Movie Theater Dishcloth III

This is yet another easy dishcloth pattern for great brain-free movie theater knitting. It is definitely more complex than the other two, and should absolutely be cast on before the lights dim. However, unlike Movie Theater Dishcloth II, you don't need to know which row you are on since every row is the same. (And, like all dishcloths, this makes a great gift!)



Movie Theater Dishcloth III

Finished Size: 8"x8"

1 - 2 oz ball of 100% cotton worsted weight (Another great use of self striping yarn!)
1 - US size 7 circular needle (I recommend using at least a 16" since it starts out fairly long. You can switch to a shorter circular or even straights toward the end if you like.)
3 - stitch markers or bits of scrap yarn

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch

Cast on 40 stitches. Place marker. Cast on an additional 40 stitches. Place marker. Cast on an additional 40 stitches. Place marker.Cast on an additional 40 stitches. (160 stitches total, 3 markers total.)
Every Row: [K1, K2Tog, YO, K2Tog, Knit to Marker, Slip Marker.]Repeat to end of row.
Repeat this row until there are only 4 stitches between the markers.
Finishing Row 1: [K2Tog, K2 Tog, Remove Marker.] Repeat to end of row.
Finishing Row 2: [K2 Tog.] Repeat to end of row.
Trim yarn to 12". Thread through live stitches and pull tight.
Use remaining tail to seam up the diagonal edge.
Weave in ends, block if desired, clean dirty dishes.

(This pattern is original with me, in that I haven't seen it anywhere else! It came about when I was trying to complete a set for a wedding present. I had a self striping yarn and was trying to show off the striping differently in each cloth. I had one that was diagonal, one that was mitered, one that was straight, and then tried to figure out how to do this box style!)

Getting Reacquainted.

I missed many of my belongings this past year as they sat in storage.
I missed my books.
I missed my photo albums.
I missed my sewing machine.
I missed my purses.

However, I think almost more than anything else, I missed my swift.

I had quite the night last night winding skeins that have languished in the stash awaiting the unpacking of the swift.



Bliss.

Movie Theater Dishcloth II

This is another pattern for a simple dishcloth that also makes for great brain-free knitting at a movie theater. This one is a little more complex, in that you have to quasi-pay attention to whether you are on an odd or even row. Also, unlike Movie Theater Dishcloth I, it is probably best to cast this one on before the lights dim since you need to count and accurately place the marker!I just look at where my cast on tail is though to keep it straight...still really easy. (Also, again, makes a great gift!)



Movie Theater Dishcloth II

Finished Size: 8"x8"

1 - 2 oz ball of 100% cotton worsted weight (Another great use of self striping yarn!)
1 - pair US size 7 straight needles
1 - stitch marker or bit of scrap yarn

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch

Cast on 40 stitches. Place marker. Cast on an additional 40 stitches. (80 stitches total)
Row 1 (and every odd row): Knit to marker. Slip marker. Knit to end
Row 2 (and every even row): Knit until 2 before marker. K2Tog. Slip marker. K2Tog. Knit to end.
Repeat until there are 4 stitches on the needle.
K2Tog. Remove Marker. K2Tog.
K2Tog. Trim yarn. Thread tail through remaining stitch. Pull tight.

Weave in ends, block if desired, clean dirty dishes.

(This pattern is sort of original with me, since I don't remember seeing it anywhere else as a dishcloth. However, mitered squares are, again, common patterns, so I still can't really take credit for it!)

Movie Theater Dishcloth I

This is a pattern for a simple dishcloth that is great brain-free knitting at a movie theater. Not only is it an easy pattern, but it is small enough to stash in your purse! They are fast knits too! I finished 3/4 of one of these during Up on Sunday night. (Great gift idea!)



Movie Theater Dishcloth I

Finished Size: 8"x8"

1 - 2 oz ball of 100% cotton worsted weight (Such as Sugar'n Cream...it is especially fun to use a self-striping yarn like I did in the sample!)
1 - pair US size 7 straight needles

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in garter stitch

Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K2, YO, K2
Row 3: K2, YO, K to end.
Repeat Row 3 until there are 56 stitches on the needle (53 rows)
Row 54: K1, K2Tog, YO, K2Tog, K to end
Repeat Row 54 until there are 4 stitches on the needle.
Knit one row
Cast off 4 stitches

Weave in ends, block if desired, clean dirty dishes.

(This pattern is not original with me, but I don't remember where I first saw it. It is a common pattern...kind of like a garter stitch scarf, so no one can really take credit for it!)

In Praise of Audiobooks

It is commonly known that I can knit while: talking, eating, watching a movie, riding in a car, listening to a lecture, sitting on the beach, etc.

It has even been rumored that I can knit in my sleep. (This is not true. Although, when the holiday crunch comes I sometimes wish it were.)

