Calorimetry . . .

What a fast and fun little knit this was! I've been in such a fast and furious design mode lately that I thought I'd take a few hours and knit something that someone else designed. So, Calorimetry (from Knitty.com) it was. I used some yarn remnants to knit this up and just love how it turned out.

On my design needles (and the needles of my test knitters) are 3 pairs of socks and some fingerless gloves. Just off the needles are another pair of fingerless gloves and a hat. Lined up as soon as one of my test knitters finishes socks is a cute little neckwarmer. Soon, I should have several new patterns up for sale on my website and posted at Ravelry as well.

Fini! . . .

And they are finished! My friend's socks are finished. Now the suspense begins to build as I wonder "Will they be that perfect fit I was striving to achieve?" Stay tuned . . . . I'll give these to her tomorrow and we'll see then.

Off to work on some of the other half dozen designs that are swirling around in my head.

Knitting Socks for a Good Friend . . .

I have a wonderful friend. She's smart, funny, accomplished, curious, generous, focused and we just enjoy letting one another be who we are. Can you believe she doesn't KNIT? And, she has a wool allergy.

I love to knit for people I love, and of course you know I love to knit socks, so I've wanted for quite a while to knit her some socks. Finally, I'm doing it. I'm using Panda Cotton from Crystal Palace Yarns in the Sable colorway, which she chose from the colors I had on hand. And I designed a motif specifically for her, deconstructing and recombining various stitch patterns I liked.

Here's a peek at the socks. I'm increasing the gussets, toe up, right now and hope to have these completed by Wednesday when she's here to have dinner with us.

My nifty homemade knitting bag . . .

Nifty and cheap, that is. Jules posted a comment to my last entry asking about the bag and the two strands of yarn feeding from the openings. Yes, I made it. I simply took a shopping bag (whatever size works for you best, this is one that works great for 2 socks at once on 2 circs) and applied two 1/4" grommets to the side.

If you are extremely ambitious and have two pairs of socks going at once, and your bag is large enough for the 4 balls of yarn, then put two more grommets on the other side of the bag. Three pairs at once? Put one additional grommet in each of the side gussets for a total of six holes.

This really works well to keep the yarns tangle-free, and also is a great place to pop the sock into when you are taking a break from them. The handles make it so portable and also serve as a means to hang them on a peg or the back of a chair.

Got to love those shopping bags, right? Just one more reason to get out there and shop, shop, shop. Good for the economy and good for your knitting!

Knitting Resolutions 2008, an unbridled year of knitting . . .

un·bri·dled [uhn-brahyd-ld] –adjective
1. not controlled or restrained: unbridled enthusiasm.
2. not fitted with a bridle.

Since I took up knitting seriously in early 2005, I've subjected myself to various imposed or self-imposed knitting deadlines, constraints, and requirements. None of which I've regretted and all of which I've enjoyed. Is there even such a thing as bad knitting time?

First, there was a sampler afghan which was part of a knitting Bible study. Then various other learning projects I did to teach myself different techniques. And then very soon, designing felted bags for Crystal Palace Yarns, and then launching my book planning, knitting, and publishing. Along they way there have been knitting exchanges, special projects for CPY, the always-present knitting for holiday gifts, and the many designs that come to mind in odd moments of the day.

I realized a few weeks ago, in the midst of another non-knitting-related mini-crisis, that there is very little in my life over which I have absolute control. Tag, knitting! In 2008, you're IT! I can control you when I can't control anything else around me. I need to control you. I need to make you more precious, more intimate, more mine. I need to possess you.

I resolve that 2008 will be the year in which I only knit when I want to, as much or as little as I want to, with what I want to, for whom I want to, and why I want to. Whew! All that being said, I realize it sounds so selfish! Yet, it also feels so liberating! It feels empowering. It feels new and somehow forbidden.

When I want to design a pattern, I'll do it. When I want to knit mindless washcloths, I'll do it. When I want to luxuriate in sock yarn and tiny, perfect stitches, I'll do it. When I want to do another book of collected patterns, I'll do it.

