Ouch!

I thought I would get a lot of knitting done this weekend, because we were on an antique car tour.

This is our 1907 Franklin (with my daughter in the front seat and my oldest son and nephew in the back). We joined about 20 other very early cars for a Horseless Carriage Club tour in Superior, WI and Duluth, MN. Most of the time I rode with my other son in another car, because we didn't have enough room in our car to carry everyone.

I got quite a bit of knitting done on a new sweater out of orange Berroco Touche (you may recall that originally I had tried to crochet a pattern from the newest Berroco crochet booklet out of this yarn, but the pattern was incorrect - Berroco sent me a hand-drawn chart with the correct pattern, but they have yet to put written errata on their website and I'm just not proficient at reading crochet charts). However, much of it was done while I was in the emergency room after ... I broke my leg!!

I took a little spill down a water runoff on a slope near the shore of Lake Superior and broke my tibia about 3" above my ankle and sheared off the back of my ankle bone. I'm hoping to get lots of knitting and needlepointing and crocheting done while I recuperate!! (There's always a silver lining...) I don't have a cast yet - just a splint, because I have to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to find out if I need surgery. I hope I don't and that they can just cast it up and send me home!... I'm going to be fine, but there goes my trip to Disneyland with the kids in August as well as the Nike Women's Marathon that I was going to do with Team in Training in October. Sigh!

A Star is Born

O.K., maybe a bit player is born! I woke up super early yesterday morning (3:50!) so I could go and participate in a promo on the KARE 11 morning show for Stitch N Pitch. If you don't know what Stitch N Pitch is, check out The National Needlearts Association for more info across the nation or the Minnesota Twins website for the Stitch N Pitch event on Sunday, July 22, at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

I'm the one in the red shirt behind the guy with the blond hair (Steven Berg from The Yarn Garage who was immortalized today in the Star Trib). The only person interviewed from the group of stitchers was the little girl on the left who surprised the interviewer by answering the question of what she was knitting with "A hedgehog." You should have seen the look on the interviewer's face - it was classic: skeptical, amazed, etc. I was happy I had brought a few props along, because not only did we get the hat my partner Cis made for TC (the Twin's mascot) on air, but they also talked about our Twins tote during both segments!

Crocheted Bowl #3

The 3rd rendition of the crocheted bowl didn’t turn out too well, either – at least not how I had hoped it would! It’s not terrible, just not right. Not only did the bead wire not work exactly as hoped, but I still can’t seem to get the shaping right so it will look like my MIL’s bowl. I need to have a much steeper decrease after the widest part… I went to the local craft store and picked up some hollow tubing that is used to make those plastic tube bracelets that teenagers wear, and I’m trying the 4th version with that. I will work on the shaping again, too.


Here’s a needlepoint canvas that I’ve been doing. It’s 13 mesh. I’m using primarily Silk & Ivory threads with some Kreinik braid and Rainbow Gallery Frosty Rays for the bird and other things. I think it’s rather cute!

I have a few (!) other projects I'm working on which I'll show over the next few posts.

Hey, has anyone seen the new Harry Potter movie? I'm going tomorrow - I hope!

Happy Independence Day!

For all of the Americans out there, Happy Independence Day! We have not decided on our plans for the day, but I'm happy just sitting and stitching.

I am currently working hard on my crocheted bowl that I started a while ago. In case you don't remember, this is a bowl I am trying to design based on a bowl my MIL wove when she was in college (see photo at right). Originally, I thought I would crochet it (out of Noro Kureyon) with a largish hook (L?) then felt it, but that attempt wasn't too successful:

Next I tried to go down to a J hook,

which was better, but still floppy:

So now, I'm using a D hook and I'm carrying along some jewelry/beading wire (Soft Flex Medium - 49 strands). I was given the idea to carry along the wire by our Karabella rep, Kathy, whom I was telling about the original woven bowl. She asked if it was woven around some basketry fiber, and I said I didn't know, but it put the idea in my mind! I'm about half finished with the bowl; we'll see how it goes!

Finished Objects (Sort of...)

