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.

Baby Sweet-Pea

Thanks to bekahknits, the Baby Moc-a-Socs have a girlfriend...

(Baby Sweet-Pea).

Despite the blackberry-quality photos, still quite cute, I think.

Knit in the same fashion as the Baby Moc-a-Socs...and with the same yarns, Baby Sweet-Pea can be adapted for different sized tootsies.  And since the inner sock has all of that ribbing, I'm hoping they'll stay put.  A wise friend recommends sewing a elastic inside the top edge of the sock to keep these anchored on little feet.  I forget sometimes that baby knits are made for real, live, squirmy infants.  You mean babies don't lay around all day sleeping soundly and looking angelic?  WTF!  Auntie Mands has a lot to learn...

xoxo.

Pacific Grove

Yikes!  I guess I've had Blogger's Block! A whole month with nothing to share??  One would have thought that May 2010 was a horribly boring, uncreative 31 days of my life.  But actually, it was quite the opposite.  I have been knitting up a storm, and have even taught myself to crochet (although that was technically a June event...more on why it's been classified as an "event" later). 

A highlight of my May was a trip to California to visit some very special friends and celebrate the upcoming delivery of a very special baby.  Here are the deets:

Pacific Grove, California - "PG" to the locals - is the hometown of my wonderful friend C. (who happens to have an *amazing* food blog).  I've been so lucky to have C. on the East coast for the past 7-or-so years - her friendship is a true blessing in my life.  I've also been lucky to have the opportunity to travel to "PG" once or twice to see her 'hood and celebrate some important events. If you've never been to PG or the Monterey peninsula, you should probably just stop reading right now and hop onto orbitz or travelocity or kayak.com or...something!  You are totally missing out.  It's beyond ridiculously gorgeous...blue water, rocky coastline, abundant succulents of all shapes and sizes.  And the people - creative, friendly, open-minded.  I mean seriously - take a look:

Heaven!

PG is also home to Monarch Knitting and Quilts, a great yarn shop nestled into downtown with a huge supply of cool stuff.  C. has asked me to knit/crochet her a pair of these, which she found on etsy (twist my arm!!) - they are baby versions of these knitted Uggs...and are so irresistable. Her little girl is going to look so freaking cute sporting these things!  I like the crocheted version MUCH better than the knit version (hence the crochet "event" that pretty much consumed my life last week) and have been committed to producing them with perfection since I was charged with the task.  I'm happy to say that after several botched attempts, and a few sleepless nights, I finally have a finished product and can now call myself a (beginner) crocheter!  (And certifiably OCD).  I will post the pics in a few weeks, after the mini-Uggs have been gifted to my dear C. (and baby Peaches).

C. and I spent some time together at Monarch the morning of her baby shower and she picked out the coolest yarn for these booties.  It is made by women in Bolivia and distributed by a non-profit called Frog Tree Yarns - a company which imports eco-friendly, fair trade, hand crafted items from South America, primarily Peru and Bolivia.  Their website tells their story - check it out, and ask your LYS if they carry their stuff.  If they don't, they should.  We found a blue-ish gray sport weight Alpaca which worked out perfectly.  C. also picked out some adorable buttons that give the booties a girlie twist but keep them funky. I can't wait to post the pics!!

The trip to Monarch was only one highlight of my California adventure. I got to spend lots of quality time with my friend P., who recently relocated from Boston to Santa Monica (and whom I miss dearly), and C.'s baby shower was beautiful, fun, and so darn creative!  Her friend A. hosted the event and is brilliantly creative - (check out her stationary company) so the shower was full of clever details.  So inspiring!  The icing on the cake is that I even got to make a pit stop in Chicago (thanks to an airline snafu) to see N. and baby Lilah!!!  What a treat!!!  I'm still buzzing...

I certainly didn't think that this blog would evolve into being all about baby knitting, but that's just where I'm at right now I guess (er...I mean where my friends are at! Don't get too excited yet Mom!!)

I'll leave you with this:

xoxo.

