Look! A Pattern!

I post infrequently. I'm looking to change that.

Guess what? I had twins! Girls, at that!! Well, warm up the needles, I've got the first (of many, I hope) pattern inspired by my baby girls.

Footless
Baby tights for babies who hate socks
Size: 0-12 months (I'm looking to add the numbers for larger sizes, and maybe a newborn size - test knitters, anyone?)

Red Heart Heart & Sole Sock Yarn with Aloe
Size 1 circular or double point needles

Gauge: approx. 7 st/13 rows = 1" square.

CO 48 st. Divide between needles and join without twisting to form rounds.

Ribbing: (K2 tbl, p2) around. Repeat for 9 more rows.

Texture Stitch:
Row1: k around.
Row 2: (k1, p1) around.

Work in Texture Stitch for approx. 7" (about 45 repeats)

K 1 round.

Work 10 rows ribbing. BO all st in pattern.

Weave in ends. Insert baby legs.

Acrylic and Margarine

Sooo ... I was making dinner on Friday and I got to thinking - how did acrylic yarn get such a bad rap? It's machine washable, easy to work with, available in a multitude of colors and textures and it's hypoallergenic. How did it become the black sheep of the fiber family?

The series of events that led me here was that I was making fish for lunch and reached into the refrigerator for my all-fat, all-joy, real honest-to-goodness butter for the sauce and came up empty-handed. I was upset. I was in the middle of cooking, so a trip to the store was out of the question. I did, however, have margarine. Butter's low cholesterol, less fantastic little brother would have to play the part. It did, and the sauce was wonderful. The margarine melted beautifully and had a nice rich flavor to it. I began thinking how, even in my own non-spectacular cooking, I had written off margarine as the tasteless alternative for old people with heart problems. Maybe margarine wasn't so bad for some things, after all.

Later on in the evening, I was thinking of knitting up a small pillow cover for my toddler. I went to the closet and consulted my stash -- wool? Nope. Can't wash it. Cotton? Nope, too stiff for a nice soft pillow. It was then I reached way back and pulled out a long forgotten ball of Red Heart. Acrylic? Really? I knitted up a pillow cover and washed it. It came out surprisingly soft, and unlike wool, the same size. Acrylic was good for something after all. I could go to the store and get several colors and make one for every day of the week if I wanted to. It wouldn't cost me a fortune and no handwashing involved. So there. I made something from acrylic yarn -- and liked it!

So, remember, don't discount the versatility of acrylic just because of its discount price. Love and enjoy your acrylic right along with all the other options out there. Sometimes the underdog is the best one for the job.

My Weekend

I dyed yarn!! More to come on this, when I get some pictures taken ...

Oh, and I may or may not have accidentally dyed some small part of my baby blue ... what can I say? He likes to help.

On Vacation

Things have been crazy around casa del Eviebits, in preparation for the wee bit's first birthday and Halloween. Fear not, I have been knitting in my off time and I will update shortly with a tale of hand painted yarn and handwarmers. I've been crocheting as well, working out more of a technique than a pattern, really, on making sweaters. Also, there's been some thoughts floating on about patterns versus "just knowing" that I'd like to share, only when I have a bit more time and I'm not updating from work.

Happy Halloween!

On Holding One's Yarn ...

My mom called last night to tell me she has picked up the needles again after a long hiatus. One of her problems before had been that she felt like she couldn't knit fast enough, that everything just slogged along at a snail's pace. She can crochet much faster, so didn't bother with the knitting for a while. When we talked about this last week, I told her "Well, Mom, it's because you're holding your yarn backwards." She just happens to be one of those crazy people that hold their yarn in their right hand. I just happen to be the opposite.

So, she tells me, "Now that I'm holding the yarn in my left hand, things are moving much quicker. I just had to tell myself it was alright to hold the yarn that way." Seems it made more sense to her in the first place to hold it in the left hand, as that's how most people hold their yarn to crochet. But, when she learned how to knit, she got it in her head that right-handed was the only way to knit. Her comment got me wondering, though. (I know that there's really no wrong way to knit, as long as you end up with the same thing, but the right handed way just seems so slow. If you happen to be one of those weirdo right-handers, don't take offense.) Was there a rather large period of time where the only acceptable way to knit was right-handed? Is it a regional thing, perhaps? And for those who still knit this way, why not try left-handed? Are there techniques or stitches that are easier to do this way? Does previous experience play into it at all, i.e., people who learned to crochet first tend toward left handed knitting?