Here are two more finished objects of mine:

This is my version of the Bangle Bracelet, a free pattern on Knitting Daily. My yarn was thicker than what the pattern called for, so I only ended up with four squares. I used Needful Yarns Dubai Stretch, so it's easy to fit over my hand. I'm not sure if I love the colors, so I'm doing a 2nd one with smaller granny squares and without the pale blue.

This is my crocheted sock that I finally finished, but alas the foot really is too long, so I've ripped it out past the heel, and I will be redoing it. It worked up pretty fast - that is when I actually worked on it, so I don't feel too bad about ripping it out!

Finished Needlepoint

I posted not too long ago that I've been having problems finishing things, so I'm excited to say that I finished a little needlepoint canvas yesterday. It's a Kathy Schenkel mini-stocking:

There will be a cute longhorn steer to go inside the stocking, and the whole thing will be made into a fabulous Christmas tree ornament - and some lucky relative is going to get it for Christmas! 'Nuff said.

Of course, because I finished something, I had to start something... Sigh! I started the fabulous Bangle Bracelet pattern from Knitting Daily in Needful Yarns Dubai Stretch - which is a bit too large for this pattern, but at least I won't need to make as many granny squares!

More Garter Stitch Please

No, I haven't finished the Maude jacket... Or the Colinette shawl jacket...r the Kaleidoscope Tote... Or the crocheted hat made out of hemp... Or my 2nd needlepoint gift stocking... Or the Sunrise Circle jacket (which just needs to be sewn up for goodness sake!)...

BUT I have started something new!

It's the Ty-Dy bolero from K1C2. I've already finished the other front, and after my daughter's soccer game last night I'm almost finished with this front, then on to the back. The skeeves are incorporated into the front of the sweater, so I won't have to do anything extra there. I think I can get this finished & up in 3 Kittens pretty quickly.

But, I do need to finish the Maude jacket, because we have a class starting next week, and because we don't have a sample up in the store, I don't think we've got any takers yet. Unfortunately, my sleeves ended up way long, and I have to rip out the seams and the sleeves themselves and redo them, and I just haven't had the time to do that. SIGH! Maybe tonight. Here's what it's supposed to look like when it's done:

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Did you know that today is World Wide Knit in Public Day (or wwkipd)? So get out there and do your stuff! And, if you're a crocheter or stitcher and not a knitter, get out and do that instead. If you're in the Twin Cities, come by 3 Kittens and sit on our porch while you knit and enjoy some lemonade (or iced coffee from TK's which is just three doors away).

While I was at market last weekend, I took a class on how to reach out to teens and tweens for our store, and one of the key points that I took away was that young people (as well as not-so-young ones, I bet) need to see people doing their craft or wearing their products many times before they get the "bug." So spread the gospel of knitting, crocheting or stitching today!

Maude Jacket

I'm back from market. I got to meet more celebrities - Sasha Kagan who has a wonderful crochet book coming out and Adina Klein the new editor of Vogue Knitting, plus the brains behind the iKnitiative collection, Natalie Wilson.

While I was there, I worked steadily on the Maude jacket by Pam Gillette. Pam is the owner of the blog, Knotty Generation, and a fantastic designer. I am happy to say that we are in the process of coming to terms on bringing her design talents under the umbrella of 3 Kittens Designs. The first design that we will be publishing is her Maude jacket (which is currently available on her website to consumers, but will be available wholesale through us). I almost completed the jacket - it was a fun, quick project to crochet. Very simple, yet elegant. I stayed up late one night trying to get it done so I could wear it the next day, only to realize I still had one section to crochet. So, it's still not done. But it should be in a day or two. Here's a photo in process:

Of course, I should have been working on my Colinette 'Rossetti' shawl jacket

which is supposed to be done this weekend for a wedding (my sister Jenny's in San Antonio). Looks like I'll be looking for a new dress this week, since there is no way I'm going to get the shawl jacket done... SIGH! Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

