Patternworks Purchases

My purchases from Patternworks are what I am most excited about from our recent vacation in New Hampshire. Let me share them with you...


This is how every package from Patternworks and Keepsake Quilting is finished, using a strip of fabric to tie up the bag! I have quite a collection of strips now!


This is what my daughter bought for her own projects. She splurged on a skein of 100% cashmere to make herself a scarf using a pattern that she noticed in my pile of purchases! She's frugal just like me! No sense buying two patterns when we can both use the same one, right? She also bought two balls each of yellow, red and blue cotton for some luxury wash cloths. The cotton was on the sale tables out on the front porch and she really loved the colors.


Don't they look just delicious?


When she saw that I was buying my scarf pattern and a skein of cashmere to go with it, she just had to have one of her own. Of course, feeling it on her skin went a long way to selling her on the idea too.


This is my wish list that I put together before leaving home and brought with me so that I would not forget anything I wanted to look at while at Patternworks. After all, it is only a once a year adventure!



I have always been intrigued by the Koigu yarn that Patternworks carries but never had the nerve to just buy a skein and try it. Well, this time I took the plunge! I purchased two skeins of the incredibly soft premium merino wool yarn, and requested two of the one-skein patterns that are offered free with the yarn purchase. I picked the fingerless mittens and the neck cozy patterns which I plan to make either for myself or for gifts, depending on how they turn out.

I also purchased a package of locking stitch markers which I think will be great to use in crocheting since the markers cannot be slid onto the needle like they can in knitting. I'll let you know how I like them.


Here's a close-up of my Koigu skeins. Yummy, don't you think? I can't wait to wind them up and start knitting!

FYI, this Koigu yarn is the same yarn suggested for the original Babette Blanket pattern by Kathy Merrick. The pattern calls for 22 skeins in a wide variety of solid colors. At $14 per skein, the yarn for that blanket would be over $300! Yikes! Maybe someday I could really splurge and do that! I can just imagine how a blanket made out of this yarn would feel...so luxurious!



These are the patterns I picked out to purchase. A few things for my little girlie girl Gracie, a booklet with several sweater patterns but one in particular that I would love to make for myself, the scarf pattern to go with the cashmere yarn that Elizabeth and I each bought, and a knitted lace shawl pattern that I plan to make for my mother for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell her!


And here's my beautiful blue cashmere which Elizabeth insisted I buy since it will go so nicely with my eyes (her words!), the red alpaca lace yarn for the lace shawl since my mother just adores the color red, and a knitted lace scarf kit with white mohair yarn plus an extra ball of soft fancy yarn to make another of the same scarf pattern.


There's my gorgeous blue cashmere. Ooooh, I am just itching to get my crochet hook into that!


I thought that lace scarf pattern was so pretty and delicate with its scalloped edge, and the other ball of yarn is really quite soft and lovely with many different colors in a self striping sort of arrangement. It was on sale too, so I just couldn't pass it up!


And this is the super soft Alpaca lace yarn which I will use for the shawl. That pattern is scaring me just a little as I have never knitted lace before, and I have never used expensive yarn to knit anything before! Two firsts in the same project! I read through the pattern and it seems just a little intimidating to me, but I'm sure once I practice it on some scrap yarn and work it through, I will be able to do it with no trouble. (I say that with all fingers and toes crossed!)

So that was our fun and indulgent shopping trip to Patternworks during vacation this summer. Now I have quite a few projects waiting for me, and I know I'll just love working on them when they finally make it to the top of my list of things to do.

Happy Stitching!

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Visit to Patternworks

After Keepsake Quilting, sister store Patternworks is my next favorite vacation shopping spot. Here's a little tour for those of you who haven't had a chance to make it there in person yet...

Patternworks is housed in a typical New England white clapboard sided shopping plaza. It's quite quaint and cozy inside too.


On the front porch, you'll find tables and baskets full of sale yarns, kits, patterns and notions. That's always our first stop.


I always find at least one great purchase from the front porch!


Inside the shop you will find room after room of every kind of yarn you can imagine in every color of the rainbow, and all the colors in between too! On each display there are sample swatches or completed items, each labeled with the yarn and pattern used...just in case you decide you can't live without it and need to buy the yarn and pattern!


This is the wall of Koigu yarns, which I have been eyeing in their catalog for a really long time. I'll show you in an upcoming post which of these I purchased.


Patternworks has kits for all sorts of projects. The three socks hanging on this display rack are actually made from one kit which has enough yarn for three socks. I think the point is to mix but not match, so you wear any two together. I thought that was funny.


