Hats: Do you love to knit 'em?

Well, if you do and you design your own knitted hats or get inspired by another's designs, have I got a cool project for you!

Annie Modesitt and Quarry Books have teamed up to publish a book called 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats (with an estimated publication date of July 2010). From now until July 1, 2009, you can submit images of knitted hats you've made ... the top 3 original designs will win $500, $300, and $200 while the next top seven original designs will get copies of the book and page credit ... and the number of different hats you may submit is UNLIMITED!

Not a bad deal and hats are so fun to make as the temp goes up ... why don't you try it out? But don't forget to have fun ... that's what knitting is about ... creating while enjoying the journey!

Where have I been?

I just saw this on Lion Brand's blog and can't believe I've been missing it all these years ....

Seems that back in 2005, a wonderful woman had a brilliant idea to bring knitters out of their homes and out onto the streets. This thing is big! They have WWKiP Days all over the world .... now, altho I'd LOVE to be able to knit in London, or Buenos Aires, or even New York ... I'm here in my little corner of Northern Virginia ...

But that's ok because I can knit in public on June 13th and June 20th ... and no one can tease me (even my family) because I'm part of something bigger ... something that knows no borders .... the world knit in the round as it were.

So get out your needles and yarn and head outside ... check if there's a group event nearby or be brave and just knit out in your front yard ... or on the train ... or bus ... or in the car and know that you, too, are part of something bigger!

GWOY: June 2009 Swatches

As I've mentioned before, I LOVE to do swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn. The GWOY is erected twice a year at the semi-annual National Needlework Association's conferences -- one in January and one in June -- and I've participated since about 2003 (maybe even earlier) only missing occasionally (for things like moving to another state/country!). The swatches are from the latest yarns (either color, content or company) and are designed by the members of the Association of Knitwear Designers. Barry Klein and his helper, Heidi, from Trendsetter Yarns work hard to get the yarns out to us in a timely manner ... and it's always "christmas" when the box arrives!

Here are the swatches I made for the June 2009 convention in Columbus, OHIO ... [All the yarns this time (except the Dale) were "medium 4" as defined by the Yarn Standards committee.]

Baby Boutique (from Plymouth Yarns) is a microfiber/nylon with a wonderful hand. This feather 'n' fan swatch was knit on 7s, in the round to make a circular swatch.
Bambino from Be Sweet is a gorgeous organic cotton/bamboo blend that knits up really nicely on 7s. The swatch is a lace edging ... this would make a great summer top/sweater.
Camelino from Knit One, Crochet Too, is a sensual blend of merino/camel that knits up great on 7s. This cuff swatch is a mock-cable that decreases down to a k1p1 rib. The rich purple color is hard to photograph ... but trust me, this one is a beaut!
Dale of Norway's Heilo is a classic! I love using this yarn (and in fact, I made many of the designs in my knitting books from this stuff). Here, using #2 dpns, I knit a toe-up, mock heel flap (actually short-row heel) and loose bo at cuff. The stitch definition with this yarn is gorgeous.Kraemer Yarn's Perfection -- a washable blend of acrylic and wool -- is knit here on 8s. This yarn is so new it's not even on their web site yet! I did the "pointed eyelet lace" ruffle from Epstein's "Knitting on the Edge", decreasing down to sockinette and then to k1p1 rib ... I love the way the "lace" looks like leaves ... I think this would look wonderful as the cuffs on a sweater ... or even the hem as the lace doesn't curl but gives 3-d depth! This stuff really is wonderful to work with and I apologize to Kraemer for originally posting this wonderful yarn as one from Plymouth!

WooHoo: Elizabeth's Foreword

Here's a link to a beautiful foreword from a beautiful friend ... thanks Elizabeth!

Now this is cool ....

Here's a picture of the first United States president who knits!

Now, see, if this was a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Obama ... well, I just might have voted for him! According to Lion Brand, this was just after FDR and Eleanor got married -- now that truly is love .....

WooHoo: it's out!

Please celebrate with me .... Margot, my publisher at Hillside Education, just posted that my book, In His Image: Nurturing Creativity in the Heart of Your Home is available for pre-order (with a shipping date of June 15th). If you get a chance to read a copy, please let me know what you think. And my good friend over at 4real, Elizabeth Foss, kindly wrote the foreword for me!

Enjoy!

Free Pattern: Lent/Easter Basket

Wow ... I haven't posted here for a while! But my knitting needles have been so busy, I haven't had time to post.


Here is a Lent/Easter basket I designed for our family celebrations based on an idea in Hannah Fettig's Closely Knit -- a book I highly recommend you check-out: she has some amazing ideas in there!

I made the basket in maybe 3 hours -- finishing in plenty of time to set our table for Ash Wednesday (Feb 25, 2009), the first day of Lent on the Catholic Calendar. We kept our basket filled with an alms box, rosary box (for evening prayer) and flowers (to remind us that Easter -- and Spring -- WERE coming!).

Fettig's version of the nest was for a palm-sized nest with eggs for pincushions. I changed her design, working from the center-out, using thicker yarn and created a nest large enough to hold our Easter goodies: a family's worth of peeps, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, DVDs, family game and a parade of "custom-designed" hard-boiled eggs.

We're still using this basket for our Easter celebrations -- in the Catholic Church, Easter Sunday lasts eight days (till today) and the Easter Season is celebrated thru Ascension Thursday (when we believe Jesus ascended to Heaven) and ends on Pentecost (the day when the promised Holy Spirit comes down to us on Earth, the birthday of the Catholic Church!). Good thing I made this big!

I've decided to offer this pattern to you, my readers, as an Easter gift. It's mindless and fun knitting and really looks like a bird's nest in this glorious "dark sheep's gray" from Bartlett Yarns.

Easter Nest Basket (inspired by Hannah Fettig's "pin cushion nest" from her Closely Knit)

• needles (dpns/circs as needed): US size: 10.5, 13, 15
• yarn: 1 skein Bartlettyarns "Bulky" (80 yds, 4 oz.) in dark sheep's gray

w/ 10.5 dpns, CO 4 and join. K rnd;
k 2 in each st (8); k rnd on 8 sts;
k 2 in each st(16); k rnd on 16 sts;
*k1, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (24); k rnd on 24 sts;
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (32); k rnd on 32 sts;
*k3, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (40); k rnd on 40 sts;
*k4, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (48); k rnd on 48 sts;
change to US 13 needles
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (64); k rnd on 64 sts;
*k3, k2 in nest st*; rep from * to * rnd (80); k rnd on 80 sts;
working even on 80 sts, change to basket st --
rnd 1-2: *(p7, k3)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 3: k rnd
rnd 4-5: *(p2, k3, p5)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 6: k rnd
change to US 15 needles
rep rnds 1-6 of pattern; BO loosely (or do another few rnds to finish ball of yarn, then BO loosely).

Wash in hot water to felt; while drying, fill basket with plastic bags packed in to help shape (or use a large platter/bowl to shape). Here's a close-up of the side of the nest with the basket stitch just about-visible after felting.

ENJOY!