Fliptop Mitts

New England is officially thawing out.  Today's temp is a balmy 50 degrees! It seems that the weather gods are finally showing us some love.  After our worst winter in decades, with snow up to our ears (literally), it is pretty nice (if not somewhat strange) to see grass again, poking up through the melting snow.  I'm going to reserve comment on all of the mud - beggers can't be choosers, right?

Despite the warming trend, it's not exactly tropical out there.  There's nothing worse than chilly hands when you are trying to enjoy the great outdoors for the first time in months.  Then again - sweaty hands tucked inside wooly mittens aren't much better (yuck!).  Fliptop mittens are the perfect solution to this metacarpal conundrum; everyone should have a pair. 

I bought my first pair of fliptop mittens while traveling in Estonia as a college kid.  I still cherish the grey wool fliptops that I bought there at a local market for something like the equivalent of $3 - they're practical and stylish, but also a reminder of a simpler time in my life when I thought nothing of doing fun and adventurous things like, well, traveling to Estonia!  Over the years, my Estonian mitts have worn thin at the thumbs and palms and slowly but surely are facing retirement. 

This season I went a little nuts with the fliptop mits - they made great holiday gifts, and were a fun way to learn some new knitting techniques.  Some people have the patience to knit fingerless gloves under the fliptop - not me.  I stuck with patterns that had a cuff opening for all 4 fingers, and then a full thumb.  These knit up faster, and I haven't had any complaints (:

My first attempt was with Ysolda Teague's pattern called Snapdragon fliptops - I really enjoy Ysolda's patterns and was enticed by the funky cable pattern on the wrist of this one.  I used Spud and Chole Sweater, in "turtle" - it was a good choice.  I think they came out just great.

They're a smidge too big - a common phenomenon for me (despite checking my gauge and going down a needle size on most projects...) so I'm holding on to them and waiting for the perfect gift-giving opportunity to come along.

I thought these would make perfect gifts for some special gals in my life, but wanted to eliminate the cabling - both to make the construction a bit quicker, and to show off the variegated yarn that I chose (Farmhouse Yarn's Andy Merino), so I tweaked the pattern just a bit and came out with these:

I wanted to try another version of a fliptop mit and stumbled upon a pattern called Frances, by Jane Richmond, another awesome knitwear designer.  This pattern has a larger gauge (i.e. fewer stitches per inch) and worked out beautifully in Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton.   They looked like they needed a little embellishment, so I made duplicate stitch snowflakes on the fliptop of each.  A tiny snap is sewn in to keep the tops fastened away when fingers are needed

Bottom line: Fliptops are fun and functional - try 'em!

Block-n-Roll

Blocking is another one of those things that knitters love to hate. I mean - you've spent a zillion hours knitting up something incredible, you finally bind off, seam up, and just want to throw on that masterpiece and show it off to all your friends.  I get it, I've been there.  But if you really want your pieces to shine, step back and Block On, man! (insert hand gesture and air guitar here). Blocking is a simple way to make your finished products look even more professional and polished.  Plus, it helps you to shape individual pieces so that seaming is a cinch and your fit is fab.

To put is simply, blocking is your way of telling those stitches who's boss.  By wetting or steaming your work after it has been pinned into shape, it dries in the form it is destined to take.  This makes your stitches line up like little soldiers and your finished pieces lay flat (hence the cinchy seaming). Some fiber types have more memory than others, and some are more fragile when wet.  Because of this, there are several different ways to block so that you don't hurt anyone - it's a bit of tough love.  I'll tell you about my favorite way to block, and  you can check out this great article on knitty for more info on blocking specific types of yarn.

Before you start, you'll need some tools which you probably already have at home:

• a spray bottle (for damp blocking)
• a towel that you won't need to use for a few hours
• an iron with a steam setting (for steam blocking)
• pins (rust-proof pins are best, but I use whatever I have in my sewing stash and they work just fine)
• measuring tape or ruler

Blocking can be done on an ironing board (for small pieces), on a sofa cushion, on your bed, or on a blocking board which you can easily make yourself by covering a piece of plywood with a layer of batting covered with fabric that has been secured to the back.  You are basically looking for a soft surface that you can pin on to.  Or, if you are pinning to your towel, you want to lay the towel onto a surface that can withstand the occasional pin prick.  I usually block onto a towel that is laying on my guest bed (making sure to keep any curious animals out for the duration of the block).