This little room was full of all kinds of chunky yarns in all different fibers and colors.


Patternworks also has any type or size of knitting needle you could want, patterns for anything you could ever imagine wanting to knit or crochet, and helpful staff to seek out any pattern or yarn you might want. I usually go to their website before we leave on vacation and find anything that I might want to look at while I'm at the store and I add each item to my wish list. Then I print out the list and bring it with me. When someone is available to help me, they give me all the time it takes to find each item on my list. Then after seeing all the items in person, I pick through them and choose the ones I am going to purchase.

The ladies who staff Patternworks are all very helpful and knowledgable and will share their expertise freely, along with all the encouragement you might need to try a more challenging project. When I show you what I purchased on this shopping trip, you'll see how important that encouragement was for me this time around!

Happy Stitching!

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New Yarn Purchased for Babette Blanket - but not for me :(

Now that the warmer weather is on its way, her high school career is over and college doesn't start until the fall, my older daughter has decided it's time to put away the heavy zig zag afghan she's been working on and start on something new and different. She fell in love with Babette after seeing some of my favorite versions of her recently, HERE and HERE, and then there was no stopping her!


Having the budget of a high school student who still needs to save for a car and college, she decided to go with what she knew and could afford. About 15 minutes in the yarn department of our local Walmart netted her 20 skeins of Red Heart worsted weight yarn in colors she thought would be fun to put together in totally random ways.


As soon as we got home, she got right to work with the pattern and the skein of teal yarn. The first thing she discovered is that she had never learned how to read a pattern since she has always just made up what she wanted to do, or asked me how to do it and I showed her. So we had a little lesson in pattern reading, the proper way to change yarn colors from row to row, and how to pick up both loops of a stitch instead of just the front or back. Now she is busy busy busy pulling out different colors of yarn to add rounds to the first big block.

Remember that feeling of freedom you felt once school was out and you had months of Nothing But Time looming ahead of you before school began again? What a feeling! It's wonderful seeing her filling up some of that time making something she will be able to treasure for years to come.

Happy Stitching!

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I Love a Bargain! Do you?

It's shaping up to be another busy week here, but I wanted to pop in quickly to let you all know that I am working very hard on revamping my Tunisian Crochet dishcloth patterns so they will work out with regular knitting. It's not quite as easy as it sounds, and when my final sample is complete, I'll tell you about the entire process!

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a sale I found at Mary Maxim, which is one of my favorite yarn sources. Caron Simply Soft Baby yarn is on sale right now for only 97 cents for a 2 ounce skein. It comes in 6 soft, luscious colors perfect for your next baby project. This is a worsted weight yarn in baby colors, not a lightweight fingering weight yarn as the name might imply.

If you need some ideas for patterns to use with this yarn, you can check out the Caron website where they share a few patterns specifically for their Simply Soft Baby yarn. Two are blankets, one knitted and one crocheted, and one is a crocheted sweater. All are just darling! Or you can use any pattern that calls for a medium worsted weight yarn.

If I can knit fast enough, I am hoping to have my knitted dishcloth complete and photographed by tomorrow evening. Wish me luck!


Happy Stitching!

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Knitted Jumbo Mittens Pattern Available!

This post is for anyone who took a fancy to my Knitted Jumbo Mittens that were displayed on my mantel this past Christmas. Do I have some good news for you!


Here's a close-up so you can see just what I'm talking about, in case you missed their first showing at Christmas time. Aren't they just FUN, and such a clever alternative to the traditional stocking? I just love them.


Here's all 5 of ours hanging by the fireplace, just waiting for Santa to pop in and fill them up. They are quite stretchy so they hold an awful lot of little Christmas treasures!

So here's the good news...I contacted Mary Maxim, which you know is one of my favorite mail order and catalog outlets for yarn and crafts and such, and I asked if the pattern for these mittens might still available. I know that it hasn't been offered in their catalog or on their website for a number of years now. Just this week, I got a very nice email from their customer service department telling me how this pattern can be ordered, and now I'm sharing that information with you so you can order it and start knitting these colorful mittens for everyone in your family in time for next Christmas!

Here's what Mary Maxim said, and I quote:

I'm very sorry for the delay in getting back to you--our new catalog has been keeping us very busy! You can let others know that Mary Maxim sells our discontinued patterns (when they have been discontinued for over one year), patterns only, for $3.00 each. This was pattern #1432. Anyone can call us at 800-962-9504 and ask for Customer Service, and we will be glad to take the order.

Customer Service
Mary Maxim, Inc.

