My favorite librarian sent me this link…snappy new knitting website called Twist Collective. Amazing socks people…go look. I mean NOW.

OK, I promised this eons ago, but summer vacation just started and I frankly have a hard time transitioning from full time work to time off each year. I know that it sounds insane, but I really do better with a todo list and a bell schedule.

Here’s the pattern. I used superwash wool yarn-this was a sock yarn, but anything that weight would also work. I used size 1 double point needles. I do not do a heel…this way they fit baby’s feet longer, or they can be used as mittens.

• Using this cast on method cast on 8 stitches, 2 on each needle.
• Knit all stitches.
• Knit 2 Increase by lifting stitch below current stitch and pull yarn through. Repeat in next stitch and K2. Turn and repeat across stitches on other needle.
• Divide stitches between 4 needles, 5 stitches per needle.
• K2, place marker. Knit across all stitches.
• Increase row: Knit 2. Increase by lifting stitch below current stitch and pull yarn through. Knit to end of needle. On next needle knit until the last two stitches. Increase by lifting stitch below next stitch and pull yarn through. Repeat this over the next two needles. This will increase 4 stitches each time.
• Knit row.
• Repeat the last two rows until you have 8 stitches per needle (32 total).
• Knit 4 more rows.
• Move the stitches from needles 1 and 2 to one needle to make it easier to work the cable pattern.
• The cable pattern:
  • Knit 4, purl 2 (dots on the chart), knit 4, purl 2, knit 4. Knit the rest of the row.
  • From here follow the chart below. For the twist put the first two stitches on a cable needle and leave in front. Knit the next two stitches, then knit the two stitches off the cable needle.
  • 
• Work 4 repeats of the cable pattern.
• Work 16 rows in 2×2 ribbing (Knit 2, purl 2).
• Cast off loosely.

I have been looking for something super simple to make for new baby/expectant mom. I finally settled on these:

Sorry for the cruddy picture. I finished them while we went to see Kung Fu Panda (better than I thought it would be).

It is super-wash 100% wool sock yarn of some variety. I used size 1 DPN’s. I worked them without heels since babies tend to grow quickly early on. Sort of a cable tube sock.

 The pattern is almost done, I’ll try to post tomorrow.

We are seconds away from summer break around here. I actually have been doing a lot of knitting lately…will try to post pics now that I have some free time.

To go along with all these knitted items I made some gift tags. All of my knitted gifts tend to be machine washable…giving someone a fussy handwash item for a new baby seems cruel somehow.

knitting_care_cards.pdf

OK, I admit. I spent all day yesterday hanging out in my jammies. Sat’s debate meet went great, but after 12 hours of running back and forth I was pooped. I didn’t even knit.

This afternoon the girls and I worked on some holiday stuff. Big sis still wants to be the first librarian in space. We used her date stamper to make wrapping paper:

I love simple wrapping papers, and this is perfect. It’s red and white, and no mess to clean up.

Handmade Holiday is rolling along. Here’s the updated list of Handmade Holiday folks:

• Billingtons
• Crafty Bits and Bobs
• Kathryn Ivy
• mk carroll
• Rosie
• Tara

Be sure to stop by the flickr group. Amazing!

Tomorrow I’ll add some more ideas of what to make. Right now the husband and I are going to watch Transformers and I am going to rework a yoke on a sweater for little-sis. Every time I start to knit for them they insist on growing!

Oh, and check out the Flickr badge to the right.

I’ve been playing with Google Maps

I thought this would be a fun way to keep track of knitting stores. I even included Toku-Hands that we visited last summer in Tokyo.

I have way to many knitting projects in the work as it is, then I had to go and spot this:

This is from the Ramblings of a Knitting Obsessive blog, which I love. Isn’t it cute? The directions seem pretty clear, so maybe once I finish a kids cardigan, some baby hats, a pair of socks and a new vest pattern I’m working on…

I really need a cardigan, my old one died, and I think this would look good in green….

OK, lame post, but this is more for my own reference…I have a ton of sites I use for knitting graph paper, so here’s the collection.  If you are charting your knitting the stitches are typically wider than they are tall, so regular grid paper doesn’t work. As a math nerd I lovegraph paper. Always have. This was one of the best things about Japan. Graph paper in every store. 

knit stitches

• Sweaterscapes store
  I likethat this one lets you pick the paper that is best for your gague. The files are jpegs. Plus they have a really snappy free pattern for Opera Gloves.

  

• Ruth’s Blog
  also has great directions for creating graph paper with excel. Math geek that I am I love this one.
• Here’s another
  set that lets you scale your own, plus you can add color lines and extra margin for notes.
• ABC’s of Knitting
   And if you want a PDF, this one’s for you. Again you scale it by rows/stitches. Even better thay have a few pages about Japanese knitting with directions on how to read the directions…I got several craft & knitting books in Japan, so this is super handy.

eyebrows! School is in full swing. The fall is always crazy. It takes a while for the kids to settle in and learn the new routines. Debate is busiest this time of year. All of our family birthdays except little-sis and I are in the fall. This is the first day in about three weeks I haven’t had a before and after school meeting.

I am finding small bits of time to do things. Little-sis’ Paris sweater is close to done. My Noro sweater I started in Kyoto has half a sleeve then I’m done.

I still haven’t found a use for these tiny needles, but I will.

Tomorrow is soccer practice, so that’ll be a good hour to knit. Hooray!!

Well, we are finally home from Florida. Lots of rain on the drive…the girls are great little travelers though. Easy to keep quiet as long as you keep the pretzel sticks handy.

We got back to a pumpkin explosion. The seeds we planted in the front yard are huge. We now have at least 6 pumpkins coming.  I’ll try to get some shots tomorrow. We did a medley of different kinds. It seems like mostly the white and green are making fruit. I was hoping for some minis, but nothing yet. It has gotten to the point the neighbors are coming by to check on it’s progress.

I did an amazing tubular bind off for the garter rib sock I started on the road. Gorgeous. And, of course, way too tight. I think I am going to pull it out and try re doing the 1×1 ribbing with a few extra stitches added in, and bind off more loosely. It is either pretty and tight, or fits and messy. Typical.