Below is a spinning wheel that one of the ladies in my knitting group is selling. Isn't it beautiful!? Oh my goodness how I wish I had the extra money to buy it. I need to go buy a lottery ticket and pray cause right now that is the only thing that would do it. Where is my magic wand when I need it. I really have to go and get that out of the shop.
I recieved this post by Barbara:
I need help! I am searching for a plastic pom pom which will make 4 inch Kitty heads, The one which was shown to me was a Boyle, but I have not located
Now I don't know where to buy one of these, but I have a solution. It is quite easy to make your own pom pom maker using cardboard. I did a search on the internet and found several websites giving information for making pompoms. Due to copywrite issues I can't just cut and paste the info here, but I can give the link. Fiberarts.com had the best directions and illustrations so Click Here to check it out. I hope this helps.
During the second meeting with my knitting group I realized that I was the only one knitting American. I asked the ladies why they preferred that style of knitting, and they said that they thought it was faster than American. When I first taught myself to knit, I tried both Continental and American. Knitting American seemed less awkward to me at the time, so I stuck with it. I knit to gauge this way, so I figured if it ain't broke don't fix it. I never tried the other style again. Well I'm always up for learning something new, so I decided to give Continental another shot. Man I tell ya it is like learning to knit all over again. I feel so clumsy and my stitches are all loose and uneven. I haven't reached the point where the needles feel comfortable in my hands, and it hasn't "clicked" yet. I figure if I practice a little bit every night, and I'll eventually get it. Fair Isle knitting is going to be my next endeavor, so I figure it is a good idea to get it down anyways.
I still haven't picked my 2x2 socks back up yet. I'm going to get back to them tomorrow. It was so weird going from knitting with size 0 needles to the size 3 needles I used to make my husbands socks. The size 3 needles felt like drumsticks. Anyways, I'm going to get back them tomorrow. I have about two more inches before I start the heel flap. I haven't looked ahead in the book but I can see how the flap is going to work. I can't imagine turning the heel though. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I always like to take new things one step at a time instead of jumping ahead. I will be posting pictures of my progress along the way.
I met with my knitting group again yesterday. I really enjoy our meetings. I have so much fun chatting and knitting with my new friends. A couple of the ladies in my group spin. One of them has been sending me a lot of information on spinning, and I am going to try it. She is even going to give me some roving to learn with when we meet next Saturday. She is sooooo nice. I had actually been interested in spinning for quite some time. I think it would be so amazing to spin your own yarn and then knit with it. Do you know that people spin with dog and cat hair? When I heard about spinning with dog hair I wondered if it would stink. I mean think about what a wet dog smells like. Everyone I have talked to said that it doesn't. I know one thing for sure. My cat Zoe sheds enough for me to spin and knit another cat! What I would really like to do is get some angora rabbits! I love angora yarn. I never buy it, because it costs way more than I can afford! If I get bunnies I can spin my own angora. I love rabbits anyways, so what is a better excuse to get some! If you want to see some adorable angoras Click Here. They are absolutely adorable.
I paused knitting my 2x2 socks for a couple of days so that I could finish a pair of socks for my husband's birthday present. Now I can finally scratch that off of my list. I started this pair of socks a long time ago but developed a bad case of second sock syndrome. I think he had given up on ever getting the second sock, so I decided to surprise him with it. He is away at school a lot, so I didn't have a problem hiding it from him. He almost caught me one time though. He walked right up behind the couch and was standing over me before I even heard him. Luckily he was looking at the TV and not me, so I was able to stick it underneath of an afghan! Whew! I'll post a picture of the socks soon. For now I am going to do some spinning research. Until next time...
Well I have foresaken all other projects to work on my socks. I am having a great time learning this new method, and I have now fulfilled one of my many New Years Resolutions. In case you don't remember the resolution was to learn a new knitting tec hnique. Well at least I know I accomplished one of them! I have to say, Queen Kahuna's book makes learning this very easy. Even though casting on was tricky I still managed to get it done. Here is what it looks like when you cast on.
This is my new project. I started it during my knitting group meeting Saturday. I am really excited about learning how to knit two socks at the time! I always get a terrible case of Second Sock Syndrom. Remember I suffer from KADD. Casting on was kinda tricky. I got my needles all screwed up the first time and had to start over. I think that I am getting the hang of it now though. The yarn I'm using is Lana Grossa Meilenweit Tweed. It is an Italian sock yarn that is 80% wool and 20% polymide. I am using two size 0 bamboo circular needles. I'm going to just do a simple K2P2 rib cuff since I have never knit socks this way before. I'm not ready to for anything complicated yet. I'll be posting pictures of my progress soon.
Yesterday was awesome! I met up with my new knitting group at B&N, and I had a wonderful time. The ladies in my group are incredibly nice and after knitting with them just a little while it felt like I had known them for years. I wasn't nervous like I thought I would be. At first I started working on my Large Origami bag, but I decided to start working on a pair of socks. I am learning how to knit two socks on two circular needles. I think I have Knitting Attention Deficite Disorder. I'm so serious! I can't just start one project and stick with it. I have to have 257 projects going on at once. I pick one up, put it down, and go after another. One project just doesn't hold my attention for very long. I think that is true of quite a few knitters. Anyways, I had a great time knitting with my new friends and I can't wait to meet up with them again.