I promise myself not to feel guilty about saying 'no'. I promise myself not to feel guilty about saying 'yes'. I promise myself that I'll enjoy each and every stitch that slips past my fingers, whether fruitless or fruitful. I promise myself to enjoy the miles of yarn I've collected and to knit with abandon, with purpose or without, and with senses fully engaged in the moment when each stitch is birthed from left needle to right.

I promise myself to let creativity off the leash. I promise to try not to be afraid of that creative muse! I promise to embrace knitting as a function that is as involuntarily as breathing, knowing that each breath is a precious gift and so is each stitch, each garment, each swatch, each mistake.

Yes, I'm looking forward to 2008 and to what it brings. Will being unbridled be as productive as being bridled? Will it be more so? In the end, does it really matter?

Cheers! And may all your knitting this year be unbridled!

But wait! there's more . . .

More patterns, that is. I did get them photographed, finally, and posted for sale on my website. And so here there are . . .

Fashionista is a slip stitch pattern using three colors of bulky yarn and US size 13 (9.0 mm) needles. It's roomy and well balanced, and I love this bag!

Strike! is a trio of felted bowling bag style purses sized small, medium, and large with pockets on both front and back. It's also knit with bulky yarn and US size 13 (9.0 mm) needles. Knit them all . . . they'll bowl you over!

My Color Wheel Hexagonal Bag was originally designed as a gift for my Bag-a-holics swap partner and I decided to write up the pattern and include it in the collection as well. This is a good bag for using up worsted weight yarn remnants. It's knit with 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together and a US size 11 (8.0 mm) needle.

Pillars of Fire . . .

Well, perhaps you thought I'd deserted my blog, but here I am. It's been over two months since I last posted, and I've been furiously knitting various projects. It's been crazy busy around here since my last blog entry and doesn't show much sign of letting up any time soon.

Pattern and photos removed due to sale to a Sock Club.

An Explosion of Flowers

I've had a productive week this week. I managed to learn how to install the html needed for a Paypal cart on the Shopping page of my website, and so now my book and the patterns I've been working on can be purchased directly from my site. Pretty neat! The Flambeau socks are there, as well as the What a Croc! scarf and my Thank You felted bag.

The newest member of the pattern family is the bag you see here, called Flowers Go Boom! since it's an explosion of colors, techniques, and shapes. The bag is knit in black and gray alternating stripes into a nice satchel shape. The flowers are crocheted and then felted. After blocking, they are beaded with some sparkly glass and metal beads, then sewn to the bag. I just LOVE this bag, and it's been getting some nice positive attention on Ravelry since I posted it there. I'm really excited to see if that attention converts into some pattern sales.

My Knit and Chat exchange partner, Tish, received the package I sent, and I'm so happy that she's thrilled with the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, the Margarita! bag, and the shawl pin. Wear them in good health, Tish!

I sold some of the Flambeau sock patterns this week to another Knit and Chatter, Carol, who owns a yarn shop called Never Enough Wool. thanks, Carol, for the order. I hope your group enjoys the pattern!

Long time, no blog . . .

It's been a flurry of activity around here the last 3 weeks. School started back the day after Labor Day. Duncan is starting on his first soccer team. And the kids and I all have the usual back to school cold and sniffles.

We moved the girls out of their cribs, finally, and into toddler beds and they're liking that a lot.

I'm getting lots of knitting projects done as well. I got my Knit and Chat Fall Exchange parcel mailed out and I'm waiting to hear that my partner has received it. I sent the shawl I was debating about earlier in the blog, as well as a bag I designed. And a nice little shawl pin I picked up from an Etsy shop. And one of my books and a kid's scarf pattern I designed.

Speaking of the scarf, here it is. With my beautiful son modeling it. It's a crocodile and the scarf will be for sale on my website soon. The pattern is called What a Croc! It's a fun way to drape a reptile around your neck. Raised stockinette stitch scales on a field of reverse stockinette stitch form the body and tail, with a crocheted edging all around. The eyes are actually little craft jingle bells sown into the eye sockets, and the nostrils are bobbles. there are even some fearsome teeth! There is a similar pattern by Morehouse Farm which appears to be a simple garter stitch alligator, and they sell their pattern as part of a kit, apparently, and in two sizes so check them out.

