Knit a Bit of Magic

Knitting a Multicolored Vest2

2012-01-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

I worked on my knitted vest last night. I'm finally on the first shoulder strap. I can't wait to get enough along to try it on. I sure hope I made it big enough. If not, I'll sell it, but I'd rather wear it.

Knitting a Multicolored Vest

2012-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

I've been busy knitting away on a heavy duty vest in many colors. It's so fun to knit in a riot of colors on big needles. Truly loving it. I'm about to the point where I can add the arm holes. The back and sides are knit all as one unit.

And I already bought some white and off white yarn to make another one. But I'm going to cut back to 3 yarns held together instead of 4, because I don't need 2 heavy vests.

Fan and Feather Socks

2011-07-06T17:13:00.001-07:00

What's up with me and wanting to knit socks? I just got another book of sock patterns. I'm making feather and fan socks. I'm about on row 8 of the first sock. Once I get something worth looking at I'll add photos.

How to Increase on a Purl Row

2011-03-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

I need this for the hat I'm designing. http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-increase-on-a-purl-row It's a cable hat and the only way I can think of to add increases without messing up the cable structure is to increase in the purl sections of the hat.

Not Knitting

2011-02-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

I was hoping to meet my friend Carol at a knitting meeting last night, but then the day dragged on, rain was forecast, and my mood went south for the winter. So I missed it. I hope she had fun. I think they only meet once a month so I may have to wait a long while to go back.

Switching Yarn and Needles

2011-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking I should just go get the right size circular needles for the tammy and start over because it's too much work to make a hat just for practice. That, and one of the cables on the cheapo needles I had broke yesterday. I just hope Joann's has the right size today. I may switch the yarn as well. I don't like how the Caron yarn keeps coming un-plied. I think I will switch to Woolease instead and it's on sale today 2 for $5.00 and I already have 4 skeins of it. This hat takes 8 colors, and I only have 3, so I'll need to pick 5 more colors. There goes the ole budget. Yarn is never wasted though.

More Fair Isle Knitting

2011-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

Every knitter wants to be a better knitter. I'm no exception so I just bought a book on Fair Isle Knitting. To get my feet wet I'm making the smallest item in it, which is a tam. So I cast on 140 stitches, and did the first row and a half, then realized I'd done it wrong, and ripped the whole thing out. I'd never heard of corrugated ribbing before, so I found it in the index, and realized I'd done it wrong and started over. And thought I bought 5 colors, I see now I didn't buy enough. So I'll go as far as I can with the colors I have, and pick up a few more colors next time my craft budget allows. I probably have 2 more rows of ribbing to go before I can start on the main hat section..

Voyager's Cap

2010-12-22T17:02:00.001-08:00

I need to knit a voyager's cap. Also known as a liberty cap. There is a certain someone who wants one and his birthday is coming up in January so shhhhhh.

The Mitered Blanket & My Knitted Scarf Tutorial

2010-10-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

This project intriques me: http://www.shellykang.com/all-about-the-blankie. I might have to give it a try and use up some of this yarn before it strangles me in my sleep. I'm not sure I have all that much sock weight yarn sitting around though, and if I did, wouldn't I be knitting socks out of it?

And speaking of socks, I just bought a booklet called Patons Stretch Socks Sweet to Your Feet, but the yarn is so expensive I haven't bought it yet. I don't really need a $16 pair of socks, that I have to make myself. But if I am judicious with my 40% off coupons from Joann's I might get some of the yarn called for in the book by Patons.

I finished my scarf tutorial today but didn't get it sent to the editor in time. The three hour time difference is killing me. About the time I get in full stride they are closing and going home for the night. Still, I hung in there and got the file sent to them. They'll just have to deal with it on Monday morning. At least it's off my plate for now.

Another FIrst

2010-10-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yay! AllFreeKnitting is up and running and the editor said I'm the first tutorial on their channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/AllFreeKnitting So drop by and watch my 'How to Purl" video. I'm sure they'll have more tutorials up soon. I'm sending them another one today for a holiday scarf.

All Free Knitting Dot Com

2010-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

The people at AllFreeKnitting.com have offered to sponsor my knitting videos, so now I hope to be making two videos a week. I'm so excited. They've already approved my list of projects. They want a few technique tutorials first though. So if you are just learning how to knit I hope you'll follow my blog because I'll be embedding those tutorials here too for my readers.

It's a win win situation. I drive traffic to their site and they drive traffic to mine. They pay me a small bit to do that, so it helps me to keep going as an artist. Youtube is wonderful in that way. And because someone is actually expecting me to make tutorials, I'm much more motivated to make them and design new projects. And then I have to finish more projects too, because what good is a tutorial if they don't teach you how to finish the project?

They are also interested in knitting loom tutorials, and I've had a lot of requests for those in the last three years. So if that's your interest, please find my loom knitting blog and follow that one as well. There are only so many hours in the day, so I don't have time to embed every tutorial everywhere, but I'll give you all a heads up as time allows.

Hat and Photo Props

2010-10-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm making a bunch of hats and baby cocoons and other photo props for my daughter's new photo studio. It's right in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. We are all so excited for her! And she is also expecting, so she'll get to try out all the props on her son.

I'm making a striped long tailed pirate hat for babies right now in black and white. I've always loved black and white together. I don't know why I don't do more things in black and white. I used to be a mime...you'd think I'd have tons of black and white items.

Vampire Mitts

2010-08-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a pair of blood red, almost brown vampire mitts (fingerless gloves).
I started off with casting on 48 and then doing 2x2 ribbing for 15 rows. Then I switched to stockinette stitch. The needles are size 7. If the pattern comes out I'll list it for sale in my Etsy shop.

Muliticolor Wrap

2010-07-19T17:35:00.001-07:00

I just started knitting a multicolor wrap in the Kaffee style. There are 9 colors in the first row alone! I'm good for about 3 rows and then I need to uncross my fingers and my eyes. I need to rummage through my stash and find 3 or 4 more colors. I'd love to add a turquoise and an olive or light green.

