Knit up some warm confidence.

Get A Backbone shawl

Get A Backbone. A shawl pattern.

Here is the pattern for Get A Backbone.  A lovely shawl that can be knitted in any yarn to any size.
This link currently goes to ravelry.  I will be posting the pattern here soon.
It is an easy enough shawl, with just a bit of fun in the center with the cable.  A gentle cable, great for cable newbies or experienced cable-rs alike.  

Fast on size 11 needles with bulky yarn.  I hope you enjoy it!
If you leave a comment, please leave your email address so I can get back to you, or send me an email at the address listed above, or on ravelry. 

Get A Backbone, a shawl.

Need a bit of a shore up?  Just not feeling able to put up instead of shut up?  Legs a bit shaky?  Well have no fear, a backbone is here. Yes, a knitting pattern for your very own portable backbone. 

I have had this pattern clanking about in my head for much too long, now it has finally come out. I used a lovely BFL yarn by Feederbrook Yarns, Entropy, blue faced leister. Still working on it at this post, but it will soon be published on ravelry, free even. 

Strength and warmth, what a great combination. 

Krake, a hat

Here is a hat I designed for Alamitos Bay Yarn Company's 'Holiday Sparkle' party in October.  It is inspired by the texture of an octopus' skin when it is camouflaging itself against a bumpy surface.  They are so clever those cephalopods, and adorable to boot!  The pattern for this will be available on Ravelry sometime in December, so if you are a knitter, are on ravelry and would like to make this hat, then you can! 
If you are not a knitter, and are not on ravelry, get thee to a knitting class (preferably the one offered by the city of Long Beach Department of Recreation and Marine, which I teach) and learn!
Go knit, it's delicious.  

oh look! shiney!

toe up sock on magic loop

toe up sock, yarn colorway: Zombie Barbeque

I must admit that I am easily distracted.  (this is an understatement).  I do so adore things like the internet because I can click and hop from place to place, from blog to blog and image to image.  There are always new things I want to do, items to make, things to knit and objects to buy.  It is quite a feat for me to commit to knitting a garment, much less an entire pair of socks (you mean I have to make a second one that looks just like the first one that I just finished?  Really? really, Really?).  Because of this I have what is termed in the knitting world as SSS, or Second Sock Syndrome.  Alas there is no cure aside from intestinal fortitude to press on to make the second sock and complete the project or to actually knit two socks at one time,.  I have attempted this but along with my Attention Deficit Disorder comes a touch - well, maybe a bit more than a touch - of Dyslexia.  This poses a unique issue for the 'two at a time' concept wherein I became quite fouled up with the endeavor and many curse words were flung about.  As you can see in the photos above there are socks, an actual pair of socks and another on the way, I have found my sock mojo and it is called 'The Magic Loop'.  It is a process where the knitter uses one long circular needle instead of two circulars or 5 double pointed needles.  I am enamored with the 'toe up' option and see many more pairs of hand knit socks in my future, there may just be a few new sock bombs to come!  That is a yummy idea.

hair bites

keeping hair tidy with a yarn bomb.

Yarnivore likes biting bike racks.  Long Beach California has so many to choose from in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  My most recent target is the bike rack that looks like a ...wait for it....person riding a bike! (how novel). Now the 'person' riding this bike (rack) has hair that is blowing back in the imaginary wind.  Well this just won't do.  Yarnivore needs to tidy that up a bit so I knitted some lovely little triangle head scarves to help them out. There are many of these but my main target bike rack is on PCH (Pacific Coast Hwy) and Loynes Drive near the 'Local Spot' coffee house.
One bright Friday morning the scarf was applied and off to work I went.  It lasted two days.  Not the quickest removal of one of my yarn bombs, but pretty quick I will say.  I plan to re-bomb it today.  I thought it looked adorable...and delicious. 
Photo credit, Judy Kilpatrick/Alamitos Bay Yarn Company

yarnivore bites VK Live!

Oh the glory of a knitting convention!  Classes, tutorials, yarn, needles, bags, yarn, patterns, demonstrations and more yarn!  a-mazing.  Alamitos Bay Yarn Company had a booth at Vogue Knitting Live Los Angeles and I was able to work the show and shop the show and do demonstrations at the show and sell yarn at the show and buy yarn at the show and Yarn Bomb the show.  I was gobsmacked to see that I was the only bomber to grace the Hyatt Regency in Century City with some yarny goodness. Fun was had by all and I can hardly wait for next year, maybe, just maybe we will see a call to knitterly arms with more yarny decorations...delicious.

on the hair isle

Fair Isle style ear warmer...black

Fair isle style head band.. blue.

Fair isle style hair band... beige.

Every quarter at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company (where I work on Fridays) we must come up with a class to teach.  I wanted to teach a Fair isle technique class but did not want anything with steeks, or dpns (double pointed knitting needles).  So I came up with a Fair isle style head band, hair band, ear warmer, whatever you call it or however you spell it.  It goes around your head and keeps your ears warm, that's for darn sure.  The one I will be teaching only has two colors, green and white.  The ones pictured here are the product of my Fair isle fueled binge.  I will come clean here, I admit it, my name is Sandra D and I am addicted to Fair isle style knitting.
I don't know exactly what it is, the tidy little charts, the sharp cornered squares, the subtle blending of colors or  the opportunity to stash bust like there is not tomorrow.  Whatever it may be, Fair isle hits me square in the pleasure center of my brain.  Every thing just falls away around me as I  follow the chart with a color in each hand...two stitches blue, three stitches green, one stitch blue, four stitches green....I just want to be left alone with my yarn and my chart, ah fair Fair isle, I do so adore you.
So if life is getting a little crazy for you, and drinking or drugs are just not convenient (or socially acceptable) try my drug...Fair Isle....its delicious.

button, button, who's got the button?

Buttons are big, some really are big. Doing good things for the environment is big, crafting is big, found objects are big. Here we have some found wood buttons. They are all quite big and command a special spot on a purse, shawl, wrap or sweater. Alamitos Bay Yarn Company just got them in and I had to take a little photo of them. They really are beautiful. So if you need some big buttons.....here is the place to feed that need!

my summer job

So,
things were a little slow at my day job, teaching at Hope University. We had so many students taking
time off for the summer that I got to take off an extra day too! I decided to get a 'summer job' working in a yarn shop! Not just any yarn shop but a beautiful shop right on Alamitos Bay. Yes, cool ocean breezes, beautiful views of sailboats on the water and happy customers enjoying our Wednesday 'Knit & Cruise' boat trips. Here are a few photos of the shop and surrounding area. If you are ever in Long Beach you should stop in, the water is fine! Sunshine, ocean views and yarn...mmmmm, delicious!