Handmade Gifting

Merry Christmas all!

A couple of my family members have recently been asking what happened to jenbeeknits, that little blog I said I was going to commit more time to way back in August.  Well, I've got a minor confession - I took a short needlework hiatus throughout October and am guilty as charged for my lack of blogging ever since.

I guess I'm like most people in that if I allow it, my life gets in the way of projects that I commit to with the best of intentions.  This fall I took on a new position within my school district and October became very busy with standardized testing that I was newly responsible for during that month.  Coupled with the online class I started in late September, my hours at the computer were spent on work, work and more work which led me to little personal computer time, and even less knitting!  I will say that in my hiatus, I learned a lot of cool things about educational technology (I know what you're thinking but, I swear, it really was interesting), and I earned some graduate credits to apply toward my re-certification which is up in June.

So, enough of the lame excuses for my absence and on to the hand made goods since I did get a few projects for Christmas and otherwise, done since then.

First up, a neutral baby blanket for the expected arrival of our good friend's new baby.  Back in October and early November when this snuggle blanket was on the needles, they did not yet know the sex of the baby.  I'm happy to report that since then, they have joyfully welcomed a healthy new baby boy!  He is so sweet and I am so happy we got a chance to meet the little one over Christmas.  Congrats again to the new parents - he is perfect!

Personal pattern for basket weave baby blanket.

I took this shot before I had a chance to weave in all of my ends but you get the picture.  Being that it is neutral (and this shot was taken in really bad lighting), you can only slightly see the cream-on-cream letters knit into the top of the blanket.

Although I was neglecting my knitting basket these past few months, I did find a new hobby in Pinterest.  I signed up for my virtual pinboard over the summer but my iPhone app didn't work correctly for a few months.  After an update in mid-November, I was officially hooked and starting thinking of Christmas presents for my nieces.  I was super excited to find the free patterns for the next few items via Pinterest.

My nieces, Bailey and Allysan, sporting their new Slouchy Hats.
Pattern found via Pinterest at Gleeful Things Blog Site.

My niece, Rayne, wearing her new cloche.
Pattern found via Pinterest at Aesthetic Nest.

Both of these hats called for crocheting instead of knitting so I dusted off my crochet hooks and got to work.  Of course just like knitting, crochet patterns with unfamiliar abbreviations can easily lead to mistakes, which in turn, lead to redoing a project - in my case four times over.  You see, the slouchy hats called for the double crochet stitch in the round which was a new one for me.  Issue two was that I made my first of four hats (there are two more than those pictured), while watching the Amazing Race finale.  Afterwards I wondered if some blocking might help my hat which was looking less cool-indy-chick and more Marge Simpson.  Of course I moved on to hat number two thinking with looser stitches the results would be better.  It wasn't until about half way through hat number four that I realized my mistake and feeling foolish for my oversight, promptly ripped out all four hats to start over.  In the end, I'm glad that I figured it out before trying to block the hats because I'm sure the results would have been less than pleasing.

The cloche that I made for our little miss was a learning experience as well.  Even though I didn't have to rip it out, it did have to read and reread the directions for the shell edging and the flower many times over.  Note to self: don't try to read unfamiliar patterns after a long day of work when all you want to do is watch Christmas movies.

Overall, both styles of hats turned out pretty cute and I was pleased with the results.  It was fun to give them as gifts at Christmas, too!  If you haven't tried to gift something handmade, I would suggest it for next year.  Now is the perfect time to pick up a new craft and master it by next December.

One last update, my husband's socks are back in progress.  With all of my knitting neglect, the socks were put on hold as well.  The only thing making this better was the 40 degree temps we have been having these last few months.  After all, who needs wool socks in this weather?!  I am newly committed though and I worked on them during our trip north this weekend.  I am  hoping to get them off the needles in the next week or so since I am on Christmas vacation until next Tuesday.  Now that it has been snowing all day, he might actually need them for shoveling this winter!

I hope that your Christmas was filled with the love of family, and that your new year brings lots of joyful blessings.

Take care,
Jennie

Tales of an ADD Knitter.

Hello again.  Happy almost (S)October!  Hopefully you are enjoying the change of seasons and are staying warm wherever you are.  Around here this last day of September is definitely feeling November like with temps in the low 40s, light rain and strong winds.  Just the kind of night that is perfect for staying in and vegging out with some On Demand selections and my knitting.

