Oooh...Website Makeover!

Hello! How is early summer treating you so far? Have you been keeping up with your knitting projects or have you put them aside for trips to the beach and bike rides?

You may not know this about me, but I'm not an outdoors type of person. My sister, Kim, always asked me to go outside with her to play basketball or ride bikes, but I almost never said yes. Poor Kim. A comfy chair, a book and a quiet space inside was my favorite thing to do. And it still is. (See below for pics) *grin*

But, sometimes, I sit by the pool when it's not too hot or buggy :)

So far this summer, I've been...

- Updating my website layout (My hubby, Ian, figured out how to substitute the old layout with the new - yay!)

- Trying to find a distributor for my knitwear design books (I finally found one - Small Press United!)

- Creating and updating new patterns (Crossing my fingers for my current lace shawl design to be accepted. This is some of the yummy Plucky Knitter yarn I'm using...)

- Helping my oldest son get an internship for the summer (He finally got a job at DEKA Research...woo!) Here is a pic of us together on his 21st birthday in May:

- Cleaning out my closet (Omg...the horror! I finally created a little nook for myself where I can knit and read. Yes, in my closet! lol)

The hallway in my bedroom opens up to the closet area/bathroom, so I can use half my closet for yarn/clothes storage and half for books and knitting nook.

- Knitting daily on my Year in Temperatures Scarf (I look forward to it every day...so much fun to add to my routine.)

- Thanks to the awesomeness of Ravelry, I found out that I was the 91st Raveler to join! (super cool)

- My youngest son Ben, hubby and I went to the Skrillex concert and it was amazing! (Except for the tall people getting in my way...I always wish that I could bring a small step stool with me...)

- And, on May 23rd, I turned 41 (horrors again!), but now hubby Ian and I are BOTH 41. (At least I have that 5 or so extra months of feeling young...lol.)

So, I think that's about all that's new and interesting in my life since April. Hmmm...mostly, doing a million things at once and stressing out over things I probably shouldn't. (Calgon, take me away!)

I've also been inspired by my dear friends, Jessica and Heather, to get back into a daily yoga routine. And, truly, that's helped with some of my health issues AND with clearing my mind (and helping me to relax). Yay for amazing, helpful friends!!

You can get hear more about what I'm up to (and see some interesting knitting links that I share) on my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page.

I'd love to hear what you've been up to and what you're knitting on now. Share away in the comments below :D

Spring Update!

Happy Spring, knitting friends!

It's so wonderful to finally see some sunshine and above freezing temperatures here in New Hampshire. The sweet tweets and cheery chirps of the birds always cheers me up. I (finally) took down my outdoor Christmas lights (whoops!) and gave my "Gnome Garden" a cleaning. I hung a pretty twig/flower (fake...d'oh) wreath on my door and cleared the cobwebs from my chimes (eeew). Though the grass is still brown and there is still a small covering of snow on my lawn, I feel spring in the air and I smile every morning :)

I haven't blogged in over 3 months (shame on me!) and so I have A LOT of lovely things to share with you. As you know, I love lists (he he) -

1. Phoebe Mouse and her lovely dress...with her very own Amanda Hat!

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (mouse), Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (dress, ears, face, tail) and Morehouse Merino 3ply (hat)

I had SO much fun knitting this adorable doll! I love all of Joanna Johnson's designs, but this was the very first book that I purchased and it made me super happy to be able to knit Phoebe Mouse. I smile every time I look at her. I want to make a different color dress for every day of the week! As you can see in the pic above, I had a bit too much fun giving Phoebe accessories...lol! (I'm working on her sweater, now...)

You can find the pattern and details for the hat HERE on Ravelry :)

2. Stitch Block Cowl by Purl Soho/Purl Bee (my favorite knitting blog!)

Yarn: Morehouse Merino 3ply (baby blue, cornflower, royal blue)

This cowl came out sooo lovely and soft...I actually wish it was a blanket instead of just a cowl. I want to curl up in it and snuggle all day! The stitch patterns were interesting and challenging to knit...it was never boring. It's amazing that this pattern was free because I would have paid at least $5 for it. Great pattern...beautiful design.

