Eyeglasses Case

This is a project from the book, Fabulous Felted Hand-Knits by Jane Davis. Because it takes such a small amount of yarn, I was able to use up some leftover Noro Kureyon. I'm guessing it was about a 1/2 skein or less.

This case is constructed by knitting a strip of stockinette, working a few decreases to form the flap, sewing the side seams and then felting--quick and easy! One interesting thing I learned from this project is to use cotton crochet thread to baste down any parts that need to be stabilized during the felting process. In this instance the flap was folded down into position and basted to the front of the case. This helped to keep it from being stretched out of shape when it was in the washing machine. You might think the flap would become permanently felted to the front, but it didn't. It lifted easily when the basting thread was removed.

After everything was blocked and dry, a slit to fit the button was cut in the flap to form the buttonhole, then cotton floss was used to stitch around the opening. I may have to redo this stitching as I just realized there is a special way to do it called buttonhole stitch. I just sort of did my own thing here, so I'm not sure how well it will hold up. I'll get a chance to do it correctly soon enough though, because my husband has requested a case for his fishing sunglasses.

New Web Ring

Have you heard about the web ring for The Preemie Project volunteers? Jamie has just organized it. Check here for the guidelines. I would love to visit your blog, so be sure to join.

My Mittens

So now you know what I was knitting--not socks, but mittens. Believe it or not, these are the first mittens I have ever owned. It's not very often that you need to wear mittens or gloves down here in Texas, but I'm ready just in case. I hear there is a cold front heading our way in a few days...

Pattern: Mittens from Sarah Dallas Knitting (page 56)
Yarn: Noro Cash Irona (40% Silk, 30% Lamb's Wool, 20% Cashmere, 10% Nylon)
Colors: 2 skeins of #94 (green) and a small amount of #91 (rose)
Needles: US 2
Comments:

These mittens are knitted flat and then seamed. I originally thought I would prefer mittens knitted in the round, but I really liked this pattern.

Since I substituted Noro Cash Irona for Rowan Wool Cotton, I had to go down a needle size to get gauge. It was hard to knit this yarn on such tiny needles, but I like the results. The stitches are tight and I think this will make for a warmer mitten.

If you have used this yarn before, you know that the thickness varies randomly throughout the skein from thin to thick. On the first skein, the changes seemed to come at short intervals. On the second skein they came at longer intervals. This meant that some rows in the second mitten were knitted with all thin yarn or all thick yarn, but not mixed as in the first mitten. It had a slight effect on the guage and I had to knit four extra rows to get the second mitten to match the length of the first. So, be cautious when using this yarn for small projects that need to match. Be sure to measure your pieces and don't just expect that knitting the same number of rows will give you a matched pair. I don't think it would matter as much on larger knitted pieces.

Even after that word of caution, I would definitely use this yarn again. After a soak in Eucalan these mittens are just as soft as can be. Can you see how well they go with the scarf I made last year? Now all I need is a matching hat.

Yarning

Saturday was the perfect day for yarning (aka shopping for yarn). Living in the Houston area, I'm lucky to have a choice of several shops, though none of them are very close to my house. But that doesn't stop me, especially when my husband is willing to drive me all over town. What started out as a trip to Spring to check out two shops I've never been to before, ended up with stops at total of five shops! I bought needles from here and yarn from here, but what I'm most excited about is the pom-pom maker I bought here. I make a lot of pom-poms for The Preemie Project hats I knit, but I never like the way they turn out. This little gadget is going to be a big help. It will make four sizes of pom-poms (1 1/4", 1 3/4", 2 1/4", 3 1/2"). The smallest size is just perfect for what I need. I took a break from my knitting today to test the pom-pom maker. I like the results! By the way, I'm knitting for myself this week. Here's a peek.

More Booties

These are the booties I told you about (in various stages of completion). The next baby shower will be for a boy, so I pulled out some blue yarn and a neutral color and tried out a couple of patterns. I left the slipper unsewn so you could see the construction. I think it is fairly typical for shoes of this style. There are no stitches to pick up, but more seaming to do than the other style. It's hit or miss for me when I have to seam the toe, because as you can see, the upper is squared off and bottom is pointed. You have to ease the excess material around the toe and sew into position. I've been known to rip out the seam several times to get it to look right. This one went together easily the first time.




The pattern for these can be found in Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight (page 34). They are knitted from the cuff down and stitches are picked up along the sides and front to form the toe. When you are finished knitting, all you have to do is seam along the back and center of the sole. I made these with Bernat Softee Baby and size US 5, casting on 29 stitches. The sole measures about 3 1/2". It is for a baby 0-3 months. Acrylic yarn is easy care for busy moms and that's the main advantage to using it.




This one is from the same pattern. However, I knitted it with Cascade Pima Melange (100% Pima Cotton) and size US 3 needles. The sole measures 3". Hey, this one is a good size for The Preemie Project! Natural fibers knit up so much nicer than acrylic, although some must be handwashed and dried flat. Usually cotton can be machine washed and dried, which I hope is the case here. I just checked and there are no care instructions on the yarn band. I'll have to test it or recommend handwashing just in case.