However, depending on the activity, I have to limit the skill level of project I am pursuing. Movies that require attention or a lot of eyes-on-screen time need brain-free knitting. Car rides through scenic venues need brain-free knitting. Talking to friends who actually appreciate eye contact needs brain-free knitting. Eating definitely needs brain-free knitting.

Enter the audiobook.

These boogers are GREAT!!!! I get all the mental stimulation of a movie plot, the rapier wit of a good writer, AND my more complex knitting projects get their required eyeball time.

Since moving into the apartment, and my quarter ending, I have successfully completed 4 audiobooks AND made huge progress on some of my more intricate projects.

(Currently knitting to: Comforts of a Muddy Saturday by Alexander McCall Smith, narrated by the DIVINE Davina Porter. In audiobooks, the narrator makes all the difference.)

Swamped

I had 27 people show up to the knitting program at the library Wednesday night.

Let me repeat that:

27 PEOPLE

And not just 27 knitters to sit around and chat and knit. No.

I had 27 brand spanking new beginners who could barely tell the needles from the yarn!

This was unexpected.

27 knitters...and me. (And a lovely teen volunteer who happened to know how to knit and was a good sport about helping me at the last minute...I totally owe her a coffee cup cozy!)

We knew there was going to be a big turn out based on the PR and the amount of response we had been getting. (And the number of supply sheets I had to print out!) Yet, I did not freak out. I did not have a panic attack...

Until the power point projector did not recognize that my laptop was connected to it even though clearly it was...I thought it might be the type of cable I was using, so I rushed home (mercifully without getting a ticket for breaking the sound barrier) and grabbed every single connector that I owned. I got back 10 minutes before I was supposed to start. It didn't matter. Nothing worked.

That's ok. I took a deep breath and decided to pretend that I don't have a diagnosed stress disorder for which I have been medicated in the past. I pasted a smile on my face, pulled out my wonking huge demonstration needles, and went to work.

By the end of the evening, we had all made great progress...and everyone was knitting:



(The real shame is that I spent 5-6 hours working on that power point presentation...I even had NorCalGal email me a photo of her first dishcloth to include in it...that slide show was a thing of beauty I assure you! I am tempted to go ahead and post it here in the next week or so...I would just need to record the voiceovers...We'll see...)

Samples Samples Samples

I have been working hard to have a respectable number of dishcloth samples for my program tonight. I have 2 that are actually the pattern I am teaching them, and then two that require knowledge of a YO and a K2TOG.

Had this been a year ago...or better yet the day before the 2007 company Christmas gift exchange...I would have had SCADS to show the students from my gift stash. Sadly, having most of my stuff in storage, in combination with the deluge of incoming babies, has totally depleted the stash.

So, instead of going to my handy dandy shelf, I have been scrounging in my kitchen drawers for examples that are not TOO TOO grungy. I also have decided out of desperation to take along a couple of burp rags...they are essentially the same thing anyway.

This whole adventure has led me to two conclusions:
1. I really need to work on beefing up the gift stash again...I mean seriously...there is only ONE coffee cup cozy in there.
2. I am in dire need of some new dishcloths for my own use. Honestly, some of these are shameful.

Sweet Sunday

When I got to services yesterday morning, I had a sweet surprise awaiting me. Blossom was wearing the sweater I knit for her! I have knit a lot of baby gifts over the years...normally hats or burp rags. This, however, was the first time I had ever seen one in use! Most of my friends with babies live far away. Also, since this was the first real sweater I had knit for an infant, I had been concerned about whether or not it would fit...and it did!



To make the day EVEN better...at the grad party last night, Belle let me hold Blossom...TWICE. Since she was still in the sweater, I had Matador take a few quick pics of the event. This was the best one.



I was one happy knitter!

WWKIP Day

Today was World Wide Knit in Public Day.



Best holiday ever.

I went to my LYS. They threw a party.



There were lots of knitters there. We all sat out on the sidewalk in downtown Pleasanton and...knit!



Good Times.

Wow! I'm Famous!

I highly encourage everyone to google:
Get Knittin San Ramon

That is correct. I am almost every result on the first page!

The library sent out a press release about my adult knitting program next Wednesday. This is not, in and of itself, a big deal. We always send out press releases. What is a big deal is that it was actually picked up by major news agencies: NBC, Contra Costa Times, MSN, etc.

The full-text of the release reads as follows:

"On Thursday, June 17, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm, at the San Ramon Library, Megan May will present "Get Knittin' @ The Library." You will learn the basics of knitting at this workshop designed just for beginners. Knit a simple dishcloth and discover the rewards of creating your own housewares! Once you get started you'll be on your way to knitting purses, scarves, and other accessories! No registration is necessary, but you will need to bring your own needles and yarn. Supply sheets are available at both the San Ramon and Dougherty Station libraries!

