We're Exhausted...

I've never worked so hard on a project this size for this long! Our apartment is finally finished and it's beautiful. I'm looking forward to relaxing and already have most of our things packed to move. A number of good friends and myself have done all of the construction from the very start to finish an I'm very proud.

I've been meaning to post pictures of the murals that I've painted from the paint we picked out at Home Depot. From pictures I had drawn months ago each wall took about a day and a half to sketch and paint. It was a nice break from installing sheet rock and tiling. I just hope the kids keep the creativity to the magnetic chalkboard I built for them in the corner of their room and not on these walls!





I apologize deeply about the KAL this month. I've been spending so much time at the new place that each day was fading into the next. I hadn't realized how much time was going by. I'm going to post the remainder of the rows now and hope that everyone will catch up quickly. I'll be home tomorrow for a little r&r and will post up the first few rows of the February Mystery Cloth KAL by tomorrow night.
I wanted to thank everyone for knitting along and being patient and understanding during this time. It has truly been exhausting to take care of a family and physically build a home for us at the same time.



January Mystery KAL
Clue #5

row 42: (k1,p1)2x, k4, p10, (k1, p2)x3, k1, p3, k3, p1, k1, p3, k4, (p1,k1)2x
row 44: (k1,p1)2x, k1, p5, k1, p7, k1, p8, k1, p4, k1, p1, k1, p7, k1, (p1,k1)2x
row 46: (k1,p1)2x, k3, p7, k1, p3, (k1, p2)x3, k1, p5, k1, p3, k1, p2, k3, (p1,k1)2x
row 48: (k1,p1)2x, k1, p14, k1, p6, k1, p15, k1, (p1,k1)2x
row 50: (k1,p1)2x, k2, p1, k1, p8, k14, p11, k2, (p1,k1)2x


row 52: (k1,p1)2x, k1, p14, k5, p2, k1, p6, k1, p4, k1, p3, k1, (p1,k1)2x
row 54: (k1,p1)2x, k2, p5, k1, p7, k5, p2, k1, p14, k2, (p1,k1)2x
row 56: (k1,p1)2x, p12, k1, p2, k5, p2, k1, p16, (p1,k1)2x
row 58: (k1,p1)2x, k1, p2, k1, p11, k5, p2, (k1, p4)x2, k1, p5, k1, (p1,k1)2x
row 60: (k1,p1)2x, p9, k1, p5, k8, p16, (p1,k1)2x


row 62: (k1,p1)2x, p25, k1, p9, k1, p3, (p1,k1)2x
row 64: (k1,p1)2x, p5, k1, p7, k1, p5, k1, p10, k1, p8, (p1,k1)2x
row 66: (k1,p1)2x, p39, (p1,k1)2x
row 68: (k1,p1) to last stitch, k1 Repeat for 4 more rows
next row: bo in pattern

Weave in ends.

KAL Update!...

Here's a shot I took while coming home with the kids tonight, the sunset was so peaceful.

I'm trying to finish up the dessert set by tomorrow. It's been such a busy weekend I haven't had any free time to knit up the last cloth and take pictures. I really need to sit down and sort through my unfinished projects, they're just piling up too quickly.

January KAL Update #2:

Starting from (rs) right side of the cloth:

row 11: "and all odd rows" (k1,p1) 2x, K to last 4s, (p1,k1)

row 12: (k1,p1)2x, k6, p5, k1, p14, k1, p6, k6, (p1,k1)2x
row 14: (k1,p1)2x, k8, p3, k1, p14, k1, p4, k8, (p1,k1)2x
row 16: (k1,p1)2x, k6, (p5, k2)x3, p7, k5, (p1,k1)2x
row 18: (k1,p1)2x, k8, (p4, k2)x3, p3, k1, p1, k8, (p1,k1)2x
row 20: (k1,p1)2x, k4, p5, k1, p3, k12, p10, k4, (p1,k1)2x

It's so great to see everyone knitting along together!

Here is the pattern page on Ravelry!

Another Hobby Another Love...

For as long as I can remember I have always drawn on everything. Never having any formal training, it has always come naturally and been just for fun. My kids love to sit down and scribble with me in coloring books and finger paint toddler masterpieces. Sometimes if I have half a day I can start and finish a photograph that I've been asked to draw. Though I'm sure when the kids are in school soon I'll be able to find more time for my craft. I wanted to share a few pencil drawings that I've done. The family was done recently and the Staffordshire Terrier was done a few years ago.


In both photos the original photograph is on the top and my drawing is on the bottom.

