Adorabubble Knits

Changes...

2008-09-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be making a few changes in my websites. I just have too many to keep track of. First off, I'm closing down my Hyena Cart. It was a good experience to have and was very economical, but I feel like I've outgrown it. I will also stop using this blog :-( I'm opening up a new blog at typepad.com where I can more easily combine my business and my blog. I'll give typepad a trial run and if I like it, I will point my domain names to it as well. I need to streamline things more!!! I think I will always have my Etsy store, I love Etsy.

Let me know what you think of the new site! I'll be working on it over the next week, tweaking things here and there.

http://theknittingsiren.typepad.com

New Gusset!

2008-08-31T09:58:00.001-07:00

Now, I don't know if anyone else has thought of this already, but I have a new gusset option for my britches pattern. I'm super excited. While I love my original gusset, it's roominess and the fact that you can knit from the legs up, I'm smitten with this new gusset. It is very very easy knit and still allows for a nice wide leg, though it only works for the top-down version (I'll figure it out bottom-up some day, the concept is in my head, I just haven't done it yet). I'm putting the finishing touches on the directions and will release it tomorrow to everyone who is on the britches yahoo group.

Also, I am revamping the whole pattern. Better pictures, more options, clarified wording on some directions that were ambiguous before. I'm adding a "no options, just the basics" beginner pattern that I'm hoping will be a great how-to-knit-longies for a new knitter. Since Adorabubble Britches has been out almost a year now (boy, does time fly), I've gotten lots of feedback, many great questions from beginners and suggestions that will be incorporated into this pattern. Since it is just the basics, I will be offering the beginner pattern for just $4. It will be seperate from the whole Adorabubble Britches pattern, but will come with a coupon for a discount on the big Adorabubble Britches pattern. So, if you like the beginner pattern and want all the options later, you won't have to fork over a ton :-)

I'm also hard at work on the sideways britches pattern, though this one is a little further away from completion than the others. And yes, a soaker pattern is in the future. Lots of fun stuff to come!

Not a fun week!

2008-08-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still aching from my little wrestling episode last week. I can at least stand upright now, but can't really pick anything up. Small one isn't liking that.

I've still managed to get some dyeing done, just a few skeins here and there. I've decided to give the Mystery Stole #4 a go so I'm working on dyeing up some lace yarns just for that. I am totally in love with this wool. It's not superwash, but it won't felt easily and is pill resistant. The best part is it is so squishy and soft. After it's dyed it plumps up into the most lucious lace. I'm bugging the main company to make a worsted weight because I think this would make the best soakers/longies. I'm going to strand 7 together to get close to worsted (that's still a light worsted weight!!!) and make some britches for small one. I'll let you know how it works.

Anyway, here is what's new!

Violet, superfine merino lace

Just Peachy on bamboo

Mangos on bamboo

Bluebells

and my favorite, Antique Bronze. The picture really doesn't do this yarn justice. It is beautiful. Luckily I dyed up enough to keep some for myself!

More yarn!

2008-08-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've been out of commission for the last few days since I strained my back wrestling with kiddos. I woke up feeling good this morning but as the day progressed, my back got worse. I was feeling well enough to get a couple batches of yarn dyed.

I have a couple new yarn bases that are wonderful. 3 different wools, all very soft and yummy. Stay tuned for some new wool colorways.

Stone on bamboo/cotton:

One for me!

World View on bamboo:

Starry Night on merino:

Chemical Free clean!

2008-08-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Most of you know, I'm a little on the crunchy side. Cloth diapers, organic eating, and natural cleaning products. I'm going to do a little sale over the next 2 weeks on some awesome cleaning products that I've fallen in love with. They use microfiber clothes infused with an anti-bacterial silver agent. The silver kills any bacteria it comes in contact with (or at least 99.9%).
For more information on it, you can go here http://www.adorabubbleknits.com/catalog.php?category=15 or email me at melhoff@gmail.com

30% off everything. Please click "other" as your payment method so I can calculate discounts and shipping.

I'm thinking the baby cloths would make perfect wipes and I'm very tempted to get a big towel to cut up into diapers :-)

Moebius on 2 needles! (free pattern)

2008-08-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here was my dilema: The longest needle I have is 40" and I needed to cram almost 300 stitches of a bulky-ish weight yarn on these needles. Um, not an easy task. I'm knitting along, not very happily when I think to myself, "Can't I just put this on 2 needles?" And sure enough, it works like a charm.

Basic Pattern for a Garter St Moebius Cowl:

1. Measure your gauge, knit a square using an appropriate sized needle at least 4" by 4" and using a ruler, count how many stitches you get in 4" and divide that number by 4. That is how many stitch you knit per 1". With my bulky yarn, I get 3.25 sts per inch.

2. Figure out how big you want your cowl to be using a tape measure. I want one that covers my shoulders easily and I'm pretty small so 40" will do well.

3. Multiple you cowl circumference (#2) by your gauge (#1). I get 3.25* 40= 130. This is the number you are going to cast on.

4. Using the Moebius Cast On Part 1 Part 2 cast on the number you get in #3 on just one needle. It might be crammed, but it just needs to this way for the cast on.

5. Place a marker to mark the beginning of the round. Take your second needle and knit 1/2 the stitches that you got in #3. Finish knitting the second half of the stitches with needle #1.

6. With needle #2, purl all the stitches from needle #2. With needle #1 knit all the stitches from needle #1.

7. Repeat 5 and 6 until the cowl is as wide as you would like it to be. Always knit using the end of the same needle that the stitches are on. Same needle to same needle. Be sure to leave about enough yarn to bind off (#2* 3 should be enough) and using the sewn bind off.

Yes, I do sense a video coming...

Turtle Butt, on sale!

2008-08-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a sale in a few weeks so I thought I would do a quick one. Turtle Butt will be on sale for $5.50! Not sure how long I'll run it, we'll see.

Here's what I've been up to this last week:

More dyeing today. I'm working on getting some Turtle Butt colorways up.

Dyeing Frenzy!

2008-08-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

I was busy dyeing away this weekend. I looked in my bamboo bin and realized it was almost empty! I did a few of my normal colorways and added a few experimental ones. Fun, fun, fun!

Here is few of them. More is still drying.

What was I thinking?

2008-07-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

I must be a glutton for pain. You'd think I would be relaxing and taking some time off after getting Turtle Butt out, but no. I'm ripping out my carpet.
Here was the point of no return (and the point where I say to myself, "What was I thinking?"):

Now I wasn't very fond of the 20 year old floral carpet, but I'm not sure how much better this is:

I have a lot of work ahead of me!

BTW, I did this all by myself. I'm very sore and tired. Tomorrow, the dining room?

The day has come...

2008-07-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

I never thought the day would happen, but I'm actually sick of knitting!!! I'm sure once I take my little after-Turtle-Butt sabatically I'll be back strong. But, right now I don't even want to look at my needles.

I've got a ton of ideas that I just don't have time for. Maybe once school starts I can devote more time to my passion. I really want to design some lace patterns, but that takes some serious hard-work. We'll see. Good thing I love what I do!

