Knit Wits

Willow's Stocking:Part2

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:52:00 +0000

I have finished Willow's stocking again! This time, I used the right needles and it is the same size as the rest of ours. I couldn't bring myself to unravel the one I'd already done, so I hoped I had enough yarn left over from it to knit another one. I had to change the color scheme, but I think I like this one even better than the first one. Bring on Christmas!

I used Lamb's Pride Wool and the Diamonds in the Rough Argyle Stocking Christmas Stocking pattern from the Christmas Stockings book

Headbands

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:05:00 +0000

A friend of mine showed up one morning wearing this sweet headband. It was wide at the top, so much that I thought she was wearing a hat at first, but come to find out it tapered down under her hair and buttoned. I thought it was super cute and decided I was going to try and make something like it. I've made a couple different versions, but this is my favorite so far.

I found the pattern online at ravelry, and you can get it here. It only took me a couple of hours to make, so you could whip one out really fast!

Lil' Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:43:00 +0000

I got my pumpkin hats done for fall! Bring on October!!! :)

For Baby Chloe

noreply@blogger.com (Kaylee) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Hooray! I have something to post!!! Baby Chloe (daughter of a friend) was born just over a week ago, and I managed to knit up a pair of booties for her. I used a different pattern than I normally do, and I like how it turned out. It's a much quicker knit than may usual go-to pattern, so I know I'll use it again!

And since her mom has already publically posted pictures of her, I'm sure she won't mind if I show the darling face that is the recipient of this pair of booties.
Awwww, Baby Chloe!

Believe it or not I have a few other things on the needles right now. A half finished Wonderful Wallaby sweater (little size) and another pair of booties. One of the booties is done, so you get to see it now! :) Fall is coming people. I'm starting to feel the knitting "itch"!

Fuzzy!

Warm Hands and Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:48:00 +0000

It's never to early to start getting ready for winter! Ok, that's not what I was really doing. I just have been so uninspired when it has come to knitting lately (as it seems the rest of you have, not naming names...ahem..kaylee, krisy, joanna) So, I found some projects I had already bought stuff for and decided to work on those, hoping that it would stir up something creative. I mean, I figured I'd better start feeling creative soon because I usually start planning out and buying supplies for Christmas presents in August!

First I made these socks from a generic sock pattern I had. I decided to just make the top ribbed so they stayed snug on my feetsies. I've actually been wearing these a bit, since the AC is on in all the time trying to keep the upper level of the house cool, the basement is freezing by evening!

Then, I decided to finally make myself a pair of fingerless gloves. The same gloves I made for everybody (well the girls anyway) for Christmas last year. They knit up really fast and only take me a couple evenings to finish. I think I am going to love them this winter!!!

And my plan worked. I started getting ideas for things I wanted to make. So, today I stopped by the yarn store and picked this up! All cottons. It's too hot for me to starting having wool sitting in my lap. Wooo Hooo!!! Happy Knitting!

Swing Set

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Man, this "knitting club" is becoming just like a real Knit Wits gatherings we used to have in Kaylee's livingroom. I am the only one actually doing any knitting and everybody else is sitting around drinking all the wine telling stories with their yarn and needles sitting in their lap. :)

I just finished up another summer garmet for Willow out of a bunch of stash yarn. Royal would be so proud of me. :) I love this little top. It's super easy and fast to make. It's basically just a front and a back held together by a button on each side, so it should be nice and cool for the hot weather we have coming around. I used Rowan Cotton and the Swing Set Pattern out of the Minnies book.

Summer Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Last time I went to the yarn store, I was going for the sole purpose of getting a new pair of size 3 needles, Royal had broken one of my needles the night before, and I had baby booties to finish. But when I got there, I discovered so much of my favorite yarn on sale! Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino and then this other yarn I have found that is called BabyBoo. Babyboo is made out of nylon and bamboo and is the softest yarn ever and it's a little shiny, and has become some of my favorite stuff. So, needless to say, my one pair of needles became an extremely expensive pair of needles with lots of free yarn that came with it!

Last night, I finished this little summer dress for Willow out of the BabyBoo. The pattern is out of the book, Adorable Knits for Tots.