So there you have it! Since it is only the pattern that you can order now, and no longer the kit they used to offer which made two mittens, here are the yarn and needle requirements so you can order enough of their Titan yarn at the same time as you order the pattern to make as many mittens as you want:

* 1 skein Natural (enough for 2 mittens)
* 1 skein color of your choice (enough for 1 mitten)
* Knitting needles size 10 1/2 (metric size 6.50)
* Crochet hook size K-10 1/2 (metric size 6.50) (only used to make the hanging loop.)

If you make these mittens, I would love to see a picture of them hanging on your mantel come Christmas time!

Happy Stitching!

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Short Notice on a Great Contest

Sharing this with all you knitters and crocheters out there may not be such a good idea since it might lessen my own chances of winning, but it's so hard not to share a good thing, isn't it? Of course, if you shop at Michael's you probably already know about it. What I'm talking about is...

Vanna's Choice Knitting and Crochet Contest! It's being sponsored by Lion Brand Yarns at Michael's stores. The grand prize is $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip for two to Los Angeles to meet Vanna White and be part of the Wheel of Fortune audience. But the contest ends on February 1, 2009 and that is less than a month away!

You can read all about it here if you are interested.

I would not be so excited about this and sharing it with you except for the fact that I just recently used Vanna's Choice yarn for the first time and I think it's safe to say that I love it! I have always been a dyed-in-the-wool Red Heart user almost exclusively, but I must admit that Vanna's yarn is very nice to work with. It is so much softer than the original Red Heart, and very much like the newer Red Heart Soft which I have used on baby blankets and such. And her colors are beautiful too!

Besides, who wouldn't love a chance to take a trip to Hollywood and trade crochet tips with Vanna? And I just know I could guess each phrase before the contestants do! So read about it and get those hooks and needles out. See if you can be a winner too!

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Border - Simple But Pretty!

A crocheted border on a knitted or crocheted afghan can give it such a nice finishing touch. Depending on who will be receiving the afghan or baby blanket, either a simple border of single crochet or a foofy frilly ruffle border might be appropriate. Of course there is always a Something In Between type of border that could be just the thing too.

The most recent Oddball baby blanket I completed was Forest Greens on which I knitted the last section in a basket weave design. On that blanket, I was also on Border Patrol so I came up with a simple but pretty -- and easy -- border for this one. Here is a close-up of a finished corner...


Working a round or two of single crochet around a knitted piece is a good way to get a border going. It stabilizes the edges and provides crochet stitches into which you can work the decorative border for the last round.


This is the whole blanket all finished and ready to be delivered. The colors in this picture are much closer to real life than the colors in the corner picture above.

Would you like to use this border pattern on your own knitted or crocheted blanket? Here's the pattern:

Work 2 or more rounds of single crochet (sc) around the entire piece, making sure to work 3 sc in each corner so the piece will lie flat.

For final decorative round, * sc in each of next 3 stitches. Chain 3. Sc into same stitch as last sc was worked.* This will create a little loop of chain stitches coming from the same sc stitch.

Continue working from * to * around the piece. Join with slip stitch. Cut yarn leaving a tail of about 10 inches to weave in. Draw tail through last loop to secure. Weave in ends.

Borders are fun to experiment with. Use your imagination and creativity to come up with variations of other borders you have tried from patterns. You can crochet a different border on every afghan you make, creating a truly one-of-a-kind work of art!

Happy Stitching!

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How to Make a Pom Pom -- Quick and Easy!

The school color hats that my daughter knits for her band friends are quite a hit around the high school. So much so that parents are now asking Elizabeth to knit hats for their other children who aren't even in high school yet.

Recently one mom whose oldest is in the high school band with Elizabeth asked for hats for her two younger children. She wanted them in the school colors, but she wanted pom poms on the top. Elizabeth gladly knitted up the two hats but she needed help with making the pom poms as she had never made one before. So we had a little lesson. This is how it went...

You don't need any fancy gadgets or equipment, just yarn and sharp scissors.


First cut a piece of yarn about 12 inches long and set it aside. Then start wrapping your yarn around your hand.


Keep wrapping...


...and wrapping...


...and wrapping.


For a nice full pom pom, you need to wrap A LOT of yarn. Don't be shy. You can always pull some out if it's too full, but adding more yarn after your pom pom is made is impossible.

Pull your bundle of wrapped yarn off your hand carefully and lay it down over the cut piece of yarn that you had set aside, holding the folded ends firmly.


