The Soapy Knitter

Up to no good

Rosi G. — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:57:26 +0000

What’s wrong with this picture?

Let me help you out a bit.

See that? Chloe mistook my NOOK for a chew toy. Yep. She sure did.

Luckily she did most of the damage to the case.

That was Saturday.

Then on Sunday, she broke my absolutely most FAVORITE Knit Witch yarn bowl.

There is no after picture because it was, well, in pieces, to say the least.

But, it was an accident, right sweetheart?? You were only trying to pull out Mami’s yarn from INSIDE the bowl, right? It’s really Mami’s fault for putting the bowl on her nightstand instead of right on the floor. If it would’ve been on the floor, it would’ve never broken, right, precious?

As you might imagine, she was immediately forgiven. I mean, really. Who could resist this face?

Frog or Finish?

Rosi G. — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:59:25 +0000

This is my Ivy League Vest using Harrisville Designs New England Highland yarn.

I’m undecided as to what to do with it.

Frog or finish?? (vote below)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Lovin’ Cowls

Rosi G. — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:53:59 +0000

So I’m a bit addicted to knitting these cowls.

They’re actually called Neck Warmer Hats. You see, you can also wear them as hats.

These are super fast knits, let me tell ya! Zip zip zip, and bang, a cowl.

When I was house-hunting and then going through the closing process, I was sooo stressed that I couldn’t concentrate. So I decided knitting stockinette in the round in a quick project would be a great, mindless stress-reliever.

It worked. I would zip along knitknitknit and before I knew it, I had a cowl. I loved the first so much, I decided to stripe the next one using Noro.

And then I needed a third….so I striped that one, too.

And I’m sure you haven’t seen the last of these since they are so easy to knit. Totally and completely mindless. Gotta love those quickies.

If I have to pick a favorite of all three, it would have to be the first – knit in A Swell Yarn Shop Duet in the Aubergine Mist colorway. These skeins are hand-dyed and come with a solid-colored, matching mini-skein so you can do the heels and toes of socks. I used the solid to do the bottom ribbing and the I-cord tie for my cowl. It’s definitely the softest of all 3 and the one I wear the most.

I can see another one of these same Duet cowls in my future. Just let me get into that knitknitknit mode again and you’ll see another pop up on my blog.

BTW, I’m destashing 3 of my Namastes bags and a couple of buddies. All are in excellent condition because they are loved and treated like childrenz. The buddies have never been used. Shipping within the continental US is included in all prices.

Namaste Zuma in the Saddle Color – $50
Namaste Newport in the Olive Color – $50
Namaste Malibu in the Charcoal Color (link doesn’t show the actual color, but you can see the bag. you can find the charcoal colorway in the bag styles tho) – $45 – sold
Namaste Buddy in the Eggplant Color – $12 – sold
Namaste Buddy in a special color dyed for Woolgirl – Soft Pink – $16 – sold

Email me if you’re interested.

These bags retail for $70 each in most places. I will include free handmade soap with each purchase. )

Neck Warmer Hat

Source: Interweave Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Purple – A Swell Yarn Shop in Aubergine Mist (180 yds total); Green striped – Noro Chirimen in color #3 and Silk Garden in color #252 (1 skein each, 247 yds total); Autumn colors striped – Noro Silk Garden in colors #84 and #269 (1 skein each, 220 yds total)
Needles: US 6-16″ circular for the Duet; US 8-16″ circular for the Noros
Cost:$14.38 for the Duet; $21 for green striped; $22 for the autumn striped
Started: Purple: November 30, 2009; Green: December 26, 2009; Autumn: January 6, 2010
Finished: Purple: December 3, 2009; Green: December 31, 2009; Autumn: January 18, 2010
Mods: I cast on a different amount of stitches for each hat because my gauge was different. Otherwise, I followed the pattern exactly as written.

Doggies and Their Treats

Rosi G. — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:08:20 +0000

My friend Reese recently launched a small start-up business making homemade dog treats — called Happy Day Barkery. They use all natural, human grade food in the treats, with a heavy emphasis on organic ingredients that are free from preservatives and antibiotics. So far, the feedback from owners (and dogs…) has been really terrific.

Below is the link to their website, where you can order online. Log on…. and buy a bag or two… because you want a happy dog. Because you want to encourage entrepreneurs and creative endeavors. Or just to support a great small business.

http://www.happydaybarkery.com/

If you do place an order, please leave a comment and forward your order to me. Depending on how much you order, I am offering your choice of my patterns for free as “thank you.” ) You may get 1, 2 or 5 free patterns as a result – your choice of course.

Don’t want a pattern? Prefer soap? Well, let me know if you want a bar of my soap instead and I’ll give it to Reese to toss in with your order! It’s people soap, so you can have a treat, too.

SAVE ON SHIPPING!! If you’re in the NYC area and would want to pick up the treats from me, do let me know and we can set something up.

I can tell ya Chloe really loves these treats. You see this face? This face has learned to smile and come running at the sound of a Happy Day Barkery treats bag being shaken and unzipped! And for you wise-asses in the crowd, I mean CHLOE’s face, not Alex’s.

Get yours!!

Rosi G. — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:00:50 +0000

And we are back!! We’ve been busy soapmaking at Chez G. Grab them while they’re hot! We’ll be making more but the scents may or may not be repeated.