CraftyPod interviewed Loom Knitters Circle magazine! Host, Diane, interviewed both editors, Denise and I; she gave us a few loomy questions to ponder and respond to. The Loomy-podcast is up and you can listen to it. Go over ;)...pplllleease. Thank you Diane for having us on the show!
Sorry for the long absence on the blog...I have been a bit preoccupied. Here is a little hint to what I have been working on lately....lots of these in my future.
After a weekend away, we are back to our regular Loomy Q & A.
Question 1: I have a pattern that calls for a slipped peg. How do you slip a stitch [peg] on a knitting loom?
To slip a stitch on a knitting loom, you simply skip the peg with yarn behind work (back of peg).
When you slip a stitch, you are elongating the stitch below--pulling it up one row up. When you slip the first stitch at the beginning of a row, you create a crochet-like edge.
When you slip a stitch within the row, such as when you are knitting the heel stitch: *sl1, k1; repeat from *, you elongate the stitch from below. It creates a nice thick fabric.
You can also use slipped stitches to create defined corners in a bag as is the case with the satchel.
Hope this helps out with the pattern you are trying out.
On to our next question:
Question 2: Can a knitting board be used to make a hat?
Yes, a knitting board can be used to knit a hat. If you want it to be double knit, you will probably need to create it flat and seam the side to close it as a tube. Unless you have a circular knitting board in which case you can just knit a tube by knitting all around the circular knitting board. However, if you have a regular knitting board such as the purple knifty knitter or any of the long looms, you will need to knit it flat and seam it along the side.
That's all for our Loomy Q & A day, remember send me your question(s) and I will post the answer(s) next weekend.
For now, loom on!
Isela
Well, nothing got done today. The late nighter I had yesterday made my entire day a bit difficult--I was dragging my feet all day and wishing I was asleep, but with 2 kiddos in the house, it is hard to go and take a nap...not unless I want to wake up to a floor full of chips, cheerios, and every other possible thing they can get their hands into.
But the day was not knitting/loom knitting free. The kiddos woke up to white fluffy snow and the first thing that came out of their mouths was a plea to play outside in the snow. I got them all dressed and ready but unprepared Mom didn't have any mittens (yeah, I could win the trophy for the most unprepared and worst mother in the world).
Wonderboy quickly suggested to sit down and knit them a pair of mittens. (he has this idea that I can sit and knit almost anything) I told him I didn't have any yarn (lies, lies, lies!). So off they went into the snow and they played, they came back 30 minutes later all frozen, despite the layers of clothes.
Then the mail came and with it a little special package with some lovely Knit Picks yarn, as soon as I opened it, Wonderboy screamed--Yay, yarn for my gloves!
To lazy to find a mitten pattern (needle knitted) to match the yarn and my gauge, I sat down and did the only natural thing--grabbed a loom and started circling away.
Although I have made mittens on a knitting loom before, I wanted to try a different approach--my previous approach consisted of making the little thumb tube separately but I didn't have a thumb loom around, so I tried a different approach.
Try 1: Done on the blue knifty knitter with short-row shaping for the top of the hand, little thumb is attached to the hand of the body and mattress stitched closed at the sides.
Verdict: Don't like: made the thumb too long. The overall body length and width fits Wonderboy though, so I may have to re-try this again--but in a different loom.
Try 2: Done on the Regular Gauge Mini-Wonderloom, top of the hand was shaped with decreasing at each side, just like you do on needles (divide the stitches in half, *k1, ssk, k to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1, k1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, knit next row, rep from *). I did a gather bind off, but I think on the next ones I will graft/kitchener stitch. This one fits little Benny...I will try it on her tomorrow morning when she wakes.
Verdict: Much better than the 1st try. The gauge is a lot tighter which makes for more insulation, more insulation means warm little hands, the shaping at the top also rocks. The pattern is definitely a keeper.
The thumb placement also seems to be better positioned than in the first try. Here is a closer look:
Now, I need to sit down and make a matching one for the last one I made and write down all the little details.
