Visit my online shop at PeasblossomCreations.etsy.com!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

To Do...

Sometimes making to-do lists makes me feel better about all of the things that I need to accomplish before a deadline.  Since it's been a while since I've posted, I thought I would make my to-do list public.  This should give you a pretty good sense of what's going on in my life...

By November 21 @ 11:45pm Done!
- 7 to 10 pages on the information behavior of Mrs. de Winter from Rebecca (1940). [0 pages written, but I have a plan!]

By November 23 Done!
- get groceries for Thanksgiving Mac & Cheese


By November 24 @ 12:00pm Done!
- get macaroni and cheese into crockpot and prepare for Thanksgiving in general

By November 28 Done!
- complete group project on information behavior of locavores (website, VoiceThread, executive summary)

By December 12 @ 11:45pm Done!
- reflection paper

By December 15 Done!
- Knit a pair of fingerless gloves (for my mother for a gift) Done!
- Knit a pair of fingerless gloves (for my mother for a gift) Done!
- Knit a hat (for my mother for a gift) Done!

By December 16 Done!
- All the course work for INFX 502 and INFX 503 [as of right now, 11 3 assignments] 

By December 20 Done!
- Knit a pair of fingerless gloves (commissioned)  

By December 24
- Knit a sweater vest for Jack (original one frogged. New pattern, new yarn, new outlook on life in general)
- Finish Daddy's golf club covers [2.5 knit, 2.5 to go and finishing]

By December 31
- Get "Alyssa's Diamond Mitts" revised pattern out to the lovely women who test knit for me

By December 31 @ 11:59pm failed
- Read 9 8 more books (or 18 16 more audiobooks)... looks like this goal won't be met this year. *sigh* {read 25 books in 2011; audiobooks count as 1/2}

By January 1
- Finish blanket for apartment... new year's present to us! 

By January 15 Done!
- Finish baby set (shrug and booties) for friend at work who is due in February

And apparently I have to keep going to work.  This doesn't look that bad! I can't definitely get all of this done.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Alyssa's Diamond Mitts in Pretty Pink - Now for Sale! $20 + $3 shipping

I originally wrote the pattern for these gloves for my best friend's 21st birthday. Alyssa loved the subtle diamond texture of the glove and how warm her hands were while still having the utility of her fingers and thumb and I'm sure you will too!

You can check out my listing and purchase this pair for yourself or a friend in my Etsy Shop. :-)

These gloves are approximately 6" around and 7" long. These will fit most women's hands.



Fiber Content:
- 55% Merino extra fine wool
- 33% Microfiber
- 12% Cashmere

Made in a pet-free and smoke-free home in Bellevue, Washington.

If you are interested in these gloves, but would prefer another color or a different size or length, please don't hesitate to contact me at knittinsmitten@gmail.com.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Call for Test Knitters -- CLOSED

THIS REQUEST HAS BEEN CLOSED.  Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some test knitters to work on my first pattern.  If anyone is interesting in volunteering, please email me at knittinsmitten@gmail.com.


Shown here in the short length in a DK weight yarn.  Available in short and long lengths and small through large sizes.  These can also be made in a lighter weight yarn for a lacy spring mitt.

Here's how it will work...

Step A) I'll send you an electronic copy of my rough-draft pattern in either PDF or Word document depending on your preference.

Step B) You knit the pattern in any size and length in any weight of yarn you want. You keep your gloves, but please take pictures.

Step C) You tell me:
- what size and length of glove you made
- what yarn you used and how much of it
- any modifications you made to the pattern and why (problems with the pattern or personal preference; I may update the pattern with your alterations)
- any problems you encountered with the pattern
- any typos/unclear elements in the pattern
- any title suggestions
- general feedback (I don't like your font, the thumb gusset was confusing, cute pictures, etc.)

Step D) You post pictures of your project on Ravelry (with your honest feedback in the comments!) and link it to the pattern.

Step E) I send you a copy of the finished pattern and you have my undying gratitude.