Wish You Were Here

God, I love being a yarn store owner! My partners and I are at The National Needlearts Association (TNNA) trade show this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. I can't believe the incredible number of inspiring products I'm seeing. I want to crochet and knit and needlepoint and punch needle and... You get the idea! I'm exhausted but energized at the same time. I got to meet some wonderful designers ("rock stars") in the knitting and crochet world. Probably the neatest for me was the editor of CrochetMe.com, Kim Piper Werker, who is having her first book (aptly named Crochet Me) this fall. She was super friendly, and I was able to tell her how I've blogged about her e-zine right here. I hope she'll be able to come to the store as part of her promotional tour. Second would have to be Nicky Epstein, although I've met her before (but, sigh, she didn't remember me - go figure...). She's a delightful person. I also was lucky enough to meet Lucy Neatby, Debbie Bliss, Louisa Harding, Iris Shrier (sp?) and Jane Ellingson. And, I'm sure I'll get to meet others tomorrow.

What fun!

One of My Many Projects

Here's a photo of one of my hundreds (o.k., it's probably only in the tens) of projects:


This is a Kaleidoscope Tote pre-felting. As you can see, I have a long way to go - one more side, the rest of the front, the back and the handles. And, it all has to be done by Wednesday! EEK! But, I can do it!

Projects

The only excuse I have for not posting in so long is that I've been busy working on various projects - none of which are complete yet! SIGH! This past weekend, I went on a private train ride from St. Paul, MN to Rock Island, IL. It was a dream! I knit and crocheted the whole way there and back. Here's a photo of me crocheting away:

I was working on a sweater from The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller in to-die-for Louisa Harding Grace (silk & wool). It's so yummy to work with!

I would also show you a picture of the 'shawl jacket' I'm doing out of Colinette Tao Silk and Parisienne (a mohair blend), but my DH apparently took the memory card from my camera to work. I worked on it for most of the trip - more than the crocheted sweater. I have a deadline for it - June 9 for my sister's wedding in San Antonio, TX.

Besides those two projects, here's what I'm working on:

• A Kaleidoscope Tote in Manos (deadline of June 1 so I can carry it around at The National Needlearts Association market in Columbus)
• An Einstein Coat from Sally Melville's The Knit Stitch for the 3 Kittens Knit-Along
• A Kathy Schenkel needlepoint mini-stocking for my sister-in-law for Christmas
• The Curtis sweater from a Berocco crochet booklet (which I am waiting for the errata on; Berocco has sent me the designer's hand drawn charts, but I'm not adept enough at crochet to be able to figure that out)
• The Sunrise Circle Jacket - just needs to be assembled
• Crocheted socks from www.crochetme.com
• ? I'm sure there's more, but I just can't remember right now

So, I have been busy - just not posting!

Forgive Me

Oops! I've forgotten to post anything... Really, I just haven't had time. I've been too busy knitting and crocheting and working and chauffeuring the kids and ... Well, you get the idea.

I'm excited to report that 3 Kittens is getting Pam Gillette, the owner of the blog Knotty Generation, to teach some fun and fabulous crochet classes. We're meeting with her again tomorrow to figure out exactly which classes we want to put on the schedule over the next few months and into fall... I personally want to take every class she does!

Here's one of my latest forays into crochet. I'm trying to copy a woven bowl that my mother-in-law did while she was in college:

I just fell in love with the shape of the bowl. The colors are great too, but I only wanted to use a single hand-dyed yarn rather than several solids, so I decided to use Noro Kureyon in my attempt to copy the bowl using crochet. I worked on the bowl in front of my computer so I could type in the pattern as I went. I made it fairly loose, because I thought felting it would be a good idea. So, here's my first attempt at the covered bowl (please keep in mind it's a first attempt!):

Sad, huh?? O.K., so I've bought some more Kureyon (different colorway), and I'm going to have another go at it. I've decided not to try to felt it, because I think the fabric was pretty nice before felting. And, I will be doing it on much smaller needles to get a denser, more sturdy fabric that hopefully will hold the shape of the bowl better. Wish me luck!

I'm also working on a Twinkle pattern from the current issue of Vogue Knitting. Of course, Vogue doesn't have a photo of that particular sweater on their website, but it's coming along very quickly. All of the Twinkle patterns do, since the designer only uses big needles and her own yarn (now that she has a line of yarns through Classic Elite). The sweater that I'm making uses 4 strands of Twinkle Cruise, a cotton/silk blend on size 13 needles. Unfortunately, Twinkle generally doesn't design for "big girls," so this sweater won't fit me, but it will look good in the store!