Right now is the cool time of day in my backyard, so I'm going to take my knitting out there.

Comments and Spammers

2010-07-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

Because of one very relentless comment spammer, I've now turned off comments. If you want to contact me you can email me at pigglewiggins at gmail dot com or look for me on Ravelry under the knitabitofmagic name. Someday that spammer will get a clue and go away, and then I can put my blog back to comment mode.

Catnap

2010-07-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Gee I wonder why my yarn bag is on the floor. Gee I wonder where my cat is.

Cat v Wool

2010-07-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

Since I'm on this new year long project to only wear things I've made, embellished or repurposed, I need to knit myself some socks. Though I have knitted socks in the past I think I gave all those away or wore them out. So today I got some sock yarn.

I also got some wool for felting. When we got home from the store I left the bag on the couch, and went out to the garage to put in some laundry. So that took ten minutes tops. I came in to find my cat had pulled the only ball of wool yarn out of the bag. He had already gotten the band off of it. And he was now proceeding to put himself into the middle of the ball of yarn one loop at a time. So after my boyfriend unwrapped the cat, I put the yarn up on a high shelf.

Hopefully tomorrow I can get started on those socks.

Yellow Confetti Sweater

2010-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Since I'm on a quest to finish lost projects, I thought it was high time I finished my yellow confetti sweater. So I got it out of the bucket and it's sitting here as I stitch it up. I've done the shoulder seams so far. I still have to set in the sleeves, sew the side seams and weave in all the ends. I'm trying to figure out if I have anything else I can wear with it. I want to put together an outfit for the Fatshionista Flickr pool I'm in. That site has put the fun back into planning my wardrobe.

Update: I'm all done and it fits me. If I make another one I'll add even more length to the sleeves and make it a little less snug. But considering I started it in Dec. of 2008, and I've gained some weight, I'm lucky it fits at all. Which is another reason to finish projects in a timely manner, so you don't outgrow them before they are done.

Skinny Black Knitted Fashion Scarf

2010-06-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

I love knitting long skinny scarves. I found this one I'd already finished so I listed it on Etsy. I have some big bags of projects I just dragged out to the patio to sort. In one there are 2 tychus hats that need to be finished, and a pumpkin hat and a gob of other things. So I better get back out there and make some progress before it gets dark.

Ponchini or Capelet in Covered Bridge Red

2010-06-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started making a ponchini/capelet thing out of Homespun yarn that I got off the free table at the All Things String knitting event at El Dorado Park. I knitted like a mad woman until 2 AM and finally had to call it a night. I think I can finish it in two more rows, only now I'm thinking a black border would look nice and I don't know where any black yarn is off the top of my head. So do I finish it right away, thus assuring it gets done and doesn't fall into the project black hole, or do I shelve it until I can find some black yarn in this mess I call home?

All Things STring Knitting in Public Day

2010-06-21T21:20:00.003-07:00

Renata hosted a great bash. You can reach All Things String at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AllThingsString/

2010-06-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

Rocking Horse Knitted Panel

2010-06-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm knitting a rectangular panel with a rocking horse on it. I'm not sure what it's going to be but I was in the mood to knit something from a chart. In fact last night I knitted so much my hands were too sore to knit today at all, so I made earrings instead.
The important thing is that I made something, right? Maybe I can knit again tomorrow. I wish it wasn't midnight. I still have lots of things I want to do.

Knitting outdoors

2010-06-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

I knitted this a while back and it got stuck in a bin.

Jumbo circular needles

Shrug on the jumbo needles.

I sure hope I have enough yarn.

During breaks on another project I got some knitting done today. This shrug is about half finished. I just hope the yarn doesn't run out before it's wide enough to go from wrist to wrist. Sometimes I wish I lived in a yarn store.

I used to teach knitting at Michael's. I would love to have some knitting students again.

Knitting Event

2010-06-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

On June 19, 2010 at El Dorado Park there is an event that combines World Juggling Day and Knit in Public Day. It's at an archery range. So I'm going to take my hoops, juggling equipment, archery gear and knitting supplies. There is a small fee to drive into the park. I think it's $7.00. Bring something to share at the potluck as there are no food booths. We are on our own. If you do not live near Long Beach, CA you can check the IJA website for other World Juggling Day events near you.

Brown Knitted Scarf on Jumbo Needles

2010-05-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

I finished the brown scarf and got it listed on Etsy. So good to be making some forward progress. This was one of the last two balls in the Tall Mouse store at the 90% off sale. I just heard they are liquidating another one of their stores as well. Then there will only be one left.

Anticraft Book

2010-05-28T00:15:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Art Supply Warehouse and in the parking lot I told my boyfriend, "I'm going inside to see if I can find any more of those $5. books." And a few minutes later I had in my hot little hands this book on sinister knitting. I've never seen it before. The only reason I could find for the low price was it was a bit shopworn, and it was the only copy they had left. So I snagged it right up. How can I resist a book that tells how to knit and crochet things like floggers and handcuffs? Score!

On Sunday at the archery meeting, someone had tied together a bunch of twigs and found objects with some pipe cleaners. After staring at it all day we couldn't decide if it was art, or a dream catcher or what, but I couldn't resist adding a bit of spontaneous knitting done on large needles in a heathery purple yarn and interlacing it through the branches. Then I added a tassel. Various people commented on my addition saying it went from sinister to more friendly. I wonder if it will still be there next month. I hope it is and I hope other people added more to it. I wish I'd had my camera with me.

What's a Ponchini?

2010-05-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

I literally bought the last two skeins of yarn left in Tall Mouse at their 90% off liquidation sale. The day before at their 80% off sale they still had about 20 skeins left. I wish I'd grabbed them then because they were gone the next day. But I did pick up 5 knitting books and 3 pairs of big knitting needles.

One of the books I got was a crochet book on making Ponchinis. I'd never heard that term before and had to look it up online when I got home. Evidentally it's the same thing as a capelet. But it looks like fun to make.

