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Giveaway! Knitter’s Pride Comby Interchangeable Sampler Set

Please watch the entire video for instructions on how to enter the giveaway. This contest is open to US and international viewers (customs charges may apply outside the US). The contest is open until 12:01 am (US Central Time), January 15th, 2014; and the winner will be announced in video on January 16th, 2014. The winning comment will be chosen by random number generator.

You are welcome to comment here on this blog post, but to enter the contest, your comment needs to be on the YouTube watch page HERE.

This needle set can be purchased online here.

In the US and Canada, you can find a Knitter’s Pride retailer here.
Outside the US and Canada, you can find a Knitter’s Pride (Knit Pro) retailer here.

The sweater on the mannequin is my Easy Knit Sweater Jacket, pattern + tutorial.

The shawl I’m wearing is the Clapotis, knit in Noro Silk Garden.

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New Year’s Fireworks + Thundershirts

Note: I have not been sponsored by the Thundershirt company in any way. Never met them. This is an honest, unbiased review.

I posted to Facebook that I got Thundershirts for my dogs a few days ago, because the (illegal!) fireworks in my neighborhood make life unbearable in my house from 6pm to 1am on 12/31. Many people asked for a report on how the Thundershirts worked for my dogs, and since they are $40 apiece, I’m happy to share.

thundershirt doge

New Years Eve and the Fourth of July are miserable at my house. I never get to go out and enjoy these holidays, because I’m at home, protecting my dogs from themselves, and protecting my home from the dogs. It is complete, total, effing mayhem and chaos at my home when there are fireworks outside.

This year I invested in Thundershirts. I read the Temple Grandin book. I know how smushing and squeezing the torso can be calming to mammals. I don’t like sedating my dogs with drugs. I invested in two Thundershirts. (I have three dogs, but the third one is deaf enough so that fireworks no longer bother him. Yay for old age!)

In short, the Thundershirts took us from 100% Crazy to 7% Crazy. Totally amazing. Explanation below.

This is 100% Crazy, my experience in previous years: Fireworks start at 6pm. Dogs start whining and pacing. Ten minutes later, dogs are screaming* and wailing, and tearing through the house. Nothing is safe. Anything they can reach is thrown to the floor, and if I’m not watching, torn to shreds. When I say their names, they seem not to hear me. After several hours of this, I am also miserable. My heart is broken for my dogs, and I hate my neighbors. Happy New Year!

*Basenjis scream. It is a terrifying, ungodly sound.

This is 7% Crazy, with the Thundershirts: Fireworks start. Dogs are resting, but alert. Abe is trembling and Tippy is whining a bit, but they are both still. This goes on for six hours, so I’m drinking champagne. At 11:45, the fireworks really start. Abe and Tippy both start pacing, and Abe finds a “safe spot”, huddled next to a wall. (Totally sad! Like homeless, afraid dog!) I get on the floor with them, to start playing a game to distract them. They play along! There is a bit of whining when a really loud M80 or something booms, but I’m able to pull them back into the game right away. We played until 1am.

Summary: Thundershirts are worth their weight in gold. They took my family from seven hours of misery to one hour of playtime, even if the playtime was a bit forced.

I should spell out my preparation for the night. The dogs were given their normal two walks, plus one extra to work off as much extra energy as possible. They were also given their favorite meaty chewie at about 6pm, I think they are cow kneecaps, which occupied them for a couple of hours, and worked off more energy. I put the Thundershirts on my dogs before the fireworks really started, at the same time they got the chewies.

Photos:
Tippy is calm and chewing a cow part.

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Ike is too deaf, and was unaware of anything unusual.

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There was plenty of this from Abe – standing like a statue and listening. The weird thing on the floor is a cow kneecap.

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And even some of this. People with dogs might notice that is eyelids are kind of forced shut, but he’s trying to rest.

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All in all, the happiest and calmest New Year’s Eve we’ve had in years!