Another project design I completed is a gorgeous bag I'm giving a friend as a gift for treating us to such a lovely time in San Francisco during the summer. I was inspired by the design on a thank you card I picked up in a Papyrus store in Atlanta and decided to render it in wool, and many times larger. Here's a photo of what I've been calling the Thank You bag. I'm working on another one in a different colorway and I'm going to offer the pattern for sale on my website as well . . . as soon as I finish knitting
the second colorway.

Oh, and I completed my August sock of the month a couple of days into September, so not bad all things considered. I knitted the Carolina sock in Socks That Rock medium weight Sherbet. Here they are too.

I also designed and knitted a dishcloth, my first experience in laying out an actual knit/purl design so that it makes a picture. The pattern is an angel, and it can be downloaded from free pattern page at my website. Here's the photo of the Dishcloth Relay Angel. The cloth was designed to go along with a dishcloth relay planned on my favorite knitting forum at Delphi -- Knit and Chat.

So, I guess that's all for now. Be watching the Shopping section of my webpage for the bag and scarf patterns to become available, and just follow the link in the right hand column to my free patterns to pick up a copy of the Angel dishcloth.

Later!

Thanks, Alison, for the fun interview!

Alison Lee recently interviewed me for her Craftcast podcast, and I had such a great time talking to her. The podcast is up now and you can check it out. Please visit Alison's website where you can download the podcast, or check out (and even subscribe) her podcast at Itunes. She's interviewed some amazing crafters, and it is such an honor to be included among them.

Thanks, Alison! What fun it was chatting with you!

And for those who wonder how to find Knit and Chat at Delphi Forums . . . here's a link for that. Tell Carol Ann I sent you!

My interview . . .

Recently, I was very honored to be interviewed by Kim Stevens who has a podcast called Knit Therapy. We met at the Charlevoix Fiber Festival several weeks ago and recorded the interview, which is now available from Itunes and also from her podcast website. Kim also blogs, so check her out there as well.

Kim is a great person and another Michigander. The interview was fun and Kim made it easy to chat with her about my knitting and my book. I didn't come off looking like nearly the idiot I thought I might. Thanks, Kim, for being such a great interviewer!

I've also done another interview for a podcast called Craftcast, hosted by Alison Lee, and that was a lot of fun too. That one should be available soon as well, and I'll post information about it when it's out.

So, if you'd like to take a listen at me chatting about my knitting, visit Kim's podcast site and download the MP3 file or go check out the episode at Itunes.

School Bus Scarf, the pattern . . .

For those of you checking here as a result of my friend Jules's blog entry about the school bus scarf she knitted, here's the link to the pattern. I hope you'll enjoy knitting this for your little ones!

Just click here to go to my Free Patterns page, and then scroll down until you see the school bus scarf picture. Click the photo to download the .pdf file for the pattern.

Edit: The school bus scarf pattern has been removed from the free pattern page.

The end is in sight . . .

The end of my Knitting To Do List, that is. Well, at least the end of the immediate short range To Do list. I cast on last night for the last CPY project that is hanging fire. After it's knitted, felted, and finished, I can finalize all the photos and patterns and get this batch out to Susan. Then, I can regroup and think through what needs to be done next.

I'm excited about this current pattern for Crystal Palace. It's one they'll offer for free download. The pattern is done in two colorways -- a dressier one and a more casual one. I can't wait to show them to you when they are done. If you haven't done so yet, hop over there and take a look at my Margarita! bag that's been put up on the website recently. It's definitely a cool summer refresher.

Weather here is a bit cool today, but gorgeously sunny. This is the time of year in northeastern Michigan when you can just begin to feel autumn in the air, and see the first streakings of color in the maple leaves. School will start on Tuesday after Labor Day, and by then, it's definitely jacket weather here.

I love this time of year, with the bit of coolness in the air and the promise of the rush of summer slowing to a more manageable pace. The pull of that urge to pick up some soft squshy wool and just knit for hours grows stronger and stronger as the days become cooler.

