Dreamcatcher Recipe

Download PDF here

A Dreamcatcher is supposed to snare nightmares in its net and let good dreams pass through the holes to find you. Some people say they work the other way around by letting the nightmares pass by and catching the good dreams to send down to you. Whichever way you think about it both ideas mean good dreams in and bad dreams out. I’ve been a vivid dreamer my whole life so this is an idea I like.

A Dreamcatcher should be personal to the dreamer. So, when I set about making mine, I decided to knit as much of it as possible. This pattern is more of a recipe than a pattern as there are a lot of non-knitting steps. Pictures are included to help you along the way. The great thing about this project is that you can personalize it any way you want. Choose your own yarn (great stash buster) and beads or buttons. I knit little leaves to hang from my Dreamcatcher, but maybe you prefer flowers. In that case, look around for flower patterns to adapt. Have fun and let me know if you have any questions. Happy Dreaming!

Helpful Links:
There's a great video on making an I cord here.
And the leaf pattern is based of a pattern found here.

Can we talk about time management?

Ok, so I've been really struggling lately with this whole time management thing. I did a WIP round up and here are my results:

On my needles:

1. Linen Stitch Mitts which have been frogged and restarted.
2. Cowl that is all knit up but still needs me to sew in its ends.
3. Double Knit hat that is taking for-ev-er.

In my queue:

1. Sweater (my first!) that is currently still wound up into seven balls of beautiful Quince and Co. Osprey.
2. Hat requested by my husband.
3. Fingerless gloves requested by my mother-in-law.

On my spindle:
1. Natural Cormo roving trying desperately to become yarn.

Other:
1.Pattern for my men's fingerless mitts which is only half written.

So, I'm trying figure out when to cram all this stuff in. I mean, there's this pesky thing I have to do everyday where I get up and go to this office for 8 whole hours and do a bunch of stuff there. Plus, there's all this time I have to spend sleeping and eating and commuting (although I can squeak out some time if the subway isn't too crowded.) And then I have a dog and husband whom I would like to spend some time with.

How does one find the time to actually make progress on a project? Other people seem to be able to do it. And other people have kids! And husbands/wives who don't cook (Thanks Matt!). So, any suggestions? How do you make time? I've already switched to audiobooks so I can knit and get my lit fill, and I've pretty much given up cleaning or other housework because that is just way too time consuming. But the sleeping/eating/working stuff I can't see give up (at this point anyway).  And yes, I must add, that I am fully aware of the irony of me asking for time management help via my blog which, let's face it, is a time killer.

So, any ideas are welcome! I know there are some masters of time management out there; drop some knowledge on me, please.

Check it: Handspun

 

That's right. I did make this. And I have to say I'm feeling pretty proud. My very first handspun yarn. I can't wait to knit a little something up with this bulky bad boy. 

Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool!

Finally, after years of having "other commitments" and things "just not working out," I made it out of the city and up to Rhinebeck for the annual Sheep and Wool Festival. We rented a car, dropped the dog off at Woodstock Kennels for a mini vacation, and spent the day knee-deep in all sorts of sheep, goats, camelids, and their respective fibers.

I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from the trip. Many thanks to my husband for taking all the pictures (I love being married to a photographer).

There were so many amazing hand-dyed yarns. Almost too many in fact. I didn't end up buying a single skein. I was so overwhelmed with all the choices.

 This was the lone goat in the Llama Parade. I thought he looked very proud to be representing his species.

 I loved the Llamas and Alpacas. This guy was so goofy.

I got to see my first up-close sheep shearing. It took less than five minutes to leave this sheep butt- naked and feeling frisky. 

So, this was what I was most excited about. I've been thinking about trying my hand at spinning and was looking forward to assembling the materials for my first spinning project. Choosing roving was almost as hard as yarn, but I didn't walk away empty handed. I also love this picture because the wool looks like some sort of beautiful underwater vegetation.

And to spin you need a spindle (I'm not ready to take the plunge into wheels). I had no idea spindles came in so many shapes, sizes, and colors. Spindles are an art form in themselves. I love functional art! I was tempted to get one of these beautiful ceramic ones but as I've been told many times, "It's not called a drop spindle for nothing."

I found my spindle! It's a nice hardy work horse spindle. I can't wait to get spinning! I'll make sure to post about my forays into yarn production.

And just a little aside, the day after the festival we picked up our dog from the Kennel with the intention of taking a hike before heading back to the city. As we were getting ready to hike, who pulls into the parking lot but my brother, sister-in-law, and their hound dog! They live in a nearby town but had no idea we were around. Such a crazy coincidence. We had a great mini family reunion/hike and also had the pleasure of a very sleepy dog later that night.

Stay tuned: I'm working on a pattern for men's fingerless mitts and hope to post it soon!

Newbie Pattern!

New to knitting? Tired of knitting scarves, washcloths, and other various rectangular objects? This pattern is especially for people just starting to spread their knitting wings. Techniques used in this pattern include knitting, purling, decreasing, and working in the round. Perfect your basic knit stitch with the simple stockinette pattern and have fun trying out some new skills. This pattern has not been test knit, so if you need any help, just let me know!  

Sugar Maple Hat

download PDF here

This simple stockinette hat was inspired by the warm and cozy colors of the Koigu Kertsi merino yarn used in the pictures. The brilliant yellows and oranges of changing leaves and the dark grays of chilly nights all asked to be knit into a comfy, slouchy fall hat. So, knit this up and wear it on all of your pumpkin picking, hot cider drinking, hay riding autumn adventures.

 

Yarn: 2 skeins of Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe (100% Merino Wool 50g/114yds)

Needles: Size 5US (3.75mm) dpns and size 6US (4mm) dpns.