Let me know if you're interested!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

New Name Contest for New Mitts!


I've designed my first pair of fingerless mittens!  I plant to sell the finished product in my Etsy store soon as well as the pattern, which will be available primarily on Ravelry, but in my Etsy store occasionally as well.  Currently, they are called "Diamond Mitts" but I am searching for a better, more unique and memorable name.  If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comment box along with a way of contacting you (email at host dot com... don't put your phone number!) and you'll win a copy of the pattern when it is completed! Sound good?

Here are a few more pictures...


These mitts are made using all knit and purl (and some yarn overs and knit togethers) and are made in the round. This pattern is intended for DK weight yarn and uses 1 - 2 50g skeins.


The pattern will offer two lengths: short (shown here) and long (goes a little over half-way up your forearm) but the pattern is easy to alter to the length that you want. There will also be notes to knit different sizes: small (shown here), medium, and large.


I'm also looking for some test knitters to test out the pattern when I get it all written up and fancy-like.  If you're interested, send me an email at knittinsmitten@gmail.com with your Ravelry name and what size and length you're thinking about knitting.  (If you don't have a Ravelry account, you can still test knit for me, but I'll need your okay to post pictures of your finished project on Ravelry and here on my blog; you'll receive credit for the photo and the project).

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Oh man.

It seems that having a real life is a major time drain...

I'm going to bed.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Provisional Cast On

I just taught myself to crochet by accident.

For a sweater (French Cuff Sweater as pictured on the left... in off-white) that I'm making for myself, I needed to do a provisional cast on.  A provisional cast on allows you to start your project (like a normal cast on) but keeps the stitches "alive" so you can come back and knit the other way.  You use waste yarn for the cast on and remove it when you want to go the other way.  And, apparently, you use crochet to do it.

Check out this video to learn how to do it yourself! (This is how I learned)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3J-sUx_whE

Maybe I'll play around a bit with this crochet thing... some people seem to like it...

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Nicky Epstein at Pacific Fabrics in Bellevue!

Nicky Epstein, knitting designer and writer, visited Seattle this weekend to throw out the first pitch at the Mariner's Stitch 'n' Pitch game on Friday and teach a couple of classes at Pacific Fabrics in Bellevue and Northgate.  I signed up early for the Bellevue class, and it turns out that was smart, because the class was completely full.

I was first introduced to Nicky's books a few months ago when Knitty Gritty in Richland was going out of business.  They were having a massive sale and I drove out there with a fellow Whitman knitting club member to see what was still there.  I'd just started designed different headbands (I have a sketchbook with ideas!) and came across this book that had lots of neat little designs that would be perfect on an ear-warmer.  That book was Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein.  It had lots of neat little color work designs and some interesting textures, but it also had a lot of stuff in it that I wasn't even certain how to use, let alone make and incorporate into my own knitting.  But, with a huge store closing discount and all those pretty colorwork ideas, I got it anyway.

I've been really happy with Knitting Over the Edge and so I started looking at her other books, especially her newest, Knitting Block by Block.  After flipping through it, I decided that it wasn't for me and I would just have to be satisfied with the one I already had.  Like the first, it had the same great pictures and a wide variety of things to knit, but I wasn't sure how I would use any of them.  All of the patterns were set up in squares and since I'm not knitting quilted afghans, I didn't know if I would actually use the book.  When I heard she was teaching a class in Bellevue, I signed up, because there are a bunch of applique flowers in Knitting Over the Edge and I didn't know how to do that technique.

The class was great.  We didn't do a whole lot of knitting, but did do a whole lot of looking and listening.  I not only learned how to do some pretty neat applique (I-cord then hand-sewn on), I also learned how to make tassels ("for if your day job doesn't work out" - Nicky) and she showed us how to use her edging techniques, which can be used as, you know, edging OR you can manipulated them to make flowers and other neat little things.  Even if I'd left with just that, I would have been pretty happy.

