Gift Making Fun!

Yesterday I went to a holiday gift making workshop at the New York State Museum with my mom and sisters. It was very fun and a great deal at only $11.25 for each of us! They had stations set up around the room to make many different little gifts with almost all natural, herb ingredients. They even had a station set up with all the little cellophane bags, raffia, paper, stickers, etc. so you could decorate everything and make tags.

We made soap,

This was a goats milk soap base that I colored a pale yellow, added ground oatmeal, and a honey almond scent. I love almond scents and these smell great.

These cute little soaps use chocolate molds. I didn't make these, I think people stuck their leftover soap bits into it but nobody took it home so I did. ;-)


They had fabric to pick from and a sewing machine set up to make dream pillows. It isn't a "pillow" pillow, it is lightly filled and is meant to go inside a pillow case with your regular pillow to add aroma therapy. It has flax seed, peppermint, and roses inside.

They had candles at the decoration table to decorate with corrugated paper and raffia.


And we made a whole bunch of different kinds of natural bath products.


Bath salts - lemon, and lavendar

This bath soak was made with ground oatmeal, roses, and baking soda.

This lemon bath bundle can be used as a scrubbie in the shower - it has grated castile soap, oatmeal, lemon essential oil, and lemon peel sewn into a little muslin bag.

The body scrub has corn meal, ground oatmeal, rosemary, and castile soap.


The bath tea bags can be tied onto the bath tub to "steep" in the bath water and can be used more than once even. One has lavendar and roses and the other has orange peel and ginger root.

We also got a packet with all of the recipes to be able to make them again, and tags to copy!

This was a really good class so I'll keep my eyes out for future classes at the museum.

Log Cabin is my new favorite thing!

I finished my first Log Cabin pillow and I am in love with this technique!

It basically uses the Log Cabin technique from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It is a 16 x 16 pillow form for reference.
We charted out our color design using graph paper and colored pencils. I have a geeky love of graph paper (but not for math usage) so that was fun. ;-) I used six colors, most of the examples in class used four, so you have options there. The numbers are the order that you work the pieces.

Here's a close up of the colors:

I was a little unsure of my color choices when I had the red, orange, and yellow done... it seemed a bit too bright. But as soon as I started to add the blue and grey, I loved it. It has a brown border going all the way around that you really can't see in the photos (darn pillows with their curves). All of the sections were picked up on the right side except for the border which was picked up on the wrong side. That gives it a different, almost sewn look that is nice for a border. Also the border was done with increases to give them diagonals that get sewn together as miters so it has a "border" appearance not just another color square.

I used a fabric backing so that I wouldn't have to knit a plain square (well it could have been done in a pattern but what's the point for the back?) and so that it would be a bit more cat friendly.

nope, I didn't iron the fabric creases out. I'm a rebel like that (i.e. careless crafter who hates to iron)

I did that simply enough - the fabric piece is just cut to the same size as the knit front with the addition of a little extra seam allowance on just one side. Fold the little seam allowance over and sew it down. Then I held them with the right sides together and sewed the three sides without the extra allowance together. Turn it right side out and put the pillow form in! For the other edge (which is the bottom on my pillow), I used medium ("size 4" - not sure of the measurement) sew-on snaps to close it. I used seven snaps (one on each far edge, one in the middle, then four more evenly spaced. The snaps work from either end and if you pay attention and put them going the "right" way they will blend in more without a silver bump showing through the knitting (I put the first two on with the bump before I realized they could go either way).
All closed up
I love it! The only thing I'll change for the next time, is to use a smaller needle with this yarn. (all Plymouth Jeannee) I used a nine but would use an eight next time, it is a bit loose.

I'm going to be doing a lot of projects from Mason-Dixon this year - in addition to the ones I've already mentioned I've decided to do some of the Baby Bibs o'Love and the One-Piece Baby Kimono for some of the babies coming this year among my family and friends. (found out about another one this week!) I mean, the idea of a baby kimono is adorable to begin with, but how can you go wrong with one that is so cheap it uses Sugar n' Cream? I got some of the great twist colors to use too. (take note that the patron calls for two balls but that is of the solid colors - the twists, stripes, and variegated are all smaller balls than the solids so you'll need three)

On my needles now: a dishcloth for my swap recipient! After that, Trevor's dashing gloves.

Log Cabin time!

I did get registered for the Log Cabin Pillow class this upcoming Saturday! Yay! You have the option of starting a pillow or a blanket and I said I'm doing a pillow because a blanket just seems so daunting. But I really like the blankets so maybe I'll just keep going and make it big enough to be a blanket, we'll see!

I got the same yarn for the log cabin as I am using for the headband - Plymouth Jeannee (cotton/acrylic blend). Here are all the colors I got:

red, brown, grey, orange, blue, and yellow

It is really quite nice. The bit I have done so far for my homework feels so soft and great for a blanket (see, there I go again. Maybe it will be a blanket. A small blanket.). Here is my homework square:

I am in love with the way this yarn feels worked up in a loose garter stitch. I hope it is supposed to be as loose as mine is... but the sheet called for a worsted yarn and a 9 needle and that's what I have... (no gauge to check)

I am tearing myself apart trying to decide if I am doing the right size for my homework square. See, the homework sheet (I don't have the full pattern yet) says "for the blanket, cast on 42 stitches and knit 36 garter stitch ridges. For the pillow, cast on 30 stitches and knit 28 garter stitch rows." See the problem? Does she really mean rows for the pillow or does she mean ridges?* Why would it refer to the pillow and the blanket with different terms? Finally I said to myself (and the cat, but he didn't respond), "Shut up, it's a log cabin! It doesn't matter what size square you start with." So I am doing it as if it is supposed to be ridges. If she really wanted rows than I'll either start with a bigger square or rip it back.

