New Doll

Said back in January I was going to get back to designing. I just finished a new doll. Her name is Daisy. She was fun to make and started me thinking about some other toys I would like to design. While I am mulling over the possibilities I have started a knitted blouse for our daughter. She is on oxygen therapy and the strap that holds her mobile unit tears the buttons off her blouses. Solution? Make a pull over, scoop neck, short sleeve sweater in yarn light enough that it can be worn as a blouse. Meanwhile here is Daisy's picture. The pattern is available in both my Ravelry and Etsy shops.

Ruffled Scarf Solution

Had a great Christmas at our oldest daughter's home. While there our daughter, who has to be on oxygen, mentioned she could not wear a necklace or earrings because of the cannula feeding oxygen to her. She said she was tired of looking so drab when they went out and thought a pretty scarf would help. It seems many of the women in her community were wearing the new ruffled scarves. I took that as a hint that should I knit her one she would appreciate it. I ordered several balls of the new ruffled yarns and while waiting for delivery watched some videos on how to knit it. Appeared to be a snap, and when it came I opened the yarn with eager anticipation. I got out the recomended needles and began knitting. All the loops soon slipped off the needle. If you have not tried this, when the loops slip off the needle the entire scarf immediately unravels. I started over, got about 3 inches done and all the stitches slipped of the needle again. Wait a minute. This was highly touted by the yarn companies as easy. After repeated attempts I gave up. I thought about a possible solution, and here is what I came up with, a latch hook.

Here is how I made a very nice, flouncy scarf. Using the latch hook I picked up 10 loops, you can pick up as many as you want, then I picked up 1 more loop and making sure that loop was under the hook and the latch was closed I drew it gently through the 10 previous loops. Then I picked up 10 more loops , the one still on the hook made the 11 I needed, and again making sure the 11th stitch was under the hook and the latch closed drew it through the loops on the hook. I continued this way until there was just enough yarn to finish and finished as the yarn company advises. Gently pull the ruffles and arrange them. Give your scarf a good shake and it is ready to wear. This method is so easy and fast you can make a scarf in about half an hour once you get the hang of it. And a tip. Clip a clothes pin on your latch hook when laying it down. This will trap any loops on the hook keeping them from sliding off... .

Nostalgic For The Big Band Era

I have taken almost a year off from designing and blogging to make up some patterns I had saved in the hope I would someday get around to making them. Well, I have and it was great to just knit without deadlines or any other concerns. Now , however, I am ready to go back to my regular schedule which includes blogging so here goes.

I had a rather unsettling experience today/ I was looking through the groups on Ravelry. Just curious to see what people are interested in today. I clicked on bands. While i have heard of a couple of the bands who have groups on Ravelry, where was Harry James, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and others of the period. . It was a rude awakening to discover the bands I listened to as a teenager were not only no longer relevant , but apparently no body had heard of them. I remember when one came to your town you and your boy friend did everything you could to go to the dance hall where they were appearing. No boy friend? Then you and a girlfriend went and hooked up with boys that were available. It was a wonderful time. You in your best dress and makeup, him in his slacks and sport coat, awkward and tentative. And the music. You did the Lindy or just gathered in front of the bandstand to listen to special numbers. The ballads were pure romance that probably got our hormones flowing at a dangerous level but who cared. We were in another world. Great stuff.

A Favorite Teacher

I am sure we all had a favorite teacher.  One of whom we think fondly even now.  Mine was my tenth grade English teacher, Miss Clark.  Miss Clark was near retirement age,  a small woman who always wore black and wore sensible shoes.  She had that square look that comes from being tightly corseted.  Her gray hair was pulled back in a tight bun.  Everything about her said, NO NONSENSE!

The first day of school was orientation.  We went to each of our classes where the teachers introduced themselves , and gave us a run through of what we would be studying that year.  The teacher might ask a question or two about our previous school, that kind of thing and we were out the door on our way to the next class while at the same time trying to find the bathrooms, our locker and catch up with friends and compare notes.  The day ended with an assembly at which we were told the rules, attendance was emphasized, well you know.  You have all attended one of those assemblies.

