Silver Fox Sox

These Lacy Cable Socks by Veronik Avery are from the book Knitting 24/7. They are knitted from Madeline Tosh sock color Silver fox.

These socks are a good fit. They aren't terribly snug up top, but due to the structure the stitch provides they don't slouch too much. I wear a 6.5-7 shoe, and I knitted the pattern as written. I've machine washed these guys a few times now, and they are holding up. While I love they way these came out. This wasn't a project I could knit while doing something else, and I had to keep the pattern with me through both socks. I will probably go with something more mindless next time.

Cousin Kai's Kanoko Pants

Kanoko Pants by Yumiko Sakura & Cute Noggin Baby Hat by Heather Anderson both are knit with Lion's Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe. I really like this fiber for baby's Machine wash and dryable, and not too heavy.

Such a cutie! These pants are my first attempt at baby clothes. I really had no frame of reference for fit. I was a little worried b/c they looked super small as I was knitting them, but apparently children start out very small ;) This was a pretty quick project, and was perfect for a project size between blanket and just a hat. I went ahead and knitted the 9-18 mos thinking if he were small he would grow into them, and if he were big they would fit early. He's about 3 mos in this picture and they are just a little big. perfect!

My hands smell like bacon

Why? Because I just finished my first batch of bacon infused vodka!!

I got this idea from a tasty Bloody Mary I had while in Austin for the SXSW Interactive Conference. The process is relatively simple and after some research and my husband's insistence it would not make me ill, I decided to try it.

I followed instructions on Instructables.com, and used Titos Vodka. I started with a half pound of peppered bacon and a half of a bottle of vodka, and let the bacon steep in the vodka for 2-3 hours before putting it in the freezer.

I plan to use it for Bloddy Marys mainly, but found this company that actually sells bacon infused vodka, and they have what look like some very tasty recipes for bacon vodka. My favorite is called the Elvis Presley...

Leisl

PHOTOS BY KATIE WAMSLEY

This Leisl, by Ysolda Teague, is knit with Manos Wool Classica. The pattern is written so the knitter can achieve different effects and variations depending on the yarn and options she chooses. My gauge is 4.5 sts/in. I followed the green sample in the pattern, 3/4" sleeves and boat neck.

Project notes:

I knitted the 34” so I’d have some ease. Though I got gauge, or so I thought, it ended up being a 32”. I chose the boat neck option of this pattern, but I don't really consider this a 'boat neck' it’s about an inch lager around than my crew neck t-shirts. Despite these things I still love it. The pattern is easy to follow, It was a quick knit for a cardigan, it fits well, and I've already gotten some good use out of it.

I ended up knitting the button holes, but I think it looks better with my buttons if I button into the lace on the other side of the button band.

Manos holds up surprisingly well for a single-ply yarn. I've always admired it in the store, and I enjoyed working with it.

These slippers are made for walkin'

PHOTOS BY KATIE WAMSLEY

Growing up my father was always concerned about whether we needed socks on our feet. It wasn't until I moved to San Francisco that I began to appreciate the need for efficient foot coverage, and my fathers wise concerns. This Christmas I decided to return the favor.

Enter Lorna Miser, of Lorna's Laces. The Suede bottoms can be purchased with the pattern for 'Suede Soled Slippers', from Somerset Designs, and are lined with a synthetic wool.

I used 3 skeins of Twice Tweed from Elsebeth Lavold, a recycled blend of wool, cotton and polyamide. The yarn isn't particularly soft to work with, but I wanted something that might have some structure, and wouldn't be too warm for Texas.

The only adjustment I made was to continue the rib pattern down the heel. To attach the upper to the suede piece I used a whip stitch and strands of my Twice Tweed split in half.

My Teacher!

Debbie Stoller visited ImagiKnit in San Francisco. She gave a class on the basics of lace knitting then signed some books. In the bottom picture she is demonstrating a decrease using 3 students.