Hearts and Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Finally finished up Willow's hearts and stars blanket that I made to match Jayden's. Hers is pink of course while Jayden is rocking the blues.

I also managed to knit Willow up some booties since I was on such a roll from the newborn booties.

Itty Bitty Baby Booties

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Hello??? Anybody out there, doing any knitting besides me? :)

A couple families on my street are having their first baby. One little boy, due any day now and another little girl due in July. So, I knit up some newborn sized booties to keep those little tootsies warm. :)

The booties are made from the Basic Bootie pattern from the book Too Cute! by Debby Ware. I've changed the pattern a bit to make the top of the bootie different so they stay on better, but other than that it's pretty much the little bootie in the book.

Bear Hats

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:02:00 +0000

There is obviously a theme of hats going on here... This last weekend, I knit up a couple hats for a girl that I work out with's son, London. She said that they refer to London as their little bear and wanted to know if I could make a bear hat. Of course I can! I am the yarn whisperer after all. So, I gave her a couple options. One is knit up with bear ears made out of Baby Cashmerino by Debbie Bliss (some of my favorite yarn to use for kids stuff). And then, since it is starting to get a little warmer here in Wichita, I made a blue hat with a bear face knit into it out of cotton.

Oopsie Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:19:00 +0000

I've been working on finishing Willow pink stars and hearts blanket to match the blue one I've already made Jayden, but I needed to do something quick that I could finish in a couple evenings after the kiddos were in bed. I'm all about instant gratification. :) Finished this up last night!

I got this pattern from the Itty Bitty Hats book that I LOVE! (just in case you need some inspiration from a book with some really great kid's hats in it)

A Little Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Kaylee) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:22:00 +0000

Another project made out of this yarn. Remember that little "accident"? :)

I wish this were a success story, but sadly, this hat was intended for a 5 years olds head and it turns out it's only going to fit a 2 year old. But I gave it away, and I know it will be loved.
I guess it's still a success, just not the success I meant it to be. Oh well. Accidents can be a good thing! :)
Note to self: Don't forget to check your gauge!

Valentine Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:52:00 +0000

Here is Willow's Valentine's Skirt! I knit this while on our road trip to Pennsylvania to see Kaylee and her family. We didn't even have a knitting night together...what is wrong with us???? This skirt took way longer than I thought it was going to, curse you seed stitch. Too bad seed stitch looks so fantastic. I didn't really have a pattern I followed, as skirts are pretty much nothing but a tube. I looked over a couple patterns I liked and then just casted on and started knitting. This is what came out. I decided it needed some knit hearts to give it a little flair!

Today, Willow also got to sport the purple snowflake hat I made!

Kaylee's Favorite Booties

noreply@blogger.com (Kaylee) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:15:00 +0000

I have knit these booties more times than I can count. Everyone who has ever gotten a pair loves them. I've changed the pattern a tad and included an I-cord instead of a ribbon for the tie which I like a lot better. These booties are best for the simple purpose of keeping baby socks from falling off.
These crazy, colorful booties are going to Arizona to my friend,, Marie-elena and another pair for Ashley coming soon!

Found the original pattern in the book: I Can't Believe I'm Knitting

Willow's Stocking

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:58:00 +0000

I finially finished Willow's stocking tonight! I didn't get it done before Christmas because I wanted to use the same yarn that I made the rest of ours out of and they didn't sell it in my local yarn store. I guess I could of ordered it online, but I prefer to support the locals stores that I want to stay in business. So, I knew Canvas Works in Olympia would have the yarn, so I waited until we flew home for Christmas and then one icy day, Joanna and I braved the roads and drove over to Olympia so I could get the yarn I needed. I found what I needed and I bought it and I started knitting the stocking right away. I worked on it the whole time I was in Washington (in all my free time...the free time that comes with a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 week old) and got it to the point where it was off the needles so it was easier to pack home. I have finally been able to knit the past couple of nights this week and tonight I got all the ends wove in, the seams sewed up, the I-cord hanger knit and sewed on. Then, I went to take a picture of it with the rest of our stockings to post on this blog. And that's when I discovered I had made a terrible mistake. I am going to have to rip the whole thing out and start over. Not good, not good. Willow's stocking is significantly smaller than the other 3. She would totally notice, maybe not this year, but soon enough. And really anybody who saw the stockings all hanging next to each other would probably wonder to themselves, 'what the heck did that poor girl do to get such a little stocking, compared to the others hanging up there....these parents obviously have favorites' And we just can't have that. So, rip it out I shall, but not tonight. Argyle is a pain in the rear to knit and I just don't have the energy to do it. But before next Christmas, Willow's lovely purple and pink stocking - created to look like a bright Christmas ornament - will be unraveled into little balls and recreated. But here is the finished project as it stands now... :( sniff sniff...I hate ripping stuff out....sniff sniff (don't cry shop girl, don't cry)