Megan May has been knitting since she was four, and quilting since she was six. She has taught knitting in three states, from 5 year olds to 75+. She has run a knitting service group, "Team Tabitha," and has an ongoing knitting blog.

This program is free and open to the general public, and will be held at in the second floor meeting room of the San Ramon Library, located at 100 Montgomery St., San Ramon, at the corner of Bollinger Canyon Road and Market Street. For more information please call the Library at (925) 973-2850."

Don't I sound important, and actually competent? I am excited. Not every agency used the full text, the majority just used the first paragraph...but still! Now I am just a little nervous that my turnout will exceed my capabilities. The librarian and I have made arrangements to project my instructional videos on a screen via laptop, and I am going to bring my ginormous needles and chunky yarn for demo purposes. Here's hoping it works out!

Techno Knitting

I have an iPhone.

I love my iPhone for many reasons: the built in iPod, the built in GPS, constant email access, remote facebook access, internet at my fingertips, high quality camera, etc.

But now I have a NEW reason to love my iPhone: the "EweStash" app.

This app allows me to not only catalog and keep track of all the yarn in my stash by color, fiber, gauge, and yardage...it is also fully searchable, AND lets me take a picture of the skein with my phone to save with the record. It also has a section to catalog knitting needles and crochet hooks.

Needless to say, this is a library knitter's dream come true.

Now when I am out at the store, if I come across a pattern I can make sure I don't already have the yarn at home. And, once I use a skein, I just delete it from the stash!

I am in love.

The Summer of "Me" Projects

I have finished ALL of the baby gifts that I needed to do...FINALLY!!! With the exception of possible presents for my not-yet-existent niece/nephew, I will not be making any more baby burp rags, bunny burp buddies, or dishcloths for at least 6 months!

I have made all of the class samples that I need to make for the library. And I have enough dishcloths/coffee cup cozies in the gift stash to last through the end of the year.

I can knit stuff for me now!

I can finish those scarves I started.

I can felt the Port Townsend Purse...which has been on my to do list since last August.

I can make socks!

I have a whole glorious summer stretching ahead of me. A summer with no graduate school. A summer with no moving.

A summer to knit!

Knitting + Beer Bread = Bliss

Tonight Broseph came over to help me finish with the move. But, since Twilight had been over on Thursday and today was my day off, I was pretty much finished. All that was left to do was hang artwork. After being surprised at how MUCH artwork I had, there wasn't a whole lot for Broseph to do. (Although, I did ask him to open a pickle jar that I had been trying to open all week...there are some things you just need a guy for...)

Once we had all the stuff on the walls, and had eaten some pizza, we decided to watch Music and Lyrics and decompress. I put some beer bread in the over and sat down to...KNIT!!!

It was glorious.

I wove the ends into 2 dishcloths that are samples for library programs:



I wove the ends into the 2 commissioned baby burp rags:



I wove the end into the first bunny burp buddy:



...and then I finished the second bunny burp buddy:



And then I ate some beer bread. Warm. With Butter. And Honey.

It was AMAZING: spending time with a friend, on my orange couch, knitting lots, eating fresh baked bread, in my own apartment, with my own pictures smiling down from the walls. Life is good.

Withdrawal

I have knit a total of 10 rows of one dishcloth since I moved.

I did reorganize the craft closet, but have just had too much to do around the apartment to find even 15 minutes in which to knit.

The 10 rows I did get done only got done because I happened to have the dishcloth in my desk at work, and things quieted down enough for me to actually take my break.

I need to knit.

I am going through withdrawal.

...maybe tonight?

Moving Moving Moving

I missed a day of posting...I never know what to do on months with 31 days, since I try to post on odd days. Do I post two in a row? Do I skip a day? Which day do I skip?

I feel justified in skipping this weekend, since I moved. I am up to my eyeballs in boxes. I forgot that I owned most of the stuff that I've been unpacking...storing everything for nearly a year will do that I guess. On the plus side...I have ALL of my knitting, scrapbooking, and quilting supplies in one handy dandy place again...and an accessible place no less! They get their own closet! (My sewing machine. I have my sewing machine back. I can hem my pants finally, instead of using scotch tape!)

Moving also means reorganizing. I have a lot of "display" baskets and bowls that I keep leftover balls of wool, sock yarn, etc in...not to mention the project box and basket that go in my living room. I am going to be forced, to sort through ALL of my yarn in order to determine what goes where now! What a hardship!

(And by the way...I am almost done with the last bunny blanket buddy for the library commissioned baby gift. I will hopefully be posting the pictures on Wednesday sometime. The downside to moving is that I don't have internet at my apartment yet, so I will have to upload my pictures and posts on breaks at work!)