Progress

I'm making progress on the Ultimate Crocheted Socks from CrochetMe.com:

Obviously, it's a toe-up sock! I've just completed the gusset portion, hence the increases near the top, and I'm about to start the heel.

I've also started a Kaleidoscope Tote. I've tried a couple of times to upload a photo of the tote onto this blog, but for some reason it's just not working. So if you'd like to see a photo check it out on the 3 Kittens Patterns page. I had some skeins of Manos that having been aging for a while in my cedar closet, so my colors won't be the same as the original, but I think it will look cool nonetheless!

Crocheted Socks???

I've decided to make socks again. No, not knitted socks - crocheted ones! EGADS! A week or so ago we got in a shipment of Regia sock yarns at 3 Kittens, and when I was scanning the new yarns into our POS system, I fell in love with Bamboo Colors. I can't find any great photos on the web, but here's a closeup of one of the colors, albeit not the one I'm making my sock out of: It is super soft and yummy to work with. The new CrochetMe came out on Friday, and the very first pattern is for toe-up socks:

I started the socks this afternoon at the store, and although I've ripped out once because they were too big, I'm about half way finished with the foot part of the first sock. It's exciting!

By the way, if you haven't heard, Kim Piper Werker, the founder and editor of CrochetMe.com is now the new editor of Interweave Crochet which is going quarterly. I love the newest issue of Interweave Crochet - especially the Fun in the Sun Hat (see my previous post) and the Beachcomber Tunic (for which I have yarn picked out and waiting for me to purchase). And, if CrochetMe is any indication, I think Kim Werker will do a fantastic job with Interweave Crochet!

Fun in the Sun Hat

I just finished the Fun in the Sun Hat from the new Interweave Crochet magazine. We only had one skein of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK at 3 Kittens Needle Arts, which was the yarn called for in the pattern. So I decided to make it out of Louisa Harding Nautical Cotton instead. Then when I got home, I realized that I didn't have the right size hook (G), so I ended up making it with an H hook instead. But the pattern was written in such a way that I was able to adjust the size according to the my gauge with the H hook very easily. Anyway, here's a photo:

This was a quick project (a few hours at the most), and I'm planning on modifying the pattern in order to make something similar out of Frabjous Fibers Hemp yarn. I think it will turn out like a crushable straw hat. Can't wait to do it, but I've got a felting project in the works right now.

And, I finished the knitting of the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I'll start to put it together tomorrow. I can't believe it's taken me almost a year to complete this project. But then again, I have made lots of other things!!

I Give Up

O.K., here's the question of the day (actually of the past month): what's worse, eating too much sugar or not eating sugar but eating everything else in sight and gaining 10 lbs? I've gone four weeks without sugar, and I'm fed up (no pun intended). I can't take it any more. I'd rather eat something sugary everyday than consume a large bag of potato chips, by myself, in the span of two days! Plus other stuff... It's just not worth it!

I hate, hate, hate the self-loathing that I experience about my weight. I want to be thin(ner). I have many reasons, some legitimate, some left-over from my eating disorders days. Right now, the main thing is that I'm going to be running the Twin Cities Marathon in October, and I would like to weigh less this time around in the hope that I can post a faster time than my last marathon. The other looming reason is I have to go to San Antonio in June for my youngest sister's wedding, and I just don't want to be "fat." That is not really a legitimate reason in my book - trying to look good for other people. Why should it matter what other people think of my appearance? Finally, although my blood pressure is looking pretty good these days, I would like to have it consistently low so I can get off the blood pressure meds.... On the other hand, I would like to accept myself the way I am. Why can I not just look at myself and say, "You look fine. And look at all the things your body can do - run a marathon, get your black belt, play 'abs of steel' with your kids." Or even better, "I love myself just the way I am."

