Jan 30 2014
knit face mask

How to Make a Knit Face Mask

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My husband requested a knit face mask that would cover his nose and mouth while he went snowboarding but the tricky part what that he wanted to be able to push it up when not going down slopes and removing it completely when it’s not necessary. I asked Reddit about how to carry out this and they suggested finding a calorimetry pattern on Raverly. That is exactly what I did.

I decide on the Calorimetry Pattern by Kathryn Schoendorf, Knitty.com directions. I attempted this many times and I found myself being too concerned about the pattern. I didn’t even know if it would even work and it was way too long. I made many changes, and simplified the pattern throughout my attempts. After I figured out my pattern, it only took me a couple of hours to knit.

This is what I ended up doing:

  • 1 skein of bulky weight yarn, the one shown is acrylic, with lots of yarn left over
  • size US 8 knitting needles
  • 2 stitch markers

Cast On 80 stitches

Row 1: Knit stitch all

Row 2: Knit stitch all until last 2 stitches, turn work

Row 3: Knit stitch 4 stitches, place marker, knit until last 2 stitches, turn work

Row 4: Knit stitch 4 stitches, place marker 2nd marker, work until next marker, turn work

Row 5: Remove marker, knit stitch 4 stitches, replace marker, knit stitch until next marker, turn work

Repeat row 5 nine more times

Row 6: Do not remove marker, knit stitch until next marker (knitting in between the markers, there should be an equal number of stitches on the outside of the markers)

Row 7: Knit stitch until next marker, remove marker, knit stitch 4 more stitches, replace marker, turn work.

Repeat row 7 until there are only 2 stitches on the outside of each marker.

Row 8: Knit stitch until marker, remove marker and knit stitch last 2 stitches, turn work.

Row 9: Knit stitch the entire row removing the last marker

Bind off loosely.

To attach it to the hat:

  • hat
  • thread
  • buttons
knit face mask

Mark where buttons should go.

knit face mask

Sew buttons onto the hat.

knit face mask

Use the holes in the calorimetry, to attach it to the buttons.

 

knit face mask

knit face mask

knit face mask

Jan 10 2014
fried pickles

Fried Pickles Recipe

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fried pickles

I love fried food. This is no surprise. My favorite fried food? Pickles, it is most definitely fried pickles, preferably in chip form.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup corn starch
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • a few shakes of Tabasco, to taste
  • a little bit of red and black pepper
  • 2/3 cups of water
  • oil for frying

Directions:

  1. In a small sauce pan, heat oil on medium.
  2. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Then stir in the water and Tabasco.  The batter should be thick.
  3. Coat a pickle in the batter and place it into the oil.
  4. The pickles should be fried for about 1-2 minutes. (I usually have to flip over the pickles because I don’t use a lot of oil.)
  5. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt.
  6. Enjoy!
fried pickles

I also fried some cheese cubes with this batter.

fried pickles

Rusty would like a bite.

 

Dec 31 2013
reflective dog leash

How to Sew a Reflective Dog Leash, Revisited.

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Awhile ago I made a reflective dog leash for Rusty. It served  us well but Rusty got a new collar and the buckle on the leash was too small for the ring. So it was time to redo his leash. I’m using the same leash with  nylon webbing and a clip I picked up from Ragged Mountain, a store in North Conway, NH.

reflective dog leash

First thing I did was seam rip the old buckle off and remove the pieces of reflective tape that remained.

Next I hand stitched the new clip in place. I decided to sew by hand because the webbing is very thick and I don’t know how my machine would handle it. I don’t have a lot of needles to pick from, so I went with a crewel hand needle. I’m not even sure why I have these but they were in my sewing kit. The webbing is thick and stiff so it took awhile to sew.

I then cut 2, ½inch wide by 4 inch long reflective fabric tape to replace the old tape. I then stitched one on the bottom of the leash near the clasp and one near the handle of the leash. My stitching for the reflective tape is terrible. I’d like to say that I am a perfectionist and will redo it but I know I won’t. Feel free to judge. 🙂

reflective dog leash

Now it’s time to take Rusty out on a walk and enjoy the new leash.

Nov 28 2013
knit scarf

How to Knit a Neck Warmer or Scarf for a dog

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knit scarf

I have this extra yarn from the felted envelope I made last year and I just couldn’t decide what to do with it. So, I decided to make a knit scarf for Rusty. Or it can be called and neck warmer or ear warmer, it serves all of those purposes. This is a very wide scarf for a dog because Rusty has a giraffe neck. Adjust the amount of stitches in order to fit your dog. The yarns are Lion Brand Yarn Color Waves #353 Lava and Watercolors #352 Mist Grey.

  1. I used US size 11 needles and cast on 20 stitches.
  2. Knit stitch 15 rows with the first color
  3. Add new color,(LINK), knit 15 rows
  4. Repeat until desired length. I ended up doing it 3 times and then just completing each color. It’s a different look and I wanted it to begin and end with the same yarn.
  5. Bind off.
  6. Then I sewed on 3 buttons because I knew Rusty would try to shake it off. Since I used such large needles there is no need for button holes. They slip through the knitting. The key was finding the right size of buttons.

knit scarfknit scarf

The complete scarf is 28 inches long and 7 inches wide.