3. Archery Target Hat by Yours Truly

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, Cascade 220, Lion Brand Fun Fur (shiver)

An archery friend of mine, Siobhan (who I call "Cinnamon Bun"), saw a hat like this in the crowd while we were at Nationals this year. She asked if I could make her a hat like this one and, of course, I was like "Sure!". After I got home, I realized that I only caught a quick glimpse of it and I had a hard time remembering what it actually looked like. So...I grabbed one of my own targets for reference and added some fun fur. She really liked it and I might write up the pattern that I created for it. (Though, I will probably ditch the fun fur...it was hell to knit with...blargh.)

On a side note, this was the very first time that I attended archery Nationals (45th Anniversary year!) and it was a daunting, but exhilarating experience. I don't know what I would have done without Siobhan guiding me every step of the way...where to have my bow checked or where to stand or where to sign up, etc. OMG...Crazytown Central! But, everyone was soo nice, encouraging and helpful. I've only been an archer for a little under 2 years and I had set a goal of 700/1200 for the weekend (only SUPER talented archers get over 1000). Surprisingly, I reached 752 with (7) 10s over the weekend and I was satisfied with that for my first time. I was nervous that I would be the very last in my category (Olympic Women's Senior Recurve) for the nation...but...I am only 6th from last! lol! Next year, I will get a MUCH better score...I know it :) Here is a pic of Siobhan and I (wearing our team shirts) at Nationals...

Our Team - Archery in Motion (AIM)

(Can you see how much shorter I am compared to the teen girls?? Oh, goodness!)

Nationals shooting area -

4. Follow Your Arrow Shawl by Ysolda

Yarn: Wild Hare Fibers Galaxy Laceweight (Baltic colorway...with beautiful silver sparkle!)

The design that I chose was BABBA...and I couldn't be more thrilled with it. Not only was the pattern extremely well written (a signature of Ysolda's incredible designs), but the yarn was scrumptious! Gorgeous blue, silver sparkle, super soft merino...what else could you ask for?? I was able to knit this shawl AND a pair of my Veronica Earrings and I still had lots of yarn left over. I'm not sure what I'll do with the leftovers yet (besides rubbing it on my cheek)...any ideas?

5. My Year in Temperature Scarf

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (many colorways)

This is an ongoing (obviously) knitting project that my friend, Lora, came up with at our annual ManchVegas Knitting weekend. We all modified a design that was on Ravelry for this scarf and created our own temperature charts/colors. At our annual knitting weekend at the end of this year, we're going to bring our scarves and take pictures of them...and admire all the unique styles. I can't wait! It's actually something I look forward to every single day. I check my weather app, note the time and temperature (and any other notes I wish) in my journal and then knit the section for the day. You can find more details about my personal scarf/directions HERE on Ravelry.

6. The REST of the Projects

Links: I might as well share pics of the rest of the projects that I've finished since the last time I blogged, right? :D

Adelaide Yoke Pullover

Roxy Fox Hat (pink version)

(The ones below aren't publicly shared from Ravelry because I couldn't get the link to work...darn it.)

Bunny

Roxy Fox Hat (original version)

Amanda Hat with Pom Pom

Felted Clogs

Bearded Beanie

Chevron Missoni Blanket

What are YOU working on right now? Are you loving it? Hating it? Do you have starteritis or knitter's gloom?


7. Adventures with Barnes & Noble

I am still in the process of finding a distributor or wholesaler so that I can sell my Wonderlace book at Barnes & Noble. It may not happen, but I'm going to give it a little while longer. Primarily, the main reason for the delay is this - if you have self-published a book, it is much more difficult to find a company that will agree to be the "middle man" to sell your book to the "big boys" (aka Barnes & Noble, etc). So, even though Barnes & Noble WANTS to buy at least 20 copies of Wonderlace, I can't sell to them directly (though I still don't know why this is so). It's all incredibly confusing and no one seems very interested in helping you along or writing things out clearly. I'm an educated person, but some of these websites are CRAZZZZY! Also, opening up an account with a distributor costs many hundreds of dollars AND the companies take a large percentage of your wholesale profit...which, in the end (according to my calculations), might mean that I would earn approximately $1 off each Wonderlace book. It's very frustrating. Le sigh.

