seen online. Very clever, lots of attention to detail. Take a look and a listen. The designer, Stephanie Dosen is an incredible professional musician as well.

–Cassandra

Speaking of owls...

Oddly enough, I have another owl project to share with you today. I actually finished the Owls sweater (by Kate Davies) for my teenager about a month ago. The short review: I love it!

Cammy loves her owl sweater!

This pattern had been in my Ravelry queue for quite a while. I hemmed and hawed about making myself a pullover because it is just not practical for someone who works in an office. There are two temps at my place of work: freezing or boiling so cardigans are generally my sweater of choice. I was bummed because these owls are so damn cute! And then my teenage daughter saw the pattern, and fell (like a ton of bricks) in love.

I ordered the yarn spec'd in the pattern, Rowan Purelife Sheep Breeds Chunky, in Steel Grey Suffolk from Webs, one of my favorite online yarn resources.

I got the package of yarn in the mail and tore into it - ready to get started on this fun pattern. Immediately, I loved the color...then I noticed...the smell. Yeah, when they say natural, undyed yarn, they ain't playin'. This stuff smelled like a barn. I was sort of horrified that I spent so much money on yarn that stank up the house and, while I figured I could handle working with the stuff, I couldn't imagine my daughter being willing to smell like a farm animal. I'm pretty sure her boyfriend wouldn't appreciate it either.  So, I called the good folks at Webs at told them my dilemma. They hooked me up with a fiber expert who explained that this particular yarn could be a bit "sheepy"(yeah...they aren't kidding) and that I had two options: I could exchange the yarn for something else, or, I could keep it and wash my finished garment in Dawn dishwashing liquid. I decided to take my chances with option two and I'm glad that I did.

This yarn knits up like a dream. It feels great in your hands and, after blocking, relaxes into shape beautifully. Best of all, the Dawn dish washing liquid did the trick - it took away about 85% of the smell. For what it's worth, I prefer to use a more environmentally friendly soap for my dishes but, in this case, I needed the degreasing power of Dawn to break down the lanolin so I relented and bought a small bottle just for this purpose. If anyone has any suggestions of a more "natural" soap that would have the same effectiveness as Dawn for this use, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Regardless, once the smell was minimized, I can honestly say that I would use this yarn again in a heartbeat.

I love these clever owls!

The Owls pattern itself is so much fun. First of all, who doesn't love chunky yarn and size 10.5 needles? I made good progress every time I sat down to knit. This sweater was done a lot quicker than any other I have knitted. The pattern itself was clear and easy to read, there is no wonder it is so popular on Ravelry (4226 projects listed!) If I make this pattern again, I might go down a size. The sweater is supposed to be form-fitting and it ended up a little roomier than expected on my daughter. But, she loves it and I loved knitting it.

So, you might be asking yourself, what took me so long to write about this? Well, blame it on the weather (we blame a lot on the weather in Wisconsin!) It's not easy to get a teenage girl to model a chunky wool sweater outdoors when it's 95 degrees. But today it is only 85 which means...picture time!

I made my child model this sweater in 85 degree weather.

Overall, for me, this project was a love-fest between the yarn and pattern. I definitely recommend it to all my knitting friends out there. If you are looking for a warm, cute pullover...give this one a shot.

Have a great weekend!

–Cassandra

It's a Love Fest

A little housekeeping to do before my post:

Don't forget to enter to win some yummy yarn! A skein of Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter Yarn in the colorway Woodsmoke could be yours if you do one or more of the following...

1. Leave a comment here on Monday's blog entry
2. Become a follower of this blog
3. Join our Mighty Distractible group on Facebook
4. Follow us on Twitter

Winner is announced Friday! Good luck!

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Last night I realized something as I was pouring over my project list on Ravelry. I never did follow up with you on my little boy cabled sweaters I knitted for the winter holidays. There was a promise of a follow-up here and I totally spaced it. Oops!

The perfect sweaters for spring...who knew?

But, it's actually okay. In Wisconsin May is chilly, so my littles have been wearing these sweaters nearly every time they go outside these days. Way more than they did over the winter months. I'm so glad I chose bright green and blue cotton yarn because it is so appropriate for spring. I think I might make this sort of choice again next fall when I plan their next sweaters.

The yarn, Classic Elite Provence, was spendy, but worth every penny. What a dream to knit. I have used cotton many times and this was by far the least "splitty". The colors were so vibrant and fun that I never actually tired of them after all those hours of cabling. And speaking of the cables, wow did they pop with this yarn. This was the recommended yarn for the pattern and I'm so glad I didn't try to substitute it with anything else.

This blue is amazing.

The pattern itself was just spot-on. All directions were clear and perfect. A FREE pattern (aptly named Provence Child's Pullover) published by Classic Elite. How awesome is that? The cables were simple and I think anyone experienced in sweater construction who wants to try their hand at cables should consider this pattern. It took some time to follow that chart, but the results are well worth it.

Loved the yarn and loved the pattern.... love the little sweaters!

–Cassandra

The Basics

Sorry for the darkness last week. Sometimes life gets complicated at Chez Ooo! Shiny!

In contrast to the complexities of life, today I'd like to talk about the simplest thing in the world... a knitted little stocking cap. I am just enamored with this FREE pattern from Lion Brand. It's called the Bunny Slope Hat. I have knitted it 3 times now (once because the first one was "lost" after a trip to the grocery store) and aside from the monotonous weaving-in of the loose ends from the color changes, it couldn't be a better way to get some instant gratification.

As you can see, the green cap has been worn and worn and worn again.

Along with having used a basic pattern, I also chose to use a workhorse yarn for these little hats. Spud & Chloe sweater yarn (superwash 55% wool/45% organic cotton) is just the perfect weight and warmth for this sort of project. Luckily, I have used this yarn for a lot of other projects so my stash is full of remnants that were the perfect amount to get the job done. Now, I will admit to having purchased a skein here and there to get my color scheme the way I wanted it though!