Since Nicky is going around promoting her new book, she spent a good deal of the class talking about the blocks and techniques from it.  At first I was a little wary because I wasn't all that interested in knitting squares.  I ended up leaving with a copy of Knitting Block by Block.  Nicky showed us how many things can be created just by using different size squares and how customize-able your projects were just by using a different variety of the squares she has in her book.  I know this sounds like it was a QVC commercial for that kitchen gadget that can do anything, but she brought some of her finished projects for people to see in person and try on and it really does work out, you just have to be conscious of the decisions you're making while you're planning.  So now I have plans to make a blue and chocolate brown capelet with coordinating fingerless gloves to wear to work in the winter with my brown skirt and off-white blouse that will look simply fabulous.

I now own not one, but three of Nicky's books and they're all signed. :-)  After that class I left with a little bit more technical knowledge, but a better understanding of how to really design your own things!

And I follow her on Twitter at @NickyKnits.  And I'm on her mailing list at NickyKnits.com.  It seems that Nicky has a new fan...

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Finally! Lattice Headband!

I've been working on a new pattern for a headband with travelling cables.  There were more kinks in the pattern than anticipated (it's taken me since April to get it to work out how I wanted it to!) but I am absolutely thrilled to report that I have successfully made my first ready-to-go Lattice Headband.  Katie M. commissioned this headband back before graduation in May so hopefully she's happy with the teal & feather grey combo she picked out. :-)

Made from 100% Peruvian highland wool in Teal and Feather Grey

I'll be making more so there will soon be some available for sale in my Etsy shop for $20 + shipping.  This style headband is a little more expensive than the Swirly Headband because it uses A LOT more yarn and takes me quite a bit longer to make.


Cozy! Keep warm with a Lattice Headband!
I am planning to write this pattern up, make it into a PDF and also have it available for sale on Ravelry and possibly in my Etsy store as well.  It can be a bit time consuming... travelling cables are like that, but I think the time is well-spent.

What are travelling cables, you ask?  When you think of a cable in knitting, you probably think of something like this fisherman's sweater pictured on the right. Those cables run vertically.  They are made by taking stitches off of your needle just before you are about to knit them, holding those stitches either in front or in back of your project, knitting the next needles, and then putting the other stitches back on the needles and knitting those.  This creates a cable or a twist in the fabric.  Cables aren't particularly stretchy, but they are very warm and create interesting textures.  You can see that there are individual cables or twists in the fabric that run lengthwise along the fisherman's sweater.  The ones on the sleeve of this sweater are your basic cable that just twists every so often... [p1, k4, p1* rep 4 rows, on the fifth row, p1, slip 2 hold in front, k2, replace 2, k2, p1... repeat whole sequence]

A travelling cable, on the other hand, is a cable that does not go straight up and down the garment.  Rather than the knit stitches staying in the same place on the garment, going vertically and twisting over or under each other every so often, a travelling cable 'moves' either left or right every single row.  This means that instead of having those nice vertical columns of fancy cables, you have a cable that veers wildly to the left or to the right.  Because you have to move the stitches every single row, they take a lot more time to create a garment using them, but you can create some interesting designs.  For instance, in the Lattice Headband, I made a trellis pattern.  In the Verhi Terhi mitts (pictured on the left), you can see how the cable (it looks just like a raised ridge) goes diagonally across the mitten.

In other news, I've got some cooking updates! First: my first recipe! Check out my Baked Shrimp Scampi. It's a conglomeration of a bunch of different scampi recipes... I just picked out the parts that I liked best (butter, garlic) and left out the ones I didn't (rosemary). I made this recipe for dinner last night and I am pleased to say that there weren't any leftovers or unhappy diners.

I'm also about to try to make some freezer jam with some of the strawberries from the festival! Wish me luck!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Strawberries!

Today Curtis and I went to the Strawberry Festival in Bellevue! Despite my sunburn, I had a lovely time.  There were all sorts of neat things to look at and live music and, of course, strawberries!  Curtis and I left with 12 pints of strawberries.  Not surprisingly, I am quite pleased.

