Seriously beautiful and cool WIP's and FO's -
OOOOOHLAHlaaah!!! Dawn...
For the Naughty Knitter: Dawn's Knitting Resolutions...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PROPS to Lesley (knit-ticisms) on her FABUlous First Sweater!
Many Happy Returns!!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DIG the Thrifty Knitter's Webring & Forum!
Join Lolly & friends for mini-$$$ knitting adventures!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ENVY ENVY ENVY: Jenn and her chocoliscious Cardi
with the furriest Fur!
Be sure to check out the fur making details...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(... it's SPRING! There's P-----S~!)
The lovely Christina and her new pal share some knitting FUN!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 | Permalink
 Subscribe in a reader
 Monday Morning Mirth
from the lies my mother never told me file...
Part of Deep Spring Cleaning here @CHicKnits is the inevitable HairCut! What happens when you go PAY for the HairCut? You fall into the Product SinkHole that is right next to the cash register!
WHO could resist this?! Not me! It wended its way into my bag after I read this from the product packaging: "Il n'est pas réservé auxs blondes niaiseuses, il convient ausi aux rousses ardentes et aux grosses brunettes..."
Rousses Ardentes? But of course, the dry little mop of ChicKnits which could truly luxuriate in this product: "created by blondes for blondes, and all the colors in between...
Hair conditioning and care was very important in my family. One of my favorite smells as a tiny tot was the aroma of Creme Rinse on my Mother's head. Her father, DziaDzia to me, actually used to wash his hair on Saturdays in the Kitchen Sink. We lived kitty-corner to he and Busia and would always run over there to see the deed.
He had a fabulous full head of silvery white hair and on Wash Day would start the water running to give it time to get comfortably lukewarm. Then he'd go into the fridge and get one egg. Yes, an egg. After wetting his hair under the faucet, he'd crack the egg on his noggin' and wash away! This Cracking Fun was just enough to send me and my year older brother into the fittiest of giggles. I swear that egg foamed up just like store bought!!!
NOT to be outdone by his FIL, my Dad recommended to me ( quite often when I was a teenager - damn those parents repeat themselves), an Egg Facial! He told me it was a *Family Secret* handed down from generation to generation.
Here's a Not-So-Secret Version, with a little honey for you sweeties...
Comments (10) | Permalink
Subscribe in a reader
ChicKnits New Threads Tuesday
***************************************
Ribby's got the FUNK!
Me & Bootsy singing "Hollywood Squares"
Ribby Cardi
Design: ChicKnits
Yarn: I Kettle Dyed Barn Yarn
Color: Cordovan & Blackberry
Gauge: 19sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #6 & #7
Type: Hand Knit
I have no idea when and where I got the CD but it's called "Back in the DAY: the Best of Bootsy"
Hey, who's Bootsy? The premier FunkoPhonic Bassist in the 70's for James Brown, Parliment & the Funkadelics and then his own RUBBER BAND... NOTES: becasue I wanted this as a *Work Jacket* instead of a regular cardi, I lengthened the body by 2 inches (taking approximately 75 extra yds of yarn) and I lengthened the sleeves by 1 inch (which takes about 20 extra yds). Translated to patterneese, that would mean an extra ball of 110yds/skein yarn! As a rule of thumb, it's always a good idea to *get more* as in that extra ball as added insurance for the project...
I also *tipped* the collar with a little COLOR! I used about 6 yds of CHARTRUESE (but of course!) to edge the collar for a tonal LIFT!
You can see the kettle goodness of the dyejob here, too... the color is striated throughout - it isn't nice and even but is nicer and uneven!
...read the Ribby Notes HERE
Comments (20) | Permalink
Subscribe in a reader
first flowers spied on my street...
Just because the weather in APril in Chicago is so confused that one can't tell up from down doesn't mean my little knitting brain should spiral around like a top. Yet it happens. Over and over.
I take a straightforward pattern and make it HARD! I can't look at a picture or read directions without having to TINKER. And tinkering can get you into trouble... 
Here is the Martha cardi from Rowan #37. On the left you see tinkering: a moss stitch border. It is clunky and too wide. On the right, is the way the pattern intended it to appear - unobtrusive and simple, letting the checkerboard pattern sing it's solo...
The Little Bad Muse has decided that I MUST tinker some more! To banish the nasty moss stitch edging, I will reverse engineer the edge. I take a needle several sizes smaller than the body needle and thread it through a row of stitches right where I want the new border to begin.
Now I find a stitch a row above the stitch I want to keep and snip it. This point should be a couple of inches from the nearest edge because you will use the *tail* formed to attach your new thread. Then, I un-ravel the yarn in both directions.
After all the stitches are unraveled in both directions, I am left with *live stitches* all ready to be knit into the new border of my chosing.
Here lies the detached moss stitch border, crying out for more tinkering! If I had a similar gauge project going on I could GRAFT this sucker right on another edge. See directions HERE...
OMG! Stop Me before I TINK again... ...Martha Knitalong hosted by the fabulous Rose
Comments (18) | Permalink
Subscribe in a reader
Sarah writes: "since the weather for wool is winding down, I was wondering what your thoughts were on making the cardi in a cotton or cotton blend? I don't have any experience knitting with cotton and have
no idea how a substitution like this might work..."
Oh, YEAH! Cotton and the Ribby are old friends! The original Bulky Gauge Ribby  was made out of a now discontinued yarn by Adriafil called *NAVY* which was 60%Cotton/40%Microfiber. This was made in 2002 and has held up VERY well. In fact, I'm wearing it to work this morning...
And because the sun is shining and the forsythia are blooming (!), another Cotton/Microfiber Ribby is on the make - VIVA Spring!
I looked high and low for a cotton blend I wanted to use for this outing. My favorite Cot/M yarn, All Seasons, was too chubby. Enter GGH *Samoa* which has the goodness of the blending, the matte finish I love so much and really wonderful colors. Problem - can't find Samoa anywhere...
Enter Supercrafty.com, a USA source, which I found through valiant search engineering and VOILA! Samoa galore! Voila! On the ChicKnits Springtime Needles we have: 
YUM! Since my other Spring sweater is the center part of b.Lime,
I thought I'd make this the Rind!
Kim writes: "I just started my Ribby Cardi last night and I was wondering if it would be a bad idea to make the back fully ribbed, but make the front with the flat pannel."
No Probs, Kim! You can mix and match your ribbing to your hearts content. (Just remember that ribbed portions will be more fitted and clingy and the plain portions expanded.)
My Cot/M Ribby is going to have a 3x1 ribbed center panels with plain sides on both the sleeves and body pieces. I am also going to put a button band on this one instead of a zipper to reduce bulk and make a more *air conditioned* garment. I'll keep track of the mods HERE...
Cotton Ribby Cardi
Design: ChicKnits
Color: #42 Soft Kelly Green
Gauge: 19sts/24 rows over 4"
Needles: #5 & #6
Yarn: ggh *Samoa*
from
This Just In: Woot! SuperCrafty writes and says if you purchase at least a bag (10 balls) of Samoa from them and mention "ChicKnits" when you pay, SuperCrafty will give you free shipping on it and any other items you buy with that purchase...
Comments (12) | Permalink
Subscribe in a reader
|