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Japanese Short Rows

Instructions for working Japanese Short Rows:
Turning, knit side:
1. Knit up to the turning point
2. Turn — you’re now on the purl side — and slip the next stitch purlwise from the left needle to the right, so that you working yarn is coming from the stitch on your right needle
3. Attach a pin to the working yarn — the pin should go around the yarn, not through it
4. Continue, ignoring the pin, it won’t be used until the gap is closed

Turning, purl side:
1. Purl up to the turning point
2. Turn — you’re now on the knit side — and slip the next stitch purlwise, from the left needle to the right, so that you working yarn is coming from the stitch on your right needle
3. Attach a pin to the working yarn — the pin should go around the yarn, not through it
4. Continue — if you flip the knitting over, you’ll see the pin attached to a loop

Closing the gap on the knit side:
1. Knit until you reach the gap, clearly marked by the clippie marker between two stitches
2. Grab the clippie and pull the yarn it holds onto the left needle. The loop should be correctly mounted with its right leg in front
3. Knit that loop together with the next stitch on the left needle
4. Remove the pin

Closing the gap on the purl side:
1. Purl until you reach the gap, clearly marked by the clippie marker between two stitches
2. Grab the clippie and pull the yarn it holds onto the left needle. The loop should be correctly mounted with its right leg in front
3. Purl that loop together with the next stitch on the left needle
4. Remove the pin

Information on things you’ll see in the video:
The bulky yarn I used in the sample is Malabrigo Chunky, knit using size 10.5 US needles.

The sweater on the mannequin is my Easy-Knit Sweater Jacket, pattern + video tutorial.

The shawl I’m wearing is the Clapotis pattern, knit with Noro Silk Garden yarn.

The clippie markers I’m using can be found here.

The nail color I’m wearing is CND Shellac polish, in color “Midnight Swim”.

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Holiday Pattern Sale

blocking stockings

Hopefully, you’re past the holiday rush, and you’re able to stay in the warm house, and relax and knit. I’m running a holiday sale on Ravelry right now – buy any two patterns, get the third one free. Just put three patterns in your cart, and one of them will be zero dollars. 🙂 Feel free to share with your knitting/crocheting friends.

You can shop here from my website, or visit my Ravelry Store directly. Promotion is good through Dec 25th.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
S t a c i

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Rodeo Drive Poncho

rodeo with scarf sm
mannequin poncho sm
Time for some luxury! This poncho design was inspired by a stroll down Rodeo Drive on a recent trip I had to California. It is knit in a cashmere-blend yarn, for the ultimate in softness and stitch definition. The techniques used are very simple – this pattern is appropriate for anyone with at least advanced beginner skills, meaning you’re comfortable with both knitting and purling. All of the other techniques are demonstrated in the four-part video tutorial.

Sizes: Two sizes, one with a deeper neckline, one with a shallower neckline. (See photos below.) Finished poncho is about 25.5” long from front of neck opening to bottom front, and 23” long at the sides.
Needles: Size US 7 (4.5mm). In a perfect world, you will have both 16” circular needles and 32” circular needles. In the video, I demonstrate how to complete this poncho with only 32” circulars. It is also useful to have a needle one size larger to complete a loose bind-off.
Yarn: Knit Picks Capra (85% Merino Wool, 15% Cashmere), DK weight (also called 8 ply), 123 yards each ball, 10 balls. The color I used is called “Caviar”. (See note below on yarn substitution.)
Additional Materials: 7 ring stitch markers, cable needle, tapestry needle for weaving in ends
Gauge: 5 stitches per inch (20 stitches over 10cm)

This pattern is available in three different formats, each includes links to 4-part video tutorial:

1. PDF Pattern, traditional and printable. $6.00 via PayPal
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2. Amazon Kindle digital download (suitable for Kindle devices and devices that use the Kindle app): $6.00 US.
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3. eReader (For non-Kindle eReaders, like Sony eReader and Barnes & Noble Nook, or any device using the Google Play Books app) $6.72 US

Note on Size: Pattern has been updated to include two different necklines – see photos below. Bust size isn’t an issue, and you can easily modify the pattern to be longer or shorter. I’m nearly 6’ tall myself, and you can see how it fits me. In contrast, my friend who is just over 5’ tall tried it on – and the amount of fabric was far from overwhelming on her. It looked decadent.

deeperSM
deeper neckline…
shallowerSM
…and shallower neckline.


Note on Substituting Yarn: This pattern will “work” with any yarn you choose, as long as you’re able to get the correct gauge (stitches per inch). The weight of the yarn I used is DK weight, also called “8 ply” outside the US. When choosing a yarn, I encourage you to stick with an animal fiber or animal fiber blend, so that your finished poncho will block out nicely around the cable twist and at the increase points. Other fibers that will look great in this pattern are wool – especially merino wool, alpaca, or a silk/wool blend.

rodeo without scarf sm
Instructions for knitting the swatch I show in the video:
Cast-on 28 stitches
Knit 5 rows.
Row 1 (RS): K all stitches
Row 2: K 4, P 20, K 4
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 nine times (18 rows).
K 4 rows.
Bind-off on right side of work.

back detail sm
cable detail sm
shoulder detail sm
Information on things you’ll see in the video:
The gloves I’m wearing in the photos are my Learn to Knit Gloves, pattern + video tutorial, with one modification. Instead of knitting a ribbed cuff, I knit a plain stockinette (knit every round) cuff for 9 inches before starting the thumb gusset.