So, what's a girl (me) to do? I'm not having luck with the no-sugar thing or with Weight Watchers. I think I have to just concentrate on portion control. Eat what I want, but eat it slower, with more thought and enjoyment, and slower. And practice self-love or affirmations or something.

Requisite crafting content: I ripped out the crocheted cardigan last night after actually measuring the back and finding out I was TWO inches larger than I was supposed to be. I'm almost back at the place I ripped from yesterday. Thank God crochet goes so quickly - and that I am a process person not a product person!

Crocheted Cardi

I've been working on the back of the Berroco Touche crocheted cardigan. It's pretty fast going, although I still haven't figured out how to measure my gauge with crochet. It's not as clear cut as measuring knitted fabric. Anyway, my gauge on the back is off by about an inch. I'm not too concerned about it since it's going to be a store sample. I'm making the smallest size anyway, so it's not meant to fit me.... Besides bright orange would not be my first choice for a color, but Janine (our right hand woman at 3 Kittens - what would we do without her?) suggested doing it in a color that not everyone would like. Her philosophy is that if someone likes the sweater despite the fact that it's an unappealing color (for that person), they will buy the yarn to make it in another color, and if someone really wants orange, we can always order it for her. It really is a lovely orange - the photo doesn't do it justice, but I'm not really an orange wearer. I will wear orange if it's combined with something else though. And I could see this sweater with a simple white t-shirt or cami underneath.

Skinny Linny

I finished my linen stitch scarf - finally! I love it. I think I'll wear it to work on Monday... I haven't written up the pattern yet; that's next. Although, it is a very simple pattern, knit length-wise on large needles with a linen stitch. I used 5 colors of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk - it was wonderful to work with! (Plus, there's lots left over to make a hat if I want.) It will be a store sample at 3 Kittens, and we'll probably have it as a free pattern with purchase of yarn to make it. Plus, I might do a class out of it. I used an interesting cast-on for the scarf - a chain cast on done with a crochet hook and a knitting needle (although any cast-on would probably work, I liked the look of this one for the project). And, I did the cast-off in a different way as well (once again, the normal cast-off would probably work, too). Plus, the linen stitch, while fairly simple for those who have used slipped stitch patterns in the past, can present some problems for newbies. So, I think it could be a fun class to teach.

Now, I have to decide what to do next - work on the Sunrise Circle jacket or start a new sample for the store. I brought home a beautiful orange Berroco Touche today to crochet the Curtis sweater. But I still have the crochet sweater from Happy Hooker to do as well. Plus, of course, there's always the 7 year afghan and the Macalester College scarf and...

Wrists & WW

My wrist is sore! UGH! It started hurting yesterday as I was crocheting in the car on the drive from Tucson to Phoenix. It's been hurting ever since. I've never had carpal tunnel symptoms, and I'm hoping that this isn't the start of that. No knitting or crocheting for me today - and I am wearing a brace; however, I have been on the computer much of the day which hasn't really helped!

Started Weight Watchers again today - and I'm a complete witch! Just ask my family. God, the first few days of a "diet" or "food plan" or whatever you want to call it are HELL. But, after seeing some of the photos from our trip and trying to fit into my summer clothes from last year, I realized I have to do something. Not to mention, that I would like to run my next marathon (Twin Cities in October) a bit faster, and the only way to do that is by losing weight and training better. Anyway, I've completed one day, and I'm going to keep at it, One Day at a Time. (I am still sugar free - tomorrow it will be 3 weeks!)

By the way, on our trip we did some geocaching. My sister-in-law, Kristin, had recommended it and brought along her handheld GPS. It was a blast. Basically, you go to the geocaching website, enter where you are (via zip code or latitude/longitude), and it will tell you the lat/long of a hidden cache near where you are. Then you go find it. Here I am trying to find our first one:

It took us quite a while to find the first hidden treasure (an Altoids box in a plastic bag), but we persisted. The "cache" is always a waterproof container with a log that you sign. People leave things in the container, and you can take something from the container if you wish as well. I left my business card in a couple of them. We found a cool thing in one (that's Kristin):

Can you tell that it's a Team in Training logo? Actually, it's one of the temporary tattoos that we put on our faces or arms before the race. Cool, huh?