If all fails, I have the option of becoming a vendor and selling my book online through B&N. At least that's something. Despite all of this, I am optimistic. Wish me luck! lol

In case you were wondering (which I know you were...he he), here are some of places where you can purchase my Wonderlace (and possibly Dreamscape) books. My book - with a lovely skein of yarn - would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift...or birthday gift, etc. I am always happy to sign and/or personalize a book, too :)

Amazon.com (book only)

Etsy (book, pdf or sets)

My App (pdf only)

My Website (pdf only)

Yarn Stores*: Patternworks, Elegant Ewe, The Spotted Sheep Shoppe, Twill, The Knitting Studio, Knitting Knook, The Yarn Sellar (book only)

*If you would like to see my books at your LYS, please send them my information and have them request a wholesale account for Wonderlace & Dreamscape...there is free shipping on orders over $100*

As always, I would LOVE LOVE to hear from you (via comments, emails, etc) and please send your email to me (gina@ginahouse.net) if you would like to sign up for my Sleepy Eyes Knits Newsletter...which I'm just starting up.

Don't forget to join my Sleepy Eyes Knits Facebook page and my Twitter account, too! (I only need a couple more followers to make 100!) I share almost daily updates, projects, designs, contents, gift giveaways and inspiring knitting ideas. How can you go wrong? lol

Hope you're having a wonderful day and many hugs to you!!! xoxoxo

Gina :)

KIRBY!

Look at what I made!!!



DETAILS:

Pattern: A modified version of Jess Hutchinson's "Spherey" doll from the booklet, "Unusual Toys For You to Knit and Enjoy". (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash(worsted) in Ballerina pink and Red Pepper
Needle: Size 5 dpns (though Magic Loop would work just as well)
Size: 14" circumference, 5.5" tall
Time: Less than 24 hours...I started last night at knitting and finished this afternoon.
Extra Materials: Reddish purple colored pencil, felt (red, dark blue, light blue, and white), scissors, tapestry needle

Yup...it's a knitted Kirby doll...I'm so happy with the way it came out! After seeing Jackie's "Super Mario" doll (Ravelry link), Tim started begging me to make him a Kirby doll from his favorite Wii game, Super SmashBros Brawl.



I wasn't sure how I would go about making one...but then...seeing the "Spherey" doll that I made for Tim on his bed the other morning, I thought, "Hey, that body shape would look great for Kirby!"

Jackie gave me some of her leftover Swish yarn in pink and red and I started last night...right after I finished my pair of socks (more on that much later). Thank goodness for friends' stashes!

Man, we had SO much fun doing "photo shoots" with Kirby.....!



Here are the modifications that I made to the "Spherey" pattern....

1. I only used the body portion of the pattern (not the arms and legs)
2. I left out rounds 25-29 of the body pattern, but left the rest the same.
3. I used a smaller needle size....and if you want to make one even smaller than mine, use a size 3 or 4 needle and thinner yarn...like sportweight.

After knitting up the body and stuffing it moderately full with polystuff, I designed some arms and feet. I used the same size needle for all.

ARMS: (make 2)

CO 18 with PINK yarn, join in the round, being careful not to twist, leaving a 12" or so tail for sewing to body.
Round 1-4: Knit
Round 5: (ssk, k5, k2tog)2x
Round 6: knit
Round 7: (ssk, k3, k2tog)2x
Round 8: knit
Round 9: (ssk, k1, k2tog)2x
Round 10: knit
Kitchener stitch top of hand closed. Stuff lightly and use tail to sew larger opening to the side of Kirby's body.

FEET: (make 2)

CO 18 with RED yarn, join in the round, being careful not to twist, leaving a 12" or so tail for sewing to body.
Round 1-15: Knit
Round 16: (ssk, k5, k2tog)2x
Round 17: knit
Kitchener stitch top of foot closed. Stuff lightly and use tail to sew larger opening to the underside of Kirby's body. Sew feet somewhat close together (I left the butthole round, bottom opening in the middle of the feet).

HINT: I like using Jess Hutchinson's sewing up technique...check out her book for more details. It makes a nice finish to the doll, with little "sewing up- look".



