New Blog Site!

HI!

Please go here to find the new home of the Knot Another Hat blog!

Thank you everyone!

(it's at http://knotanotherhat.typepad.com)

Still nothing

I still can't get my pictures uploaded. Today was my expiration date to cancel my free trial with TypePad, but I think I'm going to take the plunge and make the switch. Maybe now I can get my posts up more regularly. I am very, very frustrated. Sorry everyone - a new link will follow shortly!

Freaking Blogger!

I had a post all ready to show off the finished Sizzle and my next project, as well as my latest gift from my great Secret Pal, but of course Blogger won't let me put up pictures. I'm headed out of town and will hopefully get them up Sunday night. Sorry!

And the race is on! Sizzle sauciness. . .

No time to blog, and this is why:

I'm bound and determined to knit Sizzle in time for a wedding I am going to attend next Saturday. Yup, you read it right. Six days to Sizzling Sauciness. Can I do it? We'll see. I'm using Noro Lily (cotton/silk blend), and I swatched on the recommended US7s but needed to go up to an 8. (No comments from the peanut gallery about the miniscule size of my swatch - I'm in a hurry damnit!) And this is my progress to date on the Garter Cami, as well as a terrible shot of the package I just mailed out to my One Skein pal. Since you really can't see it, I'll tell you what's in it: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Lupine, 2 Prym (Inox) 16 circulars in size US1, and my original pattern for knitting socks on two circulars. She hasn't ever finished a pair of socks, so I thought this might give her some inspiration. I also put in a really cute handmade book that my sister made.

Time to sizzle!

All around craftiness

The minnowknits Cotton Roll sweater is finished! I found cute little baseball hat buttons for the top left shoulder. Specs: 6 month size, one skein each of Cotton Stria in tangerine, sky, and red, and size US7 needles (the pattern calls for US8, the designer Jil Eaton knits the samples on US5s, so I went for the middle ground). Easy and quick to knit, cute and light. I went to the fabric store yesterday to browse for inspiration for the Sock Kit swap, and came home with these pairings:
The store colors, pink and brown:

And these are a heavier home decor fabric, and what I will use to make a spectacular bag for my Sock Kit pal. I just don't know what exactly, yet....I'm thinking a bigger tote style with straps, and then a smaller, zippered accessory pouch. The exterior will be the green and the inside will be lined with the white. I just need to design it now.
I wanted to whip up a summer top for the store, so I decided on the Ann Norling Garter Stitch Camisole, in Lana Grossa Colorato. Knit, knit, knit and then knit some more. There's a nice yarnover pattern on the bottom and the top, but other than that it's a lot of garter. But very simple and a great ice-breaker for people to get into garments.

Cotton Roll and Toddler Sock update

The Minnowknits Cotton Roll sweater in Manos Cotton Stria is roaring along. The second sleeve is started and hopefully I can block the whole thing tonight. It's hot out today, so perfect for quick drying!
And here are the finished toddler socks in the Meilenweit Cotton Fun & Stripes. So quick, really, it's silly. I've got this yarn on re-order in many colors, so check the site later next week.

And last night was our anniversary/birthday shindig here at the store, and it was a blast. The champagne was flowing, the mini cupcakes had icing, and the brownies were Blissful. A good time was had by all, I do believe. My camera battery was (of course) dead, so hopefully my mom will send me the few pics she snapped of the festivities.

Thank you everyone for a wonderful first year!

(PS - And don't forget the birthday discount on the website - good through Sunday only! Just enter HPYBDY at checkout for 15% off your entire order!)

My Mojo's Back, Baby!

Boy, when it's on, it's on!

First, I did that sock in about 28 hours. Then, yesterday I decided we needed another Minnowknits store model because this one keeps selling out. So I picked the Cotton Roll Sweater and cast on yesterday around noon (in Manos Cotton Stria). Now granted, this is a teeny sweater for a mini-person, but the front and back are done and I'm starting the sleeves.

Then, when I went home for the evening I grabbed the little leftover ball of Fun & Stripes that I had to complete a set of toddler socks for my neice. These sock were supposed to be for Campbell, but after I finished the first one a month and a half ago, it didn't fit her. So they'll be for my niece Naomi. So I cast that on at about 6:30 and got half-way through the foot before I called it a night.

This is all so amazing to me, because this is how I normally knit. It's just that the last three or four weeks have been somewhat of a dry spell for me, with very little knitting and even less motivation for knitting. I don't know why or how my mojo came back, but it's back baby!

A sock a day...

...keeps the doctor away, right?

I started this about 1:00 on the 4th, and finished it (ok, all but the grafting of the toe, which I did this morning) last night during Frasier reruns on UPN. It's Lana Grossa Meilenweit Fantasy, color #4833, and is now up on the website. Right now it's the only color of Fantasy we have, but I really liked it so I will be ordering 3 more colors in the near future. Oh, addi Turbos size US1 (2.5mm) (which are actually like a 1 1/2 compared to most other brands).

BUSTED!!!!

Guess who blew her cover??????

Yours truly.

I signed my name on an email to my SP. HOW COULD I DO THAT?!?! I thought I was being so careful. And I knew that she was really close to figuring out who I am, simply b/c she is coming out to Oregon to visit in August, and she was looking up area yarn stores to shop at, AND I FREAKING OWN ONE. Who knew?!? The coordinators could never have known that they would match up two people on separate sides of the country who would be likely to meet in person! But that's the best part - we are going to meet in person when she comes out this summer, and we're going to do a little sight-seeing and fiber shopping. :)

So without further ado - my SP: Meg, from Knit and Sip, and the land of (pie) cherries, Traverse City, Michigan. Go check out her blog - she's a great knitter from all accounts! And getting to know her has been like having a great pen pal - but one that I actually get to meet! How cool is that? And how many SP's can say that they've met their pals??

Here is the frogged Glam-turned-shawl. I really love the Chris Bylsma pattern, and it shows off this ribbony yarn really well. Yay! It was a quick knit on size 11 circulars, and I went through 5 balls (with 87 yards each). I chose to do the optional knitted-in self-fringe, which turned out nice. I also just tied my yarn joins and left the ends hanging willy-nilly all over. This will be great for fall.

Craftiness around the house and finished Cuppencakken

After long being disgusted at the state of our dining room chairs and bar stools, it suddenly dawned on us that we could just re-cover them. Duh. So I found some wonderful upholstry fabric and this morning I did just that. Talk about easy!

And here are the finished dining room chairs...

And the finished bar stools...
This is a hideous sweater that I did last summer. It is from The Cherries in the Spring 03 issue of Knitty, and it completely did not work for me. It could not have been less flattering. Oh - and I used Crystal Palace Glam, which I still really like. So, I frogged it. I'm re-knitting the yarn in Chris Bylsma's Ladder Shawl pattern, on size 11s.
And, as promised, the finished cupcake ottoman. Cuppencakken, baby!
And here is the knitter, owner of So Much Fun, Ms. Sabrina. See how proud she is of her cupcake? She's already ordered another ottoman to make a complete set. (By the way, just to piss everyone off, Sabrina only learned to knit around the beginning of May, at the same time as opening up her own business. So there!)