Tag Archives: Knitting

Redirect, Redefine, Renew

24 Sunday Jul 2022

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I can’t change the direction of the wind,
but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
[Jimmy Dean]

Malware infected my website and showed up as the dreaded, ”white screen of death.” My friend, Janet, redirected atimetoknit.com to this blog while I decide what to do about my site. I’ve had a site online for a quarter of a century and want to redefine my offerings. I still have hand-knitting patterns to share including new ones so I am renewing my efforts in that direction while still maintaining a general topic blog.

Knitting

With the help of my friend, Lynne, we are making progress toward publishing another Great Lakes Chill Chaser pattern. This one is, ”Niagara Shawls.” The lace shawl in the photo above is one version. We are trying to make this pattern easy to follow, but flexible enough that knitters can choose how use garter or lace repeats to personalize their project. We are getting there.

Writing & Other Joys

Recently, most of my writing has involved revising patterns and recovering text from my ailing website. I accomplish most when I make written lists. Not only do lists help me prioritize tasks, but they encourage me and keep me on point.

My main joy since my 79th birthday last November has been enjoying my 80th year. Each morning, my little buddy, Louie, and I go on a gratitude walk. I find that sets a positive tone for the day and keeps us agile. I’ve started going through the address book on my computer and writing at least one real letter a day to old friends. I’m exploring handwork skills that have fascinated me for years. I’m teaching myself new computer skills. I’m learning a lot of things that make me wonder how I didn’t learn it sooner. I’m realizing the effectiveness of Anne Lamott’s advice:

Almost everything will work again
if you unplug it for a few minutes,
including you.

Hoosier Hood

15 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by in Knitting, Pattern, Thoughts

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O, it sets my heart a clickin’ like the tickin’ of a clock,
when the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.
[James Whitcomb Riley] 

Hoosier HoodIt was 6 AM and my ears were cold. I was on my morning walk with my buddy, Louie, and I just wanted to get home where I could warm up. As we walked, I dreamed of a hat that I could quickly knit in one piece out of one 200-yard ball of yarn. When we got home, Louie got a treat and I knit the Hoosier Hood.

Here is the pattern (select the following link to download the PDF file): Hoosier Hood. I hope you enjoy it as much as my warm ears have.

Note: James Whitcomb Riley was a poet who wrote in hoosier dialect. Most of his poems appealed to children and the children’s hospital was named to honor him.

Buffalo Plaid Christmas Stocking

08 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by in Free Pattern, Knitting, Thoughts

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When we were children
we were grateful
to those who filled our stockings
at Christmas time.
Why are we not grateful to God
for filling our stockings with legs?
[G.K. Chesterton]

Buffalo Check Stocking

Knitting

Last summer, I wrote a brief article for the Call of the Wool, the Dayton Knitting Guild newsletter. It was about the Christmas stocking tradition among the knitters in my family and included this new pattern as a ‘thank you’ for the encouragement and support I’ve received from the members of the guild. Here it is for you, my much appreciated blog readers, at no charge. Download a printable PDF by selecting this link.

Writing

While I knit, I listen to audio books. Some are checked out of our local library using the Libby app, and some are purchased. About a third of them are non-fiction history books—mostly about the American Civil War and World War One. Code Breakers are an interest of mine. I enjoy the books of specific historical writers such as David McCullough, Barbara Tuchman, Shelby Foote, and James McPherson.

I often listen again to a number of fiction books—especially if a favorite author is about to publish a new book in a series. I recently re-listened to Jacqueline Winspear’s Masie Dobbs series.

Other Joys

My furry buddy, Louie, and I walk every morning at six. Now that it is dark and chilly, I carry a flash light in my pocket. Lately, Christmas lights brighten our December walks and make it a happy exercise.

Another joy is having my grandson arrive every morning for school in my sunroom. He connects with his classes by WiFi on a laptop loaned to him by the school. I feed him breakfast, and serve him hot tea. PE has been reduced to exercises but I don’t think this will set him back. I wish I could have attended seventh grade in my grandma’s sunroom.

Other Free Christmas Patterns

atimetoknit.com

01 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Knitting, Knitting Sites

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Knit on with confidence and hope
through all crises.
[Elizabeth Zimmermann]

kmm_shetland

I’ve activated my new website: atimetoknit.com. One of the many good things about publishing online is that a Website is endlessly expandable. Currently, the site only offers free patterns, premium patterns and my two books, but I have plans.

More Premium Patterns

I have a list of seventy three designs that are in varying stages of development. My main challenge in getting these ready to sell is doing the math. In order to offer sweater patterns in at least three sizes, I need to calculate.

The patterns that excite me the most are my Great Lakes Chill Chaser Collection. These patterns will be my focus for the rest of the year. The premium patterns are currently sold through Ravelry.com. Although it is a membership site, non-members can access the pattern store. These are also sold through participating yarn shops.

Classes, Workshops and Seminars

I’ve taught a number of classes and workshops over the years. This is an activity that brings me as much joy as knitting. A number of the seventy three patterns I mentioned were developed to enable knitters to hone skills. I plan to add a section to the Website that will describe each class I offer with photos of the class projects.

