Knitting Passion

Hey! Do YOU want to be paid to blog, like me?

Well, 451Press is asking for applicants again. And if you do decide to apply, reference my blog name (knittingpassion.com) in the “Where did you hear about 451Press?” section, ok?

Thanks! And maybe I’ll see ya around!

So I haven’t put up a pic of Lisa’s new scarf due to my lack of time and energy. (Kyle has Strep Throat now.) So here it is.

This scarf was crocheted with 2 yarns held together. The tick was embroidered with a crochet hook.

I came across this blog: Arabian Knits, and have decided to participate in the Color Swap for February, where the theme is brown and tan.

The basic idea is that you receive stuff from someone and you send to someone else. (PS: My Sender designed the buttons above! I’m so excited!) There is a $25 “limit” although if you go over it’s on you, but you’re not supposed to expect the other person to spend more than that, including shipping. I’m thinking it’s going to be very fun!

So I’m supposed to put this survey on my blog, to show my Sender what I’m into. So here it is.

Color Swap Survey
In order to help your partner learn more about you, please post this survey and your answers to your blog:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I LOVE natural fibers, but rarely can afford them. I usually buy yarn at Wal-Mart or Joanne’s.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I’m mainly a knitter, but I crochet a little, and am still learning to spin. I love them all though. (Just knitting the best, heeheehee.)

3. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I love making things with my son. I also love to garden and cook. Two things I absolutely *cannot* do are draw and scrapbook.

4. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Hmmm…. I guess anything soft that won’t give me yarn-burn.

5. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? You know I still haven’t tried them all. I guess if it’s yarn… then it’s good.

6. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Socks. And knitting books… muwahahaha!!!

7. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks. Really anything small and quick. I’m not all that patient, really.

8. What are you knitting right now? Guess? Ha! Socks! Also see this entry.

9. Are you a sock knitter? No not really, why do you ask? (Man, I’m funny!)

10. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?Are there any colors you hate? Blue is my favorite. Yellow… mmm not so much.

11. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No but that’s a good idea!

12. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Work!

13. Do you have any religious prohibitions or restrictions? No coffee, tea, tobacco or alcohol.

14. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Rain or fresh linen.

15. Do you burn candles?Not usually.

16. Do you have a sweet or salt tooth? Hmmm… nope.

17. Do you drink coffee, tea or cocoa? Cocoa sometimes with my son.

18. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? Married. 7 year old boy, almost 10 month old girl. A dog named Weena, a toad, a gerbil, and a bunch of fish!

19. What are some of your favorite things? Raindrops on roses - oh wait… Avatar the Last Airbender, sheep, and books.

20. Is there anything that you collect? Sheep. (Not living of course, but how cool would that be? “Where’s your collection, Keri?” “Oh, they’re in the backyard grazing…”)

21. What is your favorite holiday? My birthday! (I’m not good at holidays…)

22. What is your birthday? (You don’t have to tell the year) 10/25/81 (Makes me a 25 year old Scorpio.)

So there you go! Hope that’s informative, and not too distracting!

So the update with the Knit In at my house is that it’s going to take place on Wednesday, February 7th, from 4-8pm. That way I can get as many people from church to come as possible.

I’m still going to be watching and knitting in the “official” Knit In on Feb. 4, but because it’s a Sunday, I can’t in good conscience ask people to come over and be away from their families. So I have to change the flyer. Ah well, worse things have happened. At least I have chips and salsa already! Remind me to get beverages…

So for those of you that know what it is, I am going to be participating in the Young Women’s Personal Progress. I won’t receive anything for it, as I am not a Young Woman or involved in the Young Women’s Program, but I am doing it for myself, since I was never able to do it when I was a Young Woman. OK?

For those of you that don’t know what this is, click here.

How does this fit into knitting?

Well, for one of my projects I’m going to be teaching some people to knit. Woo-hoo! (Thanks to my sis-in-law Suzy who informed me that I could teach knitting as a project!)

I am way excited to do this, because since I didn’t join the LDS Church until way after the point of being in Young Women, I really feel like I missed out on so much. This will help me to feel better about that, and about myself. AND I get to knit! How more awesome can life GET?

I have tried and tried to read Mason-Dixon Knitting. But I am just so put off by the image on the front cover.

I don’t know why.
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OK, so everyone knows my favorite TV show is Knitty Gritty, and everyone also knows I’m into knitting for a cause. Well, even though this particular cause isn’t Lyme Disease, it’s still a good cause to knit for.

Vicky Howell (from Knitty Gritty) is having a fabulous “Knit In” during the Super Bowl to benefit people in need by knitting squares for Warm-Up America. The squares are then sewn into shawls or blankets, and distributed to those that need them.

Seeing as how I am not a football enthusiast, I was very glad to see that DIY will be showing a Knitty Gritty marathon at that time. (February 4, 5pm - 11pm EST) Although, as the squares are not in the least required to be fancy or detailed, (the simpler they are the more you can make), if you wanna watch the game at the same time, that’s completely up to you.

I’m telling everyone I know about it, and maybe any one who doesn’t like football can come over to my house and knit or crochet. Fun!

Here is all the information you need to know, size, simple pattern for knitting and crocheting, and the mailing address for finished squares.

I heartily recommend this to everyone. It’s a great teaching tool for beginners, and even children can make one and feel like they are making a difference.

