My First Entry & Stash Knitting

For the Ravellenic2012 games..

Using more scrap from the stash bins

longies with a touch of fall. I call these

Apple Cart Longies

All the crisp and clear colors of fall apples. Just looking at the photo I caught myself taking a deep breath and was a bit surprised when I didn’t smell apples.

I’m hoping to have them completed and ready to stock by Monday. 

One of my goals for the year is to clean out a bunch of scraps and use up at least 2-3 bins of wool.I have to admit I’ve become a bit of a wool stash junkie. When the bins are taking over the room and you can’t get to the sewing machine….it’s time to thin the stash!  No, I won’t be selling any of it, just using it up for stock items & maybe and item or 2for myself.

 

The Gilead Test knits coming along…maybe not as as fast as I could with the Ravellenic games now on but progressing.  This is a 6 mo size.

I have the green and brown shades in solid , I need to decide which I’ll use for longies to coordinate and possibly trim the sweater.

Well, it’s a beautiful day and the garden is calling me. Have a wonderful Saturday!

Katie 

Technorati Tags: Katidids Knits,Ravellenic 2012,Test Knitting,Striped Longies,knitting,Gilead,wool,stash

Test Knitting and Ravellenic Games 2012

Test knitting…sure wish I’d waited one more day to start this sweater & I could have entered it in the Ravelry Olympic Challenge. 

Excuse me, The Ravellenic.

We are no longer allowed to say RavOlympics.  We’ve renamed our Olympic challenge to Ravellenic which honors all past games and participants.  Entry's may not be cast on until the opening and runs through the Olympic event. 

I have quite a few entries all the 0%er’s listed on the side bar….with a few others yet to be listed.

Being stuck indoors with this horrible high heat this past  week it would have been wonderful to start.  Murphy’s law it will be beautiful through the challenge time and I’ll be able to catch up outside!  But, this afternoon is being spent winding yarn and creating project bags to save myself some time.

  Last Olympic I believe I completed 4-5 items, this time I’m hoping for around 15.  A few will be customs and others I can stock to the shop.

I’ll try to update here and on FB so be sure and follow there also

The test knit….

So far a really sweet sweater

“Gilead” from Odalee Fibers. 

This is my second test knit for her, the “Little Star” being the first

Off to skein yarn & find needles

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids Knits,Ravellenic2012,test knitting,wool,casting on,odale fiberse fibers

Working On Winter

Longies between customs starting with a few newbie sets.

First up is some super squishy longies knit using Manos Wool Classica, trimmed in the lavender.  The hat is the same lavender with the main color as trim. These are so soft I keep petting them….perfect for tender new baby skin

Hip 16, rise 14, inseam 7 Hat brim at rest is 7 inches and 9 inches long

Trying to clear out the solid scrap wool bin, 3 yr old Evelyn chose these colors & I was instructed to “needle them up”  Needless to say there is a 7 gallon bucket of solid scraps and these didn’t make a dent! 

Using Cascade 220 purple, pinks, blue, lime and teal

Nice and soft longies that will hold up for a long time

Hip 16 Rise 14 inseam 7.25   Hat brim is 7 inches at rest and 8 inches long

Both sets are freshly laundered, lanolized & ready to ship. 

They should be listed this evening

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids Knits stocking,wool,longies,stocking cap,knitting

Spring Garden

As usual I’m behind on posting but here is one of the last sets I knit which are ready to mail….

Kokomo

Pattern: Dakine Knits “Kokomo” using Spring Garden” from Shasta Daisy Knits  YYMN Custom knit

I like how the ribbed back keeps the top snug and not saggy as many tend to do.

A touch of simple lace on the hem to finish it off

And coordinating beach combers to finish the set.

Please excuse the funky photo’s.  It was over 100 degrees outside and I was taking advantage of the heat and breeze to let them dry in the shade.

More up tomorrow!

Katie

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Fluffy Mail = Stash Enhancement!

There’s nothing better than diving in another’s stash.  A winning situation for us both, my stash is enhanced and she has one less box to move.  What I really appreciate is these colors are mostly boyish or GN as I currently have loads of girly

First out of the box

Wise on BFL by Wildflower Whimsy

I’m pretty sure it wants to be small longies and a hat

 

Next up Hero by Selah on Honey Organic

I think Hero wants to be a romper, there is enough for one anyway.

And some African Safari from Tykie Knits on Corriedale

Just over 11 yummy & squishy oz.

& 3 skeins of Cascade 220 quatro. 

I love the 2 shades of blues and greens blended..such fun& flexible colors to work with

And, in another package from Raya of Blissful Knits,

 'Candyland' - Adore DK  It was one of those colorways that just reached out and grabbed you. 

