Category: Uncategorized

Christmas Gift Fjord Holiday Ornament

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

Gift idea #3.

This is a nicely knit up holiday ornament. This is done in fair isle or stranded knitting with two or more different colors. If you are looking for a more traditional ornament, this is it. Directions are given in both chart form as well written out. I think it would be great with a styrofoam ball in the middle, knitting the two halves separately and then sewing them together. I haven’t tried this yet, but that would be my idea.

http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns2/accessories/Merino5-Ornament.html

Christmas Gift Deck the Balls

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

My second choice for an easy to make Christmas gift is found on allfreecrafts website. These are bell ornaments which appear to be easy to knit up. With some shiny yarn, a metallic bell and perhaps adding some beading, you’ll have gifts which will be admired for years to come. They look like wedding bells and would probably make a good wedding gift or  a decoration. I’d love to post a picture but can’t without violating copyright law so please check out the website below.

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/knitting/knitted-bells.shtml

Christmas Gift Ideas

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

I’m going to try an idea. On TV, they are having the twenty-five days of Christmas and are playing special movies in celebration. I am going to try to post a Christmas gift idea every day until Christmas day. These will be free patterns available on the internet that can be made for yourself or for someone else.  Some will be things that I’ve already made, but most will not be.

I have to begin with the Toy Box Snowman by Jean Greenhowe. It’s a quick knit stuffed animal that has gotten a lot of praise at work. There are plenty of variations that can be made using the base pattern. I made this with Caron Simply Soft but any worsted weight yarn will do.

http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/patterns.html

Project List – Keeping Busy Before Christmas

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

Project 1- Finished the knitted slippers. I was absolutely thrilled with the finished product that came out with the bird’s eye slippers. The colors were fantastic and they look adorable. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get much of a response on Ravelry. I was expecting a little more action. I may try again, making them for myself this time rather than a size and a half smaller. They are actually a Christmas gift for my Grandmother. I may also want to put buttons or some other kind of decoration on them.

Project 2- Almost complete- Toybox Snowman. I decided to make this for my mother as she is a big snowman fan. I had seen Jean Greenhowe’s patterns on Ravelry and I adore her projects. She has a bunch of free patterns posted on her website including the Toybox Snowman. http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/patterns.html So far I have the body complete and it actually looks pretty good. This is my second knitted stuffed animal project and it looks better than the Teddy Beach. I think this is because I’m using a thicker yarn than the last time. I’ll post pictures eventually.

Project 3- Pillow for Grandma. A few years ago I made a cabled blanket for my Grandmother for Christmas. I’ve decided to follow up with a small cabled pillow, pattern to follow.

Project 4- Options Baby Sacque. Did I mention I love knitting baby things!

Happy Knitting.

Sweater Error

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

So, I finished my misti alpaca sweater and after spending nearly a month and $40 on it, it looks atrocious. The thing came out short and wide even though I tried to lengthen it by adding extra rows. This is my first adult sweater (shirt) and I’m not really sure where I went wrong. The gauge was pretty close.

I’m really upset and am not sure how or if I can fix this. I wish I knew about knitting sweaters.

If anyone has any advice, please help. Until then, maybe I’ll stick to scarves, shawls and things that aren’t supposed to fit to my figure.

New Projects

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

Congratulate me. After a little over a months hiatus, I am back knitting. It is not a grandiose project, but I think it will be treasured. Back in January my mother bought me a skein of this gorgeous candy colored yarn Lace Wool yarn in Gelato made by Prism. We bought it from a small shop in Coral Gables, The Knitting Garden. It is a lace wool and I’ve been waiting for the right idea to pop into my head. I’ve decided to start a shawl/scarf out of the light weight material seeing as the temperatures are going to remain hot in Southwest Florida for several more months. The only problem is that I’m using size 0 bamboo knitting needles. In other words, this is going to take forever. I know it will be worth it in the end.

I’m attaching pictures of the project and the label. I’ll keep updating this as it goes a long.

If anyone is in the area, I recommend checking out The Knitting Garden. It’s a cozy shop with a great selection and a comfortable environment. The staff is extra friendly. There are big chairs to sit and hang out and they even offer coffee and tea. It is an experience not to be missed. I look forward to going back one of these days.