For some knitting news the Dessert Cloths should be available on Thursday or Friday and I have so much knitting to show you it's ridiculous!

Thank you to everyone who has started the KAL! The more people we have the more fun it will be. It's also keeping me motivated to design more.

I Wish I Could Live Here...

It's been so long since I last posted. The Holiday's are to blame I guess. I apologize to everyone who has written emails over the last month or so. I'm starting to catch up slowly and will answer everything before Christmas. The kids and I have been so busy decorating and getting ready for Friday. They can't wait to see what Santa is going to bring them. Last night we made a Gingerbread House that I wish I could live in...

It took a couple of hours between the assembly and decorating. Waiting for the sugar to set was the longest. The kids helped me pick out the different candies that covered the house. It definitely took some patience, especially while Ella was trying to eat everything.




I was attempting to get some patterns finished before Christmas but it's not looking good. There's just too much to do this week and I won't be able to knit as much as I'd like to. I also have good news that the construction on the apartment is almost finished and we will moving in a few weeks. It has taken forever but I'm thankful the year is ending on a happy note and we're all looking forward to a fresh new start in '10.

Creepy Cloths 2..

I wish I could've had these cloths ready for last week but our entire house came down with the flu. It was just too much work to squeeze in between everything else. Thankfully everyone is feeling much better. Of course I caught it last and I'm still recovering with a cough. I figured that there is still one week to Halloween and some of you might be looking for something extra to give to a special trick-or-treater in your life. This set is a brand new collection of all new designs. I've included eight in all.

This pattern is available as a PDF download and priced at $3.25. There are eight cloth patterns in this set. You can purchase this pattern if you are a Ravelry member by clicking the "Buy Now" button below the pictures. Creepy Cloths "2" are also available in my Pattern Store here as a Ravelry Download. There are 5 pages total and the download is sized at 4MB. If you have any questions about the pattern or payment options, please feel free to contact me via email at kris@krisknits.com or on Ravelry: KristenKnits.

You don't need a Ravelry account to purchase the pattern. Ravelry will re-direct you to paypal and will email you a link to download the pattern.

I made each written pattern with a corresponding chart for the dishcloth. From the sets that I've already made, I've managed to get about 2-2½ cloths out of one ball of Lily's Sugar'n Cream Solid Yarn. Though you can use any kitchen cotton you prefer.

Heres a link to the pattern page on Ravelry!

Lily's Sugar'n Cream Solid:

Witch Hat - 01317 Hot Purple (Purple)
Boo! - 00084: Sage Green (Green)

Peaches & Cream Solid:

Candy Corn - 11 Sunburst

Lion Brand Cotton Solid:

Jack-O-Lantern - Paprika Article: #760-133
Autumn Tree - Clove Article: #760-136

Lion Brand Cotton-Ease:

Skull - Stone Article: #830-149
Black cat - Charcoal Article: #830-152
Spider - Hazelnut Article: #830-125

I think these are really fun designs for the season and there is something for everyone. We've been making great progress on the apartment and I can't wait to finally get settled in. I have tons of stuff to post next week!

Painted Walls...

There's been so much going on over here lately I don't even know where to start. As I type I'm waiting for chocolate pumpkin lollipops to finish chilling in the refrigerator so I can add the next color. I'm making about 50 of them for Ella's 2nd birthday party this weekend. We're having a pumpkin party on the 10th, which is actually my birthday as well and there's just too much to do. I even went to a local farm earlier this week and picked up about 30 small pumpkins for all of the children to carve. Weather permitting there will be lots of food and games. I have to start the goodie bags later tonight but I don't see that happening.

I wanted to share something with you that my kids have been begging me to paint for ages now. I've finally started the "Nemo Mural" on their playroom wall at Grandma's house.

I've had a blast sketching and painting on the walls. I'm just glad my Mother in law is as happy as I am to see the kids smile. It's been relaxing to just sit with them around me watching and helping me with the colors.


Victor is planning on having the entire cast on the wall and keeps telling me that I need to keep painting.

I guess what it comes down to is that I just can't seem to keep art out of my life for too long. I started this to take a short break from knitting while the family is in "party mode". But I feel it's time for a new set of cloths. Early next week Creepy Cloths "2" perhaps....? I need to find some delicious Halloween colors for these. I'll take pictures of all that I'm making for the birthday and share them. I'll be a baking nut on Friday I can promise that.

Painted Letters...

I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog in awhile. We've been busier than normal and most days I don't even have a chance to turn the computer on. I've made lots of progress on my current projects and will be posting pictures throughout this week. I finally ended up painting those wooden letters for Victor and Ella's room. I am so pleased with the way they turned out. Using only blue painters tape, acrylic paint and a few brushes they were done in no time.