Yesterday in true ADD knitter fashion I started a new pair of socks for my husband before finishing the pair for me.  I caught the bug a few weeks ago and started on my original pair of Log Cabin Socks.  Last time I was just getting ready to turn the heel on my first sock.  The next day as I went back to four double points, my sock looked like this:

And a little later my snoozy cat looked like this:

Today I am left with this:

One nearly finished sock.  A few days ago I got the sock this far but haven't taken the time to graft together the toes.  Finishing the sock with the Kitchner Stitch isn't actually hard to do once you get the hang of it, I just haven't taken the time to pull out my darning needle because with my knitting ADD, I know that I won't be making another sock for me until I get at least one of Derek's socks off the needles.  I am thinking this will be a short project for tonight while I catch up with my favorite show, Parenthood.

Speaking of the new pair, check 'em out in all of their plush sock yarn beauty:

Derek actually picked out this yarn which we thought was all one shade in the yarn shop.  As soon as we stepped outside into the sun, the army green and purply-blue color variation was evident.  As I started the sock, up close the variegation began to look like striping.

Now that I've got the hang of sock knitting, I am hoping to finish my second sock and both socks for Derek in the month of October.  Maybe the 'one for you, one for me' method will keep my interest and I will finish all four in a timely manner.

This is the first item, or in this case, set of items, I have knit for my husband so I'm interested to hear what he thinks.  Based on my one almost complete sock, I'm thinking that the sock yarn label is right and Derek will be liking his new pair.

P.S. One more update.  My latest school picture came back yesterday and I am much happier with this years version as opposed to last.  No more 2009-2010 ID badge for me! :)

Challenge accepted.

So I put it out there two weeks ago with my library book preview.  I challenged myself publicly to start a pair of socks before my books were due.  Well two weeks later, I'm happy to say - I accepted that challenge and will need to renew my library book!

Starting from the cuffs.
Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays By Melanie Falick

As can be seen, socks require a special knitting style using five or six double pointed needles, commonly referred to in patterns as dpns.  Using dpns can be very intimidating at first but like all projects, if you read the pattern one stitch at a time it will seem less daunting.

As a knitter, I like to try new techniques with each project.  It makes the project a lot more fun along the way and the finished project so much more satisfying knowing that not only have I made something new, I learned something new.

Sock on dpns, top view.

Double points make it possible to create tubular knits by dividing the stitches over four or five needles.  An extra needle free of stitches is used to knit the stitches from one double point to the free needle, releasing the next double point to be used as the free needle, and so on and so forth.

Sock on dpns, side view.

Rory getting in on the dpn fun.

For this project, I have been using six different dpns because the pattern is written to include cables.  Although many people use actual cable needles to create the twists and turns seen here, I feel like they are a waste of money.  A cable needle is essentially a double pointed needle with a small indent that holds stitches to the front or back of the work so that cables can be created.  Being an impatient knitter, I realized early on that the double points I already owned would suffice and that I didn't need to make a trip to the store just to buy the recommended cable needle.

You'll see for this project I have used a different color dpn as my cable needle (it's the gold one sticking up).  This is important because the "cable" needle, which is a size 4, is a different size then the needles I am making my socks on, in this case, size 5.  By having a color variation I am sure not to use it as my free needle as I work around the sock, thus all of my stitches turn out to be of equal size.

Another view.

One caution - on a small knit like socks, using six needles at the same time on only a small amount of stitches can be difficult but again, by taking it one stitch at a time, you will end up with something beautiful.

After some feverish knitting yesterday I am back to just two needles and ready to take on the next challenge - turning the heel on my first sock.  Wish me luck!

In remembrance.

Ten years after the fall of the World Trade Center in New York City, our world has changed dramatically. On this day of rememberance, I know that the lessons on humanity and the importance of life are not lost. Today I am grateful for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me, such as the true love of family.

Just over a decade ago I had returned to Michigan from a summer spent in New York City. In May and June of 2001 the streets I roamed were filled with life and a sense of confidence. I carried this confidence back to college that fall, believing that everything was right with the world and it was mine to conquer. After all, at just eighteen I had lived by myself in the biggest city in the country, where I didn't know a single person, and had returned unscathed. As I stood in horror in front of the Today show watching the second plane hit the south tower, I felt this false confidence began to crack.

I think we all questioned what was important in those early days of September 2001. I realized that it wasn't so important that I had conquered the big city, but that I had made it home to hug my parents again. I also realized that the lessons that I had learned in American History were just the foundation of a story still unfolding, and that our generation would be writing it's latest chapter.

Today as we take a minute to reflect on the lives lost and the lessons learned, I think that the country has a new sense of hope.  It can be seen in the faces of the children of 9/11 who are growing and doing great things despite their unimaginable loss.  The memorial ceremony at Ground Zero for the families this morning was moving beyond words.

In the last ten years the country has moved forward and evolved like only America does.  In the land of the free and the home of the brave, we remember the fallen and we honor those in service for our many freedoms.  May God continue to bless America, this land that I love.

A trip to the library.

