Knitting Dragonflies

No vacation for us this year. I've got my surgery scheduled, so there goes my PTO time. So I'll have to enjoy everyone's vacation photos, and do some knitting while I'm at it. May your knitting needles fly as fast as Dragonflies.....

Back to my same theme, who doesn’t love Elizabeth Zimmermann?? Her baby Surprise jacket ( rav link )  is the evolution of several patterns. From what I can piece together, that pattern is the result of her playing around with the basic idea for a bit. I see that she made the Baby Garter-stitch Jacket: The Prequel, which is published in Wool Gathering #61, sept 99. A very nice simple baby jacket. I also found the Surplice Jacket, ( rav link ) published in Woolgathering #50 . I also found the Tomtem jacket ( rav link ), which has a hood, and I love this addition to the pattern. Although this pattern was written for a child, I decided to give it a go, and try to make it for a baby present! Yarn:I settled on some Organic Cotton, I had knitted a small project with this and fell in love with it. It just keeps getting softer and nicer. I also wanted a color that wasn’t a baby color, and finally decided on this one called “spice”. I fearlessly cast on, knit about 6 rows and realize

Frogged my toe up socks, couldn't figure out where i was in the pattern and started some generic socks using the two circular needle method. ---------- Sent from AT&T's Wireless network using Mobile Email

Time to put the zipper into my baby jacket! I’m planning on hand stitching it in. So I’m off to find some good zipper tutorials…I find they fall into two methods, using the sewing machine and hand sewn in.  I ran across all kinds of interesting ideas. Hand Sewn insertion links… Beat Knitting has a great zipper tutorial that also tells me how to measure for my zipper and shorter it if necessary. Splityarn uses blocking wires to help with the zipper insertion ! Lobolita shows us how to put a zipper in using a crocheted steek !! Getting Stitched on the farm ’s tutorial reminds us to wash and block first!!! I go to search for some videos, I find Eunny Jang with a great zipper tutorial , using a latch hook device called a knit picker, which makes the zipper into a knittable item to incorporate into the sweater! Pauline Designs shows how to use the knit picker to knit the zipper into the sweater in one step!! Machine insertion links… Pickin and throwin has a method that covers e

My brother is getting married, and after much consideration, I decided to make a quilt. I haven’t made one for a number of years, so I asked much advice on the pattern. It is a fine line between too simple and too complicated. *grin*  I liked the Irish Chain quilt pattern , From the simple single pattern to the more complicated looking triple pattern, it leaves quilt a bit of room for creativity. So I set the four patch blocks alternatively with plain squares. Current documentation on the Irish Chain quilt pattern indicates that it was developed in America in the early 1800s. Quilt historian Barbara Brackman, states that 1814 is the earliest known date for this pattern. She goes on to say, Dated examples appear consistently across the decades, indicating the design's popularity throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This quilt pattern leaves a nice solid space between the chains to display the maker's needlework skills. Choice of fabric design and color can give

I’ve been crocheting lately, a good stash buster, and fun and fast. Well you get the idea, you don’t have to have dreads to wear this, I love them for camping, and gardening, anytime I need to cover my hair and look good. Here are two patterns for headbands. Rasta Headband Made with just a small amount of acrylic yarn. Crochet hook: size advised on yarn label, I used a G. chain 72 stitches, 80 if you want it loose or have a lot of hair. Single crochet all around, joining chain, begin careful not to twist when joining. Continue single crochet until you have about 5 inches or more, depending on your need or amount of yarn. I think it would look cool with strips, bright ones! Ta da, now weave in ends and no bad hair days for you! Hippy Headband I made this from 100% natural cotton yarn, soft and pretty. As above but make this only 4 or 6 rows wide. And my favorite, my colorful hippy-Rasta headband! I crocheted this one like the turquoise one above but added a row of dc ch

Just a peak of what I’ve been up to… My brother is getting married and I’ve been busy… No knitting has occurred, well that’s not entirely true, I have been knitting some dish cloths. I find that is good knitting when I’m stuck on my projects. So I still have the Iced sweater, with not enough yarn to finish it. I’m frowning at it, as I don’t want to frog it, I have found more yarn on EBay and may buy it. (what else am I going to do?) I still have my toe up socks that are in the knitting bag, not sure why I stopped those. Evidently I’m getting surgery, my thyroid nodule, has now grown . Not sure when, still haven’t seen the surgeon, you know how that goes, precertification etc.…. I’m hoping for some energy out of all of this. More later Get your knitting needles out, and I’ll try to also.