What's up, Turtle Butt!

2008-07-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Doodlebirds.com has come up with some great Turtle Butt kits and is offering them at a great discount. You'll get 4 oz of their gorgeous hand-dyed wool plus 4 oz of your choice of trim color. That's enough to make 2-3 Turtle Butts! Switch the main color and contrast color for variation. I love all of their colorways and can't wait to see them worked up.

http://www.doodlebirds.com/catalog.php?category=27

Turtle Butt is Here!

2008-07-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sneaking it out a little early :-)

Here it is in all it's glory!

Turtle Butt, $7

Tomorrow!!!

2008-07-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

The edits are done, charts are done, pictures inserted, Turtle Butt is finally ready! I'm releasing it 9 am tomorrow morning, whew!

Pattern will be available for immediate download for $7.
Get you needles and yarn ready!
Gauge is 5 sts per 1", I use #6 needles with worsted weight (but I'm a loose knitter). Knit in the round for the body, flat for the crotch.
Skill level: Not beginner! I would say more intermediate/advanced beginner. Do not pick this as your first knitting project or you will hate me :-)

Cottage License rules will be different for this pattern. Please see my Hyena Cart for more details http://hyenacart.com/adorabubbleknits
Check out this cutie!

My favorite yarnie momma!

2008-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Goodness! I totally forgot to give kudos to Beth at http://www.doodlebirds.com for her awesome colorways! Mr. Vertical Stripes is Beth's "Beach Vacation" on BFL. I have to say, I'm in love. Great boy colors.

Things to come

2008-07-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Vacation, visitors, new animal buddies have all kept me insanely busy. I've got a bunch of things I want to get done before the end of the summer, we'll see...

Anyway, here is what is coming up:

I prefer vertical stripes, so I made the britches sideways. This is my second attempt and I was able to figure out how to do a gusset!!! I do like this gusset, but I have an idea for a better one. So I'll make one more pair before I write up the pattern. Also, I was short on the trim color so the waist band isn't as wide as I would like. Just a proto-type.

Crochet Britches. These surprised me. I'm usually not a big crochet fan, but I really like how these turned out (these are made by my buddy Christi).

Turtle Butt should be done hopefully next week (cross my fingers).

More to come...

No pictures for a while

2008-07-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

My brand new camera bit the dust :-( It took a swim in the lake and didn't survive. One of the kiddos went under and hubbie had no time to empty his pockets. Thank God Daddy got to kiddo fast enough so no harm was done aside from a scared boy and his dad.

I have a bunch of things I have to photograph and only a camera with a broken screen (the first one that broke). Ugh!

Melanie's Menagerie

2008-07-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Small one is lovin' his animals! Too funny. He is going to be so lucky to grow up on his very own petting zoo.

Turtle Butt is actually really, and I'm not lyin', close to being done. My wonderful testers are knittin' up a fury and giving me some great feedback. My goal is to have this thing ready to be published in 2 weeks. Whew!

Here goatie goatie!

2008-07-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

DSCN6671
Originally uploaded by adorabubbleknits

Kiddo is lovin' the animals. He's my helper.

Good news on Turtle Butt! I was finally able to send the rough draft off to my testers last night. So, depending on how fast they knit and how fast I edit, Turtle Butt will be ready for release very soon (no pressure ladies!).

Also, I finally got the rough draft of the Crochet Britches pattern done. Working on some edits today that we found last night.

And, I've got 2 custom TB that I'm working on now. One is in brown and turquoise, so cool! Once these are done, I think I need a break from Turtle Butts :-) Too bad kiddo needs a new pair!

Life on the farm...

2008-07-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, I'm so sore. Between lifting goats, moving pens, mending fences, I'm beat. I did more fence mending today and got them out of the small pen and into the big pasture. Goofballs stay right next to the gate, just hoping for me to let them out. Seriously, the 1 acre behind you full of alfalfa isn't enough?! The grass is alway greener on the other side of the fence...

Sam (white wether), Dulce Vita (dark doe), and Willy (white wether). It fun to see their personalities. No 2 goats are the same. Dulce is a little timid, but is warming up to me. Willy is a wee thing with gorgeous hair, very friendly, likes to eat out of my hand. Sam is more of a moose and also friendly, likes to try and eat my clothes. Willy was watching intently as I was opening the gate. I'm pretty sure he's a smart one. Dulce fleece is almost full (yipee!) and Sam is close as well. They are so soft to pet. I want to follow them around and knit right off their backs (I wish I could).

Off to get my goats!

2008-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm off to pick up my goats *squealing in delight*

I'll post pics as soon as I can so stay tuned...

A big thank you to all my wonderful customers...

2008-06-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

I just placed an order for 35lbs of bamboo this week. Because I was able to place such a large order, I was able to get significant savings. What that means for all of you is.... cheaper bamboo!!!

So instead of being $20 per 4 oz skein, I'll be able to offer it to you for just $16 a skein. That's 20% less. Yeah! I'm so excited. I'm really hoping this will allow more people to try bamboo.

Adding wool to the sale list

2008-06-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've got some new luscious wool heading my way now and I need to make room for that as well so all my hand-dyed wool is on sale, 20% off. Located here:
www.hyenacart.com/adorabubbleknits

House Cleaning!

2008-06-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

I need to clear my shelves. I want to dye up more colorways, but I need to make room. So, all in stock hand-dyed bamboo is 20% off at my etsy store.

1x1 Grafted Edge

2008-06-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Finally got this tutorial done. This makes a very smooth, clean and stretchy finish to a 1x1 ribbed edge or even a seed st. edge.

Written directions.

Cut length of yarn about 4 times the length of the edge you are binding off and place on a tapestry needle (you'll want a good strong one like a chibi).

1. Insert tapestry needle knitwise into the first stitch, pull stitch off needle.
2. Insert tapestry needle purlwise in the the second stitch from the end, leave on needle.
3. Insert tapestry needle purlwise in the first stitch, pull stitch off the needle.
4. Coming from the back, insert needle knitwise into the second stitch from the end (this is the trickiest part), leave on needle.

Repeat 1-4 until you get to the end. Voila!

Crossing over

2008-06-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had this great idea this morning. My spreadsheet could easily be converted to crochet!!! So, I'm spending today crocheting! I haven't picked up a hook in ages.

So, it will have the same basic construction as the original britches with both a top-down and bottom up version. I really really like how they are turning out so far. Usually I'm not a big crochet clothing fan, but so far these are pretty cute. Will post pics when the first pair are done.

This will be my first official crochet pattern. Oh wait, I do have one already, the crochet hair scrunchies. This will be my first crochet garment pattern.

Home on the Range

2008-06-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

My backyard. This picture was taken around 10pm. Unbelievable how long it stays light out!

Can you picture my goats frolicking through the pasture? That hunk of metal in the middle is an old Model T, cool huh?

Experimenting fun!

