Almost there!

I'm getting closer to finished with my new Roller Derby hat pattern - I have a few test knitters lined up and then I'll be posting it here as a free pattern.

Here's a picture of newer version:



I swear, this roller derby is becoming a dangerous obsession, but one that appear to cross over nicely with my knitting. I banged out these super fast legwarmers in a day, which I'm going to wear for (squeal!) my first derby photo shoot this week.



Bulky yarn, giant size 15 needles, 2 by 2 rib, minimal color changes and no decreasing. Easy-peasy!

Knit Still Happens

Oh blog, how I have forsaken you! Sure, at first it was a forced knitting hiatus, but then it just became laziness on my part. I did manage to get a few projects pumped out in the mean time, so to catch up...

I actually did a couple of these Morning Walk Headbands. They make great quick knits and you can get a couple out of a single skein of bulky. It also helps that they are in fashion right now (so I'm told by my 15 year old sister).



Of course I had to make a little cap for my new nephew, who joined our brood in December.



I finished up Skylar's Easy Baby Cardigan which I made out of the leftovers from my Twist & Shout Sweater. When she's 16 she's gonna hate that we were ever matching, but for now, she doesn't complain...much.




I also managed to bang out a pair of Maple Leaf Mittens for my Canadian friend, but forgot to snap a picture before she left to visit family.

Ooh oooh, and last night I happened to meet Sabrina, the amazing local spinner of Anzula yarns, which I had used to make Skylar's first Sweater. She's super sweet and I liked her in an instant. Even more amazing is that she remembered me from Ravelry and extended an invite to join her in her shop or at a knitting meet-up any time. Swoon!

But what has really been keeping me away is a new obsession...roller derby. I started skating with the local league in November, and now I'm drafted to one of their home teams and full on hooked on the sport. So naturally, looking for a little balance, I decided I should try to unite my two obsessions. I've already made several changes to the charts (on this one the wheels are way too big for my liking) but here's a sneak peak of the first prototype I've been working on:



It will probably take a little while to get the pattern to where I'm satisfied enough to post it and on top of that I went ahead and signed up for another swap, which means I'll be working on this on the side instead of primarily. Either way but I'm hoping to still be able to refining this pattern so I can get it posted here within a month or so.

Shut Down!

I'm on a forced knitting hiatus right now, and I'm not happy about it one bit!

Ok, so that's a little dramatic, but I've been having a major flare up of my tendinitis and going to physical therapy, where they are telling me that if I want it to heal, I need to relax it as much as possible. Since I can't avoid signing or typing at work and something's gotta give, the answer to that is "no knitting." Which naturally I take as, "Do some knitting, but be sure to take an anti-inflammatory before, only knit for a measly 1/2 hour per day, and then afterward ice it and put on the splint."

Sigh. I try to be a good patient.

Ugly Hats for a Good Cause

Every year my work is a partial sponsor/coordinator for an all day holiday celebration, called Silent Sleigh, for the local Deaf kids. A lot of hands go into the preparation for this day in which countless kids get to socialize with their Deaf peers from all of the local school districts, watch performances all in sign, and best of all, tell a signing Santa in their own langauge what they want for Christmas without the use of an interpreter (and actually have him understand!).

Last week at my works community center there was a group of 5 Deaf/hard of hearing women hard at work at their sewing machines. When I inquired further, I discovered that they were making a slew of hats, so that every kid in attendance at the Silent Sleigh would be able to wear and take home their own holiday hat.

Since one of the virtues that I want to instill in my daughter is that of volunteerism and the best way to teach this is by example, when I saw this group of ladies sewing away at 100 plus hats, I knew that I had to lend a hand. I mentioned that I had a sewing machine at home and the ability to sew a (sorta straight) seam and they were more than happy to have my assistance.

I was sent home with a stack of neon green felt, thread, and some quick instructions how to sew it up. I was surprised that even with my novice abilities I was about to whip out 10 hats in only about 2 weekend nap times (so like a total of 2.5 hours).

Here's the final product:



Sure, they're an ugly color, but I'm certain that in the spirit of the holidays these kids will wear their hats with Joy as they carol in sign language and anxiously tell St. Nick their christmas wishes.

It Is What It Is, Flaws and All

As I had previously mentioned, I finished up the lovely Summit Shawl, only to discover a major flaw about halfway back. I contemplated for mere seconds whether I should rip it all the way back to the error, but seeing as that would have meant undoing nearly 500 yards of work I just couldn’t make myself do it.

Here’s the blocked picture of it... can you find the error?

How about now?

At some point in the middle of knitting I accidentally switched the direction I was going, creating a larger hole and two branches out of one. You’ll also note the circle on the bottom left – that’s where for some reason I decided to simply go back the other direction, rather than making the outer loop.

The thing of the matter is, I can’t help but still love the final product. Sure, I can see (and unabashedly point out) its flaws, but its overall beauty shines through regardless. I know that the recipient of this shawl won’t be sitting down to analyze my work and will admire it for what it is, not for what it isn’t.

Civetta Legwarmers - FREE PATTERN

I’m not the kind of girl who wears legwarmers, so it had never occurred to me to make some, until a friend asked specifically for a pair. As often happens, I couldn’t find a pattern that I particularly liked for this recipient, so I went to the drawing board. I hope you have as much fun knitting these little owls as I did! These were originally designed as legwarmers, however they can also be worn as gauntlets.

Click here for Free Ravelry Download: Civetta Pattern

Knit Know How = Fast Gifts

One of the good things about being a knitter (with a sizable stash) is that when you look at the calendar and see that you have a baby shower to go to and no moolah to spare for a gift, it's not to hard to whip up something quick and cute.

Skylar graciously modeled this boy version of the Cadence Baby Hat which took me only two lazy nights of knitting to bang out.



And by graciously, I mean she let me snap photos for all of 30 seconds before deciding that it was way to hot to keep wearing this beanie.