Knotty Lady

I Knit a Sweater for an Octopus!

2012-02-17T12:51:00.001-08:00

Hilarious. Real Zooey's facial expressions as Mary Kate crack me up. By the way, if this was a real show, I would totally watch it every day.

Because You Can't Eat Yarn

2012-02-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

After what seems like the warmest winter in memory (including my stint in Florida), it is suddenly very freezy here. And rainy and yuck-not-fun-just-miserable-cold.

Mr Knotty decided to start our day cheerfully, despite the no-going-outside disappointment. So he made us these cute heart shaped pancakes. Inspired, I thought some new comfort-like food should be added to the evening's menu. Thus, Minced Beef Wellington.

This recipe was quick, easy and impressive for the amount of vegetables it sneaks in. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe, but my recipe below includes double the amount of veg (which is what I used) since we are feeding a suddenly-vegetable leery toddler. She ate it all up - yum!

Although it takes a while to bake, the prep time was minimal, allowing for plenty of knitting in between knocking it in the oven and serving it up.

Minced Beef Wellington

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped

1 potato, diced

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 lb ground beef

2 package (2 sheets) of puff pastry

1 egg

flour for dusting

Combine first 7 ingredients and saute over medium-high heat until soft. Add peas and continue cooking 3 more minutes. Put in a bowl and allow to cool completely.

Beat egg. Add 1/2 of the beaten egg and the beef to the bowl of cooked vegetables. Combine.

On a floured surface, dust top of pastry with flour and roll out to the sized of a kitchen towel. Put the veg/meat mixture lengthwise about and inch away from the edge of pasty. Brush far end of pastry with a bit of the egg. Roll the meat mixture away from you, covering with the pastry, and tucking in the edge of the pastry so the mixture is completely sealed up. Place on a floured baking sheet. Brush remaining egg over wellington. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Slice and serve with gravy.

Gravy

3 T butter

3 T flour

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup beef broth

Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Add the wine and whisk. Add the broth, whisk and let simmer about 10 minutes until gravy thickens. Serve.

It Came from the Internet

2012-02-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

Friday Night Knitting Club

2012-01-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

So here's the little miss, modeling a scarf made from one skein of Baby Alpaca Grande at The Woolie Ewe. We popped in this morning to scope the joint for newbie-knitter-class supplies. The owner pointed us to this - and it's on sale. Whoop! Only $10 for that soft, soft lovely. -- Let me interject here to tell you Little Knotty's spontaneous, non-prompted proclamation as we walked into the store: "Be very patient," she said pointing to herself. I was quite amused.

As we walked around the store, she showed off her mom-knitted poncho to the nice ladies at the back table, and she picked out several toddler-sized sweaters on display and asked me "Yeah, Mommy can do?" So I guess I need to make some more sweaters for her...

Here's more of the Baby Alpaca. There were lots of good, chunky starter yarns on sale. I think I can get everyone a little scarf kit together for about $20.

I walked out with a test-skein of alpaca. Little Knotty walked out with a cupcake from the staff of the Ewe. Now I have to find a suitable meeting place. Somewhere where yarn, snacks and wine meet...

pon-CHO

2012-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

So the other day I wore my poncho -- the one I made with yarn I bought at the Quarter Stitch in the New Orleans French Quarter, waaaaaaay back when. Little Knotty was enthralled and told me she wanted a pon-CHO too. So we walked into the Yarn Stash Room -- which my husband still insists on calling "our office." She chose this Chunky Mochi. It was one of my last-yarn-buying-at-Loops purchases and was originally supposed to be a hat. But since the hat hasn't happened yet, and would, like all things, be cuter on Little Knotty than me, I agreed.

Mr. Knotty and I watched Munich that night and I was glad to have somewhere other than the very-violent-movie to focus my attention. This knit up very quickly and with just two skeins on Chunky Mochi, plus a little scrap yarn (Drops, I think, left over from the purse I knit my mom).

Little Knotty is a very appreciative knitted-gift receiver. She has been proudly showing off her pon-CHO to everyone.

Cross-stitching, or How I Lost a Month of Naptimes

2011-12-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

People are always telling me to sleep while the baby's sleeping. That is such good (and totally impractical) advice. And if I had taken it in the past month, I never would have finished my first cross-stitch project: a family portrait. Yay!

I got the inspiriation* from a Martha Stewart tutorial, then changed it up to fit my family. Getting the goatee right without turning my husband into a giant bobble-head was the toughest part. I used graph paper snitched from my husband's science-stuff stash and my daughter's crayons to plan it all out, then used some large-blocked cross-stitch fabric to make it easier. I could do about one item per naptime - a Bears sweater, my curly hair, a much-loved purple blanket. The Great Dane took two naptimes.

Contrary to my memories of learning how to cross-stich as a child -- and then refusing to cross-stitch as a child -- this was actually pretty fun. I might make another one, if I can pick an appropriate subject.

*According to the comments section, Martha got her inspiration from an Etsy seller, but gave no credit. I have no idea.

Once Upon a Time There was a Blanket

2011-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

I found the pattern for the blanket baby Emma was wrapped in during Once Upon A Time! Isn't it pretty? As soon as I saw that she was wrapped in a hand-knitted item, I thought, "I wonder how long it will take before that pops up on Ravelry?"* Answer: no time at all. I can see the studio changed it up a bit - stitched it shut and sewed a patch of fabric to put Emma's name on.

*OK, so my first thought was "Oh my dear, that man holding his baby while battling the forces of evil is so hawt! Oh, heavens! I need a cold drink. To pour on my head." But my next thought was about knitting.

Mommy Mittens

2011-11-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

In theory, it should get cold because it's winter. I don't live in Alaska anymore, so everything being relative, who knows how cold it will get. Most of my memories of Texas winters involve wet, sloshy, windy uncomfortableness - not fun, dry, puffy snow. But I'm going to be optimistic. So I made mittens for my little one.

I followed a pattern in A Knitter's Home Companion, and honestly, I wasn't very happy with it. Following the instructions for the smallest size, I ended up with a giant, disproportional thumb. So I frogged, guessed, rinsed and repeated a few times until I was happy.

More importantly, my little knit-receiver was happy. Once I figured out my own formula, these knit up very quickly -- I could probably do a pair while watching my stories in one night.

And what better way to celebrate a finished pair of mittens, then with toasty warm beignets in the morning? These came from a Cafe Du Monde mix, but I'd like to make my own. I found a few recipes on the Food Network, but taking any advice from Paula Dean makes me uneasy. Uncomfortable. Possibly diabetic. Hummmmm...

Swea-TAH!

2011-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

I had this really snarky post ready. All about this hand-dyed yarn company that done me wrong. Who either sold me a defective dress pattern, or a shorted me several yards on the skein of yarn. And how their customer service told me to stick it. And how I defied them and turned the stinking thing into a sweater. Seen here:

Sesame Street: toddler tranquilizer for photography.

I frogged this thing three times, checked and changed and rechecked my gauge, and still came up with a "dress" that was at least six inches too short.

So my snarky story was really funny. But then they had to go and email me tonight. And tell me how sorry they are. And how they are sending me more yarn. For free. Which kind of makes me the jerk. Because, let's face it: it's probably my mistake. I'm not sure how, but still.

So for now, until the new, free, customer-friendly yarn arrives, the dress is a sweater. Which my daughter LOVES. Which makes me so happy. Because nothing* makes eight thousand tiny handmade stitches worth it like hearing "Mommy, love swea-tah! Soft! Love swea-tah!"

Thank you Three Irish Girls. I'm a jerk.

*But free hand-dyed yarn comes pretty close.

In which I watch too much TV

2011-10-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

I distinctly remember a co-worker's comment about my husband and I going on dates. Eight years ago this web editor said "You guys still go on dates? That'll end as soon as you have kids." I said nothing but gave him a poor-little-you smile with a condescending head-tilt. Because we would never be that boring. We had parties. And shows. And wine bars. And social lives. And yet, that statement stuck in my head. And has come back to haunt me all these years later.

Now that Wednesday is Psych Night. Thursday is Vampire Diaries Night. Friday is Grimm Night. Saturday is Doctor Who Night. Sunday is Walking Dead Night. And Monday is Castle Night and now, also Once Upon a Time Night. But here's the upside. People always ask me how I find time to knit. The answer is I knit while I watch TV, when I'm too tired to do much else anyway and I'm sort-of spending time with my husband who is parked in the armchair grading papers, talking to himself and occasionally asking what dessert might be. So it's couple-time. Sort of.

So now that I've made my excuse for the me-shaped dent in the sofa, have you seen Once Upon a Time? I was prepared to hate it because Precinct 17 wasn't picked up and I'm irrational like that. But it was so cute in a Pushing-Daisies-meets-Princess-Bride way. Let's hope more in a Princess Bride way since Pushing Daisies met an unceremonious and quick ending. Which I am still bitter about, ABC. Don't think I've forgiven you.

My fear is that since it comes from the people who brought you Lost, OUAT will drop seemingly meaningful clues and half-revelations season after season that amount to nothing but They're All Dead (sorry for no spoiler warning but if you haven't seen Lost, now you won't have to waste your time).

You may have noticed Tuesday is missing. Tuesday is with Sunday's underwear. Because of God.*

*According to Meg Ryan.

I buy too much junk from Target

2011-10-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

Martha Stewart did mummy cupcakes a few years ago and they looked marvelous (don't expect a link, I'm too lazy to look it up right now). So these were inspired by those. I found the candy eyes two years ago* at Target but discovered that having a three-week-old was not conducive to baking. Or eating. Or sleeping.

We are scarrrrrrrrrry. Because we will stain everything we come in contact with.

Yes, they are red velvet. No, I did not make them from scratch -- it's a box mix. Yes, I know how to make them from scratch. No, it's not worth it, especially when the designated House Cupcake Eater generally licks off the frosting and declares the item "Done!"

*Don't you dare judge me for using two-year old candy eyes. If you're stomach is strong enough to eat straight sugar, I'm sure you've built up an immunity to whatever is NOT growing on these.

