I finished! sort of ....

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

--Scott Adams

I finished my sweater .... sort of! i still have to weave in all the loose ends and then find that perfect piece of ribbon to run down the front placket. But the most important thing is ... it's finished and i actually still LIKE it!

I also did something rather grown up and mature - - i did a SWATCH ... checked my gauge AND then made appropriate (and CORRECT) adjustments to the pattern! and voila ... it actually fits!

so .... for all those years i rolled my eyes and just jumped in .... i guess i have to apologize ... at least a little bit! I changed the yarn the original pattern called for but i did the swatch thing, adjusted my needle size to get it to the drape i wanted ... and i'm actually rather pleased ...

i made mistakes ... i ripped them out ... i recalculated .... and although it's nothing fancy, today i'm pleased with my golden cotton ART sweater!

My Garden

May is a month filled with hope ..... Femininity is celebrated as we stop and express our gratitude to all those women in our lives whose hearts and dedication have made a difference and impact in our every day. Flowers are blooming - all those seedlings are beginning to show promise as we pause long enough to follow the tendrils of a plant that is moving slowly and steadily towards the warmth of the sun .... Hope that was planted months before now gives way to a garden landscape that is beginning to grow together and fill in all those empty spaces ..... isn't that kind of how motherhood works as well? What is it about the role of a woman in our lives that compells them to see beyond the small seeds of kindness that are planted, that stirs them to nurture, and prune and weed and continue investing in a hope or dream that perhaps we ourselves don't see ... but in their wisdom, they believe in ... and are dedicated to see it brought to fruition! ?

This month's lace pattern was found on Ravelry as i searched the patterns for leaf lace. When i saw these leaves, i knew it was May - and the garden i often dream of having, despite my obvious lack of green thumb, was captured in lace. This will make a beautiful scarf if done in nothing but these leaves ... and watching the gentle swaying that seemed to grow as the yarn fell from the needles and into my lap has me weeding out my stash now for another garden to cast on and share in anticipation of gifts for those women in my life who truly are the flowers of blessing that only God could send my way!

Click here so you can beginning sowing the knits and purls of YOUR own lace garden and watch how gently the soft and lacey rows will bloom ... right where you plant them.

"A single rose can be my garden .... a single friend, my world."

Leo Buscaglia

New Stitch Knitch

i don't know if it's the excitement in knowing that i'm heading to atlanta in the morning for my 1st official Stitches South .... or just the eagerness to try some new stitches .... but i found myself this week wanting to step out, just a bit, of my comfort zone and expirement with some new and fun options .....



i've had my eye on this sweater pattern that i 1st saw in Knitscene's Winter 07/Spring 08 issue. funny how something gets stuck in your mind ... and eventually might just come to fruition! (what's even MORE impressive is that i actually could remember where i put the magazine!) i found this awesome Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Maize. The problem/challenge is that the yarn i am using is NOT what the pattern calls for ... but the answer, i'm praying, is in doing a SWATCH! There... I Said it! and ... i DID it! i swatched and counted rows and stitches and actually did some MATH ... then laid down and waited for the headache to subside! :)

Based on my swatches and counting i cast on 154 stitches and started the Seed Stitch borders and have managed to get 2.5" knit in just a day! it's going fast and i'm hoping that the simplicity of the knitting will fill in the bus ride time .... did i mention that i'm going to Stitches South tomorrow! Rows and Rows and Rows of yarn and needles and patterns and yarn and needles and like minded friends shopping and comparing all their yarn and needles ...... oh my soul!!!!! i can't wait!!!!

I also am in the midst of rehearsals for our school spring musical and with that much rehearsal time comes 'opportunities' to sit and knit in between songs and while they run their lines so .... i found some new stitch patterns that i tried this week as well! New washcloths for an upcoming wedding shower provided a perfect opportunity for an awesome variation on the basketweave pattern and also to try a variation of the Seed Stitch (like i'm using on my sweater) called the Moss Stitch. Click here for the instructions for both of these washcloths .... Look under the New Stitch Knitch tab.

This has been a week where time has flown by ... and then it stood still ..... but regardless of the pace of the moment, i have found that knitting provides me with VALUE to fill each moment. I want to be a good steward of the gifts that God has given me and when i reach into my knitting bag and pull out the yarn and needles i find that it's not long before someone is asking what i'm working on .... and to be able to say that i'm a part of a special group of women who knit because they love the Lord and each other .. and inspire and share burdens and giggles and memories and knitted gifts ...... That, my friend is the Knitch i always want to be a part of!

The Lily of the Valley

We celebrated Easter on the 1st weekend of April this year. And this special season brings so many thoughts to mind ... the most prominent of which is the simple fact that as Christians we have the assurance that Christ died for us and the hope of an eternity spent with Him.

This fact of faith is symbolized in so many ways ... in songs ... in floral arrangements ..... and now in lace as well. I found a beautifuly Lily of the Valley chart in Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush. This simple pattern has been modified just a bit for easier knitting by adding a bobble rather than a nupp to the knitting process. Click Here for April's instructions.

Christ is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!

What do Friends look like?

