Block Prints & Paisley

I've been working on some new home prints. I love the Speedball rubber blocks for making my stamps! I also painted a paisley up today. We'll see how it turns out once cleaned and put into repeat!

Little Friends Prints

This was a fun little surface design project! I was at Baby's 'R' Us for work a few weeks ago and loved the commercial design challenge of a little playsuit set.

Pringle

Dylan love David Shrigley, I love jumpers. This short was made for us.

Little Friends

Working on some new baby characters and prints today.

Seattle 2014

Some long overdue photos from our Seattle trip! Dylan had been there on tour last year and really wanted to go back. I do love living in Minneapolis, but after this trip we were immediately considering a relocation. It's just so beautiful there!

We spent a few days in the city....

And several days in this amazing A-frame cabin along the Skykomish River in the Cascade Mountains. 

Also, being the big Twin Peaks fans that we are, we had to drive up to the Snoqualmie Falls. 

Fair Isle Mitten

This was a great knitting weekend! Hung out with some crafting buddies and showed Dylan's mom how to make mittens using the pattern in my last post. I worked up this fair isle in Illustrator inspired by all the the amazing Icelandic sweaters seen in the below Sigur Ros video.

Just a shot from the house. This beautiful drawing my husband Dylan made of me in college.

Snug Bulky Mitten Pattern

Photo Credit: Erin Smith of Ship and Shape

This is one of my favorite mittens to make in #5 Bulky weight yarn. They do fit a little snug (which I love!), but if you need to add 1 stitch to each needle when starting the cuff (adding 4 sts total), feel free. Just omit the increase on Row 1 in "Directions for Body".

Abbreviations:
CO: Cast On
DPN: Double-pointed needles
st: Stitch
sts: Stitches
k: knit
p: purl
inc: increase
dec: decrease
sl: slip
ssk: slip, slip knit decrease
k2tog: knit two together decrease
***: See footnote

Things you need:
Set of five #10 1/2 size double-pointed needles
Set of five #11 size double-pointed needles
1 skein #5 Bulky weight Lamb's Pride Yarn (Approx. 125 yards)
Approx. 2 ft. waste yarn in similar weight as above yarn, but in a different color

Directions for Cuff:
With #10 1/2 needles, CO 20 sets across the 4 DPN

Connect in the round and k1, p1 to end of needle 1, ending with a k st.
***p1, k1 to end of needle 2, ending with a p st.
k1, p1 to end of needle 3, ending with a k st.
p1, k1 to end of needle 4, ending with a p st. You will know this is the end of row, because the cast on yarn will be hanging at this point (this is in leu of having a stitch marker potentially getting in the way).

Repeat this row until the cuff measures 2.5 inches

Directions for Body:
Row 1: k all sts with #11 needles, increasing 1 stitch per needle (for the inc, k first 2 sts on the needle, make a bar increase on the 3rd st, k to end. Do this on each needle) 24 sts
Row 2: k all sts
Repeat row 2 until entire mitten measures 4.5 inches

Mark Thumb: 
Right Mitten: On needle 1, k across 4 sts with waste yarn. Sl those same 4 sts back onto the needle. Pick up the body yarn and knit across them again. Continue knitting remaining sts.

Left Mitten: On needle 2, k 2, then k across next 4 sts with waste yarn. Sl those same 4 sts back onto the needle. Pick up the body yarn and knit across them again. Continue knitting remaining sts.

Continue knitting all rows until all work measures 8 inches

Decrease:
Decrease Row: ssk at beg of needle 1, k2tog at end of needle 2, ask at beg of needle 3, k2tog at end of needle 4.
Row 2: k all sts
Row 3: Work as dec row
Row 4: k all sts
Row 5: Work as dec row
Row 6: Work as dec row

You will now have 4 sets remaining. Cut the yarn to leave a 10 inch tail. Using a yarn needle, thread through the remaining sts. Pull tight and work in ends.

Flip your work inside out, so right side is visible.

Make Thumb:
Using your #11 needles, pick up 4 sts at top of thumb and 4 sts at the bottom. I usually just use two needles for this (with my third needle doing the knitting). Once all those guys are on there, you can remove your waste yarn (make sure they are really on there! Don't want to unravel anything!)

K across, picking up 1 st between top and bottom of thumb on both right and left sides of the thumb. You will have 10 sts total.

Knit in the round until the thumb measures 2.75 inches

On last row, k2tog to end (5 sts remain)

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail. Using a yarn needle, thread through the remaining sts. Pull tight and work in ends.


*** remember to always have your yarn to the front if you are purling, and to the back while knitting in this case. Switching needles can be tricky business, so you want to make sure you aren't accidentally wrapping around the needle creating a yarn over - A HOLE and extra stitch.


I think next I'm going to make a larger version of these, add a fringe cuff and felt them! Stay tuned!

Fireside Yoga and Two-at-a-Time Socks

Today was a perfect day for some fireside yoga. We hope to get in a few more fires before the weather becomes too cold and it becomes inefficient! Also using my beloved of two-at-a-time method to make some socks. It's always nice to come back after a busy summer and reconnect and reground with my yarn.

Sigur Ros

I know this album is super old by now, but still one of my favorites. The below video documents such a great performance, as well as so many beautiful people, in beautiful sweaters. One track mind...

Sigur Røs - Agaetis Byrjun

Mitten fin!

A great quick mitten! Let me know if you'd like me to share the pattern. It's a great fitting basic bulky mitten pattern for women. Comment below if you'd like to see it!

Sunday Morn Knitting

Daylight savings is always a little frustrating this time of year. No longer can I come home in the evening and work in the yard, and if I do want to go out and run by the creek I need to wear a super dorky flashlight headband thing. One upside however, is the added hour of sleep. Off to a slow start this morning, but excited to pick up a new knitting project. A pair of mittens for a good friend who has been extraordinarily helpful as of late.  My husband bought this yarn at the local yarn shop on sale. There was a lot of it left which was super baffling to me! Is a roving space-dye Italian bulky weight by Adriafil.

A ways back I made my super cozy felted fringe booties. This spring I scaled down the pattern and made them for my friend's new baby. I'm putting some time on the books to make these for a few of my buddies for Christmas. The pattern comes from Tiny Owl Knits Patterns. You can buy the pattern here.



Our soundtrack for the morning comes from Beverly. Check it out over here at Pitchfork