2008-06-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting with self-striping yarn lately and am having sooo much fun. Finally I get to put my knitting machine back in use. How brilliant is this (not my idea), knit a square on the machine, double stranded, dye the blank, let it dry, unravel it, wet it again to de-kinkify it, let it dry again and then voila, self-striping yarn.

I have a few up for sale at http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com and plan on offering the blanks for sale as well. Hopefully I'll get a little tutorial up sometime.

TB is coming along. Looks like I might have to rework the x-small one again because I had an epiphany yesterday on how to make it a tad easier. So, stay tuned for another x-small TB auction. I love this pattern, but it has been a beast to write up. I'm just going to have to write it out size for size. A very experienced knitter could probably figure it out knowing just the stitch pattern, but I want most knitters to be able to do it. It will get done, one way or another.

Welcome to my funny farm!

2008-06-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

I would never have guessed that one day I would have a farm. I've always been a city girl, so I might be crazy to try this. We are getting chickens and a cat today. My 3 goats come the first week in July. Hubbie wants to get a calf as well.

Help me name my goats!

Aren't they cute?! These are the wether's. I'll post pics of the doeling when I get them. Ignore the earlier pictures. These are the ones I'm actually getting :-)

Suggestions for a farm name are welcome as well :-)

When does a hobby become an obsession?

2008-06-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

When you stay up super late spinning plastic bags and paper together.

And then you wake up early to take pictures of it.

Recycling at it's finest! "Paper or Plastic"

What exactly is free time when your work is your hobby?

2008-06-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

I have been on a major dyeing/pattern writing frenzy lately (I want to get my goats!) Hubbie woke up yesterday and I was already dyeing. He said, "I think this yarn thing is getting out of hand." I told him, "I think your flying thing is getting out of hand."

He tells me I need to set hours, but this is what I would be doing in my free time anyway. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love what I do.

Here is the fruit of my labor from the past few days.

I finally had success with the self-striping yarn. I can't wait to see how it knits up. I've got 2 more blanks soaking, but I'm forcing myself to do it tomorrow.

Progress finally!

2008-06-09T08:02:00.001-07:00

I'm chuggin' along getting the pattern done.

Ms. Can't-work-on-one-thing-at-a-time is also working on some new gusset ideas. One of them I thought of a while ago, I just hadn't done it yet. The one I'm knitting now I LOVE!!! You can hardly see it at all! It has the same roominess as my normal gusset, just hidden. I think I'm just going to work this all into an actual book since that what this pattern is turning into anyway. Like I don't have anything better to do :-) Anyone want to trade knitting for housekeeping?

Me hard at work:

I need a kick in the pants!

2008-06-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

Auction for a custom Turtle Butt, 2 days only starting at $7!!

http://www.hyenacart.com/adorabubbleknits

I am going to get this pattern written up. I am determined. To help me get going on it, I'm doing a auction for each size. I have to knit one of each size anyway to write down exactly what I'm doing and I want these TB's to go to a good home.

First auction is for size 0-6 months, your color choice.
Waist: 14-16"
Rise: 16-17"
Thigh: about 9-10"

Next week will be for the 12 month size.

Git Yer Goat Sale!

2008-06-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning house! FREE shipping on all in-stock items and patterns are all buy get one of equal or lesser value for free.

http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com
http://www.hyenacart.com/adorabubbleknits
http://adorabubble.etsy.com

GOATS!

2008-06-03T12:01:00.001-07:00

I've wanted to own goats for the longest time. Even before I was a knitter. Now that I have my farm, I'm getting my goats!!!

I'm so excited! I found some beautiful Pygora goats from a farm in Oregon that delivers between there and Minnesota. They are making deliveries at the end of the month, so I have only 3 weeks to get ready.

Here are pics of my new girls:
The lighter colored one:

White one on the right:

And a wether, the carmel colored one:

Now I'm off to go mend my fences!

Expresso My Love

2008-05-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have a new website! I thought it might be wise to purchase the domain name www.theknittingsiren.com. It's under construction right now, though soon it will at least redirect to my etsy store. Like I don't have enough to do, I'm also finally getting some good info on getting some fiber/dairy goats. I've got the contact info for some local goat farmers as well as a book to begin educating myself. Woohoo!

Of course I've been sing the wonderful "Expresso My Love" song all day today (and yesterday and the day before). Here they are, all dried and ready to post on http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com.

Expresso My Love, bamboo (I had a very hard time getting a good picture of this but it is a rich chocolate brown with red tones)

I like a latte caffeine!

Java Jive

Depth Charge

Orange Mocha Frappachino! (picture 3 ridiculously good looking male models saying it, that's been going through my mind the last few days as well)

Jamaican Blue, my favorite

A special treat for you all

2008-05-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

This is the song that inspired my most recent colorway line. It's a band from Mankato, Minnesota that totally rocks! As soon as the skeins are dry, I'll put up pictures. Just to taunt you, here are the names, "Expresso my Love," "Depth Charge," "Orange Mocha Frappachino!!!" "Latte Caffeine."

Expresso my Love, by The Divers.

Seriously, I don't know how they didn't make it huge. They are sooooo much fun to watch and have great songs.

Spinning Woes

2008-05-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today is supposed to be day 2 of no knitting, note I said supposed. I have one last custom to finish up so I've been knitting until my hand starts to get sore, which isn't very long :-( Good news is I've been able to spin a lot and dye a lot. I had an epiphany last night while I was supposed to be sleeping. I should keep a notebook by my bed because what prevents me from sleeping is the thought that I won't remember my epiphany come morning. I did remember and am dyeing up a storm today. Will post pics tomorrow.

Here is the handspun. I'm quite proud of it. You can definitely see the improvement in my consistancy. I'm not sure if that makes me happy though because I really like the crazy look of my first couple batches. Now I'm going to have to practice being sucky at spinning :-) I do have another picture without the toes, but they are just so darned cute. I love baby toes.

As you can see, little mister loves to help Mommy take pictures!

New yarn!

2008-05-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

My new bamboo and linen is dry. I love this stuff soooo much. The bamboo is unlike any I've seen yet. Most bamboos out there are kind of a chain/rope type yarn, this is more of a ribbon. I love it! I'm going to try and get a close up of it today.

And the linen... this is the nicest linen I have ever dyed. Very smooth. I'm saving some of this for myself. I'm thinking it'll make a gorgeous summer top.

I'm listing both of these today at my etsy yarn store http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com

You'll be seeing a lot more yarn coming up. I've been overworking my knitting muscles and they need a break. I keep waking up at night with a numb right hand. It's nice to still be able to enjoy my passion of knitting without giving myself carpal tunnel. I'm going to dust of my knitting machine as well (if the boys let me).

Work and Play

2008-05-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, when I should be taking time off, I got a new camera, new scale and a new line of yarn. I just don't think I can resist working (or is it really playing?).

Just a little plug for my new camera. I LOVE IT! Our last camera was a Nikon and we really liked it so we thought we would stick to what we know. This camera was $150 cheaper than our old one and is sooooooo much better. Unbelievably better. It has a "vibration stabilizer" that is a life saver. I can take pictures inside, no flash and without the tripod and they turn out perfect. This will make my life so much easier. The screen on it is amazing. It's the clearest screen I've ever seen. Nikon Cool Pix, S51c is just plain awesome.

