Let the Games Begin

8/8/08                                           

Today is the day we’ve been waiting for … when the world’s attention turns to marvelous feats of athleticism, sacrifice, sportsmanship and triumph, as well as agonizing disappointment, failure, dashed dreams and lost hope.  Yes, it’s time for RAVELYMPICS 2008, seventeen days and nights of backbreaking, finger-cramping, shoulder-twisting, wrist-wringing nonstop knitting and crocheting on Ravelry.

          

Your intrepid blogger, representing Team Blue Sky Alpaca and Team Junkie, will be going for the gold in the following events:

Sweater Sprint:  I’ll be casting on Friday at 8 a.m., as the opening ceremonies in Beijing begin, with my first entry, Blue Sky’s Eyelet Cardigan in Blue Sky Cotton, color Graphite.  Entry 2 will be Ysolda Teague’s Liesl, also in Blue Sky Cotton, color Periwinkle.  Entry 3 is the Betty Shrug by Kristen Griffin-Grimes from Vintage Crochet, crocheted in Blue Sky Alpacas’ Alpaca Silk, shade Blush.

Bag-n-Tote Backstroke:  My entry is Vintage Crochet’s Hipster Tote by Bee Clinch, crocheted in Malabrigo Organic Cotton, color Turquesa. 

Designer Discus, Pets Pommel:  Mmmm-Bop, my own surprise creation, a luscious, cuddlesome dog sweater knit in Malabrigo Merino Worsted, shade Cuarenta.

Homestuff Hammerthrow:  Both entries from Vintage Crochet. Entry 1 is Emma Seddon‘s Shelf Runner, and Entry 2 is Kate Samphier‘s French Press Cozy.  Both entries will be crocheted in Blue Sky Alpaca’s Sport Weight, colors Natural White and Natural Streaky Brown.

After I’ve knocked out these little items, I’ll wrap it up with several entries in WIPs Wrestling, attempting to finish up my Angelina Cardigan from White Lies Designs, on the needles coming up on three winters; my top-down Lily Cardigan by Marie Grace Smith, knit in Rowan Purelife and close to being done; my Brighton Cardigan by Martin Storey; and my Soda Bag, also by Martin Storey.

I’ll be posting each finished project, with at least one picture and (I hope) details, as the games progress.

Wish me luck!

8 a.m. EDT:  Cast on Blue Sky Eyelet Cardi simultaneously with real-time opening ceremonies in Beijing.

 

 

 

 

 

8/9/08

I’ve completed about 20 percent of my Blue Sky Eyelet Cardigan.  You’re looking at the back here, and I’ve just begun the armhole shaping.   Tonight I’ll try to get to the 40% mark (end of second of five balls of yarn), then on to WIP Wrestling with my Lily Cardigan.

           
 

8/11/08

Halfway through the Eyelet Cardi!  I knitted my little fingers off over the weekend on this thing, but I am loving how it looks and how quickly it’s going.  Today I’ll keep forging ahead, but also working on my Hipster Tote, a crochet project that’s a good break from all this eyelet knitting.  I got about a third of the way through one side yesterday.

Posies Are Cozy

No, I’m not ripping off Alicia Paulson, just paying hommage, though if I had to copy anyone, it would be Miss P.  What I’m doing is unveiling a fresh little solution to summer’s too-strong air conditioning: the
Basket of Daisies dog sweater, worn here by the always-willing Willie.

   

I had fun doing this one, as I do love the buttons, bows and sweet, tiny things.  (I’ve tried to trace this dog sweater love to something, and I guess it goes back to childhood, and my status as a professional doll player.)  Willie loves it, too.  Last night he grabbed the sweater in his mouth and brought it to me, as if to say, “Mom!  I gotta wear this!”  Now, that’s the kind of fan club I like.

   

The Basket of Daisies is knit in Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in three colors, along with a dab of my own stash, and decorated with an assortment of buttons and a tiny bow.  It’s an easy knit for an intermediate knitter and will fit any pup with a 10 to 18″ chest.  Willie says it’s just great for dozing on the back of the sofa, but he might just wear it to his birthday party, too.  For the FREE DOWNLOAD, visit my FREE PATTERNS page.

