I am knitting up a mitten pattern that first appeared in a 1947 edition of Good Housekeeping. I'm going to work out the bugs with the first mitten but once I begin the second I'll be posting a tutorial on how to knit it. So far it's pretty easy however my camera really does suck so the pictures may not be the best.
On that note: I've taken a few pictures of the scarf I knit for my son however they aren't of great quality so I'm going to try again this weekend by taking them outdoors to get natural light. Hopefully I'll finally be able to post some pictures on this very blah site to spice it up very soon.
I finished a pair of socks for my daughter as well this weekend. I'll post those too. Soon my pretties, soon........
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Cough, cough, cough.
I sit here in my cubicle at work hacking my guts out as I type. Hack, hack, hack, cough, cough, cough!
Despite my unending illness I've managed to continue knitting. I've completed my daughter's scarf however I have recently found more matching yarn so I may attempt to take out the cast-off row and knit it longer. For those of you who've knit with eyelash material before know what a job that will be.
Last weekend I finally sorted out my stash. Yes, another small piece of the hot place has just frozen over. I found so much yarn that I didn't even remember I had. I did take some of the yarn out of my stash only to create a new stash for my daughter. It is good to teach her bad knitting habits early. If she loves and nourishes her stash it will grow and grow and grow. My stash doesn't seem to be shrinking despite all the knitting I've been doing lately. It appears that I must be working in a black hole or something. I am now working on a scarf for my son that is just plain ribbing (k2, p2) but with random sized gray, red, green, blue, black and orange stripes. Hopefully he'll like it.
Every weekend there is so much to do but I think I'll just forget to do it and knit instead.
Despite my unending illness I've managed to continue knitting. I've completed my daughter's scarf however I have recently found more matching yarn so I may attempt to take out the cast-off row and knit it longer. For those of you who've knit with eyelash material before know what a job that will be.
Last weekend I finally sorted out my stash. Yes, another small piece of the hot place has just frozen over. I found so much yarn that I didn't even remember I had. I did take some of the yarn out of my stash only to create a new stash for my daughter. It is good to teach her bad knitting habits early. If she loves and nourishes her stash it will grow and grow and grow. My stash doesn't seem to be shrinking despite all the knitting I've been doing lately. It appears that I must be working in a black hole or something. I am now working on a scarf for my son that is just plain ribbing (k2, p2) but with random sized gray, red, green, blue, black and orange stripes. Hopefully he'll like it.
Every weekend there is so much to do but I think I'll just forget to do it and knit instead.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Casts Off - a must read!
Yesterday my SIL and I were wandering around downtown on our lunch break when we happened to stop into the best independent bookstore in the city. We were browsing through the vast selection of books when my heart began to flutter with excitement. I couldn't believe my eyes! It was a Yarn Harlot book!!!!! Could this really be true? Could there really be a Yarn Harlot book sitting right there in front of me in my little city? This was unbelievable!!
And there is was with a halo of light and angels singing on high - "Casts Off - The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
I took the book off the shelf and felt the vibrations that can only happen when a book chooses you. I cracked open the cover and was immediately taken by the clever words and humour. This book had to be part of my collection, I had to buy it. As soon as I got back to work I began reading little bits here and there between clients (I work with the government so reading for fun on the job is frowned upon). The book has little letters, definitions and facts that amuse knitters.
Although I've only gotten through the first dozen pages I am hooked. I am counting down the minutes until I can open the book again and read through the world of knitting with the Yarn Harlot. It reminds me a lot of Erma Bombeck but with much better subject matter.
Here's the write up on the back of the book (beware, you too may be sucked in):
Knitting's Yarn Harlot, with her wry humour and unapologetic, obsessive love for everything about this remarkable place, invites you to join her on a hilarious tour of the land, its people, customs, and culture. She tells it all - from unusual geographical features such as the giant stash to common ailments you may be susceptible to, like Yarnesia, Finish-It-Upitis, and the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. Along the way, you may get lost in Stitches or engrossed by the beauties of Lace, but, whatever happens, it's sure to be the journey of a lifetime.
I've got my yarn and needles packed and I'm ready to go. Wanna join me?
And there is was with a halo of light and angels singing on high - "Casts Off - The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
I took the book off the shelf and felt the vibrations that can only happen when a book chooses you. I cracked open the cover and was immediately taken by the clever words and humour. This book had to be part of my collection, I had to buy it. As soon as I got back to work I began reading little bits here and there between clients (I work with the government so reading for fun on the job is frowned upon). The book has little letters, definitions and facts that amuse knitters.
Although I've only gotten through the first dozen pages I am hooked. I am counting down the minutes until I can open the book again and read through the world of knitting with the Yarn Harlot. It reminds me a lot of Erma Bombeck but with much better subject matter.