This is the woman who taught me to knit… well, her book did. 5 years ago I was given the book Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stoller as a Christmas gift from a friend. I picked up some cheap yarn and a set of needles, and proceeded to work my way through the book. I still reference the book from time to time today. It's easy to understand, has great illustrations, and points out little tips and tricks for the beginner not typically found in a lot of how-to knitting literature.

I used the big bad baby blanket to get over a boyfriend. The blanket was for a cousin, and the largest project I had knitted at that point. I thought by the time I finish this blanket I will be over the boy. The experiment didn't quite go that smoothly, but I came away from it with a new hobby.

Today I knit everywhere I go, and knit all sorts of projects. Knitting both drives me to the brink of sanity and helps to keep me sane. I see no end in sight. Thank you Debbie Stoller!

1965

I love these arm warmers. They're just a little bit fancy. These are a pattern by Veronik Avery from Knitting 24/7. The combination of stitch patterns is based on a wedding dress designed in 1965 by Yves Saint Laurent. The dress combined super bulky wool trimmed with silk and satin ribbon. The yarn is Louet Gems color cream which is apparently a base yarn for a lot of dyers.

These were a pretty quick knit despite being on size 1 needles (the size I needed to get gauge), and because the stitch pattern is easy enough to memorize this is a very transportable project. The fit came out a little snug for me. Perhaps I should have stuck with the twos...

How to stay warm in San Fran

Lacy Chunky Throw by Wenlan Chia

Final size 40” x 60”. 5 skeins of Lion Brand

This project was started last year. When I picked it back up recently, I saw all of the mistakes I’d made, frogged it, restarted and finished over the weekend.

This project is an easy one. If you’re not able to tell which side you’re on by looking at put a marker on the right side. I wish I’d done that the first time around.

The bottom right is a picture of Mazze. She likes to sleep under blankets. I had gotten up to do something and when I came back I found her 'hiding' under my project.

One large craft project

What a fabulous time! I could not have asked for a better day, and event, and I could not have pulled it off without loads of help from very talented and willing friends and family. I am one lucky lady. Below are some of the crafty projects I concocted while planning the wedding. Special thank you to our friend and photographer YiMay Yang who is too good at what she does, and everyone else there with a camera who helped us capture the event. For more photos visit my Flickr site.

Road signs. Made by Katie and Whitney (my brilliant and talented sisters)

Brides side & Grooms side buttons. Buttonpixie

Flowers. Natalie Galasso Designs

Hairpiece.

Donut stand. The Mad Batters

Cake Toppers. Sarah Giannobile. The dog on top is our dog Mazze and was a surprise from Sarah.

Photobooth.

Renegades

Another year another successful Renegade Craft Fair. Lot's of good stuff this year. I made more purchases than usual, but told myself I would take my lunch to work for a while as a budget trade. The Alligator Factory and KM Knits actually showed under Yarnivores. Scout Books is a cute idea, and I've seen them around. I can't wait until they make a 33 Cheeses book. ;) .

*Insert big girly scream here*

I recently got engaged to a very awesome man. I'm so lucky, and very excited! To make for an interesting story to tell people a postal worker stole my engagement rings out of the mail. I decided to use the incident as an excuse to knit (because I really need a reason...). Until the new rings arrive (sometime in October hopefully), I knitted myself a placeholder. I used Habu textiles %100 Ramie, and 0000 needles.

Above are the rings we're waiting on. The Garnet is my engagement ring and the Onyx one is for funsies. We ordered the ring in the inset image later to stack next to the garnet, to make it asymmetrical. They were designed by Blanca Monrós Gómez, a designer I've admired from a far for a while. She has been really great through the whole ordeal. She FedExed James the wax molds and sent an image of the rings she had taken prior to shipping, for him to have something to propose with.

Berry Hats

This pattern is a mash up of Michele Sabatier's Berry Baby Hat and the Greenleaf Baby Hat, by Evelyn Uyemura. The purple one is toddler size and the pink one is for a newborn.