The Public Library is one of my favorite haunts.  Every time I have moved to a new town one of the top things on my list is to get a library card and check out the local collections.  There is just something about that hushed silence and feeling of being surrounded by a million different deep thoughts that puts my mind at ease.

As a kid I used to ride my bike the mile and a half across town to the public library in the summer to check out picture books, only to wobble home with the few I could manage rested on my handlebars or under one arm.  As I got older I found that the library was a great place to use the Internet before my parents caved and got a dial-up connection.  In more recent years I have discovered that the library and it's many resources are a knitting girl's best friend.  In fact, when I decided to learn to knit, I checked out a book from the local library and then sat - for hours - trying to get my hands, the needles and the yarn to look the way the pencil drawings did.

With entire sections dedicated to knitting and other crafts, I have spent many more hours sitting on a library stool in the middle of the aisle looking for my latest inspiration. Yesterday was one of those days.  Check out my loot:

I love that I can peruse a knitting book at Barns & Noble for patterns I like and then hit up my local library to check out the same knitting book for many weeks at a time.  Even if my branch doesn't have the book I am looking for, someone in the network of libraries across the region usually does and the turn around time for requesting the items I want is just a few days.

On this trip I was looking for hat patterns, and wow, did I ever find hat patterns!

From Left: Last Minute Knitted Gifts By Joelle Hoverson;
Right: Hats Gloves Scarves By Louisa Harding

It seems that everyone who has ever published a knitting book has included a pattern for a knitted hat so I was in luck!  This morning I started on this rolled brim hat that I plan to embellish with some crocheted flowers.

With the creation of Ravelry, it has become much easier to collate the many thousands of knitting patterns out there in a user-friendly format with lots of bells and whistles for members to get lost in one click at a time.  Like most knitters, I like this site and check it out frequently but I still love the feel of a book with a pattern written out across the pages over a PDF file I can download to my computer.

One book that I continue to check out time and again is Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss.  This was the original book that I learned to knit from 4 years ago.  If you look closely above, you'll see I picked it up yesterday too.  With straightforward patterns and explanations of the most common techniques it is a great reference for the both the beginner and the more advanced knitter.  Here is a photo of the very first thing I made, the Garter Stitch Scarf from this book, which I gifted to my niece and godchild, Anna:

From Baby Knits for Beginners By Debbie Bliss

Finally, one of my favorite reasons for checking out knitting books from the library is the low commitment.  If you find you want to try something new, you can check out a book with the instructions instead of investing $20-$30 into a book with the one pattern that you may or may not ever complete.  Since there is never really a high demand, you can keep renewing until your project is complete or turn it in after two weeks and move on.  Next on my list of things to try is socks and I think one of my new library books has just the pattern I've been looking for:

From Handknit Holidays By Melanie Falick

So I'm on the clock, I've got just under two weeks to make a decision and commit to getting some cozy new socks on the needles, or, return the book and leave socks for another day.

Best wishes for a safe and happy Labor Day to you and yours.

xo,

Jen

If I had a million dollars...

Lake Huron Shoreline, Caseville, MI

A few weekends ago my husband and I went to nearby Lake Huron to meet up with some dear friends who were in the area on vacation.  While we walked the beach we came across this beautiful script in the sand.  With only footprints left behind it was as if the quote had been written there just for us to discover.  Ever since that day I keep finding myself humming the old Barenaked Ladies song, you know the one, where he's going to buy the fancy ketchup and an ottoman with his cool million?

This song is so foolish but terribly catchy.  When the Rock Spectacle album came out I went with some friends to see the Barenaked Ladies perform on New Years Eve at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  That night I sang my heart out in the cheap seats, celebrating the start of 1999 with some of my best high school friends.  I felt like a million bucks.

There have been many more times throughout the last twelve and a half years where I have felt like a million dollars - walking across the stage to shake hands and receive my diplomas, my wedding day, the phone call offering my first "real" job.  Each time I felt that nervous heart pounding kind of excitement that only comes with the big things, the real stuff of life.

Although my checkbook may never reflect these million dollar moments in time, I also don't think that any amount of money can buy true happiness.  Happiness depends upon ourselves.  It's the small quiet moments in each day along with the big exciting moments throughout our lives that make up the mural of our time here.  Being able to realize this for myself has put things into a new perspective for me as I try to take time to consciously enjoy the life I lead.  Like the song says, "if I had a million dollars, I'd be rich".  But, I'm pretty sure I already am.

xo,
Jennie

P.S. Less philosophy, more knitting soon... I promise.

Happy New (School) Year

"It scares me to think that one day I'm not going to be in school anymore." - Natalie Portman


With the start of school just days (ack!) away, I have been trying to enjoy every last morning I can sleep in, each sunny afternoon I can spend reading outside and those 10:00 o'clock TV shows that I can never seem to stay awake for for the better part of the year.  I know it is just a matter of time before I am fully back into the swing of things and the lazy days of summer will be a distant memory.  But what a summer it has been; certainly one of the best yet!