Using a four shaded color scheme I gave every letter two coats of Anita's All Purpose Acrylic Craft Paint in 11001 White to start. When dried, I started taping sections off with the blue painters tape making sure that the edge to be painted was pressed down firmly. To make it go quicker I placed two sections of tape on each letter creating three empty areas to be painted. I painted each of these areas a different color. If you look closely you'll notice there are two sections of the same color in each letter. These are the areas where the tape was placed first. After a few coats in the three sections and some drying time, I then taped off the next two areas to be painted leaving some white on either side for the striped effect. For each letter the color that you paint these last two areas will always be the color you haven't used yet.


These are the colors I used.

Ella's Color Scheme:

Anita's Acrylic Craft Paint
11090 Melted Butter (yellow)
11170 Hot Pink (pink)

Folk Art Acrylic Paint
633 Baby Pink (lt pink)
526 Soft Apple (lt green)

Victor's Color Scheme:

Anita's Acrylic Craft Paint
11009 Medium Blue (drk blue)
11064 Morning Blue ( lt blue)
11056 Ocean Blue (drk green)
11036 Seafoam Green (lt green)

I truly love the look of these for any baby or children's room. They add just the right amount of personal touch to any decor. If you have any questions about the process to make these send me an email or leave a comment and I will try to help. Hope everyone is well and enjoying this new autumn season.

Another Blanket...?

When you have two babies your going to have to make two blankets. I woke up early this morning and started working on Ella's blanket before the kids got up. When Victor finally came into the living room he asked me when I was going to make him his "Birthday Blanket". My heart melted and I promised that I would make him one as well. After we all had breakfast he sat on my lap and we went through different patterns on Ravelry. He was so excited to see that they had a fish blanket. We had to run some errands today so I stopped by our local A.C. Moore and we picked out some big boy colors. At this point I wish I had a few extra hands to knit these things. I'm using a US size 6 and looking at 50+ knitted fishies.


I also saw these wooden letters that were on sale. They're about 5" high and couldn't pass them up. I know after I paint them they'll be perfect over the toddler beds.


I pulled out some of my mural paints and brushes when we got home. I had really forgotten how much I had. I haven't painted one in over a year an a half. Most of my brushes and paints came from an artist's garage sale. One of my luckiest finds, half of them have never been used.


The kids want me to paint them each a scene on their bedroom walls. Victor wants a whole Disney's Cars theme and Ella can't get enough of Dora the Explorer these days. It should be a lot of fun and I can't wait to show you the progress. The floors are going down today in the apartment so I can start sketching the walls next week.

Meet Posey!

Our family had to take a long drive the other day down to New Jersey and I kept happily busy with this lil' pattern. Easy to design and easy to knit. It was finished in a few hours.


Pattern: Posey

Needles: US Size #6, 4.0mm double pointed needles

Yarn: I used Lily's Sugar'n Cream
but any worsted weight yarn will work.

Materials: Fiber fill or scrap yarn for stuffing,
Tapestry Needle
Stitch marker
Extra yarn for sewing.
Button
Scissor

Finished Measurements : Approx. 3"width 3½" height

Pattern:
Bottom Flower

CO 6sts arranging 2 on each needle. Join for knitting in the round and place stitch marker being careful not to twist sts.
K 1 rnd

Round 1: kfb all sts (12)
Round 2: k all sts
Round 3: kfb all sts (24)
Round 4: k all sts
Round 5: k1, kfb for entire round (36)
Round 6: k all sts
Round 7: k3, kfb for entire round (45)

Rounds 8 - 18: k all sts

Round 19: k3, k2tog for entire round (36)
Round 20: k all sts
Round 21: k1, k2tog for entire round (24)
Round 22: k all sts
Round 23: k2tog for entire round (12)
Round 24: k all sts
Round 25: k2tog for entire round (6)
Round 26: k all sts.

Break yarn leaving at least 8" and thread with tapestry needle through all 6 sts. Remove double pointed needles but do not pull closed.

Middle Flower

CO 6sts arranging 2 on each needle. Join for knitting in the round and place stitch marker being careful not to twist sts.
K 1 rnd

Round 1: kfb all sts (12)
Round 2: k all sts
Round 3: kfb all sts (24)
Round 4: k all sts
Round 5: k1, kfb for entire round (36)

Round 6- 14: k all sts

Round 15: k1, k2tog for entire round (24)
Round 16: k all sts
Round 17: k2tog for entire round (12)
Round 18: k all sts
Round 19: k2tog for entire round (6)
Round 20: k all sts.