Here's the write up on the back of the book (beware, you too may be sucked in):
Knitting's Yarn Harlot, with her wry humour and unapologetic, obsessive love for everything about this remarkable place, invites you to join her on a hilarious tour of the land, its people, customs, and culture. She tells it all - from unusual geographical features such as the giant stash to common ailments you may be susceptible to, like Yarnesia, Finish-It-Upitis, and the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome. Along the way, you may get lost in Stitches or engrossed by the beauties of Lace, but, whatever happens, it's sure to be the journey of a lifetime.
I've got my yarn and needles packed and I'm ready to go. Wanna join me?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I am now part of a 12 step program of my own making
My name is JennyMac and I'm a knitaholic!
I have a huge, and I mean huge, stash of yarn. It is overwhelming when I think of the amount and how much space it takes up in my room. My goal was to use all of that yarn and knit my little guts out creating all these wonderful finished products for my family and friends.
Well the truth of the matter is that I've finished several projects but my yarn stash doesn't seem to be diminishing; in fact, it is growing!!!
Today I bought another 4 skeins of yarn, beautiful sock yarn like I've never bought before. I'm so excited to begin knitting with it however I must finish my daughter's felted bag first. All that is left to be done are the handles. I am also knitting her a felted knitting needle holder. My challenge to myself is to knit the handles and have them felted by the end of the next weekend. I would also like to finish the felted knitting needle holder by the following weekend.
Really, I just want to leave those projects on the needles and start in on this beautiful sock yarn....but I won't.
Today I visited the local yarn store, YarnonYork, and found out that a bunch of people get together and knit there on Thursday nights. I think I'll start knitting with them as well. Maybe I can start some sort of knitting event in my city such as the events occurring in other wonderful cities across our nation (such as knit the city in Toronto).
Well, I must get back to work so I can pay for my knitting obsession. I have admitted that I have a problem but I don't think I'll move to step 2 anytime soon...I like the obsession!
I have a huge, and I mean huge, stash of yarn. It is overwhelming when I think of the amount and how much space it takes up in my room. My goal was to use all of that yarn and knit my little guts out creating all these wonderful finished products for my family and friends.
Well the truth of the matter is that I've finished several projects but my yarn stash doesn't seem to be diminishing; in fact, it is growing!!!
Today I bought another 4 skeins of yarn, beautiful sock yarn like I've never bought before. I'm so excited to begin knitting with it however I must finish my daughter's felted bag first. All that is left to be done are the handles. I am also knitting her a felted knitting needle holder. My challenge to myself is to knit the handles and have them felted by the end of the next weekend. I would also like to finish the felted knitting needle holder by the following weekend.
Really, I just want to leave those projects on the needles and start in on this beautiful sock yarn....but I won't.
Today I visited the local yarn store, YarnonYork, and found out that a bunch of people get together and knit there on Thursday nights. I think I'll start knitting with them as well. Maybe I can start some sort of knitting event in my city such as the events occurring in other wonderful cities across our nation (such as knit the city in Toronto).
Well, I must get back to work so I can pay for my knitting obsession. I have admitted that I have a problem but I don't think I'll move to step 2 anytime soon...I like the obsession!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
I've been designated as a spam blog!!!
You read it right readers. My blog has been considered spam. How can that be? Nobody even knows I'm here, there are no readers to my blog!!! I was looking for a place to show my love of knitting and I've been labelled as spam.
I am waiting for the 2 days for the blogger people to rectify this situation and I should be back up and running again.
I have completed my sister-in-law's sweater and will be posting a picture as soon as I can get her to model it for me. It turned out much nicer than I expected really. Today I found a very chic looking sweater that I will attempt to make for my daughter once I have completed a few Christmas projects.
Have you ever used that eyelash material before? I really like the feather stuff but this eyelash material tangles like crazy and if you make a mistake forget about going back to fix it because it just won't work. I'm making a scarf for someone for Christmas however I'll be super happy to have it done so that I can move on to making something with less annoying material. Regular wool is a no-fail choice for me.
Well back to knitting. I will be back in 2 days when they've cleared me from being a spammer (can you imagine?!!!!).
I am waiting for the 2 days for the blogger people to rectify this situation and I should be back up and running again.
I have completed my sister-in-law's sweater and will be posting a picture as soon as I can get her to model it for me. It turned out much nicer than I expected really. Today I found a very chic looking sweater that I will attempt to make for my daughter once I have completed a few Christmas projects.
Have you ever used that eyelash material before? I really like the feather stuff but this eyelash material tangles like crazy and if you make a mistake forget about going back to fix it because it just won't work. I'm making a scarf for someone for Christmas however I'll be super happy to have it done so that I can move on to making something with less annoying material. Regular wool is a no-fail choice for me.
