Accomplished!

It's Monday night, day one of spring quarter and I feel so accomplished! I've read one article, listened to two lectures, printed two more articles to read tomorrow on the bus, and emailed my group for the projects for LIS 530. And I'm going to bed before 10:30am.  Hah Hah! This semester will be organized and non-procastinating.

My APR for Nordstrom is tomorrow morning too. Hopefully that will go well! :-) I think I do a great job and I haven't received any feedback to the contrary...

Not accomplished = knitted golf club covers for Daddy. I MUST finish those this weekend! Determination!

Spring Break is So Close!

Phew! I'm finally in the home stretch for winter quarter. I just submitted my last assignment for LIS 560 (Instruction Training Strategies) and all I have left to do is one more small assignment for LIS 520 (Information Resources, Services, and Collections) and finish up our group project and then it's spring break 24/7!

I promised my dad a set of golf club covers and I'm getting close to finishing the set up. They have a cuff at the bottom to help them last a little longer too. They sure are goofy looking though...

I'll try to get some pictures of them on the clubs once he has the set. They look less goofy on the clubs...

The 3 iron is completely done (on the right) and the 2 just needs some maintenance. I've almost finished knitting the 4 and then I have two hybrid covers (1 and 3) to knit in purple and gold.  The only problem is the jog in my colorwork on the 2 iron...

When you knit in the round, you get a jog in your colorwork if you don't take preventative action!

This is a pretty common problem with colorwork knitted in the round, but I don't know what to do about it yet. I'm thinking that I'm going to ask my friend Elizabeth who does a lot of colorwork what I should do to repair this... I suspect it's going to be some fancy embroidery. I might also go into Serial Knitters in Kirkland to see what the ladies there have to say. Once I have a plan of attack, I'll post what I end up doing here (maybe with some instructional photos?). :-)

Birdie on a Branch Thank You Cards with Lined Envelopes

I can't believe how much has been going on since my last post!  I've finished my first quarter of library school (with a 3.7!), moved positions at work, moved into a new apartment (same building, just up a floor) missed three days of work because of icy roads and bridges in Seattle, joined a gym with a friend and tried a spinning class, been knitting, reading, sleeping (some), eating, and went snowboarding for my first time!

Curtis & me before my snowboarding lesson at Summit West!

There's a video of me coming down a bunny slope on Curtis's phone that we're struggling to remove and post in various, public, and embarrassing places.  If we ever figure it out, I'll include it here as well.  I must say, for my first time I think I did pretty well.

I took a card making class not too long ago as well and, not surprisingly, came home with a whole set of new crafting supplies!  Pretty paper, a stamp, clear ink pad, paper cutter punchers, and a sticker maker all now call my office home.  Embossing was one of the techniques I learned at the class and I tried it out on my first attempt at home as well.  Check out my first set of cards...

Birdie on a Branch Thank You Cards (Set of Four)

I made these 5"x7" cards using paper, adhesive, an exacto knife, a stamp, and embossing powder.  Rather than drawing the tree on or layer paper on top of my base, using a stencil I made out of a paper plate, I cut a silhouette of the tree, leaves, and bird out of a white piece of heavy paper.  I then layered the green and blue paper behind it and the brown is the base of the card.  The pink heart is raised up from the page.

The "thank you" is embossed in gold embossing powder. I used a stamp and clear ink and then sprinkled the gold powder on top and heated it up using a Zap! heating tool I got at PaperSource in Bellevue.  Easy-peasy and didn't even make a mess.

The envelopes are lined too. :-)

These cards are available for my store at PeasblossomCreations.etsy.com or click here to view the listing.  If you don't see them for sale and you're interested in a set of these or something similar, send me an email at knittinsmitten@gmail.com.

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.

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.

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!

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).