It's often the little things ....

.... that REALLY make my day. But this one was so exciting I just had to share with everyone/anyone who reads my blog ....

Amazon has my book listed!

Yep, thanks to the hard-work of my publisher, Margot at Hillside Education, my book Great Yarns for the Close-Knit Family is now officially available on Amazon.

Now this might not be a big deal to some .... but since I'm VERY OFTEN on Amazon, building up their stock by buying books every month, it's nice to know they're selling my book.

Online -- Free Knitting Patterns

OK, I'm cheap -- and I love seeing other's knitting patterns, not so much to make them as written, but to see new techniques or get ideas that I can then adapt to something else.

WELL, have I got a great site for y'all today: Free Knitting Patterns from Julie at "Little Cotton Rabbits". Here's an example of today's posting -- gorgeous, knitted Easter eggs to fill baskets! She has also posted the charts and blank graph paper so you can chart your own! Aren't these cute? She has you knit them flat, seam them and stuff them .... I'll probably make some, but I'll do them in-the-round so I don't have to seam (I HATE seaming!) ... also, I might make them with a bulky and fill them and use a drawstring at one end as "easter baskets" this year!

I love knitting and love thinking of knitting -- oh, if I only had more time TO KNIT!

Accessories: Norwegian Mail Bag

Hey y'all -- it's been a while since I posted a FO (finished object), but here is one upon which I just put the finishing touches and submitted for potential publication.

This WAS going to be a Norwegian sweater for KAL over at Ethnic Knitting -- but as I knit, the yarn told me to make it into a "mail bag" ... so I did.

This is actually knit upside-down -- the CO edge is the bag opening while the bottom is mitered to give a 4x10 square base (I cut a piece of cardboard to give it shape).I really like the way it turned out! It's a solid bit of knitting -- so won't stretch out of shape as it's used and the whole thing just looks way cool.

The strap is done like a really wide i-cord -- which I do by using three dpns and working round and round as if I were using 4 or 5 needles, on the 16 sts for the strap ... this makes a flat, double-faced strap without ever having to turn it. To keep the strap from stretching, I did a running stitch in the green to either side of the strap .... easy to keep the running stitches even by going thru every 3rd st! So, what do YOU think?

BTW, the yarn is my favorite -- Dale of Norway's Heilo in a dark charcoal grey, dark olive green, and a really nice cream. I used #3s for the knitting, which gave quite a nice fabric!

Books: Sockitecture

I used not to knit socks -- too fiddly, never fitted, and once I finished one I dreaded making another (or I'd end up with different lengths or odd shaping). But as I knit socks for Great Yarns, and then started making more socks for family members, and then even put my foot in my mouth and offered to write a tutorial on sock-knitting for 4realers, I realized how fun these little things could be! I started making some toe-up (and unventing my own cast-ons), some were cuff-down, some were patterned and some absolutely plain. I made some thick and some really, really thin.

I also quickly discovered that my absolute favorite way of knitting socks is two-at-a-time, toe-up on two circular needles. Sounds hard, but actually these go really quickly and the boring foot section (where you don't want to have too much as socks are USUALLY covered by shoes!) is done while you're determing real gauge and then fantasize about the leg section -- which WILL show.

So, here I am now -- a confirmed sock knitter. I am also one who loves to read about different ways of knitting them. And here's where I'm lucky. There are several books which have just come out that delve into the mystery of sock-knitting ... books like Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd, Knitting Circles Around Socks: Knit Two Socks at a Time on Circular Needles by Antje Gillingham, More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, and 2-at-a-Time-Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes are just a few of the books that are worth reading and trying out their different techniques.

But there's one that really stands out among the rest -- Cat Bordhi has done it again with her latest book, New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One. Coining a new word -- sockitecture -- Bordhi brings us a whole new look at socks, particularly the area of increasing usually known as the gusset. Through an odd happenstance, Bordhi created a sock where the triangle of increases to make the sock fit across the instep was all done on the inside of the foot ... AND THE SOCK FIT WONDERFULLY! She goes on to create 8 total socks patterns where these increases are placed in different areas of the foot, fit wonderfully and broaden the design possibilities immensely. These socks are gorgeous!

And I love the idea that the 8 "basic" patterns are all for baby socks, inspired by babies (including her new grandson) that Bordhi knows. Being baby socks, the stitches are fewer, the knitting goes faster and yet the knitter has learned a whole new technique for making socks! This is so cool! She shows how to incorporate these increases so as to position either color-work or lace designs within the socks; to incorporate the increases right into the sock itself so you don't have the dorky interrupt of the traditional gusset! Beauty!

Bordhi, by titling her new volume "Book One" promises to bring us at least 2 more sock volumes ... the next will be a collection "that mostly start at neither top nor toe, but somewhere in between."

Bordhi doesn't want the reader/knitter to just copy her socks -- she wants to lead you down new knitting pathways and I for one want to follow! This is truly knitting from the heart and I love it.