Blooming over spring break

2011-03-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

So here's what I did over spring break:
1. whipped up the following in my kitchen: duck a la orange, a lemon tart with a pate briste crust and, for St. Patrick's Day an Irish Fish Pie with Dublin Cheese
2. Finally set up Netflix and caught up with a ton of films I missed while pregnant (Zombieland and Sherlock were my favorite. I found the Princess and the Frog a little extremely scary for kids)
3. Visited the Arboretum and saw a LOT of gorgeous tulips
4. Planted a lot of veggies and herbs
5. Had several backyard picnics -- something I couldn't do in my last house (see: mosquitos, year-long horrific abundance of)
5. Sewed a cupcake-themed dress and a St. Patrick's-themed skirt and tiered top -- all for The Beautiful Girl!!!!!
I am just loving this sewing business!

Spinning a tale

2011-02-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

Looking for some fluffy, knitty reads? I just read Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton. It's a supernatural romance set in a magical knitting store in a small town. Bretton does a wonderful job of creating a detailed atmosphere and likable characters. Several days after reading the last page, I'm wondering about the characters and wishing I could visit the town. Luckily, it's the first in the Sugar Maple series. The second is Laced with Magic, followed by the recently released Spun by Sorcery. I'll be checking them out.

Glimpse

2011-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today I placed an order for the beautiful new Glimpse colorway from the talented Three Irish Girls. Just one skein will make the Skip Hop Pinafore in size 2. A portion of the proceeds of each sale of Glimpse goes to Share, a non-profit organization supporting the needs of parents who have lost a baby. You can read more about it on the Yarnista blog.

Lazy Days skirt

2011-02-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well, here's my first baby-sewing project. It was super easy and very quick. I bought several different fabrics and ribbons to make a few different skirts. This one was Valentine's Day themed with little hearts and zebras (not that zebras have anything to do with Valentine's Day, unless you are having a very romantic holiday in Africa...)

The Lazy Days skirt pattern comes free from Oliver + S. I am so impressed with her patterns, I recently purchased several. If you've ever found yourself in front of a sewing machine, surrounded by cut fabric, pattern tissue laying hither and tither, a broken needle and frustration mounting as you scream "WHAT does this pattern MEEEEEEEEEEEEAN? I have NO IDEA what this MEEEEEEEEEANS!" (What? Just me?) -- then these patterns are for you. They are written very clearly, no sobbing phone calls to more sewing-machine savvy relatives needed.

Little Things to Sew

2011-01-28T18:03:00.000-08:00

My crafty friends should enjoy this book. It's sewing, not knitting, but I LOVE the other patterns she has written (the book isn't here yet). The details in the patterns I have are beautiful and the instructions are crystal clear:

Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, by Liesl Gibson from STC Craft on Vimeo.

Valentine's Day Hearts

2011-01-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

This is the Baby Tiered Coat and Jacket pattern available on Ravelry. It knits all in one piece and was super quick and easy -- and my first completed sweater! I'm working on sewing (gasp!) a dress to match so she'll have a full V-Day outfit made by Mommy.

While you are working on your Valentine's Day projects, please remember the little hearts who need some help: Congenital Heart Disease affects one in every 100 births. The costs on families (both emotional and financial) are huge. Many children need multiple surgeries over many years, sometimes far away from home. Please consider giving to Spencer's Fund, providing support to these families and their special little ones.

This top was a dress

2011-01-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

A dress! This was a dress I made for her in April. April! Of this past year! If this keeps up, I'm soon going to be the shortest person in the house again.

The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere purchased at Loops and the pattern is the free pattern Child's Play Top from Lion Brand.

2010-11-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

Idle hands, and so forth...

2010-06-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been more than a year since I wrote anything. In part, that is due to the little tiny person sleeping in the next room. Yep, I baked a baby. And as Mary Poppins would say, she entered this world practically perfect in every way.

The "practically" part is fixed now -- she was born with a heart problem and, after six and a half months of terrifying waiting, she endured open heart surgery. She is superfantastic now and bears a scar of bravery on her chest.

I always tell my knitting students that you are supposed to have flaws in your work. In fact, some people knit them in intentionally. It's what makes them unique, beautiful and lovable. And when she asks, that's what I'll tell my brave little trooper. That little line on her chest is the seam in her beauty -- where we stuffed in all our love to make her whole - a kitchener stitch for the soul.

Actual knitting

2009-04-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

You may recall that I went on a trip (the one I won't stop talking about). Well, on the overseas flight, my little hands were busy with some very little needles, creating Library Mitts -- the very first pattern I created all by myself. This isn't saying much since there are lots of fingerless mitten patterns out there to inspire me, but still. Here they are, made from KnitCol. They keep my paws warm while reading, typing and meticusouly arranging and rearranging. Starting from the bottom, it's a k2p2 rib for one inch, then k for 9 inches, set aside 16 stitches for the thumb, knit to the top of your palms, k2p2 for one more inch and cast off. Go back to the thumb and k 4 rounds.

And then there's my upcoming niece! I made this hat and matching booties for her. The hat pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and the booties are a popular Ravelry pattern.

London. Finally.

2009-03-06T15:15:00.001-08:00

OK, so had I written this the moment we had returned, I would have pages and pages to write. But I didn't. So here are the London highlights, mercifully much shorter than anticipated:

The Beer Hotel

We stayed at Fullers, a pretty hotel owned by Fuller's Brewery, perched right on top of a Fuller's pub and with two big, fat Fuller's waiting for us when we came back to the Hotel at night. And the shepherd's pie -- (say in Homer-Simpson voice) ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, shepherd's pie.

Pictured: A few blocks away from our hotel. Behind me are Parliment and Big Ben.

All the Dead People

Pictured: In the gardens of the Abby.

We were a block or so away from Westminster Abby. It was one of our first stops. And beautiful. We spent an entire morning touring the Abby. And of course, with my sitting-in-the-front-row-with-my-hand-raised personality, I had to ask questions. Want to know why so many of the statues are missing their fingers? Because, up until a few decades ago, people thought it was OK to pop them off and take them home as souvenirs. Yech.

The most emotional spot for me was the stained glass window decorated with figures of U.S airmen from WW2. The original window was blown out during the war. The new one was installed to honor the U.S. airmen who gave their lives in Europe. Touching to see our military honored in an icon of British history.

On the downside, every historical spot in England has to do with bloody, gruesome, multiple murders. After a while, I couldn't take it anymore. So our planned tour of the Tower of London consisted of walking around the outside of it and taking pictures.

Harry Potter

I'm a geek. So we stopped in a phone booth and I dialed the code to get into the Ministry of Magic. Didn't work. Sigh.

Pictured: We spotted some swans while walking around Salisbury, near Stonehenge.

Amazing Famous Stuff We Bumped Into

Pictured: In front of the Elgin Marbles.

1. Cleopatra's Needle -- just walking down the street and there is was.

2. One of the Magna Carta. We took a day trip to Stonehenge and spent the day walking around in the medieval town next to it. We went to look at the cathedral (not only the tallest building in the middle ages but also one of the few structures not blown up during WW2 because the Germans were using it for navigation). We're walking into it and around the grounds and here's a sign, "Magna Carta" with an arrow pointing into a room off the cathedral. There is it. Protected by glass and docents. We were rather impressed.

3. The graves of Shakespeare and of Edmund Haley (the latter with a bronze comet on it).

Pictured: In front of the Cathedral that holds one of the Magna Carta.

4. Scotland Yard. We walked by it everyday on our way back to the hotel.

5. A head from Easter Island, the Elgin marbles and the Roseta Stone (all residing in the British Museum, or as my husband named it "The Museum of Yoink." Absolutely EVERYTHING in there is stolen from another country. When I first saw the marbles and realized what they were, I accidentally said (much too loudly) "Oh my God, they need to give these baaaaaack." The docents shot me dirty looks.

Pictured: In the Museum of Yoink, studying a chess set. If it looks familiar, it was used as a model for Wizard's Chess. Also, it's a zillion years old.

6. A lot more I can't remember now and will add later.

Most Hoity-Toity Moment

Tea at Kinsington Palace. Bless my husband for eating cucumber sandwiches with a smile.

Pictured: Squirrel Nutkin on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

My Husband's Favorite Stop

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, which is on the Prime Meridian. It was really cool. I was impressed. We stood on the Prime Meridian, used a camera obscura, watched a planetarium show and then MrKnotty and their planetarium director talked shop. Also, the architecture was astounding.

Most Frustrating Thing About London

There are no street signs. Just vague "this street might be this way" signs.

That, and the tube shutting down on our second day because someone left a backpack somewhere. Which meant we had to figure our way on the street. See "no street signs" above.

Thank You to Author Conan Doyle

Because of whom I went to the pub across from the British Museum (it's in one of his stories) and had the most fantastic fish and chips with mushy peas ever. And a lot of beer.

Pictured: With our beer samples in the Museum Pub.

Longest Awaited Moment

When I was living in my tiny cabin in Alaska, I got a Jamie Oliver cookbook. Somehow, out of our laughable supplies, I made Jamie's tomato and roasted red pepper soup with his artichoke salad on the side. My friends and I thought it was the best thing we had eaten in years. I wished I could taste his actual cooking to see if I had come close.

Our last night in London, my husband took me to Jamie's restaurant, 15. From before dinner drinks, to antipasti, lamb, fish, dessert and champagne, it was amazing. I was so happy I seriously could not tone down the smile that was plastered across my face. People kept asking us what the occasion was. I think I looked like I had just gotten engaged. My souvenir was Jamie's newest cookbook (which I have now used many times).

What Else?

We saw Avenue Q in the West End. It was so funny, my husband was literally crying and almost fell out of his seat.

We went to Harrod's. Tacky. Not impressive.

Stonehenge was awesome.

The train stations have little convenience stores called "The Pumpkin." They are really cute and I had a fantastic croissant with ham and Swiss there. (I know it sounds gross to eat from a convenience store but it was good -- and it was called "The Pumpkin." I mean, come on. How cute is that?)

We went to Platform 9 3/4 in King's Cross, bought Christmas Crackers for our families in a department store, had English breakfast everyday (fried eggs, bacon, baked tomoato, baked mushrooms and baked beans with toast and tea), got lost and saw some really cool buildings, and snuck into St. Paul's while it was closed, got caught and kicked out. Also, many people assumed I was British and showing Mr. Knotty around. I blame my pasty white skin.

