Knitting is Giving!

Joys of Knitting and Giving!

      Christmas was a busy time of knitting for me as I was trying to knit a cuddlesack for all my grand kids. The girls got Mermaid tails and the boys got monster tails. Good thing the knitting was done on large needles and several strands of yarn held together. I used one chenille type of yarn and two strands of variegated yarn, crazy combination but what do you expect for little monsters.  It was actually a good stash buster, I just tried to find remnants of the colors I wanted. When I ran out of one color, I just started using another. Knit on size 19 circular needles in the round and ending up with dp at the point.
      Once they opened them, they immediately crawled inside and began to scoot along the floor.  It must be the kid instinct.  Hopefully they will enjoy them to keep warm, play and know that Grandma loves them
      I do have the Mermaid tail on my website, and the monster tail will soon be coming.

I Love To Knit Gifts For Others

    There is nothing like a handmade gift, especially a knitted one. I love to knit for others, you just hope they appreciate and love the project as much as you did while making it. Something interesting about knitting for other people, while you are working on the project, you think about that person and they are on your mind. It is strange but true and somehow, you feel closer to that person, as you are working on the gift for them. 

My New Grand Nephew

He was just a newborn when I started to knit this outfit, but it was fun and challenging since I didn't know how big to make it, or when they would bless him. I ended up knitting 3 outfits, just in case they wanted a little different color, or size.

My Grandmother was a KNITTER!!!

I'm such a blogging slacker, I forget I have a blog and it's been way too long since I've updated it. My projects lately have been to write my Mom and Dad's histories. It has been a blast from the past, and since they are both gone, it's been like doing detective work, but I'm finished with it, for the first volume. I also wrote my Father-in-Law's personal history. It was a wonderful experience, since I didn't know him when he was younger and again it was amazing what I found when I started to dig.
I'm not advertising for Blurb, but it is a great book publishing company to make larger books. These books I've completed have 160 pages, all color on premium paper with a hardback cover, for $60.00 ea. If you get the promo code, you get 20% off. It is something I think we need to do to help our kids learn about their heritage and who they are. My Mom & Dad during WWII
The really amazing thing I discovered, my grandmother was a huge knitter. She kept a leather notebook with patterns, and her writtings in it. I have kept some kind of notebook for years. One of my reletives was going through some of her stuff and knew I knit, so they passed it along to me. We are kindred spirits. You can't tell me there aren't connections to our past ancestors.

Knitting in the Ukraine

See what I do while I travel? I'm knitting. I don't go anywhere without it. It is my security habit. My son Coulson doesn't even notice, since I've done it his whole life. This is one of the nice days in Kiev, the rest of the time has been very rainy. We have spent the week in Kiev walking and taking the metro. It's difficult to knit on the metro while you are smashed in like sardines, but I put it away so I don't accidentally stab anyone when the metro stops or starts. People just stare at me, but I really don't care. They are jealous they don't have something to do while just sitting. I like to just sit, I have something to entertain myself. I'm a true "knit-a-holic".

happy knitting from the Ukraine Sept 2, 2010

Knitting in Pieces or Going to Pieces?

Why would you knit a sweater in pieces and seam them together, when it can be knit in one piece? I am helping out an elderly friend from England, who knits the traditional way, I think that means, like it has always been done. She was in the middle of a short sleeved sweater and got stuck on the instruction for the front. The pattern is quite a bit older, but still cute. It is knit in pieces. Knit from the bottom up and shaping for a raglan sweater. Interesting, I figured it out and knit it for her and feel sorry she has to sew all those pieces together.

I'm going to write a pattern for the same sweater, only in one piece from the top down. It's a cute sweater, but sewing raglan pieces together? Let's see how it turns out.

Coulson's Thumb

One day out of the blue, Coulson, my 16 year old son told me he knew how to knit. I had never taught him, but he said he could do it. No one taught him, but he took my needles, and sure enough, he could knit, very slowly, but he did it. when I asked him who taught him, he said, "No one, he figured it out by watching me." I guess when you are exposed to something for so long, you can eventually figure it out.

Coulson is now 21, and after breaking his thumb playing soccer and having surgery, this is how his thumb ended up. Painless, yet very entertaining, we knew it had to be surgically fixed again. He couldn't put pressure on his thumb, since it would just bend backwards. So much for gripping or pinching anything.

I do have the new patterns for the Cocoons ready. Look at these cute babies, cuddley warm and happy. This little cutie is about 6 months old. The cocoon is perfect for a newborn and smaller infant.

New Downloadable Vest Book Is Ready!