 

Party On!

BIRTHDAY BOY

Willie’s got a birthday next month ~ the big 0-5 ~ so we had to get busy knitting for the perfect party wear.  The result: my new Party Animal Dog Sweater Pattern, now available by following the previous link or clicking on the little thumbnail to your right under “My Patterns on Etsy”.

This little cutie is an EASY KNIT, a lightweight faux wrap that I made with two strands of fingering weight yarn held together and (I used Mondial Cotton Soft Speciale Baby Solid in Shade 916) and a novelty yarn for the trim (I used another Mondial yarn, Bolero, in Shade 964, a sweet rickracky, confetti-ish stuff).  It’s knit on size 5 and 8 needles and trimmed at the end with satin ribbons, like that kind you get by the roll at Jo Ann for 99 cents.  It’s sweet and soft, and Willie knows he’s the guest of honor when he wears it.

    

NOAH AND ME

We hate the hot weather, but we love the summer food.  What did you eat on the Fourth?  We had a little cookout planned (actually, for the Fifth, but who’s counting?), when Savannah’s skies let loose with a midafternoon monsoon.  The loudest thunder I’ve ever heard, and rain falling in sheets.  Some said there had been a tornado ~ maybe.  Our power went out, and we wondered how many others were in the same predicament.  (It gets awfully hot around here with no AC in July, let me tell you.)

After the storm, I ventured outside barefoot to find our neighborhood was under several feet of water!

  

That’s my corner on the top, and the second picture is of a car stuck in the water around the corner on Habersham Street, one of Savannah’s main thoroughfares.

We ended up having our little cookout anyway, as the grill was the only thing working normally, and the front porch was the only place to sit comfortably and feel a cool breeze.  The lights came on about an hour after we finished eating.  All I can say is, thank the Lord we didn’t have to sleep without AC or our fans.

YUM!

Which brings me to a favorite summer salad, for cookout or a quick lunch or anytime.  I cribbed it from Miss Angry Chicken, one of my favorite bloggers, a year or so ago. Chunks of watermelon, chopped fresh basil, lime juice, crumbled feta cheese. Yum!

Dog Days Sale

Giveaway, Little Doggies

Yo! I’ve been cashing in on some serious summer yarn sales myself, so I decided to throw a party at my Etsy shop to entice thank all my lovely customers … AND … to celebrate little Willie’s supporting role in helpinghandscrafts’ “Christmas in July” Treasury on Etsy. So honored! 

Here’s how the sale goes: For every two dog sweater patterns you purchase, you get a third pattern of your choice free.  Easy.  The sale will last throughout the month of July.  And, says Willie, “You can never get started too early on those labor-intensive but so precious Christmas sweaters for your best friend! Me, I just enjoy lolling about in the air-conditioning in my favorite summer-wear.”

(I’ll be adding another new sweater to the bunch over on Etsy tomorrow.  It’s all finished, photographed and written up.  Just have to type it in and get it posted.)

I Can See Clearly Now 

This is the new me, as opposed to the old me, the glasses-wearing me.  No, I didn’t get Lasik surgery.  I had cataracts removed from both eyes, the left on May 14 and the right on June 4.  I went from being legally blind in my left eye to being 20/20 in that one and 20/25 in the other.  Of course, I still have to wear reading glasses, and that is a total pain.  I get my final check-up on both eyes next week, and I’m kind of hoping the doctor tells me I could see even better with glasses, so I can go back to my trademark ’50s cat-eyes.  But it is absolutely wonderful to see everything again without a frame around it, to drive at night, to go to the movies without glasses, to wear eye makeup.  The procedule was nothing.  If you’re thinking of doing it, go for it.

Peaches ‘n’ Cream  

Here’s what’s on our plates lately ~ the best peach cobbler in the world, straight from Southern Living, of course. In summertime, I can’t resist those peachy peaches, so I make this yummy dessert often. Last week April and I made the first cobbler of the season, and when it came out of the oven, piping hot and smelling like heaven, we three devoured the whole thing before bedtime.

    

 

 

Isn’t (S)he Lovely?

Couple of weeks ago, someone on Ravelry posted her version of a Little Black Dress for her dog, a larger breed of some sort, probably a Lab.  The woman had decorated a black dog collar with various charms and trinkets, and it was adorable.