Also, we walked. A lot. Which was great because I went to bed every night exhausted.

I had a wonderful time. Even on our flight back (yay, British Airlines! Wine, a four course dinner, fuzzy slippers and tons of movies. You had me at "allo.") was fun and relaxing. I'm fan of England.

Romance Under the Stars

2009-02-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! Dinner, drinking, dancing and debauched tales of Greek love. Yes, this Valentine's Day the TASM Planetarium is once again hosting Romance Under the Stars. Last year was a big hit, so grab your honey, or a bunch of your friends, and get ready for a rowdy show. Here's more from MrKnotty:

The event includes dinner, drinks and a special planetarium presentation relating the Greek myths of love, romance and seduction to objects in the night sky. This year we decided to add dancing under the stars following the planetarium presentation.

Dinner for the evening will start with a vegetarian antipasti course followed by Cornish hens with an apricot glaze. For desert there is an option of either rich chocolate layer cake with a raspberry sauce or NY style cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

The cost for the event is $140 per couple for dinner seating in the planetarium lobby. If you so choose, you can have dinner in the planetarium under the stars for $165 per couple. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting me. If you register with friends, we will endeavor to seat your party at the same table for dinner. The event starts at 7:00 with dinner around 7:30. The evening will wrap around 10:00 pm. You must be at least 21 to attend.

And, for your Valentine's Day knitting enjoyment, you can make a treat for the fuzzy someone in your life. Martha Stewart has posted a knitted heart-shaped catnip toy pattern on her site.

It's not a desert

2009-01-27T16:42:00.001-08:00

But we do have horses, as you can see in this photo...

So we've been off work today. First the sleet, then dozens of accidents, they shut down 169 and both the museum and the library are closed. Well, everything is closed. So I knitted, MrKnotty read, I cleaned the oven (so you know I was really bored), we played with the dog, we played board games, I watched an old DVD of Two Fat Ladies (still hilarious). Then we were all CABIN FEVER!!!!! So despite the snow, we walked the doggie and then, as you can see, the boy and his dog played Romper Room in the back.

Oh, and I got a chance to pull out my Alaska gear (notice the beaver and seal on my head -- a gift from a Yu'pik Eskimo in my old stomping grounds of Bethel, Alaska):

Everyone is getting along

2009-01-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

Is he home yet? Huh? Huh? Is he?

I thought we agreed not to speak to one another.

Is he home? Is he home?

You're drooling. Don't touch me.

Is he home? Can you see him?

Here, let me open the door and you can go look for him.

Editor's note: No, no, KnottyKitten!

A boy and his dog

2009-01-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

Look at them. Lazy. Bored. Totally not expecting what was soon to befall them.....

MrKnotty's Christmas present! A fabulous Great Dane from our local rescue!

He named her after the Greek goddess of the night sky -- notice the black fur and the white stars on her paws. I have never met a more hilarious dog. She melts: she leans and leans and leans on you, until she ends up in a heap of boneless puppy on the floor. (Cue Wicked Witch noises: "I'm meeeeeeelting, meeeetling...")

She leaps straight up into the air at food time -- getting all four paws off the ground at least six inches -- when she's calm.

She loves the cats and belly-crawls around them as if to say "I come in peace." The kitten loves being around her. KnottyKitty, not so much -- yet.

She is a fashionista who prompts us to put on her fancy collar, nudging it with her nose, and when we pick it up, dipping her head into it.

She sits, stays, shakes, heals and lays down on on command. Que cute!

Stick a star in your stocking

2008-12-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

And now a word from our sponsor (my husband, the Bill Payer):

Need a last-minute gift? Adopt a star from the Tulsa Air & Space Museum and Planetarium.

It comes with a beuuuutiful certificate of adoption (watercolored by yours truly, logo-ed by my talented sister), a star map and a bunch of other stuff. All stars are viewable by the naked eye. All proceeds support the museum. Costs range from $30 - $1000, depending upon the star and package. Name your favorite star, animal, day -- they'll help you pick out a star to match.

For more info, call Chris at the TASM Planetarium (918) 834-9900 ext 401.

....And I promise to add the rest of the England trip here soon. For reals.

UPDATE: Did you see MrKnotty on FOX today talking about the Adopt a Star program? My man is media-savvy.

We met Neil Armstrong! Neil. Freaking. Armstrong.

2008-11-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture. On the left, Matt, the Assistant Planetarium Director. Next to Matt is me. On the far right is my husband, the TASM Planetarium Director. And in between us is NEIL ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is truly as nice as everyone says he is. Who chatted with me several times and patted me on the shoulder in a kind grandfatherly way. And who, when I told him I worked with children and would he please give me a message for them said:

"Working with children? First, I am sure what you are doing is important, so thank you. Tell them I said never cease, never stop, in your quest to learn more and in your quest to be more."

So there you have it. I have a direct quote from Neil First Man on the Moon Armstrong.

Day Two: Hill Top

2008-11-06T06:14:00.000-08:00

We woke up in England for the first time. Cocooned in fluffy warmness of the big puffy bed, I was sooooo comfortable but way too excited to sleep. Stepping out of the shower I discovered another perk -- our towels were resting on a towel warmer. Yay, Drunken Duck!

Apple trees (I think they were apples) blooming in front of the windows of our room).

We stumbled downstairs, saying good morning to the house cat, and into the dining room for our first English Breakfast: sausage (made from the pigs over the hill) sunnyside up eggs, toast, homemade blackberry jam, baked tomato, English bacon (which looks and tastes a lot like Canadian bacon - but better) and, of course, TEA! I had the vegetarian sausage made from lentils and MrKnotty had the real deal. Delicious, delicious!

Part of the kitchen gardens of The Duck. There were peppers, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, strawberries and just about every other herb imaginable.

We packed up our things, left them at the front desk, stuffed ourselves into the tiny car and headed for Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's home in the town of Near Sawrey. We team-drove, but my "Too close!" was now more of an "eek!" than an "AHHHH!"

The fake made-for-the-movie-Miss-Potter-Hill Top

To gain admittance to Hill Top, you first stop at the office, a small house down the road from Hill Top and directly next to a replica of Hill Top, used for the movie Miss Potter. As we had been advised to arrive early, we were the second couple in line, sandwiched between two British couples. We struck up a conversation with the older couple behind us, who wanted our input on the recent bank failing and the American presidential race. They told us we had arrived just in time -- a bus carrying more than 80 Japenise tourist were on their way from their hotel and would be arriving shortly. The wife made a reference to the Japenise remembering how beautiful England was from the last time they were here (persumably, a reverence to WWII from her tone) and her husband told her it wasn't appropriate in front of company.

The door opened and we purchased our tickets -- from the same woman we had purchased tickets to the gallery the day before in Hawkshead. She recognized us as well and encouraged us to buy National Trust memberships if we planned to keep up like this. I breifly imagined leaving the U.S. forever and becoming an ex-pat with an English accent, taking tea every afternoon and picking berries from the hillside. MrKnotty snapped me out of it by reminding me that the KnottyKitties were waiting for us at home. Even then, fresh fluffy scones have an allure of their own...

We walked up the road, passing Beatrix's working farmland on the way. I highly encourage you to enlarge this picture -- you'll see the sheep to MrKnotty's left and gorgeous cottages in the hillside.

A bit of walking later and we discovered the path up to the house, walking through the garden. This is the house she purchased after publishing Peter Rabbit, but the majority of her book were written here. Walking through the garden, was like walking directly into a picture book and I began to remember feelings I hadn't had since childhood. I realized that my idea of fairy stories and make-believe looked just like this -- and must have formed in my head at an early age from the pictures in her books. In short, I had the distinct feeling of walking into Farmer MacGregor's garden.

We arrived at the front door to find it was not yet opened. Speaking with the other couples who were waiting, they all said that as we traveled the farthest to be here, we should be the first inside -- which was very kind of them.

And so, when the door opened we stepped into the cozy two-story, as though we were walking into a friend's home -- void of tourist, other than ourselves, and with the company of of two docents. Everything in the home, from the dark hardwood floors to the stone fireplace and old wooden rocker in the corner, was exactly as she had left it, just as she insisted when leaving it to the National Trust. In the windowsills were copies of her books, open to pages inspired by those rooms. So look in the china cabinet, then look at the Tale of Tom Kitten, and there's the teapot and the dining room table -- exactly as they appear in the book. Look out the window at the hills and back at the book, and there's the same hill and, remarkably, the same trees, albet bigger. We walked upstairs and around in every corner. The rugs, the bed, the quilts -- all there. Exactly like walking into a book.

Coming back around and down the stairs, the home was now filled with tourists, so we stepped outside and into the garden where a light rain had begun to fall. There was Farmer M's watering can, and rows of tidy vegetables. We walked in circles, my desire to stay batteling with my desire to enjoy it on my own without having to remember it as crowded with the throngs of loud and very hand-sy-pushy tourists.

We headed out the path, passing Tom Kitten's gate on the way and into the gift shop, where the crowd descended and I was literally knocked against the wall by the ensuing crowd. And chose to stay there until they passed. We made a few purchases and then, rather than head back to The Duck, took a long walk through the countryside.

Through fields and up and around little homes, each with their own blooming gardens.

Past herds of sheep and several cows. Into a huge monster of a mud puddle, under trees turning orange and gold with the fall, occasionally passing another couple who, from the mud on their boots, must have come the same way.

We spent most of the morning this way until we felt certain that if we didn't turn around, we would never catch our evening train from Manchester to London. We said goodbye to the great people at The Duck, and threw our belongings into the back of the tiny car.

Took a wrong turn at some point, saw some astounding hills with waterfalls.

Stopped to take a picture of a rainbow and eventually, pulled up to the Manchester airport, dropped off our car, and jumped on our train to London.

Our trip across the pond - Day one

2008-10-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have to admit it. We are officially back from England. It was a fabulous trip. We saw tons of really cool, old stuff, ate wonderful food (yes, their food is good) and, as predicted, I was speaking with an English accent the moment we hit Customs. I can't help it. The theatre is second nature to me.

Of course, there had to be Drama Making Our Flight. Luckily, it was of the knitting nature.