We also got a caricature of us done (by Over the Line Productions). Since I forgot my camera (how could I possibly forget my camera?!?!) I think it's particularly fun to have. Check out Gumshoe Curtis and Femme Fatale Kristine!


I am a little uncertain as to the accuracy of our 1940's apparel, but whatever, it's still fun.

No camera also means I didn't get to take pictures of some of the things people were making for the festival.  I got a lot of neat ideas (without stealing others', I promise) just looking at the work that other people were doing. Knitted applique flowers on sewn handbags? I think so. Also, I've been thinking about making little knitted flowers to wear as hair accessories, but I wasn't quite sure how the best way to wear them would be. I was thinking of maybe wrapping them around bobby pins and gluing them in place (have I mentioned yet that I desperately want a glue gun?) but didn't think that was going to last very long. A woman at the festival knitted in a hair tie (rubber band thingy) into her flower. No glue, no pins, just a hair tie with a flower! Genius.

Apartment box countdown: 1 in the living room (small, full of cleaning supplies); 1 in the bedroom (small, full of things I don't know what to do with... my diploma??). That's it. So close! Curtis just has the curtain rod in the bedroom and a bathroom cabinet left to install and that's it! YouTube video of the apartment coming soon!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Headbands and Interviews

Kim S. will be happy to hear that I've finished her headbands!
Pictures can be seen below and they are also on display in my Etsy shop!
If you're interested in commissioning a headband (these colors, other colors, another design?), send me an email at knittinsmitten@gmail.com.

"Emerald City & White" (top) and "Aporto & White" (bottoms)

Ready to ship!
I haven't been getting a lot of knitting done recently because of the move-in (significant progress has been made, but still not there yet... I'm getting a little worn out from all the organizing) and because I've been looking for a job. Since I'm starting my master's program this September in library and information science, I've been trying to find jobs that are applicable to my studies and future career. I haven't been looking for very long, but I already wish I could just show up and get an interview. I'm tired of typing in the same information about my employment and academic history into those online forms that only let you have 50 characters to describe your skills and responsibilities. 

I do have two interviews pending (one is tomorrow at 11am!) for "big girl" jobs (one with an online retailer and one with a property management company) and have one job offer from a clothing store in the Bellevue Square mall. Depending on how things work out, I might try to do one full-time job and one part-time job over the summer until my classes start and then drop the part-time job. We'll see how things work out though; 40 hours a week might be more exhausting than I anticipate. When they say they offer vacation, they mean paid vacation, right?

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Apartment Update

It seems I've been neglecting Peasblossom for nearly the past two weeks! Shame on me. I've been ridiculously busy unpacking and organizing and somehow it seems like I haven't accomplished much. I haven't even really been knitting, let alone sewing... no where to put the sewing machine yet! Despite all the work, I still haven't finished moving into the apartment; I only have three boxes in the living room (plus two full of Curtis's things) and two boxes in the bathroom and then I can return all of the cardboard to my mom.

But at least the kitchen is all done! We even have clean dishes, as you can see on the right.

Last weekend Curtis and I renovated our closet. I wish I had taken a "before" picture. It was basically unusable. Our closet is a walk-in that is approximately 5' by 5' with the door (a single fold-out) off-center. Whoever lived here before us must not have had much in the way of closet-fillers, because he/she installed a single shelf at shoulder height (using a plethora of anchors and approximately 8-million screws and plastic clip things... a mega-pain to uninstall) along the left wall and the back wall. The way the shelf was set up, there was no where for folded clothes at all and Curtis couldn't even fit all of his hanging things up. There was absolutely no room for anything of mine... Everything I had was piled up along the wall in the bedroom.

Now we have five shelves along the left wall, two shelves with hanger rod things on the back wall, and a shoe organizer thing from Ikea on the right wall. [Pictures coming soon.] All of my clothes fit in the closet and Curtis gets the top hanger rod thing plus the dresser that is out in the bedroom. I am pleased. With that installed it really feels like I might actually be able to finish moving in. All of my knitting stuff and sewing things fit in the closet too, which is a much better place for them than in the hall closet. Now we can hang our coats up too. It's still kind of a mess in the bedroom closet, but at least the clothes have somewhere to go now.