Baby Benton in a Pea Pod

Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen?  This is Benton, the newest addition to my dear friend Kate's family.  I can't wait to meet him!  Here he is in a "baby pea pod" that I knit for his mom's shower...he's the perfect model!  So snuggly! 

There are many versions of the baby pea pod by many different designers - if you do a quick search on google or ravelry, you can find one you like best.  The pattern I used is by Paige Marecle - I found it on Ravelry but you can also purchase on Etsy by clicking here.  It's a piece of cake, with some simple decreases to create the pod shape.  I used a neat yarn called Blizzard by Reynolds.  It's a soft alpaca blend that can be hand washed without too much trouble.  Try it, you'll like it!

Dragon Skin Wrap (for babies)

One of my VBFFs (very-best FF) is having a little girl!  I can't wait.  She lives in Chicago, so I haven't been able to see her much but she sends picture updates so we can keep tabs on her growing belly...and her absolute *glow*!  I wanted to make something sassy and stylish for the little lady, and the Dragon Skin Wrap has both written all over it.

The pattern is from Interweave Knits, and can be seen and/or purchased here.  I used a soft, yummy baby yarn called Baby Boutique from Plymouth Yarns.  It's machine washable (always a plus for baby gear) and was great to work with.

It's a fun pattern, but definitely kept me on my toes.  I knit up a few swatches until I was comfortable with the dragon skin pattern repeat and that was a big help.  I also consulted the web more than once - there is an error in the original pattern that needed to be corrected and a few techniques were new to me.  The decrease on the front edges was tricky and certainly requires undivided attention!  There was a lot of counting and a lot of adjusting in order to keep the pattern intact while getting the detailing accomplished.  The end product is worth it - and I hope that the little lady likes it!  Her mommy looks beautiful in bright colors like this - and I know that baby O will be just as much of a stunner.  Like-mother-like-daughter!

Love you NMO!!  Can't wait for the littlest schmicky!

Moc-a-Socs

If "adorable" could walk around on two feet, it would definitely wear these booties!  I was hoping that my finished product would be as precious as the photograph on the pattern...and I think I got pretty close!  This pattern is from bekahknits.com and can be downloaded for a small price - totally worth it!  I'm going to start a baby girl version today...stay tuned!  I love that my friends are expecting little munchkins.  Knitting for babies is tons of fun.

These were made on US 2 needles and are started by knitting flat, then seaming up the back and bottom.  The inner sock is added by picking up stitches around the moccasin opening and knitting in the round with 4 dpns.  I used a machine washable sport weight wool from a Norweigan company called Dale.  The sock is made from a fingering weight yarn so that the gauge is a little bit tighter.  This way the little suckers don't fall off your baby's kicking feet!  So smart.  So cute!

So you wanna knit? Part six: the purl stitch

If you feel good about the knit stitch, you are already half-way to becoming a Knitter (with a capital K).  Pretty good!!  The other half of the Knitting equation is *purling*...which essentially is just inside-out knitting.  The purl stitch can feel a little awkward, especially if you are used to knitting knitting knitting.  But some people LOVE to purl!  Maybe you'll be one of them!

PURLING 101

1.  The first thing to know about purling is that the working yarn must be kept IN FRONT of your needles. This is in contrast to knitting, where the working yarn was always behind.  So before you even start, make sure your yarn is in front.  Now, with your naked needle in your right hand and the stitch-filled needle in your left, insert the tip of the naked needle (x-rated knitting?) into the front of the first stitch, from right to left:

2.  Take the working yarn and wrap it AROUND the tip of the right needle from right to left, or counter clockwise.  Another way to describe this is going over then under the right needle with the yarn:

Hold the working yarn taught, along the length of the right needle:

3.  Now, move the right needle from the front of the left needle to the back, pulling the working yarn along with it.  The right needle will be moving THROUGH the loop on the left hand needle as you do this:

4.  You are almost done!  Pull the right needle to the right, so that the original loop that you went through in step 1 slips off of the left needle.  What you'll have is a new stitch on your right needle. This is a purl stitch!

5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have purled all stitches off of the left needle.  Voila!!

