I’m on Ravelry!

I’m so happy to get back into knitting and find there is a fantastic new website that is such a tremendous resource.

Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration.

It’s sadly evident that last year’s attempt to get back to the yarn was shortlived, but I’m really on a roll now. My amigurumi projects are on the back burner for the moment, but I’ll get back to them just as soon as I finish a couple more knitting projects. I’ve got a huge order ready to go from Knitpicks, much of it sock yarns and sock needles – I’m so excited about learning how to make socks!

My first order of business is to organize my yarn stash and catalog it on Ravelry.com so I know exactly what I’ve got. Then all my cones and skeins are going in big bins next to my fabric stash on top of the hutch on my big desk. My old knitting bag is not something I wanted to keep, so I trashed it and am looking for a better bag with compartments. And what am I going to do with the new circular needles I’ve become addicted to? I knew how to store my straight needles, but these wiggly things don’t fit in anything I have at the moment.

Beyond toe-socks…erm…before?

Amigurumi can wait! I just taught myself longtail cast on.

My unfinished amigurumi sits at the bottom of my knitting basket while I am setting to work attempting my first pair of fingerless gloves. Those now sit on top of the amigurumi while I dip my toe in the waters of double pointed needles and make some flip flop socklets. It’s always better to start off with a little bit of practice (for me, anyhow), and it’s nice when you can have a finished project at the end of all that trial and error and ripping out.

In searching for some easy patternes for fingerless gloves, I came across this one for flip flop socklets. Super easy, super quick, and even if they don’t turn out well I haven’t wasted much yarn. I also came across mention of casting on with only one needle, and since I had attempted to learn it before and felt utterly talentless I naturally decided to try it again!

So here I sit in front of my computer with a ball of scrap yarn in my lap and one glistening bamboo double pointed needle in my hand. On the screen is a video of how to do the longtail cast on. I now have a knotted length of yarn and can’t find my yarn snips. Attempt #42 found me adjusting my tension and getting into a rhythm until I dropped the whole thing somehow and had to try and remember which side of my thumb the yarn should wrap around.

And…I just read a different set of directions and found out I had the tail end over my finger, not my thumb, a key point the first tutorial failed to mention. :*

Knit fingerless gloves

My hands can get so icy while typing when the air is cold and damp, so I’ve been looking for a nice pattern for fingerless gloves. Mostly what I’ve come across is peculiar, chunky, and just plain ugly. I did find a very striking pattern, but the directions were abysmal.

Knitty Gritty just had a show about making gauntlets and the pattern is just what I was looking for. Just have to pick out a yarn and get myself some doublepointed needles!

Happy Candy

This has to be the most adorable candy package ever! Boy and girl amigurumi bears with little cherry hats! I snagged this in Ichiban Kan while picking up a few helpful household and garden items. 50 cent item at a dollar store? SOLD! I made a detour to find my beloved Botan rice candy and stumbled across this and had to get it. It shouldn’t be too hard to copy the bears, and I’ve already got ideas for other fruit-topped cutsies.

The back of the package has them displayed in a little chair that resembles a musical note. Very tasty candy, I think I’m already addicted, and I don’t even like cherry flavor!