I have been knitting and I am inspired!

Inspired to continue on and not give up because learning to knit has not been as easy for me as I would like it to be. About a week ago I came across a most beautiful blog called, Little Cotton Rabbits, by Julie Williams. The header and her photographs are peaceful and gorgeous. They are inspiring. At first I was a little intimidated by the things she knits. She is what I would call a “real” knitter. I’ve only knit a few simple scarves and hats so far.

That is until now! After looking at her section of free patterns I decided to try one and I’m so glad that I did. This Itty Bitty Dress is what I decided to try. I had to how to learn how to yfon – yarn forward on needle, and ssk- slip slip knit. I also had to purl into the back of next stitch which sounds so easy but I think I must have done something wrong somewhere as both of the itty bitty dresses I made had armhole mistakes.

 

The little purple dress is the one with that seems to have two armholes stacked on top of each other or next to each other, something odd but once it is on the doll you can’t tell. I also made a larger version for a larger doll that my granddaughter wanted one for. The blue dress has four armholes, two next to each other! Oh well no one will really notice those either. At least I am not knitting clothes in order to keep myself or a family member from being naked.

I do hope “real” knitters everywhere don’t shudder if they see that I blocked my itty bitty dress on a kitchen towel. I don’t have a blocking pad yet. One has to block their knitting to guide it into the exact right shape. Or rather to stay in the right shape. For example the bottom of the itty bitty dress would have stayed curled up if I had not blocked it. To block knitting or crochet you just dampen the piece and pin it to a foam type pad that is covered in lightweight rubber. At least I think that is what it looks like to me from the photos I have seen. I was not about to invest in anything else until I knew I could knit more elaborate things other than simple hats and scarves. I never blocked any of those. I don’t think you have to block most hats and scarves but I may be wrong.

A huge thanks to Julie Williams for inspiring me and helping me with a question that I had.

Also to these You Tube videos for helping me learn some of these new stitches: Pepperly, Rowan Yarns. There are so many videos available on You Tube you have to watch various ones to find a teacher who is a good fit for you. Don’t just watch one or two and give up if they don’t work for you. Try a lot more and go back on different days as more are added all the time. If you are an aspiring knitter don’t give up! Get comfortable with one thing at a time then move on to something else. On and on up the knitter ladder.

P.S. If anyone knows where the spell check has disappeared to please let me know. Thank you.

The Twiddle Muff

A Twiddle Muff is an arm cuff to be worn by anyone with Alzheimer’s Disease.  It is for twiddling, fidgeting, fussing about, fixating. Something to channel a person’s nervous energy so to speak.

Recently I found out that one of my friends father has this horrible disease and it has progressed rather fast with him. So I hurriedly finished this Twiddle Muff so I can send it to his family members who are taking care of him. And I would like to say his daughter is an animal hero as she is not only taking care of him but his two dogs also! She already had two or three dogs and a cat I think so some people didn’t think it was a good idea but she knew it was the right thing to do. So my hat is off to her!

If you would like to make a Twiddle Muff to donate or for someone you know, it’s just a round cuff that is usually knitted but could be sewn. The point is to have many textures and fiddle bits on it. Larger bells than I had to put on mine might be a good idea to keep up with loved ones who tend to wander off.

The list of add-ons is endless:

Large flat beads, rounds beads, ribbons, fabric, heavy plastic, burlap, leather, chain etc. Just make sure everything is securely attached to the muff and inspect it every so often to make sure nothing has come loose.

Any item that might pertain to a person’s past hobby or entertainment that can be easily affixed.

And this is a great project for a newbie knitter as mistakes are no problem. It doesn’t matter what the muff looks like only what it feels like. I didn’t even bother cutting off the ends of the string that I used to tie some of the things on with, I just knotted them until there was no more end, something else to fiddle with.

So get to knitting everyone!

Giant Knitting Needles!

Look at these fabulous knitting needles! Don’t they look like a ton of fun. I love these. You might want to hide them from stick chewing dogs you have around though.

You can purchase these at Loopy Mango on Etsy. Go take a look and see what other fun thing you can find there.

Wednesday’s Yarn Along from Small Things Blog

I have not made much progress at all on the dog blanket for the shelter, I am a very slow knitter! I did however finish reading Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss. Below you will find my review.

The novel, Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss was certainly one of the most unusual and interesting books that I have ever read. After all how many times do you read about conjoined Siamese Twins?
Born in 1811 on a poor fisherman’s small thatched houseboat on the Mekong River in Siam Chang and Eng lived a full but unusual life to say the least. It started out full of love and support but then came many troubled times for these most wonderful siblings. They had many adventures from being in freak shows in the circus to being married men with their own families.
Their father unknowingly gave them one of the best blessings of their lives when he taught them Gung-Fu at a very young age. This form of mental and physical exercise would prove to be invaluable to them throughout their lifetime as would an old saying he also taught them…Mekong fishermen stay abreast of change. River men’s judgment helps one to make the appropriate decisions at the appropriate moment and diminish the influence of fate.
Chang and Eng had two distinct personalities which often times made living attached to each other quite a struggle. They learned from their most loving mother that fighting with each other was fruitless so therefore they had no choice but to learn to get along well together. Their love and support of one another was very touching and sweet.
Reading about their marriage and family life as adults was most interesting. Their marriage to two southern sisters was especially unusual considering the time period. I will say that I would have come up with a slightly different arrangement than the one they used for their marriage bed.
I thought it very odd that they owned slaves considering what they had been through in life. The brothers were hard workers in spite of their handicap but they did need help in running the small farm where they lived during their marriage. I would think however that hired help would have been a more gentle answer to the situation.
Although there were many moments of happiness in this story it has more than its share of sadness. I did not cry until the very end and I can’t imagine anyone not getting at least the slightest bit teary eyed. The story of Chang and Eng had perhaps the most emotionally touching ending that I have ever read.
I put off reading this book for a long time thinking it would be far too sad to read. Now I am glad that I read it. By using the first person point of view in telling Chang and Eng’s story, Darin Strauss captured their true essence so very well. It feels as though I have personally met them and have been familiar friends with them for a long time. It would have been a most interesting and wonderful friendship.

I’m totally shocked, but thrilled

because I knitted this hat! I thought I would never move beyond simple scarves!

The bookstore (the best place to be)