FACE:

I used dark blue felt to cut 2 long, narrow ovals for the background of the eyes...then added lighter blue felt "shadows" and white felt circles for the pupils. I glued them together, let them dry and then sewed them onto the Kirby body...using matching thread, so that the stitches wouldn't show.

Then, I cut up a red half circle and sewed that to the face for the mouth.

Last, I used a reddish purple colored pencil to shade the oval/rectangular areas for the blushing cheeks.

Voila! A Kirby doll! (click HERE for my Ravelry link to this doll and more details)



Now...on to knitting.....META KNIGHT!!!!

Icarus Update...Almost Done!!!

I am SO excited! I finished Lace Chart #3 today on the Icarus Shawl. The muscles in my arms are killing me but, man, it was worth it!

I spent most of last night (after putting Ben to bed) knitting this chart while watching alternately "The Shining" with Tim and then "Lost" with Ian. I really need to get a better light in the bedroom. Thank goodness my yarn is white and the needle tips are dark.

Just to catch up....here is the shawl BEFORE I started the lace charts. (It is reeeeeally soft!)



So, now here is what it looks like from far away after 3 lace charts are finished....seems small, doesn't it? But, it will be perfect once it's blocked and I do still have one more lace repeat to go. (I think it's 24 or 26 rows. Ugh...I'm up to over 400 stitches otn!)



Lemme show you a close up of the lace. Some of it is knitted with purl stitches, so the opposite side has some variation of knits and purls, which I l-o-v-e. It sometimes gets horribly boring (and painful) to only purl across such a huge row.



I'm off to knitting group tonight...yippeee!....and I am relieved that I got the shawl on a lifeline before getting ready to go. Not sure if I'll bring it tonight. Chart #4 looks mighty intimidating and talking while doing lace is not always a good idea. You know what I mean?

Love the pattern (Miriam, you are a genius!!!), love the yarn, love the needles (KP Harmony) and this is my most enjoyable lace yet. I'm definitely doing ANOTHER lace project next!

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Ian's Mug Cozy

Though I'm still in the process of trying to finish up 3 other ufo's at the moment, this one was a "Lovely Interruption Knitting Event"...or LIKE. One of those little knitted items that you just can't pass up knitting, even though you have a deadline of many other ufos.

I knitted this for Ian, who is a caffeine addict and who LOVES his coffee in the morning. Me...I'm more the opposite of a caffeine addict. It's like saying, "Hmmm....I haven't had anyone talk to me at 100 words per second before and I'm horribly bored, so I think I'll give Gina some coffee." Yup...exactly like that. Right, Laurin?

DETAILS:

Pattern: Garter Mug Cozies by Cathy Carron, Interweave Holiday Gifts 2007, Page 88.
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash, colorway Dublin
Needle size: US 7, magic loop
Time: Half a day, on and off
Happiness Level: 4 out of 5 hearts....it was super easy, makes a great cozy, and the yarn is very soft. Ian really likes it.

Here is a close up of the side, where the handle is:



Before I head out to pick up the little guy from PreK, I want to share a pic of him (in his new Spiderman costume and haircut) when I told him how many UFOs I had. He was utterly shocked!



Hope I'll see some of you at Yarn and Fiber Co. tonight!!

Bags and Rags

Well, maybe not quite bag(s) with an "s". More like BAG...check out this hot mama of a bag!

I bought this new knitting bag from Knit Picks called the Total Tote and it is WONDERFUL! It's even better than the picture.

The outside is very soft, suede-like microfiber (mine is in the Chocolate colorway) and the inside has such great, fun print material. This picture shows one of the three pockets (this is the smallest in the front) that holds your dpns, straights and circulars. The circulars fit perfectly in the zipper, mesh pouch.



This pocket has the biggest space and features four inside smaller pockets....two mesh and two with elasticized tops.



The last pocket is medium sized and has a terrfic, vinyl accessories bag that snaps out so you can use it easily when needed. The opposite side has a stretchy elastic with places to hold yarn or other chunkier-than-needles things.



I LOVE IT!!! (I'm kissing it right now)

Oh, I forgot to mention that the middle is separated by a hard divider (one side has the elastic and the other has the 2 mesh pockets) that you can take out of the bag completely, making the center HUGE and room for more than a sweater's worth of yarn. AND it has feet at the bottom, so you can easily put it on the floor without worrying about it getting ruined.

