I'm A Floozie!: A Button Floozie That Is

I'm now a blogger with Button Floozies! The Floozies are a group of people who love buttons just like me.

You can check out my introductory post here.

Happy Buttons!

Knitting Needles Giveaway: Lisa of Molto di Moda Designs is Back!

My blogging friend Lisa of Molto di Moda Designs took some time away from blogging a while back. Well, she's just announced that she is  returning to the blogosphere and having a giveaway to celebrate.

Lisa is giving away these funky knitting needles:

      Photo by Lisa of Molto di Moda Designs

Drop by her eclectic blog to say hello and enter.

Happy Giveaway!

A Treat For Me: A Crocheted Ipod Case You Can Crochet Too

I treated myself to one of my crocheted Ipod cases. This cheery yellow one is perfect for spring. This Fiber Arts Friday I'm sharing my simple pattern to make one of your very own.

They are fun to make. Crochet a chain the width of your Ipod allowing for side seams. In single crochet, crochet to a length that wraps down the front and up the back of your Ipod.

You are now ready for the flap. Crochet the flap until you are about three rows away from where you want to stop the length of the flap.

Make the buttonhole on the next row. For the size of my button, I single crochet to the 2 center stitches of the buttonhole row. Now, I chain 2 to skip over these 2 stitches and continue to finish the remaining stitches of the row in single crochet. Crochet 2 more rows making sure to single crochet in the 2 chains of the buttonhole row. You may need to skip more stitches for your buttonhole depending on the size of your button and gauge of your yarn.

Block your work before you sew it up, so it lays flat when you sew the sides.

Sew up the sides using a wool needle and yarn. You may also chain stitch the sides together, which I do, running the chain around the edge of the flap as well.

You'll see in the first picture that I have an opening in the bottom of the case for the headphone jack to plug into my Ipod. With a wool needle and yarn and using the whip stitch, I create a circular opening in between 2 single crochets.

Here is a picture of  the circular opening from another one of my cases so you can get the idea. I push a pencil into the hole to shape it. Then, I spritz it with water leaving the pencil in until it dries to make a sturdy opening.

That's me this Fiber Arts Friday. See more fiber creations at Wonder Why Gals!

Happy crocheting!

When Will This End!: My Ground Hog Day Multnomah Shawl

I am now in the middle of my seventh repeat of the fan and feather on my Multnomah shawl. Time stands still when I am knitting this project. It  feels like it will never end! The repeats are tedious. My work is so bunched up on the needles due to all of the stitch increases that knitting is slow.

Yes, this is my fault for buying circular needles that were too short. I can't see if my fan and feather is rippling properly. At least it will be a big surprise when it comes off the needles.

Oh, and I think I may run out of yarn before I'm finished the last and final tenth repeat. They better have another ball of this at my LYS and to heck with the dye lot.

And yes, I would like cheese with my whine!

Happy Knitting!

Spring Sweater Time: A-Line and Cables

Spring is the time I put away my heavy knit sweaters. I prefer to throw on this lighter A-line sweater with a pair of jeans to head out on cooler spring days.

This was knit in Patons Classic Wool Tweeds using their A-line Swing Jacket pattern.

The blocking was key to achieving the "swing" in this sweater. It also opened up the cables.

This is my favorite spring sweater!

Happy Spring!

I've Got Fans and Feathers: Progress On My Multnomah Shawl

My Multnomah Shawl is slowly taking shape. I'm almost ready to begin my sixth of the lace repeats.

It may soon spill off of my needles.

The pattern is becoming a bit tedious. What keeps me going are all of the beautiful Multnomah shawls in the Ravelry gallery for this project. I'm looking forward to having one too!

Happy knitting!

Inspiring Fiber Arts Blogs for Fiber Arts Friday

I've been discovering some fiber arts blogs that are worth a look if you need inspiration to pick up those needles and get creative.

Dödergök is a Swedish blog hosted by a funky gal who is an amazing knitter. Feast your eyes on these socks!

                                                                                   Photo by Dödergök

Her blog is full of wondeful fiber art pieces. Use your browser's translator to read the blog in English. If you use Internet Explorer, use Microsoft Translator which you can access in Internet Explorer.

