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Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Hope Santa was good to you!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Bears For Christmas

The amazing bears that Teresa knit are almost ready to be a small child's Christmas gift from Great Grandmother Elaine.

Since Teresa knit a couple of dozen amazing bears, I got the easy part of knitting some clothes for three of the adorable little guy and gals.

The bears are waiting patiently beside their clothes that are drying from blocking.  The clothes might dry faster if my house were warmer but I did put the fan on.




This bear is going to a cute little girl.  Since it is going to a girl I assumed that it was a girl bear and made it a bright yellow sundress.  With bumblebee buttons.  For rainy (and snowy) days we have a yellow hat, a warm red coat with a hoodie, and blue galoshes.

The purple-blue overalls?  Oh yes, they are for Jimmy but don't tell him.  Yes the Jimmy who is on social security retirement.  But he needs a bear.

Here is a bear going to a little boy, so obviously he is a boy bear.  His overalls are the ones in black with the cute ladybug buttons.  The purple-blue overalls are still going to Jimmy.  And the green ones?  Oh those are for my favorite sister.  My only sister.  My dearest sister.  Teresa.  Notice the buttons?

The boy bear gets the traditional Paddington colors for his outerwear, a red hat, a blue coat with hoodie and yellow galoshes.  So perfect for a polar bear living in Texas.


And the third bear is going to another little girl, the sister of the first girl.  So a fun tangerine sundress  with butterfly buttons for the hot Texas summer days.  Plus a blue hat, a yellow coat with hoodie and red galoshes.

No I do not want you to point out the mistakes in that coat.  Not at all.  Please don't.  I feel bad enough as it is.

And you needn't point out that someone didn't finish sewing in the last tail in that galoshes.  It will get done.  Maybe.

Once the clothes are dry, perhaps I can talk the bears into modeling their clothes for you.

Then everything will go into packages and then into boxes.  And then to the post office.  And then to a loving home,  and under a Christmas tree and into loving arms.

Dena










Thursday, November 19, 2015

Done and Published!




This is Anna's Lace Sweater pattern.  Anna Zilboorg originally published this pattern in 2007 but it was only available at one small yarn shop.  It has now been revamped and is available on Ravelry for everyone!  It is a super quick and fun knit and it makes an attractive and comfortable pullover.  I enjoyed knitting it so much that I might just knit another one!

Teresa

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

No Knitting

Until tomorrow or the next day . . .

Here are some puppy pictures to entertain you until then.













Teresa

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Um, those socks have holes!



Both done!  Quick and fun knit.
Pattern is Hurly Burly from Claire Ellen's latest sock pattern club - Club Mac (for MacBeth).  
Finished just in time - next sock pattern in the club should be out tomorrow!

Teresa

Friday, October 30, 2015

I got mail!

These are my lovely new Dyakcraft Black Nickel interchangeable knitting needles! I think it might be time to start a new project!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Done!


Pineapple Socks!
Yarn is Knitter's Brewing Company Sockaholic in the Buttery Nipple color way.  They have discontinued this particular yarn but have three new fingering weight yarns and they all come in this color way.
Embroidery a la Anna Zilboorg's new book Splendid Apparel.  

Teresa

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Great Weekend

Gorgeous weather! October is my favorite time at the beach.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Another One



Getting ready for another big project.  I absolutely love this yarn - it's beautiful in these photos but even better in person.  Sadly, this indie dyer is out of business.  But her ex-partner is still around under the name Verdant Gryphon.

Teresa

Friday, October 23, 2015

Packing

Getting ready to head to the beach . . . I always pack the important stuff first.  
Now, to pack the dogs' things - last time I forgot beds and Casey was sad.

Teresa

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Blooming

 Three photos of the yarn I washed - to show the difference before and after.
This yarn was farm fresh and so still had a fair amount of lanolin.  It smells like sheep and you can feel the lanolin.  The washing had to be done so the yarn got a chance to 'bloom' - it opens it's fibers when the lanolin is removed and actually becomes bigger, fluffier and airier.  If you knit it 'in the grease', you need to be prepared for the gauge, hand and drape to change when the completed project is washed.
So, in the first picture, can you tell which is the unwashed hank?

 Here are a washed and an unwashed hank together.  
Can you tell which is which?

This makes it a little more obvious.  The inner hank is unwashed and the outer is washed.  The yarn in the outer hank is a bit whiter and a bit thicker.  It also has a very different drape.  The inner hank - the unwashed - is a bit stiff and greasy and smells like sheep.  The outer hank is fluffier, whiter, more flowing.  It still smells a bit like sheep but I'm so ok with that.

Oh, in the top photo, the hank in the middle on the top is the unwashed.  It's skinnier and more compact as a hank and the individual strands of yarn are skinnier and less fluffy.
In the center photo, the bottom hank is the one that has not been washed yet.

Teresa

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Coming Soon




My next big project . . . 
I still have one sock of one pair to finish (barely started), the foot of two socks (one heel is turned tho) and the sleeves of the green sweater . . . but I am planning for the next big thing.  The yarn had to be washed because it was farm fresh.  It bloomed beautifully.  When it is completely dry, I will take photos of unwashed next to washed to show the difference.

Teresa

Monday, October 12, 2015

Odd Beginnings make for Beautiful Endings!

Funnest sock I have knit in a long time - and a really quick knit too!  (That is only partly because I always knit two at a time.)
Front view - lovely lace with wide strips of openwork created by double yarn overs with two stitches knit into each.

 The lace detail goes all the way down the back heel flap. These are knitted top down - another thing I rarely do because I like to use every scrap of yarn.

Here is the cool thing - the sides have these lovely open bits that are brought together by cabling stitches.  What a fun idea!

 Close up of the lace in progress on the front.

And a view of how they are knit - a few rows in the front, then a few in the back then cable them together and start over.  

Super fun knit!  Pattern is Hurly Burly from Claire Ellen's latest sock pattern club - Club Mac (for MacBeth).  If you have even a few minutes, follow the link from Claire's name - she is a brilliant sock designer and her patterns are worth looking at!!!

Now to knit the second sock . . . . 

Teresa

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Odd Beginnings

First sock of a new pattern. It is odd but fun to knit and it moves quickly. More later. . .