Break yarn leaving at least 8" and thread with tapestry needle through all 6 sts. Remove double pointed needles but do not pull closed.


Top Flower

CO 6sts arranging 2 on each needle. Join for knitting in the round and place stitch marker being careful not to twist sts.
K 1 rnd

Round 1: kfb all sts (12)
Round 2: k all sts
Round 3: kfb all sts (24)

Round 4- 12: k all sts

Round 13: k2tog for entire round (12)
Round 14: k all sts
Round 15: k2tog for entire round (6)
Round 16: k all sts.

Break yarn leaving at least 8" and thread with tapestry needle through all 6 sts. Remove double pointed needles but do not pull closed.

Click here for the pattern page on Ravelry!

Finishing
Repeat for all three sizes:

Stuff each layer with scrap yarn or fiberfill and shape into a flattened ball pulling thread so that the top is closed.
Measure out two 12" strands of yarn in a contrasting color.
Thread the tapestry needle with the yarn down the middle of the ball and back up around the side.
Continue going down through the middle and around the side to the top a total of six times pulling tightly to create the flower shape.
Tie a knot around a strand at the top to secure.

Stitch layers to each other and secure yarn. Add a button with some yarn for detail and your done!

Posey © KrisKnits 2009
This pattern is for personal use only.

If you have any questions about this design or need help you can leave a comment or an email at kris@krisknits.com or on Ravelry via KristenKnits. I will try and help as best I can.
Hope everyone is having a great summer!

The Wedding Cloths...

August has been such a busy month for us. I'm kinda surprised that I was able to finish these patterns by the end of the week. But I'm very happy with the outcome and I think they are worth the wait. I took my time with everything and I know they will make wonderful gifts for couples everywhere.


This particular set of cloths is going to my best girlfriend who recently got married. Now that I've finally taken pictures and published the pattern she can finally use them in her kitchen.

This pattern is available as a PDF download and priced at $3.25. There are eight cloth patterns in this set. You can purchase this pattern by clicking the "Buy Now" button below the pictures. The Wedding Cloths are also available in my Pattern Store here as a Ravelry Download. There are 5 pages total and the download is sized at 4.4MB. If you have any questions about the pattern or payment options, please feel free to contact me via email at kris@krisknits.com or on Ravelry: KristenKnits.

Lily's Sugar'n Cream Solid:


Cake - 00082: Jute (Tan)
Heart - 00003: Cream (Off White)
Husband & Wife - 00003: Cream (Off White)
Dove - 00001: White (White)
Rings - 00082: Jute (Tan)
Chapel - 00001: White (White)
Wedding Bells - 01004: Soft Ecru (Off White)

Peaches & Cream Solid:

Champagne - 89 Camel

Heres a link to the pattern page on Ravelry!

You don't need a Ravelry account to purchase the pattern. Ravelry will re-direct you to paypal and will email you a link to download the pattern.

I made each written pattern with a corresponding chart for the dishcloth. From the sets that I've already made, I've managed to get about 2-2½ cloths out of one ball of Lily's Sugar'n Cream Solid Yarn. Though you can use any kitchen cotton you prefer.



We're about 3 weeks from finishing all of the construction on the apartment. Then we can start moving in our furniture and Mommy can finally relax. I designed a really cute knitted pin cushion pattern recently and I'll be posting the instruction and pictures during the week. The fruit cloths are almost knitted up. I hope I can get everything together for next Sunday. I can't wait to sit down and start the Dessert cloths.

Dishcloth Q & A...

I've received a lot of emails this year on ways to make my dishcloths and other cloth patterns the best they can be. I figured an easy way to help everyone out was to write up a list of frequently asked questions and add some tips and tricks. Please forgive me if I leave something out. If you have another question, leave a comment on this post and I will add it to the entry.


1. "My dishcloths aren't popping the way they should. Is there anything I can do?"

Yes! There are a lot of different ways to make sure that your cloths look the best. I'm going to go over the basics in this post to ensure that the finished cloth looks great for both gift giving and regular use.


2. "Should I really be using a US size 3 needle?"

Yes and no. It depends on how tight or loose you knit. I knit continental and always use a size 3 needle. I invested in a pair of addi turbos last year for my dishcloth knitting and designing. It was the best decision I made. With the addi's my hands won't hurt and my knitting is faster and significantly more even producing a better defined cloth. If you find that you are unable to knit with a smaller needle or don't have one available, you can use a different size and get a well defined cloth as long as your knitting is very even.