We have a magnetic knife rack now and two towel rods in the bathroom (all installed yesterday). Curtis fixed the toilet paper dispenser, the smoke alarm (it had come out of the ceiling), the dining chairs, and the toilet seat.  We have one large load ready to go to Goodwill (a shelf thing, the shelves from the closet, two bags of clothes and knick-knacks we don't want/don't fit), and a medium load to go to storage/Curtis's aunt's house.

Other than unpacking and cleaning, I feel like I've spent most of my time in the apartment cooking. I've made a whole bunch of meals and tried several new recipes and made several tried and true ones.
- crock pot macaroni & cheese (new)
- french onion Salisbury steak (new for me, but mom has made before)
- black bean burgers (new, not all that successful)
- spaghetti bake
- stuffed bell peppers
- freezer-to-oven pizza (haha)
- brown lentil & pasta soup (new)
- lamp chops with Greek yogurt & mint sauce (new)
- baby argula salad with chevre and walnuts and vinegar-y dressing
Pretty good for $60/week for groceries for two people (went a little over for the lamb chops, which yielded no left-overs) and only having been here for about three weeks.

I'm going to go putter around the apartment and see how much I can get done in an hour. I'm pretty unmotivated (I don't get much done on Sundays, it seems) so I'll probably just get sucked into playing DDR again... best/worst present ever.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Arctic Blast Mitts in "Midnight"

My mother!
With moving comes cardboard boxes and fortunately, my mother had a friend at work who was willing to lend us her moving boxes for my move from Walla Walla to Bellevue.  As a thank you, my mom bought some yarn (Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend in "Midnight") and I knit her a pair of fingerless gloves. They turned out really well; it helps that the yarn is beautiful. Because it is kettle dyed, there is a slight shading to the color. The 30% silk mixed in with the extra fine merino certainly doesn't hurt anything either.

I particularly liked the bind off method and I think I'll use it on gloves in the future. The bind off method recommended was Elizabeth Zimmerman's stretchy sewn bind-off.  Rather than knitting your stitches off the needles, you cut your yarn after your last knitted row leaving a long tale (at least x5 the length of what you want to bind off) and using a tapestry needle, sew through the first two stitches purl-wise then back through the first stitch knit-wise. Then you pull the first stitch off. You keep doing that all the way around. The result was (surprise) a stretchy bind off that was even and didn't have a clunky edge.


These gloves won't be available in my Etsy shop but if you're interested in commissioning a pair of gloves for yourself or a friend, shoot me an email at knittinsmitten@gmail.com.


Sunday, May 29, 2011

New Apartment! (And Some Graduation Photos)

Here I am in Bellevue, huddled at my desk while the sounds of battle rage around me. Swords clash, guns explode, and everyone is shouting, grunting, groaning.

Curtis, supposedly trying to get some work done on his
accounting class.
Or it's Sunday and Curtis is playing some role-playing monster-defeating game on the PlayStation.

Either way, I'm mostly moved into the new apartment in Bellevue! I officially moved out of Walla Walla last Monday (May 23, 2011) and have been moving into the apartment since then. It's been a very, very long week. My mom came and helped me on Tuesday and we plowed through almost all of the boxes, but now I'm stuck with all of the things that I don't quite know what to do with. And the closet. It's sort of a disaster area, but it's obvious (to me) that a lot of progress has been made.

Also, as I'm sure you guessed, the blanket for the apartment that I hoped to have done so I could move in with it... not done. I'm hoping by July 4.

Once everything is set up, I'm going to try to make a little video of the apartment and I'll upload it to YouTube. For now, you'll have to be satisfied with these pictures of the mess.

Kitchen. The sink is in the middle of this island. Can you see it? Me neither.

