Oh Fall . . . It's a Different Story Here

Hello again to all!

Fall has arrived here in New Mexico.  Well, it has actually been here for a couple of weeks.  But the trees are in the middle of changing.  It's nice to see fall here verses Texas.  It is cooler and will continue to get cooler (like tomorrow, super cold).  But in any case it's nice to be enjoying this weather.  My favorite part of fall is the red leaves.  Which I somehow I've always missed in Texas but I haven't missed it here.

See I told ya!  :)

But anyways, on the knitting front this past weekend I became an extremely busy knitter.  I have been, wait for it, designing (Gasp!) purses and headbands.  It all started on a walk.  I went walking with a hat that I had made recently and found my head to be hot but when I took my hat off my ears were cold.  So this first design was made.

A very large headband.  The pattern I used from my pink hat that I made earlier called Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson.  I am kind of in love with this pattern.  Really kind of in love.  :)

After I made that I thought, you know it would be fun to make stuff and then sell it right?  Especially these easy to finish in a day patterns.  I have tried to start many different kinds of patterns that I have found on Ravelry but have gotten extremely frustrated with the project and gave up (I think I just like instant gratification but who doesn't?)  So I pulled out my new stitch book, Super Stitches Knitting by Karen Hemingway ( I am also in love with this book!) and came up with this smaller headband.

The stitch that I used is called asymmetric cable.  I really enjoy this cable cause it's not normal, it's a little off but pretty in it's offness.  :)  This headband ended up coming out a little too thick and too loose.  I am thinking about adding some elastic to the inside so it will fit better but I think I will wait.  I was about to make another headband when I thought well what about a purse.  

Now, a side story.  I am not a purse person.  When we moved I packed up my purses and well about 6 months later.  They are still in the box and I think they will stay there.  Why you ask?  Well since college I haven't carried a purse out of simplicity.  I didn't want to carry around a purse and a bag of school stuff in the inevitable event that I would forget my purse and freak out.  So I found ways of keeping my keys and wallet attached.  I have now graduated to a very small 'clutch' that even holds my phone.  It's like ten times easier to keep up with everything when it's all together.  But on occasion a purse is needed.  Especially when you go out on a grown up date, which I now occasionally go on.  So my first version of a purse ended up like this.

Very cute right?  

Again I used the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern and am really pleased with the knitting end result.  So right after I casted off I casted on another purse.  Now this purse has it's definite problems.  

It is a pretty wide purse and since it is knitted it's pretty flimsy.  I have conversed with my engineering husband about options to make it not so flimsy but I'm kind of stuck right now.  I think I might just put this one to the side and think about it later.  I do love this idea and the pattern in the middle is called Twin Leaf Pattern from my fav book super stitches knitting. 

I have started on another purse that is bigger than the first but smaller than the second and has the asymmetric cable involved.  I have only made like three rows so no pic for you!

This morning I made a trip to Hobby Lobby and bought some fabric to line the purses that I have made and purses that are yet to be made.  

Since the purses I have been making are all black and made out of one of my favorite yarns Caron Simply Soft.  I wanted to add a little pop to the inside.  These choice were kind of held back.  I love, love, love color and wanted to add an awesome print on the inside but most of the fabric that I saw needed brown or I thought maybe someone else wouldn't want to buy.  

So a busy weekend and week behind and ahead.  I am really excited about being in the experimental phase right now.  I have not sold anything yet and I still have lots of things to try and also research.

Research?  why research?  Well the star crossed pattern's designer has asked that if we use the pattern for profit to buy the rights to the pattern.  I haven't done it yet since I am still in the experimental stages of this project but that pattern would be easy to sell without the worry of being sued if I bought the rights from her.  But some of my purses are based off of patterns that I have found in a book.  So the question looms, do I have the right to sell a product with another person's pattern in it?  Because I bought the book did I buy the rights to the pattern?  I want this to be an enjoyable experiment and possible journey for me and getting sued well would not be enjoyable for anyone.  I searched some on Ravelry but I didn't quite get the answer I wanted.  So I will do some more research and see if I feel comfortable putting a product out on the internet for the world to find (Scary!).

Basically, a very large Pandora box has been opened on this quest for an activity to do.  As an artist, I completely understand a person's need and want to reap the benefits of their creativity.  I would want the same.  But in this day and age, it's easier to get ahold of patterns from people that you may never really meet and  it is especially easy to just put something out there.  Which makes it easier for someone else to find it and go, "Hey that's mine!  I'm gonna sue."  

SOOOO to end this post a pic of Whit.

Eating grass.  In the cool weather.  Nice.

See y'all next time!!!

Flowers and knitting and hiking oh my

Well hello again to all!  What a week it has been here at our house so where to even begin???


Well the first thing that I immediately wanted to post as soon as it happened of course!


