Admire your work often!

I have been knitting and knitting these small stitches endlessly..... I decided to try it on my dummy and see how it was coming along deciding that I'm almost there. So I snap a couple of pictures for the "meticulous" records I keep and I turn the dummy around and......


I could not believe my eyes! Right in the front, not even in a spot that I could possibly live with but smack in the middle of "front and center"

Dropped stitches!
Not one or two but three!
Not a couple of rows ago but inches and thousands of stitches ago!
All garter stitch and I could not pick them up, I tried and tried....

How could I have done this and not notice?????


I have said this many many times to new knitters and yet I did not take my own advice!

I HATE when this happens but "oops I did it again"

The project is a top down raglan sleeve little sweater. The yarn I'm using is "Blue Heron" Mercerized Cotton. Love this yarn! I've made several projects from Blue Heron last summer I could not get enough of this stuff.

Amano yarn store had a very nice stock and I also bought some at the Fiber Festival at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The color is "kelp" actually looks a lot like seaweed similar to some other items I've knit I must like this color I keep getting it.

There is a 1,000 yards to a hank and I have two. Much more than I need for this project but we'll see what I can do with the left overs. I love the the silky smooth feel and shine of mercerized cotton and the garment it knits is really nice.

This was the last of my Blue Heron booty so I decided to knit a top down cardigan should be an easy knit and I'll just keep increasing until it fits. That is the nice part about top down knitting you can try it on and adjust your stitch count and make adjustments as you go. This is the guide I "loosely" followed. A very old formula but it works! Once I realized the simplicity of it I don't have to do much math, when you start seeing the logic of the stitch count you realize that all you have to do is get a gauge and the measurement and stitch markers and lots of knitting.

Then I decided to increase along the front also so my stitch count is growing rapidly, I love lots of stitches and the weight of this yarn. I'm using a size 4 circular needle and happily knitting along. Periodically I would knit it on to a 60" circular so I can try it on.

The Knit Pick's Options needles and multiple lengths is perfect for this job. But I got lazy and quit trying it on and sure enough there is a dropped stitch that I just can not pick up it is too far gone. Sh.....t!

Now I have to frog! Hours and hours of knitting.....So many stitches so much knitting...... ouch! and I have to go back! I was so close to finishing. Boo hoo! Oh well here it goes another lesson learned, how many times do I have to learn this lesson?

I've traced it back to knitting with a bunch of friends over at Stitches from the Heart yarn store. My favorite knitting hang out. Big table to sit around always fun people to gossip with and the conversation must have been so good that I was not paying attention to what I was doing.

Most of the time I pick out a project that is a "no brainer" to knit when I'm out because paying attention to counting or anything complex is hard when you are half paying attention. So again another lesson learned.



what is mercerized cotton?
Sometimes referred to in the crafts as pearl or pearle cotton. It is cotton yarn or fabric which has been put through a series of processes, primarily to increase luster. The added desirable water handling properties gained are a secondary bonus.
(want to read more? click here)

About wars......

Another anniversary..... we must never forget the pain and misery war is....

I have chased, clipped and felted and felted

I have been soooo busy torturing wool and felting that I've not had time to blog.

I finally chased down the sheep, cut their hair, beat the wool and voila my new hat.


(Well I could have. ;-) ........in reality I bought roving @ Amano the closes store carrying roving and wet felted the basic hat and just to give it a nice touch I needle felted the edges with Koigu wool sock yarn that I had left over from a pair of socks.




This is a combination Halloween and / invited to an afternoon tea hat.

I was invited to the annual Honoring the Volunteers Afternoon Tea at Stitches from the Heart. The invitation said for us to wear our best hats for the formal tea. Shish I don't have a "formal tea" hat! I don't go to that many afternoon tea parties especially ones that ask to wear a formal tea hat. As a matter of fact I can not remember the last one I was invited to. So I decided to make a new hat.

I'm looking forward to this event at Kathy Silverton's home, my fun roommate from the "Sea Socks" cruise we went on earlier this year. We had so much fun and enjoyed the cruise that we are planning another knitting cruise. But I digress.... The cruise is next year so I have plenty of time to write about the fab places we will be visiting to gather more wool.

As I was "sculpting" this hat it came to me that maybe I could combine the two events Halloween/Afternoon tea. It's almost Halloween and Ellen always has a wonderful costume and party at the original Farmer's Market and this year I want to make a costume and go visit and have fun with the fun bunch of knitters at the Farmer's Market.








Can you guess who I'm going to be?
clue she lived to the ripe old age of 101 and wore these great hats......