What DOES a friend look like? Ever thought of how you would define yourself using a Skein of Yarn? This month i've started my Birthday Blanket AND received my traveling scarf. Both examples of friendship have left me with much to ponder ..... my birthday blanket has been started and i have a basket full of yarn still waiting to be knit. With each row or 2 that is added i'm reminded of the friend that took the time to find the yarn - their choice of color/texture, the memories that each relationship brings to mind, the many ways their love has impacted my life and that of my family!

I started by laying all the yarns out and arranging them in a way that makes me smile - it may not be the most conventional according to the color wheel, but i think it's going to be a precious keepsake to mark and remind me of the blessings of my 1st 50 years! :) I left a 9" tail (for fringe) and cast on 300 stitches and then cut another 9" tail (for fringe). I am KNITTING every single row using this formula - 3 rows of green (me), 2 rows of red bamboo (rachael's choice), 1 row of black Whirligig (Lisa), etc. Rather than just knit a single row with each color i am varying the width of each band of color. Some will be thick, some will be single rows but all rows are knitted and go rather quickly. So far i've got 10" knitted in the width .... and still can't wait to see how it's going to end ..

and as if THAT were not enough to keep me going, i received my traveling scarf that was started 6 months ago and has had a journey and life all it's own! There was a group of knitters formed on Ravelry that worked on a Traveling Lace Scarf .... 5" of a lace pattern added to the previous contributor and before long (ie, 6 months) you have a beautiful lace scarf that will mark adventures from around the world - Australia, Canada, New Jersey, California, Nevada, South Carolina. What a fun project and way to make NEW friends ... or an inspiration for a reunion with some old friends who need to be reconnected! All types of yarns were used - bamboo silk, wool blends, camel/silk hand spun .... log into Ravelry and check out the many posts and pictures .... not a member yet? Check out http://www.ravelry.com/ and see how easy it is to find inspiration!

This month i have learned that knitting is a gift that keeps surprising you .... making things with my hands continues to enrich my life just like the unexplainable ways that my friends touch my every day. My friends, and my knitting, have given me so much MORE than they've taken .. and have opened my eyes to the many blessings that i may have never known. Each day ... and each new yarn ... hold endless possibilities just waiting to be knit together!

Happy St. Patricks Day

Sometimes it's those simple pleasures that capture our hearts and bring memories of long ago right back to the front ... recalling younger days when the priority for the afternoon was which jar was 'adequate' for catching the bees that buzzed through the clover patches that were scattered throughout the front yards of our neighborhood.
Remember those little white flowers that would pop up in the midst of the clover ... we'd collect them during recess at school and string them together to make a necklace.... we'd sneak up on those little bees flitting around those blooms and we were convinced that once in the jar they'd be happy to be there ... of course, we included clover and flowers for their accommodations ... we were very thoughtful!

March memories have to include clover .... the 3 leaf kind because we seldom 'encountered' a 4 leaf one .... so why not capture that in an easy month of lace .... those little Yarn Over's, Knit 2 Together's and Slip, Slip, Knits will soon reveal your very own patch of clover to scatter on your scarf .... Click Here to take a peek in the Pattern Drawer - look for 2010 Lace Calendar Scarf and get started on your own field of clover

I love March ... it's Green!

The older i get the more i realize that there really are some things that will always make me happy.
The month of March is one such thing ... it's green.... everything about the month is green ... and green is my all time favorite color. I don't believe in luck but i do like clover .. 3 leaf clover, 4 leaf clover ... they're green! i've traveled to ireland .. it's green! i have fallen in love with the Celtic knots and braids from past days ... they remind me of Irish traditions ... Irish = green = me smiling!

So this month i've decided to explore more the Irish/Celtic knots and braids, the color green and perhaps a few fun thing in between. So are you ready to tackle knitting and CABLES yet. If you can knit and you can purl then YOU CAN CABLE! Why not start with some worsted weight yarn and appropriate needles and then .... grab a cable needle (or a straw, or a pencil, or a chop stick - or anything that could be used to hold a few extra stitches along the way!) ... Don't panic, small steps and i promise it will all make sense!

Not ready yet? Well, how about a small scarf to get you atleast thinking about cables .... but i promise no extra needles! PROMISE!!!!

I'm using 1 skein of Moda Dea Washable Wool and i simply love this yarn. Did i mention that it's GREEN also :)

With size 9 needles, cast on 38 stitches using a Cable Cast On.

Row 1: *P3, K2*, repeat to last 3 stitches, P.

Row 2 (WS): *K3, P2*, repeat to last 3 stitches, K3.

Row 3: *P3, K2tog, pulling new stitch back through but don't take the 2 stitches off the left needle, next insert right needle BETWEEN the 2 knit stitches and knit the 1st stitch again, now slipping both stitches off left needle *, repeat to last 3 stitches, P3.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2.

(can you see how the rows have a slight twist in the knit stitches, mimicking a cable but with no extra needle to use.... yet!) Repeat Rows 1 -4 for desired length. End with a WS row. I'm sticking with just one skein and am going to make mine more of a cowl/neck warmer length .. and i've got an amazing celtic stone pin that i'll be using as a shawl pin to keep the scarf closed and my neck nice and toasty.

need more help? Visit the Pattern Drawer for more specifics and help with cast ons, cable techniques and more fun ideas for March.