3. "The picture on the cloth is hard to see. I think my knitting is uneven, what can I do?"

If your seeing gaps in between the rows on the wrong or right side of your cloth you might be "rowing out". It's a common problem that affects many knitters. It is most obvious in stockinette or reverse stockinette and is caused when there is a different amount of tension on the yarn while knitting a stitch than while purling a stitch. The fastest way you can correct this problem is to use a different size needle for the knit rows and the purl rows. It may take some time to figure out which two to use though. People generally knit slightly tighter than they purl, but It could be the other way around. You might want to try tightening your stitches on one side or the other to see if there is an improvement. Blocking can also help equalize the tension in the stitches. It might be a few wash and dry sessions before the cloth is completely smooth in the stockinette areas.

I also try to knit an entire cloth in one sitting. I find that if I start and stop a cloth too many times that the stitches pull slightly on the needle for that particular row and create some unevenness when picked back up again. I move my knitting around so much because of the kids. Though I'm sure if it just sat still for awhile there wouldn't be too much of a tension problem.



4. What are the best colors and yarn to use for your dishcloths?"

I tend to use any cotton yarn I have around the house. It's kinda scary exactly how much I have stashed. I should take a picture to show you one of these days. You can use acrylic yarns as well but they are not as absorbent and could scratch some surfaces if you don't pay attention. Wool will obviously pill and felt if washed with hot water.

When it comes to colors your going to see the best results on a medium shade. Very light and dark colors may only show in the right light. Generally with dishcloths or any other picture design if light is directly overhead the picture may be hard to see unless your knitting is very even and the cloth is blocked after use.


5. How do you block your dishcloths?"

After I finish knitting my cloths I weave in all the ends and then soak them in warm water stretching the cloth slightly under the water to even out any tension problems. Then lightly ring out the water trying not to distort the shape too much. I tend to lay the cloths out on my counter top to dry shaping them into squares and pushing down all of the stockinette areas so that the purl bumps stand up. This makes a huge difference! There is no need to pin them and they dry in about an evening. I've only blocked the cloths I keep once or twice and then they go into the washer and dryer with the towels. they come out great every time!



6. What is the best way to photograph the finished cloths?"

After the cloths are blocked and dry I use natural light to my advantage to show the best picture. I will arrange them in front of a sunny window out of direct light. I like to photograph on sunny days to show colors in their true form. Not an easy thing with all of that rain we've been having. You can also use light from a lamp. Just be sure that the light is shining down on an angle from top to bottom to show the shaded areas from the purl bumps. Try to avoid using a flash because this can diffuse the stitch definition of knit and purl stitches.

I always try to take pictures in the morning, around 10am with light shining in from a south window. The later in the day it is, the more likely your colors may come out darker.


A few other things:

• Fact: The more use a cloth gets the more the design will "pop" over time.

• I actually do use the cloths I make for my kitchen and bathroom. The kids love to play with them in the bathtub and in the backyard. I don't manage to keep many sets though. I always have a reason to gift them.

• I use a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera to photograph all of my cloths.

• I find most of my colors in A.C.Moore but I do frequent Michael's and Walmart as well. Sometimes a LYS will have a discontinued color and I'll quickly grab it. You can find most colors online or try the trade or sell feature on Ravelry to see if you can snag a deal.

• I design and love every bit of my cloths from drawing up a chart to writing the pattern to knitting, editing the pictures and graphically designing the pdf files from scratch in Adobe Photoshop. Every cloth and pattern is an original design.

• There are about 5 or 6 more sets for this year that I'm currently working on and of course, I'm really enjoying them.
  

I'm sure I forgot a few things but I didn't want to wait any longer to write this up and share some of the questions I get. Again if you have any other questions leave a comment and I'll answer it the best I can.

The Beach Cloths are almost done. Hopefully by the end of the week! I'm also working on a cute little non-dishcloth pattern for everyone.

A Bit of Sun and Chalk...

The weather we've been having may be making us all a little blue, but we're still finding some time to get out and enjoy the warmth. The kids and I played with chalk for a few hours the other day when the sun decided to show his face and dry up the backyard. They both helped me color this little masterpiece.

I have lots of things to post, but not enough time to pull the pictures and words together. I'm sure this happens to a lot of Mom-bloggers. I sometimes find myself writing posts in my head about things that I would love to share. Of course, I never write them down and get stuck at the computer screen as always. Tomorrow, I'll post up another entry about the dishcloths and hope that it helps some of you who may not be getting the best stitch definition.