Once I have worked out all the kinks in the pattern, I will post it at LoomKnit and at DA in honor of the Dulaan project, stay tuned. If you have a Wonderloom and would like to test it out, drop me a note, I could use a test knitter or two :D.
In trying to get more things done, I have been staying up really, really early (I can't say late, because it is not late, it is early). Last night or more correct this morning, I went to bed at 4am. I know, I am a nut! A lot got accomplished but this morning I feel so tired. But I did managed to finish THE HAT (the important name that it received around the house).
I have been working on my step-outs for the Knitty Gritty show, so far, I have the completed project, 2 step outs, and need another 2 or 3 step outs, and 2 other completed projects (that's around 13,000 stitches!) : one in a blue and white color and another made in a bigger gauge. My goal is to have them all ready by the end of the week--uninterrupted, I can knit 1 hat a day in a fine gauge knitting loom. Do you think I can do it? Eeek.
For the first time in my life, I have been using a To-do list for the day, without it I am afraid I would skip my meals and even a shower. By the end of the week, you will be very bored in seeing the same brown and pink item, over and over, but I don't have it as bad as Stephanie, she has to make about a gazillion socks.
I also managed to seam up the finished vest for my test knitting. Little Benny didn't want me to send it off, she was adamant that it was for her little baby doll.
And in some grand and unexpected news, I have finally found a project that I can knit for my darling hubby, the Man's Tweed Pullover from Cables Untangled.
I even showed it to him and he liked it, of course, his first concern "do you have time to knit that?", the answer is probably not right now, but as soon as I come back from California I will have free time and I think I have yarn that can be used as a substitute--Rowan wool cotton in a military green. I would love to have it finished for him by St. Valentines...but we will see what time brings.
Instead of working this weekend on something important, I decided to pick up an old UFO and give it another try. I created 2 or 3, or 4 of these little things over the weekend. Each one had something different that didn't exactly work.
I wanted to have a scalloped edge to frame the face so on my first try I loom knitted the bonnet from the front to the back, the results were good, but not good enough, especially since I loom knitted too many lace pattern repeats and the front section was super long.
After a few more tries, success!
The baby bonnet, which I have named: Sweetheart Baby Bonnet was loom knitted on a small gauge knitting loom. I used worsted weight wool (Patons Merino wool). It has a small section of lace that forms a cute scalloped edge around the face.
Here are more pictures of it: sorry that the baby is not real, it will take me at least 9 months to get a real one to pose for the pictures...I'll work on it though, hehehehe.
Other updates: The Anna socks are still on the needles, I am working on sock number 2. I am also working on some other loom knitting patterns and loom knitting tutorials. The Loomy Q & A day will be posted later today after I get my dirty laundry under control.
Sky at 8pm, on our last Saturday in July. By far, it is one of my favorite Saturday Sky pictures that I have taken--for some reason, it gives me a sense of hope.
I have spent the best part of the day designing a fair isle stitch pattern for a hat--every time I thought I had something, I faced a wall--a set amount of pegs that I needed to meet. After several hours, I came up with the exact stitch count that would work with the knitting loom in mind....what do you think?
You see that pink something--it is a little sneak peek into a huge project that my friend Dlandra helped me knit. She did such a wonderful job! Thanks for having my back! Love ya Sista!!
And lastly, I wanted to share a picture from my other little one--he fell asleep thinking--I have named the picture--the Thinker, hehehehe...original :). The little stuff dragon is his favorite--his name is Scorchy and I brought him with me when I moved from NY--it has been B's nite, nite "protector" since he was about 1 year old.
One last picture of our Saturday evening sky.
Over the weekend, I acquired a super cool set of couches for an unbelievable price. My neighbor next door is moving to California and they had a garage sale on Saturday. Although I love garage sales, I tend to avoid them as I usually come back home with unnessary items, but this time, I scored big!