If you are knittng a garment such as a sweater, there is typically a blueprint-like picture in the pattern which shows you the finished dimensions of each piece.  Find the picture that matches the size that you made, and gently stretch and pin each piece to your blocking surface (tough love, remember?), according to the recommended dimensions.  Here are some pictures from when I blocked Presto Chango:

  

Once every piece is pinned into place, you want to secure the yarn's memory by wetting or steaming so when it is dry and unpinned a few hours later, it remembers the shape.  I do this by spritzing all pieces until damp with a spray bottle filled with water.  Alternatively, you can hover an iron on the "steam" setting over the pieces, or dampen a towel, put it over your pieces, and warm iron over it.  When the pieces are dry, unpin, seam, and you're done!  It's SO worth it.  Seriously.

Jessica Fenlon Thomas' article on knitty describes a really cool way to use blocking to create drape - check it out and give it a try!

xo.

Placemats for Herringbone Interiors

One of my oldest (in the we-went-to-nursery-school-toghether sort of way...), closest friends is not only an awesome, loyal, fun-loving person, but a talented entrepreneur who has an interior design business that is getting tons of acclaim!  Her blog is here - Herringbone Interiors.  She's, like...famous!  She recently had a show at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Binghamton, NY, and her design space came in third for the best interiors (I'm telling you, she's famous!).  She was kind enough to ask for some hand-knitted pieces to add to her decor and I was thrilled to oblige.  I thought for weeks about what to contribute - I mean, where would baby booties or a knitted cowl fit into a chic interior??  But in my search for inspiration, I stumbled on the idea of...(drum roll, please...) knitted placemats!  Consider it an 'Ah Ha' knitting moment!

I chose a washable yarn in a neutral shade that would not only funk up any table setting, but could be tossed into the washing machine when ketchup/red wine/spaghetti sauce needed removal.  I also sought out yarn at a price point that would keep the construction costs low - the pattern is made with a super bulky yarn, 2 strands held together...so these suckers use a lot of yarn.  I ended up going with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Oatmeal and was very happy with the outcome.   Mine are 19" x 14" - which is what was recommended by the interior-designer-extraordinaire, but can be made any size.  It is a basic seed stitch - couldn't be simpler.  Give 'em a try!

Thanks JMM!!  You are the best.

xoxo.

Stitch DC

There are so many awesome things about traveling...seeing how other people live and work, eating at new restaurants, exploring cool neighborhoods, and maybe most importantly, stepping out of your own little bubble and realizing that there is so much out there to experience and enjoy.  It's refreshing to return home with new perspective, new ideas, and maybe even some new appreciation for what you have.   

A favorite part of my travels is looking up area yarn shops and seeing how the locals knit. I dream of one day being a yarn shop owner myself, so I really enjoy seeing the variation from shop to shop and tucking away little ideas for "some day".

A recent trip to our nations capital gave me the chance to visit Stitch DC - a lovely shop that was bursting with inspiration. Nestled in Capital Hill, Stitch DC resides in an historic row house on 8th Street SE and has some great neighbors - hip restaurants, trendy baby stores, organic markets, etc. 

Inside, I met Marie Connelly: shop-owner, pattern-designer, book-writer, knitting-blogger, you name it.  Master of all things knit, crocheted, and quilted.  And on top of it, a super nice person!  I was excited to hear about her recent book, The Expectant Knitter - a book that I can't wait to have on my bookshelf (they, unsurprisingly, had sold out at Stitch DC).  With all of the babies and new moms around me, this will soon be a bible in my knitting library.