Nuno Felt Purse

Mongolian Felt Making

I got a new gadget....

Gravity Battery Operated Pepper Mill

Sleek and stylish, this battery operated chrome and acrylic pepper mill is one of the greatest gadgets I have. It makes grinding pepper easy as could be

Uses six AAA batteries and you turn it upside down and it grinds as easy as that. . Measures 7 1/2" tall. I'm ready to buy a second one in case they stop making them, you know how when you find something you really love and it breaks and you can never find it again. I got it at Bed Bath & Beyond, of course I went there to get something else then I spotted this thing and was sold on the idea of not having to twist or turn. Sometimes my hands are so tired from all that knitting and felting I do......


I love this!

Felted large purse.

I have a birthday this month and I made myself a present. I love the handles, here is the link for handmade leather handles. Knitted in the round no particular pattern and left over wool just washed in the machine until it wouldn't shrink any more.

My felting tips of course depends on the project but generally speaking I use the washing machine method. I use dishwater detergent, baking soda and I place "dryer balls"
and and old jean jacket with metal buttons.

The idea is to beat up the knitted piece as much as possible it's not really the heat that shrinks but the combination of high alkaline soap and agitation. Then I rinse with cold water. I do check after a few minutes to see how it's progressing.

Again this depends on the project and the fiber it's knitted out of and how it's knitted also if I'm wanting the piece to be exact etc. Felting is a lot of fun I did a lot of projects about a year ago, I think I'll do some more this year. I just looked up what I blogged about felting http://bananaknits.blogspot.com/search?q=felting

and yes it was fun, and lots of creative stuff can be done.


Leather Handles

I just got my Knit Picks catalog and they have a whole section in it on felting. Some really good tips they have two pdf files as a felting tutorial on their site looks good check it out. http://www.knitpicks.com/content/index.php/cat/felting/

Summer Knitting

Finished at last and have had it's "virgin wearing"... it's comfy and perfect for a little something for summer evenings. Each time I've worn it I've had lots of compliments so I feel it's a hit.

The yarn I used is cotton and I doubled the green lace weight mercerized cotton and the yellow is a textured sort of light cotton. Short sleeves, and a crochet edge, the gusset is crochet and allowed to have "vent" holes... and a nice mock mandarin collar.

I'm having a bad hair day

She is torturing me! She decided that our hair was too long and we needed a bath. So fine I have endured this torture many times before but this is outrageous! She decided that it would be easier and cheaper I suppose if she did it herself.

I do admit that the ride in the the car and going to the groomers is a pain and sometimes I do like to just get it over with and be bathed at home. But a hair cut? Please, I already have a hairdresser and he does a fine job thank you! Why oh why does she interfere? Why does she think she could cut hair? Ok she is a licensed cosmetologist but for humans which I'm doubtful about too.


So here we are like two "boobs" she is making us pose with our new hair. His looks better than mine, he has better hair than I do. His hair is straight my hair has a curl. I don't like curly hair I want straight hair. He is oblivious to the whole thing. Just sits there smiling and looking so proud that his Mommy cut his hair. That she loves him so much that she herself cuts his hair.


Fool that he is ........ I hate my hair do look at the top it's flat and my ears stick out too far! Does she have no sense of style? I want some height in the front!



The torture never stops. By the way you if in case you can not tell us apart I'm the one with the pink id tag. We are twins and sometimes people can't tell us apart. I can't imagine how this could be we are obviously totally different looking but I'm the one with the flat hair and the pink tag.

The Bitch.

"Seaweed" Tank top Finished.

It's hot and I wanted something new to wear. So here is the latest of my own designs. I really like the way it turned out. It's comfy & cool and got lots of compliments when I've worn it. For me I find that it's always "gamie" till that first washing. No matter how careful I am with washing some of my hand knitted garment's sometimes turn out terrible after the first washing.

The newness, the sheen sometimes is gone it's stretching which ever way sometimes it needs to be flat dried but some do better in the dryer. I'm going to try and wear this one a few times and not dig ditches while wearing it or work up any kind of sweat and maybe I can wear it in it's "virgin" state a few more times. Some just never recover that "virgin" state.


Here is the pattern:

Seaweed tank top, machine knit, hand knit and crochet.

Yarn I used was a silk and viscose boucle I got ten balls of from Yarns Unlimited they were having a summer sale 50% off @ 2.50 a ball so this project cost me about 30 dollars. The label did not have yardage printed on it and it was too delicate to drag through my yardage counter so I'm estimating about 90 yards per ball and it took 4 balls to make this top.

The rest of the yarn will be used to knit a shawl to go with the top, similar to this project.