Right now, it's all questions and no answers, but I'll let you know as I come across information. Also, feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences on this.

Oh, and I started an oven mitt for my husband. I'll post pictures later on. (Note to self: STOP STARTING NEW PROJECTS!! Especially when I have about a bajillion to finish.) Also, I have decided to give "Sheldon" (the turtle pattern from Knitty.com) a try in the near future. This is because people in the knitting group I frequent here in Reston (http://knitting.meetup.com/1125/)
have a really bad habit of mentioning and/or showing off really cute patterns and getting me sidetracked into new projects. Enablers, the lot of 'em.

In My Knitting Bag ...

Well, I promised a post about knitting, and it was high time I cleaned out my bag as well, so here is a photo tour of my knitting bag. Enjoy.



Hello, giant orange bag! How are you today?


Random assorted pocket crap. Universal Toe Up sock pattern from Knitty.com, filled in with my mom's measurements for her birthday socks (which I did not take pictures of before I gave them to her. Silly me.), really really sharp scissors, pens, assortment of dpns from various projects, circulars recently freed from (as far as I'm concerned) finished sweater, and my yummy yummy Burt's Bees Banana Hand Cream. Best stuff for dry, tortured hands. Also doubles as a needle wax when things aren't sliding smoothly enough.
My little helper, tempted by the sharp objects Mommy is pulling out of her bag. Current recipient of 90% of my knitting.

Ruffled Surplice from Spring Interweave, in green Ultra Alpaca, sans sleeves. I finished it, don't like the way it fits me, and is soon to be scrapped for an alternative project. Probably tall socks and a hat. Something with cables.

Very beginning of new blue woolies for the wee bit. Check out my provisional cast on. These willbe my second pair of toe up socks on circular needles. This is also my first pair of Addi Turbos. Yum.

Finished fronts, needles and additional yarn for a wee wrap sweater for the guy. Will probably be too small by the time I finish, and end up being for a future sibling. Pattern is my own and in progress.

Pirate sweater from an old issue of Vogue Knit.1. The back is done and I've begun the sleeves. I'm saving the front for last as this will be my first real attempt at color work and I'm nervous.

Well, that's it for the bag -- how's about some random finished bits?
This was his first baby hat. It was once massive on his tiny newborn head. Now, it's just cute.
Baby socks!! The ones on the left are made from Plymouth's "Oh My!"yarn and quite fuzzy. NowI want to make a pair for me. The ones on the right are plain wool. Bothpairs are probably the last cuff down socks with a heel flap that I have done. Now, I'm all toe up and short row heels. Speaking of short row heels ...

Itty Bitty Kilt Hose! I made these to go with the Itty Bitty Kilt that I made when we took the baby to the Virginia Scottish Games this year. These are toe up, short row heels, with cables down the front and sides. Oh, and they're wool as well.
Just finished today! My first pair of socks on one set of circular needles. Wool, size 8 needles, short row toe and heel, and a little ribbing for a cuff. Very comfy. In fact, I'm wearing them now!

Well, that's all I've got for now. See? I do knit ...

See? I can finish things ...

Here we have the finished pillows. Goofy Gramma Pillows x 2. I will post progress of the accompanying blanket when I have more than four green squares.

Also, I happened across a few other finished projects whilst poking through old pictures. Yeah yeah, more crochet for my knitting blog. Shut it.



Pac Man potholders for a friend's new apartment. I charted the pattern myself from old video game screen shots. All acrylic, all double layer so hands do not burn.

And the granny square bedspread of doom. It took me five years (three spent sitting in my closet whileI actively ignored it) and the color layout changed tons of times, but it is done and quite comfy, thank you very much.

Well, that's all for now. Just wanted to show off. Next time -- I will post something about knitting. Promise.