My living room upstairs has been void of furniture since we moved into the house (with the exception of my wheel that has been there since the first day we moved), it wasn't really a big deal, the kids enjoyed playing in the big empty space and we never get any visitors so having furniture there wasn't really a major thing. But, having it empty felt that we weren't really "living" here, it seemed that we were in the brink of either moving in or out. But not anymore--look, 2 couches upstairs and my gorgeous new throne (hubby says so, lol).
On Friday (before scoring the couches) I stopped at Wal-
mart and I found the cute footstool on the picture above, it is some suede imitation, nothing fancy, but oh so functional. The footstool doubles as a storage area. Take the top off and you have an area of about 28" L x 12" W x 8" D, enough space to store at least 2 projects (that be it needle knitted or loom knitted) and all types of notions needed for a project. I am a slob--and I tend to keep at least 3 different projects right next to me on the couch at all times, so naturally, they tend to occupy at least half of the couch, but not anymore, I have them now all neatly inside that little footstool. On top of the footstool, I have my trusty research knitting books.
Outside in the yard: we have been growing flowers like crazy. The strawberries are ripening despite the heat wave and the ants are still roaming around scaring Nyah.
But, look at this interesting specimen on the picture on the left. It started like any other weed, short, nasty looking, (it is still nasty looking) but it is no longer short, it stands about 5 feet tall and it keeps growing. It has buds, they have been there for about 2 weeks, I have been waiting patiently to see what type of flower it has--I mean for all I know it could be a carnivorous plant (yeah, that is how little I know about plants) . It is an interesting looking plant (weed?)...do any of you know what it could be....the suspence is killing me.
I leave you with a picture of my Lily Beauty
The wireless internet has been giving me headaches all day. Comes and goes, comes and goes, it reminds of the love-hate relationship between Lana & Clark...when its around it is heavenly, but when its bad, it is dreadful! All day, connectivity has been sporadic, something that can drive this sane, composed woman into fits of rage!
I had typed Part II of our Estes stay...all the details, even the yucky pj picture was in there and right when I hit "save" the stinking internet went down! The entire post went into cyber-la!
Instead, you will get to see a preview of things to come over at our knitting loom store. For a few weeks, hubby (the DAman) has been playing around trying to find a solution to make an all adjustable extra fine gauge loom--a loom that can provide you with 7-8 stitches per inch. After coming back from Estes Park and him seeing some of the beautiful wood work over there, he came home enthusiastic and with ideas.
On Monday, he set to work and brought home the most outstanding knitting loom ever! I have to say that it is a genious design.
Now, when people ask him what he does for a living, he feels a bit embarrased to say that he makes knitting looms....but, in my mind he doesn't "just" make them. It is like saying that a Mom is just a "stay-at-home" mom. He is so much more than just a loom maker. He has strived to make a useful and yet beautiful tool.
I present you with his latest designs...a fine gauge WonderLoom and an Extra Fine Gauge WonderLoom! The knitting looms are not available yet for purchase, they still need to be tested, but I was very excited to show you his work. Enjoy!
Back tomorrow with the 2nd installment of Estes Park :)
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You know when you start a project, you have the best intentions, you make a swatch, you frog the swatch, grab different yarn, re-try the swatch, start the project, just to find out that you screwed up 10 rows back. So you frog it again, then you start again with a I-will-pay-closer-attention-this-time-around attitude. Then, have almost 10 inches of work done and S*&^%--the baby comes and wiggles herself between the project and you. 
Project get's screwed up again. So you try again...and again...and again..at the end, you just throw the stupid project out the window and it lands on the stinking tree ready for a photograph! It is taunting you...saying...heck, I've won!!
I give up...I didn't even want to knit a stupid cowl...even if is for the deadline! It is a silly thing, looks like a hat without a gathered top! I think everyone can make something like that...so project gets scratched permanently--there, I've won!!! Instead, I will knit a cute little cravat or maybe I'll just pick up my needles and knit me another pair of socks..hehehehe....procrastination, the queen of all evil!
Sometimes, you just have to show some tough love and roughen things up a bit, shake things around and see if another approach will have better results. In this case...the yarn and loom are being put away in time-out!!!
