sincerely yours, dena

New to knitting I had no idea what I was doing when I first bought yarn in a hank. I thought you just pulled on it and it would unravel nicely. Instead I got myself into a huge rats nest that took me 3 months to unravel. I got over my embarrasment and finally asked someone so this NEVER happens to me again.

#1 Bestest way:
Get a friend to hold both ends of the hank and as you unravel it, roll the yarn in a tight ball.

#2 Best way:
Put the end of the hank on the back of a dinning room chair. As you unravel, roll into a tight ball.

Let me just say, be prepared to get some looks when you stroll into a craft store asking for “Raw chicken colored yarn.” This pattern is from CraftBits. I started this in the summer and never finished it. Now that I’m almost done, I was thinking I should have done it in “turkey brown” for thanksgiving! The drumsticks are impossible to make as originally spec’d… I fudged it.

Click here for the original pattern
Click here for the pattern with my notes

I’ve found a new home in cyberspace where the neighbors are super friendly and creatifiic! Country Living Magazine’s website allows you to register within their forums, ask questions and get inspired. Need convincing… just check out Little Girls’ D-Ring Ribbon Belt Apron by Sommer Designs

Current forums include:

• Antiques & Collectibles
• Decorating
• Home Improvements
• Women Entrepreneurs
• Crafts & Simple Projects
• Gardening
• Outdoor Living
• Recipes & Entertaining

the answer is… Rosie the sheep!

At Allenholm Farm in South Hero, VT they have this fantastic petting farm where Rosie the Sheep is a resident. She was so sweet and loved little ice cream treats. I was able to take some of her coat home with me to make something warm for my loved ones courtesy of Yellow Dog Yarn.

Another knitted pattern from my simply baby: 20 adorable knits for baby’s first two years book. This little girlie shrug looks super cute with this little girlie sundress. Little girlie Avery is going to crush hearts at the playground.

I’m a theme kinda gal, everything is about themes. So no surprise here when I gave a themed baby shower gift to my sister-in-law.

Theme: When baby goes….

To Fenway Park

All the baby needs when going to watch a Red Sox game: infant baseball hat, t-shirt from Suphafans.com and a baby jersey embrodiered with Baby’s last name.

To Sleep

We asked all the guests to bring a book to add to baby’s library. I wrapped up 2 of my favorites from the Golden Book series: - Pokey Little Puppy - The Monster at the End of This Book.

To work with daddy

My brother works for Corning and if you know him, this present is pretty damn funny. He’s very proud of his products including his pyrex beakers. This way baby can give a shout out to the strongest glassware and to his daddy.

Running with daddy

My brother is a long distance runner. He gets decked out in his spandex and straps on his camel back. Baby going to need the gear as well (minus the spandex). So here is my version of the “baby camelback.” It’s a doggie back pack with a baby bottle inside attached to a bottle nipple by a foot of pvc pipe. Also included is a pair of baby sunglasses to keep the sun and the bugs out of baby’s eyes.

All of this goes perfectly with organizers they registered for at Pottery Barn.

This hooded sweater pattern from simply baby: 20 adorable knits for baby’s first two years is down right just too cute for words. This is my first attempt at a sweater and if I may I would like to share what I learned…

• When you are done with a piece, keep a long tail. You will use it later to sew two pieces together
• When the pattern calls for folding the hood in half and sewing seam, they mean the crown, not the base.
• Arm holes: sew the arm pit seam last.
• When finish, hand wash in woolite and lay flat to dry. Most importantly, do this on a dry day.
• Don’t eat chocolate while you are knitting, it’s a pain in the arse to clean afterwards.

I’ve had several people ask me to teach them how to knit. It’s good to start with the basis.

You’ll Need:

• Size 7 knitting needles
• 1 skein of bright (or light) worsted weight yarn

Here’s How:

1. Teach casting on. Cast on a workable amount, like 20-25.
2. Teach how to knit. Knit as many rows as necessary until it’s mastered.
3. Teach how to purl. Purl as many rows as necessary until it’s mastered.
4. Next rows try k2, p2. This demonstrates ribbing.
5. Start with an easy to read and knit pattern like Bev’s Basic Cozy Cap

My latest purchase in the knitting baby book world is simply baby: 20 adorable knits for baby’s first two years. I was first attracted to the baby caplet sweater but then drawn in by these cute littly baby socks. These are super quick but do take mental power aka lots of paying attention to what you’re doing. But as you can see, the final product is really worth it.

Every since I started golfing, I’ve always had this homemade stroke counter attached to my golf bag. Just today I was working on a knitting project and was counting the rows with a pen and paper and thought how crazy this was. I could go to the craft store and buy one but why? If it’s good enough to count how many times I hit the sand trap it’s way good enough to count how many more rows to knit. The other bonus is that it attaches to my knitting bag so I always know where it is when I need it.