Newborn Hat Collection

I think I'm not going to make items to "stock" my "store" anymore.  They just don't sell.  Photographers have ideas in mind, and want unique, custom items.  Such was the case with an order I received from the awesome Jenna.  She showed me inspiration pictures, I showed her yarns, and the order was created.  This is a fun process, and a little less stress-inducing than trying to replicate items exactly.

 Most of these were in her order, a few were just little bonuses.

 Top:  Taupe "Kiss" hat in Sirdar "Eternity" (14gr), preemie pixie bonnet from upcycled sweater yarn (41gr), beanie in Patons "Lace" (14gr), beanie in Patons "Decor" (15gr), kitty hat in Patons "Lace" (12gr).  Bottom:  Beanie in a blue mohair I don't recall at the moment (13gr), beanie in Bernat "Boucle" with brim in the upcycled yarn (17gr), and white "Butterfly" beanie (17gr).

 I was a little cautious about her request for this yarn in the "Kiss" hat.  I wasn't sure if the yarn texture would override the cable and ribbing.  In the end, I think it adds a nice soft touch.

 I'd been seeing beanies done in a plain yarn, with a textured edging, and gave it a whirl.  This was Bernat "Boucle", I think, and the upcycled yarn from a thrifted sweater.  I really liked this combo!

I wasn't sure on the sizing of the basic blue mohair beanie.  I was trying it on my newborn "head" and it just seemed a tad big.  So I thought I'd whip up one in Patons "Lace", since I love how the blue graduates.  However, because of the smaller gauge, this did not just get "whipped up".  LOL.  And, I wish I had started with a bit more light blue at the top.  But it's still adorable.

There was one more set, not in the picture.  A grey mohair pixie bonnet and pants.  I had issues with it, and it'll get it's own post!  Haven't yet gotten pictures from her with these hats, but I'm waiting! 

Yarn In:  12 957gr
Yarn Out:  143gr + 10 431 = 10 574gr
Balance:  2383gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $258.29/309 days = $0.84/day

Yup, More Yarn In

With all the Hallowe'en shopping at Value Village, there was bound to be more yarn coming home. 

Five balls of Brilliant by Novita, 50gr each, 31% acrylic, 21% cotton, 19% wool, 17% nylon, 12% viscose.  How do you like that combo, LOL!  It's sort of  pale green with darker (but not dark) green slubs, sort of  bumpy, with a long halo that sort of shines.  I can totally picture the sweaters from the early 80s!  $4.50

A large, 200gr ball of "Sweety", a white DK yarn, with 80% acrylic, 10% mohair, and 10% wool.  A nice basic yarn, will look sweet as little pants and bonnets, or a blanket, or hat or scarf... Also $4.50.  It's "made in France" but I don't see a maker's name.


Next year, I might keep a total of how much of what I make actually leaves the house.  It was probably pretty good this year, as I've done so much custom work, but I did do a bunch of newborn hats that didn't go anywhere except the sale box.  It's not really yarn out, if the yarn is just transformed and moved to a new location within the house, LOL!

Yarn In:  12 507 + 450gr = 12 957gr
Yarn Out:  10 431gr
Balance:  2 526gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $9 + $249.29 = $258.29/305 days = $0.85/day

Monkey Business

On one hand, I love getting a picture sent to me, and being asked "Can you make this?".  On the other hand, it usually ends up being a lot of work.

It takes away most of the design process, which is good and bad.  I know exactly what my client wants, though I usually ask a few more questions ("this bright?" "textured?", etc).  But actually trying to find the yarn, and figure out the techniques....not always enjoyable!!

Take this monkey set:

Jennifer had done a maternity shoot with a woman that loved monkeys.  So she sent me this picture to see if I could make it.  I was almost certain the yarn was LionBrand Homespun.  I didn't have that colour, but was able to get it easily.

Got started on the hat.  Didn't like my first couple attempts at sizing, but the third (or 4th...) was good, so when I was at the forehead (starting from the top), I took a look at the picture again, and realized I had forgotten the cream and red stripe at the top!  Rip rip!  I didn't have cream in Homespun, but used two strands of a thinner yarn.  Using two strands allowed it to have more texture.  I did have a deep red in Homespun.  Got the hat finished.  Moved on to the diaper cover.

I had used a pattern before for a Homespun diaper cover, but there was no gauge, or sizing given in the pattern.  Why post a pattern to the internet without this info?!  Anyway, got it done, but struggled making the tail stand up.  If I had more time (which, since the momma ended up being late, I actually did!), I would have tried working the tail tighter.  In the end, I used a pipe cleaner, which we're not all that impressed with.

I think I did a very good job copying the original picture.  This was my sneak peek:

 

Things always look much better with a baby in them.  Plus this was taken with my cell phone so I could post easily to Facebook.