I’ve no idea what’s in store for these, possibly a sweater…

They are all up for for customs.

Off  to play in the wool

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids Knits,wool,fluffy mail,custom knits

Weeds & Seeds with the Compost Boy

Yeah~ That’s right the weeds lost this round.  I spent about an hour weeding yesterday morning with the little man helper ‘compost boy’.  He was ready & willing for the first 10 minutes then the novelty wore off…so to take his mind off the work we started singing silly songs, country songs & patriotic songs.  Which lead to a few political discussions (yes, he’s 9).  We/he planted 3 more rows of green beans we chatted about seeds & how precious good seeds are.

 

I explained the differences between GMO, heirloom & organic.  Which in turn led to questions like “Why would people be dumb enough to buy junk GMO seeds!?”

Leave it to a 9 year old to not sugar coat a question! 

We chatted about organic gardening, using no poisons to kill the weeds we were pulling…”poison! We want to eat this stuff why would we put poison on it”!

We talked about taking care of the soil like we do our bodies.  We work & play using up energy, and need to eat good healthy food to keep our body working properly.

As we mulched the existing bean plants and newly planted rows with fresh rabbit poo,

 

we discussed how the plants “eat” the soils vitamins and minerals, so it’s important to feed the soil & give it snacks by adding things like the rabbit poo & compost to keep it fresh and strong like he is.

As we were finishing up & gathering our tools I was feeing pretty good about the work done.  Thrilled with our conversation & all the questions he’d had knowing more than just green bean seeds were planted… till he got this look on his face…you know, the light bulb moment?

“Oh….so that’s what the compost is for~”  *Palm to face*  As ‘compost boy’ He understood the basic process of composting but I didn’t realize he until then he hadn’t understand what it was for! 

He’d not been at the house when we used it.  He thought it was just a way of getting rid of garbage!!

As we sat on the patio later taking a break,  he bit in to a fresh peach and said ‘you know what’s nice about being a boy and not a plant in the garden?' My snack is healthy & doesn’t smell like rabbit poo’

Katie

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Technorati Tags: Katidids,gardening,planting seeds,compost boy,feeding the soil

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting Repairs

When your little one wears knit longies,  once in a while they will damage a pair.  There are a few I call “picker’s or pullers”. They love the feel of the wool and will constantly rub & pick at it creating a hole or, the pullers.

Now a puller is one who picks at the strands till they work one loose and then just pulls the yarn.  Generally you find the pulls in the thigh or knee area…..cause they get bored at nap time.  It’s a quick and easy repair,  especially when it’s just a pulled strand like this.

The knitting is pulled super tight so, it’s simply a matter of loosening  the next stitch behind, then the next & working the loose strand back to the first correct stitch.  You will probably need to work it in both directions. If you don’t have knitting needles on hand you can use a toothpick, chop stick or even a bobby pin.

Here they are repaired and, once laundered the stitches will loose the shape of the prior stitch shape and blend right in. If the garment has started to felt you may never have an invisible repair but, you at least will have a functional garment.

Here is the dreaded snag…or a super ambitious picker!

These longies I did happen to knit and still have a bit of the pink left.

I’ll simply remove both pink cuffs off and reknit them to match.

Not all repairs are quick or easy.

  If a garment has a hole & I don’t have the colorway I’ll generally weave it closed with a  shade close or, use a color I can decorate and embellish with. 

As I said before, repairs sometimes may not be invisible & perfect but… you will have useable longies!

Here’s hoping you don’t have a “picker or a puller”!

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Leggings In The Mail!

Simple, bright and colorful leggings using the Aloha Flirty Skirty pattern from Dakine Knits (sans the skirt of course) in the mail and on the way to a little dark headed sweetie.

Packaged and ready to ship is another pair of beachcombers.  Nice wide legs that will come in handy for a little lady wearing a cast.

On the needles now is another pair of beachcombers. 

These are a YYMN using Shasta Daisy Knits “Spring Garden”.  This photo was taken last night and I’ve just an inch to go before the cuffs.  They should be ready to mail tomorrow

Next up is a Waldorf doll wardrobe.  I’ve been saving the Mama’s YYMN scrap’s and it’s time to put them to good use!

Yesterday I had 2 shipments of fluffy mail!

Some Blissful Knits, Wildflower Whimsy and a few other squishy skeins.

I’ll have photo’s up in the next day or so. 

The horrible heat is letting up a bit so knitting will thankfully be a bit more productive. I should be caught up by the end of next week.

Enjoy the sunshine

Katie

Technorati Tags: Katidids Knits,Dakine Knits,leggings,custom knits,YYMN,Shasta Daisy,beach comber shorts