This one is my favorite. It's from the book 50 Bootees to Knit by Zoe Mellor (page 96). It's also knitted with Cascade Pima Melange and size US 3 needles. I like the definition the cotton yarn gives the garter stitches. The sole measures 3 1/2" which should fit a 0-3 month old baby. The colors are right for a boy, but the style may be better suited to a girl. Anyway, that was my thought when I finished knitting it. My husband basically said the same thing when he saw it. Maybe it's the lack of a cuff? Let me know what you think. I'm sure this slipper will never stay on. One little kick and it's off, but it sure is cute!

Baby Things

Last Friday after I mailed in my donation for The Preemie Project, I thought I would begin knitting something for myself, but then I remembered the baby shower I was invited to attend on Sunday, so I knitted these booties instead. They are called Daisy Lace Bootees from the book 50 Baby Bootees to Knit by Zoe Mellor. I needed them to be big enough to fit a three month old baby, so I knitted them with Caron Cuddle Soft yarn (fingering weight) and size US 3 needles. Though they looked big to me compared to the preemie booties I make all the time, the guide on the back cover assured me they were right. I included them as part of my gift and they were appreciated.

Now I can start on something for me, right? Well I could, but on Saturday John took me to my favorite yarn shop so I could pick up whatever I wanted for a Valentine gift. Would you believe one of things I bought was the book Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight? I just can't stay away from the baby things! Of course, I had to try a pair of booties from this book right away. Afterall, there are two more baby showers to attend in the near future. One thing led to another and I've been knitting booties all week, trying different patterns and different yarns. Eventually, I'll cast on that second sock that's waiting for me in my knitting basket and I'll work on some other projects I have planned, but for now I'm having too much fun with this.

A Valentine Surprise

This is a Valentine's Day story written by my mother-in-law and published in the 1980 issue of Knitters World. It is a story of love.


A Valentine Surprise
By Mrs. M.H. Batchelder

There are a lot of ways to say "I love you". My friend's husband says whenever she bakes hot muffins for him on a dark and dreary day, he gets the message! My valentine surprise was a little different.

My mother taught my sisters and me to knit. I started around the junior high school years and dragged my knitting along where ever I went. The first real project I finished was a navy blue wool pullover for myself, knit on small needles. It was worn with a pair of old riding breeches. After this, I knit a dainty pink short sleeved job that unfortunately had such a small opening at the neck I could not get my head through it! That was soon remedied by more experienced hands.

The years went by and knitting continued...a wine colored pullover for Dad, a soft blue cardigan for Mother, then sweaters for a very special man in my life who later became my husband. He spent a good portion of his courting time sitting in our living room, holding skeins of yarn while I rolled it into balls. "Our song" was k2, p2.

After this came baby things for nieces and nephews followed by the seemingly endless chain of baby garments for our own children...tiny bootees, soft blankets, bright sweaters and caps. Soon I was making lots of mittens, scarves, hats, bigger sweaters, some with patterns of reindeer, stars, hearts, snowflakes and pine trees. I also made many pairs of argyle socks. Living in snow country, this is the way of life, dressing up to keep warm.

While the family kept growing and we needed more things, we looked for ways to earn extra money. One year, I knit ski caps (called "Fast Caps") for a ski lodge shop. These caps had ear flaps knit on and tied under the chin, with a swinging tassel on the top. I made the caps in every color of the rainbow and they sold as fast as I could get them done.

One other year, my husband gathered Christmas greens and made beautiful wreaths decorated with cones and red bows. He sold the wreaths to stores and inns. Meanwhile I knit many pairs of pastel bootees, packaged them in small plastic bags and sold them in lots to a large department store. That was a thrill!

The year of my valentine surprise, our family had grown to 13 children! We had a happy home, full of love and laughter with a lot of cooking and cleaning and every day tasks that made the days hurry by.

We had a friend who was a one woman knitting machine! This gal made dresses, coats, capes, skirts--you name it, she could knit it! She had an office job but knit during her free moments there and as soon as she got home. She would knit until meal time and continue late into the evening. She belonged to a knitting club and tried every new pattern and idea.

My husband asked this lady to knit me a sweater as a surprise. On Valentine's Day, she arrived at our house with the gift box under her arm. I assumed it was for the children. "No, this is a gift for you from your husband", she said, while he sat there with a big grin on his face. I opened the box, to find a beautiful scarlet cardigan sweater with a pretty collar and little white flowers embroidered all over it. Here it was, hot off the needles. I am sure our friend finished it just in time!
I really was surprised! I love that sweater (sure, I still have it). It is warm and bright and the romance of that lovely, snowy Valentines's Day is still warming my heart. For, when someone you love says "I love you", that is the best thing in the world.


Two years ago when my mother-in-law died, we found this sweater in her closet. It was the only hand knitted item she had, though she knit her whole life. At the time, I didn't know the story behind the sweater, but I could tell it was something special. It was well cared for, having been mended in a few places with a slightly different shade of red yarn and lost buttons replaced with as close as possible matches. Later I learned the history of this sweater and realized she had saved it for over thiry years. It was more than a sweater to wear for warmth, it was a gift of love for a knitter who rarely knit for herself and a remembrance of a Valentine's Day long ago.