You can't take any sort of needles on a plane -- except bamboo. No problem, because I have lots of projects and lots of needles. Except that two hours before we are to leave I realize that out of my eighty jillion balls of yarn and four jillion needles, there is nary a project with matching bamboo needles. Not a one. Envisioning an insomoniac cross-ocean flight of hell, I panic. And then I began calling Loops before it opened. Over and over. Like a mantra. A prayer.

As we head toward the airport, me twitching like a Tourette's sufferer, my husband suggests swinging by Loops. Just in case. Because he is a saint.

On my last of many manic-dials, Gina answers. And is soon waiting at the desk with a set of size 2 dpns. Which I swoop up and literally run with to the waiting car.

Our flight was totally pleasant. No one lost our luggage, or kicked our chairs or smelled funny (wait for it in the flight back...) and I got to knit of set of fingerless mittens (photo to come).

We landed in Manchester and after waiting fourty five minutes for our rental car to move from the fifth floor of the lot to the first floor (Ahem. And the driver looked a tad on the I Hate My Job and Will Drive Around with My Lads if I Want To, Oye! - nature) took off for the Lake District. Then we stopped. Because they gave us only a quarter of a tank of gas. Thanks, Enterprise!

We fuel up. And notice smoke coming out from under the hood. Yes, smoke. We hadn't noticed before because of the pouring rain. MrKnotty pops the hood. The smoke stops. He can find no cause for it. We have no working cell phone. We have no Plan B. So we decide to drive on. For the first time in my life, I pray some small animal met it's untimely but unobtrusive, smoky death on the engine -- which would explain the smoke and not make me a bad person.

My job was navigator. It included following along with the map and occasionally screaming "Too close!" whenever the left side of the car approached the curb, a ditch or, in many cases, an ivy-covered stone wall.

Somehow, it all works out. And through a series of seriously tight roads with lots of scary turns ("Too close! Too close!") (really, these are narrow winding driveways with two lanes of opposing traffic) we reach our destination: The Drunken Duck Inn.

We officially love The Duck, as everyone calls it. They have upgraded us to a suite. And got our room ready early for us. While we waited in the parlor drinking tea and relaxing with the cat.

MrKnotty. In the parlor. With the cat.

Then we unloaded our stuff, shook off the airplane-ness, and took off for Hawkshead, home of the Beatrix Potter Gallery, William Wordsworth's grammar school and a really old church.

Aside from the rain, it was a beautiful day. But without rain, it wouldn't be the so green. Or England.

So here's a bit of Hawkshead. The Beatrix Potter Gallery is in the former offices of her husband, a lawyer named Mr. Heelix. He was the man she married after her first fiance, a man her mother didn't approve of, died. Her mom didn't approve of Mr Heelix either but at that point, it appears Beatrix told her the Victorian equilivant of "stuff it."

In the gallery were lots and lots of the original illustrations for the Peter Rabbit stories and various bits of original furniture. It was small and dark and very cozy.

And here's the church, surrounded by gravestones, perched atop a hill and looking down over the town.

The whole town looked like a studio backlot. So quaint it couldn't be real. I wanted to knock open a door to see if live-action Wallace and Grommits were setting up tea and cheese inside.

It was wonderful. And peaceful. We wandered. And shopped. And took in the Englishness of it all. And, when I had regained my courage, Chris scooted me back into the car and we drove to The Duck for afternoon tea.

Which was lovely. The jam was made fresh from local berries. The scones were light and fluffy. The tea was fantastic and even MrKnotty, an avid avoider of hot tea, enjoyed it immensly.

Inside the Duck for tea, joined by locals with their doggies.

We were afraid that if we didn't keep moving, we would fall asleep, so we decided to take a walk after tea.

The Duck is nestled right into the hills, surrounded by farmland. These photos were taken right outside.

We walked a lot. Walking was big on this trip. Sort of our theme. Although it might sound tiring, we loved it. It was so peaceful. Surrounded by these fairy-tale-like settings and without any deadlines to worry about or cell phones to ring.

Sheep were big here too. All over the countryside. They were everywhere. I think I now have as many sheep pictures as I have pictures of my cats. So I guess if I was born British, my parents would have worried I'd grow up to be a crazy sheep lady.

These wild blackberries were growing everywhere. I wanted to try one but we didn't have time to fit an ER visit into the schedule.

We walked until dinnertime and returned to the Inn. To find fresh plums and cookies in our room. Doesn't The Duck rock? It also has a four-star restaurant which uses all local ingredients.

We had a big dinner. I can't remember specifics, but I can remember deliciuos oysters, lamb, lentils and wine. And that it was really good. Also, I was so tired, I convinced myself I was having an allergic reaction. Until the owner assured me there were no anchovies in the building. And I shut up. And began to really relax. I love, love England.

End Day One.

Trick question

2008-08-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

"Honey?"

"Yep?"

"If you were a vampire, would you risk my soul to turn me into a vampire so we could be together for ever or would you leave me human and watch me grow old because you couldn't risk my soul even though it meant losing me forever?"

....

"What's the right answer here, Amy?"

"Which would you pick?"

"Finish your book so we can have normal conversations again, please."

Le Slouching on the job

2008-08-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

So I finally finished Knit and Tonic's Le Slouche', a gift for my younger sister's birthday (yes, the birthday which occured three weeks ago). Modeled here by Gina Y of Loops and Marie of Five a Day. I used Debbie Bliss Aran Wool -- very squishy and soft. Loved it. Hate to mail it off. Now I just have to finish my brother's socks for his birthday (two days ago) and a purse for my other sister's birthday (a month and a half ago).

.....Um, scheduling issues, okay?

FINE! FINE! You want the truth? I'll give it to you! I've been reading Twilight, okay?!?!?! Is that what you wanted to hear? I, like every fourteen year-old girl on the planet, am now obsessed with a melodramiatic fictional teenage vampire, who, if the author can be believed, is just dreamy -- in a You Are My Density, I Mean My Destiny - like way (thanks to Adrienne for using George McFly to illustrate the point).

I'm halfway through the series, and terrified to look anywhere on the Internet for fear of spoilers.

Gawd. So embarrasing.

Pictured: teen angust is so sexy. Enough to get over the creepiness of a one-hundred-year-old dead guy in love with a seventeen year-old-live-girl. I wish my husband could carry me on his back as he ran through the woods. Wait, ... he can. ..."Training for a marathon" or vampire hiding as astronomer? He works in the dark, loves red meat. It. All. Makes. Sense. I'm the luckiest girl in the wooooooorld.

How did I get in this nutshell?

2008-08-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

I finally found both the camera/computer cord and the time to write. Horray!

OK, so here's everything in a nutshell.

We're going to London! More on that in a later post.

Catch Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Doogie Houser sings, and so does Captian Tight Pants (scroll for the photo). Absolutly wonderful. It starts a bit slow, but hang in there. It's worth it. The song "Laundry Day" is so heart-breakingly sweet. You can watch it for free at the link or download it on iTunes.

I went to some great fiction writing workshops at Conestoga. It was really helpful, particulary the lessons led by Shanna Swendson and Deborah LeBlanc. I've been a fan of Shanna's Enchanted Inc series and now I'm reading Deborah's "A House Divided." Check them out.

The newset addition to our home, KnottyKittyJunior is fitting in quite nicely. He and KnottyKitty are now inseperable. This was not always the case, as you can see from this photo which I have entitled: Waiting for New Sheets or If I Ignore You, You Will Go Away.

And since several people have asked about the house, here's a nutshell recap:

We bought our first house. That's MrKnotty, me and our Realtor on closing day. The house was built in 1929 and in need of some refurbishment. The first night, MrKnotty and I had pizza and champagne for dinner and slept on the floor in sleeping bags in order to officially be in our new house before KnottyBrother could move into his new house (ha, beat you!)

The next day, we started refinishing the hardwood floors. We have decided it is our mission in life to warn others not to do the same.

In the end, I think we threw away four bags of our floor. And had severe rashes. And crabby temperments.

Then the staining and coating (I believe you've heard that story).

Then painting.

And painting. And painting.

Somewhere in there, we had a storm. MrKnotty's hobby of climbing trees with saws continued, with me on the speed dial for the ER. Luckily, we had no trip to the doctor. This time. (MrKnotty's slogan: "Ask me about my scars!")

Then the organization began -- starting with a pot-lid rack in the kitchen (which, oddly enough was located NO WHERE in the state. I had to order one from the Container Store. Why? I have no idea. I got a deer-in-the-headlights look from every kitchen-supply-store employee I asked.). The most recent work was hanging the shelves to hold my yarn jars. Pictured here in-progress with the assistance of KnottyKittyJunior.

You may recall the previous color pallette: Baby Poop Yellow (living room and hallway), Insane Asylum Creepy Dirty White (office and guest room), and my favorite, Silly Puddy Pink (kitchen walls and ceiling -- oh, yes, the ceiling too).

Here's the living room now.

And here's the dining room. We recovered the chairs this weekend.

And the kitchen. You'll notice that not only is it white with cabinets which match one another, but we installed new lighting (I heart my potrack/light combo).

The kitchen shelves have been cute-ified as well. Thanks to Colorcrazed who suggested the red on the shelves.

Hallway, complete with cats.

And the office. Please notice the shelves with ginormous jars of yarn. There's another one just like it on the facing wall. In the bottom right, you'll notice my Amy Butler Knitting bag. Que retro, no?

We still have quite a lot to do. The bedrooms, bathrooms and pantry need to be painted and we have furniture and wall decorations to buy (I almost wrote "wall decor," but it sounded too Pier One.) and the yard to tackle, but I think we've come a long way in a short time. We start on the guest bedroom this weekend.

I just spotted a squirrell digging in my peppers. Have to run. Bad squirrell!

I'm back, I'm back

2008-07-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have paint in my hair and several scratches and bruises from bumping into boxes, but I'm back! We've planted grass in the front yard and rosemary and peppers in the back garden. All the common rooms are painted (trim, walls and ceilings) so I'm taking a break before starting the bedrooms. Last night we hung the dining room curtains and it feels like a real home now (albeit, a messy one). Now I have to stop ignoring my knitting because I have three birthday gifts due soon -- and a sock blank for swap.