Living/Dining area.


Living/Dining Area.

Front Door and Kitchen.

Bedroom. We now have a bed frame, bedside tables, and the nice bedding. New pictures later.

Bathroom. We desperately need some shelves.
I suppose I should also put some graduation photos up here, though I think my dad has most of them on his camera. But here I am, in all my graduation glory:

Whitman! Here's to You!

I'm the hat second from the right.

I'm the hat second from the right. Again.

Aaaaaand.... Diploma!
So that's all my news for the past two weeks. I've been packing and cleaning in Walla Walla (I get my whole deposit back!), graduating, and unpacking and cleaning in Bellevue. I'm sure there will be more graduation and apartment pictures soon.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Spring Pasha Hat in Lemon


I wore my spring toque for the first time two days ago since the weather was finally nice. I know the sky in this picture looks pretty menacing (and it did rain and get pretty windy later that night) but when I was outside it was perfect: sorta sunny, not cold, no breeze. And I'd just gotten a free lunch from the library employee appreciation luncheon.

Grumpy clouds, but a happy hat!
Made from 52% bamboo, 43% merino wool, and 5% combed silk
I am particularly pleased with this hat, because I knit it up in a day and a half and was super disappointed. I wanted a slouchy hat to wear in the spring and what I got was a super tight beanie. My gauge was right, but it just wasn't how I imagined it turning out. I didn't want to block it because I was afraid if I pinned it to my blocking board that I would get creases or it wouldn't be the right shape anymore. But then! Ravelry to the rescue! I sent a woman who had also made this hat a message asking how she got her hat to be so slouchy. She did block her hat, but rather than pining it to a board, she stretched it over a dinner plate. Genius. And now I have a slouchy hat.

Even better? Lauren M. wants one too!

Want to be my Ravelry friend? My Rav name is kmknittinsmitten.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Swirly Headband in "Sami"

My freshman roommate (well, one of them... I had two!) Sami just commissioned and bought this headband. It's the same Swirly Headband, but she wanted it in teal and off-white... and here it is!

Sami P. sporting her lovely new Swirly Headband


Made in 100% Peruvian wool.
Latest headband sold! Swirly Headband in "Sami" color scheme (teal and off-white).

Want your own? Email me at knittinsmitten@gmail.com

Monday, May 9, 2011

Queen of Minor Maladies

I'm finally better! I'm left with just a little allergic cough (thanks Walla Walla!) and have mostly gotten my sleep cycle back on track. I've been able to go to my classes and work again, just in time for the end of the semester. This means that I'm back into knitting-shape and have been working diligently on some commissioned headbands (thanks Sami & Katie!), but have been struggling against the Velcro.

That's right. I said Velcro. One of the worst substances in existence for a knitter because it catches and pulls and ruins the fibers. Now I'm fighting a daily battle against it since it's what keeps my wrist brace on.

Wrist brace? Yepp. Because I have tendinitis. From knitting too much. Apparently it really can happen.

I've been working on coming up with a better story (I fell on it climbing over a fence after I saved a baby from a rabid dog?) but it seems my friends know me too well. Most of them haven't even had to ask what happened; they already know. Maybe this injury gives me some knitting street cred.

I have to wear the brace for about three more weeks and then see how it goes from there. The brace is slowing my knitting down considerably, but I'm still chugging along. Sami's headband is almost done (in teal and off-white) and I'll post pictures of the finished product tomorrow or Tuesday.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Knitted Royalty

Who wouldn't want their own knitted Pembroke Welsh Corgi?  Other than people without children and those against pet-related kitsch, I fail to see how this couldn't be universally popular. And look! I found a pattern for one! This pattern is available for *free* here so if you want to knit your own little Corgi all you need is a little bit of yarn and stuffing.

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled across this pattern, but what is possibly even more fantastic is the collection to which this Corgi belongs. This little knitted Corgi is meant to represent one of the more than 30 Corgis that Queen Elizabeth has owned... and they are part of quite an event.