I don't have the "real" photos yet, but they are posted on Facebook.  Go take a look!  The baby was awake for the whole shoot, so Jennifer couldn't get the positioning she wanted, but that's okay.  There'll be more babies later :)

There's also another hat I did custom for Jennifer in that album--the Frosty hat!
I can't find my note with the weight of this set, and my scale is acting funny (it says the ball of red Homespun weighs 176gr...yet the new ball is only 170grm and I used some of it...).  I'm going to give it an educated guess at 90gr.  If I find my notes later, I'll adjust everything :)

Yarn In:  12 507gr
Yarn Out:  90gr + 10 341gr = 10 431gr
Balance:  2 076gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $249.29/303 days = $0.82/day

Of course, I have MORE yarn in to show later... but also, more yarn out!

Yarn Out!

Got some yarn sold/donated!  The Cascade 220 and Nashua Snowbird went fast, though I had several inquiries for them, they all fell through until a nice, young, TEENAGE girl bought it!  She's going to make Christmas gifts!  Awesome!
I got the mint baby yarn donated, so that's outta here too.  Hoping to sell one other lot, depending on the shipping cost.  If you haven't seen my kijiji.ca ads, go take a look.  They're in the Toronto (Durham Region) section of crafts/hobbies, and there's 3 ads.

Yarn In:  12 507gr
Yarn Out:  917gr + 9424gr = 10 341gr
Balance:  2166gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $249.29/296 days = $0.84/day!!

I don't think I got under a $1/day last year!!  And, considering I've sold some of what I've bought this year (yarn AND finished items), that means I've probably MADE money from knitting!  (well, if you don't count the time factor...)

Halloween Knits....And a Lesson

A little while ago I got a call from my sister-in-law, she wanted her whole family to dress up in Despicable Me characters for Halloween and needed an extra long "Gru" scarf for her husband (he is quite tall!), and an "Edith" hat for her girl.  No problem, I can use my machines!  Well.  I showed you what I had to do to get my standard gauge going.  Then all the issues I had.  The injury (which, the doctor says isn't broken, but might have tendon damage).  Finally, the scarf was done.  One thing I did to help speed it up, was carry the grey threads up during the black stripe.  Once the scarf was done, I used a laundry Sharpie to darken those grey threads.  I did cut the black for each stripe though, because otherwise it would show too much in the grey sections.  I used Loops & Threads "Woolike" .  This is a really nice, non-wool acrylic yarn in sock yarn thickness and manly colours.  I used black and grey, though I added a strand of a darker grey cone yarn that I have as I didn't think the grey was dark enough.   And, I was trying to use up a black sock yarn that I have that was a smidge thicker, so I thought it'd balance out.  According to my notes, this scarf weighs 203grams.  I'm not sure how, as the black is used less, and I used up the entire ball of grey....

For the Edith hat, I used my LK150, and based it on a pattern online for one on the Bond.  I had to make it bigger though.  My niece's head is 24" (she is smart, but also has a lot of hair!), and she's going to wear her ninja scarf hat under it.  I swatched, let it rest overnight, then got going on the pattern.  It seemed big, and my kids didn't like how it got pointy at the top.  So I re-did the top part.  It was bigger than my 21" wig head, so I got it finished and off in the mail (hat: 98gr).

Last night while shopping I got a call from my SIL saying it arrived, but the hat was way too big...it was almost 28"!  How?!  No, I didn't measure it before mailing, just trusted my math.  I suggested she try sewing up the back seam, she's crafty and fussy and I felt she could probably figure out something.  But it made me very mad at myself!!!  I get so annoyed when knitting math lies to me.  But this was terrible. 

As soon as I got home, I checked my math.  I didn't have the swatch anymore, so I made a new one.  Tugged and pulled it into shape, let it rest a little.  Measured a few times.  My math was right.  Started working on it, somethings I did a bit different, some things went more smoothly, until a stupid error stopped me for the night.  Finished this morning and sewed up after lunch.  However.  It also seemed to grow, from 4.5st/inch to 4st/inch!  Doesn't sound like much, but that means 24" grows to about 27".  So I resewed the seam smaller.  I also somehow made each stripe a row or two wider and this meant the top ended up being shorter...I'll post a picture later.  Not a big deal, I hope.  Got it mailed.  Started feeling weird while standing at the postal counter....suddenly got very hot....
This version weighs in at 95gr.  So it MUST be smaller, right?

Yarn In:  12 507gr
Yarn Out:  396gr + 9028gr = 9424gr
Balance:  3083gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $349.29/290 days = $1.20/day

Yarn In

This post is a little depressing, LOL.  Tallying up all my yarn in over the past couple weeks.  Some was bought specifically for projects, some was bought because I couldn't pass it up at Value Village/Salvation Army.

Red Heart Buttercup, 50gr, $9.03.  This one really depresses me.  I had an order for a snowman hat, and I tried several of my stash yarns, but they were either not white enough, or not textured enough.  I searched around, and finally found this yarn at FabricLand.  Good thing is, I've used a good amount of it; I hope there's enough left to make a second hat though.

Loops & Threads (I think), "Woolike", 2x100gr = 200gr, $15.80.  Again, bought for an order.  I was disappointed I couldn't get my stash yarns to work, but this is a really nice sock weight yarn that's not wool at all.  And about 140gr is already gone.