Since I’m blessed with a tiny dog, my Yorkie Willie, I decided to take the idea one step further and make an actual Little Black Dress With Pearls to fit the smaller breeds, and publish another FREE PATTERN for you here.  Willie spends a lot of time indulging his feminine side anyway, so he didn’t mind doing a bit of cross-dressing for the camera.  What a ham!

  

    

This is a really easy, quick knit, and this time I tried using an inexpensive yarn, Caron Simply Soft.  I was quite pleased with the results.  Both yarn and pearl trim ~ on sale a little while ago at Jo Ann’s ~ came in at under $5.00.  The free pdf download is on my FREE PATTERNS page.  Enjoy!

 

A Special Visitor

ABSENTEEISM …

Yes, I’ve been away, working working working on the dog sweater design I’m about to share with you.  But let’s face it ~ I could’ve checked in with you.  It was Spring Fever.  It was the 20th anniversary trip to Charleston (last week).  It was the 20th anniversary (this past Wednesday).    It was the daughter’s 16th birthday (yesterday).

It was just … I didn’t have anything to say, and what I had to say took too long to say in the time I had to say it.  Oh, well ~ forgive, ‘kay?

THE BIG DAY

Yesterday was April’s 16th birthday, and it was a wonderful day.  

My sweet, lovely daughter has been with us since April 5, 1994, when we went to China to adopt her.  She turned 2 and took her first steps while we were there, and the ensuing years have been a wonderful, sometimes painful whirl of two, ahem, older people trying to raise and handle a quirky, talented, intelligent little girl.  Now our baby is almost grown! (The Savannah Morning News told April’s story at age 6.)

I believe April had her best birthday ever.  She had a date with a special boy to have sushi lunch ~ he brought her chocolates and white tulips ~ and go on to the movies.  Since many of today’s teenagers seem to feel no need to learn to drive, these two included, Poppa chauffeured them around and brought them back here for birthday cake. 

Isn’t she cute ~ all 4’11” of her?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t met the boy before, and there was much advance cleaning and fixing up to get ready for his visit.  Here’s a picture of April’s room clean ~ take a good look, because you’re not likely to find it that tidy again soon.

That’s a reproduction of a Gee’s Bend quilt that I bought from Anthropologie several years ago.  The Jim Dine heart poster was in my Pepto Bismol pink studio apartment in New York before I moved to Savannah and got married.  The stick thingie propped on top of the bookcase is a voodoo doll from New Orleans.  And you can’t see the big birthday gift, a Nintendo Wii, on a dresser to the right.

 

THE LATEST PROJECT

It’s in the low 80s here, but I realize it’s still cold elsewhere, and there are plenty of little ones who stay cold year ’round.  So, here’s the latest installment in the puppy finery parade, pattern available by clicking on the thumbnail to your right under “My Patterns for Sale on Etsy”.

Fido’s Flower Garden 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your pup can welcome spring in this beautiful, intricately detailed embroidered fair isle beauty. Knit partly in the round with an off-center lace-trimmed “henley” neck, decorative button faux closure, and pearl-beaded highlights, this sweater will keep your pup warm while temperatures are still cool outside, and pretty as a posy.

For the intermediate to advanced knitter who enjoys detail work. Some embroidery, hand-stitching, beading and crochet required.

The sweater uses 10 shades of light worsted-weight yarn.  This one is knitted in Cascade 220 wool.

 

     

 

My boy is extra sweet when he wears this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting Leftovers = ‘Furrrocious’ Dog Sweaters Four Ways

FROM MOM’S LITTLE WRAP …

I’m an unabashed Rowan fan.  Give me most any Rowan pattern or any Rowan yarn, and I’ll be in heaven.  So when I stumbled on the delicious Ribbon Twist yarn from Rowan a couple of years ago in a series of patterns in Rowan 38, I ordered up some of this pretty yarn and made myself a “Charlotte” in the Ribble colorway ~ a soft sage green with strands of royal blue, turquoise and yellow running through it.  Here’s the little ponchette, one of my favorite wraps:

This took four skeins (for smaller sizes, it’s three) and was worked on size US 17 needles in about a day and a half.