My Montego Bay scarf is cast on and moving right along. I'm about a third of the way done with it. I've decided to incorporate some beads in the trim at each end. I think it'll be really pretty when it's done. I'm using Socka Colori Disco yarn, which has a bit of silver glitter in it. I haven't worked on the Moonlight Sonata Shawl in a few days, but I'll get back to it. I'm enjoying having a few projects to switch back and forth as I work on them.

I'm still deliberating about what to do with that Diamond Fantasy Shawl. Gift it? Or keep it and wear it myself and gift a different project? Or gift it along with another (more perfect) project as a sort of "sorry I'm human" apology gift? I think I'm leaning toward Option #3. What would you do?

Did I mention that I have two completely potty trained little girls? YAAAAAYY! Even through the night, both Abby and Emma are staying dry. It's big girl panties all around here at the Ross home! Or, as Abby and Emma call them, "pretty panties".

Now, that's cause to celebrate!

What do you do when . . .

You get something all knitted up, finished, and start blocking it and then discover that the black yarn you used, all the same yarn from the same company was apparently from different dye lots? Last week, I finished the Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding. It's gorgeous! Of course, being black and having been knit mostly at night after the kids were asleep, I wasn't even thinking about there being the possibility of the last 2 inches being a more bluish black than the more brownish black that the rest of the shawl is. You can almost notice it in the photo, but you can definitely see it in person in full sunlight or under fluorescent lighting.

Disheartening, to say the least. I had planned this as a gift, but now, unless someone can tell me an easy way to overdye this so the black color evens out, I may have to just keep it for myself and go to Plan B for the gift. Draped in the right way, and particularly in less than full sunlight, the color difference isn't apparent, but still, I don't feel I can gift someone with less than perfection. Are any of you that way?

I finished some other projects since my last blog entry, and started some others. I got more bags done for Crystal Palace, but haven't got hardware, etc. installed yet. So I need to do that, photo them, and then get the patterns written up and the whole shebang mailed out. I have one more bag to knit and felt for them, which is an alternate colorway of one of the just completed ones.

I designed some Golf Club Covers for my father-in-law. They turned out well. I used 2 strands of some leftover Lion Brand Wool. And then as I was looking them over, discovered on the 5-wood cover, a purl in the ribbing where there should have been a knit. He won't care, probably won't even notice, and if he did wouldn't think anything about it, but I know. Dang, dang, dang! The most maddening part about these recent knitting boo-boos is that I don't usually do stuff like that. This must be a sign of having too much going on all at once, which is certainly the case around here these days.

Another project I got underway is the Moonlight Sonata Shawl by Shui Kuen Kozinski which I downloaded from Elann. This is going well in Briar Rose Sea Pearl. What a treat this yarn is -- merino and tencel. Gorgeous hand, lovely color, and great to knit up. Here's a photo of the work in progress. I've worked through three more pattern repeats since that photo, and have 5 more to go, for a total of 10 in all, unless I decide to make it longer.

I'm getting that itchy urge to cast on a pair of socks. I'm thinking about doing one of Gigi Silva's designs, either the Carolina, Last Queen of Naples or the Kaylee. Anyone made either of these? What do you think? And I'm also wanting to cast on for Amy Singer's Montego Bay Scarf from the Summer 2007 Interweave Knits.

Decisions, decisions, decisions! And much procrastination about finishing up those handbags!

Beautiful Fleece Artist Sea Wool!

Recently, I received some Fleece Artist Sea Wool in the Hercules colorway from Sheri at The Loopy Ewe. (Thanks, Sheri!) It is so beautiful, soft, and luscious! I just finished a pair of socks from that yarn. The colors are so gorgeous, I decided that just plain old stockinette was the way to go. Take a look for yourself!

I did something new with the toe. Rather than have the toe decreases placed one stitch in from each side, I decided (inspired by the way Colin did his toe increases on a recent pair of socks) to keep a set number of stitches in the middle of the toe and have my decreases slant toward them instead. Here is what the toe looks like when you do that.

Don't you just love having a newly finished pair of socks?

Now, I MUST get back to working on some purses!!!

Solstice Slip

Solstice Slip
Originally uploaded by TerryRoss

Just a quick note to show my completed July socks . . . . Rockin' Sock Club Solstice Slip.