Impeccable (and "Brights"), 228gr (total), $11.28.  Also for an order, and about half gone.  Unfortunately, I bought this yarn, and the Woolike, while at Michaels' with my girls, and they picked up something that was higher value and got the 40% off coupon.  Should have made them check out separately LOL.

Cream thick 'n' thin scarf, 219gr, $1.   Bought this for an order, searched everywhere for a thick and thin cream yarn that wouldn't cost more than I was making from the order LOL.  Found perfect scarf at Salvation Army!

Cascade 220, 5 skeins, 500gr, $5.64 Value Village
Nashua "Snowbird", 350gr, $4.51 Value Village

I hesitate to include these two since I'm selling them, but it's "yarn in" until it's "yarn out" LOL.

Parisiana, a blue and black thick n thin, vintage yarn, with Eatons' price tags still on ($1.49).  Total 206gr, $7
Blue Shetland Chunky, 59gr $1
Cascade 220 Superwash, 100gr, $3.38.  There were other balls there (Value Village) but I didn't like the peach colour.  Love this green though!

 Bernat Big Value in a baby mint, 117gr and Bernat Softee Chunky, 100gr in a beige, bagged together, but I needed only the Softee Chunky for an order.  I'm donating the other ball to a woman that does charity blankets.  $4.51

Turquoise "Mystique Mohair Boucle, Handpainted by Jan Gilray", from New Zealand, 300gr total, $3.38.  I don't know what I'll do with it, but I love the tropical colours.  Oh, I think the photo is on my phone.

Yarn In:  2429gr + 10 078gr = 12 507gr
Yarn Out:  9028gr
Balance:  3479gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $57.50 + $291.79 = $349.29/289 days = $1.21/day

 Can't wait to add up the "yarn out" pile!

Yarn OUT!

I posted some yarn for sale on kijiji.ca (Canada's version of Craig's List) back in early summer, and got a few replies, but no one followed up.  Last week, someone did, and we arranged a pick up time.  Cleared out some yarn, the "easy" way, LOL.

Green/yellow Fiorito, 400gr; Bernat Country Wool, 700gr; and Naturally "Cafe", 250gr.  Still have lots #3 and 4 available.  Nice way to clear out 1350gr!  It was all leftovers from projects!

Last week, I posted three more ads after totally re-arranging my yarn bins.  Despite taking a huge pile of yarn out of the bins, I can't quite fit all what was left back in...but the bins aren't quite full either...In an hour, a woman is stopping by to buy some bags of Classic Wool that I've had for awhile (2009 was the last time I went to the Spinrite Tent Sale, but I don't know what year I got this).  Twenty balls, two colours, 2000gr.  I'm a little sad to see it go, but I'm pretty certain I don't want another handwash sweater, and the yarn is more valuable as bagged lots than odd balls.

I do, however, have that huge pile from Value Village I need to tally up still....I wonder if this yarn in is going to equal this yarn out....it sure would be nice to get ahead on the yarn out for a change!! 

Yarn In:  10 078gr
Yarn Out:  5678gr + 3350gr = 9028gr
Balance:  1050gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $291.79/283 days = $1.03 per day

That's looking pretty good!  I've got a monkey set, a snowman set, a bunch of tiny hats, a "Gru" scarf and an "Edith" hat to add up to get the Yarn Out up...but also all that Value Village yarn to bring the Yarn In up as well....

Still Ouch!

My toes still hurt.  Not the "OMG I BROKE A TOE" hurt, but the "man, when is this going to stop" hurt.  A sort of burning feeling.

Anyway, got the "Gru" scarf off the machine, all the ends woven in, washed, and it's drying.  The "Edith" hat has just come off the machine and needs the hand finishing.  I'm going crazy with photographer props and a few other orders.  Bought a fabulous lot of yarn at Value Village, hate to add it all up, LOL.  Some of it I'm re-selling on kijiji.ca (I have three ads posted in the hobbies section).   I recently sold some yarn, so I guess I can add up how much that weighed and add it to my "out" total!  I've tried so hard to not buy yarn on speculation, but I just couldn't leave these really nice yarns at VV.  Pictures will come later.  I've got to get back to work on the Edith hat, and put my foot up to rest again!

Ouch!

Knitting is supposed to be relaxing, right?  Sit on the couch and watch TV.  Ride the train and keep busy.  Watch the kids' swimming lesson and make a sock.

Well, machine knitting is not like that at all.  It's loud.  It's physical.  And sometimes, you get hurt!

I got an order from my sister-in-law for an "Edith hat" and "Gru scarf" from Despicable Me, for Hallowe'en.  There was no way I was making a 9ft scarf without using my knitting machine, and the best option was the standard gauge with ribber, since I should be able to find medium grey and black fine yarns with no trouble.  Well.

I wrote about the flooding in the spring.  With the resulting construction on and off, my workstation became more of a dumping grounds.  Although I had projects I wanted to make for myself, the mess down there was very uninspiring.