Snug It Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Willow was rolling around town today in the snugs that I made her. No need for socks since they are lined with alpaca! Wish I had a pair, but we all know how my felted feet objects usually turn out. :)

The snugs were made from a kit from Pick Up Sticks, you can get your own here!

Fuzzy Legs

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:08:00 +0000

I knit Willow up some leg warmers, because I was bored and wanted to do something that would be real quick.

Once the leg warmers were done, I figured she needed a matching headband.

Flash Dance anyone???

Merry Cables

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:33:00 +0000

I just finished this cabled scarf this evening, my last Christmas present that I needed to finish! Wahooo!!!! Now, I can start on maybe some socks or something or maybe work on the blanket I was knitting for Willow before I decided to knit all my Christmas presents.

This pattern came from the Knit Noel book.

More Christmas Gifts!

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:26:00 +0000

I've finished some more Christmas presents!

First we have some slippers for my dad. My track record for slippers for my dad is very bad. For some reason, I cannot knit slippers that will fit his feet. I have tried pattern after pattern, I've even created my own. I'm starting to think my dad has freaky shaped feet. Now let me clarify, this is actually pair #2 that I have knit up for him for this Christmas. I figured while he was living in my house, I would knit a pair of slippers for him so he could try them on every step of the way. The first pair was going along swimmingly until I got to the cuff. Dad likes them nice and tight around the ankle so they won't stretch out and fall off. Well, I made the cuff a little too small and he couldn't wedge his feet in them (wierd shaped feet, I tell you), so now I have a lovely pair of green slippers to keep my feet warm. But here are the ones he'll get for Christmas, hopefully this pair will work!

Next up, we have some wristlets for my favorite rocker in the family. These are so fast and easy to knit up, he may get a few more of them than what is in the picture, in his present!

Here's my super easy pattern:

Using sock yarn, or fingerling weight yarn and size 4 dpns

Cast on 42 sts

Divide over 3 needles and join into a round

K3, P3 around for 2" or however big you want it

Bind off in pattern

One more thing I finished up this morning was this hat for my father-in-law. Jayden decided he'd like to be my model, after he saw how much fun the balloon was having. :)

9 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Krisy) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:40:00 +0000

After inspiration from Rachel, I decided to start knitting 9 months ago. I learned from watching you tube. These where my very first creations: More have come and more to follow!

Merry Christmas! (sneak peak)

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:53:00 +0000

I know I haven't posted anything that would make people think I am knitting. But, I AM! All the time, in all my free time, I am trying to get all my Christmas presents done before the baby comes. AND I can't really post what I've been working on, since the people I am giving things to read this blog. :) So, here's a little sneak peak for the girls presents, I finished the last one this morning!

Wait, this doesn't look right....

noreply@blogger.com (Joanna) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:58:00 +0000

The time has come for me to post my first blog. Kaylee and Rachel have been nagging me to start my own blog forever. They seem to think funny things happen to me all the time and that I should be writing them for the world to read. Now that I am apart of this online knit Wits club I figured it was time to make my debut and post my most infamous knitting disaster.

I had decided that I was going to knit Jon and myself Christmas stockings instead of buying a pair. I asked my sister Rachel, if she could come up with a pattern for me. Those of you who knit, know that patterns are written in what seems to be a totally different language and for someone who isn’t familiar with the lingo; it’s easy to make mistakes. Let me just say here, that I don’t have very much experience knitting. My projects are few and far between. I swear I forget how to cast on every time I start a new one and most of them never get finished. So in the beginning I was asking Rachel a million questions just to make sure that I didn’t make some huge mistake and have to rip the whole thing out. As I made my way through the pattern I became more and more confident and dare I say a little too sure of myself……big mistake.

