Update on Rory

Rory went to his new home yesterday with many hugs and much jubilation. He will be a companion to a recently-arrived little boy.

Tommy is right. Toys are awesome! Not only are they fun (and instructional) to knit, they are fun to give away.

(P.S. Check out Tommy's blog here for his latest endeavor -- the Cowboy!)

Androcles and the Lion

(Reader note: If you have never read Aesop's Fables, I suggest you run to your nearest library, find the kindly lady that reads to the children every day at 10:00 and beg her to tell you what I am talking about. Or just Google it...but that would be almost cheating.)

I have often heard it said that you should always be good to those you meet on the way up because you never know who you will meet on the way down. Enter the story of Androcles. A little bravery, an act of kindness and two minutes out of his busy day saved his bacon in the middle of the gladiatorial ring.

I was reminded of this story when I was flipping through channels and came across a PBS program reading the book Andy and the Lion, loosely based on the fable. And it also happened to be the same day that I finished this little guy.

It was not exactly a revelation, but it was enough to make me think: Slow down and make a conscious effort to help those I can, particularly when it costs me little or nothing.

The lion (who was promptly dubbed "Rory" by my favorite Patty in all the world) is based on a pattern from a toy book. I don't remember which one, because I forgot to write it down. The legs are different because I intentionally made him floppy. I also recommend knitting it in the round, because 1) there are a lot of pieces to this joker and 2) less seams = more peace in my knitting happy place.

More to come soon. I get to knit for a baby and these pieces go pretty fast!!!

Monkey sock, not a sock monkey

This is a long awaited picture of socks knitted from the pattern titled "Monkey" in a knitty.com article last year. You can find it here. It was my first attempt at lace. These were also knitted at slightly larger than gauge because I did not possess size #2 DPNs at the time.

The pattern is marked at the second level of difficulty (advanced beginner?), which is fairly accurate. If you are tired of plain ribbed socks, these are a good step up. The pattern makes them interesting and it's not too hard to find where you were in the pattern when you last left off. If I did anything differently, I think I would have picked a lighter shade. The pictures don't really pick up all of the lace pattern because the colors in the yarn are a little too strong. All in all, I am still pretty happy with the final result.

Hal the sock monkey

This is Hal in his new home. It's not really that stark, its just being re-floored & repainted. Also with his new cat. Kitty 1, Hal 0

Where does he get such wonderful toys?

Last week, I made a sock monkey. It was my second one. He was properly christened "Hal" at our knitting group. He's now at his new home. Hal has a little time to prepare before he meets his new buddy, sometime in November. Until then, I am told he is getting curious looks from the cats.

If you have never made a sock monkey, I highly recommend it. It's not complicated (2 socks + clever cuts + strategic sewing+ stuffing = monkey). It's not expensive (less than $15 for materials makes 2 monkeys). And the comic value alone makes for a fun afternoon. (Come on, who DOESN'T smile when they see the red heinie?) Take your project on the road while you are working on it and you are sharing the laughter.

I also got a pattern for a knitted lion. It is pretty cool, but it has a lot of parts to sew together. I've been totally absorbed in working on it every evening. Despite having to knit the first leg three times (she can be taught!), it is actally going fairly well.

Now I am hooked on toys. I found a pattern for a little dragon, pulled out the stash, and have some things ready to go on that project. My favorite knitting magazine in print has a pattern for a wonderful bear in fuzzy novelty yarn (another stash raid? or can I go shopping?) Or maybe a ball to use up some more stash oddments.......

Branching out?

Today the new issue of Knitty came out. You can find it here. I am a devoted Knitty reader of several seasons now. The patterns are free and usually pretty easy to follow. And the magazine covers cool new books and tools in an evenhanded manner.



Most exciting this time was the announcement of the calendar contest for 2009. I am thinking about making a submission. More to come on that one.

Fun with Kool-Aid

How do you like the new picture? It is the first foray I have made into the vast land of dyeing. Those are wonderful hanks of a merino/silk blend in a sport weight that are now trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up. The "wheels" of yarn look a lot different than the dyed hanks. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to do a "before" and "after" shot.

For the past few weeks, the knitting circle has been kicking around the idea of dyeing yarn. Knitty.com has a few great articles, but we decided to use the technique described here. Kool-Aid as a dyeing agent -- who knew?

It's safe and relatively inexpensive if you are just trying out dyeing as a test project. Not including the yarn (under $20), I spent around $7 on Kool-Aid in every color that the store had and another $3 on a gallon of white vinegar. We had enough to cover all of the yarn, the carded fluff, the uncarded curls, and probably a stray sheep or two. There is definitely enough to have another go at a later date.

It also causes no permanent damage to your house or cookware. The dye is food grade, so no worries about lingering residues. I do, however, recommend gloves. The dyes did not damage our skin, but my cuticles and nails still had a zombie-esque look after repeated scrubbing with soap and baking soda. Another perk was the fruity sent left behind in the kitchen and the shower (where the skeins drip-dried.)

The only down side was that it took most of an afternoon. We used a handpainting technique that applied the dye to specific parts of the skein using a turkey baster. It put the dye where you want it, but it was tedious. After all the dye went on, the yarn had to be wrapped in plastic wrap and zapped in the microwave for a while to set the colors. This is supposed to keep the finished garment from fading as well.

All in all, it was a successful venture. I am definitely interested in doing it again, but right now I am thinking about knitting a test swatch to see how these work up.