Right now, I have all my knitting bag stuff (5 circ needles, 2 crochet hooks, tape measure, row counter, tapestry needle, scissors, etc), my address book, my Monster make up bag, my knitting notebook, my current sock project (see below), my current "rag" project (see below), a ball of yarn, 4 baby socks and THIS PROJECT in the bag as well:



I have been SUCH a good girl the past week. I have lots of FOs to show you! (Didn't have time to do it on Friday....whoops!)

First, my RAGS!!

(all knit in Lily's Sugar N Cream cotton with size 7/8 needle)

-Garterlac Dishcloth by Criminy Jickets....very awesome pattern:



-Knitability's No Holes Dishcloth:



-Maggie's Rags Chinese Waves Dishcloth...still in progress:



-Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth...done last week:



(see last post for the link to the Grandma's Favorite "rag" I made)

I'd like to have 7 total, so I can have a different one for each day of the week for the kitchen...I know...kinda lame, but there it is.

Second, my TASSLED EARFLAP HAT!!



-Yarn: 1 ball of Rowan Big Wool, 87 yards (though I had yarn left over) Colorway 24 (wine)
-Needle: Size 15 24" circ/dpns
-Pattern: Knit Simple Fall 2007, page 77 and cover
-Size: 22" Large (it's too big for me and I have a 21" head....there is the small size for a 19" head, too)

It's totally comfy and soft, so I might make another one, too. I love the earflaps and crochet ties, though the tassel didn't impress me too much.

Third, sock one of TIM'S SOCKS!!



-Yarn: 2 balls of Knit Picks Felici, colorway Clay
-Needle: Size 1, 2 24" circs
-Pattern: My Own
-Size: 10" long foot, 5" tall leg/cuff

This yarn is really one of my favorite sock yarns....not only is the superwash merino really soft, but I love the way it knits up so evenly. Only things I haven't liked about this yarn: it's tendency to knot/tangle easily and the white/undyed spots in the color.

And, finally, my favorite of all my FO's so far....

The LEARNING SOCKS!!



[These pictures are of sample socks that you knit as you read along with the book to get used to the new "pathways" of knitting socks on a smaller level. Super fun! Top: Little Skye Sock and Bottom: Little Coriolis]



Skye Sock:

-Knit cuff down
-No traditional heel flap or gusset
-Pyramid shape along instep
-Star Toe



Coriolis Sock:

-Knit toe up
-No traditional gusset
-Beautiful spiral pattern travels from top, side of toe across instep to the other side of the leg
-Whirlpool Toe



The fantastically genius Cat Bordhi (I have all her books...and I love them) has published a new book on socks with 8 completely new "pathways" of knitting socks...different from what you've ever seen before. Not only different, but beautiful, unique and fun to knit. This book, "New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One" is more than just a sock pattern book, it's like a workboook. I was drooling ove every single page.

The fact that she uses popular and wonderful sock yarn (including Socks that Rock, Trekking, Cascade Fixation and Mountain Colors, just to list a few) makes the book even better. I love seeing how the colorways I've always admired knitted up in a new way. I found myself tempted to grab the computer and start buying sock yarn then and there...especially STR. But, I restrained myself. At least for now.

So far, in the 6 years I've been knitting and the 5 years I've been knitting socks, this is the BEST sock book I've come across. The patterns are so inspiring and Cat continuously gives tips throughout the book (shown next to acorns) about knitting socks....things that I'd heard of, but never tried or tips that I've always known, but which are invaluable to a sock knitter.

There is a section in the back just for finding out the Master Number for yourself and others you knit socks for so that, once you know those numbers, knitted up the sock patterns are a breeze. The way that Cat organizes the book is very user friendly and I found the indexes of the sock patterns and tips/techniques to be extremely helpful. The print and style of the book is simple and easy to read...not a lot of squinting involved at all. LOL!

So now that you know how much I love this book...please go and buy it. One of the best features of it is you can use any method to knit them....she gives directions for not only 2 Circs, but dpns AND Magic Loop. Can it get any better than that???

So...have I been productive or WHAT??? LOL!