Aside from a lovely, neat, organized selection of great yarns, this shop has a wall of quilting cotton which is a brilliant addition. Sure, it's handy for the quilting classes (one starts October 9th!), but how about all of the other uses for fabric in the fiber world? Who wants to make an extra stop at a giant chain craft store when all you need one yard of cute cotton to line a knitted handbag?  Not me!  It's like having to go to the grocery store - oversized, obnoxious, and full of old acquaintances who want to chat - for one last pesky ingredient after you've enjoyed a morning at the farmer's market collecting everything else.  So THANKS Stitch DC for believing in one-stop crafting!  Now will you just open a shop in Connecticut?

The shop also has a beautiful, cozy classroom in back, another super-cool feature...

My Stitch DC purchases included:

• a yard of mint green fabric with a pattern of cars, trucks, and traffic signs sketched about...sounds cute but chaotic?  You're right.  But I'm using it to line this Art Lace Bag by Teva Durham, and the pattern itself could easily be summed up with the same two words.  Perhaps so could the District of Columbia?
• two skeins of Spud and Chole Superwash Sweater yarn in Turtle - a perky emerald green that I couldn't live without.  I've been curious about Spud and Chloe but haven't knit with any of their yarns. Not sure what I'll do with my Turtle yet...maybe knit something from The Expectant Knitter?

Thanks, Marie and Stitch DC for adding a little lot! of inspiration to my trip.  Will be sure to stop by again next time I'm in Capitol Hill.

xoxo.

Birth Day Buddies

If I am blessed to have a kiddo of my own some day, I wonder if I'll take the plunge and learn the baby's sex at that second trimester ultrasound.  I've had friends who have done it and friends who haven't, and I'm sure a quick stroll through baby blogs would confirm my suspicion - there are pros and cons, ups and downs, pluses and minuses, to each side of the story. 

What I DO know is that knitting for a gender-yet-to-be-determined bambino takes some serious thought.  Little sweaters and booties are often quintessenially BOY or GIRL, even if you play with the colors.  And if you don't have the time to commit to a neutral throw or baby blanket, what's a girl to do??

I encountered this conundrum recently.  One of my most-specialist friends spent most of 2010 (and part of 2009) wondering if the little nugget in her belly was a boy or a girl.  We all waited with bated breath on the big day, pacing back and forth in our little corners of the world, awaiting the text or call or email with the news.  When little L. made his grand entrance, exactly 50% of us bragged, "I KNEW she was having a boy!".  Funny how those odds work out!  Now rewind several months, again to me pacing, but this time around my LYS...wondering what the heck to knit for this mysteriously gendered baby.  If I had only known then what I know now!  Every baby - boy, girl, big, small, premature or late-to-the-party - needs a snuggly little friend to enter this world beside.

Then I found this: Knitted Toy Tales: Irresistible characters for all ages by Laura Long.  What a life saver!  It is full of patterns for lots of quirky little friends - a frog prince, three adorable babushkas, the owl and the pussycat.  I thought that baby L. would probably like a piglet and a teddy bear, so I set to work on my first attempt at knitted "toys".  I was pleasantly surprised to find how simple the knitting and construction was.  I chose baby-safe yarn and made sure to sew the seams securely, to prevent little hands from beheading or de-tailing his new pals.  Here's what was born:

I nestled these guys in a vintage-looking tub that can be used to store toys or laundry once unwrapped.  They were accompanied by a baby sling that I made using this tutorial, and an incredibly soft baby blanket I bought at Sprout Baby Boutique (if you are ever in Pacific Grove, CA - you must go!).

Piggy's head shot

I used scraps of funky quilting cotton for the paw pads and inner ear lining.  I hand-sewed them in place, and then finished off the facial details (and belly button) with embroidery floss.

Voila!

To little LMH, the newest little Schmicky - I love you and can't wait to meet you in September! 

xoxo.

Made by Mandi.

Thanks to my pal Ashley at LetterKissed, I'm working on some "business" cards.  Inspired by my bib-scribble from C.'s shower...

This...

...will become something like this...

...but much tidier.  The real thing should arrive any day.  Not sure who I'll give 'em to, but you never know!

Baby Uggs

They've been gifted, now they can be posted :)  For all the deets, see my "Pacific Grove" post...

Peaches is going to be the coolest chick on the block in these things!

xoxo.