Read-alouds and knitting -- what could be better?

Margot Davidson at Hillside Education has just announced a brand new book:
Yep, that would be MY BOOK! The long-awaited, long-hinted-at book will finally be coming out. Pre-orders are available from Margot's web-site (and you'll get a pair of hand-made Birch knitting needles to-boot!) until March 8th with the books shipping by around March 12!

How exciting is that??????

Just to give you an idea, we read-aloud a dozen great family read-alouds and then I designed projects for each book. Here are the books we chose and the designs included in this book:

1. Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
a. Pinocchio Doll and Clothes
2. Canadian Summer by Hilda vanStockum
a. Mr. Magic’s Gnome Hat
b. Arthur Purcell’s “Gay” Sweater
3. The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein
a. Bilbo’s Backpack
b. Bilbo’s Traveling Jacket
4. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder *
a. Ma’s Boot Socks
b. Pa’s Red-White Checked Mittens
5. Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley *
a. Mittens for Laird Alroch & Auld Mary
b. Tullie Greyshanks Doll and Clothes
6. The Lost Island by Eilis Dillon
a. Fisherman’s Jersey
b. Wool Socks for the Journey
7. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
a. Mary Poppins’ Carpetbag
b. Mary Poppins’ Fur-trimmed Gloves
8. Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
a. Captain Cook (penguin doll)
b. Mr. Popper’s Cozy Scarf
9. Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
a. Otto’s Chain Mail
b. Otto’s Scabbard and Belt
10. Redwall by Brian Jacques
a. Matthias’ Over-sized Habit
b. Asmodeus the Snake
11. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
a. Colin’s Rug and Cushion
b. Mrs. Sowerby’s Cloak
12. The Wheel on the School by Meindert deJong
a. Lina’s Stocking Cap
b. Thick Wools Socks for Linda & Jan

These are all fun projects -- I had fun creating them and I think you'll have fun making them too! We've also included some basic knitting helps and a fully annotated bibliography of great knitting books.

The book-links are to the versions we used ... many are hard-cover as we want to keep these classics in our home for a very long time. The two that are *'ed, Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House in the Highlands by Melissa Wiley, are quickly going the way of the Albatross -- the publishers are changing the editions to give them a more updated appeal. Try to find these editions linked here -- the text is complete and the pictures are wonderful!

Please let me know what you think about this book -- I'd love to do a sequel, especially when I saw UK's List of Best Children's Books and saw many on that list that I'd love to read-aloud to my kids and create more designs!

Quick and Thick Socks

Here's the pattern that goes with the sock tutorial I just posted. QUICK 'n' THICK SOX

Materials:

US #8 dpns (set of 4 or 5)

2 skeins Lion Brand's Wool-ease Chunky (or similar yarn that is labeled a #5 "bulky yarn")

tapestry needle

Note:

this pattern is for an average lady's sock; changes for man's sock are in ( ). This is a very simple pattern that you can embellish (particularly on the leg portion) once you feel comfortable. Please understand that this pattern is copyright in 2008 by:

Mary C. Gildersleeve

By Hand, With Heart ... hand-knit designs.

CO 32 (36) sts. Distribute evenly across the dpns. Join.

Cuff -- k2p2 ribbing for 8 rows or desired length of cuff. On last rnd of ribbing, inc 4 sts evenly across by knitting 2 sts into every 8th (9th) st. 36 (40) sts on needles.

Leg -- knit rnd on all sts till leg is desired length (about 20 rnds for lady's sock, 30 rnds for man's sock).

Heel flap -- redistribute sts so that half are on one needle and second half are on the other needle -- 18 (20) sts on each needle.Begin traditional heel sts by:

Row 1: * slip 1 st, k next st; rep from * across 18 (20) sts. Turn.

Row 2: slip 1 st, purl across 17 (19) sts. Turn.

Repeat these 2 rows for 18 (20) total rows -- you'll have 9 (10) chain sts on each edge of heel flap.

Heel turning --

Row 1: k9 (k10) sts, ssk, k1 turn.

Row 2: slip 1, p1, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 3: slip 1, k2, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 4: slip 1, p3, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 5: slip 1, k4, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 6: slip 1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn.

Row 7: slip 1, k6, ssk, k1, turn.

Row 8: slip 1, p7, p2tog, p1, turn.

(Row 9: slip 1, k8, ssk, k1, turn.)

(Row 10: slip 1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn.)

Pick-up gusset stitches and start working foot:

K across 10 (12) sts. Pick-up 9 (10 sts) along heel flap edge. Knit across 18 (20) instep sts. Pick-up 9 (10) sts along heel flap edge. 46 (52) sts.

