It's Baby Season

Well, these days, when is it NOT baby season?  It seems like everyone's tummy is growing and the babies just keep a-comin'.  I guess I can't say much either though, since I have the bug myself.

All these babies means I've been knitting blankets like crazy.  I've made so many, I've lost track of all the blankets I've made in the last 5 years.  I used to tell you about them, but the turnaround has been so quick on some, I haven't been able to share them with y'all.

Recently I found this pattern.  It's a crochet pattern, which I've dabbled with here and there, but all of my past blankets (save one) have been knitted.  Dudes.  Crocheting certainly has its benefits.  It's easy, it can be really quick, and it's so much more handy to rewind if you make a mistake.

It's so easy, I've been able to make two of these in the time it would have taken for me to make one knitted blanket.  They look really good too.

The pattern is called a diagonal box stitch.  You start with a corner and crochet diagonally, increasing a new box every row until you like the size (at the halfway point,) and then start decreasing until you finish at the opposite corner.  A link to a good video for how to do it can be found here.

That's it.  Diagonal box stitch the whole thing.  Of course, the yarn used in both these blankets is upcycled from old Goodwill sweaters.  The first is almost an entire sweater, and the super colorful one is one I made from all of the tiny leftover balls from all of the sweaters I've unraveled over the years.  Looking at all the different colors made me realize how many sweaters I've deknitted.  It's kind of cool to think that it's a culmination of all the hours I've spent recycling yarn and giving hideous sweaters a new life.  I was worried that it would look funny to combine all the different colors, but I think the crazyness of it all gives it a fun vibe.  I honestly thought about keeping it for our own little one because I liked it so much, but it went to a recipient that loved it enough to make it worth gifting.

The original sweater was actually not that ugly.

The yarn is a cotton/wool mix so it's extra warm AND soft.

Don't you LOVE all the color?

It makes me so happy...

Both these blankets took about half the time it would take me to knit a blanket the same size.  They were smaller than past ones, at about 3-3.5ft across, but what's so great about crocheting is the fact that you can see exactly how big it's getting and you can control the size much easier.  Also, they are almost exactly square with much more even edges. Started adding a crocheted border to the colorful one, but it detracted from the smooth edges it already had, so I nixed it.

I think I may be looking to crocheting for much of my future baby blankets.

Unfortunately, right now, I have been forced to take a knitting/crocheting/overall crafting hiatus.  Why?  Pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome.  Yeah, it's a real thing and it totally blows.  It started about 5 weeks ago and it has been progressively getting worse since.  Sometimes it keeps me up at night because it hurts so bad and I can barely dress myself in the morning due to the weakness that I wake up with.  Several of my fingers have been in a permanently tingly-numb state for the past month.  Yay.  I wear a brace on my right wrist for about 20 hours a day.

I'll write a post sometime this week about how I've been doing otherwise with some pics of our attempt at creating a nice nursery in half of our spare room.  Until then, have a lovely (rainy, if you're in Western Washington) President's Day weekend, everyone.

The Shop is OPEN!

Well, I finally did it.  I can cross it off my list.  I have an Etsy shop.  Where people can buy things.  It's scary.  Let me explain.

For the last several weeks, I have been doing some serious cleaning and rearranging of what will be the sort-of baby room.  Since we only have two bedrooms in our house, the baby will get a half-room for now.  (One corner of the room will house stuff like the sewing machine and our office stuff.)  So I've been going through all of my knitting, sewing, and crafting stuff and consolidating into bigger bins that can be stored easier.  I've also thrown away and donated a lot of random junk that we've accumulated over the years.  Going through random boxes unearthed a ton of completed knitting projects that I made over the last 10 years that I made with intent to sell at some point.

Well, that some point is now.  These things are pretty great, but they've got to go.  So thank you baby, for putting my butt into gear and making me take that plunge that I've been afraid to take for so long.

So check it out.  I've listed about 75% of the items that I have.  I don't know if I want to list the dog sweaters that I have since I don't have dog models of all sizes, and they just aren't as quality as the purses, but for now I feel good about what I've got up there.

I am a little nervous though about my own ability to send things out on time and whether people will actually be happy with what I send them.  But I suppose this is a feeling that all first time business owners/stuff sellers might be worried about...?  Also, I suppose I don't have to worry about that unless I actually sell something, so I should start there for now.

Come on internet!  Sell my stuff!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MabelMakesThings

Here are some of my favorites:

Babies = Warm Cuddlies.

If you haven't noticed, everyone around us is either getting married or having a baby.  In the last 2 years, I think I have knit seven baby blankets for my friends.  Crazy.  That's a lot of hours if I think about it.  But you know what?  Each one has turned out amazing and were, or are, well-used by the babies who received them.  This makes me happy.  Many of them have been the entrelac pattern that I like so much, but the last one I made, I made in a fan and feather pattern.  It's a lacy one that is much quicker to complete and really pretty.