The scarf I’m wearing in the video is called Hitchhiker, knit with Hazel Knits DK Lively Yarn.

The 16″ circular interchangeable set I use is by Knitter’s Pride, and is available on Amazon.

The cable needles I prefer can be found here on Amazon.

The bulky yarn I use for demonstration is Malabrigo Chunky.

The ball-chain ring markers I use are by Rycrafty on Etsy.

The green row counter I use can be found here.

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Fancy Stitch Combo – Wishbone Stitch

Instructions for working the Wishbone Stitch:
Cast-on a multiple of 8 stitches, plus 1.
Row 1: *k1, yo, k2, s2kp (slip 2 stitches together knit-wise, k1, pass 2 slipped stitches over knit stitch), k2, yo*, repeat between *s to last stitch, k1.
Rows 2 & 4: Purl all stitches.
Row 3: *k2, yo, k1, s2kp, k1, yo, k1*, repeat between *s to last stitch, k1.
Row 5: *k3, yo, s2kp, yo, k2*, repeat between *s to last stitch, k1.
Row 6: Purl all stitches.
Work to desired length, then bind-off purl-wise on wrong side of work.

To work this stitch in-the-round:
Cast-on a multiple of 8 stitches, join in-the-round.
Round 1: *k1, yo, k2, s2kp (slip 2 stitches together knit-wise, k1, pass 2 slipped stitches over knit stitch), k2, yo*, repeat between *s to end of round.
Rounds 2 & 4: Knit all stitches.
Round 3: *k2, yo, k1, s2kp, k1, yo, k1*, repeat between *s to end of round.
Round 5: *k3, yo, s2kp, yo, k2*, repeat between *s to end of round.
Round 6: Knit all stitches
Work to desired length, then bind-off normally on Round 6.

The bulky gray yarn I used in the sample is Malabrigo Chunky, in color Polar Morn, knit using size 10.5 US needles..

The blue yarn I used in the lacier sample is leftover Blue Moon Fibers sock yarn – sorry, I don’t remember the color name! That sample was knit on size 7 US needles.

The sweater on the mannequin is my Easy-Knit Sweater Jacket, pattern + video tutorial.

The shawl I’m wearing is the Clapotis pattern, knit with Noro Silk Garden yarn.

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Giveaway! Knitter’s Pride Bamboo DPN Needle Set

Please watch the entire video for instructions on how to enter the giveaway. This contest is open to US and international viewers (customs charges may apply outside the US). The contest is open until 12:01 am (US Central Time), December 18th, 2013; and the winner will be announced in video on December 19th, 2013. The winning comment will be chosen by random number generator.

You are welcome to comment here on this blog post, but to enter the contest, your comment needs to be on the YouTube watch page HERE.

This needle set can be purchased on Amazon.

In the US and Canada, you can find a Knitter’s Pride retailer here.
Outside the US and Canada, you can find a Knitter’s Pride (Knit Pro) retailer here.

The sweater on the mannequin is my Easy Knit Sweater Jacket, pattern + tutorial.

The shawl I’m wearing is the Clapotis, knit in Noro Silk Garden.

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Lifelines in Ribbing

Let’s say you’ve knitting ribbing, you’ve made a mistake, and you need to rip back. Here is a way of stringing a lifeline through rib stitch, so that you don’t have to worry about retrieving dropped stitches!

Information on things you’ll see in this video:

The sweater on the mannequin is my Three Rectangles, Two Triangles pattern + video tutorial.

The shawl I’m wearing in the video is the Clapotis, knit in Noro Silk Garden.

The purple yarn I used for demonstration is Malabrigo Chunky. The bamboo needles I used are made by Clover.

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Extra Stitches! Knitting with California Strength

Sure, they can lift 300 lbs over their heads, but how to they measure up as knitters?

Many thanks to Scott, Shaheen, and Rob from California Strength for being such good sports. You can see their weightlifting videos on the California Strength YouTube channel.

The red sweater I’m wearing is my Three Rectangles, Two Triangles pattern + video tutorial.

The multi-colored shawl I’m wearing (in the shot with the guys) is the Clapotis, mine is knit in Noro Silk Garden.