I used my new skein of brown yarn with a silver metallic thread and the size 17 Clover needles I got to start on a scarf. It's about 3 feet long already. I don't normally wear brown. So I'll probably put it in my Etsy shop or gift it to someone.

Multicolored Knitting on Straight Needles

2010-04-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

The multicolored knitting I started yesterday. I got to work on it a bit more today. I think I may make a hat or a headwrap out of it. A vest would be nice, but I don't have enough of this yarn.

Pastel Baby Booties

2010-04-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my daughter with the baby booties I knitted for her.

Ravelry

2010-04-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

If you are on Ravelry, please add me as a friend. http://www.ravelry.com/people/knitabitofmagic I haven't done much on that site yet, but then I found out one of my real life friends is in it so I'm sure I'll be using it a lot more now. And maybe if I start keeping track of my projects over there I'll get more of them finished.

I was looking at sock yarn yesterday at Joanns. It looks like the socks would be $10 a pair to make. I can't say I've ever spent $10 on a pair of socks in my life. But the yarn is lovely. I have a thing for self-striping yarn. So if any of it should ever come my way via birthdays or holidays, I wouldn't turn it down.

Knit a Bunny Rabbit

2010-04-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm designing a new bunny rabbit. So far I have his head, ears, and half his body knitted. He is purple. My fingers were getting pretty worn out last night so I had to put the bunny down. It's so hard to stop isn't it? But I don't want to injure my hands again. They've been doing pretty well lately.

This is a prototype. That means there is no existing pattern. It's trial and error. People wonder why one of a kind items cost more. It's because so much time is invested in research and developement. I may have to make four or five of these to work the bugs out. A prototype item will always take a lot longer to make than something done in assembly line fashion.

Knitting Event June 19 at El Dorado Park

2010-04-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

My friend Renata said that on June 19th 2010 we are meeting again to celebrate World Juggling Day and a knit-a-long at El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach CA. There is a park entrance gate that was $8 to drive in last time I went but other than that the event is free. Jugglers, knitters, spinners, weavers and archers are all welcome. The archery range is right there. We will be under the trees at the back of the archery range (by the street). There is no nearby street parking so I recommend carpooling or paying the gate fee. The last time I went it was a potluck, so you might want to bring food to share.

Teach a Friend to Knit

2010-03-13T20:02:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm going to teach my friend to knit. I printed up a few pages of basics so she has some reference material when she gets home, because she can't kidnap me. I read once that most people learn to knit an average of 7 times before it sticks with them. That's because we stop knitting for months or years at a time. But if you do it a few times a week you'll remember it.

Mock Cable Pattern

2010-02-21T00:52:00.001-08:00

I wanted to add a bit of knitting to a frou frou peach colored scarflette I'm making. So I found a mock cable pattern to try and made a swatch of it in bright white. But although the piece will fit in the space I have for it, the bright white is just too jarring next to the peach and ivory tones. So I will save that piece for another project and make another one in ivory when I have time again.

Ravelry

2010-02-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

I just joined Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/people/knitabitofmagic and I really like it so far. They kept mentioning it on the Knit and Crochet TV series and I finally remembered to go look for it.

Bunny or Bear?

2010-02-13T09:59:00.000-08:00

I actually found some nice Caron yarn at the dollar store. So I took the color Mulberry Mist and started knitting a teddy bear. Then I thought that since it's almost Easter I might knit a bunny. I'm starting with the feet and the ears come last so I still have time to mull it over. I'm using a technique with straight needles where you cast on 8 stitches, pull out some yarn from the skein for a butterfly bobbin, and cut the yarn.

Then using the main skein, cast on another 8 stitches. That way you knit both feet at once and they come out even without any guesswork. This technique can be used to make dolls or humanoid forms of teddy bears, bunnies, and so forth. Eventually you join the feet together and knit the torso. Then cast on enough yarn before and after the torso for the arms. Maybe this is hard to visualize but I'll take photos as I go along.

Last year I knitted my grandson a bunny rabbit for Easter. I'm thinking of giving him another one this year and starting a tradition of a new bunny each year.

Update:
I've decided to explore the bunny idea. I'm calling this the All-in-One-Bunny because it's made all in one piece. I didn't invent this techinique. I learned it about 30 years ago. And it was a doll, not a bunny.

Here you see the two feet knitted side by side in garter stitch. (Knit every row).

Keep going with the legs until they are the length you want.

When the legs are long enough, working from the right side, knit straight across to join.

Switch to stockinette stitch and continue with torso.

Here I've worked on the torso and added a few purl stitches to make a belly button. It's almost long enough to add the arms.

'to be continued'

Knitting a Goblin Hat

2010-02-05T11:10:00.001-08:00

My hands have been in pain so it's put a serious damper on my knitting. So I've decided to spend some time mentoring new knitters instead of knitting myself. I did do just a bit of knitting on a hat band this morning for a knitted cap I've come to call the Maize Hat. The band is the easy part, so if I can just get through that I'll have a new goblin hat. Yay! It's raining today so it's a good day for knitting.

Mother Bear Project

2010-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

As soon as I get paid again for something I'm going to send for a knitting teddy bear pattern for the Mother Bear Project. They've given nearly 50,000 teddy bears to children with HIV/Aids in Africa and other places. All bears are made from the same pattern, and either knit or crocheted. I'm just ordering the pattern because I already have yarn and needles. Just the pattern is $5.00. If you need a whole kit, it's $20.00. If you are near Anaheim CA it would be great to have a group gathering for bears. What do you say? http://www.motherbearproject.org/

More Reasons to Knit

2010-01-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

Lucky me, I was going through some old magazines, and I just happened upon a Vogue Knitting from winter 2007 that's full of Valentine's Day ideas. So I started straight away knitting a heart motif in black yarn that I will probably put on a T-shirt and let the shirt show through the lace part. And I got that idea from the TV show http://knitandcrochettoday.com/ rerun where they featured circular crocheted motifs around the neckline of a t-shirt. My imagination grabs things like that and just runs to the knitting needle organizer.