As I'm sure you've all heard, Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married TODAY (and probably already are married... time zone differences and whatnot). Memorabilia abounds (check out this video) and knitters should not be and, thankfully, are not left out.

Fiona Goble has written and published Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, which is available for sale (though I don't know if it ships to the US) from The Guardian Bookshop.

If you're interested in more information (and pictures and videos!!) about Prince William and Kate's wedding, here's the website.

If you do end up knitting your own wedding party, please take some pictures and send them to me at knittinsmitten@gmail.com. I'd love to see them and I'll post them here on my website!

Congrats to Prince William and Kate!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cabled Trellis Headband - The Newest Work in Progress

Made using 100% Peruvian wool.
Want your own? Check my Etsy shop or email me at knittinsmitten@gmail.com
As you can see in the photo, this headband is still a work in progress; it's still on the needles! I'm just too excited about it to wait any longer. The pattern -- written by me! look for a PDF available soon -- features travelling cables. Normal cables, less adventurous ones that just stay at home, run vertically and twist every so often. Travelling cables, on the other hand, 'move' every single row. That's why I was able to create this trellis design; every row the brown yarn moved one or two stitches to the right or to the left.

Because of the cables, this headband isn't as stretchy, so I've had to do some alterations on my standard headband pattern to make sure it fits an average sized head. I've got it figured out and it will be available for sale in my Etsy shop soon!

I've been reading Thornyhold by Mary Stewart and her beautiful descriptions of Geillis's boarding school and the house she inherits inspired me. I really want to put a cute knitted pink rose on this (so much floral imagery in the book!)... but I worry that it will be too busy. What I'm going to do is knit the flower and takes pictures of the headband with and without it and have the flower be optional.

Wellness update: I know have hayfever on top of "Whitman College Crud". Best week ever. Bleh.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Mystery Illness

Symptoms:

  1. Really sore throat, hard to swallow and almost no voice
  2. Headache
  3. Fatigue
  4. Fever (chills, too hot and too cold at the same time)
  5. Ringing/Aching ears
  6. Back aches
  7. Tight back and chest
Strep throat? Nope. Flu? Nope. Ear/Sinus infections? Nope. Mono? Nope. TB? Nope. 

Bubonic Plague? Maybe.

Diagnosis? "The Whitman College Crud" (quote from the nurse at school).
Not particularly inspiring and the cure is to take Tylenol and wait it out. So here I am, spending day four in bed. Today I went to class (one class.. my only class on Wednesdays) and it completely wore me out. I don't really remember the content of the class (I know what story we talked about at least) and I'm relatively certain my contributions weren't worth much. My professor commented that I looked "heavily medicated". Great.

I suppose the biggest symptom -- the one that should tell everyone just how completely lousy I feel -- is that I've felt too tired and out of it to knit. This might be the longest I've gone since I started knitting without knitting at least a little. 

Here is a list of things I accomplished while I was sick (because I like lists).
  • An outline and annotated bibliography for a research paper for "Art Since 1945"
  • Watched all of "Harper's Island"
  • Ran the dishwasher
And that's it. I did pass my orals last week though! I'm super glad that I got that out of the way before I got sick; I don't think I could have passed in my current condition. So big hooray for completing senior requirements!

On the plus side, Kelsey G. bought the Swirly Headband in "Yakima" today! Woo! Hopefully she'll take some pictures when she wears it so I can post them here.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Swirly Headband in "Huskies" (Commissioned)

Swirly Headband in "Huskies"
Model: Liz H.
Hooray!!  This is my first sale from my Etsy store!  This Swirly Headband was commissioned and has been sold.  If you want a headband just like this one (or in different colors or with a different design... I'm flexible!), click here to send me an email or send me a message from my Etsy store!

This headband was completely hand knitted using a technique called Fair Isle, or stranded colorwork.  Two strands of yarn are used at the same time, in this case purple and yellow, with the color not being used carried along the back of the project.  When you want purple to show up, you hold the yellow one steady along the back and knit with the purple yarn.  When you want yellow to show up, you just switch so purple is not being used and do the same thing again.  Traditionally, this method was used to make garments extra warm (twice as much yarn) and the Swirly Headband in "Huskies" is no exception!

