Enjoying the Last Few Days of Summer!

One of the great things that I love about knitting is how much you can do! The learning curve seems to come quickly and steeply when I try to challenge myself. Thank goodness I have a dear friend close by to assist me!
Cindy is helping me create my first vegetable/fruit bag! A great pattern by Yarndance.

What a wonderful gift from my friend, Cindy! A swifter! This has been a huge help when trying to ball my yarn. I love it and it saves me so much time!

Keeping It Clean!

For the last few days I have been knitting a variety of dish clothes using the knit and purl stitch. The yarn I am using is a sassy cotton. Sassy cotton seems to work best as it is very durable and seems everlasting. However, most any other sturdy cotton yarn would make a great dish cloth.

The dish cloths pictured are for my mother, Helen who lives in the mid west. She loves the cloths and likes how easy they are to care for.

Cotton Watch Caps!

I just love knitting with cotton yarn. It seems to slide easily from the needles as I knit. It is also much easier on my dry hands.
I am on a cotton watch cap craze! I am knitting different colored watch caps.

Knitting Notions!

When I first started knitting I had a pair of scissors, a darning needle and some yarn. That was it! Then I started to realize the many tools/notions you need as you begin to knit! I have since added to my notions!

I have found some great notions bags from Lexi Barns and a great durable case as well for my needles. The bags are /cases are very durable. I have had mine for 4 years and they still look brand new.

Then I started using circular needles and discovered Namaste notion bags. Namaste notions are reasonably priced and I love the variety of styles you can choose from. Thanks to my friends at Kaleidoscope Yarns I have quite a few of their great products! I love the versatility of Namaste notions and how easy it is to throw a bag of notions into my bag along with my latest knitting project as I head out the door!

Hats and Mittens!

I have finally learned how to knit mittens! Hurray! My daughter, Lydia, has been waiting patiently for a few years for mittens. She says, 'I just want a pair of mittens mom!". Thanks to my dear friend, Cindy I am now a mitten knitter and my wonderful daughter now has her mittens.
One of the things I am learning about knitting is that their is this steep learning curve that happens almost seamlessly. You almost seem to know when it is time to move onto more of a challenge. I knit 2 pairs of mitts. One pair I pearled a row around the middle of the thumb for added texture. The hat is easy to make with a rolled edge!

Plush Baby Blanket

I am very close to finishing my first knit baby blanket! I used Berroco "Plush" yarn. The pattern called for 5 skeins in all, starting with 3 skeins of a main color and 2 skeins of a contrast color. The yarn is cotton and very soft as well as easy to knit with. I worked in a stockinette stitch for four inches and alternated colors. As a final touch I am planning on crocheting an edge using a crab stitch with both colors together! I may even have enough yarn left over to make a newborn hat!

Yeah! Baby blanket is completed! It is so soft and folds up easily. What a great blanket to take anywhere that you and your baby go.