Size: One size. Unstretched ribbing is 16” in circumference. Made to fit approximate head circumference of 21”.

Gauge: 21 stitches on size 6 needles= 4 inches

Abbreviations:

K: knit

P: purl

K2tog: knit two stitches together as if they were one.

CO: cast on

BO: bind off 

 

Pattern

Using your favorite method (Long Tail Cast On used in photos) and size 5 dpns, CO 100 sts. Join in the round being careful not to twist sts.

Work in k2, p2 rib for 18 rounds.

Switch to size 6 dpns.

Work in stockinette st until the entire length (including rib) measures 9 inches.

Decrease rows:

1.     K8, k2tog; repeat to end (90 st remain).

2.     K around.

3.     K7, k2tog; repeat to end (80 st remain).

4.     K around.

5.     K6, k2tog; repeat to end (70 st remain).

6.      K around.

7.     K5, k2tog; repeat to end (60 st remain).

8.     K around.

9.     K4, k2tog; repeat to end (50 st remain).

10. K3, k2tog; repeat to end (40 st remain).

11. K2, k2tog; repeat to end (30 st remain).

12. K1, k2tog; repeat to end (20 st remain).

13. K2tog; repeat to end (10 st remain)

14. K2tog; repeat to end (5 st remain).

Break yarn. Thread yarn through the remaining stitches. Secure and weave in ends.

© 2011 by Wool to the Brim

Behold:

This is may be unrelated to knitting, but I thought we may need to take a moment to glory in the majesty of a beagle with his head out the window.

Project Update

I really leapt before I looked with this one.

I completed all the knitting (except for the thumb) on the first of my Linen Stitch Mitts. Then, I couldn't quite figure out how to sew up the edges. Mattress Stitch didn't seem like it would work given the construction of the Linen Stitch, plus I didn't want an invisible seam. I tried Whip Stitch but could see too much to the yarn used to sew poking through. So, after some major Ravelry research, I decided to give the Back Stitch a try. And it worked great! It gave me just the seam I was looking for without too much yarn showing. Plus, although I usually am not a huge fan of seaming, I actually enjoyed sewing this up. I liked the precision of the stitch and it has a nice look to it too: very neat and orderly (although it will be on the inside where no one can see it anyway).

And now comes the part I think I've been in denial about. I had moments while knitting when I would think "Hm, there sure are a lot of yarn tails here" but then I would have a Scarlet O'Hara moment and say to myself, "I wont think about that today. I'll think about that tomorrow." But the time has come to reap what I sew or sew what I knit as the case may be. Here's a small peak at the madness which awaits me.

It looks like a lovely nightmare of a rainbow. I can't even imagine how I'm going to make all these tails fit! Oh well, nothing to do but dig in and start sewing. I have some new projects starting to brew in the back of my mind so I better finish up with this one.

Linen Stitch Mitts

Well, right now I'm working on a new pattern for fingerless mitts. I wanted to make something with tons of color and no real obvious color pattern. I also wanted to have all the different colors mix together but I didn't feel like working with more than one yarn per row. So, the perfect solution to accommodate all these various wishes seemed to be the linen stitch.  

Here's a picture of my progress so far:

I'm working it flat which I've never done with mittens (I'm a huge magic loop fan) and I'm having a wonderful time figuring out the gusset. Here's a few things I'm learning as I go:

1. I find the best increase for the linen stitch is the kfb since you are working with an existing stitch and don't have to be bothered about where to make a new stitch as you would with the M1R or M1L which can be tricky with all those slipped stitches lying around. 

2. Increasing will mess up the nice "A B A B" color pattern the linen stitch makes when you switch colors every two rows. Therefore, I had to mix up the pattern a little and work the same color for 3-4 rows, increasing on the third row when all the stitches on the needle are already the same color.

3. Linen stitch makes a very tight piece of fabric, so I'm adding many more stitches to the gusset than I would if working in a looser stitch.  

Also, since I wanted to use several different colors but I didn't want to have to buy a ton of yarn and only use a little from each skein. So, I bought a couple skeins of self-striping sock yarn. Then I cut those skeins up according to color and wound a bunch of mini-skeins. You can buy bobbins for purposes such as this, like these ones from knitpicks: http://www.knitpicks.com/accessories/Knitting_Yarn_Bobbins__DYarnBobbins.html. But I wanted to get knitting and didn't want to wait for them to be delivered. So, I improvised and used the spools from my dog's poop bags to wind the yarn around. New uses for old things!

Once I get these finished, I'll post a pattern.

Hello, My Name Is

For my first official post I thought I should introduce myself.

So here I am (with Ollie the Beagle):

I also have a husband but he's behind the camera as usual. We all live together in a cozy apartment in Manhattan. By day, I'm a social worker, trying my best to make a little bit of difference in this huge city. By night, I'm a lot of things, but for the purposes of this blog, I'm a knitter.

I was taught to knit by my mom when I was in high school. She tried to teach me before, but tomboy that I was, I resisted. When I finally opened my mind and gave it a try I was blown away. I felt connected to all the creative, industrious women who came before me and who had all passed on this art to their daughters until it finally made it to me. Plus, it was fun and you end up with some cool stuff. As I say in my profile, I may not be an expert knitter but I try to be adventurous. I love trying out new techniques and new ideas and mixing and mashing them all together to create something, well, new! My favorite thing is when I get that itch to knit and start dreaming up a project and say "that is way over my head but let's try it anyway." Sometimes it works, sometimes it gets frogged, but it's always fun and interesting.

So, watch me try some new stuff (new to me anyway). Show me what exciting, creative, frustrating, challenging, ridiculous projects you're working on. Give me your two cents and I'll give you mine.