 Ugh.  Terrible to look at!  The other side of the room is just as bad.  There's no where to put a lot of the stuff while we're working, half the floor is missing, the walls are bare concrete.  But I was determined, so I got at it.

It really didn't take too long, even with cleaning the machine.  However, what you can't see is that a LOT of stuff just went over to the other desks!
I got started with swatching, didn't like my available yarns, feared they wouldn't be enough anyway.  Couldn't understand why a sock yarn, at 30st/4" was giving me a hard time (the black stripes).  Went and bought some new yarn, Loops & Threads "Woollike".  Got started on the Gru scarf, but still was having troubles.

And not just normal troubles.  Stupid operator errors, kids needing things upstairs, clumsiness, something about the black yarn...everything was joining forces to make this project unpleasant.  It almost got to be funny--knit a few good rows (usually in the grey), switch to black, see another thing that might be causing the problem, something else goes totally wrong...and then it all dropped off the machine.  Yup.

So, after a time out, I got back to it on Monday.  I switched out the old black for the Woollike black, thinking the slightly thinner black would make a difference.  No.  Realigned the ribber, but it still got slightly off alignment when pushing to the right.  More weight, less weight, etc.

Then, as I was leaning over the machine, I pushed the carriage and squashed my finger against the back rail.  As I sat down to pout, my knee knocked the 7 hanger (which I can never get to stay in!) and the large ribber weight (519gr/18oz) came down on my bare toes.

At this point, my husband said I had to quit for the night.  I quit to make dinner LOL. My toe is very blue and sore still.  Normally on Tuesdays I got skating at lunch, but not today.

I got back at the machine, but this time, I switched the SRP20 ribber carriage for the carriage I normally use.  When I had packed up in the winter, I had put on the 321 ribber to test it out while the mainbed was getting some work done.  At least I think the ribber on it is the 321's.  Even if it's the one from the 327, doesn't matter.  The other ribber carriage (just says SRP) seems to be the solution.  But then I got the latch tool stuck while trying to fish down tails from a black section and then those tails got knitted in to the next row, jamming the carriage and making more mess that I barely got fixed before I had to leave for work.  This project is seriously cursed!!

The Complete Haul

I thought I'd share the pictures of ALL the water bottle holders I made for the arts sale in July.  Many are still available for purchase!

 Extra large holders

 Medium size holders

 Bottled water sized holders (click on pictures for bigger view)

 Crocheted holders--these are very stretchy and fit a range of bottles.  Some are larger to begin with too.

 Crocheted tote bag

Neck coolers.  The three on the left have very pale patterns.

I really wish I had sold more at the sale.  They're so practical, especially for in the summer, when you're going to outside parties and don't want to lose your drink and you need two hands to carry your food :)
Although I count all finished items as "yarn out", I wonder how much yarn has actually LEFT my house, LOL.  Much seems to just get created into a different shape and stored in a different area!

Yarn In:  10 078gr
Yarn Out:  336gr + 5342gr = 5678gr
Balance:  4400gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $291.79/268 days = $1.09/day

Something for Me!

I've had a hard time in the past while, making things for myself.  I had some great mitts, but they've gone missing.  I've had a few hat failures.  I made a nice black hat last winter, and then a green set in late spring (which is starting to look messy--darn angora!).  I was making some pink socks in a Cookie A. pattern, and ran out of yarn. Nice to see though, when looking back, that I have made completed socks since then.  However, I started some other socks last winter, and the second ball of yarn has gone totally missing.  How does that happen?  I have a machine knit top on hold and a machine knit shawl that is also in time out.  I also have a sweater that is on hold, due only to the fact I need to lay it out and measure.

Every time TracyKM Designs is slow and I start thinking about knitting for myself, I suddenly get some orders.  I used to joke that my kids are like the cobbler's children...everyone else has new shoes except the cobbler's kids.  My kids don't get nearly enough handknit items from me (some don't like them!), and I get even less it seems!

Last Christmas, Tin Can Knits had a special offer to get a free pattern.  I chose "Branching Out" because of it's graphic, non-lacey lace.  I got started at New Year's, and it started out, like all top down shawls, super quick.  I had put the pattern on my new tablet, and found  the ability to make notes on the pattern very helpful.  Though I found it difficult to find the pattern on my tablet sometimes, LOL. 

(I don't know why Blogger is rotating my pictures!!)  This shows it half blocked.

I used Patons "Lace", which is mainly acrylic.  I knew it wouldn't block out a whole lot more, so I knit it at a tension that gave a nice look to the stockinette sections at the top.  I added several (or many!) repeats to some of the charts to add more length.

I chose the yarn, knowing it has long stripes, thinking the graphic design will not be hidden with the stripes.  For the first couple colour changes, it seemed to line up perfect with the pattern changes.  But then of course, as the shawl builds, and the rows get longer, the stripes get narrower.  Near the end, I actually used another ball and started the same colour, so I could get a wider section.