The truth is that I’m just busy this week. Not “Busy watching re-runs of Knitty Gritty and playing games online” busy, but “Busy having my dad over and cleaning the house and helping build the playground because it’s warm outside and the baby is only taking one nap a day so I have to entertain her or else my mom will come ask me why I’m letting her cry” busy.

Make sense?

I knew you’d understand.

I also have so much I want to write about that I can’t straighten it out in my head, and so I sit at the computer to write… and I’m at a loss. If only it didn’t take 15 - 30 minutes per entry… Ah well.

Oh and this is it for today, as well. I am SUPER busy tonight. Maybe after everyone is asleep I’ll make some draft entries so I can at least know what I want to say. Hmmmm…. now let’s see…

If you will glance to the right side of the page —-> you will notice the “About Keri the Sheep” section. Well if you look at the bottom of my little blurb, you’ll see some links. Those are my other pages. They don’t have a lot on them right now, but I’ll be updating them as I get time.

Woo hoo for me!

PS: There’s the link to my podcast too.

Yarn is, of course, the most important part of knitting. (Unless you’re knitting with spaghetti that is.) Yarn can be used with any type of needles, (chopsticks, pencils, etc.)and with the popularity of knitting taking off like so many bottle rockets, the choices in yarn have become plentiful, varied, and a bit overwhelming.

For the beginning knitter, I usually would recommend starting with a worsted weight yarn. This is the general middle-of-the-road yarn, and is easy to work with on most needle sizes.

I can hear you say, “But wait! I want to use this fuzzy frilly feathery yarn I just got at Wal-Mart for 4 bucks! You mean I can’t use that?”

Now, I didn’t say that. But if you try to start out with a novelty yarn on needles any smaller than a US 13 (9 mm), you’re asking for trouble. Novelty yarn is a bit tricky to work with if you’re not used to it, so if you insist on using it, might I suggest using large needles, or my favorite method of teaching kids with fun yarns, on your fingers! (That will be lesson #3!) Finger knitting is a way easy, way fast, and way fun *way* to knit a scarf or belt, while at the same time learning the basic knitting theory of pulling loops through other loops to create fabric.

As far as color goes, that’s entirely up to you. Although when you’re comfortable with knitting with one strand of yarn, I recommend using 2 strands at the same time for really neat effects and textures.

All yarn images are from gotyarn.com.

yarn, knitting

This was the original yarn called for in this pattern:Victorian Brushed Mohair

I can’t show you what I am actually using, though, because my camera batteries need to be recharged. So PTC on that. But it’s some of the yarn that I received from the Relief Society President, which means I’m still maintaining my resolution. I like it because it’s black and sparkles, although I don’t know who it’s made by, where it came from, or what it’s made of. I have about 10 skeins of it though, (all without labels) and it’s worsted weight, so I’m using it. According to the pattern, I need 725yds of the 1st yarn, so I’m pretty sure I have enough…
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I’ve decided that I will knit a sweater. For me.

The pattern is in fact from SNB, and is called “To Dye For.”

This Picture is from Stitch ‘N Bitch

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sweater

Originally I was going to make this Knitting Lesson #2, but because of my crappy week, I’m really just venting.

(PS: Brenda Dayne is finally up and about again, and FINALLY did another podcast. Happy day!)

Yes my life doesn’t totally suck, I know, but I just want to lay in bed and cry right now. Since I obviously can’t do that, I am making a blog entry about the joy and frustration of having 18 kajillion free patterns to choose from.

I have been to Knitty and Berroco, Lionsbrand and the Anticraft. I’ve looked at about.com and ask.com and fifty other .coms and still cannot find a pattern that screams out “Yes! Knit me! Please!”

Very frustrating.

So I am thinking I’ll start thumbing through Stitch ‘n Bitch. There’s always something to knit in there. Besides, I need to start a new project now that I have lost my other size 9 needle for good…

Sigh.

Well, I’m just having a bad knitting week apparently. I finished the sock for Marie last night, but it doesn’t fit. It’s about the size for a newborn, actually. Dang it’s a cute little sock, though.

So I’m going to start over, but I don’t think I’ll be using the pattern in the book any more. I really don’t like this book, and will be returning it today to the library. Thank Heaven for the library!

I know I have a sock book somewhere around here that I actually bought, but I have no idea where it is. Well… I have some idea. It’s in the garage somewhere. In a box perhaps. Maybe a large bag.

I haven’t been having the greatest “life” week either, although my sister coming over yesterday was definitely a high point.

I’m thinking I’m just going to start over tomorrow.

PS: I’ve also been thinking about doing another podcast… or at least submitting the first one to iTunes…

knitting, library, sock book, bad luck

I lost a needle!

Normally this wouldn’t be such a huge deal. But this was one of the only size 9’s I have! And for those of you that have been paying attention, that means it’s one of my Knit Lites!

Josh asked me over and over “You mean out of the thousands of needles you have you don’t have another one you can use?”

He doesn’t understand! You can’t just sub in a different size and expect the project to be consistent!

I am really, really upset about this. Of course my mom thinks I’m insane. But this scarf was my “no think” project, and now I can’t zone out with my knitting! AHHHHH!!!

I guess I could start a new zone out project, but I just don’t have the heart right now… I’m so sad! Like not even kidding!