Thing 2 modeling his green hat and 4th of July pajamas for me today.

From what I have seen on Ravelry, a lot of folks are taking creative license with this pattern. Stripes are wider or smaller, less color or more color, and there is even one hat with an enormous pom-pon that is seriously cute.

Back when I was searching Ravelry for a the perfect hat pattern to match a new coat, I was surprised at how many didn't suit a little boy. So many were either too girly or too mature for a preschooler. I think it was the colorful stripes that finally sucked me in on this one. And, it's amazing to me that the simplest little projects seem to garner as many compliments as the complicated ones when we are out and about! This pattern is definitely worth a try.

So, for today, I'm keeping it short and simple. Tomorrow... who knows? ;)

–Cassandra

The Business of Knitting.

The vendors get me every time...

This past Saturday was the Madison Knitter's Guild Annual Knit-In. This is a one-day extravaganza of yarn hobbies - specifically knitting, crocheting, and spinning. There are classes and speakers and a nice-sized vendor room (which is the siren that hypnotizes me every time.)

The Madison Knitter's Guild has been around a while and has a large, active membership. As a result, they're able to attract incredibly good guests to their monthly meetings and nation/international yarn-centric folks for the Knit-In. Granted this doesn't mean much to the average bear but, if you're a yarn hobbiest, names like The Mason-Dixon Girls or The Yarn Harlot or The Team from Ravelry make you weak in the knees. These are our celebrities (among many others) and, because knitters are all pretty friendly, these folks are actually accessible while being famous within our community. This is a huge draw.

The Mason-Dixon Girls @ 2010 Knit-In (Madison)

This year's "celebrity speaker" was the core team from Ravelry.com. We've spoken about the site a lot here at Ooo! Shiny!  There are myriad reasons to sing the praises of Ravelry - not the least of which is how incredibly well-thought-out the site is - so the possibility of hearing the founders and operators of the site speak was pretty irresistible.

The lovely folks from Ravelry

These are, essentially, kids (well, they're about 1/2 my age) who came up with a good idea, developed it a bit, and then took its evolution so slowly that they were able to make good business decisions along the way. While stumbling forward they've kept their values and their humility and they are still seemingly shocked at their own success. And this is my one, huge complaint...

I realize that, when you're consumed by a project it's easy to have a skewed perspective, but it's really annoying to learn that they are SO humble about their project that they don't even seem to realize that they've changed the face of our community. I have no idea HOW they can't know this, but they don't - or, at least, they put on that they don't. As a business person, this drives me insane because all I can see is a giant pile of opportunity being approached with a very zen-like, slow-moving attitude.

I want them to have a little swagger and some better business acumen and make a boat-load of money. At this point, they seem so devoid of actual strategy (other than ensuring that the site stays free and that they don't bum anyone out) that I'm afraid that they're ripe for a buyout. And that would suck because we'll lose the one thing that makes Ravelry really different from, say, Facebook - the values of the owners.

Of course, the right buyer would make them really, really rich and, in the end, they really deserve that.

- Alex

Irons in the Fire

This weekend was two solid days of ADD. I couldn't seem to find a project that would hold my attention and that's just not (normally) me. Maybe it's because I'm excited about all the projects in my head... or maybe I'm overwhelmed with the stuff that really needs to get done. All I know is, I have five things in motion and none of them are near complete. To top it off, bouncing from project to project created an interesting comedy of errors.

Lets start with the Toddler Moc-A-Socs by Bekah Knits that I am making for the two littles:

This slipper pattern was calling to me from my Ravelry queue. It was the siren song of the "perfect little project" that would break the monotony of the large one I am working on. Friday, on my lunch hour, I ran to the nearest yarn shop and picked up some gorgeous Spud & Chloe yarn so that I could get started right away. I was motivated and ready to bang this small project out quickly. Ah...the best laid plans...

After dinner I got out my fabulous swift and ball winder and started winding the yarn. Yeah... halfway through the hank of yarn, the ball on the winder flies off and everything is a tangled mess. I thought, "hmmm, must be a fluke" so I just wound the rest of it by hand and set up hank #2. Again, flying yarn ball. And guess what happened on hank #3? You know I had flying balls of yarn everywhere. I'd like to point out that I have successfully used this contraption many times, so I'm sure it's user-error. Frankly, it better be user error or my love-affair with my swift and winder will be over.

Sadly half-hand-wound ball of yarn.

But, I wasn't daunted! I was going to cast-on as soon as everyone was tucked in bed. I went to get all of the supplies I needed and realized that I did not own a pair of #2 straight needles. Wa-wa-waaaaa. Another delay.

I finally got correct-sized needles on Sunday morning, thanks to my fabulous errand-running husband, and cast on Sunday night while watching TV. I knit two rows and decided that I was too brain-dead to start a new project successfully. So here is where it sits:

Yes, this will be slippers.

I have to admit, my enthusiasm for this project is waning a bit after all this. It's hard to stay upbeat when it seems like you're being thwarted at every turn. But, I will not be swayed. My kids feet are cold so I'm going get these done - eventually. (Hopefully before spring.) On a positive note, when I was feeling too beat to start the slippers, I was able to add a few inches on to my Vineyard Wrap during TV time. So, you know... I got that going for me.

Vineyard Wrap at 17 inches.

In addition to these two knitting projects, I worked on three sewing projects this weekend as well. Because this post is getting a bit long, I'll share those with you later this week. However, let me leave you with this... even an experienced seamstress of nearly 20 years (that'd be me) can still manage to cut out pattern pieces upside down. And the comedy of errors continues...

–Cassandra