In the end, I'm not too fond of the stripes. I've been thinking of overdying, in a light blue shade.  I just want to tone down the white so that it's a pale blue.  What do you think?

Yarn In:  10 078gr

Yarn Out:  140gr + 5202gr = 5342gr

Balance:   4736gr more brought IN than out 

Costs:  $291.79/265 days = $1.10/day



Chunky Cable Hat

I had an order for the chunky cable hat, from the mom of the baby who's photo shoot I helped on.  She wanted a dark grey, charcoal.  A few of the pictures had her boy posed on this lush charcoal grey fur, and he looked awesome.  I started with some yarn I had, but I wasn't keen on it--it was dark grey, but had quite the teal tint to it.  Like gunmetal blue.  So I went in search of Patons Shetland Chunky in Charcoal, but when I found it at the store, it was nearly black!  I had just made one in that exact colour (but I thought it would be too big for this order).  There was another yarn in the colour I wanted though.

 

Click on the photo to see it bigger!

 

It's a nice little cap, and the boy looks adorable in it.  If you want to see that shot, "like" my Facebook page and see it under "Posts by Others"!  I really want to make an adult version...

 

I'm on the hunt for a grey mohair, and for a cream thick/thin yarn, so I stopped at the Salvation Army today.  Didn't find either, but I got 8 balls of fake mohair in other colours, and a novelty fur in a neat rusty colour.  432gr, for $9.  Newborn prop items take such little yarn, I've really got to get a grip on yarn shopping!  LOL. 

 

Yarn In:  432gr + 9646gr = 10 078gr

Yarn Out:  25gr + 5177gr = 5202gr

Balance:  4876gr more brought IN than out

Cost:  $9 + $282.79 = $291.79/262 days = $1.11/day

 

I still have a large blanket I made early in the year to show, but I wanted to get the machine knit edging on it before considering weighing it and declaring it finished.  But with the chaos in the basement, I haven't gotten to it.  It will definitely bring my "out" total up!  Also, stay tuned for an adorable monkey set, and a new shawl for me!

Water Bottle Holder

Boring title, I know. Sorry.  What more can I say about them?

The one photographer that got TracyKM Designs rolling, requested a water bottle holder for her papergirl, who is always hot but never brings water.  The girl likes pink, and Jennifer wanted something that would help keep the water cold.  I do think my wool holders work better for that than the cotton ones, but I also use a double walled bottle, so I can't do a fair comparison.  I didn't have any wool ones made up, but have quite a few sweaters waiting to be made into more mittens.  I also had this funky fleece that I used years ago to make a pair of pants for Meg.  She also has a water bottle holder with this fleece.

Some people like to carry things cross-body, and some like to carry over their shoulder, and people come in all sizes, so I've been wanting to make an adjustable strap, but the extra cost and time to use buckles/slides, etc doesn't make it worth it.  Then, when I bought some strapping early in the summer, I mis-calculated and ended up with short pieces.  I had an idea for making them adjustable, but couldn't put the time in before that arts sale in July.  Basically, I cut a long strap, and on the loose end, put about 5 button holes.  Then I sewed on a short strap, and sewed a button on.  Added a bit of time, but with using a vintage button, not much cost.  However, most of my vintage buttons are BORING! 

I have found that my wool bottle holders are not really reversible.  On ones done with a woven fabric, I figured it was because it was thinner and not stretchy.  So I wanted to use a fleece this time.  It didn't have a lot of stretch, but still, it just doesn't sit right if turned inside out.  The bottom gets all pouffy.  Maybe there's a different way to construct them...stitch in the ditch around the bottom seam to join them?  I'd need a tiny free arm though.  Perhaps "quilt" the bottom two layers together, but then how to sew them to the sides?  Hand quilt together?  Anyone got some ideas?  I had actually planned to cut the fleece layer a bit bigger than the wool layer, but I think I forgot, and it actually seems the fleece layer is too big.  Perhaps the wool got stretched when I cut it...

If it seems all I talk about/show is stuff for TracyKM Designs...well...it is taking up a lot of my time!  I just got some great orders that are  keeping me busy!!  I do however, have a shawl to show you later this week!!

Bear!

I got a request from Dawn at Hourglass Imaging for a simple but sweet pink bear hat.  No problem!  The picture she showed had a furry band too, but she wasn't fussy about having that if I couldn't do it (time was important).  So I made a removable band.  Dawn didn't think it would stay on the hat as babies are not usually very still.  On it's own, it'll be a nice headband though.

 She sent me a couple pictures too!

I love the pink against the darker skin!  So simple but sweet!  I'd love to make more of this style (but I"m not really into the ones with elaborate faces).

Yarn In:  9646gr
Yarn Out:  32gr + 5145gr = 5177gr
Balance:  4469gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $282.79/257 days = $1.10 per day

Berry Picking Bottle Slings

We went to visit my parents for a few days, and one goal was to go blackberry and blueberry picking (wild berries!  Free, organic fruit!  Yum!).  For blackberry picking, he's taken a 2L pop bottle and cut the top off, and made holes to feed a cord through.  I knew I couldn't have that narrow cord around my neck, so I made a holder for it (could also be used for carrying actual 2L bottles of pop, LOL).