In other news, just before Christmas I started knitting my daughter a baby cocoon and a few days ago she called to say she's pregnant with her first child. Now I definitely have to finish that cocoon because they work best for baby photography when the baby is 0 to 3 months old. And I never told her I was making it so it will be a surprise for sure. (Unless she reads my blog). But she's far too busy right now for blog reading.

Drop Spindle Dyeing Wool

2010-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

I dyed some wool in Kool-Aid and I'm amazed at how vivid the color is. It is harder to spin though. A spinner on Etsy said that when you dye yarn it can compact and be harder to spin. So I think I'm going to spin first and then dye. Does anyone else have thoughts on that?

Drop Spindle Making Yarn

2010-01-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

I got to work with the drop spindle I made from a toy car wheel and a dowel. The video I saw on youtube gave me some useful tips, so I was able to make better yarn than I have in the past. I had less breakage and a more consistant size than I used to have when I was using trial and error. And now I know how to ply it and wet it and hang a weight on it to dry, so I can eventually even knit with it. That's where I was stuck. Once I had a bobbin full of single ply yarn that would go to pieces if I let the tension off, I had no idea what to do next. Thanks to all you out there that are making free tutorials for people like me.

This spindle is a top whorl job. But I also made a bobbin whorl to try next. Then I can dye some roving to make my plied yarn more interesting. Sooner or later I'm going to be able to knit with this stuff. I'm looking forward to that.

Maize Bonnet

2010-01-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

First thing this morning I worked on a bonnet I'm knitting. It is a maize colored yarn for the background with a little Fair Isle work on the surface. The white yarn is a bamboo and acrylic blend, and it's been too soft and fussy. I won't try that again. Not all yarns play well together. Used by itself though, it will make the softest pair of baby booties or a baby cocoon. I've been wanting to try a baby cocoon on the Knifty Knitter loom. But I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I need to finish a few other hats I already have started.

Orange and Blue Hand Knitted Hats

2009-12-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

I wanted to show off the two hats I just finished. Now I'm working on one that's a spiral design. Each color is six rows wide but I was watching TV while knitting last night and goofed and made one color 8 rows wide. I didn't noticed until I'd knitted about 20 more rows. I ripped it out back to the error, then reknitted about 10 rows and realized I still had one row too many. Rather than rip it out again, I put the project to bed and didn't feel like working on it today either. Maybe tomorrow. But here are the photos. The blue one is already spoken for. I'll put the orange one in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested.

Orange and White Beanie

2009-12-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I started right in with another hat in bright orange and white. Once again I'm chastizing myself knowing that people keep telling me bright colors won't sell and multicolored hats won't sell and I should stick to solid earthtones. I've tried, honest, but solid earthtones bore me to tears. I must have clown DNA. Who wants to wears a depressing color on a foggy winter day? Not I!

Need a Free Hat Pattern?

2009-12-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

No time to design your own pattern? Surely you will find a hat you like on this list: HATS TO KNIT

Hat Knitting

2009-12-05T02:57:00.000-08:00

Here it is almost 3 AM in Calif. and I surfed onto a knitters website. He makes hats both knitted and crocheted so check him out. I love the way he put together his webpage and I like the idea of secret sales, because you could surf onto the site just for fun and catch something on sale. What a clever way to get people to keep on coming back for more.

As far as hats go I almost have another one finished. I just have to sew in the loose ends and mail it tomorrow. Hats rock.

New Knitters

2009-11-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was at a writer's meeting and mentioned knitting and found out the 2 people sitting next to me had just learned how to knit. I got so excited. Like most beginners they started with a scarf. Oh no! So we are going to get together so I can show them how to knit a hat to go with their scarves. Fun. I wonder if they'll be at the writer's meeting tonight.

To get in the mood for winter I added a snow widget to my blog. It never snows where I live so I have to bring my winter wonderland to my blog instead.

Knitting a Rug

2009-11-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

I dragged the rug I'm making into my bedroom so I can knit while various things are uploading. So far it is olive green wool, royal blue, and deep purple. It's amazing how much down time there is on a computer waiting for it to finish this or that funtion.
It's already looking darn and chilly outside. I was going to cut out some aprons on my front porch, but I think I will wait on that until the light is better. My back was sore when I got up this morning so I'm trying to take it easy. Right now I'm getting the afternoon sleepies.
I need to organize my yarn better. I'm not making the best of it. Everything is chaos.
But for the moment there is some pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge that is calling my name.

Knitting By Train

2009-11-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

My knitting plans on the train flew out the window on Sunday. The trip is 2 hours by bus and 3 by train. Only the bus was packed, and then so was the train. It looks like many students took the train to Isla Vista for the Halloween party scene, and bought group tickets, because the conductor had a big ole stack of tickets and was checking it with IDs and everyone on my train car seemed to be under 24. I had no elbow room.

However, at the Santa Barbara train station, our train was delayed for an hour and a half. Another train was stuck on the rails, and our train ended up pushing it into town. So for about 45 minutes I got to sit on a bench at the station and knit. That was a great way to spend a block of time I hadn't counted on having. And I felt a bit superior that I was making a project while everyone else was fiddling away their time on their laptops or cellphones. I should finish that hat today and get it into the mail tomorrow. But I have so much work that piled up while I was gone. My daughter is visiting on Nov. 10-13, so I need to get the stuff unpacked and the house put back together. So far today I've done laundry, watered the garden, refilled the hummingbird feeder, and caught up on some of my writing.

Two Hats in the Making

2009-10-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

I've gotten requests for two chemo caps this week so I'm going to be doing those on the train tomorrow. I almost have one finished. I'm using Caron Soft yarn because I sure don't want to aggravate sensitive skin. I just want them to be super soft and cozy. I do have some hats already made up for those in a hurry, but if possible I'd like to make the person a special one in their favorite colors if time allows. Then as I make it I can think of the intent of healing and the love that person needs during this trial in their life.

I'm also knitting a rug from a pattern in Oneskein by Leigh Radford. It's full of cool project that take a minimal amount of yarn in assorted colors. I'm going to take that on the train with me as well. So far I've started with a baby blue. The rug is made of a long tube that will be sewn over Wright's Piping Filler Cord and then sewn into a spiral.