Approximately 9.5" wide and 3" tall.
This headband is made from 100% Peruvian highland wool and has been treated with Cascade Yarn's superwash.  The headband is completely lined; this means that there aren't any strings from the color work to get caught on things and so it is twice as warm: a guarantee to keep your ears nice and toasty while cheering on your favorite football team or talking a walk in cool weather.
Model: Liz H.
Dimensions (measure flat as shown on bench)
width: approximately 9.5"
height: approximately 3"
This headband fits an average sized head.

Interested in this headband in other colors?  Check it out in "Yakima" (below) or send me an email at knittinsmitten@gmail.com and we'll talk about other color options.

   

Questions from readers!
Q: Have you done your homework?
A: Most of it... I'm mostly studying for orals (this Friday!!!) and working on Peasblossom when I need a break. When I start reading the same sentence multiple times because I haven't actually read the words, that's when I take a break. But now it's back to public sculptures in the 1960's!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Who, What, Where, When, and Why

Hi there! My name is Kristine and you've stumbled across (or, even better, intentionally visited!) the blog that goes along with my little business, Peasblossom Creations.  I'm glad you're here!

This blog will have updates on what I'm making, thinking, designing, and doing.  But first, an introduction is in order.


Who: I'm Kristine!  I am a twenty-something soon-to-be college grad who knits and sews and makes general crafty projects.  I also like to read (see over there on the left for what I'm currently reading), watch TV (True Blood, anyone?), and I've recently become interested in yoga and zumba.  I cook a little bit too, but mostly because I need to eat to continue knitting, not out of love of food (with the exception of peanut butter & Triscuit sandwiches, which may be the happiest thing on Earth, but I don't know if that counts as cooking).  I do enjoy cooking and baking for others; who doesn't love a nice dinner party?  I like bright, happy and really rich, vibrant colors.  Burnt orange doesn't do it for me.

What: I make handmade crafts.  I spend most of my free-time knitting and most of my non-free-time thinking about knitting.  In between, I read books and online sources about knitting.  I also sew and I'm pretty interested in paper.  Hopefully you'll see some interesting things from me!

Where: I currently (April 9, 2011) live in Walla Walla, Washington.  "Such an out of the way place," you say.  That's definitely true.  There are some lovely restaurants out here though, some wineries and we have a Macy's AND a Wal-Mart.  There's plenty to do.  I'm only here for about two more months; at the end of May I'm graduating from Whitman College with my BA, focused on art history and visual culture studies.  Then I'm moving to Bellevue, Washington and will be working on my Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington.

When: All the time!  I'm always thinking about crafts.  I'm hoping to get going and build up my inventory of fun, useful, and high quality items soon so I can start sharing them with you!

Why: There are lots of reasons why.  Crafting is something I am going to be doing anyway, but you can only knit your boyfriend so many hats no matter how much he says he likes them (and wears them!).  So this is a positive outlet for my pent-up crafting energy.  I'm also starting graduate school soon and a little extra money might help with things like groceries, tuition, and (of course) more yarn and fabric!  I love crafting and creating; this is for fun!

Extra tidbits: No pets.  I want a dog, but can't realistically take care of one right now.  No smoking.  (Both of these things are pretty good for craft-ers anyway.. no weird smells!)  I'm addicted to lip balm. I like to color code and enjoy making lists.  I am (slowly) teaching myself Japanese.  I hate having to change light bulbs.  Toilet paper is meant to roll over, not under.  Slow internet or internet connections that won't work properly will set me off more quickly than anything else.  Old milk kinda freaks me out.  I like most animals (except water fowl), but I particularly like elephants, pandas, giraffes, and hedgehogs.

Want to know more?  Leave a comment and ask a question or email me and I'll answer them on my blog!