The night of our knit wits group I was sitting next to Rachel and Jessie on the couch knitting and chatting like usual. On this particular night I was planning to finish stocking number one and I was beyond excited. I just wanted to get it done so could have the finished product. As I was nearing the end of the pattern I asked Rachel for help to finish the toe and I held up my stocking to show her where I was. As I held it I noticed that something was drastically wrong. I grabbed the pattern and started scanning it to figure out what had happened. I was just sure that Rachel had messed up the pattern and that was why my stocking looked funny. Then I found it. The step I had missed. In my haste to finish I skipped over the step that was the middle of the foot (40 rows). I had knit the heel and went straight into knitting the toe. My stocking now resembled a Chinese woman’s foot that had been bound. Rachel started laughing hysterically and held up my stocking to show Kaylee and Jessie what I had done. Of course everyone was crying they were laughing so hard and Kaylee thought it would be a great idea to take some pictures to capture my embarrassment forever.

This is what Chinese Foot Binding looks like.

Hat With Earflaps

noreply@blogger.com (Kaylee) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I don't know what all you other Knit Wits have been up to, but I've been knitting up a storm. Well, sort of. I'm still going, which I am pretty surprised about. I don't know why I haven't burned out yet? I haven't finished the other fingerless gloves, but on top of those I've started a pair of booties and get this! I'm doing them both at the same time. Genius, right Rach? I recently knit up a fabulous hat that was intended for someone else, and I did in fact give it to them, but I really wanted to keep it for myself. Super soft yarn was the key with this hat. I have knit up so many hats that no one would want to wear because they are too scratchy. What is scratchy yarn good for anyway? Felting maybe??

Here's the hat. The pattern came from a book or maybe it's a booklet? Reynolds Lopi: Vol. 22

I Am Loving Ravelry!

noreply@blogger.com (Kaylee) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Have you guys checked out Ravelry yet? I found a pattern online a couple weeks ago that I really wanted. It was free, but you had to get it through Ravelry....which I was not a part of. Having read many knitting blogs, I had heard of Ravelry, but didn't really know what it was. So without much research I jumped on the waiting list to join.
I just got my invitation yesterday and I've been checking it out. This was a genius idea! If you don't know what it is, basically it is an online community for knitters, crocheters and other fiber fans. There is a whole community that you can be a part of with forums and everyone sharing their projects and free patterns....just like a knitting club :) and kind of like face book....kind of.
Anyway, my favorite thing about it right now, is you can save, organize and store all your knitting information. You can fill out this cool chart and mark the needles you have including dpns and circular AND crochet hooks. And then you just click "print this card" and you can carry it around with you so that you don't accidently buy duplicates when your shopping for a new project!
You can input all the information about all the yarn you have...and you can order more, right online if you want. For example, I have 1.5 skeins of Reynolds Lopi. I input the information and it automatically calculates the grams and yards that I have...so I know if I have enough for a project. If I don't have enough, I can just order more...it will take me to a sight where I can order that specific yarn. It will even tell you where you can get it at a store near you. Also, there is a place to write notes about that yarn, so you can write down the washing instructions for that specific yarn so that when you misplace (which I always do) the label once you've begun a project, you know your stuff. It also automatically gives you the "weight" of the yarn. I always have trouble guessing, is this fingering weight? Worsted weight? etc... I can't tell you how much I wish I would have known about this place a long time ago. I have SO many balls of yarn that don't have their labels anymore. I have no idea what the brand is, how much I have or how to wash it. I'm telling you, this is a genius idea!
Anyway you should check it out!

Matching Socks

noreply@blogger.com (Rachel) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:42:00 +0000

I found these socks tonight as I was going through a drawer looking for a silk scarf I knit up last year. These are the socks I made from the sock yarn Kaylee and I got in our stockings the first Christmas after we started knitting. You can see from the post below that it took Kaylee 7 years to complete them. Mine didn't take quite as long to finish and I managed to make them the same size, which might have something to do with finishing one right after the other instead of years apart, just something you might want to think about if you are going to knit up socks. :) I still think they are real comfy-cozy.

-The Yarn Whisperer