When you purl every row, your work looks the same as knitting every row - *garter stitch*.  If you alternate knitting an purling, magic happens!  This is called *stockinette stitch* - try it!  I'll post a picture of stockinette stitch soon.  First see if you can discover it on your own!

Questions? Comments?? I've been told that my "comment" button doesn't appear in my posts.  I'm trying to get blogger to help me fix this, but so far - no good.  Please email me!  cygknits@gmail.com - can't wait to hear about your progress!

So you wanna knit? Part five: the knit stitch

Sorry for the delay! By now you must have MASTERED casting on...which is a good thing, because you can't knit without it! Ready for more? Consider this post the "meat and potatoes" of knitting (given the time of year, maybe the "corned beef and cabbage" is more appropriate!).

A little background about what you are about to learn. "Knitting" has two definitions. One is the general term for the craft itself. But "knitting" also describes the act of doing the "knit stitch". You see, there are two basic components of Knitting (the craft, which I'll designate with a capital K...) - knitting and purling. When you are doing the knit stitch, you are knitting. When you are doing the purl stitch, you are purling. (But either way, you are Knitting - get it?) Both knitting and purling are very simple...and once you've learned them, you can do a myriad other things. Everything else is a combination of knitting and purling, with a few detail techniques thrown in to keep you enchanted.

Whether you are knitting or purling, you are simply transferring all of your stitches from one needle to the other, then back again (over and over). That's the basic premise of Knitting. Every transfer creates a new row, and each row adds length to your project.

We are going to start by learning the knit stitch. Be patient - it takes some practice. Your head will learn first, and your hands will follow. It may feel awkward for a while, but your hands will soon catch up to your head, and you'll be a knitting machine!

KNITTING 101: the knit stitch

1. You are going to knit off of your cast-on stitches. Try casting on about 10 stitches. Hold the needle with the cast-on stitches in your left hand. Hold the other needle in the right. Look at the yarn that is hanging from the cast-on stitches. There should be two strands - one is attached to the skein of yarn - we'll call this the "working yarn", and one is a tail - which should be ignored. Be sure that as you follow the directions, you are using the "working yarn" and ignoring the tail. Some people tie something to the tail, like a button or a safety pin, so that they don't make the mistake of knitting with it.

2. With your right needle, pass the tip through the front of the first stitch on the left needle, from front to back.

3. Now take the "working yarn" and bring it around the right needle from back to front. In other words, bring it behind the needle to the left, then in front of the needle to the right, or wrap it counter-clockwise.

4. Try to get a sturdy grasp on the "working yarn" with your right hand by draping it down the length of the right needle and pretending that it is a part of the needle.

5. Now, bring the right needle from the back of the left needle to the front, dragging along the loop that you made from the "working yarn". If you have a slight tug on the "working yarn", it should follow the needle pretty easily.

Does this feel familiar? It should. You've just done the same motion that you did to cast on. But here's where things are different...

6. You now have a loop of yarn on the right needle. Pull on this loop with your right needle to that the original loop/stitch on the left needle falls right off of the left needle.

Now look at your needles -- you should have 9 stitches on the left and 1 on the right. Hooray! You just *knit* your first stitch.  Keep on going in the same fashion, knitting one stitch at a time off of the left needle and adding it on to the right...

Continue with the above directions until you have knit all stitches from the left needle onto the right. Then simply change hands -- put the needle that is holding the stitches into your left hand and the naked needle into your right. You're ready to knit another row!

A few tips to remember -
-always keep the "working yarn" to the back of your stitches when you are doing the knit stitch.
-practice practice practice!
-try not to knit too tight - it makes life very difficult! Remember the rule about your favorite jeans. Your stitches should hug your needle gently, with room to wiggle.

What you are doing right now, by knitting every row, is called the garter stitch. The garter stitch is very commonly used in Knitting because it is creates a nice sturdy fabric which doesn't roll or curl. It is also reversible - the front and back look exactly the same. It makes a nice scarf!

Do you have any cool ideas for what to make using garter stitch??