Well back to knitting. I will be back in 2 days when they've cleared me from being a spammer (can you imagine?!!!!).
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Welcome to Jennymac knits!
Hello fellow knitters! I know you are out there somewhere; I can't be the only person in my city who still knits. I'll be looking for you. There are some really great knitting blogs out there right now that you may be interested in. They will be linked to my blog in the near future so that you can access them easily.
My grandmother taught me the basics of knitting when I was very young, 5 or 6 years old maybe, and ever since I've loved the feel of yarn between my fingers, the smell of wool and the sound of needles clicking together. Every now and then I take a hiatus from knitting but I always come back to it, especially now that I have such a large stash of yarn that my husband has pleaded to me not to buy another skein until I've used up at least half of what I have.
Since I was little I have been creating my own patterns. I didn't know how to follow patterns for the longest time but I knew how to knit, how to purl, how to knit 2 together, cast on and cast off. Did I ever make a lot of clothes for my Barbies! They had the nicest little knit ballgowns! Eventually I learned how to follow patterns and how to knit on 4 needles. My mother taught me how to knit socks and mittens; my parents ended up with so many pairs of wool socks after that. I knit a pair of socks for my husband and that's when he knew that I was the one for him. The first sweater I ever knit was for him.
One day I was looking for some knitting patterns online however most of what I found were old patterns that looked so old-fashioned that I would never wear the finished product in a million years. I was not easily discouraged and I kept looking. One day I came across a picture of a Siamese cat wearing a funny little knit hat. It was so funny that I read further and discovered that this was a knitting blog written in the perspective of the cat. How ingenious!!!! I wanted to find the pattern for that hat but there wasn't one however there were links to other knitting blogs. Hours went by and I was still reading through all of these wonderful lives involving knitting. I found one-of-a-kind patterns and a whole new world!!
I've been knitting up a storm and just finished a really pretty cardigan sweater for my sister-in-law. I wanted to make something that was modern and a bit more stylish so I found a really neat pattern at the local yarn shop. It was a knit down cardigan which I've never done before. After a small mishap with wrong sized needles I finally finished it and as I speak it is drying flat on the table.
Knitting is no longer for old ladies people! There are some really chic knitting patterns on the Vogue Knitting website and lots of new techniques to create felted bags and more. I finished knitting a bag and I am about to do the felting process tonight. I've never done this before so it should be interesting.
Soon I will add all the knitting links and a few more that I find interesting in case you would like to browse around. Happy knitting!!!
My grandmother taught me the basics of knitting when I was very young, 5 or 6 years old maybe, and ever since I've loved the feel of yarn between my fingers, the smell of wool and the sound of needles clicking together. Every now and then I take a hiatus from knitting but I always come back to it, especially now that I have such a large stash of yarn that my husband has pleaded to me not to buy another skein until I've used up at least half of what I have.
Since I was little I have been creating my own patterns. I didn't know how to follow patterns for the longest time but I knew how to knit, how to purl, how to knit 2 together, cast on and cast off. Did I ever make a lot of clothes for my Barbies! They had the nicest little knit ballgowns! Eventually I learned how to follow patterns and how to knit on 4 needles. My mother taught me how to knit socks and mittens; my parents ended up with so many pairs of wool socks after that. I knit a pair of socks for my husband and that's when he knew that I was the one for him. The first sweater I ever knit was for him.
One day I was looking for some knitting patterns online however most of what I found were old patterns that looked so old-fashioned that I would never wear the finished product in a million years. I was not easily discouraged and I kept looking. One day I came across a picture of a Siamese cat wearing a funny little knit hat. It was so funny that I read further and discovered that this was a knitting blog written in the perspective of the cat. How ingenious!!!! I wanted to find the pattern for that hat but there wasn't one however there were links to other knitting blogs. Hours went by and I was still reading through all of these wonderful lives involving knitting. I found one-of-a-kind patterns and a whole new world!!
I've been knitting up a storm and just finished a really pretty cardigan sweater for my sister-in-law. I wanted to make something that was modern and a bit more stylish so I found a really neat pattern at the local yarn shop. It was a knit down cardigan which I've never done before. After a small mishap with wrong sized needles I finally finished it and as I speak it is drying flat on the table.
Knitting is no longer for old ladies people! There are some really chic knitting patterns on the Vogue Knitting website and lots of new techniques to create felted bags and more. I finished knitting a bag and I am about to do the felting process tonight. I've never done this before so it should be interesting.
Soon I will add all the knitting links and a few more that I find interesting in case you would like to browse around. Happy knitting!!!
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