Crafts to do in Front of the Computer Monitor

2009-10-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the rolled brim hats so now I'm making one in shades of pink. I'm about 3" into it. I've been playing the game Evony on line, and knitting while waiting for my troops to storm the castle makes everything so much fun. Otherwise I'd be bored stiff as my little men hammer away at building a new tower. That's one thing I can say about knitting. It goes well with sitting in front of a computer monitor. I'd never be able to paint or sand a drum or plant a garden sitting in front of my monitor (Farmville doesn't count). I have been able to do some hand sewing like quilting in front of the computer. And crochet of course. I don't want to spend all day on line though. And knitting travels just as easily to the library, the patio or the train.

Striped Yellow and Pink Hat

2009-10-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished this striped beauty. But I had to wait until daylight to take a photo.
I love these mannequin wig heads I got at the swap meet. They really have personality. I bought 2 out of 3 and I wished I'd bought the third one.

I need to get a male head because I have to have something to put the guy's hats on for an upcoming event. Almost all the customers will be men, so I had to start making more subdued colors. But I couldn't take it anymore and made this striped hat to get the color back into my life. Perfect way to brighten a gloomy day.

The 88 Hat With a Rolled Brim

2009-10-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished my green camo rolled brim hat made of Paton yarn. I love the way it came out. This one is for my shop but the next time I have some money I'll buy more of the same yarn and make me one, only with a long tail I think. I'm calling it the 88 Hat because that's how many stitches I need to cast on for each hat on my 16" DPNs.

Chemo Caps Always Free

2009-10-12T17:19:00.001-07:00

If you need one for you or a loved one, email me at Pigglewiggins (at) gmail.com. and let me know your favorite color. Also, do you prefer solids or stripes or anything goes. Make sure you tell me if it's for a child, teen, or adult so I get the size right. And I'll need a complete address to send it to.

And if any of you are in the Anaheim area I also accept donations of yarn and knitting and crocheting supplies, as long as they are from a smoke free environment. That way I can keep the caps coming, and you can get your closet cleaned out of all the yarn Aunt Martha left you. And if you could never figure out that new fangled knitting loom, I'll be happy to have those available too. That way I can put the local teens to work making hats as well.

Pink and Yellow Beanie

2009-10-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

I finished all the knitting on my pink and yellow hat last night. It looks like candy. I still have to weave in all the loose ends and it will be good to go. I also need to give it a wash because the older yarn is a bit grimy. It's acrylic though, so should clean up just fine. I think this one came out better than the green wool one because I made the crown a bit deeper. Then again some people prefer a hat that doesn't come down too far.

Knitting and Budgeting

2009-10-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

Even in S. California a chill is in the air at night now. And I'm busy knitting away for my craft booth on Oct. 25, 2009 at an archery event in Pasadena. I want to have a pile of wool hats finished. So far I have maybe 2 finished and 6 in the works. I don't want to be caught unprepared.

I almost bought another hat knitting book at Joann's today. But I really should stop all purchases until after the first of the month so I don't run short on money for my trip Oct. 31. Traveling is so expensive. I'm going by train. And then I have to eat out a lot for 3 or 4 days. And that takes cash. If I sell anything on the 25th the money will be useful for the trip, but I can't count my chickens before they hatch.

Here's the book I almost bought: http://www.patonsyarns.com/patternbook.php?PBS=500577

Harf? Scood? ???

2009-10-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

On Etsy I found two things that interested me. Some knitters make something that can be worn as a neck scarf or a hat and they call them a "Harf", or hat + scarf. But I've seen other longer scarves with hoods attached and they call those "Scoods" (Scarf plus Hood). And I've yet to get around to making either one. So which gets your vote? Harf or Scood? Or both.

Knitting a Colorful Beanie

2009-10-09T00:23:00.000-07:00

I finished the green wool skully type of hat (beanie) and set to work on one in more girly colors. This one so far is yellow and rose pink stripes. I think I was starved for color after working with the olive green. What can I say, I'm addicted to color. I took my knitting with me when we went to the hobby store too. I like keeping it handy so I can work on it a row or two here and there. That way my hands don't ache. If I knit too much I can't type and vice versa. Once I even knitted a long bag for my scimitar for belly dancing.

Olive Hat

2009-10-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with the wool olive hat I'm knitting. This time I got those 16" circular needles to work for me. I just have to remember to cast on 88 stitches, and even though that looks too small for an adult's head, it isn't. That's Wallop the cat wondering why he has to sit next to the new girl.

Knitting and Men

2009-10-05T01:26:00.000-07:00

I took my knitting with me to the Pagan Fair. I'm making an olive green hat. As we were driving there my boyfriend looks over and says, "You knit hats?" Now I must have knitted at least 50 hats since I moved in with him, including 2 other ones this week. And he knows crocheting hurts my wrist. Sometimes I think someone took him and left a changling in his bed.

Making New Friends

2009-09-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

I went to the S n B today and at least this time people were knitting. Marianne was working on some alpaca and wool socks from the yarn she spun herself. I met Heidi who was working on some crocheted cat toys and also a knit hat for her dad. I worked on a guage swatch for my next hat. And Laura worked on a wide scarf made from Homespun that looked to be about long enough to bind off. Which reminds me that my theme of the day was to make new friends, so at least I met my goal.

Tutorial Troubles and Sixteen Inch Needles

2009-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Because of the tutorial below I went out and bought the 16" circular needle and tried making a hat. Not that hat mind you but one I already started that I'm knitting from tip to brim. And the needle is working but it's really too darn short. So I checked with another hat knitter who uses a 29" needle and she said there is no way she'd use a 16...that would be too many stitches. And I believe her. I think my hat will turn out okay, but it's not comfortable working w/that many stitches on the needle. Granted that needle is an 8 but it's the smallest size Joanne's had in stock yesterday in a circular needle. I'm not saying the video won't work if you follow every detail. I'll have to try it and see.