 

front knit scarfknit scarf

Nov 27 2013

How to Add New Yarn to a Knitting Project

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It is not difficult to add a new yarn ball to a knitting project.

add new yarn

Finish row, slip needle into first stitch like for a knit stitch.

add new yarn

Take the new yarn and wrap around the needle you want to knit stitch with, leaving enough of a tail to weave in later.

add new yarn

Hold the tail to make sure it doesn’t slip and finish the knit stitch.

add new yarn

Continue to knit stitch using the new color until row is completed.

add new yarn

After row is complete, cut the old color, leaving enough yarn to weave it in.

Weave in all tails and continue to knit with your new color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov 24 2013
rit dye

How to use RIT dye in the Sink

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I have this shirt that I love the way it fits but I managed to get a stain on the sleeve. I have a couple of RIT dye just sitting in a drawer begging to be used. I decided to go with the wine color. It’s a pretty color for a button up shirt. I have to use the sink to dye because my apartment upright machines are plastic and I’m slightly terrified I’d stain them. My stainless steel kitchen sink works out perfectly, it won’t stain and I don’t have to be in the basement of my building.

Things I used:

  • Hair tie – always need to pull your hair back
  • Throw away clothes –  chore clothes, clothes you don’t care if they get stained
  • Towel – again one you don’t care if it gets dyed
  • Gloves
  • RIT dye
  • Clothes to dye
  • Something to stir the dye bath
  • Approximately 1 cup of salt
  • Measuring cup with something to stir that will get dye on it like stainless steel spoon

rit dye

Notes:

  • Wear gloves the entire time! Yes, they’re uncomfortable and probably don’t fit right but it’s better than stained hands.
  • I don’t care what the package says. I always do one packet of dye per article of clothing. I feel it gets the best color that way.
  • Put some music song to get you from getting bored while stirring the dye bath.

Directions:

  1. Put your gloves on and mix 2 cups hot water and one packet of dye.
  2. Put stopper in and fill sink with hot water so there’s enough water for the clothes to freely move around in the sink. Add the 1 cup of salt. I didn’t measure it, I just guessed.
  3. Add the dye to the sink and stir.
  4. Start your microwave or kitchen timer to 30 minutes. I actually did 20 minutes but you’re going to leave the clothe in the dye bath until the desired color is achieved.
  5. Add clothes, make sure it is completely soaked and start stirring. Stir the entire time.rit dye
  6. When time is up, let the water out (yay for gloved hands) of the sink and rinse the clothes. You want to rinse in warm water and gradually going to cold until the bleeding stops.
  7. Wash separately in warm water and dry as usual. Also, rinse and wash separately the towel used to clean up.
  8. Clean the counter and sink with bleach.
  9. Enjoy your newly dyed clothes!

rit dye

 

 

Nov 18 2013
knit headband

Easy Knit Headbands

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knit headbandI’ve seen girls around Boston wearing these fantastic knit headbands instead of stocking caps and decided I needed one too. I got searching online for patterns. I’m not an advanced knitter by any means so I needed a quick easy pattern. I found a great one on the cute blog Crafting College.

 

The first headband I knitted didn’t go exactly as planned. In fact the thing was kind of a hot mess. It was my first time using circular needles and I forgot to combine my first and last stitch to make it one continuous piece! Just plain silly on my part. I was knitting it straight and had to sew it together after it was completed.  I was using a bulky weight yarn, Plymouth Grande Glow Yarn. I was in a hurry and saw 10 on the needles but they were actually US size 15, I bought a set of circular needles awhile ago. Anyways as per instruction I cast on 60 stitches. It ended up being too big, but I’m going to go ahead and say that’s because of a couple of things. 1. I didn’t combine my stitches at the beginning and 2. More importantly, I have at tiny head. So I guess this will probably turn into a Christmas present. Also, because of the bulky yarn I didn’t do step 4 of the instructions, Repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times. This headband was plenty wide.

For this headband, I used US size 15 needles, bulky weight yarn. I cast on 60 stitches. Knit 4 rows, purl 2 rows, knit 3 rows purl 3 rows, and bind off. I didn’t follow the directions so it wasn’t the cute twisty one that she did on her blog but I do like the way it turned out.

knit headband

top view

knit headband

side view, crappy phone quality picture

So I tried again. This time with US size 10 circular needles. I also used Rowan bulky Biggy Print yarn. It only has 33 yards in the ball. If you’re considering using this you’ll need another ball.  I cast on 50 stitches, combined my first and last stitch! I then placed a stitch marker on that stitch so I would know when a row was completed. knit headband

Next, I did what I did for the green one, knit 4 rows, purl 2 rows, knit 3 rows, purl 3 rows and bind off. I did it! I successfully used circular needles for the first time and it had the cute twisty effect that the original one had. I’m thinking about making another one out a lighter weight yarn too, but I wanted a nice warm wool knit headband so I used the bulky yarn I had. I am very pleased with how this turned out and now my ears can be warm without having such bad hat hair this winter!