Here is a bit of what I've been up to.

A bit of bamboo and wool, mostly wool.

And some spinning! I love the wonky look of it. The neat looking ones aren't handspun but are hand-plied. It's my lace weight bamboo plied on my wheel into a sport weight and a worsted weight. I like it.

And a couple customs that I just love.

These are hand-dyed by moi:

These are hand-dyed by Mosaic Moons, the trim dyed by moi. The picture is refusing to turn right-side up, so just turn your head.

Coming up for air!

2008-05-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been spinning my life away. It is just as addicting as I thought it would be. Now I won't have time to knit. I've been forcing myself to finish up the few orders I have by knitting for 30 minutes and letting myself spin for 5. Since I really want to spin, I've been burning through my orders (don't worry, quality is still on the top of my list).

I was hoping to tempt you with pictures of shimmering roving but now my camera won't take pictures at all and I can read the screen to see what's wrong with it. Big ARGH! I spun up 2 different wool rovings this week last week and I wanted to challenge myself with a new fiber. So, I headed to my wonderful LYS (Amy, you rock!) with bags of yarn to drop off and took bags of yarn/roving home. I got 8 oz of a beautiful soy silk roving. This might overtake my bamboo obsession. I love it! It's a little trickier to spin than wool, but not much. I wanted to get a before and after picture, but I don't know if I can keep myself from spinning it all up before I get my new camera.

Back to the grind.

Eeeeeee!

2008-05-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

My mailman/UPS guy most think I'm rollin' in the dough. I received 5 packages today!!! Most of it was trades, yarn for a custom and my WHEEL!!! It's all set up and ready to go. I was able to play with it for a little bit while small one took a nap. I LOVE IT!

Another wonderful thing I got was my confold diapers from Georganne! They are the nicest diapers I have ever owned. Seriously these are great diapers.

And, I got some samples of some super yummy yarn. It's a bulky weight bamboo that is just gorgeous! I'm ordering some right now. I'm also going to be getting in some very nice linen. Summer yarn fun. Who says knitting is a winter sport?!

So, you may not hear from me for a while. I've got yarn to dye, customs to work up and fiber to spin!

Twitching

2008-05-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about getting my spinning wheel, I'm almost twitching! I keep dreaming of the beautiful yarns I'll be able to spin. Ooooh!

Once it finally comes, don't expect to see me for a few days.

Uh oh!

2008-05-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

I had this great idea to go through some more boxes in the garage and came across my beading supplies. I'm in trouble. I love beading almost as much as knitting. I've been wanting to combine my 2 loves and make stitch markers and knitting needles.

Here is what I just made:

I'm trying to decide if I want to keep them or put them up in my etsy store. Maybe I'll just make more.

Shooting Blind

2008-05-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

Since it's just the screen that's broken on my camera, I thought I would try the "shoot and pray" method. It was a huge pain. I'm going camera shopping this week. Here are the 2 pictures that turned out somewhat ok.

I got my stimulus check yesterday and bought my spinning wheel! I know a lot of people are going to think I'm crazy, but I opted for a Babe's PVC spinning wheel. I've heard good things about it, it's kid friendly (ie, hard for them to break), light weight and best of all, relatively cheap. Not very asthetic but it gets the job done. I can't wait!!!

Double Argh!!

2008-05-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

My scale broke! Now not only can I not take pictures of my yarn, but I can't measure it out to dye it. Of course this all happens right after I get a huge shipment of yarn and new dye colors. I'm not having much luck lately.

I'm going to go sit and knit for a while.

Broken

2008-05-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ugh! Hubbie broke my camera!!! I have a huge pile of yarn waiting to be photographed and no camera. I've been trying to think of what I want to get with my stimulus check and it looks like a new camera is going on the list. Maybe I should make hubbie buy one for me with his check :-) Then I can still get the spinning wheel I've been lusting after.

In the movies

2008-05-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Don't send a lame eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

On "Vacation"

2008-04-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

My dad is getting remarried this weekend, so we are spending the week in Minnesota! This will be another whirl wind visit. Not enough time to see many people or do much. I'm hoping to be able to take a longer vacation over the summer. We'll see...

Since I'm on vacation, I'm knitting something for myself now. Using my Banana Split Wool/Bamboo sock yarn and the "Francie" sock pattern, http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/francie-2, I'm almost finished with the first sock. I want to finish these before the week is over so I can wear them with my super cool see through shoes.

So, I had this great idea...

2008-04-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Something of a yarn yin-yang.

I really loathe to part with this yarn. It is for sale in my Etsy shop http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com but I am seriously thinking of hoarding it for myself. This colorway I will definitely be repeating.

I love my job!

2008-04-18T15:06:00.001-07:00

This picture says it all.

I'm going to dye!

2008-04-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

My house is covered in the most luscious fibers!!! Bamboo/merino, bamboo/cotton, pima cotton, just plain old bamboo. Can you tell I have a thing for bamboo? I spent about 4 hours just skeining off of cones on Monday and have spent the last 2 days dyeing up a storm. I have a bunch of customs to work on, but everytime I sit down to knit, I keep thinking of new colorways I want to try and can't concentrate until I do. Ugh!

Promotion tomorrow!!! The Etsy cloth diaper team is working together on this great promotion! Hidden through out our stores, you'll find free gifts, from diapers to socks, all sorts of goodies. More info here: http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com

I will be "hiding" a screwball in my Etsy store! The first person to find it and purchase the product it's hidden with will get a free handknit screwball toy!

Now, here's what I've been up to this week:

100% Pima Cotton

Merino/bamboo sock yarn, Banana Split

Sailor's Delight on Thick/thin merino.

Marianas on 100% Bamboo

More is still waiting to be pictured.

Cloth Diaper Promotion, April 18th!

2008-04-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

I am part of a great Etsy Cloth Diaper Team. These mamas make some pretty excellent items. You can read more about our group here:
http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com
and here
http://www.etsyclothdiapers.com

We are doing an awesome "Treasure Hunt" promotion, April 18th. Some of our stores will be offering a free gift with a purchase. The sneaky part is, you have to find the free gift! It'll be hidden in each of the participating stores. Free diapers, socks, and other wonderful items will be given away. I'm hiding a Screwball toy in my store!

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing public items from adorabubbleknits tagged with etsyclothdiapers. Make your own badge here.

If you're gonna get an apron...

2008-04-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

get a freakin' awesome one!

Nice, yes?

Close up, how cool is that?!

It's blursy, but that's what I get for asking my 7yo to take the picture.

Action Shots, finally!

2008-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

I finally got outside to take some actions shots of some of my designs. A little nippy, but we worked fast. I had some cooperative boys today!

Breaking up is hard to do...

2008-04-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

We're breaking up :-( Don't worry, hubbie and I are doing great. I'm splitting up my business. While I love designing children's clothes, I would like to do more grown up stuff as well and the name "Adorabubble" is just too silly. Yes, it suits me, but is just too goofy for a grown up shop. Turtle Butts and lace bamboo just don't go together.

