Artisan Handbags and More

I'm selling on Etsy too.

2011-10-19T11:27:00.000-04:00

I have an app. Check it out.

Some Updates

2011-07-06T10:41:00.000-04:00

I've Been Featured on Our Milk Money Blog! Our Milk Money is a national search directory that lists ONLY self-employed parents. We are also a community resource dedicated to helping parents who want to stay at home find financial opportunities and support.
Many thanks to the folks at Our Milk Money! You've made my day!

I've been busy working on an Autism Handbag. The handbag will be covered with knitted brightly colored puzzle pieces. So stay tuned for updates!

Knitting in the Summer Time

2011-06-27T11:35:00.002-04:00

Yes, you can knit in the summer time. Most people think knitting is just for the fall or winter seasons using heavy yarn, or wool. Not so! You can knit with cotton yarn, silk, rayon, and linen are some good choices. These yarns come in a variety of yarn weights and a price ranges.

Cotton makes a good choice for summer wear. It is light and absorbs moisture. So if you are out in the hot weather it will help to keep you cool by wisking away moisture.So try knitting a tank top or skirt. Here are a couple of great free patterns I found.

Arabesque Top

Laurelhurst Shell

Tina's Skirt

Lizzy

The King of natural fibers is Silk. Silk is a natural protein fiber.The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm. Silk's absorbency makes it comfortable to wear in warm weather and while active. Silk yarn is expensive. Here are some yarns that are either silk or have silk with another fiber.

Artyarns Beaded Pearl & Sequins

Silk Garden by Noro

"Recycled Silk" Yarn

Linen made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather.

Linen was sometimes used as currency in ancient Egypt. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen because it was seen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Some of these fabrics, woven from hand spun yarns, were very fine for their day, but are coarse compared to modern linen. Here are some linen yarn sources.

Euroflax - Louet North America

Punta Del Este Yarns: Montoya Beach Yarn

CotLin DK Yarn

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber (comes from plants). Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry. It is considered a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Some major rayon fiber uses include apparel. Rayon is a very versatile fiber and has the same comfort properties as natural fibers. It can imitate the feel and texture of silk, wool, cotton and linen. The fibers are easily dyed in a wide range of colors. Rayon fabrics are soft, smooth, cool, comfortable, and highly absorbent, but they do not insulate body heat, making them ideal for use in hot and humid climates. Here are some rayon yarns.

Berroco Seduce Colors

Dune Yarn by Trendsetter

"Rain" Yarn

So now you have some yarns to choose from. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Knitting!

I was featured on the Ahauldri Show!

2011-06-23T08:58:00.001-04:00

My first debut! Gosh I was so nervous! Thanks again to "Ace"!

How I got on Ace's Show. I met Anastacia “Ace” Hauldridge on Facebook and she had been following me for some time. She became interested in my work and one day she asked me to appear on her show. I was really honored to be on her show. Many thanks to Ace and her hard work and tireless promotion of business owners.
Her website is You can check out her other videos and her services that she provides.
Her Facebook page
Her Twitter page

Why make a pattern swatch?

2011-06-10T10:22:00.000-04:00

For every knitting project you ever make, you need to do this critical step. Exact gauge is essential for proper size or fit. Before beginning your project, make the sample swatch given in the individual gauge instructions in the yarn, needle, and stitch pattern specified. Never over look this step it's the difference between a masterpiece and a disaster. Those important words follow after the needle size, or the size needed to achieve gauge.

What is a gauge swatch? A gauge swatch is when you take the yarn and needles mentioned in your knitting pattern and make a swatch of the stitches used in the pattern. For example the pattern says:
Gauge 9 stitches = 4 in. (10 cm) in Garter stitch (knit all stitches in every row). Cast on a bunch of stitches. Then knit the garter stitch swatch and bind off your stitches and lay the swatch on a flat surface or fit the swatch is curling or not laying flat you may have to block it.. Then lay a ruler down and count your stitches within 4 inches. What I do is take my stitch count from different places in the swatch. You may notice that your gauge changes slightly if you measure near the cast on and bind off stitches, this can change especially if you're knitting your stitches too tight or too loose. But don't worry you are just concerned with the stitches in the middle of your swatch.

Well I have a little trick you can use to find out how many stitches per 1 inch. Who can keep track of all those stitches for 4 inches? Here's the formula. Yes a little math is involved. Take your pattern gauge which is 9 stitches divide it by 4 inches your answer is 2. 25 stitches per 1 inch. Yes sometimes you get a weird number. In this case we have 2 and 1/4 stitches. Sometimes you measure your swatch and not get a whole stitch but part of one. You cannot knit a partial stitch. Sometimes designers will round up or down the number of stitches. But for beginners just stick to measuring with your ruler and keep trying until you get the gauge.

Things that can effect your gauge. The gauge of a knitted fabric depends on the pattern of stitches in the fabric, the kind of yarn used, the size of knitting needles, and your knitting tension..Certain knitting patterns affect gauge also. Ribbing and cable patterns tend to "pull in". Even the same stitch produced in two different ways may produce a different gauge; for example, a swatch of stockinette stitch may not have the same gauge as one knit in reverse stockinette stitch.

So now you have a little insight into the mystery of the gauge swatch. I hope this post has given you some helpful information. So if you get the right gauge before you start you'll be a lot happier!

Hate to purl? Try knitting backwards!

2011-06-06T11:38:00.000-04:00

When I teach someone to knit they find the purl stitch difficult then they start to hate it. If you really think about it a purl stitch is just a knit stitch but backwards. The knit and purl stitches are the foundation of knitting. Every pattern is either straight knitting, knit and purl stitches, or any combination of the two.

I knit with either hand. I primarily knit with my right hand, that is I 'throw' or loop the yarn around the needle to make the stitch with my right hand. With my left hand I use the 'knit continental' style of knitting, all that means is holding the yarn in your left hand while knitting the stitches from the left needle onto the right needle. Some how that seems more natural to me. Go figure!

If you hate to purl, have you ever tried knitting backwards? Yes, I said backwards! Never to turn your work around to the back again. This is particularly useful when doing Entrelac knitting.

Here's how:

Cast on some stitches and knit the 1st row. As you normally do.
Do not switch hands, like you normally would. You should have 1 row of knit stitches on your right needle in your right hand. The left needle is empty. Now this is where the fun part comes in.

1. Keep the yarn in the back of the work. With the left needle in the left hand put the needle through the back of the first stitch on the right hand needle.

2. With the left hand, loop the yarn up over the needle. You are bring the yarn toward yourself and over the needle.

3. Pull the yarn through the stitch with the left needle and slide the stitch off the right needle. Now you should have one stitch on your left hand needle.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 until all your stitches are on the left needle now.

**Don't switch hands now knit with your right needle as you usually would, for the knit stitch, until all the stitches on the right needle.

Your gauge may change so if you are working check your gauge and see if it changes. I find with this technique my knit stitch is tight and my backwards knit stitch is loose.