The gauge worked out to be 35 sts = 11” with a T10 on the machine or size 10 needle. Crochet hook H.

I made it on the machine but this pattern could be translated to hand knitting.

Cast on 105 sts, every other needle on the machine.

Row 1 knit

Row 2 pull out all the needles to working position

RC 8 hang the hem
RC 12 full fashion decrease one at each end with the 3 prong tool
RC 16 –1 --> -1 (repeat to RC 64)
RC 24
RC 32
RC 40
RC 48
RC 56
RC 64

RC 72 decrease with the two prong tool 2 at each end and repeat to RC 84
RC 76
RC 80
RC 84 remove sts from the machine onto a size 10 addi needle (82 sts)

Hand knit: Purl 1 row
K 1, k2tog, k1, across the row
Purl
K 1, k2tog, k1, across the row
Purl
Knit
Purl row crochet off with an H hook

Crochet Single chain across for 2 rows and add the straps. 6” = 25 chains and 22 double chain back, and one more row of 22 double chains.

Finishing 14” side seam which leaves a 9” armhole.

Notes for hand knitting,

I have "hung" a hem and the way I've done it is to cast on purl one row and the next row is *k1,k2tog,yo* across the row.

Then knit about 8 rows depending how much of a hem you want and pick up and knit tog the yarn over "holes "

This may make sense to some but I'm sure I'm not explaining it correctly. I'll try and put some pictures up sometimes.

I hate the 4th of July

SHE loves this holiday and I don't know why. Probably because it's just an excuse to lay around and knit, just being lazy. I hate the fireworks! These humans can not understand that I do not know the difference between real gun shots and fireworks!

When I hear all those bang noises I always think we are under attack and I get SCARED! There I've said it, I too get scared sometimes. I try very hard not to show it but on the 4th of July I just fall apart.

Do you know what SHE did? Well there was this awful big bang as if tanks were firing at us noises so SHE picks me up and starts pointing at the sky! As if I could tell that those pretty colors and the big bang noises were related. What a fool, I had her carry me around and I am furry and hot right against her and she was hot as hell but I had her so bamboozled that SHE fell for it. I would cry and I would pant and I just had the most uncomfortable day. The only thing that saved it is the damn BBQ I got a few good morsels for dinner.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention the idiot neighbors that we have. They have absolutely no consideration for the poor animals around they insist every year to light fireworks in their front yard. Besides this being totally illegal and they have a bunch of little children and the children could get hurt too but somehow they just don't get it. Each year I watch the news and I hear about all those accidents that happen, children getting hurt having fingers blown off.... oh yeah nasty things but these neighbors of ours just don't get it. They still think that nothing like that could happen to them. OMG..

I will just tell you the biggest annoyance was the fact that my brother just slept through the whole thing. He did not hear nothing! The DUFUS he is and he just lays around and sleeps. Got to go now, SHE is knitting and I am hungry so I'm going to go and annoy HER.


The Bitch.

Frog it or finish it time...

I spent days and days sorting, yes sorting my yarn and UFO's. Finally I've had to come to the conclusion that I either had to finish some of these projects I started or the dreaded Frog word.

I'm having trouble with this, I always think I could change this and make something out of it. So I have a new storage box labeled Frog it or Finish it.

There now I will have two UFO area's the I am going to finish this someday and the F&F area. Now that is much better.

Now back to knitting.

From the Bitch

Oh no she is taking out suitcases again! She was just on a vacation! What? Why don't I get to go on so called vacations? God knows I need the change! It has been totally boring around here. She's busy all day the others just ignore me oh I'm so fed up!

You know the last time she left I did miss HER ! I was lonely all day, I had nobody to argue with! I had nobody to harass! I thought she was gone forever! I worried, I fret, she never called or sent post cards. All I could do was try and reach her telepathically but her telepahtic skills are really lacking. Then she came home at last. I was happy for a couple of days then she was up to the same old.....

While she was gone the house was a mess, HE did not do anything around the house! NOTHING! Did he think that the good fairy was going to come over and clean? No cooking delicious things hardly washing the dishes. HE puts dry food on the floor and says go eat it. Once in a while HE offers us a dry tasteless "cookie". Oy.... it tastes like sawdust. I like the little round ones with the paws on them he just doesn't get it.

Mommy bought a bunch of chews for us so while she was gone HE could give us treats. Well you know what HE did? HE put the chewy basket on the floor and I just could not help myself and I ate them all! I kept thinking that maybe I should not do this but it was as if I was posessed! I ate one chewy after another until the basket was empty!