New news: We rescued a kitten who seems to be immune to KnottyKitty's horrific disease (and oddly tolerent of KnottyKitty's aggressive bath-giving).

Pictures and writing coming soon.

Pictured: Cat covered in paint representing yours truly

Why I Haven't Returned Your Calls & Emails

2008-05-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We are homeowners as of this past Friday!

I know I haven't yet returned your calls and emails. The reason can best be summed up by the email I just penned to a friend:

I hope Nebraska is being kind to you and that your training is going well. Please come back soon so we can be Real Friends.

We haven't yet heard from Andy but I'm sure he was enjoying his holiday and we'll hear from him tomorrow. I'm sorry you were away instead of relaxing by your pool. I appreciate you calling him.

So this is sorta funny: After I got off the phone with you, we did, in fact find the realtor sign. He [the previous owner] had chucked it, and more debris, on the far side of the garage -- but he had nailed the gate shut so we couldn't go back there during the re-inspection or walk through. Ha ha on us! We spent the day sorting the debris and found all kinds of things -- including old pipes, a camping grill* (complete with a can of kerosene! How safe!) a huge pane of glass, enough storm debris to build a forest and the contents of the compost container they had at the back of the yard (gee, thanks!) At one point we dug up a huge Something and we both said "Is that a skull?!" Thankfully, it wasn't. Then one wall of the tool shed fell over, ending the debate as to whether or not we should take it down. By 6 pm we had successfully sorted what was the 5 1/2 foot wall of debris (excluding decomposed compost) into four piles: Rocks and Cinder Blocks, Branches and Leaves, Nail-studded Boards and Building Supplies, and Bizarre Garbage (*see above). Now we need to figure out how to get rid of it.

The floors are coming along, albeit, two days behind. The sanding took [MrKnotty] a lot longer than he anticipated (tool issues) and we were up last night until 4 am staining the floors trying to stay on schedule. [MrKnotty] forgot to wear his respirator and when he started babbling about Snow White and laughing hysterically, I said "Oh, my God! The fumes!" at the same time he said " I think the floor is moving..."

We went back to the house to finish the floors this morning but, due to the rain, they are still too wet. Ha ha on us -- the Sequel! That's when we decided to work on the yard and discovered another of the [previous owners'] parting gifts (see also:Broken Picture Frame in the Oven, Broken Toilet and, Stealing the Shelves from the New Bathroom Cabinet Because You Never Know When You Might Need Them).

Several neighbors came by to say hello -- and one who reported seeing [the previous owners who claimed to have already be in Little Rock and therefore absent at closing] driving by the house several times on Saturday. The neighbor wanted to know what they were doing and thought it was odd. Hey, us too! Perhaps they miss their garbage.

Anyhoo, we have fans running all over the house in an attempt to dry the sucker out. Please keep your fingers crossed so that Toby, the electrician, the cable guy and the security guy don't stick to the floors or have to learn how to defy gravity.

Really, I know I sound grumpy but we are happy to have a home -- just wish the previous owners weren't so, well, I don't know the word for it. I have no idea what they were thinking.

Please pray for low humidity!!!!!

Take care!

So, that's it in a nutshell, folks. The stolen/broken list which began with All the Curtains and Curtain Rods in the House continues to grow. We had all the locks changed before it could get any worse.

It really is a pretty house. But we're in the middle of an exorcism of the previous owners right now. Wish us luck and I'll be in touch soon.

My bootie -- and berries

2008-05-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

I went to Gene's Baby Bootie class at Loops last week. It was his first official Loops class (yay, Gene!) and he did a great job. These little stinkers are so easy. And so cute!

The buttons are functional and Gene has a lot of examples of really cute color combos with whimsical buttons. This is the same pattern that he used to make these.

You can get the free pattern here. Gene had some variations on it for row 25, but it's a really easy pattern to follow once you just sit down with the needles and do what it says. You know what I mean? How some patterns look complicated until you just start knitting and you get that ohhhhhhh, that's what they meant moment?

Now for the berries: MrKnotty came home with two pounds of strawberries for me last week. He's sweet that way. So for our Friday night dessert, I made KnottyLady Strawberry Tart. I had to wing it, because all of my cookbooks are in boxes, but I think it turned out great.

KnottyLady Strawberry Tart
1 pre-made pie crust
1 package of cream cheese
1 can sweetented condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint strawberries
handful of mint leaves (optional)
drizzle of honey

Bake the pie crust, following the directions and then let it cool (I put mine in a tart pan -- that's why the sides are fluted). Combine the cream cheese, milk, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until it's as smooth as you can get it. Pour it into the pie crust and let it set. Wash the mint leaves and dry them with a paper towel. Set them on top of the filling. Wash and slice the strawberries. Set them on top of the pie. Drizzle with honey. Try not to gorge yourself.

You could make two pies using the filling -- it's very rich. But if you like that kind of thing, go for it.

Knitting at the Messier Marathon

2008-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Messier Objects are a set of astronomical objects cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier. How many of them you can see depends upon where you are and when you are. Messier Marathons are when astronomers, like MrKnotty, meet up and set up their telescopes, attempting to find all 110 objects in one night.

MrKnotty decided it was time for me to experience a Messier Marathon so, along with several other Oklahoma astronomers, we set out to Checotah -- that's right. Home of American Idol What's Her Nose With the Blond Hair.

While he set up the telescope, I checked out the scenery.

Then I came back to see he, and all the other astronomers, were still fiddling with their telescopes and comparing electronic gadgets.

So I wandered some more, meeting up with the local wildlife.

Assuming that I am a wuss who would not make it through the entire night, MrKnotty set up a tent and chairs for me. So, unable to resist, I sat down and knit.

Here's Checotah at nightfall. It was really peaceful out there.

One guy brought a huge telescope -- I had to climb a ladder to look through the eyepiece. It was really fun. I saw a spiral galaxy, the Orion Nebula and the rings of Saturn.

Eventually, I did wuss out. I abandoned MrKnotty and went to sleep in the tent. My punishment? The next day when we were driving home, I saw a mole on my neck that I didn't remember having before. Of course it was A TICK!!!!!!!! I made him pull the car over and pull that nasty thing off me. Then I spent the next several days convinced I was going to die of some exotic tick disease. Luckily, I didn't. But still: yuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

One Small Step for Man Booties

2008-04-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

These delectable booties and hat were knit and donated by Gene Wiseman for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium Aviator Ball auction. You'll notice the buttons: moons, stars and a sun. If you would like to bid on this set, they will be listed as One Small Step for Man Booties and Hat.

Gene will be teaching a free class next month at Loops. Topic: baby booties!

Thank you for your donation, Gene!

Knit bits

2008-04-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

There are several things I’ve been meaning to post but haven’t.

Did I mention my attempt to kill Shelley resulted in my winning a fabulous bag?

How about this great hat I was given, meant for the daughter of Colorcrazed?

Also, a few weeks ago, what I thought was a weed turned out to be the resurrection of the daffodils my DH gave me for Easter last year. That’s a nice opening to spring, yes?

Last Saturday, I went to the Tulsa Knitters yarn swap. I came with the only yarn with which I was willing to part, two skeins of acrylic ladder yarn from Hobby Lobby, originally meant for Guck’s scarf. (I know. Acrylic ladder is crap. But I don’t buy yarn without a project in mind. So I don’t have any I’m willing to swap.) Regardless, I left with several skeins of fabulous yarn, due to the kindness of the Tulsa Knitters.

Colorcrazed gave me some fall-colored sock yarn, reminiscent of the socks she was knitting when we met, and some fabulous Koi in a Blender by Tempted. That’s destined to be Florida Gators socks for my dad.

La Ninja gave me a gorgeous skein of yellow/purple/orange sock yarn – really sweet of her, no?

And KnitterforPeace, bless her, swapped me for my ugly yarn. In return I got a blue/purple furry blend and a big beautiful pile of purple worsted weight wool. ThePatternWhisperer, a very nice woman from Texas, helped me untangle it. Incidentally, she and her husband make things grow.

And...our geese had babies. Momma Goose's craned neck in this photo was her in attack-mode -- for me. So although there were several more adorable baby geese, this is the best photo I could get.

Click on the photo for a close-up. You'll notice the baby wing-nibblets.

Our illusions create the world*

2008-04-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.

-- Mark Twain

The OU Illusion scarf, another donation to the TASM auction being held this Saturday. Knit by Colorcrazed. Modeled by my Realtor in my theoretical backyard.

If you aren't familiar with illusion knitting, the image you see on the right side of the scarf pops out only from an angle. So looking head-on, this appears to be a red and white striped scarf. From an angle, you see the OU logo. Cool, right?

*This title is derived from a quote by the French writer Didier Cauwelaert. "It is our illusions that create the world."

Going buggy

2008-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

No bugs! The potential yarn-holder has no pests chewing upon it. Bit ‘o old bug damage and spots of wood rot, but no current nasty critters.

Hurray, hurray! So we’re one step closer.

Next. we turn in our list of requested repairs and wait.

Perhaps someday soon we will get to have a home. So then we can get a dog. And I can knit him outfits like this, just so I can call him “Lil Stinker.”

Incidentally, Going Buggy was the name of the play in which my youngest sister made her stage debut. She was in kindergarten and played a moth. Her big number was to the tune of Mr. Frog Went A Courtin’. Her line was “I spread out the tablecloth, um hum. Um hum.” But we taught her to sing it like Ethel Merman: “I spread ouuuuuut the taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaablecloth! UH HUH! Uh HUH!”

Good times.

Puppahies courtesy Muttropolis.

Celestial knits for auction

2008-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Look at the gorgeous knits my friends have created for Aviator Ball auction benefiting the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium! The Eclipse scarf was created by Eaglechic, also known as Gina La Ninja at Loops.

It was made using Tempted Eclipse hand-dyed yarn -- with real silver spun into it.

The Midnight Sky shawl was a labor of love (emphasis on "labor"), created by MrsD and modeled by the crafty Colorcrazed (also known as My Pfriend Phara). Thanks, thank you, MrsD!

Colorcrazed is creating an auction item of her own -- an OU Illusion scarf.

Many other people have knit up some fabulous items for the auction and I will post them as I get more photos.