Begin gusset decrease by:

rnd 1: k10 (12), k7 (k8), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k7 (k8). 44 (50) sts

rnd 2: k10 (12), k6 (k7), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k6 (k7). 42 (48) sts

rnd 3: k10 (12), k5 (k6), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k5 (k6). 40 (46) sts

rnd 4: k10 (12), k4 (k5), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k4 (k5). 38 (44) sts

rnd 5: k10 (12), k3 (k4), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k3 (k4). 36 (42) sts

rnd 6: k10 (12), k2 (k3), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k2 (k3). 34 (40) sts

rnd 7: k10 (12), k1 (k2), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k1 (k2). 32 (38) sts

rnd 8: k9 (11), k1 (k2), k2tog, k18 (k20), ssk, k0 (k1). 30 (36) sts

rnd 9: k9 (11), k1 (k2), k2tog, k16 (k19), ssk, k0 (k1). 28 (34) sts

(just man's sock: k11, k1, k2tog, k17, ssk, k1. 32 sts)

Work around on foot sts -- 28 (32) sts for desired length which is about 1-1/2 inches before tip of toes -- approx. 15 (30) rnds.

Begin toe shaping by redistributing sts on 2 needles: 14 (16) sts per needle.

row 1: k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1; rep on 2nd needle

Rep row 1 until 8 (10) sts remain. Break yarn and pull thru sts. Tuck in all loose ends and ENJOY!

Socks really aren't so hard and with big yarn on big needles they go together quickly and you can easily see what is occuring. Try these socks and "holler" if you have any questions....

Happy knittin!

Tutorial -- Quick and Thick Sox

Some of the ladies over at 4real asked about sock knitting. I offerred to do a tutorial about socks and since the thick socks make it so easy to learn to knit, I thought I'd do a tutorial on a quick and thick sock.

I'll post the formal pattern separately, but this tutorial will walk you thru all the steps of knitting a sock. So here goes:

Step 1: Cast on the appropriate number of stitches. You'll be using double-pointed needles, but you can certainly CO all to one needle and then distribute onto the other needles.
Step 2: distribute CO sts onto the dpns -- here I have a set that is 4 needles, so I distribute the 32 stitches evenly across 3 of the needles -- 10 on each of two needles, 12 on the 3rd needle. You'll join the CO together by knitting the first stitch from the needle below the needle from which the yarn is coming.
Step 3: here the cuff is done -- a k2p2 rib makes an elastic but lovely ribbing. Remember the cuff should be at least one inch deep so that the rib is able to pull-in and keep the sock up!
Step 4: here, we've finished knitting the leg and have distributed the stitches onto two needles only. The first half of the stitches will be used to knit back-and-forth to create the heel flap. The second half of the stitches will remain unknit until the heel is done. Step 5: Here the heel flap stitches are done. The right-side row for traditional heel stitch is done by *slip 1 st, knit 1 st; rep from * across the heel flap. Next row (ws): sl 1 st, purl across all the other sts. This "traditional heel stitch" pulls in nicely and allows sock to hug the heel back. As you can see in the picture ... the slipped stitches are larger and make the knitted sts sink back so that the heel actually only looks like half as many stitches. Step 6: The turned heel flap is shown above. Basically you work half way across, k2tog, k1 and then turn, purl back across and p2tog. Continue knitting the right-side stitches and purling the wrong-side stiches, adding 1 more each time until you've worked across all the heel flap sts (here you'll have 10 sts left when you're done turning the flap of 18sts).Step 7: once you've finished turning the heel, you'll pickup the side sts -- which are technically called the gusset sts. Since you've slipped every st at the beginning of each row when doing the heel flap, you'll have half the number of rows knitted as a nice chain on the edges to pickup -- here we'll pickup nine sts (from the 18 rows knitted for heel flap).Here the gusset sts have been picked up and the top of the foot sts (technically, the instep stitches) are all ready to work. You can see the inside of the heel flap -- the slipped-stitches are where the bar of yarn is shown here.Step 8: once you've picked up all the gusset sts -- 9 either side of the turned-heel and knitting across the instep sts -- for a total of 46 sts. Every row you'll dec the extra gusset sts (the slanted line shown above) on either side of the heel flap until you have a total of 28 sts for the foot. You'll re-distribute these 28 sts onto two needles only -- 14 sts each -- as this makes it easiest to shape the toe once you've done the 15 rnds or so for the foot.Step 9: shape the toe (ending the foot about 1 to 1-1/2 inces short of the desired finished length of the foot) by k1, ssk, k across the needle to 3 short of the end, k2tog, k1; rep on second needle. Continuing this toe-shaping until you have 4 sts left on each needle -- 8 sts.

Step 10: once you're down to the 8 sts, cut the yarn (leaving a tail about 4 inches long. Thread onto a big-eyed needle and thread thru the sts as you remove them from the needle. Pull tight and tie off the end ... this makes a nicely finished toe.
And the sock is done! Now, repeat for the second foot ... now that wasn't so hard was it?