So knowing the drill, we filed into Miss Clark's class.  Four boys, obviously friends, headed directly for the back of the room but before they could sit in the last row Miss Clark motioned to them.  "Come up and sit here where I can keep an eye on you"  Four chastened youths guietly walked to the front of the room and sat in the designated desks.  "My name is A Bess Clark, but you may call me Miss Clark."  Your first assignment (Wait a minute.  Assignment, what assignment?  Isn't this just orientation?)  is this.  Each of you will choose a foreign country.  You will read three books on that country.  One will be fiction, one factual and one a biography of a well known person from that country.  You will write a five hundred word report on each book.  (Muffled groans) As your semester final you will write a fifteen hundred word essay on the country of your choice.  The first book report is due in three weeks.  If you do not have a book on the country of your choice in your hand by start of class tomorrow you are all ready one day behind in this class."  Needless to say, while at the library that night I ran into a number of classmates.

Miss Clark believed there were some things so important we should learn them by heart.  The rules of punctuation were among these.  Each Monday we were given a sheet with the rules for some form of punctuation on it.  We were to memorize them, and every Friday we had a test on the rules for that week.  The catch was, if you did not pass the test you kept taking it until you did, along with each new test, of course.

Despite the fact she was a hard taskmaster we all liked Miss Clark.  Looking back I think it was because we all knew she liked us.  She expected great things from each of us and wanted us to succeed.

It is easy to compare our teachers to the teachers of today and feel, perhaps, that somehow the teachers of the past were better, but remember Miss Clark did not have to contend with unruly teenagers, with government mandates, with social issues.   She would have been horrified had she been able to see a time when some schools had so few resources there were not enough text books to go around. or that some children came to school every day hungry.  Miss Clark just had to teach, and boy, did she.

Deaf Mouse

I discovered i am going deaf.  Saw the audiologist who took the tests and confirmed I needed hearing aids.  She was patient and pleasant while fitting the aids, programming them for my needs, explaining how to use them and answering all my questions.  I returned in a week to insure no further adjustments were needed, and while there went on and on about hearing birds, the wheels on grocery carts, the rustle of leaves and more, much more.   She sat behind her desk with a big smile, saying nothing when I realized she had heard this all before many times.  I was impressed with the fact that despite thirty years of doing this job she could still be delighted when hearing of someone's joy at being able to hear again.  I wanted to give her a little something as a token of my appreciation, and decided to make her a little mouse wearing hearing aids.  I thought it might give her a laugh.  So I came up with this.  I think you can see her hearing aids.  Several people have asked for the pattern.  The mouse was made from my pattern The Knitting Club, a picture of which is at the top of this blog.  The pattern for the jumper is just the Grandma's skirt with a garter stitch waist band added, and the straps are four stitch wide garter stitch straps crossed in the back.  The hearing aids are 3 stitch I cord 4 rows long.  I left yarn tails at both ends.  One goes in the ear and the other was used to tack the hearing aid in place.  If you want to make this feel free to ask any questions you have.  I will be glad to help.

Dr. Who?

We spent Christmas day at our daughter's Most of the family were there including grandchildren and great-grand-children. One of our grandsons, now an adult with a family of his own, has been a devoted fan of Dr. Who for years. This is a program produced by the BBC and shown in this country. I know nothing about the program, but apparntly Dr. Who is a time traveler who rights wrongs wherever he finds them. I had heard of the pupularity of the Dr. Who scarf and suggested I should make him one. His eyes lit up. It turns out he has one he bought at a Dr. Who convention, but apparently a scarf made by his grandmother would be better.

Since I knew nothing about it, I began to research the scarf. First I found there is not A scarf, but I think at last count six scarves. After several seasons it would be changed somewhat. And, don't laugh, there are stunt scarves. Oh yes, each scarf had a duplicate to be used in scenes in which the scarf might be damaged. This scarf is a STAR! As the program prgressed the scarf got longer and longer. Starting out at about 14 feet it grew long enough to wrap around the neck with the ends hanging to the ankles and the loop around the neck hanging to the waist. It appears to me Dr. Who was in constant danger of tripping over the darn thing and falling on his face. The scarf had a role in some of the stories. For example, in one it was unraveled and the yarn used to guide the good Dr so he would not be lost in what i suppose was a maze like situation. I have no idea if the scarf got billing. Scarf played by scarf? If you think I am making all this up out of whole cloth, sorry, yarn, google Dr. Who scarf and read the history, find a pattern or look at pictures. I found it a fascinating and sometimes funny look into the fan culture.