* For the non-knitters saying what the hell is the difference: a ridge is actually two rows, so 28 garter stitch ridges is twice as big as 28 garter stitch rows. For those of you saying why is a non-knitter reading this, I say, "Hi, Mom!"

Continental, wha?

Yesterday was my Two Hand Two Color headband class. It was good, overall. See, I had somehow managed to forget the important fact that two handed knitting requires knitting Continental. Oops. I don't do that. It wasn't a prerequisite for the class - I wasn't the only one learning it for the first time. But I'm slow with new things of that sort. Once I get going with it I'll be fine but I am sloooow in the beginning. So we start out learning continental in the round (so I do only need to know the knit stitch so far) and I think I'm doing o.k. I think, "Wow! I'm knitting continental!" We add the other colors in as stripes first and she teaches us a good tip for adding a color (knit the first stitch of the new color round with both the old color and the new color held together then drop the old color. When you get to that stitch again, only knit the new color stitch and just let the other one fall off the needle. Pull it tight and voila, no hole or gap). We moved on to actually fair isling (word? probably not.) and she showed us how to carry the other yarn across with us and hold it in - very cool. Did I mention this was also my first time with a chart? Granted this is a very basic chart but the things mystify me, I am much more a written learner than a chart learner. Also? I think I will stick to charts in the round (which isn't so bad since I love socks!) since the whole read it right to left one time and left to right the other time thing when you are working flat is extra confusing. Then she comes around and shows me that I have mysteriously started picking the yarn the wrong way and am now knitting continental with twisted stitches. Blast! Now I am feeling very lost and exasperated. But she showed me again and I *think* I've got it. I think what I really needed was some extra time to practice continental before the two color part was thrown in.

Here it is so far, it still doesn't look like much of course. You're looking at a round of white (the second color that will be the snowflakes too) then a round of the light pink (accent color) followed by more dark pink. Then you have the first round with two color work in it, here let me get a closeup. That little white stitch in the top middle is the bottom point of a snowflake... That's as far as I got.

The bottom looks odd like that because it gets folded up under along with an identical piece that will be on the top and then gets seamed. So that the headband is a double thickness.

The thing I'm worried about now is that I don't have time to go back to my headband for awhile now - I have to finish my homework for the Log Cabin Pillow class and I have to finish this sock for my sister because her birthday party is this coming Sunday instead of two weeks from now (!!!). So I might have forgotten everything by the time I pick it back up again. I've been doing some of the knitting on my Log Cabin Pillow homework continental but I keep subconsciously falling back into english knitting since I'm more comfortable that way. I need a local continental knitting friend. Katie, don't you knit continental? Come visit me! ;-)

New year, new skills!

I am signed up for a bunch of knitting classes at a bunch of different yarn stores over the next two months! Let's see, this Sunday I'll be taking Two Hand Two Color Knitting (only $15) at Saratoga Needle Arts "Learn Fair Isle knitting..or how to knit with both hands when doing color work. We will make a great headband." I haven't seen the headband yet, the example wasn't at the shop but it has snowflakes on it they said. These are the colors I'm doing my first one in - the dark pink for the background and the white and light pink for the design.


I also got these colors to make another one (well, it is the same ball of white since it only takes a little)
And here's my homework that I needed to do for the first class - it doesn't look like much so far. ;-)

Then on February 17th I'll be taking another one at SNA: BLOCKING, ETC. (also $15) "You’ve finished your knitting - now what? We will make our own blocking boards and discuss finishing garments for a neat, professional look. We will also talk about caring for your beautiful hand knits." This was the first knitting related class that I had to shop at Lowes for! ;-) I had to buy a 6 pack of foam insulation panels at Lowes, and 6 yards of gingham fabric with 1 inch squares at JoAnn fabric.

On to the next store, on February 9th I'll be taking an Entrelac class at Beau Knits. This will be the first time I go to the store so I'll have to check it out at the same time. This one is only an hour class so I'm not sure what exactly we will accomplish, maybe just the technique for no particular project? The description just says it will cover the basics and to bring worsted yarn and #8 needles. It's only $10 though so whatever I learn about it will be worth it.

And then, I might be taking one more but I'm not sure until I confirm that they have room in the class (they are closed today) - Log Cabin Design Pillow on January 19th (also $15) at The Spinning Room. "A great call for the beginner to advance their skills while starting a quick project that can be used to make a blanket, if so desired. Choice of color motif can change the outcome dramatically. This project can also be made of wool, then felted for a whole different look and texture. The pillow can be made as large or small as you like. You'll leave this class knowing how to continue on your own to completion." I love the Log Cabin designs (especially in the Mason Dixon book!) but it looks... complicated. I feel a bit stymied by the picking up stitches thing. I mean, I know how to pick up stitches (socks, baby!) but this is different. So I thought instead of trying it on my own and maybe being confused, I'd try out a class (assuming I get in).

There you go, 3 or maybe 4 classes in the next six weeks!