Tutorial on Knitting Your First Hat

2009-09-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

This is an excellent video for those wanting to knit their first hat or for those who need a review on circular knitting. It is a beanie (skully) style of hat made from one color of yarn.

Unisex Slouch Hat Spotting

2009-09-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today at Starbuck's I spotted a young man wearing a cream colored slouch hat. It was knitted and the center was gathered. (Like when you knit a tube and then gather it all into a bunch with a drawstring). I'm glad to see a style that suits both men and women.

Pete Seeger Hat from the Inaguration

2009-09-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

http://socklady.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/pete-seeger-in-a-socklady-hat/ I found this photo of the Pete Seeger Hat from the Obama inauguration. Unfortunately the youtube video has been blocked for copyright reasons. Maybe this land isn't your land Pete.

A bigger view on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/usatoday/3207831770/

Slouchy Hat Patterns

2009-09-12T22:49:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to make a slouch hat so I thought I'd share some free patterns I've come across.
http://jessicasuzanne.com/craftypants/2007/09/13/pretty-puffs-slouchy-hat-with-pattern/
http://www.knitandtonic.net/knitandtonic/2006/12/leslouch.html
http://slomoeknits.wordpress.com/2007/03/25/slouchy-copy-cat-hat/
http://parallaxknitting.com/2008/02/free-pattern-slouch/
Most of these weren't truly 'slouchy' but this next one is:
http://caffeinatedfrenzy.blogspot.com/2009/06/pattern-slouch.html

Here's a good one:
http://www.straw.com/cpy/patterns2/accessories/taos-slouchhat.html

Spats and Gauntlets

2009-09-11T01:15:00.000-07:00

I wonder if I should try knitting some spats for a Steampunk outfit I'm working on. For once, the male costumes are just as cool as the female ones. If you don't know what Steampunk is, look it up on Youtube. A video is worth even more words than a photo.

Yesterday we visited with friends and I worked on my knitted mitts. I'm almost done with the first one. People still ask me what they are for. I guess the mainstream has never seen wrist gauntlets/cuffs/mitts. Funny how I got the same reaction from people in the 1970's. They've never been really mainstream. Though jugglers and belly dancers have worn them for as long as I can remember.

Wrist cuffs

2009-09-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

I recently started knitting a long tailed hat, and I've barely started it but now I'd like to knit some tattered looking arm cuffs. (Gauntlets). I wish I had some funky hand spun yarn for that. I should work with my drop spindle more.

At the S&B I got to finish a knitted scarf made from trellis yarn. Everyone oohed and ahhed over it so I must have done something right.

Stitch and Ahem

2009-08-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I'm going to a Stitch-n-Bitch at the home of an archer I know. I just wish that name hadn't caught on and stuck. It makes me cringe and I will never feel like it's cool. To me it's equivalent to calling something (Knit with the insert N word).(Cringe again). Yes, that's how strongly I feel about both those words.

Still, my friend is a nice lady and she invited me so I'm going. And as much as I knit, I can't believe I can't even decide which knitting project to work on. I guess it's going to have to be something easy because I can't knit and talk at the same time to save my life. Not without making mistakes. And I've been knitting for 37 years.

Striped Tunic

2009-08-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on an old knitting project and a new one.

I finished the sleeve on the sweater that's been sitting in a bucket for a long time. I still have to sew the parts together.

And then once I freed up my jumbo needles I started working on a striped t-tunic inspired by a blouse I saw on American Idol Remixed. I'm not sure it will transfer well to yarn but it's worth a try.

Knitting Blunders

2009-08-13T01:35:00.001-07:00

I was knitting along today on a rectangular project and after about six rows I realized I had switched from stockinette stitch to garter stitch. It looks fine so I'm not too worried about it, but it's a little unnerving when my subconscious mind makes design decisions without me.

Stitch Markers

2009-08-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

The one thing I can say about the bikini top I'm knitting is it is sure giving me a chance to practice different kinds of decreases.

Also, I need to make more stitch markers. I don't know where all mine got off to. Making them is easy. You take some split rings and some cute charms and attach them all together. Make sure your split rings are big enough to go over the needles you are using for your project. I like to make each one different, because if they all match you may forget which stitch you do at each marker. Or you can buy stitch markers on Etsy.com, but why not try making your own first.

Knitting and a state of Pie

2009-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met a woman that just loves to knit. Though I did get a raised eyebrow when I told her I was knitting a bikini top. She said she likes to knit heavy wool sweaters. I said, "Well, it is southern CA. I don't remember the last time I needed a sweater." She laughed and invited me to her once a month Stitch and Bitch gathering.

Speaking of said bikini top, I worked on it this morning and found a mistake in the tutorial. I had to review four kinds of decreases because I wasn't quite awake this morning and nothing looked right. So I'm glad I got that squared away. At first I forgot it was a bikini top. I thought it was a scarf and started knitting rows in stockinette stitch. Then I suddenly remembered the scarf was in the house on the bigger needles, and the reason I had stopped working on the bikini top was because it was time to do the decreases and add the stitch marker. Oopsy! Exactly why you should always tag each and every project when you start it. Then you don't have to ask yourself, "What was this supposed to be anyway?"

Oh and the lady I mentioned at the beginning? She gave me a pumpkin pie. I asked her if she just randomly had extra pies laying around in case someone dropped by and she said the can makes 2 pies, and there is no sense in having half a can of pumpkin in the fridge. So guess what I'm having for desert tonight? LOL

Needles Sizes

2009-07-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

I just measured some big needles I was using yesterday for the bikini top and they are size 15. I need size 10. But I liked the fabric I was knitting so I'm going to keep going with that and start the bikini with a different set of needles and yarn. I'm thinking the knitting I started on the 15's is going to make a nice shrug or tube top. Now I have to scare up some 10's for the bikini top.

Luckily we got a break in the weather today and it's not sweltering. First cool day we've had in 2 weeks I think. So I'm definitely going to knit outdoors under the tree on my patio.