Well, I am back to knitting. I have completed about eight inches. Only thirteen feet four inches to go.

Alive and Kicking

Hi everyone, Sorry about the long hiatus. Well, I have been poked and prodded, scanned and biopsied and they didn't find anything so got a clean bill of health. Well, let's see what has happened since my last post. Been working steadily on Christmas gifts. Finally got everything done by the last week of November. Packages have been sent and received and are under the tree, they tell me, waiting to be opened on Christmas day. Had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at our daughter's house with as many family members as could make it. Got the news that another baby is on the way. Another great-grandchild. Almost have the blanket and matching cap done. Baby due in spring so no rush, thank goodness. Well, as you see, nothing exciting or even intertesting, but I wanted to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and nothing but the best for the New Year.

Long Absence

I haven't been blogging for some time, and it may be even longer before I pick it up again. I just got out of the hospital, and while they took care of the problem for which I was admitted, they found several other troubling conditions so I am now in the midst of doctor's visits and tests that seem endless. Doing pretty well, but I will not be adding anything to this blog until all is settled and back to normal. I am leaving it up so you can access the free patterns. I will be back soon with some new stories and designs.

Finished at Last

I promised you a new doll and finally have her finished. It was fun to do, but I am afraid I got sidetracked by the holidays and then health concerns. However, finally have her done and listed at both Etsy and Ravelry. Her name is Little Lisa, little because she is only seven inches tall. She come with clothes and a wig making technique that may be new to some knitters. It is thoroughly explained in the pattern instructions. Here is Lisa's picture.

The doll is knit in the round using DP needles. I chose this technique because seaming such small pieces can become tedious. You can find further details at Etsy or Ravelry.

Knitter's Dilemma

I promised you a new doll, and I am working on it. However, I am afraid I have been sidetracked. I ran across an e book at Knitting Daily that has captured my interest,and I couldn't wait to start on one of the patterns. The book is Knit Kimono by Vickie Square. The book contains the history of kimonos and drawings of different styles as well as eighteen patterns that are simple but will knock your socks off. Well what is one to do? Be responsible and finish the project on which one is working or download the book and immerse oneself in the designs? I, of course, did just that and have even started one of Vickie's lovely patterns.

I have, however, completed the following for the little doll. A dress, shoes and socks, nightgown, slippers, sweater and play suit. She also now has a leotard, tutu and ballet slippers for those trips to dance class. So you see, I haven't been entirely remiss.

The Harried Housewife

Had to have the repairman out to fix the fridge. Drain was clogged and the defrost water was going into the fridge instead of in the pan as it should. Nothing big, and quickly fixed. However, it started me thinking of ice boxes. When I was young and newly married we had an ice box. For those unfamiliar with ice boxes it was a wood cabinet that sat on the floor with a compartment on the top for the ice. It drained into a pan under the ice box. The pan had to be emptied on a regular basis. This was no easy job. I don't care how careful you were as you walked to the sink carrying this heavy pan of water, every step created a ripple, then a wave, and finally it slopped on the floor. So pan emptying day was always floor mopping day as well. Where did the ice come from. The ice man, of course. You had a card you put in the window when you needed ice, and he stopped and carried it in depositing in the ice box. These were sturdy guys. All day going up and down stairs carrying blocks of ice on their shoulder.

Looking back, getting rid of the iceman was a good thing. Not such a good thing was the demise of the bakery truck. When I was a young housewife there was one car in the family which the husband took to work. This left his wife without transportation Since we couldn't come to them, the tradesmen came to us. The bakery truck, in our neighborhood it was Helms, came on a regular schedule with a full array of bread, rolls donuts, cakes and other goodies. He would stop and we all went out to the truck and made our purchases.