When I found out recently that my lovely Ribbon Twist has been discontinued by Rowan, I snapped up some more ~ it’s a luxurious yarn, big and thick (2 sts = 1″), in an absolutely glorious collection of colors.  Since everybody I know was discovering the Charlotte, I decided to make another one, in the colorway Rocky, a granite gray with pale gray and black ribbon:

TO A RUG …

Another great yarn being axed by Rowan is Big Wool Tuft, a big, soft, plushy wonder that is from the same era as Ribbon Twist and comes in eight or 10 colors that coordinate with the Ribbon Twist colors.  They’re used together in “Ribbon Twist Collection,” an old Rowan book I wish I had, in “Big It Up”, “Big Just Got Bigger” and, as mentioned, Rowan 38.  A friend saw a little doggie sweater I had knitted out of white Big Wool Tuft an suggested it would make a good rug.  Well, sure!

Yarniverse is currently selling Big Wool Tuft, normally $10 a ball, at $22 for a bag of 10 balls! So I snapped up three bags ~ one black, one gray, to make my daughter a bedside “faux-kati” rug, and another in off-white, just for fun.  Ribbon Twist is on sale all over the place, at Jimmy Beans Wool, for example, where you can also get the Big Wool Tuft for $3.99 a ball if you don’t want a bag full.

TO A NEW ‘WARDROBE’ FOR THE PUPS

But the best part is the fun I’ve had working up a cute sweater pattern for the puppies using these two yarns.  The pattern is for a basic sweater in Ribbon Twist with two choices of hems ~ seed stitch or knitted faux fur (Big Wool Tuft).  But that’s where the basic ends and the fancy-schmancy begins.  The sweater neck is trimmed in big, bold vintage buttons, and my two different versions have either a button-on “fur” collar or button-on “fur”-trimmed hoodie.  Here are my two angels in their new finery:

  

Now, you’ve met Willie, the fat little Yorkie on the left above, the ham-of-all-hams; but you’ve never been introduced to Chopsticks, my sweet, camera-shy miniature schnauzer mix, a rescue pup who’s a darling love bug, most excellent house-guarder, and ~ usually ~ not the first on the list of puppy knits.  Since Willie’s my muse and he’s tiny, he gets the pretty duds.  But this time I let Chopsy have the sweetest sweater ~ and she absolutely loves it!  You have never seen a prouder puppy.

Chopsy’s sweater has the hoodie, and Willie’s has the “fur” collar (such a little pimp!).  As a friend said yesterday, the sweaters are great for travel ~ one outfit you can wear two ways.  And what about those Glamour mag office-to-evening switcheroos?  Add a pair of dressy pumps and some darker eye shadow, and that plain-jane dress goes right from work to date ~ just like Willie and Chopsy’s sweaters!

There’s a pdf download for this quick and easy pattern on my FREE PATTERNS page.  Soon to follow, a FREE TUTORIAL on how to line a dog sweater neck ~ and why you should.

Green Day Coming

It’s not even Valentine’s Day yet, but already we’re thinking ahead to St. Patrick’s Day here in Savannah, where the Irish and Irish-for-a-day do it up in style.  Our parade draws several hundred thousand people every year (yes!), it’s a school and business holiday, and the fountains flow green all over this pretty city.  The weather is usually balmy, but every once in a while it turns cool for the day.  Last year it did, and my hubby got to wear this vest I barely finished in time:

    

This was a big project (to go with his big girth), and I thought I’d never get it done.  It’s knit in Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted, and the pattern is “Everybody’s Vest” from “Hip To Knit” by Judith L. Swartz.  If you get started now, you can finish in time.

An easier ~ and far cuter ~ project is my little “Shamrockin” dog sweater.

Just look at that sweet monkey, so serious!  This, too, is knit in Lamb’s Pride Worsted and appliqued with felt shamrocks you can cut from the template included in the pattern.  It’s available on Etsy, and there’s a link over to the right on this page.

I have to show you this, even though I’m still writing the pattern.  Poor Willie, he’s usually game for any of my shenanigans.  But this was too much.  Still, don’t you think he rocks this hat?