11 Patterns for $9.95

It's ready! The new Vest Book, for all sizes. I've been working nonstop to get it written. My daughter-in-law, asked me if I could knit her a vest for Christmas. She described it to me and even took a picture of one that was similar, but she had some variations. She drew me a picture and as I looked at it, I thought, "That's a vest just waiting to be knit."
We carefully picked the yarn, a dk weight acrylic, from encore and she had her vest for Christmas. It's one of those vests, that covers the holiday "overeating" evidence that so often creeps up on our middles when we've indulged a little too much on the wonderful treats and goodies that are tempting us everywhere. This is only one of 11 vest patterns in the book. Here are some of the other vests in the book. This is only a sneak peek.
To purchase: http://onepieceknitting.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=85

I'm Finally Updating my Web page with Pictures

It takes me 10 times longer to do anything than the ordinary person, when it comes to websites, but eventually I figure it out. I can knit, and the stubborn side of me wants to do this myself. I have pictures to go with each of my books if you click on the title of the book above, it will take you to the page where you can see what patterns are in the book. The books are all on sale and are going to be reduced even further.

Richdesigns Newsletter-Click on newsletter to view

Visit Richdesigns to see these and more patterns

www.onepieceknitting.com

Santa Sweater is out of the head and off the needles

Santa Claus will be surprised when he finds my grandson looking just like him, except a LOT cuter. I had a blast knitting this sweater. I hope he has fun wearing it. I knit it out of Vanna's Choice yarn and used jingle bells for the buttons. It will keep him warm and cute all at the same time.
I'm hoping to get the pattern on my website in the next day or two.

Onepieceknitting Gallery Sweater Photos

I had a customer email me with a suggestion to publish photos of sweaters knit with my patterns. What a GREAT idea! I love it and now need to figure out a way to do it. I think a photo gallery on my blog is the best place since I don't think I can figure out how to put it on my website which is through ZEN cart. I have seen some pictures of sweaters knit with these patterns and they are beautiful. I love the individual touch and uniqueness each sweater has. I always encourage my customers to change something about the pattern to make it theirs. I love to get ideas for my designs from other sweaters, nature, the leaves turing, people at the grocery store wearing great designs. I sometimes follow the sweater pushing the cart around the store studying the colors or design to get a mental picture. I haven't been picked up for stocking yet, but I am always on the lookout. Let me know if you have any ideas or what you think. Sharing is always great, isn't that what we teach our kids when they are young? As always, happy knitting and enjoy this cool weather, it puts the knitting bug right into your . Ideas and thoughts are always welcome.

Just in Time for Winter

My smarty pants son modeled the finished sweater for me, but does "smarty pants" describe his look? I know modeling is not for all guys, but for your mom? O'well, the sweater is finished and actually looks really good. It will be warm and hopefully used all winter long in the Ukraine.

I used a different yarn, Vanna's Choice. I haven't used it before and I'm not sure how it will wear or wash, but I guess we'll find out. It also knit up a little thicker than worsted weight, even though it says it is worsted. Has anyone had any experience with it?

No school for the next 4 days? It's our Fall break or teachers conferences, but do I go? not! I have too much to do to catch up, like laundry, cleaning and canning. Oh, did I mention, I can, not I can, but I can fruits and veggies into those jars and keep them in the deep down under for later consumption. It's almost a lost art, but it's one of those things I enjoy doing. It would be much easier to just buy it at the store, but the taste can't be beat.

My son will be warm

My 19 year old son is going to spend 2 years in the Ukraine. I've been knitting him a couple of v-neck pullovers and now that it is getting cold, he is anxious for me to get them finished. I have an inch left on the maroon one and it's finished.

The nice thing about knitting from the top down is you can adjust the length of the body or the sleeves so easily. When you knit them in pieces from the bottom up, you have to basically redo the entire piece if it is not the right length. I have knit countless sweaters, only to find the sleeves are too long, or the body is too short. Simple solution. Take out the bind off and add more length, or rip it out to the right length. Another nice feature of top down knitting, you can add length if the child has grown and the sleeves or body just need to be a little longer. I love it, you can't go wrong. Hopefully his is the right size, if not, it won't be hard to fix.

Sweaters much cuter on kids!

Good thing I have connections with such cute kids. I love to design sweaters and lay them out when they are finished, but when you see them on a child, it's like the sweaters come alive and they are part human. I guess they kind of are since they have one in them.

It always makes me feel so good when I see one of my sweater gifts being worn. I try to give one to everyone I know who has a baby, but you are never sure they really appreciate your "gift". Hopefully they do.

I just wanted to share these pictures of sweaters that have come "alive".