Wrap the cut length of yarn around and around and around the middle of the bundle, pulling it very tightly with each wrap. Tie a good strong knot but DO NOT trim the ends of the tying yarn. You can use these long ends to attach the pom pom to the top of the hat.


Using your sharpest scissors, cut the loops on one side of the tied bundle.


This is what it will look like. Then cut the loops on the other side.


Now you have a nice little crazy looking ball of yarn, with two long ends sticking out. You can leave it this way if you like, or you can give it a haircut.


For a nice tight pom pom, again using your sharp scissors, trim all around the pom pom so that all the yarn ends are even and the pom pom is the size you want it.


And there is the nice little puff ball among all its clippings. Kinda reminds me of my old neighbor's dog right after a grooming!


You can attach the pom pom to the top of a hat, or to the ends of a drawstring on a hoodie or sweater, or to a zipper pull. I remember years ago it was popular among ice skaters to have pom poms on the ends of their skate laces. I am going to put some on the ends of the Dr. Seuss Knitted scarf I am making for the Special Olympics. I think that is appropriately Seuss-ish, don't you?

So there's a fun and easy way to make pom poms without needing any of the many gadgets you can find in craft stores or online. You can use any kind of yarn, thread, cotton, floss, what have you. Use as much as you want to make a pom pom as full or as floppy as you like. The more yarn and the closer you trim it, the fuller it will be. Make a few and see what you come up with.

If you haven't already, please be sure to sign up for my Christmas giveaway. The winner will be announced on my 200th post, which will be in a few days, so tell all your friends there is still time!

Happy Stitching!

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Angel Swap Gifts from Norway

Last week I received a nice email from May Kristin in Norway revealing herself as my Secret Stitcher's Angel Swap gift giver. She wanted me to know that my gifts were on their way across the ocean and that I had not been forgotten.

George the mailman made me very happy today, leaving a wonderful little bundle of handmade love from Norway in my mailbox. I couldn't wait to open it. I even turned off the stove and made everyone wait for dinner so I could open it! Take a peek with me and see just how much May Kristin spoiled me.


Don't you just love wrapped packages? I like to think of them as Pretty Packages of Potential!


The first item May Kristin worked so beautifully is the cutest little drawstring bag with the cutest little hand embroidered angel. The fabrics are gorgeous with the layers quilted together, and the coolest wooden beads on the drawstrings. May Kristin must have known how much I love bags! There really is no such thing as Too Many Bags!


Here's a close-up of that friendly little angel with her big happy smile and her poofy hairdo, fancy dress, skinny little legs, super shoes and pretty heart shaped flower in her hands. Entirely too cute and every stitch is perfect!


Then I opened a lovely little needle book with a cheerful buttonhole stitched flower on the front of it. The center of the flower is satin stitched perfectly which I admire so much because that is one stitch I never mastered.


Inside the needle book are two pages of felt and on the back are two little pockets for holding handy little helpers like the tape measure that May Kristin included. I think my favorite needle threader will go in the other pocket.


This pin cushion is just the neatest thing. It has these 5 points that stick up with that pretty red flower button in the middle...just the most clever design I've seen for a pin cushion. I also found a little ring pin cushion in the package which is the little blue heart on the left. It slips on a finger like a ring for easy pinning. Very clever!


This is the underside of the 5 pointed pin cushion. I love the fabrics and the buttons May Kristin used. This pin cushion will definitely have a place on my sewing table. I've actually not had a pin cushion for about 20 years, and my last one was one of those inexpensive tomato shaped things from Walmart or somewhere. This one was definitely worth holding out for!



May Kristin must have been poking around my website because she knew I also enjoy knitting and crocheting and so kindly included two skeins of sock yarn for me. I have actually never knitted socks but have wanted to attempt a pair for quite some time. Now that I have the yarn, I really have no excuse for putting it off. You can be sure I'll let you know how I do with it!


Along with all the handmade goodies and the yarn, May Kristin also wrote a lovely note to me and included her website address which I will add to my following list. I need to keep an eye on this crafty lady!

I just cannot think of enough ways to say thank you to May Kristin for taking the time to stitch such beautiful things for me. I certainly hope we run into each other in a future swap or exchange.

Speaking of exchanges, a few days ago I posted my Pay It Forward exchange and am still looking for someone to take me up on the challenge. I know my Angel Swap friend from Australia, Lyn, is already making something for me, but I can't Pay It Forward unless someone signs up. Please don't make me feel guilty accepting Lyn's gift! If you can't do it, please pass on the information to others who might be able to. Thanks!

Happy Stitching!

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