This pattern is done in multiples of 18.  So for this project, I cast on 172 stitches.  (That's 9 x 18 +10 so that I could have 5 stitches on either end for a border.)  I also used a size 8 circular needle and cotton yarn from an ugly Goodwill sweater.  (The colors are really nice as you can see, just not the way it was used in this particular sweater.)  I always use 100% cotton yarn in all my baby blankets since it's super soft and I just don't like the idea of making tiny humans cuddle up to something unnatural like acrylic.  (Yuck.)

Rows 1-5: Knit
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: K5, *(k2tog) 3 times, (k1, yo) 6 times, (k2tog) 3 times.  Repeat from * until last 5 stitches.  K5.
Row 8: Purl

Continue alternating between row 7 and 8 (right side and wrong side respectively) until you feel like it's long enough or until you run out of yarn.  Then finish with another 5 rows of K.

Here are the abbreviations if you aren't used to reading them:
K5: knit 5 stitches
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together
yo: yarn over
k1: knit one stitch

That's it, super easy.  Well, as long as you're good at counting.  It's really important for this pattern that you do exactly each number and don't forget the yarn overs!  There were so many times I realized I forgot a yarn over or two and realized a line and a half later.  I definitely did some major rewinding at times, which is a pain in the ass.  So count count count and keep track of where you are.  After a few lines, you'll know based on how it looks what you need to be doing next which helps, but it doesn't prevent mistakes, it just makes it obvious when you're off by a stitch or two.

After I took these pictures, I also added a thick double crochet border all the way around.  I always finish my blankets with a crocheted border because I think it makes the whole blanket look cleaner and more polished.

The detail... so pretty.  (This is a for a pretty little girl with awesomely cool parents.)

Staying Warm

In the spirit of the snowtacular debacle that Seattle went through last week, I decided to finish a project that I started a couple months ago.  (It also helped that I didn't work at all thanks to snow days.)  I had this yarn lying around that I bought years ago to make a sweater with.  The resulting sweater was NOT flattering so I took it apart and haven't remade it since.

Fast forward to the last several months and I've found myself spending a lot of inactive time outside.  I spend about an hour a day supervising free time outside at the school I work at and I've been getting cold.  So I felt I was in need of a scarf or hat or.... both in one!

Off to ravelry.com I went and found a pattern.  Unfortunately, I can't link it here since Ravelry is a members-only site and this particular pattern is available for download.  That makes it sound really exclusive but it's not.  It's free to sign up and most of the patterns are free also.  Whether you are an avid knitter or not, I suggest signing up just to have access to all the variety of patterns.

Anyway, the pattern I found is called MidWinter Wanderer so you can search for that and likely find it.

It was pretty easy.  Mostly knits and purls, with a cable pattern to follow.  That's basically it.  No complicated stitches or patterns.

This will keep me warm during those cold hours of standing around making sure kids play well together.

Here is a sequence of awkward photos of me.  I don't like photo shoots.  Just look at the shrug thingie.

I like the cable pattern.

I wish the front was more interesting.

The Results

Well, you can probably look at them yourselves, but the results to the two polls are in.  Voting isn't closed yet, but it has been where it's at for about 5 days, so I think I can safely say that most votes have been cast.  As far as what you fine readers want me to experiment with next, it's almost a dead tie between the 4 choices.  That's cool, it keeps my options open.

As far as the posts that people enjoy the most, the winner is all of them, followed by the cooking ones, and the chicken related ones come in a close third.  I'm happy with these results.  I feel like it's just reassurance to keep doing what I'm doing, and I promise, as soon as I have more time, I will do so.  A big thanks to all who voted!

And now for something completely different:

I've been meaning to introduce you all to this awesome knitting pattern for a head band.  I stumbled upon this when I was asked to knit something like this for a friend last year.  It's really great.  The pattern is written out perfectly and it's really easy to follow... kind of.  I often knit while watching tv so sometimes I look up just for a second, then find myself wondering whether I just knit line 28 or 29.  And when finished, it looks really good and makes the knitter look really good too because it has some really nice intricate patterns and cable designs.  AND, it only takes about 4 hours to knit one.  Sweet huh? 

The only problem that I have with this is that I can't really wear them.  My hair is just too slippery so it doesn't stay put on my head, and I think it helps to have more voluminous hair in general, or a smaller forehead.  I think I also have a funny-shaped flat head that doesn't allow the head band to grasp onto or something...  Oh well, at least I can make them for others.

Here are a couple pictures.

Next on Urban Hobby Homesteader:
I'm planning on making a special cake this weekend.  I made one last week, but it was a minor fail so I didn't mention it.  But I'll make it again tomorrow or something and do it right this time so it's more photogenic.

Until then, happy homesteading!

De-knitting!

Several people have asked me how I de-knit sweaters. So for you folks out there, I'll try to describe the process as best I can!