To combine the patterns I used the instructions for the Berry Baby Hat up to the last 4 stitches. Before I started the icord, I K2tog one more time to end with 3 stitches on the needle. Then I proceeded with the 1/2 inch icord and the greenleaf pattern to finish. Voila!

Exposing my yarn in public

From waiting in line at the DMV to Stern Grove concert series, San Francisco provides many opportunities for knitting on the go.

The picture on the left was taken in Sonoma. Our friend Robin, she's a crocheter, visited and requested a trip to wine country. Beautiful scenery, great weather, good company and tasty wine plus knitting?!? I could have stayed all day.

The picture on the right is from our favorite seasonal concert series in the city, Stern Grove. Robin was gracious enough to teach me some of her crochet skills while we baked in the sun waiting for the show. That piece ended up being a little basket. I want to create more out of some different materials. The one above was from some remnant linen I had lying around. I'll post them eventually.

Off to school

A friend of mine is headed off to grad school next week. So, I'm sending her off with this pencil bag to remember me by. Even though she's only going to school down the road, I have a feeling we will see a little less of her for the next 2 years. Good luck Jillian!!

I used a tutorial, by Anna at twelve22, to make my bag. I sketched the pencil on the bag using a fabric marker before embroidering it. I cut the fabric before embroidered the pencil, and though it worked this time I will probably embroider then cut next time.

For the new Veselka

Finally, something knitted on my knitting blog... This is a blanket for my cousin's new baby. I found the pattern, by Genia Panck, on Ravelry. The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton-Ease which is a poly-cotton blend that is machine washable and dryable. The final measurement is about 36" in diameter. This project would be great for a newbie knitter if they could get a little help with the first few rows. The blanket is a cinch to knit from there.

The border is 2 rows of seed stitch then a row of YO, k2tog. Then 2 more rows of seed stitch and binding off in pattern.

Renegade Craft Fair: San Francisco

I attended the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco for the second year in a row this past weekend, and saw lots of new stuff and talent as well as some favorites from last year. I purchased more this year than last as well...

Above are some of the standouts, and are things I would have liked to purchase or did. Regardless I will definitely be keeping my eye on them for new stuff.

Baby showers

Above is a baby shower invitation. The event is going to be held at the Chocolate bar in Houston, Texas. Yum! The babies room is going to be safari themed. Congratulations Kay!

Albright/Wamsley Wedding

Below are the invitations and various collateral pieces I designed for the Albright/Wamsley wedding. Not only were the bride and groom awesome clients, the bride is also my sister.  They wanted "rustic elegance with a laid back feel", and they achieved it beautifully. My part in the wedding, as well as from Maid of Honor, was designing anything that needed to be printed. Aside from illustrating the birds which remind me of my sister, my favorite part of the project were the place cards which doubled as wedding gifts. 

All of the pictures below were taken by the very talented wedding photographer Laura Burlton. Check out her stuff!

Save the Date (magnet)

The photo for these save the dates was taken by the grooms mother, Nancy Wamsley, who is also an artist. I created the artwork.

Invitation 

RSVP 

Rehearsal Dinner Invitation

The rehearsal dinner was at the grooms parent's house. BBQ was the main course. 

Programs

The programs were printed, cut and drilled by Copy Dot Com, then hand assembled. Copy Dot Com did a great job and were really easy to work with. 

Place Cards

The leaves for these were cut from a template I designed. The names and numbers were hand written, then assembled.

Cake Art

Bessie's Bakery used some of the artwork from the invitations on the cake. The cake was carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and it was DELICIOUS.

Hey there cupcake!

Making this card was a lot of fun, and creating it reminded me of a fuzzy memory from my childhood of cards that had images on them and pre-punched holes that we could "sew". 

Project notes: When I make cards like this in the future, I will construct them a little differently the inside paper was too thin to glue of the back of an embroidery piece. 

Apron Daze

I have been working on this project for a while now. I worked with Cayson Designs to first, create the print for the aprons, then to design the promotional postcard. It's been a shift from my usual work and I love it.