Knit Pro I Think I Love You

2009-07-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

I just found a free online site where you can convert your .jpgs into knitting patterns. http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/ Just drop in a .jpg and hit submit. Also great for other gridded projects like needlepoint and crochet.

Bikini Top

2009-07-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

I was over on Threadbanger.com looking for a tutorial I found a while back and came across one for knitting a bikini top. I doubt it would support a buxom person, but it looks very sexy on someone that is say an A or B cup size. I will probably make one just to wear around the yard. It was the top only. Some commented that they were going to modify it into a halter top or corset top. It takes size 10 needles so should work up fairly quickly. She used a double strand of cotton. Make sure you pick something that feels good against your skin. Even if you line it, the straps may still irritate your skin if you pick scratchy yarn.

Little Green Sweater

2009-07-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

I'm knitting a tiny green sweater ornament. I just started on the sleeves. Now I need to figure out where to get either tiny clothes hangers or tiny clothes pins to hang it up with.

Knitting on a Hot Hot Day

2009-07-19T00:34:00.000-07:00

I got to spend the day outdoors with a bunch of blacksmiths. So while they were pounding away on hot steel on one of the hottest days of the year, I was sitting in the shade knitting this lovely scarf out of trellis yarn on circular needles. I also got another hat crocheted today.

Tomorrow is our bowyer's meeting so I'm going to take my knitting and crochet with me as well, and maybe some beadwork. That is if I ever get to bed and get some sleep tonight.

Heat Wave in July

2009-07-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've confined myself to quarters, so to speak, during this heat wave. My truck doesn't have air conditioning and unless I have to be somewhere I'm going to work out of my home as much as possible. Luckily for me I have many knit and crochet projects going on right now, and there is no risk of running out of yarn anytime in this millenia.

I want to see the new Harry Potter movie that is coming out soon and fortunately movie theaters are air conditioned in S. California, so no worries there. And I want to find my Slytherin scarf so I can finish it to wear to the theater. But only if I go at night, because it's way too hot to be sporting a neck scarf in these temperatures.

Once again I'd like to remind the knitters out there that learning basic crochet is almost essential to be a successful knitter, because that hook comes in handy for retrieving dropped stitches, fastening odd bits of knitwear together and doing decorative edgings. In general, crocheted edgings work up a whole lot faster than knitted ones. But if you are looking for brownie points for having used knitting and only knitting for the entire project, have at it. I'm not your mother.

Redwood Greenwood Knitting Panel

2009-07-08T00:45:00.000-07:00

I've been continuing my experiments with cables. I found the pamphlet I learned cables from in the first place when I was cleaning my bedroom this morning. Right now it's just an experiment. I don't really want to make yet another scarf. We'll see.

I took apart a partially made teddy bear I was knitting in eyelash yarn in a shiny redwood color to use as a contrasting color. I didn't have enough to make the whole teddy bear anyway, and I was tired of having so many unfinished projects. Also, I didn't like the bear tying up a pair of needles.
I took the photo before I added the eyelash yarn.

Colorful Knitting

2009-07-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

I went to my local library and requested 3 Kaffe Fassett books. And this morning I was cleaning my bedroom and found one of my knitting pamplets I've been looking for for ages that has a cabled scarf I wanted to make again. So I started on that this morning during the Michael Jackson Memorial service on TV that went on and on. I think they were about ready to call him St. Michael. At any rate, it's a day I won't soon forget.

I'm just never going to be good at knitting bland colors. I'm trying to make some solid colored hats for a male friend, but I keep drifting back to more colorful projects. The way I look at it, life is just too short to knit with beige. I've seen a seller on Etsy whose shop name is 'Kill Beige". I think that's great. And navy too while we are at it. Do any big beautiful women actually like Navy, a color foisted on us by the fashion industry for decades? I even hated the navy skirts I had to wear in choir and that was in the 70's.

Silly Knitting

2009-07-05T13:37:00.001-07:00

Awhile back I knit this silly spiral hat. I never wear it much because where am I going to wear it, especially in S. California.

But now that I'm doing Silly Sunday Self Portraits I'll get to wear all my goofy hats. Yay hats!

bag of goodies

2009-07-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking for my Harry Potter scarf and I went through a few buckets full of knitting and crochet projects and it wasn't in any of them. So I decided to start going through some of these things to see just what was in them anyway. So I grabbed up a bag and went through it. Evidentally it was from one of my train trips. Inside I found a Mary Englebreit notebook, a pencil pouch I'd made a traveling drawing kit in, train ticket stubs, the beginnings of a little knitted purse, my sunglasses, a bandanna, and some random balls of yarn. And a partially finished something on a pair of thin needles, only one of the needles is missing. Let me guess...it fell out in the living room somewhere? I'll have to go look for that. I've noticed I often start things on trips, but when I get home I'm tired and behind on everything else and then the projects get lost.

Kaffe and Slytherin

2009-07-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

I got to see an interview with Kaffe Fassett on the Create TV show. I've always done colorful knitting so when I discovered his books it did wonderful things for my imagination. Of all the crafts he does, he said knitting is his favorite. It helps him forget his problems and escape for awhile. So as soon as I wake up enough, I'm going to go work on my knitting.

Also, with the next Harry Potter movie coming out in July I really want to finish my Slytherin scarf which I started knitting before the last movie came out. Or was it two movies ago? It's in a bucket around here somewhere. And high time I finished it off.

For more about Kaffe Fassett go here: http://www.kaffefassett.com/Knitting.html And he pronounces his name CAF, not Cafe like I was saying it.

Cable Knitting

2009-07-02T01:24:00.000-07:00

I'm making slow and steady progress. I'm glad I don't have a deadline. That way I can enjoy the way this is turning out. I did 12 rows today. My hands were a bit sore from yesterday. Not all of that is from knitting. A lot of it is from typing. Seems like I'm always typing.

My cat is feeling good tonight. He's spinning around on my bed trying to catch his tail.