Based on this pattern.

 

This was a little too tall in the body once the bottle got some berries in it, but still usable.

Since my dad had two pop-bottle berry picking bottles, I decided to make a second holder (sling is what we started calling them).  This one, I made the body a smidge shorter, and tried to come up with a way to do an adjustable strap.  I didn't want to have a knot at my neck, and I just couldn't seem to get things the right length. I was also using up some yarn. Not the greatest picture either.

In the long, wide strap, near the end, I made a "buttonhole", then I made a thinner strap which I thread through the hole and tied.
These work awesome for blackberry picking, but not so great for blueberry picking.  Might also be handy for putting clothes pins in for hanging clothes on the line...

Yarn In:  9646gr
Yarn Out:  125gr (aprox) + 5020gr = 5145gr
Balance:  4501gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $282.79; $1.10/day

Minty Fresh

I borrowed a car seat from one of the photographers I make a lot of stuff for, and as a thank you, I knit a tiny pair of mohair pants, to match the Zen Gnome hat.  I knew the hat would look nice with cream or tan pants (and was hoping to get orders for those!  LOL), so I went with the mint colour...something a little different.

The look so tiny to me, though compared to another pair I just made, these look large...I wonder if I can count the rows in the rise...LOL.  I know newborns are tiny though, and it's just hard to remember just HOW tiny!  They weigh only 23gr!!  Look how adorable they are with the matching Zen Gnome hat!  Thanks Jennifer!

I just bought a 1lb Mill end bag that looks like the old Patons "Pooch", but could also be one of the new yarns I saw at Michaels last night, though they weren't in cream.  I'm hoping it's Pooch, which was part wool, so I can dye it.  But Pooch was discontinued a LONG time ago.  And, the Patons website has changed....on the bag, it says "Value Pack" and "Cambridge Fibres Ltd" and has an address in Cambridge (Spinrite is in Listowel), but usually these bags are of Spinrite yarns, and I can pick out what ones they are LOL.  This also says to machine wash, which I'm not sure the Pooch was.  Oh, and I bought a skein of Homespun for an order...

Yarn In: 9022gr + 454gr +  170gr = 9646gr
Yarn Out:  4997gr + 23gr = 5020gr
Balance:  4626gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $271.21+ $11.58 = $282.79/256 days = $1.10/day

Bits and Bobs

I wrote, back in early summer, how I was doing a craft sale for the first time in a long time.  It was an outdoor arts festival in a park in downtown Oshawa.  For those of you not in the area, Oshawa is the home to GM.  It's mainly working-class, around 125 000 people, and like many big cities, the downtown is host to most of the city's disadvantaged folk, due to access to services, etc.  However, there is also lots that is great about the downtown, and this park sort of brings it all together.  The festival offered cheap table rentals, we could pick our own spot, and was supposed to go 10am-10pm.  Well, table handout would start at 10.

We got there a bit early (on-street parking only, not much available...) and picked a shady spot.  Got our table, got everything set up.  My table seemed bigger than the advertised 6ft, but that was good as I had a lot of stuff.  I had been afraid of not having enough, though no one can tell you exactly what that means.

Despite it being a large park, I ended up next to two other knitter/crocheters/sewers.  We had a variety of things between us, but still, I think this put us all at a disadvantage (one also had beaded jewelry).  I had asked the organizers when I booked my spot if they control the number of vendors for each type of "art" and they said no, but there wasn't much else in my field.  We three were not the only fiber artists there, either, but the others were more spread out.

We didn't stay till 10pm.  Sales were slow.  Very slow.  Almost to the point of non-existent.  I did cover my table rental though.  However, I think my kids used all my profits (and then some) at the table with the beaded jewelry.  The woman had a daughter my youngest's age, and they sort of buddied up, and I think her mom took advantage of her daughter and she (the daughter) was constantly coming over to us, showing my girls items and "offering" them "special" prices, and even a couple free items later in the afternoon.  I offered her a water bottle holder to give to her mom.  Her mom didn't want it (?!) and gave it to the girl.  She kept swinging it around and eventually the strap pulled out :(  I did give her another one, but I was getting really annoyed.  Didn't want to have bad karma though...

Anyway, here's some pictures of our booth. 

 I did sell that brown hat on the right!  I was really glad too; I had made it a long time ago and it was too large for me.  It had won a 1st place ribbon in the Orangeville Fall Fair!  I wish I had a better picture of it though.  I sewed a leopard print ribbon to it, and had made a multi-looped bow with long tails at the back.

Had a hard time keeping the "posters" on the posts, the breeze kept sending them floating away.  I tried putting them on these little picture easels I had bought, but even with the (light) cardboard behind the poster, they still were too flimsy.  Click on the picture to make it larger...maybe you'll see something you'd like to buy?  :)

Here's some pictures of a few "pre-blog" items.  If you're interested in anything, let me know!



