The Agony of Defeat March 1, 2010
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting.Tags: Knitting
2 comments
No gold medals for me. I did not finish my mittens in time for the closing ceremonies.
I will finish them by the end of winter. I want warm hands!
How to make beaded stitch markers February 25, 2010
Posted by hollyspinner in Craft, jewelry, Knitting, Life, Tutorial.1 comment so far
Here is a nice little tutorial on how to make a simple beaded stitch marker. This is a great project to use up some of those left over beads.
Supplies:
- A jump ring – in a size that will fit your knitting needle
- A head pin
- A seed bead – with a large enough hole to fit the head pin
- A larger bead – for this project I used 6mm Red Howlite round beads
- Round nosed pliers
- Needle nosed or chain nosed pliers
The How-To
- Place the large bead on the head pin.
- Place the seed bead on top of the large bead on the head pin.
- With the round nosed plies made a loop at the top of the head pin.
- Using the needle nosed pliers snug the end of the head pin down into the seed bead.
- Open the jump ring.
- Place the bead onto the jump ring.
- Close jump ring.
That is all there is to it.
Make one, make fifty.
Keep them all for your own knitty project or give them as gifts to all your fiber friends
Tackling Hats February 16, 2010
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting, Tackle it Tuesday.Tags: Knitting
1 comment so far
Here is a project that I wanted to do and life just got in the way, ug.
A friend commissioned me to knit some hats (I am ashamed to say) way back in December. I should have set a deadline for myself at that time, but didn’t – lesson learned. Two weeks ago I realized that I needed to make some serious progress on these hats so I set myself the dead line of Valentine’s day. I finished. Ok I was sewing in ends at 11:00pm,
but they are done.
with yarn to spare
winging its way to Washington
Let the Games Begin February 15, 2010
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting.Tags: Knitting
add a comment
It is time for the Knitting Olympics hosted by none other than the Yarn Harlot – a Canadian no less. I am going to try to make the Bird in Hand mittens by Kate Gilbert. This is supposed to be a challenge, and my challenge will be finishing! I’ve tried these once before. In addition to the super spiffy metal button made for the finishers of the Knitting Olympics I will (finally, for the first time this winter) have warm hands. Woo hoo.
Knitting for Baby January 27, 2010
Posted by hollyspinner in book review, Knitting.Tags: book review, Knitting
1 comment so far
I had a package arrive on my doorstep, a late birthday present from my awesome brother. He had picked a couple of books off of my Amazon wishlist. Here is a little birthday book review
The first book I pulled out of the box was Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas
I love the layout and the aesthetic of the book. It has simple lines and a modern feel. There is a very informative how-to basic skills sections in the beginning with easy to follow drawings illustrating the text. The projects are arranged in order of complexity. All of them have great pictures, with clear instructions. I tried to pick just one favorite and it was really hard. I made the “beginner booties” which went well and would definitely make again. I really love the “baby’s first ball” and “baby’s blocks” which are both basically the same idea, but one is a cube and one is a sphere. There is a great variety of patterns. There are some sweaters, both for baby and mommy, toys, a diaper bag, mitts and booties. At the end of the book there is a list of yarn sources. Overall I think this is a well done book and would advise adding it to your bookshelf.
I found a button July 1, 2009
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting.add a comment
I’ve known about this website for a while. I had forgotten how incredibly helpful it is though. Check it out
But, but wait there’s more June 17, 2009
Posted by hollyspinner in book review, Knitting.add a comment
Due to baby and other stuff in my life I have basically ignored what is new out there in the fiber world at large. So I was perusing the knitting section at my local library and found a new domino knitting book Vivian Hoxbro. I loved her first book on domino knitting so much I actually own it. The second book is just as wonderful as the first, explaining the idea behind the project, giving a lot of jumping off room for one to make their own pattern, which I love to do. I am especially enamored with the sock/slipper pattern. I really like knitting domino knitting, because it is a bunch of little pieces of knitting connected together without seaming.
Then, as if that wasn’t fabulous enough, I found another of my favorite knitting books Mason Dixon Knitting at a garage sale. I was so excited. Then the next week I go to the library and there is the next Mason Dixon Knitting book. In this book I found a project that neatly solves a problem I have. The problem of too much undesirable wool – in natural colors. Added bonus it has an easy steek, so I can learn steeking as well.
Cold Little Feet June 11, 2009
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting.4 comments
I went to the Library yesterday so the daughter could get some summer reading. I dressed the little guy in pants with bare feet as I thought it was warm outside, but not warm enough as his feet got cold.
Inspired by his little freezing feet I went in search of a bootie/sock knitting pattern and found Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas. Fabulous book, by the way, definitely going on my wish list. There were two, yes two, bootie patterns, including the intregingly named pattern Stay on Baby Booties, as so many things don’t. I started with the beginner booties. They looked super easy with garter stitch back and forth then sewn up at the end.
I am just using some stash yarn left over from other projects. I should be finshed soon, then my little guy will have much warmer feet.
It’s back June 3, 2009
Posted by hollyspinner in Knitting, Life.3 comments
My creativity that is. After the last two, can you believe two, months of craziness I thought that I had lost my desire to create. Maybe it was being part of the creation of a new little life, having to wait thirty of the longest days of my life for that little person to come home and then remembering how to take care of that little life on zero sleep. Whatever it was, I had no desire to do anything creative, not knitting, not spinning, not sewing, not even counted cross stitch, nothing, zip, zilch, nada.
But I had to finish these socks. I had promised to make these socks way back in September and I had set for myself the end of school as the finish date. Normally it does not take me nine months to knit a pair of socks. These were really, really hard socks to knit for a number of reasons, most of which were emotional. So when I woke up on Monday, looked out my window and realized the trees were in full leaf and the lawn needed to mowed again that it dawned on me that it was summer, the last day of school was only 5 days away and these socks were still unfinished in my knitting bag. So last night I pulled out the socks, they only had an inch or so to go on the toe, and finished them. I felt such relief. They were done. Today I gave them to the intended recipient. Then I went to the library to get some knitting books. I enjoyed looking at the books. I even have an idea for a new project.
Here is a picture of that other little project I’ve been working on for, oh, the last 9 months or so:
Super Secret Christmas Knitting December 23, 2008
Posted by hollyspinner in holiday, Knitting.add a comment
Ok, it may be just a tad late in the game to be knitting something else for Christmas, but I don’t intend to actually finish it before the big day. I need the husband’s hand to finish.
I was talking with the husband about knitting projects and he said to me “Didn’t you promise to knit me a pair of 1/2 glove mittens (the kind where the mitten top can flap off)?” Well, I had. So I started these lovelies. I am knitting it out of handspun in a super tight gauge, then when all the knitting is done I am going to line them with fleece to make them extra warm.
Hollyspinner 