So, now the bamboo and hand-dyed yarns will be listed at

http://theknittingsiren.etsy.com. Thanks to Donna for the inspiration for the name :-)

I'm slowly moving all my yarn over, the patterns will still be available on both sites.

Moebius Cast On, Take 2

2008-04-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

My camera is back in action! It's hard to believe it is finally warm enough to tape outside without fear of getting frost bite.

I promised a new Moebius Cast On video and since it is probably my most viewed tutorial, I thought I better get that one done. So here it is, right handed and in better lighting.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Short Row love

2008-04-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't just love short rows?

I'm hoping these videos will make doing short rows less painful for some.

Japanese Short Rows:

Yo Method, with my trick of making it with no loop on the inside:

Knitting Frenzy!

2008-04-07T10:55:00.001-07:00

Oy! What a week! I'm knitting like crazy. Chores are going to have to be put on hold (at least the non-crucial ones) and I gotta get my butt off the computer. Seriously, if you see me online, I give you permission to harass me. I may have to schedule carpal tunnel surgery once this week is over.

Good Day, Sunshine!

2008-04-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

It is almost warm here! I'd forgotten how great it is to walk outside without a heavy jacket on. I am making videos today (provided the kiddos let me)!
I got major fluffy mail this week. It so tempting to roll around in it. Everytime I walk by the boxes, I have to pet them. So now I have all this undyed yarn, bamboo and wool, and no time to dye it. I need a motorized skein winder to help with the task.

So, you all are probably wondering what is up with the knitting show. My design, Demeter's Tunic, is going to be featured on "Knit and Crochet Today," a PBS show. I've never seen it, PBS doesn't come in at my house, though I would watch it if I could. I was a little bummed at first that I had to use Red Heart, but when I browsed through the different yarns they had available, I was pleasantly surprised. I get to make it in a cotton/acrylic blend. I actually like this better than straight cotton as the acrylic gives it a less harsh feel and more bounce. I have a week to get things ready, so I might not be around very much.

In case you are wondering, yes, that is me modeling the sweater.

Coolest Shoes Ever!

2008-03-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! I found the coolest shoes ever! I just about freaked out in the store. The clerk probably thought I was insane. They actually fit my double-wide trailer feet (seriously, DD width, I've got great balance).

Reminiscent of those wonderful 80's Jelly Shoes.

I am going to be so cool walking around showing off my awesome handknit, hand-dyed socks.

I'm a loser, baby...

2008-03-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Oy! As I was getting my things together this morning for the Beginner's Knitting class, I came to the realization that I am a loser. I like to bring in the project/s that I've been working on to show my students so I collected all the things I made over the last week. In just one week, I started and completed all this:

Admit it, your first thought was, "Does she do anything besides knit?" No, I don't, I'm a loser.

Swimming in a Sea of Bamboo

2008-03-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I got some soft silky mail today. I've got bamboo coming out of my ears. I must resist rolling around in it. Once I get it all wound into skeins, I'm going to have a dyeing fest! For all you dyers out there, I'm going to be stocking some nekked bamboo on the website so I can share the joy of bamboo dyeing.

Now that I have the tripod again, maybe I can do some dyeing tutorials as well.

I once was lost...

2008-03-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

but now am found! Squirt found the missing tripod piece!!! I still have no idea where it was hiding all these months. He was just sitting by the front door playing with it. You know what that means...

More videos!!!

Hmmm, what to do first? Japanese short rows in action? My favorite stretchy k1 p1 bind off method? Provisional cast on?

It even almost warm enough to do them outside where the light is the best.

Woohoo!!

AAHHHH!!!

2008-03-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, I can hardly think! One of my designs is going to be featured on a TV show!!! Until I know all the details, I can't say much else. I'm just going out of my mind with excitement that I had to share.

I'm obsessed!

2008-03-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Like you didn't know that already :-) Holy cow, I love these Turtle Butts. I got a whole bunch of brightly colored yarn and some pastels and have been knitting up a storm. I'm trying to see if I can make 1 a day. I can't wait until it's warm enough for munchkin to actually wear them. It's getting close, almost 60 degrees yesterday but the wind was also almost 60 mph. Yes, I'm serious. We were worried the house was going to blow down.

I also got some squishy mail yesterday, a whole box full of natural undyed-unbleached organic merino. I am in love with this yarn. It is soooo soft and yummy. I love it. I'm hoping I'll be able to get more of it.
Oatmeal:

Marle (I like this one, I may have to keep all of it for myself):

New bamboo is on it's way as well. I'll be stocking naked bamboo for you dye-ers out there, woohoo!

Nanny wanted

2008-03-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

I need a nanny and a housekeeper and a professional organizer.

I've missed doing custom work so decided to start up again and the response has been awesome. Enough work to keep me busy/happy. I love sitting down with my knitting and saying, "Mommy has to work now." Now the task of organizing the rest of my life :-)

I'm casting on a pair of shorties today using this yummy yarn hand dyed by me.

I will also be working on the pattern for Turtle Butt. Pulling this one out of my brain in a discernible fashion is proving to be a challenge. I just love these soakers though. They crack me up!

Going sleeveless.

2008-03-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Now that it is finally starting to warm up a little here, I'm starting to think spring! I finished up the Persephone's Tunic sleeveless version and am happy with the results. Now I'm just waiting for my testers to give me their feedback (thank you so much for helping me with this rush project!).

Small one was not so happy modeling it for me. The little bugger was determined to hold the camera. Finally daddy stepped in to help me out. Asa will take pictures just fine as long as it's not me taking it. I have to leave the room whenever we get professional pictures done. Momma's boy!

Sleeveless Persephone

2008-03-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking today that it would pretty easy to make the Persephone Tunic sleeveless like the mommy version for the summer. I'm working on that now and will hopefully have it ready by next week.

Any takers on testing? I only need a couple since the pattern is pretty well tested, just need to make sure the armhole directions work.

New Store!

2008-03-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly excited. I finally have a pattern store on Ravelry! Why is this so exciting? Many reasons. First, I get to help support Ravelry through pattern sales. Second, it makes purchasing patterns much much easier. Find the pattern you want on Ravelry, click "Buy Now" and you'll get a link to the PDF file where you can download and print the pattern. No waiting on me to check my email and send you the pattern. Lastly, hopefully more sales for me :-)

I'm now motivated to complete the long list of patterns I've been putting off.

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/melanie-hoffman-designs

Spring Fever

2008-03-12T10:51:00.001-07:00

It's warm enough to rain and melt all the snow, but not warm enough to actually do anything. I can just feel spring coming and I want to go explore our land and plant my garden. I'm a sissy though, still too cold for me to enjoy the outdoors.

Now if only the spring cleaning bug would come visit me...

A rare pic of hubbie and I together.

Goofy Viking Baby

"Camping" in the living room

This is what Asa does when we want to take his picture now. Cute, no?