 

knit headband

side view

knit headband

top view

 

 

 

Nov 13 2013

xStitch Designer, cross stitch iPad App Review

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cross stitch app

xStitch Designer is a cross stitch app for iPad only and costs $1.99.  I love the idea of being able to create patterns sitting in a coffee shop, waiting in the doctor’s office and things like that. I have to say, it is worth the price. I know people have a hard time spending money on apps but I don’t know the last time I’ve spent $2 and have been entertained for more than a minute.

Things I love:

  • 5 brands of thread to choose from! DMC, JP Coats, Sullivan’s, Anchor, Madeira
  • You have options for canvas size, for creating from scratch and for picture conversion
  • You can create patterns from scratch
  • Picture to pattern conversion and you can edit the picture pattern further
  • Right side bar, it’s out-of-the-way and self-explanatory
  • Simple tap the square to add a stitch, can choose between adding the thread color, symbol or both
  • Scissors to remove a stitch instead of an eraser is a cute idea
  • Can save your works in progress
  • Email and share with Facebook or Twitter your patterns
  • Print to AirPrint printer

Things I’m not so in love with:

  • Screen size, zooming in and out distorts the proportions of the pattern and you have to zoom in a lot to make sure you click the correct square
  • No finishing details, backstitch, french knots etc options
  • No letter writing help, it can be done but you have to figure it out on your own
  • No half stitch, quarter stitch, etc options
  • No undo button

Something I noticed when playing around with a picture of a hibiscus flower was that the size of the canvas affects the detail of the pattern which is obvious but also the brand of thread changed the detail of the pattern. Some brands are better for picture conversion apparently.

Overall, I enjoy this app. It’s perfect for creating smaller, simple projects. I think I’m going to use it create some coaster patterns. You can never have too many coasters. It’s great for getting the basic understanding of cross stitch pattern making. xStitch Designer is worth it for those who want to create patterns on their iPad.

 

Nov 8 2013
knit headband

Knit Headband for Running

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knit headband

I wanted to a knit headband I could wear while running in the late fall early spring that would cover my ears. I decided on Lion Brand pattern #60760, which is available for free if you sign up for an account with them. I did not check my gauge in this like it says to do in all capital letters. But it turned out well in the end, it was supposed to be 3.5 inches wide and mine turned out to be 2.5 inches which was perfect because I only wanted my ears covered. I used an acrylic instead of wool because I want to be able to throw it in the wash after each run.

The pattern is super simple, US size 10 needles, cast on 10 stitches and stockinette stitch until desired length, bind off. Sew ends together, weave in tails.

To make the stockinette stitch you knit one row and purl the next, and repeat. I wrote down a K or P after I completed each row to help me keep track.

knit headband

It started to curl around row 20 but that’s ok, it just hugs my ears that way. I whip stitched the ends together with a fingerling weight yarn in a similar color. I did this because I wanted to be able to go over it twice for extra strength but not add a lot of bulk.

knit headband So different colors but I’m going running, I don’t really care that it’s not perfectly blended. But, if I make another one to wear just out and about I’ll be more careful with my yarn choices.

knit headbandNow I can’t use “my ears are cold” as an excuse to not run. I don’t know if I’m happy or sad about that.

Oct 12 2013

Favorite Dog Halloween Costumes 2013

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Didn’t have time to create your pup a costume for Halloween? Or just didn’t want to? No worries.

Here is a list of my favorite dog Halloween costumes for this year.

dog halloween costume

 

 

1. This wooly mammoth costume by Animal Planet (found on Amazon) is beyond words for how cute it is!

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

2. This Yoshi costume from the Etsy shop PlayfulPup is perfect for the dog owner who also loves Mario Brothers!

 

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

 

3. “There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here!” Turn your pup into a super hero with this Underdog costume by Rasta Imposta.

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

4. Turn your pup into a nurse this year to help you feel better after all of the candy you ate. Costume at Posh Puppy Boutique and Amazon.

 

 

halloween dog costume

 

 

 

5. Transform your pup into Waldo’s best friend with this adorable costume by Elope Inc.

 

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

6. Another super hero option, Bat Dog! This great costume by Rubie’s Costume Co. can help your dog fight crime, or just look he’s going to.

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

7. I just love this Snow White costume! A Disney princess is such a good idea!

 

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

8. This cupcake costume found at Target and Amazon is cute enough to eat! Who doesn’t love cupcakes?

 

 

 

dog halloween costume

 

 

9. This cow costume found at Trixie + Peanut  and Amazon is adorable.

 

 

 

halloween dog costume

 

 

10. Last costume on the list is this gorgeous blue butterfly costume from the Etsy Shop Hope’s Bonetique. You and your pet will definitely be the center of attention wherever you go this Halloween.