Technique Videos

It has long been a dream of mine to offer simple videos that show how to execute various knitting techniques. I want the videos to be clear, concise and easy to replay.

Links

Starting this month, I’ll compile a list of my favorite knitting links.

Those plans should keep me out of trouble for awhile. Of course, I’ll have to take knitting breaks. For some folks, comfort congers up a vision of favorite food or an easy chair. For me, I maintain my mental health with a set of knitting needles and a lovely ball of fiber. It also helps that I have no TV or cell phone.

Dew Catcher

09 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Free Pattern

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It is one of those summer days when everything perspires
including my brow and my glass of iced tea.
There’s even dew on the roses.

Dew Catcher

This is a fun porch-sitting project and a useful way to use up leftover sock yarn. Enjoy.

Abbreviation Key:

k: knit
kb: knit in back of stitch
sl: slip as to purl
ytf: yarn to front
ytb: yarn to back

Supplies:

U.S. Size 2 needle and sock-weight yarn.

Instructions:

Cast on 36 sts. (Using a waste-yarn cast on will make closing the seam easier when finished.)

  1. **Knit across. [odd numbers are right-side rows]
  2. K 8, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  3. Kb, k34.
  4. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k6, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  5. Kb, k33.
  6. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k5, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  7. Kb, k32.
  8. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k4, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  9. Kb, k31.
  10. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k3, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  11. Kb, k30.
  12. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k2, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  13. Kb, k29.
  14. Ytf, sl 1, ytb, k1, ytf, sl 1, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.
  15. Kb, k28.
  16. Ytf, sl 2, ytb, k26, ytf, sl 1.**

Work from ** to ** a total of 8 times.

Join seam between first and last rows. If you used a waste-yarn cast on, remove the waste yarn while putting the live stitches on another needle. Join either using a three-needle bind off, or kitchner stitch.

(designed by Katherine Misegades, A Time to Knit Publications, LLC)

Book Tour: One Skein Wonders for Babies

25 Sunday Oct 2015

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Children reinvent your world for you.
[Susan Sarandon]

One-Skein Wonders for Babies

I’m delighted that my blog is a whistle stop on an extensive blog tour for this new knitting-pattern book. Story Publishing sent me a copy of the book and I could easily see why the One-Skein Wonders series is so popular. Who doesn’t have a skein left of one thing or another? This book is an answer to the question, what can I do with this yarn?

I also saw the book for sale at Atkinson Farm Yarns in Vincennes, IN. Fifteen knitters passed it from person to person, each making positive comments about the designs and clever use of yarn. My personal favorite thing about the book is that it contains three patterns by my friend, Andrea Wong.

Meaghan Weeden, Publicity and Marketing Assistant at Storey Publishing sent the following information about this book:

Adorable Designs Knit with Just One Skein

There is nothing more adorable than children’s clothes. Those soft, cozy hats, tiny jackets, and “blankies” kids can’t live without are treasures when knitted by someone who loves them. With One-Skein Wonders for Babies, an irresistibly cute collection of 101 knitting projects for outfitting infants and toddlers using one skein of yarn, knitters can make those precious items easily, sometimes even in one day!

In this welcome addition to the six-volume best-selling One-Skein Wonders series, editor Judith Durant, has gathered 101 of the sweetest designs from top knitwear designers to offer every level of knitter an inviting variety of styles, including practical leg warmers, huggable stuffed animals, baby bootees, and more.

Filled with colorful photos and helpful charts, the one-skein approach offers projects for all skill levels and yarn types. Perfect designs for gifts!

One-Skein Wonders for Babies is the seventh book in the One-Skein Wonders series. One-Skein Wonders, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders, Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, Crochet One-Skein Wonders, and Lace One-Skein Wonders together have over 500,000 copies in print.

About the Editor

Judith Durant is editor of the best-selling One-Skein Wonders series, which currently includes six volumes; author of Increase, Decrease and Knit One, Bead Too; and co-author of Knitting Know-How. Durant has been knitting for more than 50 years and writing and editing for more than 30 years. She lives in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Summer Knitting

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Favorite Things, Knitting, Knitting Sites, Ravelry, Thoughts

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A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining,
the breeze is blowing,
the birds are singing,
and the lawn mower is broken.
[James Dent]

Summer Knitting

I spent the summer knitting other people’s designs (something I rarely do) and I enjoyed every minute of it. This was restful, relaxing and healing. Here are snap shots of the projects I’ve completed since June.

The Decapo jacket [top left], pattern by Danish designer a Hanne Falkenberg, was knit using yarn that was a “Get Well” gift from a friend of mine. (Madelinetosh sock yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Company). What a perfectly delightful way to recover. Here is a link to the first Decapo I knit with Shetland yarn from a Falkenberg kit.

The Ballerina jacket [top right] was knit from a Hanne Falkenberg kit using Shetland yarn. This was one of the most interesting patterns I’ve ever knit. I have one more of her kits to knit—Profil. This designer is amazing.