Busy Bee

2008-03-10T19:33:00.001-07:00

I've been a busy bee today. No work done on any patterns, but I got a bunch of bamboo orders. I'll have to place an order for more blank bamboo soon. When I do, I'm going to offer some blanks in my store so I can share the joy of dyeing bamboo with others.

I also made laundry detergent today. Yes, you heard me right. How cool is that? Since I wanted to try it out, I got a ton of laundry done today. How's that for motivation?!

Here is the website with the recipe I used. It makes 2 gallons (about 64 loads) of detergent for under $1.

http://thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

I'm going to try this recipe next:

http://www.sunshinediapers.com/cloth-diaper-university/choosing-a-detergent/

I'm back

2008-03-09T13:01:00.001-07:00

I've been sick all week. My house is trashed, but I got caught up on a lot of knitting and am almost caught up on all the Lost episodes (gotta love online TV access).
We are having a somewhat warm day. Not enough to melt the snow, but the sun is shining and spring fever is really hitting me. I'm so excited to be able to have a garden this year. I have big plans, probably too big for what I can actually accomplish, but I'll try. Luckily the kiddos are old enough to help out and they are excited about having a garden. My dream is to have a fiber farm someday, angora goats, sheep, rabbits and alpaca maybe. For the time being though, I'll be planting flax and maybe by next spring we'll be ready to get some animals. I'm a city girl who wants to be a country girl and I have no idea what I'm doing. I have a lot to learn and I don't really know where to start :-)

Sick Days, yeah!

2008-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Is is pathetic that I love sick days? No better excuse to sit and knit all day than to be sick. Here is a peek at what I'm working on now. This is just a swatch, I'm playing with doily designs hoping to turn this into a garment. So far so good, I love how it is coming together.

Now back to the couch :-)

What to do with bamboo yarn

2008-02-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

I love love love bamboo! The poor man's silk, it shimmers, it's oh so soft and slinky and has a gorgeous drape. I still have it hanging from my living room ceiling to dry and even though it is dry, I don't want to take it down.
It is perfect for spring and summer as it has a nice cool feel to it. I've been dyeing up a storm of bamboo and now I'm working on some patterns to go along with it. Bamboo and lace go perfect together. Here are a few sneak peaks at what I'm working on.

And finally, a bolero I'm writing up now that uses the stitch pattern "Frost Flowers" from Barbara Walker.

Yes, I froze my arse off for these pictures.

Dyeing Frenzy!

2008-02-28T14:15:00.000-08:00

I've got yarn hanging all over the house. I don't know what came over me, I've just been in the mood to dye. Now that I have all this hand-dyed bamboo, I need to write up some patterns to go with it :-) I've got a couple things in the works.

I love having bamboo hanging from the ceiling. Every time I walk near it, I get an overwhelming urge to fondle it. Mmm, so soft and smooth.

How cool am I?

2008-02-26T08:40:00.001-08:00

My most favorite thing about my "job" is seeing people all over the world knit my patterns. I've sent patterns to Australia, Germany, England, Canada, Croatia and just this morning, Tasmania! How cool is that?! I think I might start a little map thing to show who all in the world is knitting my designs.

Gotta love the internet!

Askew

2008-02-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

Me, manning the station.

My latest creation. I couldn't believe how simple these were to knit. I'm still working on how to put a gusset in them without having to knit it separate. Best part, no short rows! To make them completely seamless, there is a lot of grafting though. Yes, I will write it up into pattern. It should be quite simple, but I'm sure it'll be a couple months before it's done.

Yes, I'm still alive!

2008-02-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! It's been over a week since I've blogged. I have no excuse, just shear laziness on my part, or maybe it's because I haven't really done anything all week. I've just been working on swatches for summer tops, trying to decide what I want to make next. I have a ton of linen and bamboo to use. It's just hard to think warm weather with it being so cold here. By the time I get the design all written up and tested, it'll be warm enough to wear.

Oooh, one thing I've been working on this week is awesome and I can't wait to finish it. Sideways longies! Why? Because I can and plus if you use self striping yarn or hand painted yarn, it makes a really cool effect.

Mad Hatter

2008-02-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm in a hat mood lately. Hats and cables. I think I'm going to make a whole hat collection. Cables, chunky cables, ultra chunky cables, braided chunky cables, all sorts of crazy cables.

I finished up ultra chunky cables last night and am in love. Even has a little hole for my ponytail.

I have chunky cables in my lap right now (will post pic when finished).

Knitting Find of the Decade

2008-02-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

I might say century, but we have 92 years left and who knows what the years may bring.
From the sporting goods section of Walmart, for only $5.95:

I love this! I got this great idea for Ravelry (of course). It could use a few more sleeves, one for each needle size would be nice. But this will do until I can get more sleeves. I can sort all my needles by size, stuffing each with dpn's, crochet hooks, and all lengths of circular needles.

Turning a heel

2008-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Forgive the horrible pictures. My beloved tripod piece is still missing (about which I am extrememly annoyed). I can't do videos or take decent pictures without it. It is also frickin' freezing here so I can't get good lighting. Excuses, excuses.

For this tutorial, I'm only showing how to work the short row heel. I may do one in the future that shows it from the toe up, but not today :-)

I work my socks on 1 long circular needle, magic loop method.
The heel is worked on just 1/2 for the stitches. You will just be ignoring the second half (the instep).

Knit to 1 stitch before the end of the first needle, turn.

Backward YO,

slip the first stitch,

Purl to 1 stitch before the yo of the previous row, turn.

Backward Yo,

slip the first stitch, knit to 1 stitch before the yo of the previous row, turn.

Repeat the above steps, backward yo, sl first stitch, knitting (on the rs) or purling (on the ws) to 1 stitch before last yo, turn; until you have the 1/2 amount of stitches between the yo's as you cast on for the toe. In the case of this sock, it is 4 stitches. Knit to the first YO.

Correct the mount of the YO, knit YO together with the next st.

Turn, purl across to next YO, ssp (slip slip purl)the YO together with the next stitch.

Knit to 1 stitch before the next YO.

Knit the next stitch, the yo, and the follow stitch together, (k3tog).

Purl across to 1 stitch before the next yo:

sssp: slip next 3 stitch separately knitwise and coming from the back, purl all 3 stitches together.

Continue in this manner, k3tog on rs and sssp on ws, until all yo's are worked.
Knit across to the very last YO:

Slip that YO to the second needle with the instep's stitches:

Knit YO together with the next stitch:

Knit across the instep to the last stitch. Slip st knitwise:

slip yo from sole's needle:

and ssk those stitches together:

All done!

A call for testers!

2008-02-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

I just finished up a little pattern that I designed specifically with indie dyers in mind. Not too complicated so that the design over takes the beautiful yarn, but interesting enough to keep you attention. Knit from the top down, you should be able to make both hat and gloves with just 1, 218 yd skein or worsted wool.
Gauge: 5 sts per 1"
Materials: I used hand dyed 100% Purewool on US 7 needles.

If you would like to test it, please email me at melhoff@gmail.com I only need about 3 testers, so email me fast!