Accidental -- the dishcloth that wanted to be a purse

Here is the link to my pink bag. The file is in PDF format and the purse is called Accidental. Just scroll down until you see it, then click the photo.

Happy knitting, and be sure to let me know if you knit it and where I can see YOUR version!

Every day brings a new surprise

Sometimes in knitting life, you have a happy accident. This week, I intended to knit a dishcloth. A pretty, pink little thing with some nubs on it that would make good scrubbers. And, I wanted to play around with knitting a square in the round. Yep. A square in the round.

Well, the idea was a good one. The technique is a good old tried and true method of casting on enough stitches for the perimeter of the square and then making double decreases at each corner until you get to the center, and then pull the remaining stitches tightly together. The happy accident happened when I chose to cast on too many stitches with a yarn that was too heavy. Twice as heavy, as a matter of fact. I used Peaches and Cream Double Weight Worsted Cotton yarn.

The hapless dishcloth turned out to be 17.5" square when finished. So, it quickly metamorphosized into a very cute, very pink, very nubbly envelope style shoulder bag. I lined it, gave it a cute button and crocheted button loop, and attached a nice long cross-the-body length shoulder strap. As soon as I get a minute to do it, I'll write up the pattern and post it on my free pattern page.

Here are some photos of this little cutie. Well, not so little. It's 12.5" wide and 11" tall.

The back of this bag has the center rosette I made just before binding off.

There's a cute flower design button, and the straps were put on simply by attaching the purse loops through the stitches at the top of the bag.

The lining is a double thickness of a floral printed organza.

So, there it is. I'm pretty happy with this happy accident!

Reveling in Ravelry

Everyone I know who has become part of the new Ravelry community is completely in love with it. Like thousands of others, I signed up for the beta version a couple of months ago when I first heard about it. And a few days ago, I received my invitation to join. I've spent lots of time over the last several days entering information into my little Ravelry cubby and making some acquaintances there.

What is Ravelry? For those who have not heard of it yet, it's an amazing new online community for knitters and crocheters. And more than a community, it's a wonderful collection of organizational helps like a place to inventory your fiber stash, needles and crochet hooks, and track and display finished objects and works in progress. You can also queue up projects and organize yourself into the future.

The creators of Ravelry are a couple, Jess and Casey, who birthed this fabulous new concept and then set about growing it to some maturity before setting it loose on the public at large. They are doing a great job of that, incorporating member suggestions for improvements daily, hourly, and sometimes almost minute to minute. They keep members informed in the Forum section of the community and solicit feedback for improvements there.

They've created an environment where beginning yarn crafters can rub elbows with more seasoned knitters and crocheters, and where designers can incubate projects and relationships. They are really making the best of what the 'net is all about -- networking.

I've noticed a personal impact for myself already. Just seeing the amazing works of others is motivating me to do more. And already I've made contacts with people whom I might not otherwise have the chance to know, including some of my favorite knitting podcasters.

One of those people is Sharon, who has the She-Knits podcast. If you aren't familiar with her podcast, you can check it out at either Itunes or her podcast site. You don't need an Ipod to listen, you can just download onto your computer and listen.

Sharon has a thing for felted bags, just like I do, and it's been great having a chance to get to know her a little bit, and I'm looking forward to knowing her better.

Aren't we living in an amazing time? A time when we can reach out across states and countries and meet other people who are more like us than we realize? And then to become friends with them, helping one another along the way? Just goes to show you that we are creatures that crave interaction. It's what we were built for, and even as our world becomes more and more modernized, mechanized, and computerized, we find ways to use all that to create and nurture relationships.

Anyway, check out Sharon and her podcast, and if you think you might be interested in Ravelry, check that out too. And when you get there, look me up. I'm always pretty easy to find.

Have a great day!

Wave your Stars and Stripes!

You can fly your colors with my new bag design, and if you knit fast . . . even by the 4th!

Here's a bag I designed for the July bag of the month at the Yahoo Bag-a-holics group. The pattern is available for purchase at my website Shopping Page. The cost is $4 for the PDF version, which will be e-mailed to you upon payment.