Or, how about the British blog Prick Your Finger which features out of the box ecletic works from a variety of fiber artists. This is a knitted wolf detective! The pattern comes in episodes.

Photo by Prick Your Finger

For you spinners out there, take a look at Prick Your Finger's post Ai's Locks to see hair spun with yarn.

Dances With Wool is a Finnish blog written in English. Lene hosts this blog. Her mittens put any I have knit to shame!

                                                                                     Photo by Dances With Wool

I need to spend less time reading about knitting and spend more time doing knitting. Of course, I'll make an exception for Fiber Arts Friday at Wonder Why Gal's.

Happy Inspirations!

Canada Post Delivers!: Yarn That Is

A box of goodness arrived from Elann today.

Look what's inside: glorious yarn and yummy sweater patterns.

I finally got to touch my Peruvian Highland Chunky yarn. I'm not disappointed with the Oxford Grey Heather colour.

Elann is teasing me with sumptuous brochures of more yarn and more patterns.

I love knitting sweaters. But, I am strong. I won't be tempted until I finish Jared Flood's version of the Urban Aran Cardigan. Maybe.

Happy temptations!

I Enjoyed My Knitted Things Today

Today was a beautiful sunny clear blue sky day.

Despite the sun, the northerly wind kept a chill in the air. I grabbed my camera and some knitted things to keep warm. My mom's cheery yellow knitted eyelash scarf and my owl hat did the job.

I dropped my felted camera case by a tree, while I took pictures. It looks at home on the floor of the forest that surrounds my house.

I enjoyed my knitted things today.

Happy March!

Yarn Snarl, I Snarl!

I was cozy in my pjs and happily knitting my Multnomah shawl when an unexpected yarn snarl intruded on my bliss. Yes, this is the offending snarl.

This snarl emerged from the centre pull of my Patons Kroy Sock yarn skein. When I untangled it, you can see my discovery. Both of its ends were broken from the skein leaving me high and dry in the middle of a lace row on my shawl.

The knitting goddess must have been looking down on me. I was able to knit to the end of my row with a bit of yarn to spare. I had only knit about five rows with this skein.

In the past, I’ve knit with skeins where the yarn emerges in a knot tieing broken ends together. But, this is the worst yet. Quality control where are you!

I hope there are no other snarls this Fiber Arts Friday at Wonder Why Gal’s. I’ll be checking to see.

Happy Fiber Arting!

Back to the Future: Vintage Stoles and Chill Chasers

Every once and awhile I browse through my mom's old pattern books. Right now I'm knitting the Multnomah Shawl and my eye was naturally drawn to the patterns for stoles and "chill-chasers". Any of you shawl knitters know the difference between the two?

This is from a 1952 magazine called "Smart Knitting". I wish I could fill out a knitted blouse like this. Oops, this is all about the stole!

The lace pattern for the stole above is quite simple. It's a repeat of  *yo, P2 tog*.

This stole is a bit more complicated, as you can tell from the face of the wearer. With this one, the knitter wraps the yarn around the needle on one row and drops it the next row to make long open  lace work. It reminds me of hairpin lace.

For 20 cents this pattern book could have been yours in the 1950s.

If only they were still that price! Oh well, enough of vintage. I better get back to the present and knit my shawl.

Happy knitting!

Hurry Up Canada Post: My First On-Line Yarn Order

I found it very strange buying yarn and not first being able to touch it. Plus, I had to take the chance that the color on the computer screen would be the color of the yarn I get from Elann via Canada Post.

Twenty skeins of Elann Peruvian Highland Chunky in Oxford Grey Heather are on their way to my local post office.

This is all in aid of making hubby Jarod Flood's take on Paton's Urban Aran Cardigan. Luckily, Elann also had the Paton's pattern book "Street Smart" which contains the original pattern.

I guessed estimated the amount of skeins to order by scouring for information on Ravelry's forums and finished projects. Mocha Heather yarn was my original color choice for the cardigan. After thinking it over, I decided grey would suit hubby better than brown.

I'm excited about this project. I haven't knit a sweater since the summer. The Urban Aran Cardigan is loaded with cables which I love to knit.

Hurry up Canada Post!

Happy yarn buying!