Stocking Up

The holiday season is upon us and I am busy stocking my Etsy shop. It has been much too long since I posted and time for me to get back at it!




A basketful of sweaters and hats ready for the shop. Now it's time to rest the knitting fingers and start the sewing machine. Sometimes it is hard to find the balance between projects that I should be working on and much easier to go with what I feel like working on.


The projects are hanging on the wall waiting.


The projects are also on the machine. Time for me to stop talking about it and get to work.



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A Couple of Gnomes

Check out Etsy for some great knitting patterns.   Keeping with small knitting projects I found a pattern for a couple of gnomes.   The pair are about 6" in height from base to tip of the hat.

Fun to knit in the round with sock yarn. 

I like to knit up a bunch of the parts and then put them in baggies until I am ready to put  them together.  

These guys were so much fun to make and real easy! 

I had some small wooded bases left over from another project and hot glued then onto the base so they stand securely.

The pattern was very easy to follow and I can't wait to make my own touches.   A fishing gnome, wood cutter gnome, baker, reader or skier are some of the possibilities.  Check out Etsy for the pattern at denizal17.

NEW YEAR

Here I am again reviewing the past year and many projects unfinished or even started.  But the good news is so many were completed.   My Etsy shop did well thru the holidays giving me more ideas and motivation for the upcoming year.  The goal for the shop was to try it out for one year without getting discouraged and the results were great.

I did fail miserably at this blog.  Both my Etsy shop and this blog were suppose to go hand in hand for the one year.  So here we go again to give it a try and see were it leads.

I have become somewhat obsessed with knitting small things in the round.  This past holiday season miniature knitted sweaters, some mittens also for tree decorations.   It is a wonderful project to keep in my bag so I can make use of a few free minutes and simple to pick up at any point in the pattern.

Changing colors and carrying yarn behind the stitches has long been my nemesis in knitting.  Okay I avoid at all cost, but this year I am going to concur my fears.  I started with a pattern I found on Ravelry which was a free download and I had some yarn on hand that would work perfect for this trial project.

Patience was the theme for this project. I had no expectations or deadlines so this project is just a learning experience.......no pressure.

Reversing the pattern was my biggest challenge and as usual I made it much harder than it should of been. The mittens are done and I am happy that I tackled changing colors....still awkward at it, but it's a start.

Mini Ski Hat

Using the Skacel luggage tag pattern the ski hat also would make a great Christmas tree ornament or a garland either on the tree or hung across the fireplace. Tie them on packages or make them into a key chain the possibilities are endless.


The hat works up quickly using size 0 dock needles. I find using a short 5 inch double pointed needle the easiest to work with.




The ear flaps are knitted on separate needles and then joined with the first round.


After the first round the hat works up easily.


3 strands of yarn are used for the braided ties. I used a darning needle to start the braid picking the lower center of the ear flap the thread the yarn thru.




Divide the yarn into 3 pairs of two and begin braiding until desired length then tie in a knot.










Fun, quick and a great way to use up that left over yarn.

On The Go

Small knitting projects are great to take on the go.   I almost always keep a small knitting project in my bag, tote or car just in case.   Most of the time on my lunch hour it's nice to get lost in a few rows and accomplish sometimes a little or sometimes oodles depending on the pattern.   

My bag of needles, small scissors and darning needle.  

This is the fancy ziploc baggie I use to carry the yarn and projects in the works.

Check out the free patterns at Skacel Yarns.  The patterns are free to download .   The luggage tags are great for using up left over sock yarn.   

I am working on ski hats.   After I block the hat I will be adding perhaps a pom pom and then braided ties. My thought for the ties will be braiding embroidery floss as I am thinking the yarn may be too thick.   By skipping the icord  on the top the option is there for either making them as Christmas ornaments or stringing them to make a garland. 

The possibilities are endless with these four patterns.  Maybe the luggage tag would make a great photo frame and mittens ornaments tree ornaments.    I will be sure to post the picks when I complete some of the hats and if you try any of these be sure to send me a pic I would love to see what you are working on.  

A wintery day on Cape Cod and the perfect day to finish up a mitten project.    Ravelry is a great knitting communtiy to browse, find new ideas, old ideas or just plain get motivated.

I made these mittens from a Sheep Mitten Pattern I downloaded from the designer Jorid Linvik.  This has been a lesson in changing colors and using two different sets of double pointed needles.  I started with metal needles and found them to be extremely frustrating. 

 The first mitten I used metal double pointed and they kept sliding out........at about 30 mph.    The second mitten I used bamboo needles which I prefer, but now the mitten is slightly different in size.   I did not add the red flowers or pink ears yet as I am undecided about adding the colors to the mittens.

The mitten I knitted with the bamboo needles is lightly larger and stitches a little looser.  Perhaps I was more relaxed not chasing the metal needles across the living room floor.  Also this pattern is one size.  To change the size you must change the weight of your yarn.  I used a sport weight with size two needles to get a slightly larger mitten.

Grab a cup of coffee and check out Ravelry it sure not to disappoint!

Happy New Year

With the hectic holiday pace behind us it is time to clean up the sewing room and begin planning projects for the new year ahead.





This luscious pile of sock yarn will hopefully be a pile of socks by years end.



This is my year to become better at changing colors when knitting. This pair of mittens is the perfect size and design for me to practice with. I'll be sure to post the pics when they are completed.



For the Downton Abbey fans there is now a fabric line out. This quilt is in the works and hopefully I will get it completed soon.......

The list of to do's for new year is endless and I am also looking forward to starting up my Etsy shop again. Let's see how productive I can be!

The Holidays Are Coming

Here comes the holidays ready or not!   If knitting is your thing be sure to check out Ravelry for inspiration, ideas and a community of knitters.  

Using Your Leftovers

The Purl Bee is an endless supply of wonderful ideas and ideas and projects.   They also link to their shop in New York so the option of buying the kits or the supplies directly from them is available.  


This hedgehog is a great project for using up some leftover yarn you just don't have the heart to throw away.

 Also if you would like to challenge yourself with double pointed needles.

So many times I have tried projects similar like this and ended with nothing but frustration.

This pattern was a pleasant surprise.

When you have a few moments grab a cup of coffee and check out the Purl Bee.