What ever happened to the Good Humour man. He had a truck stocked not only with popsicles and ice cream bars, but pecan rolls and other treats you seldom see anywhere anymore.

When I lived in Hawaii an old, frail Japanese gentleman came by every week with fresh produce from his farm. He stopped at each block, and woman from both sides of the street came out, chatting with each other as we shopped.

Home delivery of milk, eggs and butter was nice too. You left your bottles out on the back porch with a note saying what you wanted. and it was there in the morning. Stores delivered. You placed your order by phone, and it was delivered that afternoon by a schoolboy on a bicycle.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for women's lib, but sometimes I wonder with a job, responsibilties at home plus all the running around she does if the average woman has more time for herself now than she did fifty years ago.

New Pattern in the Works

I have been thinking for some time of trying to come up with a little doll and wardrobe. After some experimenting I have designed a doll only seven and one half inches tall. Big enough for little fingers to hold on to but small enough to go anywhere.

She is knit in the round using DP needles. The only sewing is attaching the legs and wig as the arms are jointed. Clothes are next.

I will post when the pattern is available, but I am also working on a wedding afghan for a great-granddaughter so it may be awhile. This afghan is one of those projects that never seems to get any bigger no matter how long you've been working on it.

Yarn Convert

Now that the flu is over, cancer scare resolved, and all the holiday chaos is over it looks like life in our household has returned to normal letting me get back to designing, knitting and, of course, blogging

Had a pleasant surprise the other day. I have tried to get my kids interested in sewing, knitting and crocheting, but to no avail. Hadn't brought it up in years when out of the blue a daughter calls to tell me she is crocheting. She has been making scarves and beanies and is getting raves from friends. She starts a pattern and if she runs into something she doesn't know how to do she goes to You Tube and watches a video until she gets it. Hooray for technology. I, of course, have an endless supply of yarn leftover from other projects which I am now getting rid of, thank goodness.

I knit a beanie for the daughter of our doctor's receptionist. Her mom couldn't find what she wanted. My daughter loved it but doesn't knit so I came up with something very similar in crochet. Here is a picture. The pattern is now listed in the free pattern menu.

As I posted earlier, we had a lovely Christmas and are now looking forward to a healthy and happy New Year.

Christmas

Well, Murphy's law continued to rule. After the flu I discovered a lump on the back of my neck. Doctor ordered tests including a CT scan. All showed nothing. No one knows what it is, but apparently it is not cancer. All was made up for by an early Christmas at our daughter and son-in-law's house. Among all the family we had a chance to see was our first great-great grandchild. What a darling. It has been sixteen years since we had a new baby in the family so to say he was the hit of the day is putting it mildly.

We had a lovely dinner and gift exchange after which my husband and I beat it for home. All those healthy young people can tire the old folks very quickly.

May you have a wonderful Christmas filled with the blessings of the season.

Murphy's Law

For those of you unfamiliar with Murphy's Law it says that everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

I had a plan. I was behind in my Christmas knitting so decided I would put everything else aside and concentrate on getting it done, no blogging, no new pattern designs, no forum crawling or posting, just knit, knit, knit. Well, I did just that and finished a gift for everyone on my list. I sat back feeling rather smug and self righteous. Now I could explore my ideas for a new pattern and maybe get some knitting done for charity. Now there was time to blog, check the forums and all that good stuff for which we use our computers. Wrong!! I ran into Murphy's Law. No more had I finished the last project when both my husband and I got the flu. Now, for those that are thinking,"Why didn't they get the shot?", we did. However, it takes two weeks for the shot to become fully effective, and sometime during that period we were infected. We have been sick for over a week and while slowly getting better, apparently will continue to be sick for who knows how long.

So that is the the story behind why you haven't seen anything new here for weeks. I have some ideas for things I think might interest the reader, but that will have to wait until I feel better. In the meantime, stay healthy and enjoy a great Thanksgiving with your family.

