Miss Silly Knits

Tired, but I'd Still Rather Be Knitting

2008-12-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

I'm having a hard time staying awake at work today. It's my last day of work before the Christmas holiday. And my boss is buying us snacks and drinks after work at a nice local restaurant. I should be hurrying through the day, eagerly anticipating happy hour.

But alas, I've passed that stage of life. I just want to go home and sleep for a couple of days.

I'd settle for working on that sweater I swore I would have done for Christmas Eve with the family in STL. Or gazing blankly out the window.

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

2008-12-18T22:39:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to make something new for the holidays. But Christmas is full of tradition. So I compromised. I used my Grandma Stegmann's Oatmeal Cookie recipe. But instead of raisins, I used dried cranberries and orange zest.

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. + 1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
2 c. oatmeal (rolled oats, your favorite type)
1 c. dried cranberries
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

Wisk together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cream together sugars and shortening. Mix the egg and milk into the sugar/shortening mixture. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Mix in the orange zest, cranberries and oatmeal. Bake at 375F for 8-9 minutes.

YUM!

Buy American!

2008-12-06T13:33:00.001-08:00

Don't buy the cheap plastic crap at Wal-Mart. No matter what the commercials say, we really shouldn't support the big box stores as much as we do.

We have traded quality for quantity way too often in our culture. More isn't necessarily better. We should buy whatever we can from local folks that put time and effort into making quality goods.

Support your community. Help recreate a solid American economy.

Hannah Did It Again!

2008-10-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend, after only about 3 weeks of knitting, Hannah mastered basic cable knitting. The picture above is just an eyelash scarf she whipped out over night. But her other current project is my Alaska Cableknit Stocking Cap! She's doing well!

The Mark of a Master

2008-10-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've watched lots of different craftsmen and women over the years. My mom always told me to pay attention to one thing: how the master craftsmen treated the back of a piece - or any detail that most viewers/users wouldn't see. The back of the piece should be as neat and well done as the front. A real master would pay attention to all of the details, even the details of which only he or she would be aware.

I'm working on a striped sweater right now. Every few rows, I change colors. I am using 9 different colors. So there are plenty of little ends hanging out where I have cut the working yarn in order to switch to the next color. I'm trying to be very careful in weaving in these ends - I'm using a duplicate stitch technique so the strands trace each other. I'm really trying to make this a neat process. Hopefully, the inside of my sweater will be as neat as the outside.

Prism Raglan

2008-10-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of my newest original creations. The pattern is based loosely on numbers provided for raglan sweaters in Ann Budd's book The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. Additional details include false cables in place of the traditional raglan shaping at the shoulders and flare shaping at the waist and wrists.

Yarn used: Prism (Hue: Beaver Creek), a hand-dyed sport weight 50/50 blend of silk and merino wool. Hand-dyed by Shirley Ellsworth of Lambspun of Colorado. Sadly, their website isn't updated regularly. But the store has lovely fibers and yarn.

Pattern will be available for sale, ladies bust sizes 30"-44", around mid-November.

Additional pictures will be added shortly...

Teach Them The Way They Should Go

2008-10-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of teaching 10-year-old Hannah to knit. She's the middle daughter of my friends Lori and Alan, and about a month ago, she asked if she could learn and if I would teach her. Hannah is one of the brightest girls I've met in years; I had no doubt that she could pick up knitting quickly. I just hoped it would hold her attention.

I was so impressed by her desire and fearless ability. She caught on and learned much more quickly than just about any student that I've ever taught. She tried everything and wasn't afraid to rip out entire sections when she caught her own mistakes. We spent many hours together knitting over the course of the weekend. Lori said that Hannah has worked through the skein that I bought her and moved on to another skein that Lori found at the local thrift store.

In another week or so, I'll head up to Estes to give Hannah another lesson (and do a bit of late fall hiking in the mountains). By then, Hannah will be ready for cables and charted patterns. By Christmas, I'd wager that she'll have hats and scarves knit up for her entire family.

It's so important to pass on these skills to the next generation. Knitting has been a fad the past few years. But for many of us, these skills are more of an ethic and a way of life: attention to detail and pride in your work. Being able to provide for your needs, and the needs of those around you, and wrapping your loved ones in the works of your own hands.

Alaska Cableknit Stocking Caps

2008-05-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite patterns from the last year. I made up these hats during a lunch break one day while out on the Haul Road in northern Alaska. The pattern is available in PDF form. Just use your favorite worsted weight wool for a warm hat!

Fingerless Gloves

2008-04-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have three new pairs of fingerless gloves for sale. Several years ago, I made myself a pair to keep my hands warm as I worked in a computer lab that was always cold. I have received tons of comments and compliments on them. So, in an effort to de-stash my knitting box, I found some of my favorite sock yarns. The green pair, pictured above, is created from a super-soft wool blend (75% wool, 25% nylon), with jajoba and aloe. They will keep your hands warm in any cold office or on any summer/fall mountain hike, without the scratchiness of traditional wools.

These next two pairs are created from my favorite German sock yarn, Opal. These seem a bit scratchy at first, but soften up upon the first wash.