Thanks again, everyone!

Want to attend the auction or bid? Call 1-918-834-9900 or visit TASM.

Mine's better

2008-04-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

You may be under the misguided assumption that there is a child in your family cuter than my niece. Let me assure you, you are wrong.
This is my adorable niece hamming it up in the Amanda Hat I knit for her.

And here is her equally-adorable aunt in a coordinating Amanda Hat.

And, um....here's my older bother. As you can see, we are a family of camera-whores. It's genetic.

Yarn holder

2008-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I’m feeling pretty confident about this. It’s been nearly two-years coming, with lots of evil-villain-tying-a-maiden-to-the-train-tracks scenarios, but I think we might finally be getting a house. We have a contract (good). We just had the full-home inspection (good). There don’t seem to be many repairs to do (good). The bank says we’re cool (good).
Of course, this is the Knotty Family. We’ve had previous contracts in this city, which ended in either termites, wood rot, lying realtors, black mold of death or crazy ladies (bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad).

So you’ll understand my hesitation. The last inspection is Monday. The bug guy is coming. Please cross your fingers. And your toes. And the fingers and toes of your children, pets, spouse(s) and any imaginary friends or hallucinations you might have (I’m not here to judge).

Pictured: a red brick yarn-holder.

I gots ta have one

2008-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

This may be the cutest ad I've ever seen.

Knitting connection? As everyone knows, knitters love wabbits!

Auction for the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium

2008-03-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Several of my freinds and I have been knitting for a good cause: The Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. TASM is hosting their annual fundraiser, The Aviator Ball, next month and so MrsD, KnitterforPeace, Harriet and myself have been clicking needles in support. The results will be up for auction at the ball.

MrsD produced the University of Tulsa Hat (pictured) and I made the matching scarf. KnitterforPeace donated the gorgeous Northern Lights Scarf (pictured), Harriet made a fantastic OSU scarf (picture to come). MrsD is also hard at work on a fantastic and dainty Midnight Sky shawl.

Colorcrazed will be creating an OU scarf when she returns from spring break and Eaglechic is still contemplating her creation.

Whew! That's a lot of support! My DH (the Planetarium director) and I really appreciate it, ladies. Thanks!

If you would like to attend the ball, volunteer, donate an auction item or bid on an auction item, please contact TASM by calling
918-834-9900 or at the link above.

Killer cupcakes

2008-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

For Sunday at Loops, I made these cupcakes:

Cute, yes? Sweet, innocent and ..... deadly?

OK, so I got the idea from a recent Martha Stewart Show which highlighted knitting. The marzipan knitted decorations are the idea of VeganYumYum and though time consuming (three hours with the help of my husband-assistant), are not difficult. I used this recipe. In the past, I've always been a fan of Everyday Food but this recipe..not so much. The icing was REALLY buttery and the cupcakes were pretty much banana nut muffins -- without the nuts or spices. But they were cute.

I had some leftover when we were leaving, so I set one aside for the owner, Shelley. She bit into it as she was driving to pick up her daughter. And then spit it out. Because Shelley is highly allergic to bananas.

So I guess what I'm saying is: Shelley, I swear I wasn't trying to kill you. :)

Tasty bag

2008-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is finally! My first cable project: The Cable Couture Bag from Loops. You may ask, "Why would you let KnottyKitty anywhere near that bag?"

Well see, I was attempting to teach him self control. When I had knit half the bag, I put it in my knitting bag and set it aside on the kitchen table -- a spot where KnottyKitty knows he isn't supposed to go. I woke up the next morning to find that KnottyKitty had unpacked my knitting bag. All over the floor. And nibbled my Blue Sky Alpaca yarn into several separate strands.

Because of his naughty-ness, I had to reattach the skein with multiple knots (now found in the interior of the bag) and hope I would end up with enough yardage. I did. By literally two inches. Bad kitty!

Note the blue lining!

Another knitting haiku

2008-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my recent trip to Loops, I have written another knitting haiku.

I've Identified the Problem in my Budget
Ah, Loops, yarn heaven
Yes! Order me more sock yarn!
I am addicted.

Coming soon: knitted cupcake pictures and updates on recent knitting conquests.

Pestering, or What's a "Guck"?

2008-03-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pictured: Guck and a largemouth bass. Guck is the one on the right, the fish on the left was rather.... young, so he went back into the waters from whence he came.

Guck and I work together and after hearing, "Gee, those scarves you ladies are making sure are great. I wish I had one," more than nine thousand times -- or roughly Every Time I passed him in the hallway, I finally took the hint and made Guck the Guck Scarf.

I hear that although it is mighty warm and snuggly, so far it has failed to attract giant largemouth bass. Which is fine with me.

Miracle

2008-02-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

As we type, KnottyMama is busy bringing a new life into our world. Very best wishes and gentle hugs!

Edited to add: It's a boy! Welcome little Jack!

Pictured: Cute -- but not as cute as Jack.

Jumpers for chickens

2008-02-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

There are few words in the world that make me smile, no matter what my mood. "There are flowers for you at the front desk," works, as does "knitting jumpers for chickens." Yes, jumpers for chickens, which is how the British say, "Throwing yarn into the barnyard in such a way as to embarrass local poultry."

Other fabulous words include "tocks," "sale," "cheeeeeeese," and "As you wish."

Chicken couture courtesy Mason-Dixon Knitting.

I died on Monday

2008-02-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

Killed by a hat. It was a pretty hat, so it was OK.

YarnWhore and I participated in HatAttack, an international knitting competition in which competitors race to complete a hat from a designated pattern and mail it to their "target" ensuring their death.

And by "participated" I mean we spent eight hours on Saturday knotting yarn into a complete and total mess.

Because by "designated pattern" I mean a two-page, surely-untested, unclearly written, needs-to-be-cross-referenced bit 'o blather.

I was unlucky enough to target a kind woman in Ontario. By that I mean, she's a gem -- but Priority Mail to Canada is $23 for the cheapest get-it-there-in-ten-days-rate.

But I was lucky enough to be targeted by a fabulous woman in Philadelphia. And by that I mean, look at cool hat she made me! With a skull and cross bones pin. And a delightfully dark card.

The hat is hot pink and purple-ish grey. She told me she looked at this blog for color ideas. Clearly, she has her knitting act together. And by "together" I mean, I feel horrible that she has to finish the hat I was supposed to make and mail it to Canada. That doesn't seem fair.

And by "finish" I mean I completed three rows. Which are probably wrong so she'll have to tear them out. And hate me.

Please note: I am not completely cable-disabled. I am now working on the Cable Couture Bag from Loops. We're getting along just fine, thank you.

Hat Attack

2008-02-09T17:00:00.001-08:00

YarnWhore and KnottyLady were very busy on Saturday knitting Hat Attack hats. They were all smiles the first time they tried to knit the oh-so-complicated-but-didn't-need-to-be pattern. What is that I smell??? Death by a hat for sure next week!

She's makin more than babies

2008-02-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

From KnottyMama:

And here's a pic of my "should've-never-tried-this-without-supervision" scarf. Not even close to finished. In fact, I have such low hopes for this one, I wrapped it around my dog's favorite chew toy. Ah well...

I'm going to disagree. It looks very cute. KnottyKitty would like to add that it looks like "lemon lime deliciousness."

It's going to be fantastic. Keep going.

Tasty socks

2008-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

I have given birth to my first pair of socks. I've named one "NY" and the other "Giants." They're fraternal twins. You may notice the one on the right is slightly larger. I hope it doesn't cause issues for them at school.

Here's a close up of the heel:

They look a little blue in the first picture. The close up has a more accurate color. The yarn is Tofutsie, made on size 1 1/2 double pointed needles.

When KnottyKnitty saw they were finished, he whipped out his cookbook to determine if they would go better with a Bernaise sauce or marinara. I reminded him that Humane Society accepts returns. He walked away in a huff. I think he's probably throwing up on rug somewhere for revenge.

Superbowl stash

2008-02-03T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Superbowl party at Loops proved to be heck on my wallet. However, WHAT a BARGIN! Ten percent off superwashed wool plus $20 off any purchase of $100. And beer. And we all brought food.

My favorite find at the sale was the Tempted sock yarn in the color "Wicked Witch." I sang Defying Gravity the whole way home.

By the way, here's me at Wicked in Chicago -- my Christmas present from Mr. Knotty. I'm kinda hunched over. I think that picture was taken mid-squeee! I was muy excited. According Mr. Knotty, I was squeezing my hands and crying through the whole thing. It was awesome.

Pictured top: KnottyKitty smells delicious yarn. The yellow and gold yarn is going to be a TU scarf for the auction at the Aviator Ball for TASM. There's also some pink and brown hat yarn, baby-hat yarn, fair aisle sock yarn, yarn for a Jayne hat, yarn for Hat Attack, and a Smitten Mitten pattern booklet.

We heart knitting - and transgender rabbits

2008-02-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

YarnWhore has caught knitty fever. That's a big bundle of little MochiMochi hearts in her hand.

And here's the earflap of a hat being knitted up for Soon-to-be-Mr-YarnWhore.

And of course, YarnWhore's obligatory jackalope. We are planning to knit him a new nose. Something to match his antler accessories.

Please note: No jacklopes were injured in the posting of this blog. This particular jackalope followed YarnWhore home from a garage sale. She fed him and, well, next thing you know, he won't go away. He made himself comfortable on her wall and once the cross-dressing started she couldn't just turn him out onto the streets. We're not monsters, you know.

Yarn in my nose, pizza in my teeth

2008-01-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Care to knit some pizza? The knitted slice on the left comes from the very talented Bittersweet blog.

If you'd prefer pizza of the more edible variety, I have just the thing. Recently, a knitting friend of mine said, "I've got yarn in my nose."* She also said, "Post that pizza recipe on your blog." So here's the most deeeeee-rishious pizza evahhhh.

This recipe is for real Chicago deep dish pizza. It is from my husband’s side of the family – and being from Chicago, they know what they’re doing. The crust recipe was apparently given to someone who knew someone from a famous restaurant there. It takes quite a bit of time – but you can save yourself labor by using a mixer for the kneading and mixing.