Gift Knitting

I have mentioned before in earlier blogs that I spend a good part of my knitting time trying to get ready for Christmas. Over the years my family has come to expect our gift to be something made by me. The last couple of days I have been knitting the Cherry Twist hat designed by Theresa Grant. While this is not the best picture I have ever taken, I think it will give you the idea.

Despite what appears to be an involved stitch pattern, this project was quick and easy. The pattern gives you the different lengths needed for a beanie, toque or slouch hat. Theresa's user name on Ravelry is needlenhook. You might want to take a look. I know the granddaughter getting this is going to love it.

Diapering 101

Boy, have I had an education the past couple of weeks. Ravelry has been running a thread about soakers which then developed into a discussion of diapers and diapering in general. My youngest is in her forties. What did I know? Of course I knew that disposables diapers filled landfills and took hundreds of years to decompose . I did not know that in response to that many responsible young mothers had gone back to cloth diapers and were crocheting or knitting soakers to keep clothes and bedding dry. I am afraid I had to be told what prefold diapers are.

In the "old days" we bought Curity or Birdseye diapers because that was all that was available They were not prefolded. You folded them before pinning them on baby. When used you put them in the diaper pail with water and a disinfectent. Each day you washed them in the washing machine. (Trust me. You didn't want them to sit around too long.) Then you hung them on the line where sunlight and fresh air did the rest of the work for you. As far as soakers, while I had patterns for them I never made any. We considered plastic pants a blessing.

Not everyone is prepared or able to go to the extra work cloth diapers require, but for those that do, on behalf of future generations, thank you.

Three Little Bears

This is my latest pattern. The bears are knit in the round and are only five inches tall. You can find the pattern and a complete description here

Other than working on bears I have been knitting Christmas gifts. Alot of cap and fingerless mitten sets, slippers and scarves. Nothing big but time consuming. Just about made it through my list then on to a new doll I have in mind.

Knitting Mice

I have had several inquiries about the mice pictured on the front page of this blog. The pattern is available at Knit Picks as a download from their site. I designed them to represent three generations of knitters, Grandma, mother and daughter. Since they are a Knit Picks exclusive I put K P in the heart tattoo on the daughters thigh. Of course, the knitter could put in the initials of whomever they wish. To download a pattern you may have to register. Registration is free.

Decorator Pillow

I have been making these pillows for years as gifts for family and friends. Pictured is one I just finished which a granddaughter asked for as a Christmas gift. They are perhaps the easiest pillow in the world to make and require no sewing. You can use any yarn and any pillow form. Here are the basic intructions.

First you will need a pillow form of the size you want. Then choose a yarn in the color to suit the decor of the recipient's home. Yarns with texture and/or color variations have the most interest. You will also need 2 decorative buttons about 1&1/2 inch across..

1: Now knit a swatch using whatever size needle you think will work. If you find your fabric too loose or so tight it is like a board, change needle size until you come up with something you like. Count the number of stitches to an inch.
2: The size of the pillow form should be on the package. Multiply that by 2 as you are going to be making the front and back at the same time. My form was 16 inches so my final figure was 32 inches.
3: Multiply your final figure by the number of stitches per inch. I was knitting 4 stitches per inch. 4 times 32 equals 128 stitches.
4: Now whatever number you come up with cast that number of stitches on a circular needle. Join and begin to knit. Knit until your piece is as long as the size given on the form. That is, my pillow form was 16 inches so I knit until the knit piece was 16 inches long.
5: Cut yarn leaving a long tail. Thread yarn needle with tail and run through stitches on needle removing them from needle and onto the yarn tail. Pull as tight as possible to close hole. (Note: You will still have to take a few stitches to completely close hole.) Put the knit piece on the pillow form with gathers in the center of pillow. Weave long strand of yarn through cast on stitches and pull to close hole. Finish as other side. Have gathers on this side in the center of pillow also.
6: Using a double strand of sewing thread go back and forth from the center on one side to the center on the other attaching a button to each. Make sure the buttons are placed to cover the edges of the gathers. Pull tight so the buttons are seated in a depression on each side. Arrange gathers and you are done.

You can, of course, make a square pillow by just slipping the pillow form in the knit piece and sewing the top and bottom closed. Decorate with appliques.