How could he do this to me? I have been gaining weight and struggling to exercise! Boy do I hate the E word, I would rather just sit around and rest, or sleep. Once in a while I will run to the door and bark and that should be my "cardio" for the day. Sometimes when SHE is around she makes us walk around the block and sometimes she yells hurry up and expects us to run! What is SHE crazy? Run why? But I do miss her when she is not here, besides some of the so called walks were fun.... HE never takes us for a walk...

I hope she does not go on vacation again so soon I don't think I can manage without my trained servant. She is starting to behave I know just how to get under her skin. My job after all is to annoy her as much as I can.

Frogging Fuzzy ain't easy....

For those who do not know the term "Frogging" it is when you rip it apart. Get it? The frog says "rippit" I thought it was silly but fun. And of course if you are "tinking" you are "un-knitting" which is to knit backwards.



I just can not get enough of "fuzzy" yarn. I used to hate fuzzy but now I love fuzzy. The reason I did not like fuzzy before was that it always got in my face. Tickled my nose got in my eyelashes and I found it annoying.

Not anymore! For some reason I am willing to put up with the fuzzy because it is so light weight and so warm. Sort of like really fine down coat, it's light weight and yet very warm. My new mohair/silk shawl is as light as a cloud yet it is so warm and cuddly. So I put up with fuzzy.

Now for the frogging fuzzy part, I am crocheting this new stitch I learned that I can't seem to get enough of lately but I digress. (Ellen Bloom sent me a link of this stitch and a very nice tutorial it is...) So now I'm crocheting this stitch into everything I'm making.

I got this ball of yarn from my friend Sandi and it is fuzzy but only one ball so I started this "diagonal" crochet stitch and decided my dog needs a sweater. The colors and fuzziness were perfect for her. She is not a very good model and kept laying down when I tried to fit her. No cooperation at all. So I over did it made the triangle part a little too big.

Now to frog.... oh my oh my.... a lot harder than I thought, but I'm determined. All those fuzzy little fibers love to stick to each other so frogging is actually taking longer than the knit. I will post my progress..... tune in again.... for the fuzzies.

My latest "lace" lunacy....

A couple of months ago I remember making a remark to my roommate on the Sea Sock Cruise that I hated lace! I told her "I don't like the way it looks it's seems silly and it reminds me of old ladies doilies. After all I'm not an old lady and I don't like doilies!"

Kathy just looked at me with why are you carrying on about lace? So ok then I'm not going to force you to knit lace!

Then all of a sudden I started looking at lace things and they somehow did not look like doilies anymore! As we were wondering around in yarn shops during this expedition I was determined not to buy anything new. My stash at home is huge and I am traveling and don't have much room etc.

But this one hank of yarn got me, the colors were beautiful and suddenly I was standing next to the cash register buying more yarn! And look at all those colors now how could I resist!

Here I am wearing my new "mohair" lace yarn to the cocktail party smiling happily with Mary Jane!




When I got home I started looking at more and more lace things bought a book, but those charts!

The one stitch that totally stumped me was Sl2tog-k1-p2sso so I had to abandon the simplest project the "easy" one!

Oh well I'm going to have to consult with an expert for this one, so I improvised and used a crochet stitch my friend Beverly showed me. She calls it a "no brainer" blanket stitch. But I'm not big on making blankets so I made a "lace" shawl... I must confess for me sometimes this no brainer took some brains!

The yarn is Rowan Kid Mohair so far 5 balls and I may need more...I think it needs to be bigger so I'm still working on it but here is the progress.

I have not blogged

But I've been knitting and touching yarn...... My life has been so terribly occupied with "life" that I just have not had time to blog. I miss writing about my knitting and showing off....


The yarn is a huge wool spool of wool boucle I got at Stitches From the Heart! It kind of looked scary and nobody wanted it so I got a really good price so I knitted this Sweater/Shawl sort of swing coat.

I knitted it on my machine and I designed it by the "seat of my pants" just started knitting and this is what evolved. It's a bit warm to wear right now but I know I'll get lots of wear out of it come this winter.

Maybe I could move to a colder climate so I can wear all these wool sweaters and socks I've been making. Hmmm.... but I digress....

Next ..... from some of the stash I bought in Canada. This is Fleece Artist "dreadlocks" poncho or at least my version actually it's more like a shawl. Size 17 needles knitted up in two days. 78% Kid Mohair, 13% Wool, 9% nylon 250 gm. skein.

Fleece Artist is my new favorite label I think the colorway of this shawl is appropriately called "Seas Storm". Well I was knitting on the high seas....

I basically started with 3 sts and just increased one stitch at the beginning of each row. Voila!