Teenage Mood Swings

I knit when I get home from school and need a minute to unwind and relax. I really need my head examined, after teaching junior high kids all day. Todays lesson on emotions was a real crack up since my students are the epitome of emotional insanity. Funny things, these hormones and the effects they have on teenagers. I look into the insecure eyes of my students and sense that each of them feels they are the only one in the entire world who has extreme mood swings, and they have no idea why. When they walk in the house in their frequent bad mood, it is automatically assumed something has happened. Asking your kid, "What is wrong?" is responsed with, "nothing". If the truth were known, there is nothing wrong, they are just in a bad mood. Who knows why? The more the adult figure -you, inquires, the angrier the teen gets, until there really is something the matter, it is YOU!
Teens go on these crazy up and down mood swings, until they really believe they are wacked out and need therapy. My students seem so relieved when I describe the emotional mood swings they experience and look at me skeptically and wonder, how I know what they are going through. Kids really are OK. They need to know they are normal, even though they don't believe it most of the time-mood swings and all. Their highs and lows will eventually even out and someday, they may be normal. OK, as normal as normal can be. You gotta love em!!

Pumpkin Sweater easy to knit

Trick or Treat time is coming and I found the Jack-O-Lantern sweater I knit for my son Parker when he was 2 years old. He was so dang cute in it. Everywhere we went, people would stop me and ask me where I got his darling sweater. It was so cute because no one had ever seen anything like it. That was because I created it and made it up! Parker was too young to fight my designing efforts, and happily wore my crazy creations, every holiday until he was 5. He had a sweater for every major holiday; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and St. Patricks Day.

I had more fun making up those holiday sweaters and that is what sparked the beginning of my pattern writing. It is one thing to knit and design a sweater, which is the easy part for me, the writing of the directions for others to follow, is a different story.

The Lime'n coconut sweater is finished!

We were rushing out the door to drive to Southern Utah, I grabbed my knitting bag with my needles and went to my stash to grab whatever yarn I had handy. I eyed the brown, that works, and the white was the next choice. It needed something to spice it up. The lime green shouteed to me, "Pick Me". Oooooo the possibilities. I didn't have enough for a large sweater and so the small one was the answer. Will a child really wear these colors? Maybe if the mom is crazy, I'm crazy and I love to put bright and unusual colors on my kids.

You know you are knitting something wierd when no one makes comments about it. They look at it, look at you and don't say a word. I was a little worried at first, then the sweater began to progress and I was tickled at the outcome. I will hopefully have the pattern available on my website when I get it written up. http://www.onepieceknitting.com/ Enjoy and knit up those leftovers, they work!

School Teacher Needs Therapy

I'll admit, there are days when I wonder what the heck I was thinking when I embarked on a career of teaching junior high. There has to be an easier way to earn a living than this? The deep down and honest truth is, I love it. It's one of those love/hate relationships, you love it, but there are parts you hate. I've taught junior high for 27 years and am facing retirement some day and don't know if I want that to happen. I love teaching and even more, I love this age group.
I teach Health, and if that isn't an interesting subject to teach to a bunch of over active, hormonal, diarrhea of the mouth, insecure and wonderful kids, I don't know what is.
Try teaching Sex Ed. to this age group and wonder why at the end of the day you feel a little crazy.
My one form of relaxation and "therapy" is my knitting. I curl up on the couch with my knitting needles and yarn and my hands cradle the sweater I'm knitting and my fingers take off as if on auto pilot. Thoughts of the day melt out of my mind and problems that linger are somehow solved as I knit and think and the two together seem to find answers for them. It's as if I'm weaving a solution in my mind as I wrap the yarn and knit row after row. My knitting increases and my patience and relaxation seem to follow the same pattern.
So maybe I don't need therapy as long as I have my knitting.

Love Knitting

I'm not crazy, I just love to knit. It is like my security blanket, I always have it with me. Waiting for kids, sitting at red lights (no, not while driving), watching TV, waiting on the phone listening to those obnoxious recorded messages, I knit! I cannot just sit and do nothing. I knit so obsessively that if I don't have it, people will questions me and ask me "what's wrong"? It's like my own personal trademark, but what better way to be known than for a hobby that produces a product that is actual useful.

My favorite items to knit are sweaters, big ones, little one, sweaters of many colors, textures, shapes and designs. Speaking of designs, I receive even greater pleasure from this craze, by creating my own patterns and designs. Colors are like the palate for an artist and can be combined in any form to create a one of a kind sweater. Some of my favorites were knit using nothing but leftovers and colors you would never think to combine.

My husband loves me with and without my knitting. He knows that if I am knitting, I am happy and doing what I enjoy. He accepts me for what I am, a crazy obsessive knitter who is not really crazy, but creative. Over the past 28 years, I have discovered that knitting is by far cheaper as a form of therapy, than a Psychiatrist.