Gauge, in the round or not in the round...

2008-02-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

I've had this question come up a few times this week and thought I would talk about this here. When I first learned to knit in the round, I was taught that you want to work you gauge swatch in the same manner. Now, seriously, if you gauge is that much different knitting in the round (itr) than knitting flat, maybe you ought to practice purling more. Yes, people do tend to purl a little looser than they knit, but if your purl row is so much looser that it causes your gauge to be more than one stitch off than knitting itr, you need to work on tightening up your purl stitch.
Anyway, that's just my opinion. Hope I don't ruffle too many feathers with this one :-)
Knitting a swatch itr is a big pain (knitting a swatch flat is annoying enough). It needs to be twice the width as a flat one and thus take almost twice the time. I have a hard enough time convincing people to do a gauge swatch anyway, I'm not gonna tell them they have to do itr as well.

So, in conclusion, knit your gauge swatch flat. It'll be ok.

And the winner is...

2008-01-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

Persephone's Tunic! Goddess of Spring and of Innocence, daughter of Demeter, goddess of Nature. It just seems so fitting.

And yes, the pattern is finished and ready for sale (big sigh of relief).

I'm going to go clean my house now, or maybe I'll take a nap instead.

Contest Results...not yet :-)

2008-01-30T15:08:00.000-08:00

Soon, soon! Yes, I have picked a winner and I promise I will reveal my decision first thing tomorrow. I've got to edit the pattern so the name is on it :-)

I can't tell you what a tough decision this has been, so many great names. I'm thinking of offering a 2nd and 3rd place and using those names for upcoming patterns, as long as it's ok with those that picked the runner up names.

And, yes, I know Thursdays are supposed to be one of my days off. I'm just so ready to release this pattern. Kind of like giving birth, I just want to get it over with :-)

Stretchy (sewn) Bind Off

2008-01-28T14:34:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm early with this one. We'll just pretend it's Tuesday.

This bind off is grrrrreat for toe up socks, neck bands, waist bands, top-down hats any place you need to stretch.

Our lovely Chibi needle on the end of the yarn. Measure out a length of yarn 4x's the width of the circumference of the item (just loosely drape the yarn around the piece 4 times). Better to have too much than too little and this is a very safe amount.

Insert the needle from right to left through 2 stitches and pull yarn through.

Going from left to right, go back through the first stitch.

Pull the first stitch off the needle.

Repeat these steps until all the stitches have been sewn.

Voila, a stretchy bind off. FYI, this matches the twisted loop cast on nicely.

Whittled Down the List

2008-01-27T12:10:00.001-08:00

Ok, I've finally whittled down the list to my favorites. Seriously, this was hard to do. I really liked a lot of the suggestions. Now you can vote on your favorite, see the poll on the top right side of your screen.

Thank you all so much for your help!

Ferklempt

2008-01-25T06:05:00.000-08:00

The response to this little blog contest of mine has been so incredible. We all must feel the same thing when looking at the sweater because almost every name was right along the lines I was thinkning, garden and fairy/elf. I don't know if you all made this decision easier or harder. I don't think there was even one name that I didn't like. Now that the rush to put in your suggestion is waning, I'm putting up a list of ones that struck my fancy. So as to not reveal my preference just yet, I'm listing them in alphabetical order. As you can see, the list is long. This will be a tough decision, so please, if I chose your name, convince me! Why should I choose your name?

Butterflies in the garden
Cherub Wings
Coraria, after the beautiful Sumac which has been 'used by Egyptian and Greek during Antiquity as a wool dye'
Elven Delight
Evenstar (Arwen translated, I love Arwen, but alas, it is taken by a beautiful Kate Gilbert sweater).
Ivy League
Laurel
Peaseblossom
Persephone's Tunic (Demeter's Tunic for the big person sweater, Demeter was the goddess of nature and Persephone was her daughter)
Petiole
Poise ‘n’ Ivy
Sapling
Variations of Sprout, bean sprout, 'lil sprout, wee sprout, sproutlet
Sugar Snap
Sweet Pea
UnbeLEAFable Sweater (I'm into puns)
Up, up and away

Name this sweater contest.

2008-01-22T16:43:00.000-08:00

I am soooo close to finishing up this pattern. It's been in the making since last August. Now it has been tested and edited and retested. Only problem, I'm at a loss as to what to call it. So far it's been labeled "Leaf Lace Sweater" but that just isn't a pretty name. So please, please help me come up with a name for this sweater! I'm going to leave the contest open for a week and after that time, I'll pick my favorite name and the winner will receive $10 store credit at my website, good for patterns or my hand-dyed bamboo yarn.

To vote, enter your name for the sweater in the comments section.
Mommy version can be seen here:
http://www.adorabubbleknits.com/catalog.php?item=12

Recipe for a Hat

2008-01-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

I've decided to share my basic recipe for a hat. Your head, your yarn, your gauge. It is much simpler than it looks, trust me.

1) Figure your gauge. ie 5 sts per 1"

2) Measure head circumference and subtract 2." ie 18"-2"= 16"

3) Multiply #2 by #1. ie 16 x 5= 80

4) Round #3 to the nearest multiple of 6 (preferably down). ie 78

5) Measure head over the top from earlobe to earlobe. ie 14"

6) Divide that number by 2 and then subtract 2" for the decrease rounds. 14/2=7 - 2= 5

7) Cast on #4.

8) Knit until the piece measure #6 (you can work whatever hem you want).

9) Divide #4 by 6. ie 78/6=13

10) Place stitch markers after ever (insert #9) stitches.

11) Knit to 2 sts before st marker, k2tog, around.

12) Knit one round even.

13) Repeat 11 and 12 until there are 6 sts, draw yarn through 6 sts, pull tight and weave in ends.

Voila, a hat made perfectly for you.

Here are a few examples of different things you can do with the recipe. I put all the calculations into a spreadsheet so I don't have to get my calculator out everytime I need to crunch the numbers. If anyone wants the spreadsheet, just let me know and I'll email it to you!

Dumpster Divin' fun!

2008-01-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

I scored big time at the thrift stores this weekend. While I didn't come away with 5 big bags of sweaters like I did last time, I did find a couple treasures. Just as I was about to give up at the last store, my hands felt something soft and yummy. I pull out the sweater, check the tag... 85% silk 15% cashmere. Mmmmm, yarn snob heaven. Another minute later, a wool Banana Republic sweater that will not get ripped apart. And... a cappuchino machine! Very satisifying shopping trip.

Pics to come.

Ravelry is interferring with my life!

2008-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have to set rules for myself or I will waste my life away on the internet. I've been so busy playing with my website, browsing Ravelry, emailing and just playing on the computer that I've hardly had time to knit! So, I'm going to take a couple days of each week where I won't even turn on the computer. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my days off with limited time on the computer over the weekend. Yes, I know today is Thursday and as soon as I finish this blog, the computer goes off.

I'm gonna be dyeing bamboo today and playing with Aidan and Asa. I might have pics tomorrow of my bamboo escapades. Fun, fun, fun!