Let me give you a couple tips on how to choose good de-knitting sweaters. First, you want to choose good colors and the bigger the sweater the better, because you get more yarn that way. This is up to you, but I always check the label to make sure that it is 100% cotton because it is nice and soft and a natural fiber. Bigger yarn gauges are easier to take apart too, so thicker sweaters are better for that. Zippers, buttons, and other embellishments will make the process harder so simple designs are the best. The last thing you want to check for is the seams. I've only encountered this once after de-knitting dozens of sweaters, but there are some out there that are made with large sheets of knitted "fabric" that is cut then sewed. You'll end up with lots of short pieces of yarn which is worthless. So make sure the seams look like they are edges of knitted panels. Sorry if it doesn't make sense, but you probably don't have to worry about it.

So here is the victim. Nice colors, eh? The cashier at Goodwill even commented how nice the colors were and what a great buy it was because it was Liz Claiborne. But I did have to pay a little more than usual for it (9 bucks) probably for the fancy brand. I didn't have the heart to tell the cute lady that I was buying it to destroy it so I just told her that I was getting it for the nice colors. Sorry cute Filipino lady!

Ok so, first thing you want to do is wash it and then cut any and all tags and other crap off of it. Do it carefully so that you don't cut the yarn, and try to get all of the threads out because they might catch up the unraveling.

I always start the process at the wrists. Find the seam and look through it for what I call the knot tail. It's a thick little tail formed by knots that you should find woven into the end of the sleeve. It looks like this. Now you want to cut this off at the base, where the two strings come together. Once you cut it, pull apart the seam and you'll see the thread that is holding the seam together. If you pull on it, it should pull the whole seam apart, and if you're lucky, keep going all the way down body on the same side. It might get caught at the armpit, but a few snips of more knot tails here and there should let it go. Do it to both sleeves.

Now your sweater should look like this. Next, find more little tails hidden into the seams holding the sleeves to the body. They should unravel the same way as before. Usually the collar is a separate piece also, so that will have to be separated as well. (If the sweater is a cardigan, the skinny bits where the buttons or buttonholes would be are separate pieces too.)

At this point, all of the panels (besides the shoulder seams,) should be taken apart and look like this. At this point, put the body aside and focus on the sleeves. Always start the unraveling at the top of the sleeve where it was connected to the shoulder. There is no easy way to find the beginning, just poke around, make some cuts and you'll find it eventually. Start balling that stuff up baby! (This is when it really starts getting satisfying :P)

Now the shoulders are the hardest part. These are reinforced with regular thread, and sometimes with extra fabric, which makes it virtually impossible to take apart. So you'll have to cut it as close to the seam as possible. It does make a small mess and there will be some waste of yarn, but you'll get past the mess and the piece will unravel much like the sleeves. Unravel the rest of the pieces, collar, pockets, whatever you have left and that should be it.

Now it is time to look at your final product with satisfaction. Yessssss... Doesn't it feel good to think that you paid just a fraction of what you would pay at a fancy yarn store for the same amount? Sure, it's a little bit of a time commitment, but you can do other stuff too. In this case, I watched two sweet episodes of House. Jealous?

Knitting Pattern of the Month

Now that both baby showers have come and gone, I can finally post about the baby blankets that I have been knitting lately. I've made three of these in the last 6 months and, logically, they have gotten easier each time. This is the last one I made for Lindsey with lots of fun colors! It's not too girlie right? I forgot to take a picture of the one I made for Zita, but she said she would send me one. It's mostly different shades of blue with some grey and tan mixed in.

The pattern I used is called Entrelac, and can be found here. It is a little confusing at first, but once you get your mind wrapped around it, technically, it's not hard at all. It does involve a lot of turning the project, which can get a little annoying at times, but it's worth it.

I added a hood to one of the corners, because hoods are just fun and cute, and the kid can play with it once they get older. You know, to extend the use of it a little. It's not part of the pattern on the link, I just half-assed it by folding down one of the corners about an inch or two and picked up 20 stitches from the folded edge to start. Then I worked in stockinette stitch, picking up more stitches as the hood expands down on each side. The bottom 2 inches or so is 2x2 rib. I went until it looked about baby/toddler head size and bound off. I also made fun ears by picking up 8 stiches where the ears would look ok and worked about 4 lines in stockinette before decreasing by ktog and ptog on either side until 2 stitches were left and then bound off.

The key to making the hood is to initially fold a bit of the corner down so you don't end up with a point at the top of the hood. The last thing you need is for your kid to look like part of the baby kkk. Not funny.

Now you might ask: "where did you get that awesome yarn?" Well, my friend, it is actually recycled yarn from sweaters I buy at Goodwill! Yep, I go to the local thrift store, (usually the Goodwill down the street,) and peruse their awesome sweater collections and find sweaters with colors I like. I then take 'em home, unravel them and BAM! I have tons of cotton yarn for less than 5 bucks. Awesome. I have a sweater here that is awaiting its demise, so I will take pictures of the de-knitting process and show ya'll how it's done. Until then, happy homesteading!