KnottyLady Pizza

1 cup warm water
1 pkg quick-rise yeast
¼ cup corn oil
1/8 cup olive oil
1 ½ cups plus 1 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup cornmeal
1/8 tsp salt
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes
1 T garlic powder
2 good pinches dried oregano
2 lbs mozzarella cheese, shredded
as much pepperoni, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed onions or any other toppings as you want & will fit in the pizza without flowing over

In a large bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Let sit until yeast bubbles – about 5 minutes. Add oils, cornmeal, 1 ½ cups flour and garlic powder. Stir for 10 to 15 minutes. Slowly add remaining flour and salt. Kneed for 20 minutes.

Turn the oven to Warm and put your cast iron skillet in. While the skillet is warming, let the dough rise in the bowl for 30 minutes to an hour. (If it's a little cold outside, I set the bowl on top of the stove to pick up the residual heat from the oven).

After the dough has risen, take the warm cast iron skillet out of the oven. Put the dough into the skillet and push it out and up against the sides, forming your crust -- be careful of your fingers!

Turn the oven up to 350 degrees F.

Put half the cheese in crust. Add toppings on top of the cheese. Put remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle with oregano. Open up the can of tomatoes. Grab a tomato and crush it with your hand – letting the juice fall back into the can. Put the smooched tomato on top of the pizza and repeat until all the cheese is covered in tomato. Discard the liquid.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour – until the crust turns golden. Let stand at least 30 minutes. If you can’t control yourself and wait for the pizza to cool, you will end up with pizza soup. Believe me – I have done this.

*This has nothing to do with anything on this post but it was so funny I had to include in somehow.

Angry alien and last-minute rabbits

2008-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I've decided to buy Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It has some really cute projects including a stuffed bunny. Which got me thinking about Angry Alien Productions -- a troupe of bunnies who reenact popular movies in 30 seconds or less. It's absolutely hilarious.

May I suggest Jaws,* March of the Penguins, and Alien.*

Top image: Angry Alien spokesperson. Bottom image: Last-minute rabbit courtesy Amazon.com

*Please note the bunny ears on the shark and the alien.

A knitting haiku

2008-01-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote a little knitting haiku for Yarn Whore.

YarnWhore

Yarn is fun to buy.
But you have to be careful,
Cause you can’t eat yarn.

It sort of has a Deep Thoughts sort of feel to it, no?

Pictured: a stunt cat stands in for KnottyKitty who is a not allowed near yarn or knitted products because that would be like waving Baileys in front of an alcoholic.

Edited to add: It has come to our attention that the stunt cat, also known as Lily, attempted to eat the above scarf shortly after this picture was taken. Is there a feline conspiracy afoot? Is Lily somehow in cahoots with KnottyKnitty? Did they meet in yarn rehab? Oh, the drama!

Romance Under the Stars

2008-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

OK, so Valentine's Day is coming and for the first time ever, Mr. Knotty and crew are hosting Romance Under the Stars.* It's a Valentine's Day dinner in the TASM Planetarium, complete with a star show all about the torrid tales of love behind the Greek constellations. Champagne included.

Of course I am volunteering and you are all invited to attend/volunteer if you are interested. But I must tell you my moment of panic:

Mr. Knotty's co-worker asked him to ask me what kind of costume I will be wearing. Now listen here. I'm not a wrinkled old prune yet but I am not wearing a toga. It's not going to happen. Perhaps I can be persuaded into cupid-esk accessories like wings and a bow and arrow, but I draw the line at bedsheets. My Delta house days are over.

In honor of V-Day, I think I'll knit up some hearts. Want to join me?

* Call (918) 834-9900 x 123 for information and reservations. RSVP by February 11, 2008.

Screw Omaha

2008-01-11T13:45:00.001-08:00

Listen, missy. Just because you've made a mighty fine scarf doesn't mean you can go off gallivanting about Nebraska restoring art and such. And who is going to do the thankless job of answering the phone? And how exactly is the broken dishwasher going to be needlessly filled? (sniff) Didn't think about THAT did you, miss Master's Degree? You better just check that attitude and..what? No, we're not crying. We just have something in our eye. Don't try to change the subject. This isn't about (sniff) us. OK, fine.

Good luck out there. Remember, you've dealt with Pam -- ergo you can deal with anything. Now go out there and make the art of the world more pretty. Don't worry about us. We'll just have some crazy-ass lunatic disconnecting calls and smacking on chewing gum. As it should be.

Yarn Whore is off the market

2008-01-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

Very knotty ladies

2008-01-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post these for a while.

Hey, um.... Tasha? Where's your knitting?

KnottyMama? Pictures? Pictures?

Also, YarnWhore, don't you have a PICTURE to POST? A Very Important Picture? Ahem?

We had a white Christmas

2007-12-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

Schnee-ooooooh! Beautfoooooool schnee-ooooooooh. That's the Pom Scarf and my Anniversary Mittens!

And here's Mr. Knotty in his beautiful new Baby Alpaca Tweed hat (Highlander Alpaca With A Twist is the yarn). Outside of She-kaaaaaa-go.

It doesn't fit

2007-12-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

KnottyKitty demonstrates the wrong way to wear a pumpkin colored hat.

Hat: property of KnottyBrother. Merry Christmas! If you checked my blog you'd know what the lump in your Christmas stocking is. (Note: It's the hat. Not the cat.)

The bedazzler is here!

2007-12-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Oh glorious day! Tell us, StrugOut, what shall we bedazzle?

I learned to knit in prison

2007-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

OK, I didn't. I learned to knit in college. Which isn't at all the same.

Anyhoo...

I knew this day would come. I've always heard how very important it is to check your gauge, but I've never really bothered. Now that I have cast-on my husband-Christmas-gift 800 bazillion times, I know that I must always check the gauge. I accept it. I can move on -- and hopefully quickly, because I am nowhere near finished and have a few precious days to complete the thing.

I finished the gifts I knitted for my little brother and his wife but I'm still working on the Guck scarf. Then for our car ride to Chicago and back, I'll finish sock #2, make that butterscotch-colored hat for me and get to work on some socks for my older brother.

And how are you all coming along?

This killa shirt can be purchased at The Panopticon Shop. We need our own Cafe Press store, no?

As if stomping on my head at night wasn't enough

2007-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Glow in the dark cat anyone? Apparently the South Koreans have been fiddling with cat genes to produce eerily iridescent cats.

Super! I think I speak for all cat owners when I say that using my sleeping 'tocks for marching band practice, licking my nose at 3 a.m. and purring in my ear is enough to keep me awake at night. No glow-kitty needed, thanks!

One wonders, if you knit a scarf with their cast-off fur, would it glow in the dark?

Fill 'er up

2007-12-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Mr. Knotty would like me to tell you all to fill up your cars tonight. Snow is on the way and we don't know how crazy (crazier) it's going to get here.

Knotty Mama: If you're out there, let us know how you are doing in Inola.

Picture courtesy of Tommy C.'s frozen lawn furniture.

We are so crafty!

2007-12-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yarn Whore and Strung Out are really not working... they are knitting their cute scarves.

They couldn't be more wrong

2007-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Cox Cable thinks I don't care if they replace Pushing Daisies with a telethon. They are wrong. Anywho, you can still watch last night's episode online. Check out the fantastic cosies knitted for Chuck's beehives:

The forecast

2007-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Um, does anyone have a pattern for a house cosy? The weather here is a little cloudy-with-an-80-percent-chance-of-falling-trees.

Poor Heath. Hope it gets fixed soon.

Edited to add this:

If only we had known to make pre-storm tree cosies.

We're updated!

2007-12-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

All the lessons have been updated. I suggest you all check out Yarn Stores: A Study in Self Control.

Pictures of current projects will be posted this weekend. If you have any to send in, email them to me at alaskamy (at) hotmail dot com.

Cute kitty in a cap courtesy Save Chairman Meow.

New Golden Compass Knits

2007-12-07T00:08:00.000-08:00

Reminder: The Golden Compass is showing officially this weekend. Here are some more publicity stills that show some of the gorgeous knitted costumes.

There are so many things to love about this movie -- talking animals, beautiful knits, particle physics, the Great White North and hot air balloons. Hooray!

Call the SPCA

2007-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some cute cat sweaters. The cat models seem to approve..... OK maybe not. But I don't see any blood.

But what will I dooooooooo?

2007-12-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Pushing Daisies is taking the night off. I know -- it's horrific and shocking.

But it will be back on next week.

In the meantime, you can try knitting Emerson's gun cozy, his sweater vest, his file folder cozy or a ton of socks -- check out this hilarious screencap that points out all the knitted items in Emerson's office.

Did you know Kristin Chenoweth (Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies) is from Tulsa?

What's a bear gotta do to get a complete scarf?!?!

2007-12-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Many of the knitting instructions have been added on the right -- particularly so that this poor bear doesn't shank himself with a needle.

Friday we'll photo the fringe section and the rest will be updated this weekend.

Also on Friday, we'll preview the knitting book Naughty Needles, which has already made a few rounds amongst our delicate officemates. I'll bring the smelling salts.

Bear and almost-finished scarf property of the Knotty Mama. Nice job, missy!

Knitting at the movies

2007-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Mr. Knotty and I saw a sneak preview of The Golden Compass this weekend. I am a big fan of the books and was very excited to see the film. And, of course, as a knitter I was so impressed by the costumes.

The costume designer, Ruth Myers, created other-world fur by -- you guessed it -- knitting. Here are some sketches of the costumes (use the arrow to page through). Check out Nicole's collar here. And I was mesmerized by Lyra's jacket the whole time. I know I've seen that yarn somewhere!

Oh, yes. Annnnnnnd we have a contract* on a house! Hooray! It was a terrific weekend for us.

*Sounds a bit shady, doesn't it? Like we've hired a nefarious character to "take care of it."

Crumpet the Elf

2007-11-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

As you are knitting Christmas presents this weekend, may I suggest you listen to the most hilarious Christmas story ever: The story of Crumpet the Elf.

David Sedaris' career was launched with his NPR stories of his time as an elf at Macy's. It is now a holiday tradition.

Don't forget to send in your project photos this weekend: alaskAmy at hotmail dot com.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Milo Ventimigilllliawhatever is hot. I am thankful for him and his lack of clothing.