In trying to shake things up around the house, I decided to be the adventurous Mom and give my kids a taste of the outdoors--while still being in-doors. See that tent--I set it up all by myself. 
No help from any grownup---I can survive in the wild...you see, I even had a few spare parts left for future use. What is that? Did you say there are not supposed to be spare parts--heck, mine came equipped with spare parts...really! hehehehe
Well, even if it is not set up properly, the kids are enjoying it...and I am enjoying the sporadic 15 minutes of peace I get while they go "live" in their own house.
PS: I found this cool blog that gathers the best posts from the knitting blogosphere
Last night, I saw a movie that I had not seen for a very, very long time. It is one of my ultimate favorites. Although, I was still a young kiddo in the 80s, I remember my aunts listening to a few of the tunes. I remember them wearing the big puffy hair....yeah, the one that is to blame for the developing hole in our ozone layer. You know the hair, the one that was about 10 inches tall at the front and was kept in that form with half bottle of hair spray. Oh, those were the days when I was free, young, and stupid, hahahahaha...wait, I am still one of them...and I am not telling which one....
Anyways, the movie has a song that always makes me laugh when I hear it....and it goes something like this...."somebody kill me please, put a bullet in my head, I want to dieeeee". Anyways, the song is pathetic to say the least, but it makes me want to sit through the entire movie just to hear it. Do you know the title of the song...well, I guess I should tell you the name of the movie...duh! Ok, the Movie is The Wedding Singer. The song is sang by Adam Sandler in the middle of the movie.
I guess I am in a melancholic mood and I am remembering all types of things from my childhood/youth. Many of them are connected to music, awhile ago, Kim, aka ChefMessy tagged me with a music meme and although I wanted to get it done right away, I knew that it was something that I had to take some time and think about...first cuz my little brain never remembers names of musicians...hahahaha, and second because thinking and sharing some of these brings some memories that are sometimes best left alone...unless I have some kleenex handy.
The Music Meme went something like this...
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now.
The music I listened to is influenced by many of my life happenings, I don't have a reason for many of them, they just remind me of periods of time in my young and silly life.
1. Take on Me by A-ha: It reminds me of afternoons spent with Mom. She married young and she loved this type of music. A baby of the 1960s, she was barely in her 20s when I was a youngster. She would blast this song and just dance in the little 1 bedroom apartment/house we had in Morelia, Mexico. I remember her grabbing me by my hands and just twirling me around. When the song was over, she would just drop me on the bed and laugh with me.
Yes, this song is in my Napster library and I listen to it almost everyday.
2. Hoy me Ire de Casa by Gloria Trevi: Granted the song is in Spanish and I know many of you don't understand this song, but the title translation goes something like this: Today, I will run away from home. Why this song...well, I ran away from home when I was a kid. No, I didn't go to the neighbors house, or to a friend's house. I was rebellious and I wanted people to listen to me and to understand me...by the age of 15, I had run away from home 3 times already. This song fits me and it is one of those songs that I blast the speakers to when I am mad.
3. Think of Me from the Phantom of the Opera: My darling husband sings me this song all the time. He sung it to me when we were only friends and he has never stopped singing it to me. It is in essense my song.
4. I Don't Care by Ricky Martin The instruments version: It just makes me want to dance.
5. Into the Rush by Aly & AJ: My children *love* this song. Everytime it comes on the radio or on tv, they both start dancing. I try to make time to dance with them and build memories like my Mom did with me.
6. Hysteria by Deff Leppard: Just because is a good song to listen to...and I guess I am just addicted to their music as I can hear it anytime of the day.
7. Somebody Kill Me by Adam Sandler.....cuz it makes me laugh...so pathetic it is!!!!
About the picture...it is there serving double duty...to distract you from my lack of knitting content, and second to fufill the Project Spectrum....no instructions for them....just thought I would share on what I knitted last night while watching The Wedding Singer. If you happen to have this movie and you no longer want it, drop me a note, I will take it off your hands :)
7/22
Patterns/video
Swim: 41 miles
Run: 291 miles
Spin:55 hours
Cycling June: 357