Cable Scarf Progress

2009-06-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

I made some more headway with the cable knit scarf. When it stops being fun, I take a break from it. Cables make the stitches tight, so my hands get tired faster on that row with the crossover as well as the next row after that. Then the tension goes back to normal. It's a six row repeat so after about 18 rows it's time to put it away for awhile or even til another day.

Cable Knit Scarf

2009-06-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

I started a new cable scarf with front cables, back cables and horseshoe cables. First I tried it with Caron soft yarn and the mistakes were too hard to correct. It doesn't hold it's loops if you pull the needle out of a stitch to correct a cable. So I unraveled that and started again with basic Red Heart yarn. I don't like the way it feels as much but it's a lot easier to see and fix mistakes. I know the photos look like a salmon color but it's really a dusty rose pink.

Knitting and Tea Interview

2009-05-13T17:03:00.001-07:00

Meet the authors of Knitting and Tea in the Threadbanger interview.

Knitting a Tam

2009-05-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

Although I'm really good at crocheting tams, I've always wanted to knit one and haven't succeeded yet. Does anyone know of an Internet site with a tam or beret knitting tutorial I could try? I think my problem is I've been trying to do the complicated kind with a lot of colors, when I should just knit a solid colored one until I get the hang of the technique.

The Knitted Bunny's New Home

2009-04-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm knitting and crocheting quite a bit again, that strange blister under my thumb is breaking out again. Does anyone else have this issue? It gets all red and irritated, then eventually the skin all peels off like a blister and starts all over again.

Anyway here are some more photos of my trip to San Luis Obispo CA last week.

Tiny Sweater Knitting

2009-04-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

This teeny tiny knitting is truly a bit of magic.

This teeny tiny knitting is truly a bit of magic.

Coffee Cozies

2009-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

I need to design some coffee cozies. I don't use those paper sleeves all that much but as I've been traveling I'm going through about 4 a day. And I realize my daughter would use one a lot if she had it. And when I got her coffee this morning it was so hot that the thin paper sleeve didn't really work anyway. I like the coffee cozies with cabling on them so maybe I'll try that. And I like the ones that look like little corsets.

Magenta Scarf

2009-04-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

I got a little knitting done today on a magenta scarf. I'm out of acrylic yarn so I'll have to wait until I get some more. It's a nice wide scarf. A silver brooch would look lovely on it. I'm going to use 2 other colors on it. I'll decide which colors when I see what's available at the store. Or if I get home before I get to the store I'll use my existing stash. I really don't have the room to store any more yarn so I'd like to use what I have. And I don't want to move it all again. Not that yarn is heavy, but it's bulky. We bought some of those suction bags to store it in, but then I read yarn should never be stored in plastic. So now what?

Bunny One is Done

2009-04-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm almost finished with the camel and pink yarn bunny. I made him a fuzzy green scarf out of fun fur last night. Now I just need to make a carrot and then wrap him up for my grandson. I meant to give it to him last Sat. but the event was just too busy and his mom took him home straight away afterwards because it was cold and windy at the beach. But today I'm driving down to Santa Maria to spend the night with them so I'll get to see him lots.

I've already started another bunny in a technique I learned from a book on Sat. This one is in Lion Brand wool in the color called 'pumpkin'. The head has a gusset. I just hope I'm sewing it together right because the only directions the book had was 'sew the two pieces together and leave an opening for stuffing'. One piece is shaped like a diamond and the other like a long rectangle with a pinch in the middle. We'll see.

Pink and Brown Bunny

2009-04-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

I took a lot of photos of my knitted bunny today. I have it all assembled. Tomorrow I'll do the face, wrap it and give it to my grandson on Tues. Then I'll make another one for my Etsy shop now that I have the pattern worked out. I'll have to wait until I get home to my own computer to post the photos though. I have some orange yarn with me so I may knit a carrot to go with it. And if I have time I'll make a green scarf for the bunny nexk.

Another Bunny

2009-04-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

This photo shows the colorway of the new wool bunny. I had to start over five times to get the face the right shape. I kept ending up with a little volcano nose. My cat tried to steal the yarn last night and kidnap it. I'm making this one on DPN's too. The yarn is Lion Brand Autumn Sunset.

Bunny Ears

2009-03-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

I just finished designing the ears for the bunny. This time I remembered to take my camera. I might make some changes if I do another one. But not bad for a first try. So now I have the body, the head and 2 ears. Now I need to make arms, legs and a tail. So far so good. The weather is pleasant so I've been knitting out on the porch. I haven't decided what I want to use for eyes but I have some of those lock tight eyes I might use. Or I could do felt.

More Knitted Bunny Work

2009-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

This morning I could tell I wouldn't have enough of the camel yarn to knit the whole bunny. So I'm saving what is left to use for the ears and I'm moving on to a pink/gray/white fuzzy yarn to make the pants with. I got a few more inches done on it at the park this morning. Even though I'm visualizing in my mind the way I want the rabbit to look, it's kind of taken on a life of its own and now it's telling me what it wants to be. Nothing is set in stone and I'm as curious to see how it comes out as you are.

Camel Bunny

2009-03-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

I got started on my bunny in some vintage acrylic yarn from Fedmart. I think that department store went out of business some time in the '80's. It's a lovely camel brown color. When acrylic yarns first came out, no one knew how they'd hold up to daily use. I've found them to be low maintenance and practically indestructible. (I can hear the yarn snobs groaning from here).

I don't exactly hate wool, but it makes me itch (all kinds of wool even merino). Of course I could make a bunny in wool, and I might, because you don't wear a bunny. Then again a baby can't tell you their wool snuggle bunny is making them itch.

I'm all for other organic yarn like corn, hemp and bamboo. Some of the those are finally trickling into Joann's. But if the yarn for a project costs twice as much as acrylic, I can't sell it for double. The market just won't bear that extra cost. Then again if the customer wants a custom order in $25 a skein yarn, and they are paying for the yarn in advance, I'm happy to do it. Or maybe you are a spinner and prefer just to mail me the yarn for your project, that would be fine.

Anyway, I got the bunny's head knitted and now I'm starting on the body.