Um, how shall I make this about knitting? Oh, yes, clearly he needs a sweater. Lots of sweater patterns here.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This picture courtesy of the wonderful people at A Socialite's Life.

We were right

2007-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Natasha was having fun on vacation.

Knitting can save your life

2007-11-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

See? It's not just me. The Houston Chronicle loves Pushing Daisies too. And they use a recent episode to show how knitting can save your life.

Oh, that reminds me: Wanna knit a strawberry?

Lady with a baby and a question

2007-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

From Knotty Mama:*

I love this! Question...how long are you girls making your scarfs? I just keep going, and going...it could become a very narrow rug for my hallway if I don't stop. :)

Answer:
Leave yourself enough yarn to make your fringe -- that will probably mean your scarf will hit just above your knee without fringe.

Photos of examples and how to make your fringe -- Coming soon....

*Check out Knotty Mama's beautiful photo on the right -- cropped to protect her identity and just in case she was kidding when she said I could post it.

I've got yarn in my mouth

2007-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

I can't explain how cute this stuff is. I have to knit food...NOW!
I love knowing how to use double pointed needles. It's like a whole new world has opened up. A world of knitted cupcakes and pies and ....... children dressed as CORN!

Pie from PieKnits. Cupcakes are the creation of Ms. Darcy and the Baby Corn is from Lion Brand.

Click click

2007-11-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Hooray! I finally finished the Punishment Blanket last night at 10:30. I'm sure my theoretical baby will appreciate it some day. I'm heading over to Loops tonight to get the moral support I need to finish my first sock.

On the left: The blanket LIES! It pretends to be easy but really it's a big fat ball of months and months of tedious little knit stitches. Photo of actual passive-aggressive blanket to come. Note to blanket: You can't break me!!!!

Here's your reminder. Tomorrow is knitting day -- if we stick around that long. If so, I promise to teach you how to knit these fabulous earmuffs.

Editor's note: Natasha! I'm kidding.

Wallace and Gromit

2007-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

If you don't know who they are, well don't I hate you but I'm not sure I can tolerate you.

Just kidding. I can tolerate you. For now.

Wallace and Gromit are a fabulous stop-animation creation. Gromit knits and Wallace loves cheese. There's also lots of rabbits, vegetables and people with British accents. It's like they are IN MY MIND. I think I'll sue for trespass on intellectual property.*

Pictured: Sean the sheep wearing a sweater made of his own fur -- and a space helmet -- for some reason. I haven't seen this episode so I guess I have to hate myself now. Darn it. Back to therapy!

*When typing this, I misspelled intellectual. Ha. Ha ha.

Oddly addictive:

2007-11-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Kill the waaaa-bit. Kill the waaaaaa-bit. Kill the waaaa-bit -- then bring him back to life.

Pictured: a rabbit who is so cute he must die.

We missed you

2007-11-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Amy W.,

We had an impromptu knitting session today and since you couldn't be there, I thought I would include you on what we covered.

Topics included:

1. Amy P's sock class and how she managed not to kill anyone even though she was frustrated and armed with five knitting needles.
2. Heather learned how to cast-on and knit.
3. Katy is on scarf number 5,978 -- or something along those lines.
4. Natasha probably had a really good time at the beach on her vacation.
5. How is Amy W. doing?
6. Amy W. really needs to register with BabiesRUs.com before people start purchasing ill-advised baby presents for her.
7. Certain members of the circle are developing an unhealthy yarn-buying addiction.

Pictured: Totally unrelated rabbit -- but it's cute, right?

A lovely site with nothing to do with knitting

2007-11-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

The top card is one of my favorites.

If you could explain this to me, I would be most grateful

2007-11-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Another email:

If you could, explain this to me, I would be most grateful ;)

SIZE: One Size
9 x 68 in. [23 x 173 cm]

NOTE: EVERY ROW OF ENTIRE SCARF PATTERN BEGINS AND ENDS WITH A KNIT 4, TO CREATE GARTER STITCH BORDER.

Sugar Cubes (multiple of 8 sts)
Row 1 (RS): Knit. ≤------ what does RS mean?
Row 2: *P6, k2; rep from * across.
Row 3: K the k sts and p the p sts. <----- I don't know what this means
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: Knit.
Row 6: P2, *k2, p6; rep from * to last 6 sts, k2, p4. <----- not sure here either ;)

Answer:
RS= Right Side, i.e. the side that will have the pattern showing on it. On the scarf you made, both sides are the right side, but on some patterns, there is a Wrong Side and a Right side (like for a sweater, the inside is the Wrong Side).

Row 3: K the k sts and p the p s =

Knit the Knit stitches and Purl the Purl stitches. (from the previous row)

Addiction

2007-11-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

An email from someone who already owns far to much yarn:

I promise I have not bid on any, but I must show you... I want some of that sari yarn (but not today!)

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=silk+yarn&category0=

It's crack, people. Yarn is crack.

Did you watch

2007-10-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

...Pushing Daisies last night? If so, there was a fabulous line from Chi McBride in reference to why he needed to make more money: "Daddy needs more yarn."

Cause he's a knitter....get it?

There can be only one

2007-09-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

There is really only one stitch in knitting: the knit stitch. The other stitch is the purl stitch -- but that's just the knit stitch backwards. So really, once you figure this out, you can knit anything. The knit stitch is not hard -- you just need to get used to the feel of it in your hands.

So at this point, you've cast on your stitches. Now you want to knit stitch.

You will always work from left to right. So the needle with all the stitches on it is in your left hand and your empty needle is in your right hand. By knitting, you will move the stitches from the left needle to the right needle. So when you finish your row, the needle in your left hand will be empty and the needle in your right hand will be full. When you get to that point, start over. So the needle with all the stitches goes into your left hand and the empty needle starts on the right again.

OK, ready? Organize your stitches so all the loops are on the top and all the knots are on the bottom. Here is how to make a knit stitch.

When you finish your row, organize your stitches again (they tend to twist around the needle as you knit the first three rows) and count to make sure you have ended up with the right amount of stitches. If you have too many or too few, see the "Common Mistakes" section on how mistakes happen and how to correcting them.

Mountains Out of Mohair

2007-09-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone Makes Mistakes. Stop Freaking Out.

Q: I finished my row, counted my stitches and I am missing one. What happened?

A: You probably dropped it. Don't worry. Just cast on another one. No big deal. Everyone does this in the beginning.

Q: I finished my row, counted my stitches and I have too many. What happened?

A: Either you wrapped the yarn around the needle more than once (don't do that) or, more likely, you stuck your needle in funny. Watch what you are doing and only go through the FRONT LOOP. Not the back. Not the knot. Only the front loop. On your next row, knit two stitches together until you have the right number of stitches.

Q: My stitches are wrapping around the needle! What do I do?

A: They do that for the first two rows or so. When you finish your row, tidy them up -- making sure that all knots are below the needle. No big deal.

Q: My stitches are so tight, I'm having to fight to get my needle in!

A: OK, that's not really in question format but, fine. STOP YANKING ON YOUR YARN WHEN YOU KNIT. I know, it seems like you should tighten after every stitch to "tidy up." Don't do it. Fight the urge. Don't yank your needles apart like you are sewing. Hold your needles like a tee-pee, like a capital letter "A" (without the bar between them). See how that looks? Keep it that way. When you get the urge to pull them apart from each other, DON'T!!!!!!! Everyone does this in the beginning. You'll learn not to.

Q: I keep making mistakes!

A: Again, not exactly a question. But, OK. Here's the deal. Everyone makes mistakes in knitting. Everyone. In fact, you are supposed to knit a mistake into your work for good luck.

In the beginning, don't stop and talk to people in the middle of a stitch. You will forget what you are doing. Complete your stitch before you say a word. This helps more than you can imagine.

Still stuck? Stop by your local yarn store or send me an email. Alaskamy at hotmail dot com.

The ties that bind

2007-09-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hooray! You've reached the end. Now it's time to bind off. There is an excellent video demonstration here.

On the Fringe

2007-09-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

OK, remember how to put on a luggage tag? This is the same basic principle.

First, you need to measure and cut your fringe. Get a paperback novel. Wrap the yarn around it from the spine and across -- as if you were wrapping the book shut. Wrap until the book is covered. Then slide a pair of scissors under the yarn and above the spine. Cut. You'll have a bunch of pieces of yarn all the same size -- which should be twice the width of the book.

Each tassel will need three pieces of yarn so divide the yarn in piles of three. Each end of your scarf will need the same number of tassels so divide the piles in two (so if you have 14 piles of 3, each end of the scarf will have 7 tassels).

OK, ready to add your fringe? Get your crochet hook and look here.

Cold fusion

2007-09-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

There are several ways to add new yarn into your work. When I finish up my first skein and ned to join the second into my work, I like to use the Russian Join method. This works particularly well for chunky yarn.

First Project

2007-09-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

The Knit Stitch Scarf That I Plan to Give as a Gift But Will Secretly Covet and if He Doesn't Wear It, I'm Taking It Back

You will use the knit stitch to make this scarf. You will want 14 stitches on your needle (so one slip knot and thirteen stitches cast on.)

You will always work from left to right. So the needle with all the stitches on it is in your left hand and your empty needle is in your right hand. By knitting, you will move the stitches from the left needle to the right needle. So when you finish your row, the needle in your left hand will be empty and the needle in your right hand will be full. When you get to that point, start over. So the needle with all the stitches goes into your left hand and the empty needle starts on the right again.

OK, ready? Organize your stitches so all the loops are on the top and all the knots are on the bottom. Here is how to make a knit stitch.

When you finish your row, organize your stitches again (they tend to twist around the needle as you knit the first three rows) and count to make sure you have ended up with the right amount of stitches. If you have too many or too few, see the "Common Mistakes" section on how mistakes happen and how to correcting them.

When you have four feet left of yarn, you will need to add your next ball. See the section "Cold Fusion" for instructions.

When you have about four or five feet left, you will want to bind off. See "Ties that Bind" for instructions on binding off. Then, using the remaining yarn, you will want to add fringe.

How long should your scarf be? As long as you want it. Generally I make mine fall right above my knee, without fringe -- but it's entirely up to you (and how much yarn you have).