Newborn crocheted beanie with ruffle trim, $10

Simple newborn cap, $7

Fancy bonnet.  I'm not sure this one is for sale; I think I found the sweater that goes with it and my daughter wore it so it'll be kept (I think I made the bonnet later though).  However, I can replicate it quite easily.  I love making "vintage" bonnets!

3 month sun hat, $10

Mini-work socks!  I always loved making these.  I have a home for these ones, but would love to make more, any size, $20+

I'm pretty sure I showed this hat a long time ago when I was learning to use my Singer 327 with the ribber set up.  Keep in mind that it wouldn't be so droopy if you have hair!  I should find a wig (do have a couple) for my head!  $25

 Close up of the top of the hat

Assorted baby balls.  Not intended for pets--too large for most cats and would be shredded by most dogs.  Not practical to ship, but could be done (FoodSaver vacuum sealing to the rescue?).  $7 each.

Vacation!

I was away again last week, Tuesday to Friday, visiting my parents with my three kids.  Got home Friday afternoon, and now it's Sunday morning and we're heading camping for 5 nights and to the parents for 1-2 nights.  I haven't gotten much finished in the past two weeks (another berry picking bottle holder), and have several little projects that need finishing, but who wants to pack a baby hat that needs 6 rows?  I haven't had much time to think about a new "big" project, but perhaps a complex shawl isn't a smart thing to start right now, LOL.  So, it'll be tiny mohair pants for photo props.

See you....probably not till Wed. Sept. 4 (Tuesday is the first day of school, but it's a short day and The Snowbirds do a fly over at our school, and I have my lunch supervisor job, so I won't be home much that day either!).

Updates

I've been away from home this past week, got home Friday evening and have been SO busy--catching up from being away and getting ready to go away again on Tuesday....then when we get home on Friday I have to recover from this trip AND get ready to go camping on Sunday!  Feeling a little stressed!  I didn't get as much knitting done as I would have liked while away (at my parents' with my kids) because we went wild blackberry and wild blueberry picking, and I had to drive.  Oh well, it's been a bumper crop this year, so it's nice to have some in the freezer!

I figured this would be a good time to update my Yarn In total, since I just bought some more yarn.  Yes.  More.  Sorry for the no pictures, but this just needs to be done quick!

Camo acrylic (Red Heart?), 235gr, $1.99; Bernat Max, 75gr x 6= 450gr, $5.98; total $9.01
Patons Shetland Chunky, 100gr, Some other grey chunky, 100gr; and a beautiful yellow laceweight rayon by Infiniknit; total, $23.30
DGB Confetti sock yarn; one ball partially knitted, 100gr; $3.39
Red Heart Boutique Fizzle, 100gr, $7.90

The Fizzle is neat, I wish I had had it when I made the three "Epic" hats, I think it's what was used in the inspiration photo.  It's really hard to describe.  When I made those hats, I would knit three stitches, then make a chain of about 10 stitches, and join it back to the top stitch.  This gives the same result, but it's more like two plies of the yarn are twisted into a mini-twist cord, at very close intervals along a binder ply.  Does that make sense? 

Yarn In:  1185gr + 7837gr = 9022gr
Yarn Out:  4997gr
Balance:  4025gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $43.60 + $227.61 = $271.21/231 days = $1.17/day

Blue and Fuzzy!

I found this yarn at Value Village (there were some other colours too, but too wild) and knew it should be a simple layering blanket.  However, it took several attempts.  The yarn on it's own, was not enough (yardage) to make a decent size blanket.  Just a little on the short side.  However, the yarn did not like being ripped out, so I knew the last try would be the last try.

I knit one row with the thick yarn, then one row with a thin navy chenille.  Then slid the stitches back to the other end of the circular needle, and knit the thick yarn.  Using the circular needles meant that I could do only one row of each yarn, using one only ball of each (normally you'd have to do two rows to get back to where you left the other yarn).

It didn't turn out square, but it's very flexible and shapeable.  Just give it a shake.  It's SO soft.  I'd like to snuggle with it!

Yarn In:  7837gr
Yarn Out:  82gr + 4915gr = 4997gr
Balance:  2840gr more brought IN than out
Cost:  $227.61/225 days = $1.01/day

Yes, I know you're dieing to know what I bought this past week!  I'm dieing to show it!  Right now though, I need to get back to the custom order skull mei tai that I'm making!

Modern Babies!

I've written before on how I love wool diaper covers.  I wish I had believed people years ago, that they actually worked.  When Hugh was born, 13 years ago, I wasn't sewing, and I looked at cloth diapers, but the start up cost was too much (yes, I pointed out how much we'd save over the course of several potential children...).  I didn't really start sewing until the third kid, 8 years ago.  I didn't get into the cloth diapers until she was almost two.  I could have made SO many cute diaper covers!!  Even if I had purchased cloth diapers and sewn my own covers....

Anyway.  Now, I knit them for other people!