After I left B&N I went to fill out all the necessary paperwork for the teaching job. I met with the manager and he seemed very excited that I was there. They haven't had a knitting and crocheting teacher for quite some time. I also met with the event coordinator for the store, and she seems to be very nice. I wish that this could be my only job but you don't really make enough money teaching there. Maybe I'll be proved wrong, but that remains to be seen. Of course, I hope I am wrong.
Yesterday I made a temporary stash enhancement. I went to the library and checked out some knitting books. One of the books I checked out was The Urban Knitter. I love the little Mary Jane shoes in there, and I am definately going to make a pair! I'm sure I'll squeeze them in somewhere! Who knows when I'll ever finish them though. My work in progress list grows and grows and grows as my time shrinks and shrinks and shrinks. Anyways, I'm sure I will be adding this book to my library. I love watching that grow!
I started a new knitting needle case. The person I am making it for sent the material in the mail. It is quite lovely. I decided to use "invisible thread" on it so that nothing will clash with the colors. I think it was a great choice. The only problem with that is figuring out the tension on my machine. It is an old Kenmore and I don't have a manual for it. It's all trial and error, but mostly error. I finally got it right and I am probably a quarter of the way through it. I'll post pictures of it when I am done.
Well it is pretty much done. I just have to get the buttons on it. Yay! I think it turned out pretty good. Now I have to find the perfect outfit to wear with it :)
I figured out the Attached I-Cord. Can I get a wooooohooooooo! It wasn't that hard actually. The directions were quite easy to follow, and it is moving along pretty fast too. I think this would be look really good as an edging for pillows. It kinda reminds me of piping. Here is a picture of the I-Cord in progress.
What it is...
I'm going to have my first meeting with my knitting group tomorrow! Yay new friends! I'm so excited. We are going to meet at B&N. I am trying to decide what I want to bring with me. I think that I am going to bring sock yarn and learn that new method of making two socks on two circulars. That way I'll be around other experienced knitters if something goes wrong. This will be the first time I have ever participated in a knitting group. I am both excited and nervous! What if they think I'm not knitting right?! Some of these people have been knitting for years, and I am somewhat of a newby. Well everyone of them I have emailed seems extremely nice, and I doubt they will judge my knitting in any way. My husband says that when he goes to play guitar with people that are better than him he feels the exact same way. I'll get over it. Well I'm off to bed. We meet at nine and I want to get up early to get organized! Soooooooooooo excited.........
I am working on my third Knitting Needle Case. I tell you what. Sewing is not easy! It really isn't! I'll take knitting and crocheting over sewing any day! I guess I'll get better with practice. I have the hardest time sewing a straight line. I had to rip out my work like six times today because my lines are all slanted. I guess practice makes perfect. Perfect is probably my problem. I am a terrible perfectionist, and I beat myself up over the smallest mistakes. I have always done this, and more than likely I always will. I seriously need to chill out! The cats are all running and hiding! Bring on the Valium somebody and make mine a double! Ha!
This video defies description. I can only say that there is a ton of knitting in it. You have to just see it for yourself! I got a real kick out of it! It's definately worth checking out. Click Here.
Hey guys! I just did some work on my blog. I hope you like it. Let me know if you think it stinks. I can take constructive criticism. If it stinks I bring the old layout back. Thanks for sharing :)
Some actually bought a needle roll from me! Can you believe? I can't! A nice lady from one of the knitting groups I am on saw mine and asked if I would sell her one. She told me what needles she wanted to put in it and I made it to fit them. I really hope that she likes it. I sent her a picture of it so she could see it before I send it off. I think that I did a great job considering what little experience I have in sewing.
Ok here is the needle case I made. As you can see it holds sizes 0-19. Now this means two more needles than usual because Brittany has sizes 10 3/4 and 10 7/8. This case is designed for needles 14 inches in length and the pockets are fitted. As you can see I have yet to complete my Brittany collection. Brittany doesn't make sizes 0-3 and 19 in this length so I will fill those spots with bamboo.
All you do is fold the flap over.....
fold it in half and tie the ribbon...
or you can roll the needles up.
It is easier to fit in my knitting bag when it is rolled. I am very happy with the outcome. Please let me know what you think of it. I absolutely love it. It is padded so it protects my needles and it is a great organizer. I am going to make cases for dpn's, circulars, and crochet hooks as well. I'm already working on the measurements for the crochet hook case.
I stayed up all night long and finished the needle case. I just got on a roll with it and lost track of time. I couldn't bring myself to stop and go to bed. I wanted to see it completed! That is just how I am though. When I get my mind set on something watch out! I'm not much for patience. The case turned out great. Now I just have to fill it up with Brittanies. I'm still missing a few. brittany comes in sizes 4-17 and so i am going to fill the 0-3 and 19 pockets wiht bamboo needles. Right now I have a mix of Brittanies, bamboo, and a couple of boyes. I wil try to post a picture tomorrow. I need some sleep! I'm going to go fall into a coma now. Goodnight!!