Friday, my hubby had the day off so we were starting a three day weekend.  We had a conversation the night before and he brought up the fact that he hasn't been camping in a while . . . .  The only reason this existed is because I am a worry wort.  His idea of camping is going out for a week.  No cell service, no bathroom, just him and the wilderness.  Which is great for him but not so good for a worry wort.  But any ways, friday morning I woke up and said, "You should go camping."  He at first was a little apprehensive.  But I was like yea you should go.  I got up and went to starbucks across the street (don't ever, ever do this!!  Lot's of money gets wasted just because it is so close . . .)  when I came back his box of camping gear was all over the living room floor and he turned to me and said, "Can I go?  Really can I go?" (Imagine in a 5 year old voice).  Well how was I supposed to say no to that?  So he went but came back the next day and had in hand two bottles of wine and flowers.  What can I say, I married good.  :)

The wine, he said, he bought from a couple that just makes wine from the grapes that they grow in their front yard.  How cool.  :)

On the knitting front I have been quite busy.  I have mostly finished my mother's shawl.  I just need to make the collar and fit it and then we are pretty much done but here is a preview of this awesomely frustrating project.

Pretty cool huh?  Well after I finished this for now I also started and finished a hat that I had started, pulled out, redid, etc.  It was stressful but I started it yesterday about 4ish and finished it just before bed. I will have to admit that is pretty awesome.  :)  Now sorry the pic isn't of me.  I am having a lazy hair day . . . . . 

But for now the most exciting thing that I am looking forward to right now is that tomorrow it is supposed to rain.  I love rain and have always wanted to just sit and enjoy the rain.  Guess what, I can!  Maybe some more knitting projects are coming.  

So to end today's post is a cheer for the Texas Rangers!  It's too bad that we had to move for them to win, but hey it's all good.  The game should be starting soon!  So I guess I will end todays post.  See y'all next time.

Cause you Have to Start Somewhere

Greetings to all who have found my new blog.  I have done one or two before but have never really kept up with the posts.  But now I find myself spending lots of time at home, in a new place, without all of my awesome friends who happen to live somewhere else (ahem, mainly Texas).  So I figure why not share a little of what I am doing with all of my free time.  I named the blog twitters and the knitter because I am a knitter and twitters is my cat, Whitacre (Twitters is one of the many nick-names, but doesn't everyone give their pets "pet names"?).  Him and I spend most of the day together.  I watch tv, knit, play computer games and he occasionally cuddles, has random spurts of energy, but mostly stares at me and naps.  There have been many days that entertaining things have occurred and felt the need to share.  So I think I will start with today.

Whit and I have spent most of the day watching tv. I have Netflix and have had a marathon of psych running for several days.  If you have not seen this show then it is a must.  (By the way as my posts continue (I hope) you will notice I tend to watch a TON and I mean a TON of Tv.  So really many shows are a must.)   He has taken several naps and has found a rubber band most entertaining.

Knitting wise I have found myself being extremely ADD.  I have been trying to find projects that would keep me entertained enough but still somewhat easy so that I can watch tv at the same time.  This has been a major challenge.  I have tried to make up my own in-the-round dishcloth (very unsuccessful but kind of entertaining to my brain), a hat that I found a pattern for on ravelry but didn't have the proper needle size and had yarn but probably not the correct size so the hat came out small.  I have since actually tweaked the pattern for the hat to make it bigger but is still too small.  So I will have to make another one but I don't really feel like tearing out all that I had accomplished and restarting.  (I started, pulled out, and restarted so many time I find myself really aggravated with the idea in general)  I have also started a pair of socks.  I found this awesome fall colored sock yarn at a yarn shop in Texas and have made one sock with one pattern and have started another pattern with the same color. (I'm telling you I am really ADD)  But for now I am working on a lace wrap from the Vogue knitting early fall 2010 edition.  This wrap has a story all of it's own.

I found the wrap and made it for myself.  I used yarn I found at hobby lobby.  I am not a fan of making a gauge (which you can probably tell) so I had to go back and forth to hobby lobby several time and found two different stores in my new home (which was an adventure).  I showed my mother what I was making and liked it.  She asked me if I could make it for her and I of course said yes.  WELL I used different yarn, more expensive yarn (debbie bliss) for my mothers and found myself short of yarn.  Since most of my yarn purchases either happen at large chain stores I was not accustom to the dye lot idea and well had to order yarn from online and the new yarn had a different dye lot.  BOO . . . . so I had to rip out all the work that I had done and restart.  Now I am a fast knitter.  I restarted yesterday and have already finished two skeins of the project, many more to go though.  But it's a project that fits all of my qualifications, especially since I have done this particular project more than once.  So yea for that! (by the way, I had to tweak the pattern for my mom and have contemplated ripping out the one that I sort of finished and remaking mine with her tweaks. hmmmmmmmmmm)  

But in any case the day is nice and cool like fall.  Whit has been using my fleece jacket as a pillow, a warm pillow and my hands are aching to knit so I must go.  Maybe I will be back tomorrow .  . . . but till the next time.