Newborn soakers in a grey/soft white/charcoal blend.  Slightly higher in the back to avoid the dreaded plumber's crack.  $18 includes lanolizing (but shipping is extra).  What modern baby wouldn't love a wardrobe staple like this?

Yarn In: 7837gr
Yarn Out: 42gr + 4873gr = 4915gr
Balance:  2922gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $227.61/222 days = $1.03/day

And yes, I know I still have to add some new yarn to the "IN" total!

Creativity

My dad really liked the crocheted water bottle holder I made him earlier this summer.  He likes that it's stretchy and fits different bottles, and that he can loop it around the roll bar of the tractor.  He asked if I could make one for holding spray paint cans, on the handlebars of his 4 wheeler (ATV).  He wanted a short handle.

The body of the holder was easy.  I wanted to do something different for the strap though--something that allowed for easy access and to use in different situations.  I didn't have a 4 wheeler handy either, so I couldn't test anything.  I felt that a simple strap like the water bottle holders would be too loose around the handle bar, even shortened up.  I toyed with a wide strap that folded back over the handlebar, so the holder projected forward--like the water bottle holders you clip over the handlebar of strollers.  But how to attach it?  Buttons are difficult with gloves on.  Velcro?  No way.

I came up with the idea of making short ties, all the way around.   This allows it to be tied many ways--directly over a bar, projecting forward from the bar, even on a belt.  For the ties, I chained the length I wanted, then slip stitched back to the top.  I tried sc back up, but it was too bulky.  While it's tied to the handlebars, the loose ties can be used for holding  a whistle, bear spray, bug spray, keys, trail ribbons, etc.

Yarn In:  7837gr
Yarn Out:  39gr + 4834gr = 4873gr
Balance:  2964gr more brought IN than out
Costs:  $227.61/220 days = $1.03/day

Of course, the "Yarn In" and "Costs" amounts are not up to date :)

Let Me Count the Ways

I've been working on a shawl, "Branching Out", since New Year's (okay, a couple days before New Year's).  The beginner went super.  Usually does with top down shawls.  Then I worried that my mixed blend Paton's "Lace" would not block out much, so I added repeats of some of the charts.  I'd work on it for a few days, then get to a new chart, or get an order, or sidetracked somehow, and it'd sit for awhile.  And I have the pattern on my tablet, and although I can mark where I am on the pattern, sometimes I have a hard time finding saved/downloaded items on it.  So, the shawl had been languishing on and off.  We have been having a "staycation" with my husband's American relatives, and that meant driving around playing tourists, AND my youngest's skating lessons are now over an hour, so I thought this would be a good time to get back to it. 

I was starting the very last chart on the weekend.  Because I had done extra repeats earlier, I knew I might have trouble.  However, the previous chart is only a 4 row repeat, and I figured it should actually be easy to start the last chart (figuring each half of the shawl increases by 2st every RS row, so 4st over those 4 rows, and the new chart had a 12 st repeat).  I started the new row 1, but it didn't seem to line up right with the previous row.  The previous chart was only a 4 st repeat (I think...), so the new 12 st one should fit nicely, shouldn't it?  The strange thing is, all along the shawl, the yarn over of the previous knit row is treated as a single knit stitch--never part of  a decrease.  The row 1 in this chart took that yarn over and put it into a decrease.  I did not like that and it seemed to be creating a problem.  The following rows did not do this either.  So, I opted to knit that first stitch, and then start the pattern, lining up a centred decrease so it fell on top of a group of three stitch from the last knit row. 

Once I did this, it was going well.  I got to the middle, and the chart says that now you work across the middle, not doing the YO, k1, YO that had created the centre spin up till then.  I had to fudge some stitches to get that centre k1 to line up nicely with the new pattern, then continued on my way, fudging the end of the row to get it to end properly.

Did the purl row.

Started the next knit row.  Went well, until about 1/3 way across.  I investigated, and found an error in the previous knit row.  Argh.  Ripped out that knit row, the purl row, and 2/3 of the knit row below :(

This set me back a bit.  Got the row re-knit (if the pattern had kept the centred spine, I could have just ripped out the two rows from the mistake to the centre!).  Got the purl row done.  Got almost 1/2 way across the knit row....again, something wasn't right!  This time, I decided to just rip out the two rows.  While this was faster, I did end up with a little bit of the yarn I had unravelled left.  Hard to describe--I had unravelled from the middle to the end, two rows; but I had already knit across to the middle.  So, I re-worked the two rows using the long strand that was attached at both ends...when I got to the last stitch of the purl row (meeting up with where I had left off on the next knit row), there was a bit of yarn left, in a loop.  Theoretically, I should have used it all up to re-work the stitches it came from!  As well,  I somehow ended up with the yarn from the ball in between the (circular) needles...I can't even describe it.  Had to slip the stitches off onto another needle, free the yarn, then slip them back (or knit them off actually). 

So, I got back on track, and now that the pattern is (correctly) established, it's smooth sailing, and the last 14 rows are flying by.  Well.  Flying means 25 minutes for a knit row and 17 minutes for a purl row.  I'm going to count my sts and rows at the end...