My new assistant

2008-01-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

Meet my new assistant, Aidan. I thought having him help me dye yarn would be a good lesson in how colors work and also a great way to spend time together. Here is his latest creation, Mr. Slappy Face. He picked the colors, poured the dye and named the colorway.

Here it is "cooking."

When I asked him what he wanted to do with the yarn, he said, "Sell it at the yarn store." So, it is now for sale at my hyena cart store, http://www.hyenacart.com/adorabubbleknits
My little entrepreneur.

Spinning my life away

2008-01-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I should never have started. It is harder to put away than my knitting is.
Here is the fruit of my labor.

About 3" too short. I'm totally in love with the nubby, imperfectness of the handspun wool and the purple/black dyeing is gorgeous.

So now I am spinning more and will be dyeing more tomorrow. Since I doubt I'll be able to replicate it exactly, I'll just have to alternate rows of each dye lot.

The Birth of a Spinner

2008-01-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting/resisting to try my hand at spinning. Armed with a gift certificate to The Yarn Stash, I got my roving then heading to the craft store for a dowel and wooden car wheel (I gotta make my own whorl of course). I got home, put my spindle together, making a sword for the boys out of the extra pieces and sat down at the computer to watch some online videos of how to do it. I'm usually one that picks things up (especially fiber related) fairly quickly, but I was lost. I tucked all my spinning supplies in a basket to await my weekend trip to my LYS where Amy showed me how to really do it. I am hooked. Now I don't know if I'll have time for knitting let alone time to finish my designs. I've been spinning all afternoon and so far have about 50 gms of wool. Pretty pathetic. Hubbie looked at me and said, "I don't know if you are aware, but you can buy wool already spun into yarn." He doesn't get it.

Sunrise, sunset...

2008-01-10T06:14:00.000-08:00

It is 8:15 am and the sun and still not yet risen. I love North Dakota, but I have a hard time dealing with this more than the cold. The sun doesn't officially rise until about 8:30. We should be in the Mountain time zone, but whoever created the borders decided to reach over about 100 miles and snag up Minot. I'm one of those that likes to rise with the sun. 8:30 is not a feasible time for me to start my day. I think I need to get one of those alarm clocks that slowly turns a light on. Ok, I'm done with my rant.

Today...

I really want to finish up the instructions for making custom britches, your gauge, your measurements. Tricky part is making it understandable.

Also, I hope to get more work done on the baby bag. This has been my toughest design yet. Not because it is difficult, it's actually very simple to knit. The calculations are what make it hard. It's a compound raglan which means you don't increase every alt. row like most raglans have you doing. If you increase every alt. row, you wind up with an enormous body and sleeves. To prevent that, you work alt. row increases for part of the raglan and every 4th row for the rest. Calculating when to switch is where it gets tricky. I've got all the sizes figured out for the plain bag and am knitting an actual piece so my testers know what they are creating. The cabled one is even tougher because the cables pull. I've been having to do a lot of swatching to get this one right.

How-To Tuesday: Short Rows, ahhhhh!

2008-01-08T08:47:00.001-08:00

Ok, I finally got it down. The problem with most all the tutorials I've seen on the net is the short rows are all knit flat and I want it in the round. This is very picture heavy, no tripod yet so the video tutorial will have to wait.

So, here it is. First up is Japanese short rows in the round. You will need safety pins to work these. You might be able to do it without, but the pins make it easier.

Knit to where you want your first short row to go. Turn and place a safety pin on the working yarn.

Slip the first stitch and purl across to next short row placement.

Turn and place safety pin on working yarn. Slip the first st and knit across to your next short row placement (in the britches pattern this is 3 stitches before last short row hole.

Continue in this manner until you've worked all the short rows required.

Closing the short rows. Here is where this version differs from others I've seen. You are going to close the left side short row holes and instead of turning, you will knit around to the right side short row holes.

Left side short row holes:

After working all the short rows, your piece should be right side out. Knit to the first left side hole. Pick up the safety pin and place the loop on the left needle.

Knit this loop together with the next st. Do this for each of the right side short row holes.

Left Side holes:

Do not turn! Keep knitting around until you get to 1 stitch before the first left side hole. Slip this stitch knitwise. Pick up the safety pin and place the loop on the left needle. Place slipped stitch back onto left needle and it knit it together with the loop like you would knit an ssk.

Repeat this for each of the right side short rows.

Tada!

Neck Deep in the Bag

2008-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

I've settled on a program and am so glad I did. I chose Knit Visualizer and am in love with it. I should have bought it months ago, it would have saved me (and some of my test knitters) much hassle. It's $135 for the program, but sooo worth it. A huge thank you to Nancy for creating it for us.

Now that I have the software, I am cruising on finishing the Baby Bag. So far the rough draft of the plain version is complete. Features for this include a super cute button along the raglan sleeve, car seat buckle hole option, 3 different sizes, newborn to 2T, knit in the round (gotta love seamless), button bottom or box bottom options. I've also included instructions for just a plain sweater without the bag bottom. This is the sweater version, for the bag just picture it longer.

This is one of those simple yet beautiful sweaters. It is one of my favorites.

I'm well on my way to finishing the rough draft for the cabled bag as well. So far I have the newborn sizing complete and as soon as I can get my butt off the computer, I'm off to do some more swatching. I wasn't satisfied with the sizing of the original bag, arms were too narrow and the cables pulled more than I thought they would. I also didn't care for the button plackart placement on the cabled bag. It's cute on the plain sweater, but overload on the cabled. So, the new one will button down the front (or back if so desired), similar to this but with a smaller collar and a little longer to more easily slip the babe in.

That's all for now. I'm so happy to be almost done with this bag.

The Baby Bag

2008-01-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! Just in the last couple days I've gotten numerous requests to get my butt movin' on finishing the baby bag. Ok, maybe not those exact words, but I get the picture. Charting the cables is what has been holding me up. I've tried using Excel for the charts and am just not satisfied, which means I'm gonna have to fork out some dough for charting software. Any suggestions? I know there are a few out there, some more costly than others. My tendancy is to get the cheapest, but maybe I'm missing out on something great because of my stinginess. I'll make a decision this week and then maybe I'll be able to get the pattern out before the 2 months that I've been saying.

Other news...

No more cottage license! I've been agonizing over this since I first began to offer it. I would like credit for my hardwork, but I also want to see people making my designs. I figure, it is a win win situation if I don't make my customers purchase a cottage license in order to sell my designs. Wahm's are not going to be rollin' in the dough by selling my britches (though I do wish that upon you all!) and you don't need an extra expense. The big advantage for me is getting my name as a designer out there. All I ask of my seller's is that you inform me of your intentions, give me an idea of your knitting experience, and most important, give me credit. If I like your work, I'd love to add you to my Adorabubble Knits Sellers page to direct customers to you. I want to be able to devote more time to finishing up my long list of designs (like the baby bag) and don't have time for customs anymore.

2 legs at once, finally!

2008-01-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

I finally got the video done on working 2 legs at the same time. What a bugger it was to make this!

Anyway, enjoy!