Through most of June I was in lay-off status from my job and there was a possibility that I would not be starting this school year in a school.  A scary thought for me since I have been in school in some capacity every fall since 1985.  Between my own PreK-12 years, undergrad, post-grad, graduate school, substitute teaching and now full time school counseling, school and the school year has been a major foundation of my life.  Every year around September, as the leaves change color and I once again start school, I find myself making resolutions and reflecting on my life in preparation for the new year.  It's as if the calendar runs from September - August instead of January - December.

This year as I head back to school in a new position, I am truly thankful for the opportunity to return, as this was not always a given.  I am hopeful that I can inspire my students as so often they inspire me with their youthful outlook on life.  I am grateful for the many abilities that God has so graciously bestowed upon me and I am excited to see what is in store for me over the next year.  Although I will miss my co-workers and high school students in my old building, I am ready for my new adventure with middle schoolers.

I hope as the weather turns colder and you or your family members start the new school year, you too can take a minute to reflect on the year that has past, and the year to come as instruction ends in the classroom, but our education continues for a lifetime.

Fingers crossed for a decent school picture this year.  :)

xo,
Jennie

Word Art anyone?

Hey there, happy Tuesday.  I have been feeling pretty crafty these last few days due in part to a blog posting I read over on Centsational Girl last week.  Although I had heard of both Picnik and Picasa before (thanks to my niece Ciara, who seems to be a pro at editing photos), I had never tried to do anything more with my photos than edit them with my built in iMac software.  So yesterday I figured out how to make a new header for the blog and today after four hours of Picniking and one trip to Walmart, I think I'm officially hooked!

Secondly, I am happy to say that for the first time in what seems like forever, something has come off my needles. Knitting is definitely not a typical a summer hobby, and for me that time gets replaced by reading in the sun.  It just gets too hot to have something wool draped over you for long periods of time.  But as my title states, I do still try to always get in a little time to knit each day.

This shawl is my latest finished project.  Perfect for chilly Michigan mornings (who am I kidding, afternoons and evenings, too), from fall to spring.  It came together in just five days since I am in official relaxation mode and devoting all of my free time to things I want to do leading up to the start of school.

Boneyard Shawl in purple tweed.

Although I made this as a way to use up some of my yarn stash, it was also a way to practice a new technique in anticipation of making this shawl, which is a version of the one Kate Middleton wore last spring to the grocery store.  Before I spent the cash on expensive yarn for this beauty I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was doing.  Luckily when I stopped by the yarn shop in Milford last weekend they had a Kate shawl knit up already so I got to try one on before starting my own.  I liked LOVED it and am very excited for this to be my new fall project!

I must admit, figuring out this blog stuff has also got me pretty excited.  What about you?  Anything new you've been wanting to try lately?  Carpe Diem, there is no time like the present!

Jennie

I'm back... I think.

After starting this blog about 6 months ago, I fell off the wagon and reverted to living in the blogosphere vicariously through all of my favorite bloggers instead of actually posting anything myself.  Recently though, I have been really contemplating a shift back to the blog world for my social networking instead of my old standby, Facebook.  Let's face it, as great as it is to catch up with my family near and far, and my friends from high school and college, Facebook is a major black hole for my free time.

Therefore, I am really hoping to visit this blog a lot more in the future.   I am still learning the proper ways to go about decoding html and template design but I am feeling empowered and I'm pretty sure that if all of those bloggers that I admire so much can make it work, so can I!

So cheers to being back in the blogosphere!  For the two people who are currently following - thanks for sticking it out.  For everyone else - welcome aboard, your just in time for what I hope will be my fantastic return to the world of blogging.

Jennie

Here goes nothing!

So I have been talking about doing this blog thing for awhile now, actually for quite a long while, and even though I signed up on Blogger in January 2008 I haven't yet had the courage to start a blog of my own. In fact, I'm still not sure exactly what I am doing but I figure I'll throw caution to the wind, get over my fears and take the first step into the blogosphere.

For those of you brave souls with years of fun, informative, cheeky blog posts behind you, I say congratulations, hurray, mazel tov! I too, hope to one day be an old pro with an online diary/yearbook of my life that I can share with my future kids and proudly say "See? I was cool and tech savvy back in the day!" For now though, it is on to figuring the rest of this blog business out. Wish me luck!

Oh and as for the photo, I can officially say I figured one thing out! Now if I can only determine how to move it down to the bottom or middle of the post... Meanwhile, enjoy a shot of the palm trees on Cocoa Cay, the private island of Royal Caribbean, taken last summer on our vacation!

Jennie