The Monkey socks were knit from a 2006 Knitty pattern by Cookie A. I used a silk blend from Simply Socks and these feel better than any socks I’ve worn.

The shawl was designed by Rosemary (Romi) Hill, and I bought her pattern on Ravelry. The shawl is named, Artesian (like the water that bubbles up in a natural well). I used Copper Corgi marino in Stormy Marsh color. I bought the yarn at a shop in downtown Savanna, Georgia, but the link here goes to The Copper Corgi Etsy shop. The shawl turned out very “Savannah” so it is a fond memory of my trip.

I consider myself recovered so now I will embark upon publishing more of my own designs on Revelry. I’m working on a collection of texture knits—mostly sweaters.

Pelee Island Holiday

24 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by in Favorite Things, Knitting, Thoughts

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Sometimes you just have to stop
and let your soul catch up with your body.
[Frances Foster]

Pelee Island, Ontario

Pelee_CompositeI boarded the Pelee Islander in Sandusky, Ohio and sailed half way across Lake Erie to Pelee Island, Ontario last week. The voyage took less than two hours, but it took me a world away from my spring encounter with ill health. A friend of mine has a home on the island, and she invited me to come for a knitting vacation. Here is a collection of word snapshots of my impressions:

  • The Jackson Street Pier in Sandusky must be one of the better duty stations for the Customs and Border Patrol officers. The inspections went smoothly and I got to use my new wallet-size passport card. I also added another item to my list of reasons I like being over seventy. Everyone stood back and let me go first. They didn’t see me get in my two-seated roadster to drive on home.
  • Lake Erie has come a long way back from the brink in the past fifty years. When I saw it on my way through Cleveland in 1965, it was dead. Last week, the water was clear, and free of debris and odor. Since there has been so much rain this year, the water level was unusually high so many beaches were covered.
  • Starting a trip with a boat ride adds to the excitement, and is a fun way to separate one from everyday life—unless, of course, one works on a boat in ones everyday life. I didn’t even feel sea sick.
  • Knitting is an essential skill for those of us who aren’t adapted to aimless idleness. It makes us patient waiters. I knit as I waited for the boat, I knit while we traveled. I knit while my friend and I visited. Some folks don’t realize that most knitting doesn’t require constant thought so one can converse and pay attention to other things while the fingers are moving.
  • Halfway into our voyage, the Ohio rain gave way to the first sunshine I’d seen in days. It lasted for several days. I even brought it home with me.
  • As my friend said, Pelee Island looks like a chunk was cut out of the Ohio farm land and set down in the middle of the lake. The center of the island is planted in crops like soy beans.
  • A morning stroll down a shaded country lane adds even more to an already excellent breakfast at the local Bakery. The baker is also a painter and jewelry maker. I invested in earrings and a tea pot as well as croissants.
  • A trip to the local winery was educational as well as fun. Did you know that rose bushes are planted at the end of each row of grape vines for their “canary in the mine” effect? The same diseases infest the roses as the grapes so, if the roses show disease, the whole row is likely to be involved.
  • The history museum, the local craft co-op, a food and hardware co-op, and a small dress shop also grabbed my attention. I didn’t put too big a dent in my budget, but I did bring home good-memory triggers. Some folks call these souvenirs.

As I drove west toward home on U.S. 6, and U.S. 27, I felt whole. I think that is what vacations are for.

American Neighborhood

03 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by in Favorite Things, History, Knitting, Thoughts, Writing

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You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.  
[Erma Bombeck]

2015-July4

Last evening, there was a spontaneous gathering of my neighbors. We were trimming our yards for the holiday, each helping the other. We represented a variety of age groups, nationalities, races, occupations, income levels. We were the poster group for the old-fashioned term, melting pot. I felt enriched. I’ve often thought that the best part of being an American was being heir to all countries, languages, cultures, and religions. I label myself with a new hyphenated term. I am an enriched-American.

P.S. My neighbors also liked the holiday socks that I hand knit last weekend.

the-wright-brothers-9781476728742_lgP.P.S. I listen to audiobooks while I knit and found this one stunning. David McCullough is one of my favorites, both as a writer and a narrator. This book captures the brilliance of Orville and Wilbur, and the world-changing nature of their achievements. When I was in Dayton to teach a knitting workshop, a friend took me on a tour of the city. We saw the Wright homes, the sites of the Wright printing company and bike shop, Paul Dunbar’s home, and the place where the brothers tested their planes. McCullough captures it all in this book. Reading it is time well spent.

Dreambird Completed

29 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Knitting, Knitting Sites, Ravelry

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Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience.
A rustling in the leaves drives him away.
[Walter Benjamin]

DREAMBIRD-2-sm

This is Dreambird, designed by Nadita and sold as a downloadable PDF on Revelry.com at this LINK. I used sock weight yarn—marino for the black and silk for the variegated. I used only one page of the 22-page pattern—the chart for the short row turns. If you knit this, place markers where they make sense to you to keep track of your place in the pattern. Also, use the wrap-and-turn that you like best for short rows. Now, I’m trying one using shetland jumper weight yarn.

DREAMBIRD-1-sm